"Sensual, and Suspenseful Stories of Shape-Shifters"
The Shadow Dwellers is a paranormal romance series in which
the human world coexists with a preternatural one. The
preternaturals consist of vampires, witches, and
were-animals, who are governed by the Council of (five)
Elders
headed by the vampire Alexandre St. Juste. They are stories
about friendship, loyalty, and betrayal, but most of all
love. Book I -- ONE WITH THE HUNGER
Also sold singly in electronic format.
ISBN Disk: 1-55316-070-3
ISBN Rocket: 1-55316-928-X What do five women friends of eclectic interests and
experience discuss when they gather together? Men? Sex?
Fantasies? You guessed it! All of the above, and one of
these ladies is about to have her fantasies come true in a
most unexpected way. Vivian, Jennifer, Melanie, Ehrin, and Shai have gathered in
a New York City restaurant to celebrate Shai's birthday.
Consensus has it that Shai's love life had been seriously
lacking. The ladies have already gifted her with a sexy
outfit and naughty lingerie, but that isn't enough. They've
also decided that she needs a lover. Shai Jordan isn't at all certain she needs one at all. Her
limited experiences hadn't left her too impressed with sex.
Her childhood hadn't given her any reason to trust men
either. Her father had abandoned his family when she was
small, leaving them destitute. Her mother had turned to
prostitution, and the endless stream of men parading
through their house had done nothing to improve her opinion
of men. Her mother had died brutally at the hands of her
clients. The only man who had ever done her a good turn was
the police officer who had gotten her off the streets and
turned her life around. When prompted for a favorite fantasy though, Shai has her
friends sitting on the edge of their seats. She paints a
tale of a dark stranger who enters her home at night and
promises to do her every bidding. Her friends approve, but
is this what she'd really wish for? As if her mind had been read, a dark and handsome stranger
appears in her field of vision. Has she conjured him up? He
is the embodiment of her fantasy lover. Their eyes meet,
and shy Shai looks away only to hear him greet her friend
Jennifer. Shai sits rapt as Jen introduces her to her old
friend Valentin. Steamy visions run through her head as
Val expresses his enchantment at the introduction. At home
later that night Shai falls asleep with those visions still
dancing in her head. Her life would never be the same. Just outside a sinister presence watches over her as she
sleeps. The vampire bides his time. Soon he would come for
her, as he had come for her mother so many years ago. The following day Shai returns to her office at the Times
to find a dozen blood red roses with no card. As she
ponders the identity of the sender, she learns that another
call girl has been ritually murdered. As with the others,
the woman's head had been nearly severed off, the body
drained of blood. The strange serial murders resemble the
manner of her mother's death all those years ago. A crime
that had never been solved. Shai is determined to find the
killer. Val comes to her that night, determined to fulfill her
every erotic fantasy. Though normal shy, Shai believing she
is only dreaming, decides to go for broke. He is everything
she'd dreamed he'd be and more. Later she receives a call
from an anonymous male who claims to know both her and the
identity of the serial killer. He wants to meet with her
alone. With the evidence that her late night encounter was
not a dream staring her in the face, she wonders if the
caller could be her dark lover. Could she afford not to
find out? The murders continue. The latest victims all have two
things in common - They've all been drained of blood, and
they all bear a striking resemblance to Shai. Would she be
next? Could the killer be the man who had made her darkest
fantasies come true, the man who has stolen her heart? ONE WITH THE HUNGER is highly erotic as such fantasies tend
to be. Val is an extremely sexy and inventive lover, but
never doubt for a moment that there's a romance happening
here. It's love at first site for both Shai and Val, and
that's saying something when you've been around the block
as many years as vampire Val has. Ms. Wilder wisely knows
that a fantasy such as Shai's can only be fulfilled by a
man who loves her with all his heart. Only a man who loves
a woman as much as Val loves Shai, would take such care to
put her pleasure before his own. Bravo! Mikhail, the villain, is as sinister as they come. The fact
that he is still out there somewhere will disturb your
sleep and make you crave the next installment,
RETRIBUTION. I look forward to learn what is in store for
Shai's good friend and fellow journalist, Jennifer Beaumont. ============================================= Book II: RETRIBUTION
Also sold singly in electronic format.
ISBN Disk: 1-55316-072-X
ISBN Rocket: 1-55316-930-1 A decade has passed since Val had rescued his lover, Shai,
and Mikhail's last victim's twin sister, Maeve, from his
evil clutches. Now Mikhail has struck again, taking an
elder vampire, Miranda of Glencoe, hostage. It appears he
is seeking retribution against Val, as Miranda had been
Val's dearest friend and companion for many years. But is
that his real goal? The abduction is a violation of the
laws that govern the Shadow Dwellers. It is sure to create
a stir and bring Val running. Jennifer Beaumont is the first to brave the vampire's lair
in search of her friend. Centuries ago Miranda had rescued
the newly created revenant from Mikhail's obsessive grip.
Loyalty and friendship compel Jen to return the favor,
though she has no wish to see her creator ever again. In the years after her escape from Mikhail, Jen had found a
man she'd loved with all her heart, but when Mikhail had
learned of their relationship, he'd threatened her lover's
life. Though it had broken her heart, she'd left Mac,
rather than lose him to death. If she had anything to do
with it, she would not lose Miranda that way either.
Jennifer is shocked at the deplorable condition in which
she finds her friend and does what Mikhail bids her to do. Val, Mikhail's creator, knows better than anyone how
unbalanced the elder vampire has become. When Jennifer
informs him of Miranda's kidnapping, he knows that his
loved ones will never be safe until Mikhail is dead. He
calls upon his good friend Conor MacNaughten to liberate
Miranda, while he meets with the Council of Elders with the
hope of a legitimate means of sealing Mikhail's fate.
Should the council refuse his plea, Val will be forced to
take the matter into his own hands. This would mean his own
death at the hands of the Council. Jennifer's involvement creates conflicting emotions in her
former lover. Mac has no memory of his life before that
time when he was discovered by Renault, unconscious in a
niche in Hadrian's wall a millennium ago. He has no
country, no
recollection of family or friends. His later life had been
filled with the pursuit of pleasure. Only Jennifer had
touched his heart, and she'd betrayed him. Though the pain
she'd caused him had not faded with time, he'd do
virtually anything to keep her from being harmed. It is
clear that even after a century apart, she is not
indifferent to him. Yes, Mac has unfinished business with
Jen. He has unfinished business with Mikhail as well. More than
even he is aware of. Mikhail has been ordered to produce
Miranda unharmed. But Jennifer knows he will not. Her
vision triggers long buried memories in Mac, memories so
horrible that his mind had refused to allow him access to
them. Now Mac is about to come face to face with his
history and...his destiny.
Doing so will give him the key to his power, and a second
chance at eternal love - If he survives. RETRIBUTION is a gripping tale of betrayal and of
love. J.
C. Wilder gives us major insight into the villain Mikhail
whose sanity was long gone, well before he joined the ranks
of the undead. One will shudder at the lengths he will go
to, to gain power for himself. He is bent on revenge, but
his plans for retribution go far beyond Val's supposed
misdeeds. This installment will keep the reader on the edge of their
seat. Conor's tale is compelling, suspenseful, and
everyone's worst nightmare all rolled into one. Yet he
carries on untainted by it, which reveals a great deal
about his character. Ms. Wilder also reveals an intriguing
bit about the reclusive Renault, but that is a story for
another day. Mikhail is badly damaged, and the council is in shambles,
but this is not the end. Evil will raise its ugly head once
more, and this time Fayne will be called upon to stop it.
Romance writer Erihn Spencer is about to learn that reality
can be better than anything she could possibly imagine! Her
story is SHAMELESS, Shadow Dweller's Series - Book
III. Stay
tuned. Copyright 2001
Reviewed by Leslie Tramposch
Posted December 12, 2001
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