"A Highly Erotic Vampire Fantasy"
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. 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. Copyright © 2001
Review based on the LTD Books revised edition -
August 1, 2001,
ISBN #1553160703
Reviewed by Leslie Tramposch
Posted December 12, 2001
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