"Sinfully Dark and Delicious Romance"
Somewhere amid the Mardi Gras revels, stands a man with big
problems. Make that a vampire with very big problems! The
weight of the preternatural world rests heavily on the
shoulders of Alexandre Saint-Juste, and what shoulders they
are! At least Sunni thinks so. The perky young vampire had
been in love with him for neigh on sixty years. Her lack of
experience then, had almost cost her her life. Alexandre
had saved her from a horrid fate of death by sunlight.
Never had a man held her with such gentleness, or looked at
her with such desire. He had immediately resumed his cool,
remote persona, but Sunni now knows the man who hides
beneath those expensive Armani suits, the man she is more
determined than ever to make him her own. Or does she? Under the confident demeanor and power suit
beats the heart of a man who knows the cost of failure. The
head of the Council of Elders, one of the oldest and
strongest vampires the world has known, had failed in his
duty before and many people had died. He'd been mortal
then, but now with the council in shambles, and Elsabeth's
diary in the hands of the renegades, the fate of his people
rests in his hands again. Cass, his former lover and
council member, had betrayed them all and was still at
large. If that wasn't enough, a mysterious malady is killing the
young vampires of New Orleans. The symptoms mock death by
sunlight, though that had not been the case. The damage
seemed to stem from the region that housed their hearts. The last thing he needed now was flighty, young, Sunni
dogging his heels, determined to help him solve the
mystery. The sins of the flesh had always been
his downfall as human and vampire. Sunni threatens his
rigid control, though he has no clue why. She isn't even
his type. Alexandre preferred his women sultry and
statuesque, cultured, intelligent, experienced, women who
knew how to have a good time without forming emotional
attachments. The petite, young, free-spirited blond, who
wore her heart on her sleeve, was none of above. Barefoot
and barely clothed, she should have been beneath his
notice. She owned a tattoo parlor for Pete's sake! She was
definitely a distraction. Disaster was sure to strike if he
didn't get a grip on his wayward libido and focus on his
duty. Alexandre may be able to hide his feelings from himself,
but others have noticed his interest in Sunni. Cass is
back in town. She's got the diary, and with it the recipe
to create her own vampire army. Now it was time to see a
man about replacing him on the council. Oh yes, she had
plans for Alexandre. If he was cooperative she might just
keep him around as co-council, after all he'd been an
excellent lover.
For a bit of insurance she would make certain that the life
of his current love interest hung in the balance. Now Sunni is counting on him. She's dying, and only he can
save her. Deep down inside he knows he is not
the hero Sunni believes him to be. Was her faith in him
misplaced? He'd certainly misjudged her. There was far more
to her than first met the eye. Could he bear to
lose the vivacious, loving, and courageous woman whose
faith in him had
literally place her life in his hands, a woman who had
completely stolen his heart? No, he mustn't fail again. Not to worry, Alexandre isn't in this alone. Lots of folk
have scores to settle with Cass, including one who is as
yet unknown to the series' readers. Hey, after all it is
New Orleans, and what would that place be without a little
voodoo magic? J. C Wilder just gets better and better. SINS OF THE
FLESH shows depth of character rarely found in a story
of it's length - showcasing the talent of the author, and
earning it well deserved critical acclaim. As a long time
fan of this series, if I had to choose one I would venture
to say that SINS is the best "Shadow Dweller" tale to date. Break out the fans and plan to set a spell in New Orleans.
The grieving, and oh so sexy, Damien St. James is about to
become one of the hunted. Voracious Vivian, wealthy
socialite and philanthropist, is on the prowl and she's set
her sites on Sinjin. Look for Book VI, TEMPTATION,
in 2002. What about the reclusive Renault, you ask? Not to worry,
the wild and wicked were-cat will have the chance to face
his demons in Book 7, aptly named EYE OF THE
STORM. Which luck lady will aide him in that quest is
anyone's guess. Stay tuned! Copyright © 2001
Reviewed by Leslie Tramposch
Posted December 13, 2001
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