"Enjoyable Read for Urban Fantasy Lovers"
Kathy McKenna owns a quaint bookstore in the Midwestern
town of Oak Hallow. She has a rare gift of spotting
preternatural beings. She thought Oak Hallow would be safe
away from the Vampire and Were wars, but she finds out that
her town is the neutral zone, where all creatures of the
night meet and discuss peace. A Were, Cagin asks her out on
a date, a Vampire, Raphael (Rafe) wants to court her and a
Hunter, Travis wants her for a whole different reason. She
should just pack up and leave town, but then she can't stop
thinking about Raphael and the way her heart beats faster
when he's around. Raphael (Rafe) Cordova and his twin brother are unique
Vampires. They were not turned but became vampires when
they were teens. Rafe is the leader of the North American
Vampires and in charge of keeping the peace. When he walks
into Kathy's bookstore, he didn't plan on courting her, but
there is something about her that warms his soul. All he
has to do is convince Kathy they belong together. Kathy is
human and she wants to stay that way. Will her love for him
be enough to make their relationship work? While Rafe and Kathy try to work out their differences,
they must also contend with the Hunters. Travis and his
cohorts want to eliminate the preternatural world and they
have a diabolical plan in the works to achieve the goal. Ms. Ashley has written an intriguing Urban Fantasy with
good, evil and little in-between. I liked how her
characters stayed true. Kathy may love Rafe but she's very
human and acts accordingly. She fears what Rafe is. She
never forgets he isn't human and she hashes over all the
pros and cons of having a lifetime relationship with a
Vampire. Can he control his blood lust? Will he turn her
without her permission? Will he tire of her when she grows
old? If she became a vampire, would she hate that she
couldn't go out in the day? Would she miss chocolate,
coffee and all other good foods? All good questions. She
may love a vampire, but it doesn't mean he's right for her. Rafe is a strong Alpha male, who is sympathetic to Kathy's
plight. I also liked that he didn't treat her as if she
couldn't take care of herself. She may be human, but he
knew she had a life before him. I also liked the secondary
characters, Cagin and Susie. They could have a story all
their own. All in all this was an enjoyable read. I believe
the tale would also attract the young adult crowd. There's
nothing too graphic and the sex scenes are left to the
imagination. Reviewed by: Karen
Michelle Nutt, author
Reviewed by Karen Michelle Nutt
Posted December 13, 2008
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