"A Tempting tale of murder, intrigue, and sensual preternatural romance!"
Grief is a very personal emotion which affects each
individual in a different way. February: Los Angeles, CA - For Vivian Carrington,
it's a wake up call. She would miss her best friend,
Melanie, more than she could begin to imagine, but
arranging the funeral for the much loved international
movie star had reminded her how lonely and empty her own
life had become. She was forty-four, she had her millions,
and a slew of men passing through her bedroom, but where
was idealistic woman who had once wanted to make the world
a better place using only her bare hands? When was the last
time she'd been an active participant in her own life? Who
would mourn her passing? No one. It was time to set
meaningless affairs aside and find herself again. February: New Orleans, LA - When Damien St. James
lost his
beloved Bliss in the war among the Shadow Dwellers, he had
vowed never to expose his heart to such pain again. Though
eternity stretched before the vampire, he would never love
again. Sinjin had left his beloved Highlands for New
Orleans, to immerse himself in the business affairs of the
popular jazz bar he'd acquired. He'd also indulged himself
in a bevy of beautiful, if brainless women, to lose himself
in physical pleasures, or perhaps to prove that HE was
still alive. They kept his body satisfied but could never
touch his shattered heart. Then the war had made its way to
New Orleans, the last battle transpiring in Chat Noir, his
place of business. It was the reason his bar was closed on
the last day of Mardi Gras, giving him time to think. Too
much time. In New York City - Elspeth's diary, containing the
information which had had deadly consequences for the
vampires in New
Orleans, had fallen into new hands. For the thief, on a
routine burglary, it was a fortuitous find. The werewolf,
like her brethren, had no allegiance to either faction of
the Shadow Dwellers. The war did not concern them, but
Elena Vasquez had a personal reason for wanting the diary.
It might just hold the key to regaining her humanity. Which
side would be more likely to give her the help that she
needed? May: New Orleans - Vivian's search for self had
brought her
to New Orleans on the auspices of helping her friend Ehrin
research a new book. She was living for the most part on
pocket money, and spending her evenings reading cozily in a
corner of Chat Noir. It is there that she catches Sinjin's
eye. He finds himself looking for her each evening. The
attraction is immediate and mutual, though Vivian doesn't
respond right away. That only serves as a challenge for
him. He senses she is different from the other women he's
indulged himself in, but convinces himself that he's in
total control, that he cannot be hurt by her. He's handsome and sexy, but Vivian is determined to turn
over a new leaf. Enough is enough, she would not use or be
used by another man. A mugging, and the fact that the bar
is short handed, changes the dynamics of their
relationship. When he offers her a short term job to fill
in as hostess, Vivian accepts, proud that she will not have
to rely on her trust fund after all. New Orleans is
beginning to grow on her, it doesn't take long for her to
see it as a second home. She loves the atmosphere and the
people, one person particularly well. Still she is wary. After doing her research, Elena approaches Sinjin with
Elspeth's diary. He is the logical choice to decode it.
He'd been identified as trustworthy, and he'd been the
Chronicler of the Shadow Dweller's history for several
centuries, giving him the necessary knowledge to interpret
it. She's young and lovely, and makes the more mature
Vivian doubt her appeal, especially when Sinjin continually
disappears upstairs with her. Sinjin, however, has no doubts, at least about Vivian's
attractions. Once he might have enjoyed Elena's charms, but
Vivian was different. She was outgoing and intelligent, and
therein lay the attraction. Though she was beautiful as
well, he genuinely liked her. They'd done barely more than
kiss, but he suspects that she has already spoiled him for
other women. New Orleans is rife with danger. There is a slasher on the
loose who has already murdered several women, The revenant,
Miles, is determined to recover the diary, and though she
is completely unaware of it, someone is gunning for Vivian.
Anyone of those things would be enough to send a woman
packing. But the precariousness of life is something that
both Vivian and Sinjin are already well aware of. There is
risk. There is passion. They must accept one to enjoy the
other.
Will Vivian still want him after she discovers his true
nature? Could he bear it if she rejected him? Can either of
them afford to let this second chance for love pass them by? J. C. Wilder serves up yet another gripping sensual
romance. TEMPTATION has oodles of activity to keep
the
reader enthralled from beginning to end. There is the
continuing battle among the Shadow Dwellers which has yet
to be resolved, two complicated and appealing main
characters and the dance that leads up to their romance,
intrigue, and a very interesting side character in Elena,
the she-wolf. Elena's fate is still up in the air, and I suspect this
will make a very interesting story in its self. Book VII
will feature the wild and reclusive were-cat, Renault,
recently revealed to be the son of the rogue vampire,
Mikhail. It will be entitled EYE OF THE STORM. Oooh, a werewolf and a were-cat. What if you threw them
together? Think of the possibilities. I guess we'll just
have to wait to find out who Renault's heroine will be. At
any rate the title suggests a
major confrontation is on the way. Sounds tempting! Leslie Tramposch - Copyright © 2002
For PNR Reviews
Reviewed by Leslie Tramposch
Posted May 28, 2002
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