"Two Sensual Vampire Romances continue the Shadow Dweller Saga!"
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 is 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. Volume three contains books five and six of the
series. Book V: SINS OF THE FLESH 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 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. lso available in eBook format - ISBN Disk: 1553160738,
ISBN Rocket: 1553169271 Book VI: TEMPTATION Grief is a very personal emotion which affects each
individual in a different way. February: Hollywood, 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 Mikhail's son. 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 Renaults heroine will be. At
any rate the title suggests a major confrontation is on the
way. Sounds tempting! Also available in eBook format - ISBN Disk: 1553161025,
ISBN Rocket: 1553168976 Copyright © 2002
Reviewed by Leslie Tramposch
Posted June 3, 2002
|
