Loading ...Night’s Cold Kiss by Tracey O’Hara
When the exciting first book in the Dark Brethren series begins, Venator, or hunter, Antoinette Petrescu, has cornered a dreniac, a vicious vampire, in a warehouse. Unbeknownst to Antoinette, her encounter is being observed by Christian Laroque, an Aeturnus, an elite vampire employed by the Department of Parahuman Security. Victorious when she beheads the dreniac, Antoinette rejoins her brother, Nici, her tech support on missions. A week later, in a meeting with Sergei, the uncle who raised her, Antoinette learns of the death of another uncle, one who held a position of power within the Guild, an organization of humans seeking to maintain a balance of power with the parahuman races. Sergei fears a return to the time of the Troubles, when rebels among the Aeternus were responsible for assassinations, and asks Antoinette to work with a member of the Department of Parahuman Security in order to learn the truth and track down the culprits.
Antoinette reacts with shock when she learns that her primary contact within the department will be Christian Laroque. Regardless that he saved both she and her brother as children, delivering them both into safekeeping with her uncle, Antoinette despises all vampires, not distinguishing between the murderous dreniacs and the more human-like Aeternus. Witnessing the death of her mother at the hands of a vampire instilled the lifelong loathing, and Antoinette knows she must attempt to overcome at least some of her distaste in order to work with Christian, her efforts likewise aided and hindered by their mutual attraction.
O’Hara employs a gutsy style that takes no prisoners, expressing the immediacy and fervor of violence, sex, and even intense emotion. Providing an often visceral reading experience, the novel also emphasizes Antoinette’s attachment to her family. The author creates an intricate universe supported by a glossary of terms and government organizations, which proves helpful as some of the organizational relationships may confuse the reader. The only misstep of the novel involves the identity of one of the villains, who may be detected early on. O’Hara has set the stage for a wonderful, intriguing series, with great possibilities for future installments, and this reviewer looks forward to going along for the ride.
Book Stats:
- Mass Market Paperback: 352 pages
- Publisher: Eos (August 25, 2009)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0061783137
- ISBN-13: 978-0061783135
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(2 votes, average: 5 out of 5)
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I didn’t like this new series much.
It started well enough. The prologue is really nice and sets up the two mai characters but then they meet and before you can even say hello, the heroine is hit by a sex frenzy due to the healing properties of the vampire’s blood. And vlam, you get a sex scene.
The story by itself is okay. But overall, it felt like a romance disguised as fantasy. And i’d rather have a fantasy with a little romance than the other way around.
Also, considering I am so fed up with badly written sex scenes (ie Anita Blake) I tend to find them a deterrent in novels now. O’hara can blame Laurell K. Hamilton for trashing a great series with gratuitous sex scenes because for me when I read that kind of storylines, it’s a total turn-off.
If you can tune out those scenes, you may like this new series. If not, i’d advise to stay clear of this new one.
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I loved this book and thought it was great. I can’t wait for the second one! It was dark and twisted and pulled me in from the start
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