The exciting sequel to Grave Illusions picks up a week after the events of the previous book. Jess Vandermire, vampire hunter and vampire, wakes up with the uncontrollable urge to bite Britt, the lieutenant in her Special Ops unit. Understandably disturbed by her uncharacteristic behavior, both Jess and Britt are visibly shaken. To make matters worse, Jess states that she has had a nightmare – something she has not experienced in the five decades since becoming a vampire. After Jess and Britt part, both mulling the strange occurrences, Britt receives a call to a crime scene. Underneath the body of the dead woman, obviously a vampire victim, Sampson, the unit’s medical examiner, discovers Jess’ dagger. For now, until they can figure out what is going on, Britt and Sampson agree to keep that information to themselves.

Over the next few days, Jess blacks out a few times, and experiences brief losses of her heightened vampiric senses. Fearing that she may be losing her ability to keep her baser nature at bay, Jess attempts to push Britt away, explaining that she does not believe that a true relationship with a human can ever be possible for her. Jess’ brother Regent continues to encourage her to accept Britt has his successor as her protector. In the meantime, local shady businessman Drago Vaslov exhibits an especial interest in Jess, and tries several times to get her to visit his club. As more dead women turn up, Britt surmises there must be a connection between Vaslov, the victims, and Jess’ unusual experiences.

Gardiner skillfully provides a unique version of vampires, along with primary and secondary characters that seem real to the reader. Jess’ ongoing battle with her darker side adds depth to her portrayal, as well as believable conflict and difficulties in her relationship with Britt and her brother. Regretting the undue stress Jess believes she is causing Regent, she wonders, “Was she losing control of her small piece of humanity and slowly killing her brother in the process? “ (25).

As with the first installment in the series, surprises abound, and the author dexterously paces the suspenseful story. Fans of both urban fantasy and paranormal romance will enjoy this fast-paced, original novel.

Book Stats:

• Paperback: 188 pages
• Publisher: ImaJinn Books (November 14, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1933417439
• ISBN-13: 978-1933417431

To purchase a print copy of Beyond the Grave click here.
To purchase an electronic copy of Beyond the Grave click here.

Books in the Jess Vandemire Vampire Hunter series in the order they should be read:
Grave Illusions
Beyond the Grave

To visit the author’s website go here.

Relationships are hard under “normal” circumstances. Add to the mix a top-secret black ops NYC police team, two dedicated and stubborn cops, and a dark and nasty strain of local vampires, and you have all the ingredients for a first-class paranormal mystery.

Jess Vandermire is a Lieutenant in the NYC police dept., with the unenviable task of creating new squadrons of talented cops, men and women who are going into the fight against uber-vampires with the best skills human beings can offer. Yet, will it be enough? Jess is hard, dedicated, experienced and determined to succeed at any cost. She knows what is at stake, and it had better be a vampire! She considers her talents and looks to be only job requirements, not personal assets, and struggles mightily when offered disgraced cop John Brittain as a part of her newest group.

Britt is a cop killer. A formerly highly decorated officer, he killed his partner during a heated dispute. Crawling inside a bottle, he is not pleased to be asked to be part of the black-ops force, but since he is given a chance to clean up his life, he reluctantly agrees. Little does he know that he is against a power greater than any he has ever known, and that his growing feelings for Lt. Vandermire will constantly undermine him.

What is different about these vampires? Besides, of course, the fact that the “regular’ citizens of NYC don’t know they exist? These are super-vamps, fueled not only by their thirst for blood, but spurred by a new addictive street drug called Sunshine. The black ops team does not even fully understand what it is battling, until they have begun their arduous training. The renegade Tat Brophy, a con pulled from death row, is a dangerously loose cannon, Griz Moran, a bear of a man is on a personal quest for vengeance, and Terry Grant, the lone woman in the group, lost her husband to one of the vamps. All are bound together by determination and guts, but it is painfully clear that there will be a lot of training needed to make them a cohesive unit. They have to learn to trust one another, and depend on their collective skills – easier said than done.

Lina Gardiner’s first book in her Jess Vandemire Vampire Hunter series is a terrific start to a series. Combining the best of romance, paranormal and classic mystery, she weaves a tale that grabs you in the first chapter, and pulls you into the plot with deftness. It is fascinating to watch the dance steps between Jess and Britt as they settle into their team places, and learn to understand and appreciate each other on a personal level as well. Lina drops crumbs of information like Gretel dropping crumbs to find her way home; instead of home, though, we are lead to the startling denouement so smoothly that we are left gasping. The reader will be left hoping that Ms. Gardiner will write the next installment soon. A great summer read, perfect if you are looking for a new genre in which to “sink your teeth! “

Book Stats:

• e-book and Paperback: 204 pages
• Publisher: ImaJinn Books (February 15, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1933417951
• ISBN-13: 978-1933417950

To purchase a print copy of Grave Illusions click here.
To purchase an electronic copy of Grave Illusions click here.

Books in the Jess Vandemire Vampire Hunter series in the order they should be read:
Grave Illusions
Beyond the Grave

To visit the author’s website go here.