Caressed by Night (Rulers of Darkness #2) – Starts off well, but it loses steam
One benefit for most vampires is that they usually live pretty darn long. Amanda Greene’s Caressed by Moonlight, Book 1 of the Rulers of Darkness series, was a delightful period novel focusing on vampire Dorian Vlakhos and his human love, Victoria Kingston. Fast-forward a good couple of centuries and though those two are alive and well, Dmitri Arsov and Kerstyn Ingmar are the central characters in this novel.
Dmitri, a pure vampire who faked his death hundreds of years ago, has reemerged to take care of unfinished business. Focused on exacting revenge that’s been brewing for centuries against his attempted murderer, things get a little more complicated when he meets Kerstyn, his destined mate. To keep her safe would mean to stay away from her. But that’s impossible, so they have to fight against impending doom.
I thought the novel started off strong. Being set in modern times didn’t make it feel quite as dry as its predecessor. I don’t read a lot of series where there’s such a huge time gap, so that was a nice change. I enjoyed Dmitri’s character. He was confident without being too cocky, brutish or annoying. And even with his age he exudes a certain vulnerability, and not just when it comes to Kerstyn. Emo? Maybe a smidge, but it certainly isn’t intolerable.
I liked him better than Kerstyn who honestly felt like your typical cookie-cutter heroine in these types of books. She grew up privileged but struggles because her parents didn’t get her any real love. I feel like Greene could have written something a little more dramatic because I didn’t find myself very sympathetic to her situation.
The storyline could have been a bit tighter. I was really drawn in towards the beginning, but then they whine about the same issues over and over and I found myself pretty tired of it by the end. It’s not a very long read, but it felt that way after a while.
To be honest, the title between these books are way too close. If you read the first one, after hearing the title of the second one you’d probably think you already read the novel, even though the stories are like night and day…or past and present I should say.
So all in all it was entertaining, but there wasn’t a whole lot to set it apart from similar novels.
Caressed by Moonlight (Rulers of Darkness #1) – It’s not *that* dark…
Well, this rounds out the final book from my latest poll of indecisiveness. Though it came in last with your votes, it’s certainly not ranked last when it comes to my reading experience.
Victoria Kingston’s early life hasn’t been easy. Following the death and her mother and suicide of her father, it’s up to her to take care of her younger sister. With no money and choice, they are forced to move to London to stay with a resentful aunt. Giving her an impossible ultimatum to marry a random suitor by the end of the month, Victoria tries her best to find a suitable gentlemen, or she surely will lose guardianship of her sister forever.
Crossing paths with Dorian Vlakhos, playboy aristocrat and secret vampire king, she tries to resist his whiles. But she is no match, especially as Dorian places his promiscuous side in check for good. While appealing and seemingly perfect, Dorian’s secret puts Victoria and her family at risk. As the target of witches and hunters, there is an all out war between their kind and he must fight for his people. But can he keep his new beloved safe?
I enjoyed Amanda Greene’s efforts with this book. It was a very light and breezy read, even with the drama, conflict and tension. Dorian is ancient, but you’d never really know it. His personality seems to evolve with the times and he rarely has to drink blood. For me, the more blood the better, but it’s certainly not a neglected plot point. Victoria is likable enough, but I think I liked her little sister the most. She’s been through a lot of tragedy but still finds a way to be a happy and innocent child; it was sweet to see how much Victoria cared about her. That relationship resonated with me a lot, along with Dorian’s interactions with her.
The romance between the starring couple certainly doesn’t disappoint. Per the usual paranormal romance formula, it builds throughout the novel, but the teasing wasn’t very agonizing.
While it’s a period novel and the narrative is appropriate, there were times when I felt like the dialogue was too modern. I mean, how many people used the word “slut” back then? “Harlot”, maybe. “Jezebel”, sure! But I genuinely had to look up origins of the word just to check for consistency. Other words that bothered me were “pigheaded” and “Tory” (short for Victoria) to name a few. Though it was a minor quirk, it wasn’t significant enough to hamper my overall enjoyment.
While there’s nothing earth shatteringly new or original, I do recommend the book. It kept my interest fairly well and I wrapped it up in only two days. I look forward to reading the second novel, and if I wasn’t pressed for time I’d probably read it immediately. But since this book is a standalone it’s not completely necessary.
Your Urban Fantasy 