Anita Blake is about to face the challenge of her life. Into her world—a world already overflowing with power—have come creatures so feared that powerful, centuries-old vampires refuse to mention their names. It is forbidden to speak of The Harlequin unless you've been contacted. And to be contacted by The Harlequin is to be under sentence of death.

Long-time rivals for Anita's affections, Jean-Claude, Master Vampire of the City, and Richard, alpha-werewolf, will need to become allies. Shapeshifters Nathaniel and Micah will have to step up their support. And then there's Edward. In this situation, Anita knows that she needs to call the one man who has always been there for her...

(An Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter Novel)

Order:

It's been more than six months since her husband's brutal death, and Julia Ransom is just beginning to breathe again. She loved her husband, renowned psychic August Ransom, but the media frenzy that followed his murder sapped what little strength she had left. Now, after dinner with friends, strolling along San Francisco's Pier 39, she realizes that she's happy. Standing at the railing, she savors the sounds around her—tourists, seals on a barge—and for a moment enjoys the sheer normalcy of it all. And then it comes to an end.

Out of nowhere she's approached by a respectable-looking man who distracts her with conversation before violently attacking her and throwing her over the railing. If it hadn't been for Special Agent Cheney Stone, out to stretch his legs between courses at a local restaurant, Julia would have vanished into the bay's murky depths. Not only does he save her from a watery grave, but he senses a connection between her assault and her husband's death, and sets out to serve as her protector while reopening August Ransom's murder investigation.

Meanwhile, in Maestro, Virginia, Sheriff Dixon Noble—last seen in Point Blank—still mourns his wife, Christie, who vanished three years earlier. His life, too, is just getting back to normal when he learns of a San Francisco woman named Charlotte Pallack, whose shocking resemblance to Christie sends Dix across the country. Though he knows in his heart that she can't possibly be his wife, Dix is compelled to see her with his own eyes. Once in San Francisco, Dix and Cheney's paths inevitably cross. With the help of agents Dillon Savich and Lacey Sherlock, whose San Francisco connections prove essential in unlocking the mystery behind Charlotte Pallack's identity as well as the forces behind Julia Ransom's attempted murder, Sheriff Noble and Agent Stone push deep into a complex world of psychics and poseurs. As the stakes and the body count rise, Savich, Sherlock, Dix, and Cheney fight for answers—and their lives.

(An FBI Thriller)

Order:

First Time in Paperback

Reece Gilmore has come a long way to see the stunning view below her. As the sole survivor of a brutal crime back East, she has been on the run, desperately fighting the nightmares and panic attacks that haunt her. Reece settles in Angel's Fist, Wyoming—temporarily, at least—and takes a job at a local diner. And now she's hiked this mountain all by herself. It was glorious, she thought, as she peered through her binoculars at the Snake River churning below.

Then Reece saw the man and woman on the opposite bank. Arguing. Fighting. And suddenly, the man was on top of the woman, his hands around her throat . . .

Enjoying a moment of solitude a bit farther down the trail is a gruff loner named Brody. But by the time Reece reaches him and brings him to the scene, the pair has vanished. When authorities comb the area where she saw the attack, they find nothing. No signs of struggle. No freshly turned earth. Not even a tire track.

And no one in Angel's Fist seems to believe her. After all, she's a newcomer in town, with a reputation for being jumpy and jittery—maybe even a little fragile. Maybe it's time to run again, to move on . . .

Reece Gilmore knows there's a killer in Angel's Fist, even if Brody, despite his seeming impatience and desire to keep her at arm's length, is the only one willing to believe her. When a series of menacing events makes it clear that someone wants her out of the way, Reece must put her trust in Brody—and herself—to find out if there is a killer in Angel's Fist before it's too late.

Order:

First Time in Paperback

#1 New York Times bestselling author's Laurell K. Hamilton's first short story collection—including an all new Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter story.

Known for her darkly violent, stunningly erotic Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter novels, New York Times bestselling author Laurell K. Hamilton reveals new dimensions of her talent in these fantastical fairy tales and lush parables as she welcomes readers to the far corners of her fertile imagination.

From a woman who marries into a family of volatile wizards to a couple fleeing a gang of love-hungry cupids, from a girl who seeks sanctuary in the form of a graceful goose to the disgruntled superhero Captain Housework, readers will revel in the many twists and turns of fortune in these unique, sometimes surreal visions. Hardened vampire hunter and zombie animator Anita Blake gets blindsided by the disturbing motives of her clients in the never-before-published "Those Who Seek Forgiveness" and in "The Girl Who Was Infatuated with Death."

Order:

In the days leading up the The Big Day, Vampire Queen Betsy Taylor seems to have a full house—and the wedding guests have yet to arrive. Along with her human buddies, there's a ghost, a werewolf, and a Fiend crashing at her place. And though her fiance, Vampire King Eric Sinclair, conveniently disappears when the conversation turns to seating charts and flower arrangements, he does manage to make his oh-so-sexy presence known at other moments.

Betsy knows the next few weeks won't be smooth sailing—but she never expects just what's in store for her. Cold feet are no surprise, especially with an undead groom. But when Sinclair truly goes missing—and not just to avoid wedding preparations—along with most of her friends and loved ones, Betsy is frantic. Alone and afraid for the fate of everyone she loves, Betsy can't trust anyone as she tries to find them and whoever is behind all the disappearances. And what happens next will shake the foundation of the vampire world forever in the bestselling series that "breath(es) new life into conventional vampire lore."*

*The Romance Reader's Connection

Order:

Scaly skin, family fights...it's tough being a teenage dragon.

Jennifer was just starting to get comfortable in her own skin, scaly as it is. She should have known that, as half-weredragon, half-beaststalker, things don't stay normal for too long...

Following through on a promise made to her mother, Jennifer agrees to go to Crescent Valley, where Jennifer and her father find refuge with other weredragons, and where they meet Xavier Longtail. Xavier, a powerful elder dragon, doesn't believe in peaceful co-existence, and after he stirs up trouble in her family, Jennifer wonders if he isn't right. She's about to go nuts with all the fighting, when her ex, Skip, comes to her rescue and whisks her off to the movies, where she falls asleep...

Waking up, Jennifer finds her hometown overrun by weachnids, dangerous half-werewolves, half-spiders. Weredragons are long extinct...except for Jennifer, of course, and the ominous Xavier Longtail, and it's up to them to return the universe to normal. Can they trust each other enough to pull it off-or are they the last of a dying breed?

(A Jennifer Scales Novel, #3)

Order:

The last time fairy princess Nineva Morrow engaged in magic, evil forces rendered her an orphan—isolated and incapable of trusting in anyone's survival. But after years of hiding on Earth, she'll use her powers once more—and attract more knights than she can handle.

Now at the center of a rebellious Mageverse noble's plot and helplessly dominated by a powerful, body-possessing spirit, Nineva's only hope is the smoldering Dragon knight Kel. This renegade of Arthur's court has enough desire to burn down every door to her heart—if the surrounding forces of King Llyr would subside long enough to let him.

The survival of the Mageverse hangs in a passionate balance of entitlement and pleasure, with destruction threatening to bring an entire magical universe to it's knees...

(Mageverse #5)

Order:

No one would call vampire Colin Ames-Beaumont kind, but they would call him unnaturally beautiful. For two centuries his tainted blood has kept him isolated from other vampires, sustained only by his beauty and vanity—bitter comforts, since a curse has erased his mirror reflection, replacing it with a terrifying glimpse of Chaos.

Savi Murray's insatiable curiosity had gotten her into trouble before, but she'd always escaped unscathed. Then came Colin. In the midst of Heaven, he gave her a taste of ecstasy—and of Chaos. Deadly creatures from that realm herald the return of an imprisoned nosferatu horde, and Colin and Savi?s bond is their only protection—and their only passion...

Order:

Mira Hoskins doesn't know she's a natural born witch who possesses the rare—and powerful—element of air. She also never expected to find herself tied to a mahogany bed frame, captive to a man who aches to fulfill her every desire and let loose the magick that dwells inside her...

Heat emanates from elemental fire witch Jack McAllister. The Coven, a governing authority of witches, has sent him to protect Mira from a band of warlocks who drain witches of power... and life. Long ago, he saw Mira's parents murdered by this same dark magick. He'd like to quell his guilt and offer her everything she deserves. But she's the long-lost cousin of his boss—making seduction off-limits.

With Jack's strong guidance, Mira is luring forth her inner magick. But his sense of duty is quickly swelling into insatiable hunger. They warned him about the natural attraction between air and fire. Now he risks being consumed by the woman he shouldn't want—but can't stay away from ...

Order:

Ellen just got handed the dream of half of the wives in America—her husband told her to have an affair.

With her CEO husband, her kids, and her house keeping her busy, passion was never Ellen's first priority. But somehow her husband managed to make time in his schedule for it—with other women. Now he wants Ellen to believe that his reckless liaisons were nothing more than "just sex." In fact, he's so desperate to prove his point that he's challenged her to find out for herself.

After so many years, Ellen is hauling out her rusty flirting skills and following her free-spirited best friend into a world she thought she'd left behind at the altar. She might not have any more faith in this marriage, but she's about to find some in herself—and what starts out as "just sex" might end up being a second chance to find something better.

Order:

Bronwyn is back...but so is her evil ex-boyfriend...

Bronwyn is used to making enemies—when you dedicate your life to ridding the world of evil magic dudes and dudettes, it can happen. So when she first realizes that an attempted hit on the Prime Minister was really for her, it's just "same spell, different day." But then something about this hex reminds Bronwyn an awful lot of an ex—Jason Gladstone, who was her college sweetheart until he tied her up and tried to drain her of her powers. Talk about a date from hell.

Order:

Pea Chamberlain needs a makeover—shoes, hair, clothes, make-up—if she wants to attract an ubersexy fireman. And who could better coax Pea out of her pod than the Goddess of Love, whom she invokes in a moment of desperation?

Venus works her magic on Pea, but who will help her when she falls for that same sexy fireman? Could Venus need a love makeover for herself? Check out the five-alarm heat when the Goddess of Love unexpectedly loses her heart.

Order:

Many centuries ago, a village killed the children of the Thunder god. For their crime the Creator banished them to live a half existence in the land of shadlows, neither dead nor alive. But once in a generation, a brave is given the opportunity to save his clan.

When he was a boy, Red Hawk spent a single afternoon with a beautiful, nymphlike girl. Now, years later, in the quest to free his people, he has tracked her down—and she could very well hold the key to break the centuries-old curse...

The daughter of a renowned archaeologist, Effie Rutledge is determined to finish the project her father started and recover the four precious artifacts that could free the Lost Clan. Acting as her guide, Red Hawk finds himself consumed by a once-in-a-lifetime passion. But as Effie and Red Hawk struggle to trust each other, they risk the Thunder god's wrath—and the future of the whole Lost Clan...

Order:

Meet the D'Artigo Sisters—three half human, half-Faerie, wild and sexy members of the OIA—the Otherworld Intelligence Agency. Camille, a witch, Delilah, a werecat, and Menolly, an acrobat extraordinaire turned vampire, are sent Earthside to keep them out of trouble by their superiors, but the girls find themselves smack in the middle of Demon-Central when Shadow Wing, the leader of the Subterranean Realms, decides to attempt a coup on both Earth and Otherworld. Now, with their erratic powers, the sisters must use their collective talents to prevent the demons from taking over and to save two worlds, one monster at a time.

Order:

Someone is killing all the it-girl authors. But Lola's still alive, and frankly, she's a little offended.

You've heard of Lola Somerville. Or not. Her first novel, much anticipated by her mother, was promptly eclipsed by...everyone else's first novel. These days, seems no one Lola knows can write a letter to the editor without having it optioned for a major motion picture. Sure, Lola thinks, I have a great geek-hottie husband and a cool apartment in "up and coming" Brooklyn—but just once, can't I write some random article and have Jodie Foster call me for the film rights? Or jeez, okay, Minnie Driver. Just something?

Then one night at a swanky book party, Lola finds her frenemy Mimi McKee, author of Gay Best Friend, dead in the basement, throat slashed with a broken martini glass. And when the bodies of It-Girl writers begin to pile up, Lola starts asking dangerous questions: Are the murders connected? Am I next? If not, um, why not? If I solve the mystery, then will my agent remember my name? And as Lola digs deeper, the stakes get higher. Will getting her hands on the killer—and the book deal bound to follow—mean losing the people she loves most?

Order:

Kylie Chase always thought once she lost weight, life would be perfect. And for the past couple of years, that's proven to be true. After shedding seventy pounds and reinventing herself as a savvy trendsetter, Kylie's enjoyed amazing success. She's even found a new career, working as a "cool instructor," transforming the socially inept from geek to chic. Her classes on How to Be Cool are Chicago's hottest ticket.

But despite her outward image, Kylie's still uncomfortable in her skin—and she's still a dork at heart, who knows more about board games than Balenciaga (she thought the latter was a tropical disease). Kylie would sooner die than let her clients know about her overweight, nerdy past.

But things start to unravel when Kylie's apartment burns down and she's forced to shack up with her parents. (No matter how you slice it, a twenty-nine-year-old living with Mom and Dad is definitely not cool.) Now her father's setting curfews, and her mom's proving she's way cooler than Kylie's ever been. Making matters worse, there's a journalist shadowing her every move. The last thing Kylie needs is someone snooping around and uncovering her dirty little secret...no matter how sexy he may be.

The stress is driving Kylie nuts—and the weight she fought so hard to lose is starting to creep back on. But with the help of her best friend, Ruby, a confident plus-sized model, Kylie's starting to learn that appearances aren't everything. And that morphing from an "ugly duckling" into the queen of cool isn't all it's cracked up to be...

Order:

The daughters of Satan do their best to make daddy proud in three all-new sexy novellas from the authors of Hell with the Ladies.

What's a devil to do? Satan's desperate to retire. He needs an heir, and he's turning to the promise of his three beautiful, bold, smart, and irresistibly sexy daughters. All they have to do is prove themselves by successfully completing the tricky tasks he sets before them. Surely one of them will win the Keys to the Kingdom—of Hell! Will it be Lucia, the assassin? Jezebel, the half-demon? Or Lola, the soulstealing baby of the family? The challenge is on and one must prevail—unless they're thwarted by that powerful human emotion called love.

Order:

Sexual freedom ... exotic destinations ...
Who ever said you can't have a honeymoon before and after your wedding?

The thought of her impending marriage is giving Sadie panic attacks. Hives. Nightmares. She loves her fiancé, Dylan, but the concept of happily ever after is suffocating her. She isn't ready to face the future, and worse, the sex could be better.

Panicking, she packs her bags in the middle of the night, and dares her sexually repressed lover to come and get her.

Dylan will be damned if he's going to lose Sadie so easily. Leaving behind his inhibitions, he pursues her, a sexually hungry and desperate man prepared to do anything to seduce his woman, once and for all.

And so the game begins ...

Order:

Meet the Jackson brothers—three sexy men who know how to crank up the heat in the bedroom—and the women who love them...

"Somebody's Lover" finds widowed mother-of-two Taylor Jackson longing for the seductive touch of a good man. But when that man turns out to be her late husband's brother, can she find a way to let him into her heart?

In "Somebody's Ex," David Jackson is ready to throw caution to the wind and take a walk on the wild side—with gorgeous Randi Anderson. Until, that is, he realizes she's looking for a happily ever after—and he has to think twice...

In "Somebody's Wife," Mitch Jackson is about to have his socks blown off when his wife, Connie, heats things up in the bedroom. But when they find their visions of the future worlds apart, they will each question the very foundation of their marriage. Will their love evolve and blossom, or will they become just another statistic?

Order:

My name is Raine Benares. I'm a seeker. The people who hire me are usually happy when I find things. But some things are better left unfound...

Raine is a sorceress of moderate powers, from an extended family of smugglers and thieves. With a mix of street smarts and magic spells, she can usually take care of herself. But when her friend Quentin, a not-quite-reformed thief, steals an amulet from the home of a powerful necromancer, Raine finds herself wrapped up in more trouble than she cares for. She likes attention as much as the next girl, but having an army of militant goblins hunting her down is not her idea of a good time. The amulet they're after holds limitless power, derived from an ancient, soul-stealing stone. And when Raine takes possession of the item, it takes possession of her.

Now her moderate powers are increasing beyond anything she could imagine—but is the resumé enhancement worth her soul?

Order:

Meet Gillian Key—a paramortal psychologist who can treat the mental distress of nonhumans. And she's a Marine Special Forces operative who can get physical with them when the situation calls for it.

Gillian's two worlds collide when she travels to the Carpathian Mountains in Romania to counsel a dangerously attractive local master vampire—and becomes embroiled in a brewing turf war with the legendary Dracula.

Order:

In the first book of the series, readers are introduced to the Enforcers—an elite group of vampires who must serve and protect their secret community—and uphold the Laws of the Blood. In Los Angeles, Enforcer Selim has been called upon to approve a hunt to appease the vampires' hunger. He must not waver or show weakness. His life and the life of his mortal love depend on it.

(Laws of the Blood #1)

Originally published in October 1999.

Order:

She was Eilan, the daughter of a Druidic warleader and gifted with visions. In a land struggling to survive both Roman conquerors and her own people's enemies, surely fate had marked her to become a priestess of the Forest House.

But first Eilan had chosen a different, forbidden path—to love Gaius, a soldier of mixed blood among the legions sent to subdue her country. And so, she must hide a terrible secret when she is anointed as the new High Priestess. With mighty enemies poised to usurp the wealth of magic the Forest House sheltered, Eilan could only trust in the power of the great Goddess to find her destiny amidst the treacherous labyrinth in which fate had placed her....

Order:

Seven hundred years ago, a Black Widow witch saw an ancient prophecy come to life in her web of dreams and visions. Now the Dark Kingdom readies itself for the arrival of its Queen, a Witch who will wield more power than even the High Lord of Hell himself. But she is still young, still open to influence—and corruption.

Whoever controls the Queen controls the darkness. Three men—sworn enemies—know this. And they know the power that hides behind the blue eyes of an innocent young girl. And so begins a ruthless game of politics and intrigue, magic and betrayal, where the weapons are hate and love—and the prize could be terrible beyond imagining...

(Book 1 of The Black Jewels Trilogy)

Order:

Angela Knight http://www.angelasknights.com

Q & A with Angela Knight

1) MASTER OF DRAGONS features Kel as the hero, and I think he's one of the most compelling— and original—characters you've ever created. Where does he rank amongst your list of favorite heroes?

Kel is definitely my favorite hero of the Mageverse. I loved writing him in MASTER OF SWORDS, because he was such a fun sidekick. But in MASTER OF DRAGONS, he became so much more than that. He's got this bedrock decency, but he's not a pushover by any means. Being a shape-shifting dragon, he's both powerful and really sexy. Not somebody you want to tick off – but definitely someone a woman could dream about.

2) Nineva Morrow is a very strong and engaging character in her own right—how difficult was it to come up with a heroine to match Kel?

Nineva really came into focus when I came up with the prophecy that predicted she would have to be burned to free her goddess. The idea of having something like that hanging over your head, and dealing with the guilt of her parents' deaths really added up to a character with a lot of depth. And she needed to be, because Kel had been so tortured by being trapped in that sword for so long, if she'd been a standard heroine, he would have overshadowed her.

3) The story arc started in MASTER OF THE NIGHT really reaches a climax in MASTER OF DRAGONS—how difficult was it to work with such a big plot and keep track of all the different plot threads?

To tell you the truth, the arc basically grew in a very organic way. I know a lot of writers have big arcs planned out years in advance. I don't. I just basically played with the logic of the story, looking for ways to have more fun with it. Fortunately, the Mageverse has a lot of potential for magic and fun. And as a writer, I'm all about the fun.

4) MASTER OF DRAGONS is your 5th full-length book set in the Mageverse—are you planning more books set in the Mageverse? Definitely. I just have to figure out a new set of villains for it. I want to do something with King Arthur's son, James, and with Tristan and Bors, all of whom deserve happy endings.

5) What's up next for you?

Well, I'm about to start work on a new series set in the universe of JANE'S WARLORD. It will be a time travel series in the present day, with my futuristic warriors dealing with modern heroines. It's going to be a lot of fun! I'll probably alternate a Jane book with a Mageverse book. The idea is that Baran and Jane established that you don't really have to worry about changing history and causing a paradox. So you can get away with doing a lot more in the past (our present) than anyone ever thought. It's going to be a very fun, very sexy series, and I think readers will really love it.

SPOTLIGHT ON BERKLEY

— JUST SEX (by Susan Kay Law)

Dear reader:

A few years ago I was careening into what I had assumed would be my Glory Days. What some might call my middle-years, although my friends and I are clearly too young and hip and outright glorious to be middle-aged. (You can have a minute to laugh hysterically, but no more.) I'd worked very hard for the last couple of decades, both on my career and my family. My children were safely raised, I thought, and my parents were still in excellent health. I was ready to enjoy.

Then, in the space of a year, three of my immediate family of 7 fell seriously ill. The career I'd given my best effort for a dozen years wasn't going at all the way I'd planned. Hey, I'd been looking forward to an upcoming Certain-Birthday-that-ends-in-a-zero; I'd swallowed all the magazine articles that said these would be the best days of my life, and all of a sudden they weren't and I was ticked. I wanted my Glory Days, dammit!

It was happening to a surprising number of my friends as well. They were losing their marriages, both to sudden widowhood and to galloping cases of Male Midlife Stupidity. The children they thought were well launched started freaking out right and left; parents failed unexpectedly. They'd put in years of intense and productive work and were slamming into glass ceilings all over the place. Or, conversely, they'd gotten everything they'd ever wanted only to discover it wasn't what they wanted anymore at all.

So I started working on a side project, mostly for myself. But, as often happens in this tricky little business of publishing, that was the book that generated enthusiasm and here we are. Just Sex will be out in June. It's funny and sharp and very real, about a woman whose life is different than mine but who I understand down to the bone, a woman who has spent her whole life working hard and making the right choices only to wake up one morning and discover her life in ruins around her through no fault of her own.

The story is about what happens next, about finding a new future and the wonderful surprises along the way. Not the future you planned, but one that's maybe even better.

Honestly, I'm still a little ticked. But I love this book. It was one of the wonderful surprises.

Hope you think so, too.

All the best,

~Susan Kay Law

SPOTLIGHT ON BERKLEY

— WITCH FIRE (by Anya Bast)

Dear Reader,

I've been asked many times in recent weeks why I wrote Witch Fire. The answer is simple. I wrote Witch Fire because Jack McAllister wouldn't be denied. Yes, I know it sounds crazy, but sometimes authors are stalked by characters who demand to have their stories told.

Jack hung around the periphery of my mind for a long time, at first just a wisp of an idea. It wasn't until I dug a little into his personality—his past, his likes and dislikes—that he began to truly take shape. In the process of discovering Jack, the plot for Witch Fire emerged. I couldn't turn back once that happened. Jack needed his story told, needed closure...really needed a good woman and, most importantly, needed love.

If I fall a little in love with my characters while I'm writing them, especially with my hero, I think (hope, at least!) I'm doing something right. And I definitely fell a bit in love with Jack McAllister. It is my wish that you will do the same as you read him.

Not that Jack is perfect, far from it. Oh, he's got his positives, no doubt about that. He's protective, principled and strong. He's well read, sensitive and intelligent, even has a sense of humor and a bit of an artistic soul. However, Jack has his flaws too. He's got control and commitment issues, and he's definitely carrying some baggage from his childhood. Lastly, he's got a secret, a bad one.

But who wants a perfect man, anyway? Not Mira Hoskins, that's for sure.

And Mira Hoskins, well, she might be the worst of Jack's problems.

I hope you enjoy my first release from Berkley Sensation and the first book in this new series. Witch Fire was a joy to write and I sincerely hope I can pass just a little of that joy on to you.

Happy Reading,

~Anya Bast

SPOTLIGHT ON BERKLEY

— DEMON MOON (by Meljean Brook)

Dear Reader,

I love nothing more than opening a book and being surprised, whether by a unique take on a familiar plot, or — particularly when the book is part of a series — by finding there is much, much more to a character than I'd have ever imagined.

I'll admit I was surprised by Colin Ames-Beaumont, the hero of Demon Moon. I'd known him for a long time: he was the vain Regency rake who'd been transformed into a vampire in my first novella, and whose blood had been tainted by a Guardian's magical sword. Although he could be incredibly shallow, he was also loyal to his sister and his best friend. In Demon Angel and in modern-day San Francisco, he was just as beautiful and vain, willing to take blood from an unconscious Guardian, and he spent a week in the horrifying Chaos realm thanks to his tainted blood. And in the third story in the Guardian series, we learned that he was the only vampire who fed from humans — all other vampires live in communities, and feed from one another.

And although I was fascinated by Colin when I began writing Demon Moon, I also had my doubts: how can a vain, reclusive, charming but self-absorbed vampire be a real romantic hero? I thought that I saw him too clearly, knew too much about him to truly redeem him.

What happened, Dear Reader, is that Colin Ames-Beaumont shocked the hell out of me — but I don't think he'd have been able to if he hadn't had an equally fascinating and surprising heroine to fall in love with.

Thanks to a terrifying encounter with the vampire, Savitri Murray sees Colin all too clearly as well — and she has absolutely no intention of falling prey to him again. But when a nosferatu and creatures from the Chaos realm endanger her life, she has no choice but to trust Colin.

This, Dear Reader, is where the best surprise came in: Colin and Savi are explosive together. Both know they can lose far too much by loving each other, and they attempt to be just friends...but despite the pain they know is in store for them, they can't remain apart. Their romance is sweet and hot, but underscored by the terrible knowledge that it can't last forever — for Colin cannot share his tainted blood, and Savi alone cannot provide him with all of the sustenance he needs.

And the demon who seeks to destroy both their lives, and to gain power over vampires and Chaos, does not make their path to happiness any smoother ... but Colin and Savi's love, their tenacity, and their sheer determination to have their happily-ever-after does make for many wonderful, sexy, and emotional surprises along that rough path.

I hope you enjoy discovering them as much as I did.

My very best,

~Meljean Brook