Jocelynn Drake - Nightwalker

Mira is one of the vampire enforcer with her own domain, but she has an unusual gift. Ever nightwalker calls her the Fire Starter, because she is the only vampire that can control fire without burning herself. Mira was blessed with that gift when she was a child and before her maker turned her. She is also not afraid to use her gift to protect the ones she cares about. But trouble is on its way, a hunter called Danaus comes to her territory and she is determined to find out what he wants.

Danaus is human and despises all nightwalkers and kills them for a living, but this time he needs Mira’s help to fight against their common enemy. He tells Mira the news about the Naturi, an elfin race that wants to take over Earth and wipe out all other living beings. A few centuries ago the vampires locked away the Naturi, but they are trying to break the seal and they are getting close.

Mira cannot believe what she is hearing, her all time enemies, the very ones who torture her centuries ago are trying to come back. She will do anything to prevent that, even if that means working together with the hunter.

Nightwalker by Jocelynn Drake is the first novel in her Dark Days series and I have to say it’s a fabulous debut novel. Drake created a terrific world with vampires, werewolves, elves and other creatures.

Main character Mira is a strong female vampire with a powerful gift, she’s able to control fire, which is very rare for vampires. Apparently she had that gift when she was young and her maker waited till she grown into her power before she turned her. Over the centuries the power became more powerful, so that makes her the enemy of several of her own people. The young vampires fear her and stay out of her way, but the elderly vampires wants to control that power. So Mira turned her back on her maker and escape to the US where she started her own domain. Now the dark days are coming and Mira is forced to face her maker and the council to deal with their enemy, but the question is who she can trust.
But she isn’t alone in this battle, the help of hunter Danaus is more than welcome, because it seems the hunter has a power of his own. They will forget the differences between the two species and deal with that after the war is over.

I really like Mira; she is one hell of a kick ass chick and really knows how to defend herself in battle. She isn’t afraid to face whatever comes on her path. She knows Danaus wants to kill her and will try that when the war is over and she is determined to beat him to it. But she’s also plays with the attraction between them, teasing him in every way.
Danaus is strong and a good fighter, but full of mysteries. There is a power in him that nobody can describe yet, but it helps them in every fight they facing. I would love to find out more about his past.

I truly can say that this book made me curious to see how the rest of the series will go. I’m looking forward to read the next novel.

Ilona Andrews - On the Edge

Rose Drayton raises her two younger brothers Jack and George, ever since her parents died. Rose is working hard to send those two boys to school, but not everything is what it seems in the world she is living in. Rose and her brothers are living in a place called On the Edge, a place between two realms. The Broken is the world where normal people are living with no kind of magic. On the other side you have The Weird, a magical realm. On the Edge is where people live who are a mix of both, half human half magic.

Because of Rose heritage she has quite a few suitors on her tail and she isn’t happy about it. Some of them want to control her for magic powers and other just want to see her dead because they fear her. But then blue-blooded aristocrat Lord Declan Camarine appears on Rose’s doorstep and she fears he is just another suitor. However Declan has come to the Edge to chase a deadly enemy and he needs Rose’s help to stop this evil before he destroys all magic-kind.

In the meantime Declan is working hard to win Rose over and convince her they belong together.

On the Edge by Ilona Andrews is the first novel in the new series The Edge and I have to say Miss Andrews built an fabulous world, full of magic creatures and great characters.

Rose Drayton is a young woman who takes care of her two younger brothers. She has some help of her grandmother, but she has to work hard in the human world to support all of them. Since the age of sixteen Rose has been in danger, it appears she has un unusual power, she can flash white magic and that means she is extremely powerful. So every suitor wants her for any family blood line or they want her dead. So when Lord Declan Camarine shows up on her doorstep she has to find out what he wants from her and why. Rose cannot deny the attraction between them, but she learned from the past never to trust a handsome man just by their words, they could break your heart and dance on it. So Declan has to pull everything he has to convince her that he really wants her for who she is, not for her powers.

I’m already a huge fan of Ilona Andrews’s magic series and I believe this book is no exception. The characters are great, especially the two younger brothers, both with their own magic. I truly can say that I’m looking forward to read the next book in this series and see what will happen to Rose and Declan next.

Kim Lenox - Night falls darkly

Elena Whitney cannot remember a thing about her past because of some accident. She doesn’t know that her savor Lord Black took her under his wings as his ward, but always made sure she didn’t see him, so Elena doesn’t know who he really is. Elena is determined to become a doctor and to help people, so she’s applying to schools, but being a woman makes it hard to get selected. On top of that the mysterious Lord Black has arrived and Elena is intrigued by Archer and falls madly in love with him.

Lord Black “Archer” is a member of the immortal Shadow Guards and it is his job to get rid of all kind of evil and at this moment he is chasing Jack the Ripper. Two years ago Archer saved Elena Whitney from the hands of a mad man. When he discovered that she couldn’t remember a thing from the attack and about her past, he took her in as his ward and provides her with everything she wanted.

But now it seems Jack the Ripper has sets his eyes on Elena. Archer knows he cannot be distracted and let his feelings for his ward be the end of them both. One thing is for sure, Elena will not be harmed by this maniac.

Night falls darkly by Kim Lenox is the first novel in her Shadow Guards series and I have to say it was good. I love the concept of using a part of Jack the Ripper in this novel.

Archer saved Elena when she was almost killed by a maniac and he proved her a home and loving servants to take care of her. Because he is a member of the Shadow Guards and is immortal, he knows he has to stay away form her. But when he is on a case and tries to catch Jack the Ripper in London, he cannot stay away from his home and comes face to face with Elena. She still cannot remember him being her savor all those years ago. The huge attraction between them cannot be ignored and when The Ripper sets his eyes on Elena, Archer will do anything in his power to keep her save from harm.

I’m glad that I discovered Kim Lenox when I was shopping for books to read, she is a new author to me, but definitely worth to discover. She wrote a fabulous book with Archer as a dark and mysterious hero and Elena as his heroine, a strong and determined young woman who wants to becomes the first female doctor.

I am definitely going to read the next book in this series, just to see if that one will be as good as this novel.