by Tess Hilaire
- Mass Market Paperback: 352 pages
- Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca (February 7, 2012)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 1402264348
- ISBN-13: 978-1402264344
My Rating: 4.5 of 5.0
Book Description
Publication Date: February 7, 2012
A STRANGER IN THE NIGHT...
He had once been a warrior of the Light, one of the revered Paladin. A
protector. But now he lives in darkness, and the shadows are his
sanctuary. Every day is a struggle to overcome the bloodlust. Especially
the day Karissa shows up at his doorstep.
COMES KNOCKING ON THE DOOR
She is light and bright and everything beautiful—despite her scratches
and torn clothes. Every creature of the night is after her. So is every
male Paladin. Because Karissa is the last female of their kind. But she
is his. He may not have a soul, but he can't deny his heart.
Review:
Roland was a Paladin, a warrior of the Light, fighting to protect humans. Then he was seduced, trapped, turned into a vampire, and rejected by his Paladin family. His friend, Logan, was ordered to execute him but didn’t. Roland battles his bloodlust each day but his extra powers allow him to continue to fight evil in his own way - as a lone warrior. One night Logan shows up with a dirty ruffian who turns out to be a striking, beautiful girl who is full of innocence and light.
Karissa was raised and sheltered by her grandfather who told her to be afraid of the creatures of the dark. Against his instructions she takes a class at the local college and brings death to her home. She doesn’t understand why dark creatures are after her but she is able to escape because she has some unusual powers, like teleporting herself out of reach. Karissa had been told to find Logan so she feels he is trying to keep her safe. However, when she awakens in a vampire’s bed she is terrified. Initially she battles with Roland but she slowly begins to feel safe with him.
When Roland and Logan discover her powers they realize that Karissa is extremely rare and special: a female Paladin. Logan knows he should take her to the headquarters of the Paladin but Roland is convinced that the males will fight to form a mate bond with her. Although they may not form a true bond if they are not soul mates, they can try to create a lesser bond that would allow them to protect her but also would give them some control over her. Logan doesn’t explain this problem and Karissa doesn’t realize the danger until she is in a room surrounded by eager Paladin. The more troubles she has the more it seems that Roland is the one who is truly looking out for her safety. He believes she is his mate but that she can never be his. She believes he still has a soul and is good, not evil.
A full out battle ensues as the Paladins seek to protect Karissa from Vampires and Demons. Some of the Paladins recognize, like Logan, that Roland is still a Paladin brother at his core, but the Paladin leader may give the order that will kill Roland before he can rescue Karissa again.
I loved Roland as a dark vampire who clearly is still a good guy hero. He is quite enticing! Karissa is a little flighty at times but she is young. The lovely thing is she is willing to look for the good and hold on to it when others doubt. The primary characters are strong and there are several secondary characters who add interest as well as conflict. There are weak and evil intents even among those protector warriors.
There is very good action, suspense and emotional bonding. The writing has good movement that helps give the book a good action pace. There is some bad language but the plot is worth getting past that. I enjoyed this a lot and will look for more in this series.
A quote of perception:
Though his embrace was a tad constricting, Karissa didn’t get the impression he meant her harm. Quite the opposite, in fact. If anything she felt...safe. Location 939.
Roland was a Paladin, a warrior of the Light, fighting to protect humans. Then he was seduced, trapped, turned into a vampire, and rejected by his Paladin family. His friend, Logan, was ordered to execute him but didn’t. Roland battles his bloodlust each day but his extra powers allow him to continue to fight evil in his own way - as a lone warrior. One night Logan shows up with a dirty ruffian who turns out to be a striking, beautiful girl who is full of innocence and light.
Karissa was raised and sheltered by her grandfather who told her to be afraid of the creatures of the dark. Against his instructions she takes a class at the local college and brings death to her home. She doesn’t understand why dark creatures are after her but she is able to escape because she has some unusual powers, like teleporting herself out of reach. Karissa had been told to find Logan so she feels he is trying to keep her safe. However, when she awakens in a vampire’s bed she is terrified. Initially she battles with Roland but she slowly begins to feel safe with him.
When Roland and Logan discover her powers they realize that Karissa is extremely rare and special: a female Paladin. Logan knows he should take her to the headquarters of the Paladin but Roland is convinced that the males will fight to form a mate bond with her. Although they may not form a true bond if they are not soul mates, they can try to create a lesser bond that would allow them to protect her but also would give them some control over her. Logan doesn’t explain this problem and Karissa doesn’t realize the danger until she is in a room surrounded by eager Paladin. The more troubles she has the more it seems that Roland is the one who is truly looking out for her safety. He believes she is his mate but that she can never be his. She believes he still has a soul and is good, not evil.
A full out battle ensues as the Paladins seek to protect Karissa from Vampires and Demons. Some of the Paladins recognize, like Logan, that Roland is still a Paladin brother at his core, but the Paladin leader may give the order that will kill Roland before he can rescue Karissa again.
I loved Roland as a dark vampire who clearly is still a good guy hero. He is quite enticing! Karissa is a little flighty at times but she is young. The lovely thing is she is willing to look for the good and hold on to it when others doubt. The primary characters are strong and there are several secondary characters who add interest as well as conflict. There are weak and evil intents even among those protector warriors.
There is very good action, suspense and emotional bonding. The writing has good movement that helps give the book a good action pace. There is some bad language but the plot is worth getting past that. I enjoyed this a lot and will look for more in this series.
A quote of perception:
Though his embrace was a tad constricting, Karissa didn’t get the impression he meant her harm. Quite the opposite, in fact. If anything she felt...safe. Location 939.
Thank you to Sourcebooks through NetGalley for this book to review.
, 
and 
by Nicole Zoltack - Both Read; setting up author interview with reviews.]