Friday, October 11, 2013

Review: Darkness Rises by Dianne Duvall

Darkness Rises
Release Date: October 1, 2013
Publisher: Zebra
ISBN:   1420129783
ISBN13: 9781420129786
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Review Copy Source: Netgalley

Krysta is used to getting the drop on vampires. Her "special abilities" aren't much, but the plan is simple--she plays helpless pretty young thing to lure them in. Then her shoto swords come out and it's bye-bye, bloodsucker. Until one night she finds herself with an unexpected ally. He's a vampire, all right, but different. Mysterious. Handsome. And more interested in saving her skin than draining it.

Etienne has been an Immortal Guardian for two hundred years--long enough to know that Krysta is special. He can't stop thinking about her long legs, even more than her short swords. Then he discovers the vamps she's exterminating have friends in high places, and the Guardians are in danger too. He'll have to accept Krysta's help to save them. The stakes for a mortal are high. But the cost to his heart might be higher. .

I'm always scared to read the next book in this series because I can't imagine any new couple being as compelling and full of chemistry as the last, but Dianne Duvall makes me eat my words while drawing me in for more.

Krysta instantly draws your attention as she acts her way into a confrontation with some vamps she is eager to cut to pieces. All the woman in the Immortal Guardians series are kick-ass so you know that Krysta could be no different but she takes it a bit farther by being a vampire hunter on her own and being able to stay alive as long as she has. With Krysta we also meet her brother who happens to have the gift as a healer and takes care of her when she comes home from hunting for the night. When Etienne shows up saving her from a vampire situation that gets a little hairy she has no idea what to think, she knows he is vampire but he doesn't act like the other vampires and his aura color is all wrong.

We know a bit about Etienne from the past books but we get to know him better in DARKNESS RISES. He notices Krysta and can not get her off his mind. He follows her and protects her when she finds herself biting of more than she can chew. They both fall hard and fast for each other and develop as a couple as swiftly as the others. Besides following the newest couple we learn a bit more about the other immortals. The coolest information is that we get a glimpse of what makes Seth and David who they are!

I absolutely love that all the characters are involved in each installment in the series. We get to meet the new couple, watch them develop, and still watch the others develop even more than they already have. They all come together to make each chapter full of action, entertainment, and engaging plot. The overall story that ties each book together continues to develop and twist as the Immortal Guardians stories continue. You do not want to miss this series and you wont want to put it down once you start. Pick up the first book if it's new to you and don't hesitate adding DARKNESS RISES to your book collection if you have not already!

I gave it 5/5 stars