Kiss of the Vampire

by Cynthia Garner

Published by: Grand Central Publishing

My Rating: 

Once a generation, the rift between the paranormal world and the human world opens, allowing supernatural entities to cross. Vampire, demon, or shapeshifter, they can save the world-or send it spiraling into chaos.Half-demon, half-human, Nix de la Fuente is accepted by neither and mistrusted by both. Determined to prove she’s more human than not, she devotes herself to solving crimes between the world’s mortals and its most unsavory undead. But her latest case brings her face to face with the one vampire she could never resist . . .

Called in to investigate a string of violent murders, special agent Tobias Caine isn’t interested in rekindling his relationship with Nix. Yet one look and the vampire knows his need for her is as strong as ever. Once, their all-consuming passion nearly cost Nix her fragile hold on her humanity. Now, as their hunger for one another intensifies, exposing them to an unimaginable danger, it could cost them both their lives.

My Review: 

I have to admit, while I was looking forward to reading Kiss of the Vampire, I was a bit nervous about the whole “dimensional” concept.  It sounded like it might be a little bit on the science fiction side, and I wasn’t sure what I was going to get.  However, after reading Kiss of the Vampire in one day, I am very happy to report that I really like this book and I definitely will recommend Kiss of the Vampire to paranormal readers.

The setting is in the modern world, however, supernatural beings have come out of the closest and are living right alongside the human population. The supernaturals take over a human body when they arrive, and that had caused quite a bit of chaos, and still does on the occasions that the rift opens and more supernatural beings arrive.  The supernaturals have their own branch of law enforcement, they police themselves.  Nix is a half-human/half-demon woman is a liaison between the human law enforcement and the supernatural law enforcement and she is currently working on a case that looks like a serial killer targeting supernaturals.  Nix thought her life was going alright, until the new vampire investigator shows up, her ex boyfriend, Tobias.

Tobias is an old vampire and an investigator.  He has been searching for the traitor who killed his king in his home dimension for centuries.  The only time he ever deviated from that task was his relationship with Nix.  Tobias had abruptly ended the relationship when he felt that his presence was causing Nix to turn to her demon side more and more.  Not wanting to hurt Nix, he left, without much explanation.   So, five years later when Tobias is assigned to the same case as Nix, sparks of both anger and lingering sexual chemistry fly.

The tension between Tobias and Nix is usually broken up by the funny, quirky character, Dante.  The human investigator assigned to the case.  Dante and Nix are friends, and I love his character.  Dante is very laid back, accepting of the supernaturals, and dedicated to his job.  The dynamics between the 3 characters are intriguing and I was quite entertained.  As Nix and Tobias continue to work together, they have to take steps to resolve the past, and I was thankful that this took some time.  However, if I was Nix, I would have made Tobias work a little harder.  I felt that she let him off just a bit too easy.

The investigation and murder-mystery in Kiss of the Vampire kept the characters constantly on the move and interacting, and the mystery itself snared me deeper into the story.  The story was well paced, well written, and interspersed with humor as well as drama, action, and heat.  The sexual chemistry between the characters was hot and constant throughout the book.  The relationship between Nix and Tobias developed at a reasonable pace, and I was very pleased with the outcome.  On that note, the outcome was unexpected, but it fit.

By combining romance, urban fantasy, and investigation genres into one satisfyingly solid novel, author Cynthia Garner has gained a new loyal fan.  I am very much looking forward to the next installment in the Warriors of the Rift series, I can’t wait to see what comes next for the characters, especially Dante.  Paranormal readers, whether you like urban fantasy or paranormal romance, I recommend reading Kiss of the Vampire, there is a little of something for everyone.

Happy Reading

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