I just found out that this series is only planned for two books "Nightshade" and its follow up "Bloodlust". That is truly disappointing because these books have both been exceptional and original. The plot is unique and that is pretty difficult in the paranormal genre. The story is about a normal blonde woman named Jillian who accidentally ends up being injected by a poison called Nightshade that makes her blood irresistible to vampires. Unfortunately the minute a vampires samples Jill's blood, it dies in a blaze of fire and ash. In the first book Jill transforms into a dark haired vampire killing machine and comes to terms with all the things that are now a part of her new existence. She meets Declan, a dhampyr (half human/half vampire) who is involved in the Nighshade plot, and Mathias, a very old Vampire King. In this book, Mathias's evil twin brother Kristoff is rising to power after a long time locked away by his brother. And he has his eyes set on kidnapping Mathias's infant daughter to sacrifice her in a bid for immortality. Can Jillian find a way to save baby Sara? Will she and Declan be able to make a relationship against all odds? Is the Nightshade formula that flows through her veins really a fatal timebomb?

The book is gripping. The characters are gripping. The action is pretty much nonstop. Although this is officially a paranormal romance, the romance definitely is secondary to the thrilling supernatural plot. Jill is a nice girl and we root for her. She truly ended up in this situation by accident and its nice to see her strength in dealing with the fate she has been given. She doesn't wallow and whine 'why me?' like so many heroines seem to. She isn't happy about it but she faces it. I also like Declan. He is a scarred man and very much not the traditional hot leading man. Mathias is truly the beautiful man and Declan's insecurities feel true and endearing. I also love sidekick Noah. He is a funny, normal guy who also seems to just kind of get swept up into the mess but although he does have some funny lines he isn't reduced to the 'comedy' guy.

There is a strong resolution of all the plot threads in "Bloodlust". Rowen knew this was likely a two book only deal and she wrapped things up effectively. It was a very satisfactory ending and I have no complaints with that other than the fact that it has to end. I really think too many paranormal and urban fantasy series go on far too long. The seem to lose their focus and sometimes the characters end up far different than those we first came to know and love. The Nightshade series is strong enough and original enough that it could easily have gone on for much longer than two books. I am sorry that this is the end. ( )

This was the second book in Rowen's Nightshade series. This series definitely has more of a urban fantasy bent to it than Rowen's other series. While this was an okay addition to the series I found the chemistry between the characters and the plot to be a little bland.

This book picks up a few weeks after Nightshade. Jillian and Declan are on the run; the poison in her blood continues to slowly kill Jillian as well as tempt Declan, while Declan is gradually loosing the control that the serum gave him over his emotions. They have been tasked with protecting Matthias's daughter. Matthias enters the picture vastly weakened but worried that his brother Kristoff will rise and take the kingship from him. Now Jillian and Declan must, not only struggle with their own problems, but also stop Kristoff from creating hordes of vampires that could end humanity as we know it.

For me everything about this book was okay. Jillian is the best character of the bunch; she is tough and straight-forward but maintains a girl-next-door innocence that makes her easy to relate to and fun to read about. Declan still comes off as a jerk for vast portions of this book as does Matthias. Although I enjoyed the complexity of these two male characters and their interesting personalities; I didn't feel much chemistry between them and Jillian.

This plot focuses mostly on vampire politics (where as the other one dealt with a lot of lab research). This book is definitely more of a dark urban fantasy with a little paranormal romance sprinkled in. There are a lot of twists and turns that keep things interesting; although I found that most of these twists and turns were fairly predictable.

There is some action, a lot of intrigue, and lots of politics. While I found all of this interesting I didn't find the world, the theory behind the paranormal species, or the characters to be groundbreaking or outstanding.

The book ends well and resolves most issues, but is left open for future adventures between Jillian and Declan. I haven't heard anything yet about a third book in this series.

Overall it was an okay read. It is decently written and engaging. While I love Jillian as a character I am not sold on either Declan or Matthias and don't think they have the best chemistry with Jillian. The world, plot, characters, and paranormal races are fine but nothing really new or special. This book is more focused on vampire politics than anything else and as such is much more of a dark urban fantasy. I read it and thought, "well I guess that was okay". When I was finished I didn't dislike the book, but I wasn't eager to read another book in this series either. This would be a good filler read for urban fantasy vampire fans. I personally probably won't be reading any more books in this series because there are too many other excellent urban fantasies out there. ( )

reviewed by http://urbanfantasyinvestigations.blogspot.com/

BLOODLUST starts off pretty much right where NIGHTSHADE left off. If you have not read book 1 yet I don't recommend starting on Book 2, there is way to much going on and you will be lost pretty much immediately. This is also a really hard review to write because so much was left up in the air in book one that anything I write is going to be some type of spoiler so here is your fair warning that there might be minor spoilers ahead so read at your own risk.

BLOODLUST really ties up all the loose ends from NIGHTSHADE. I really like Jill as a character. She was shoved into a world that she shouldn't be in but has been determined to keep a hold of herself and help the people she has come to care about. Jill is still dying and everyone is still trying to figure out a way to keep her alive with finding a cure for her. Declan and her relationship has lots of ups and downs with them trying to protect each other, Jill making a lot of bad decisions, and the issue of Mathias in the picture and Jill not knowing exactly how she feels about him. Declan's issues get quite a bit bigger throughout BLOODLUST. Situations take him places I would have never expected him to go. I came to really like Mathias, he really grew on me throughout the book. He turned out to be someone I want to read more about. The ending left things at a nice close with all the little ends tied nicely. There is so many places that Michelle can take book 3 and I will be picking it up when it comes out. ( )

I loved Nightshade, and in it I loved Jill and Declan's relationship. I loved Bloodlust just as much, but found myself wavering from Team Declan. He obviously cares for her, even when he doesn't have the emotional capability to show it, but his actions are confusing more often than not.

Declan has a little competition for Jill's attention/affection in Bloodlust and I loved the possibility that brought into the story. I can't reveal who Jill's other option is without being spoilery, but it's safe to say I'm very close to becoming Team Other Guy. Jill's romantic interactions with Declan and Other Guy are nicely balanced with her platonic relationship with Noah, who I was very glad to see return in this sequel.

In Bloodlust, many of the characters become less human, not personality-wise, but at a baser genetic level. This evolution of both primary and secondary characters proves to very interesting, unexpected at times and will definitely made me wonder how all this factored into the grand scheme of the series.

In the end, Bloodlust changes the game again, yet leaves Jill in a very similar place as the end of Nightshade - on the road. Jill's growing and coming to terms with what her future offers, but we don't have any idea what may be next for her. Bloodlust has a clearly resolved ending, but leaves Jill's future wide open and I can't wait to continue the journey with her. ( )