In a small town in the heart of America, the heroine waitresses in the local diner when the hansom and mysterious hero begins showing up. He sits in the furthest corner, in the shadows and doesn't order anything other then coffee but never drinks it. He tells the heroine that he's there for her pleasant company and is sure to see her home safety after every shift, whether she's aware of him or not. In fact, he spent every available moment either with the heroine or watching her in the shadows to protect her from the crazy serial vampire. I kind of liked the fact that he wasn't entirely good at protecting himself as he almost always came away with a serious wound after every battle. I doubt know. I found that to be humbling that though he's immortal, he wasn't all powerful. The heroine has a small town mentality so I didn't much mind her naivety or willingness to let strangers into her house. She's trusting to most people and is generally calm and okay with a lot of things that would have put up red flags with me and any normal girl. I was even willing to ignore the fact that she lets the hero watch over her in her sleep, though he's a total stranger and it's uber creepy. The fact is that's she young and ignorant of the dangers of strangers. I couldn't imagine inviting a man into my house when I catch him watching me through the window or stalking me where I work but the heroine was very open and welcoming regardless of the fact that a man is killing people in her small town and the hero was last seen with them. But like I said, it's sort of forgivable for the heroine not to freak out and call the cops because she comes from a place where you don't lock your doors and will give a stranger the clothes of your back in good faith. I did enjoy this book and I think it was because the hero wasn't obnoxiously angsty or depressed. Yes, he's the traditional dark and brooding vampire of lore but he's charming and protective and able to laugh at himself and enjoy life as much as he can. (He enjoys watching bad vampire movies-just a hint into his character). One thing I really and truly grew to hate was the fact that he shrugged after question posed to him but hey, it's not his fault he was written to have that annoying habit. Overall I will say it was an ok book. I liked the fact that though the heroine is extremely religious, she's not judgmental and never thinks the hero is evil being what he is. It's typical to have that religious belief be a condemning factor and I was happy to see that wasn't the case here. The pacing was just exciting enough to keep things interesting and I liked both the main character and the supporting cast. ( )

I had trouble getting into this initially and thought I might not be able to finish it as I don't like too much romance in my books. It was really kind of sappy and I get sick of hearing about how gorgeous Antonio was, and how blue his eyes were, and how black his hair was, and so on... But I plodded on, wanting to make it at least halfway through as I haven't yet read anything else by this author, and sometime after the 100th page or so, it got a little more interesting. At this point, the vampire Falco, who was killing various redheads in the town of Pear Blossom Creek, revealed himself to Vicki, which added an element of danger. Sure, there was still a lot of sappy romance, but it was lessened somewhat by the rest of the action finally starting to happen.

So as Falco stalks Vicki, intending her to be his next victim, Antonio has sworn his life to protect her. At first, she doesn't know he's a vampire, but once she finally finds out, partially through the Vampire Hunter Duncan who's sweeped into town, and partially through Antonio's own admission and actions, she's not sure how she feels about the idea. But the fact that his kisses have stirred something in her that she's never felt before keeps her from running in the other direction. Besides, he seems to be the only one who can protect her from Draco.

Overall, a fairly decent read, and once the action started happening, it was harder to put down. The strong romance aspect makes it not my usual cup of tea though, so I'm not sure whether or not I'll seek out additional books by this author since I've got so much other reading on my plate. ( )

Sexy vampires, dangerous devotion, unparalleled romance—no one does desire after dark like bestselling author Amanda Ashley. Now, in her enthralling new novel, she explores a passion as smoldering as it is risky...

Vicki Cavendish knows she should be careful. After all, there’s a killer loose in town—one who drains women of blood, women with red hair and green eyes just like her. She knows she should tell police about the dark, gorgeous man who comes into the diner every night, the one who makes her feel a longing she’s never felt before. The last thing she should do is invite the beautiful stranger into her house...

Cursed to an eternity of darkness, Antonio Battista has wandered the earth, satisfying his hunger with countless women, letting none find a place in his heart. But Victoria Cavendish is different. Finally, he has found a woman to love, a woman who accepts him for what he is—a woman who wants him as much as he wants her...which is why he should leave. But Antonio is a vampire, not a saint. What is his, he’ll fight to keep and protect. And Victoria Cavendish needs protecting...from the remorseless enemy who would make her his prey...and from Antonio’s own uncontrollable hunger...