Customer Reviews

At Twilight (Wings in the Night)

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

At Twilight is a two-book collection, containing the short Beyond Twilight and the longer Born In Twilight - for some reason, the publisher has put them the wrong way around, which is irritating since it's clear that Born In Twilight follows the other story. These stories are sequels to the Wings In The Night collection, which introduces Maggie Shayne's cast of vampire characters.

We met Jameson Bryant, hero of Born In Twilight, first in Tamara's story, the first of the Wings In The Night books. Then, he was a twelve-year-old to whom Tamara was protector, and Roland rescued him from DPI, found his father and sent him safely away from DPI's reach. But even in San Diego and at the age of 30, Jameson isn't safe, though he enjoys the life he's made for himself. He supposes that one day he'll ask one of his friends to transform him, since he's Chosen and he won't live a long life anyway - but not yet. There's plenty of time. Reflecting on his life, he knows that he loves his vampire friends... but he wishes that they'd remember that he's not 12 any more. Although that's probably hard for vampires who never age - but at least they could stop calling him Jamey! Then he's captured by DPI again, made to suffer numerous tests, and Roland and Eric risk their lives to save him.

A young trainee nun, Angelica, on a forbidden trip outside the convent, is caught by a man who claims to know her. Before she can scream for help, he bites her neck... and within minutes she's a vampire too. Killing the one who made her, she runs off and hides, but days later is almost mad from hunger. A strange man comes to her, tells her kindly that he knows people who can help her. But as he tries to take her in his arms, all she can think of is feeding. It's a sensual experience, for both of them - but when it's over, Jameson Bryant lies dying on the ground.

When he wakes up, he's been transformed and is a vampire. But, as if that life-change isn't enough of a shock, he later learns that DPI has uses his semen to impregnate a fledgling female vampire. The child has been born - and DPI has it. So Jameson and Angelica - who is the mother - have to form an unwilling alliance to find their daughter before DPI can destroy her.

This is an excellent instalment in the series. Jameson and Angelica are drawn to each other despite their apparent mutual hatred, and their search for Amber Rose is very well drawn. It's good to see all the other vampire characters too. Well worth it!

Beyond Twilight is much shorter, and is the story of vampire Cuyler Jade and DPI agent Stephen (Ramsay) Bachman, who readers may remember from Damien and Shannon's story. Not for the first time, DPI has taken a member of the Chosen into its own ranks and used him as a vampire-magnet - now, Ramsay meets his own vampire protector, who is the very vampire he's been sent to capture. How can Cuyler protect herself from Ramsay when her very instinct is to protect *him*?

An entertaining story, too short, but with a very nice cameo appearance by Damien.

Yipee! More of the Twilight Series. I have a few complaints about this one, but mostly it's the publisher's fault. Firstly, the stories of printed out of chronological order. And Secondly, for the retail price, they could have included Twilight Vows (my favorite of the series.)

In Born In Twilight, the pesky DPI goes one step to far when they impregnant newly turned vampire Angelica with Jameson Bryant's baby. Jameson and Angelica don't like each other at first, but find they must team up to find their child. I liked Jameson and the characters from the other books, but it took me longer to warm up to Angelica. She was going to be a nun and she spends a lot of time spouting off about how all vampires are immoral devil-spawns. When she sees otherwise, she becomes less self-rightous and more likable.

Beyond Twilight is the better and shorter of the two stories. The DPI Ramsey Bachman from Twilight Illusions has a new mission. Capture Cuyler (Is that really a name?) Jade. The whimsical Cuyler tworts him in amusing ways until she decides to meet him face to face. Their meeting sparks a bond that is only between vampires and the Chosen, but Ramsey doesn't have the Belladonna antigen... or does he?

Can't wait for Twilight Hunger...

#4 Beyond Twilight: This story was actually printed second in the book but it was printed first so I will count that as number 4. This is the book about Cuyler Jade (I wish I could pronounce it) and Ramsey a DPI agent sent to bring her in. So far bringing in this sprite of a vampire has been difficult for Ramsey. She seems to mock his efforts at every turn in ways meant to be humorous but to him it's just frustrating. Little does he know that Cuyler is attracted to him and that is why she hasn't ended this chase before now. And finally as this story begins we find that Cuyler is tired of running. She has decided to kidnap Ramsey and get to the bottom of this devilish attraction once and for all. She spirits him away to the far north...where it is always night.

I love this story and I don't know why. Cuyler is simply too cute. An ex-flapper from the 20's...she surrounds herself with faniciful little dreams objects and romance novels. It is easy to picture her as described...a pixie.

5. Born in Twilight: This is the story between Jameson (from the Twilight Phantasies and Twilight Memories) and Angelica a nun. Angelica is attacked while walking to a homeless shelter to provide care...her attacker is a vampire. He quickly drains her dry and exchanges it with his own blood making her vampire. She is horrified by the evil of this man and accidentally kills him while trying to protect herself and a little boy he wanted her to kill. Now she is alone, unsure of her nature, lost in the alleys of the city.

Jameson, a chosen one, has always been surrounded by his vampire family. He, himself, has declined the offer to change to a vampire. He wants to remain mortal. Little did he know his life would change...

He was walking the streets of the city when he heard the sounds of suffering. He set out to find the source and it leads him into an abandoned building. He finds a beautiful woman/child, huddled, alone, and afraid. He knows he shouldn't approach strange vampires but he can't resist her and offers to help this fragile vampiress...

I LOVE THIS STORY...it is so jam packed with twists and turns I can't tell you how much I enjoyed it. While the other Twilight stories are occasionally somewhat "sitcom" this one was dark, and conflicted. So sexy too. Good drama and nice turn of vampire lore.

This book is captivating from page one. It is fast paced and exiting. This author is very descriptive yet doesn't ramble on about insignificant details. Her style is very lyrical. This book is intense; very sensual. I felt drawn into their world of dark beauty feeling euphoric,swept away. The book consists of two stories in a 340 page book. The first which graced the first 241 pages is about a young woman named Angelica who was abandoned by her mother at a young age and was raised at a convent. All her life she believed that if she was 'good' her mother would come back for her. Shortly before she was going to take her vows and officially become a sister she wandered alone one night in the snow,feeling giddy because it was the first snowfall of the year. She was mischevious,doing this against the rules for it is forbidden not to travel in pairs. A man cried out for help in the alley. She went to his aid and that is when he changed her. He told her that she had a rare blood type that enabled her to become a vampire if she was fed on. She was one of "The chosen". She was forced to come to terms with her new nature. A man from the department of paranormal research lured her into his sinister trap promising that he could make her mortal again,but she was the subject of their most important experiment; one that would determine what would happen if a vampire was to give birth to a child of a mortal man. Only when her belly began to swell with life did she realize what was done to her. Through the months she spent in the institute she felt a deep sence of loneliness; a pain more maddening that anything she had ever experienced previously. As the child stirred within her she realized something else. She realized the joy that came from motherhood. She had never before thought of becoming a mother.The bond was incredible. She knew what her baby was feeling and knew that she was a girl.She also knew with painful certainty that when it was time for her to emerge from her womb they would try and take her away forever. This book is one womans story about her struggle to be united with her baby and her relationship to the man she changed while in a frenzy of hunger and fear. She nearly killed him and placed a bitter seed of resentment in his soul. In turn she resented him for being what he is. She didn't understand the true nature of their kind and believed them to be horrible,murderous monsters. He knows to well the evil that can come from any race of people. He too was once a subject in an experiment at the DPI; humiliated,numbered like an animal. A semen sample was taken when he was mortal and that sample is the very thing that aided in the creation of Angelicas baby. Despite the bitterness they needed to work together to rescue their baby from the evil hands of DPI. Meanwhile a bond is realized between the two and she learns to revel in her new nature with more feeling and perception than she ever possessed as a mortal.

This book is captivating from page one. It is fast paced and exiting. This author is very descriptive yet doesn't ramble on about insignificant details. Her style is very lyrical. This book is intense; very sensual. I felt drawn into their world of dark beauty feeling euphoric,swept away. The book consists of two stories in a 340 page book. The first which graced the first 241 pages is about a young woman named Angelica who was abandoned by her mother at a young age and was raised at a convent. All her life she believed that if she was 'good' her mother would come back for her. Shortly before she was going to take her vows and officially become a sister she wandered alone one night in the snow,feeling giddy because it was the first snowfall of the year. She was mischevious,doing this against the rules for it is forbidden not to travel in pairs. A man cried out for help in the alley. She went to his aid and that is when he changed her. He told her that she had a rare blood type that enabled her to become a vampire if she was fed on. She was one of "The chosen". She was forced to come to terms with her new nature. A man from the department of paranormal research lured her into his sinister trap promising that he could make her mortal again,but she was the subject of their most important experiment; one that would determine what would happen if a vampire was to give birth to a child of a mortal man. Only when she began to swell with life did she realize what was done to her. Through the months she spent in the institute she felt a deep sence of loneliness; a pain more maddening that anything she had ever experienced previously. As the child stirred within her she realized something else. She realized the joy that came from motherhood. She had never before thought of becoming a mother.The bond was incredible. She knew what her baby was feeling and knew that she was a girl.She also knew with painful certainty that when it was time for her to emerge from her womb they would try and take her away forever. This book is one womans story about her struggle to be united with her baby and her relationship to the man she changed while in a frenzy of hunger and fear. She nearly killed him and placed a bitter seed of resentment in his soul. In turn she resented him for being what he is. She didn't understand the true nature of their kind and believed them to be horrible,murderous monsters. He knows to well the evil that can come from any race of people. He too was once a subject in an experiment at the DPI; humiliated,numbered like an animal. A semen sample was taken when he was mortal and that sample is the very thing that aided in the creation of Angelicas baby. Despite the bitterness they needed to work together to rescue their baby from the evil hands of DPI. Meanwhile a bond is realized between the two and she learns to revel in her new nature with more feeling and perception than she ever felt as a mortal.

"At Twilight" - a romantic vampiric composition not to be confused with the atrocious tale "Twilight" by Stephanie Meyer. These vampire authors really need to find more original titles, series related or not.

But this review is not a romance novel - I'm cutting the preliminaries to get down and dirty.

Maggie Shayne has crafted an appealing love story. The characters are not spectacular or gripping - pretty standard raven-haired vampiress meeting a dark, mysterious stranger, immediate sexual tension engulfing the pair - but the problems she confronted them with were unique and entertaining. I was fascinated by the possibility of a vampire/human hybrid infant, and those wascally wabbits down at DPI.

This book is a happy marriage of two stories. I was not particularly found of the names in the second one, but hey, what can you do? You can never please everyone in that area. So toss that opinion aside. The actual stories were pretty interesting, and the sexual tension was constant and influential. Maggie Shayne has proven her ability to construct believable scenarios and see them through with a nice satisfying, steamy, delicious blast of an encounter.

The writing style of this novel was very contemporary and systematic, but not without its metaphors, emotions, and sensory detail. A refreshing twist other than those damn inkblots of mass-productions that make the nutrition label of Goya beans look like Yeats. Both tales were conclusive and left me feeling content, enough to make me want to see what other compositions Shayne has in the works. Take a gander at this one if you get the chance.

"At Twilight" contains a full-length novel, "Born in Twilight", and a novelette, "Beyond Twilight". "Born in Twilight" is a riveting story!!! I loved it! It's the best by far in Maggie Shayne's "Wings in the Night" series. I could put this book down!

Length:: 1:18 Mins

Twilight books are excellent- a must read by Ray Sipe

Many years ago my mother gave me three books for Christmas. Those of course were Maggie's first three books for the "Wings In The Night" series. I didn't read them at first, and looking back, I could kick myself you-know-where for not reading them right away. By the time I read them, Maggie came out with this book. Basically, all I have to say is..."I wish I had the Belladonna antigen so I could be a vampire and live eternally in the arms of my soulmate."

Maggie has been an inspiration to me where writing is concerned, as well as a few other wonderful authors out there. I'm so happy for her success and followers of this particular series.

So when will you write a screenplay based on these books, Maggie? *laughs*

I urge all of you who are into "yummy" vampires to find each book and short story from this series. They are something to really "sink your teeth into" and I promise, you WON'T be disappointed!

This book(and the rest in the series) are all great. The best books that I have ever read. Once you read one, you have to read all of them, they are as addicting as chocolate and just as good too. There is the perfect amount of romance, suspense, and mystery. I have read all of them repeatedly. Great books.