Customer Reviews

From the Dark (Silhouette Nocturne)

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

 

 

What if your very existence was anathema to the one you were falling in love with? Witches and vampires are known enemies as a witch's blood is pure poison to a vampire....

Rocker Michael Lynsay needs a break. His vampiric nature is in danger of taking over so he retires to a friend's home to get his head together. He doesn't expect a visitor, especially not one as tantalizing as Jane Renan. Jane has her own secrets, however, ones she dares not share with Michael. Will these secrets destroy both Michael and their growing love?

FROM THE DARK starts off slowly, more along the lines of a sensuous romance than what I was expecting. However, the romance is a bit on the dark side and there were some scenes that I found a bit unsettling for a romance. Michele Hauf does keep these scenes well within the boundaries of her world, but I initially struggled with the notion of Michael becoming bewitched by Jane. In the beginning, the chemistry between Michael and Jane seemed to only be a product of the sex magic rather than true love developing.

About halfway through the story, FROM THE DARK suddenly clicked for me. The relationship between Michael and Jane started to feel real. The ending is perhaps one of the most intense ones I can remember reading although some readers may find it a bit on the violent side. Perhaps Michele Hauf did too good of a job at keeping the secrets that gradually unveil as the tension and uncertainty between Michael and Jane is a bit overwhelming and detracts somewhat from the storyline. FROM THE DARK is definitely worth reading, although not nearly the caliber of Ms. Hauf's later Nocturne release, FAMILIAR STRANGER. Oftentimes, first books in a series are bogged down in the world building so it will be interesting to see how this series develops as there is some definite potential, particularly with Ravin Crosse as the next heroine.

COURTESY OF CK2S KWIPS AND KRITIQUES

Well, I don't agree with Harriet's review. After reading Hauf's other books I was looking forward to this one. Feom The Dark was a great disappointment. I won't go into the story details because that is already here. But I will say beware, this is not a well written or well plotted story. It's as if the author was given a story outline and told to fill in the blanks. Boring and bordering on stealing the rock star vampire image from one of Ann Rice's vamp books. The characters in this Nocturne are a cliche. Getting well-known writers to write paranormal books is nothing but a ploy to sell books. Find the writers who sincerely are paranormal writers and give them a chance. They are out there. So please give us readers the real writers of paranormal stories or I'm afraid Nocturne won't go far. Just because Silhouette hires their own established writers to pen these books doesn't mean they are good reads. This one sure isn't.

Michael is a famous rock star, the lead singer of The Fallen, but he uses his career as a cover to hide his vampiric nature. He drinks human blood, but has never killed a mortal though he has come close too many times. His friend from the band Jesse Olson lends him his house as a place to regain his control of his thirst.

Jane Renan goes to a client's home to create stained glass windows and to wait until the proper time to participate in the ritual that will allow her remain immortal as she is the offspring of a paternal vampire and a maternal witch. When Michael and Jan meet as they share the same abode, he is perturbed by his attraction to her. They begin a relationship, but it remains incomplete as a witch's blood is poison for a vampire, yet he needs to taste hers if they are to stay together.

This is definitely a thrilling vampire love story starring believable characters that enable readers to accept the existence of vampires and witches at least in the Hauf universe. Although there is little action in FROM THE DARK, sub-genre fans will feel compelled to read this enthralling romance in one delightful bite, make that sitting.

Harriet Klausner

Not my favourite of these series of books, but still enjoyable to read. Enjoyed the characters and their chemistry. A little slow at times, however, worth the read.

There's a few weaknesses in this book (the vampire rock star hero is a bit cliche, but he's still a cool character), but the world-building is excellent! Imagine the literally most forbidden romance between two young people of two different paranormal species: a vampire and a magically gifted person whose blood is poison to vampires, and imagine a vampire for whom blood-taking and sex are an addiction, and imagine a girl who needs the blood of a vampire to maintain her immortality every 100 years...

Some of the writing might seem like cliche vamp romance, but I love how Michele Hauf brought in one little bit from traditional vampire mythos that gets too often overlooked, and made a small plot point from it: vampires' obsession with counting things. Want to know how that worked? Read this book and find out...

From the Dark has some interesting ideas, nothing original but good still the same; it's just too bad the story couldn't come together. I got to the end of page 170 and just could not go on. I hate to be so harsh but I was not going to force myself to torture myself anymore.

The main problem with the book was how hurried it was; the book had too much going on and was light on a decent plot, yet it still ended up boring. For the most part the story consisted of parts that were redundant, cheesy, weird, and/or ludicrous, which in turn made me cringe. The characters were one-dimensional, boring, and unsympathetic; I can't say I hated them and I can't say I like them, although Ravin got on my nerves. Not to mention, what was up with the counting thing? What is Michael, Sesame Street's the Count? I mean its all fine and good in a children's book (I read the same thing in The Chaos King by Laura Ruby) or in a comedy, but in a paranormal romance? It's not funny, it's bloody ridiculous!

I'm sorry to say this, but this whole disaster made me think the author just half-heartedly wrote the book by filling in blanks around a few ideas. I sincerely hope Michele Hauf's other books are much better than this.

thank you that was a good book i like all of nocturne book.
i was miss that one.
thank you
mary blodgett

If you are a vampire fan and like a fast read, this is what you're looking for. Michael reminds me of another famous vampire that I've loved reading about in the past. I love this new Silhoutte Nocturne books and hope they stay around for a long time to come.

It's not the best book i've ever read...but it makes me want to read the other books in the series!