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11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
On the Fence about this One, April 21, 2005
This review is from: My Demon's Kiss (Bound in Darkness) (No. 1) (Mass Market Paperback)
So far I am the odd man out and I'm sure that I'm going to get bashed for this but I just could not rate this story 5 stars. I am big fan of paranormal romance; especially vampire romance novels. I couldn't wait to start this book. Maybe if I had not just finsihed Night Play by Sherrilyn Kenyon I might have rated the book 4 stars but on the heels of such a fantastic story the flaws in my Demon's Kiss were too obivious.
I will not summarize the story others have already done a good of out lining the plot. I did like that Simons killing wasn't sugar coated and that he wanted to be human again. I liked Isabel a little. She wasn't as interesting as I like heroines to be. However, I know that this was part of the story. Her father kept her ignorant about the mysteries of the catacombs and the scrolls hidden within them. Simone and Isabel had a medium chemistry. I think that it was circumstances that drew them together rather that genuine attraction. I mean Isabel had never had any contact with men other than peasants.
My biggest problem with the story was the anitclimatic ending. I can't really go into details without revealing too much of the story. I will say that half way through the story it really picked up and I started to enjoy it. The mystery of the druid's writings and Isabels role in Simons quest was really orginal.
But then after all this build up about her role in Simons quest and her bravey in saving Simone life, she ended up being the helpless victim. Maybe Ms. Blue next novel will continue the story of Isabel and Simon. There is definitly a link between Simon and Tristan Dumaine the vampire of her next story.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A bit slow to start, but a great story overall. Love the hero character., June 28, 2006
This review is from: My Demon's Kiss (Bound in Darkness) (No. 1) (Mass Market Paperback)
I found that this book was a bit slow in the beginning. I got worried that it was going to be total dud. However, once the story jumps ahead ten years, the characters are well developed and the action gets exciting. The romance becomes powerful and the hero steals your heart. The first love scene between the main couple is unique and steamy.
The Story:
Simon is a loyal knight who has fought in the crusades. He would follow his lord, Sir Francis, to the ends of the earth. When a royal leader of the infidel army, Lucan Kivar, offers his daughter to Sir Francis in marriage, Simon and the rest of the knights are present for the big occasion. Once they are all in the hall, Kivar opens an attack upon the knights. They are slaughtered by Kivar's Vampires. In the end, only Simon is still standing against Kivar. Kivar attacks, making Simon a vampire.
10 years later...
Simon is on a quest to find a chalice that is believed to hold the key to returning his soul. With his loyal friend, Orlando, he has spent the past 10 years roaming the world. They believe they have finally found the hiding place of the chalice. It is hidden in catacombs beneath Castle Charmot.
Years ago, Isabel's parents passed away. To keep greedy knights from taking control of Castle Charmot, Isabel and her most loyal knight, Brautus, have claimed that the castle is haunted by a demon. They call the demon "The Black Knight." The demon is actually Brautus in disguise. Brautus dresses in demon armor and kills any knight who seeks to take Charmot. However, Brautus is getting old. Isabel is afraid he won't last through another battle. She says a prayer to her father, asking him to send her a real "Black Knight."
When Simon arrives at Castle Charmot, he claims to be the cousin of Isabel's father. The Black Knight challenges him. Simon convinces Isabel to let him enter without a sword battle. She agrees to let him stay at Charmot, hoping he would be willing to take over the role of The Black Knight.
Simon claims to be cursed from his time of battle during the crusades. He tells Isabel that he must do penance in order to break the curse. This gives him an excuse to "fast" (eat no food) and to lock himself away during daylight hours. He also claims that the solution to his curse can be found in the catacombs, convincing her to let Simon and Orlando spend their nights searching. In truth, they hope to find the chalice.
Over the following weeks, Simon and Isabel fall in love. Simon gives her his oath that he will protect Charmot. Isabel's people embrace him as their new lord. But Simon must focus on finding the chalice.
Lucan Kivar thinks of himself as Simon's father. He is disgusted with Simon's lack of malice. Simon will only kill and feed from people who deserve death for horrendous crimes, or from animals. Kivar makes a plan to force Simon to turn dark. Kivar attacks Isabel. Simon has no choice but to bring forth his vampire strength and fangs to fight for her. Now Isabel knows the truth and she must decide if she can trust Simon. Kivar has taken him prisoner. Isabel knows that only she can save him.
Again Kivar snatches Isabel. When the chalice is found, Simon must choose between saving Isabel or using the chalice to become human. The chalice will only appear for a few moments. Once it is lost, so are Simon's chances to reclaim his soul. However those few moments are all Isabel has left as she bleeds in Kivar's hands.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Man, oh man, am I glad I read this book., January 11, 2005
This review is from: My Demon's Kiss (Bound in Darkness) (No. 1) (Mass Market Paperback)
I don't read many vampire romances. Actually I think this is the first one I've ever read intentionally (I thought, hey, medieval vampire story, sounds cool). Anyway, I can't say with any authority that this IS an original vampire story because I don't read them often enough, but it certainly felt new and fresh to me.
Simon was a young, idealistic Crusader devoted to his liege lord. Ambushed and attacked at his lord's wedding by a castle full of vampires, Simon is the only survivor of his group. Not by chance, but because he is a ruthless and dedicated warrior. He is "turned" by the vampire leader Lucan Kivar. Though he defeats Kivar, he is cursed to the life of a vampire, and embarks on a quest at the urging of his lord's intended bride Roxanna who had also been turned and by the wizard Orlando (who happens to be a dwarf). Simon is to find "the Chalice" which can cure vampires.
Isabel is the orphaned mistress of Castle Charmot. At age 26, she has cleverly avoided the machinations of the king and the would be suitors he has sent her way. Her father's aging knight has helped her to keep her independence by playing the part of the "Black Knight" who challenges any suitors and bests them, but he is growing to old to protect her any longer and so Isabel prays for true Black Knight to rescue her.
In writing out premise for this novel I feel like I'm not doing justice to the story. It's a well planned and very believable tale. Blue's prose is clean and sharp, with no fluff. And does she ever use it effectively, beautifully shaping her characters with some of the best "show, not tell" characterization I've ever seen in a romance. If you're looking for the heavy-handed, infantile typical romance novel means of revealing the characters' personalities, this is not the book for you. I'm so sick of having authors tell me how independent a heroine is--I want to be shown. Don't tell me fifty times that the hero is tortured--let his actions and thoughts speak for themselves. Blue does just that, and does it very well.
Simon comes to Castle Charmot ten years into his quest, believing that the Chalice (or a clue to its whereabouts) is there. He's been living like a vampire, and trying to keep from killing the innocent, but he does feed on humans from time to time. I realize that the whole "tortured hero" thing is pretty much stock for a vampire hero, but he just feels so real to me. There's nothing contrived about him. He's not perfect, but he tries to do the right thing--and unlike so many vampire heroes he's not trying to do good because he's been converted by the virgin heroine's innocence of by some silly supernatural interference, he fights his vampire nature and wins most of the time. When he meets Isabel he starts falling for her almost immediately, and I really like that, when there's no silly, contrived reason the hero won't make a move for the heroine. Simon is just wonderful in his angst-ridden love for Isabel.
Isabel is a great heroine. She really is independent (for years she's gotten by on her own), but she's not afraid to seek help when she needs it (none of this "I must do it on my own or become a martyr!" business with Isabel). She's practical, she's smart, and she's willing to be ruthless to achieve her goals.
Kivar returns to play the villain and causes mostly believable havoc for our protagonists. He's fairly one dimensional in his evil, but a horror setting is one place I'm willing to overlook simplistic villain characterization. Pushing our lovebirds through the story toward what is a remarkably good ending. No over-the-top fairy tale epilogue for Simon and Isabel--oh no, they're together, but still fighting for their happily ever after.
"My Demon's Kiss" isn't perfect. There's a plot hole or two (Roxanna & Orlando; and the man Simon turns into a vampire) that are really lead-ins for future books. I don't mind that, but I'm not a fan of introducing things like that in what should be a stand-alone book and then leaving them hanging. Isabel gets a little ditzy for the sake of some plot twists toward the end, but I'm willing to forgive it. Also, Isabel's mother died when she was born, but Isabel is alarmingly uninformed about her mother which doesn't really fit in with the sharp sort of character she is. And then there's Simon whose dream has been to return to Ireland, the country of his birth, but he never gets there and it seems he never will...so why introduce it at all? But oh well, these are small quibbles with what is otherwise a very good book.
A great and refreshing read, "My Demon's Kiss" is a must buy for all romance fans. I give it four stars, about the highest rating I ever give, and anxiously await Ms. Blue's (who apparently has written under the name listed for the copyright, Jayel Wylie, as well) next installment.
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