A Kiss of Ashen Twilight (Ashen Twilight Series, No. 1) [Paperback]

Rae Lori (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 16, 2009

Haunted by dreams of a mysterious yet seductive figure, Ariya awakens to a more dangerous nightmare: a vicious elemental creature nearly wiping out her entire family outside her bedroom doors. Her parents urge her to cross over into the mortal realm and there she is saved from another attack against strange shifter wolves. Her rescuer is Jace Archane, an immortal Nightwalker from the House of Blood within the Ashen Twilight House. The very same man from her dreams. Now the race is on to find out the origins of the elemental creature and stop the horrific killing spree. As they dig deeper into the mystery, they will uncover a truth that ties the elemental's origins to a forgotten ally with plans to overthrow the Archane legacy and obtain Ariya's fairy blood fueling an immortal thirst for power.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"With two strong lead characters, a nice plot and a good writing style this could turn into a fascinating series." --Amber Chalmers ParaNormal Romance Reviews

"The fact that these books have completely sucked me in and left me wanting more...is a sign of a great author!" --Paranormal Romance Guild

"...this first book in the series is a fun and imaginative voyage and a promising start to a new series." --SciFiGuy.ca Reviews

"...this is one you'll read again and again. The scenes are so rich that the reader finds themselves in the scenes, not merely watching from the sidelines." --The Long and Short of It Reviews

"Rae Lori is an amazing author and has a gift for the paranormal. She will have you right in the thick of the action and make you feel like you are right in the scene and not a book." --Night Owl Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 326 pages
• Publisher: CreateSpace (September 16, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1449504043
• ISBN-13: 978-1449504045
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,016,968 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Throughout her writing career, Rae has written comic book and film related articles which have appeared in online publications such as Comic Stack, Suite101, CinemaGap and Dark Moon Rising. As a result, her alma mater's English course chose one of her articles as an example for how to write an article. She also served as editor and contributing writer of her school newsletter. For her contributions to the newsletter and her leadership, she has won various Success & Leadership awards sponsored by her alma mater where she received her BA in Media Arts & Animation.

Her manuscript, Hotel Sunset, won an Honorable Mention award in the 73rd Annual Writer's Digest Writing Competition. Under various pen names, she has written books, novellas and short stories that run the genre gamut of science fiction, fantasy, short roman noir and paranormal romance and many more waiting to drip onto the page.

A fan of David Lynch and Alfred Hitchcock, she also has a love for film, vampires and visual storytelling which she couples with the art of the written word to tell her stories. While penning her works, she loves to create artwork that explores her strong female characters and the men in their lives.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A very sexy fantasy!, June 1, 2009

By 

J. Thomas "The Long and the Short Of It Reviews" (USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Kiss of Ashen Twilight (Kindle Edition)

He's a Nightwalker - a modern day vampire. She's an Aziza Fairy. The two should never meet and without a doubt, never fall in love. What happens when they do? And what happens when the past isn't quite what you expected or remembered? Find out in A Kiss of Ashen Twilight.

Ms. Lori writes an exciting novel. I couldn't put it down. The first installment of the Ashen Twilight Series starts off thrilling and only gives you brief moments of rest to catch your breath, but it's worth the ride. As with other fun stories, this is one you'll read again and again. The scenes are so rich that the reader finds themselves in the scenes, not merely watching from the sidelines.

Jace makes a great brooding hero. He feeds at night and when he finds the one woman who can bring light into his world, he's afraid to let her go. I liked that he grew as a person through the story and that he remained handsome and in-charge even when he led with his heart. Ariya made a fantastic heroine because she never backed down. You could relate to her struggle to avenge her family and keep peace for her land. No one really wants conflict in their lives. I also liked that she never gave up on those around her. She made a great role model, as well.

Although the back and forth in time could be a bit confusing, the time jumps made sense and illustrated the story well.

If you like a very sexy fantasy novel, then A Kiss of Ashen Twilight is the novel for you. I give this work 4.5 books.

[...]

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A great paranormal romance!, September 29, 2010

By 

M. Vander "PNR Junkie" - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Kiss of Ashen Twilight (Ashen Twilight Series, No. 1) (Paperback)

A Kiss of Ashen Twilight tells the story of Ariya, a "sheltered" Aziza fairy living in another realm unknown to others. There is an evil entity that has been terrorizing her and her family and certain tragic circumstances soon force her to escape her once "safe haven" to what they call the "mortal realm"..in order to seek safety. She quickly comes to find that there are "other" immortals in this world that she has read/studied about but never truly believed existed.

Jace Archane , a 600 year old "playboy" vampire who is constantly trying to "shirk" responsibilities, comes to her aide when she runs into trouble upon first arriving. There is an instant attraction that both of them feel "internally" but outwardly try to fight... it soon becomes evident, however, that they must work together to bring down this evil that has now followed her from her home into his.



This wasn't your typical PNR story about just a vampire or a were shifter..it had a little bit of everything!...vampires, werewolves, elves, and fairies... it's not often that you get to read a story that features them all...so that part, for me, was very enjoyable! The beginning of this story started out a little bit slow for me and I was a little bit nervous because it was reading , at first, like a historical..but the story soon moved into present day and at that point the storyline eventually picked up pace. I have to admit that I was a little unsure as to whether or not I was going to like this book ...I was afraid that it was going to be more Urban Fantasy, which I'm NOT a huge fan of, than PNRomance..although I LOVE everything "paranormal"...in my BOOKS...there HAS TO BE a romantic element to it! I'm happy to "report" that Rae Lori did NOT disappoint! I liked that even though there was that "instant" attraction between Jace and Ariya the author didn't immediately throw them together..she created a nice, slow, sweet build up to their relationship and the sexual tension between the two of them and their eventual "hook up" was enough to satisfy any die hard romantic. There was also a good suspenseful storyline that kept you guessing up until the very end and I really enjoyed the interaction between Jace and his friends. Having said that...I can't wait to see where Rae Lori plans on going with this series...whether she will continue on with the same couple as the "feature" couple ...or whether she will eventually move on to focus on other characters that we've been introduced to. There are a few in particular that I would LOVE to see find "their" mates. I already have the 2nd book in hand and can't wait to get start reading about Jace and Ariya's continuing saga. Rae Lori can add one more fan to her, I'M SURE, growing list of fans. This is definitely a series that I will continue to follow! Any fan of this genre..whether UF or PNR will want to pick this one up!





Review by Michelle Vanderschaegen

Paranormal Romance Review Team

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A good start to the series, December 29, 2011

By 

The Kindle Book Review - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Kiss of Ashen Twilight (Ashen Twilight Series #1) (Kindle Edition)

This paranormal romance is a good start to the series. The characters are strong and the plot is fast-paced. My attention was held from start to finish. The author, Rae Lori, really did her homework, including bits of Scottish history within the plot as well as some vampire, werewolf, and fairy lore. There were some slow spots in the book, the majority of them the flashbacks to the past, but they are needed to allow the reader to understand the history and evolution of the main and secondary characters.

The romance between the two main characters, Jace and Ariya, is one filled with tension. Each has responsibilities to their own people, but they still have an all-consuming love for one another. I look forward to reading how that relationship will continue to blossom throughout the second and third books of the series. I also want to see how Ariya will juggle her relationship with Jace in the mortal realm and still rule her kingdom in the Aziza realm. All in all, I thought this was a good read.

Jamee Pritchard, The Kindle Book Review