Customer Reviews

Kiss of Darkness

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Continuing the battle of good vs. evil that began in TOUCH A DARK WOLF, this book is the story of Emerald Linton and Sam Sheridan, two characters who have figured prominently in the first two books of the Shadowmen series.

Six years ago, Emerald Linton and her young daughter, Megan barely escaped with their lives after Emerald's husband succumbed to the evil infection of a Vladarian vampire bite and tried to kill them. They remained in hiding until nine months ago when a vision led them to Twilight, Tennessee - a mystical mountain town with a prevailing sense of goodness. For a woman with Emerald's special, secret powers, Twilight seemed the perfect place to raise her daughter and make a stand against the evil that she knew would eventually find them. She wasn't looking for a man to complicate matters but Emerald hadn't counted on Sheriff Sam Sheridan. Sexual sparks flew between Sam and Emerald the first day she hit town and have only intensified since then but Sam has no intention of acting on his desire for the Irish spitfire. Plagued by nightmares and flashbacks, Sam knows his soul has been irrevocably damaged by the sadistic drug lord who held him captive and cruelly tortured him for two years. He refuses to get close to someone he could possibly hurt during a flashback to that horrific time in the Belize jungle but fate has other plans for Sam and Emerald.

A former soldier, Sam is a take charge, no nonsense man who six months ago would have sworn on his life that vampires were a figment of someone's imagination and sexy Emerald was nothing more than a flaky, telephone sex therapist who drove him crazy with desire. But that was before spiritual warriors who morphed into wolves showed up in his town, Emerald and her daughter had strange visions that proved startlingly accurate and Sam led a rescue mission to the jungles of Belize that ended with him being bitten by the same man who had held him captive - sadistic Vladarian vampire, Luis Vasquez. Now demonic forces from Hell and Earth are gathering near Twilight for the coronation of Cinatas, the new Vladarian leader whose goal is to rule the world and Sam finds himself battling demons and vampires while slowly losing his ability to control the violence and overpowering sexual hunger invading his soul. As the evil in Twilight strengthens so does the vampire infection in Sam and he finds himself in a race against time to save the citizens of his town and the woman and child he has grown to love before the evil coursing through his veins overtakes his innate goodness and turns Sam into a monster who could destroy them all.

In her new series, St. Giles has created a complex, fascinating world where evil vampires live and work among us, holding positions of influence, wealth and power, and seductive, shape shifting spirit warriors move easily between the spirit realm and Earth, battling to save mankind from the evil that threatens both their world and ours. She leaves no doubt who the bad guys are in these stories. They are ruthless, sadistic monsters who revel in their depravity with chilling delight. Conversely, her heroes are brave warriors who will fight to the death to protect the women they love - strong, intelligent women who willingly battle just as fiercely to protect their men. Though one couple is the primary focus of each book in the series and achieves their HEA by the end of their book, there is an ongoing, overlying story arc and an ensemble cast of complex, multi-layered characters (both good and bad) who figure prominently in all of the books. I strongly recommend reading this series in order: TOUCH A DARK WOLF, THE LURE OF THE WOLF, KISS OF DARKNESS.

The lives of several beloved characters hang in the balance while ruthlessly evil enemies continue their battle for domination of Earth in the enthralling third book of The Shadowmen series. Jennifer St. Giles has created an intriguingly fascinating and original world where each new set of circumstances is totally innovative and ingeniously depicted.

Twilight, Tennessee is a quaintly small town, but unfortunately there are those who want to use their powers to control all the inhabitants. The sheriff of the town, Sam Sheridan, knows about the supernatural demons and vampires who want to take over his community and is determined to stop them. Although he was recently bitten by a vampire during a rescue mission, Sam vows to not let the evil inside of him be in command of his life, especially when it might also concern Emerald Linton, a woman who has started to profoundly affect him in every way.

Ever since Emerald arrived in the mountains of Tennessee from Ireland, she and the sheriff have argued about numerous things, in particular when it deals with anything paranormal. There is also an extremely compelling attraction between them, one Sam desperately wants to deny. Emerald has psychic abilities plus is part angel, and she has firsthand knowledge of what may happen to Sam if he does not let her try to aid him. As the leader of the vampires puts his depraved plan in motion, Sam can feel the evil growing inside of him and tries to push Emerald away from him for her own safety, intending to win or lose his fight alone. Emerald is equally determined to save Sam from his potential destiny, resulting in a future for them both.

Believable realism makes the paranormal stories by Jennifer St. Giles come across as grippingly spellbinding. The situations arising all through KISS OF DARKNESS frequently take place because of extraordinary facts, yet Ms. Giles constructs these incidents to make them seem completely plausible. Supernatural beings, psychic abilities and wondrous events are portrayed in such a credible manner, the reader will not be questioning the validity of any scene. Starting with a creative premise for The Shadowmen series, this talented author has continuously added imaginative details to make each story inventively noteworthy. There are countless conflicts in this story, some concerning the physical takeover by merciless beings and other clashes which are only emotional. However, regardless of what is taking place during a certain moment, there is never a time when the reader does not feel connected to the featured characters as their sincere feelings are always clearly described through clever dialogue and genuine thoughts. The inner emotions of Sam and Emerald are especially detectable through the skilled writing of Ms. Giles, as their anguish or joy is always exceedingly palpable and definitely heartfelt. Any time these two are together, the scene is blazingly heated from the overwhelming steamy sensuality flowing between them, and their expression of these passions is intensely potent. The cast of characters is exceptionally outstanding, whether good or evil, and each one plays their part in the story to the fullest. The ending perfectly sets up the next book, one I am eager to read. KISS OF DARKNESS is masterful paranormal storytelling which never disappoints with its striking images and stirring emotions.
[...]

Enter a world with demons and vampires, angels and otherworldy warriors. The plot is quite thick and begins in the first book and builds from there throughout each book, adding and complicating things further. The bad guys wreak havoc in a quaint town set in the Tennessee Mountains called Twilight as their plan to unleash horrible evil into the world thickens. But a small group of people have come together over the course of the books to fight back and save the world.

At the end of the second book Sam, the hero in Kiss of Darkness, was bitten by a vampire. Now he struggles with the horrifying transformation. As the battle continues to keep the demons and vampires at bay, Sam and Emerald fight together the darkness that threatens their future. Emerald's secret past haunts her as does the tragic events of Sam's haunt him, complicating their already complicated relationship.

I enjoyed revisiting previous characters and finally seeing Emerald and Sam front and center. These books are very much centered around the plot with lots of action. There are some light moments that I really liked. For instance, the Truffle scene. Even in the midst of the end of the world as we know it, it was an uplifting scene to see the characters have a teasing moment.

I enjoyed this third book in the Shadowmen series. Another fine addition to a very detailed plot and vivid, well-crafted characters to go with it!

Reading order:
Touch a Dark Wolf - Book One
The Lure of the Wolf - Book Two

Kiss of Darkness is the third installment of the Shadowmen series. I have to say its one of my favorites in the series. Emerald and Sam are two characters that were introduced in the first book. Very intriguing characters, their bickering back an forth was great. I'm glad to see they got their own book and their own HEA. I do have to agree with AmyC and what she said in her review of this book. If this series seems interesting to you I suggest starting at the beginning with Touch of a Wolf or you could find yourself a bit lost.

In Twilight, Tennessee, things are going from bad to worse. The sheriff, Sam Sheridan has been bitten by a vampire. He knows that demons are doing their best to take over his town and he knows that he has a tough fight ahead of him - not just against the demons but against his soul. The person he is most worried about is Emerald Linton, the woman that he loves. But, Emerald has her own secret - she is an angel and if she can't turn Sam's soul from going bad, she will have to eradicate him and the thought of killing the man she loves is almost enough to make this angel lose hope.

I should have started this series with the first book, Touch a Dark Wolf, because I think then I would have understood it better. However, what I do understand is that Jennifer St. Giles has written an emotionally ridden and turmoil filled paranormal novel that I couldn't put down. The love between Emerald and Sam made me blush and sigh in pleasure because no matter what evil they were fighting, they loved. Kiss of Darkness is one book that I will read again - I do recommend beginning the series with book 1, Touch a Dark Wolf. Since reading Kiss of Darkness I have done just that and it made me love this series that much more.


Talia
Reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed

Emerald Linton can't believe it's happening again. Six years ago, she fled with her daughter, Megan, from the vampire Michael Wellbourne. Now, she's settled in the town of Twilight, Tennessee, where a battle between good and evil is in progress. Sheriff Sam Sheridan has caught her eye but he was infected by a vampire bite and the evil is trying to overtake him (see THE LURE OF THE WOLF for more details). Meanwhile, the town of Twilight has turned into a supernatural battlefield and Sam is willing to risk anything, including his life, to stop the vampires before the evil overtakes him. Can the love growing between Emerald and Sam save both Sam and the town of Twilight?

KISS OF DARKNESS is the third book in a series featuring the world of the Shadowmen. While it can be read as a stand alone, events have been building to a crescendo and new readers may be lost without some of the back history. Having said that, Jennifer St. Giles has crafted a vast and complex world that reaches its full potential in this third and quite stunning book.

The world of The Shadowmen is a dramatic battle between good and evil, between demons and warriors (called Blood Hunters). The storyline takes place both on the mortal world and in the spirit world as a dark and sometimes disturbing battle is taking place. KISS OF DARKNESS is not always an easy read as the forces of evil are brutal and readers sensitive to issues of torture or rape may find some of the references to past deeds a bit disconcerting. The violence is not gratuitous, however, and Jennifer St. Giles turns the violence around to show that surviving such horrors is possible through the power of healing. In fact, the secondary character of Stefanie is a true survivor, a heroine whom I cannot wait to see gain her own story!

KISS OF DARKNESS is my favorite installment of this series so far. I've been waiting for Emerald and Sam's story as Jennifer St. Giles built the tension up gradually between them in the first two books, TOUCH A DARK WOLF and THE LURE OF THE WOLF. I'm thrilled to see that the story didn't disappoint. In fact, the action is so intense and heart-stoppingly good, that it's practically impossible to put KISS OF DARKNESS down! Jennifer St. Giles puts a wealth of emotions into her characters as KISS OF DARKNESS is highly recommended.

COURTESY OF CK2S KWIPS AND KRITIQUES

Since other reviewers have already excellently detailed the plot of Kiss of Darkness, I won't do a repeat. I will say this series is a wonderful addition to the paranormal romance genre starting with Touch of a Dark Wolf and The Lure of the Wolf. Do you need to read the first two? I highly recommend that you do because the first two introduces some of the other Warriors - their thoughts and interactions with and about each other, some of the organizational infrastructure, a little history of who they are and what their mission is. But you can read Kiss of Darkness by itself with no problems.

Just know that with each book you get a smart, sexy, personable heroine that we'd probably be friends with in the real world. And the hero is a gorgeous, sexy, alpha male with a bit of a learning curve for this realm, but that just makes him more endearing. You can feel the emotions leap from the page and the love scenes - just make sure you have a tall glass of something cold nearby...

I have been waiting for this pairing since I picked up the first Shadowmen book. Sam and Emerald - with their unconsummated attraction - have sizzled in their supporting roles in the previous two books and now they finally have their turn in the spotlight.

As the honorable lawman bearing scars from torture in the past, Sam is undeniably hero material. We were left wondering about the reprecussions of the vampire's bite at the end of the previous book - the prognosis for Sam is not good, Sam is slowly being taken over by its evil taint. Half angel Emerald, is every bit as spunky and dynamic as a heroine as she's been in the last books. Fueled by the fear that she may again lose a man she loves to evil, Emerald is determined to not only get Sam - who feels he can't act on his attraction since he is doubly damaged goods now - to acknowledge his need for her but also to do everything in her power to keep Sam from losing himself to the overwhelming evil of the vampire curse. Emerald is hindered in her quest by both Sam's nobility and the loss of her prescience.

Kiss of Darkness certainly delivers the explosive connection that I was hoping for between Sam and Emerald using the heightened passions of Sam's slide into vampirism to overwhelm his selfcontrol and noble intention to protect Emerald from the danger he feels he presents. I loved that even through the bloodlust Sam remains heroic, he is such a strong character that anything less would have been disappointing. Author St. Giles also takes the background plot, the Shadowmen's fight, and their enemy to the next level - though the villain is a bit overtop on the arrogant evil meglomaniac scale and his constant mental-notes-to-self that he really needs to kill his underlings do get a wee bit tiresome. Also I strongly suspect that if you haven't read the previous books the bits in the shadow world wouldn't make much sense, they're actually not my favorite part of the story anyway. But with the villian scheming to take over the world, and some of his cohorts out for Emerald's (and her daughter Meggie's) angel blood, and Sam's whole town held hostage to evil there is plenty of action and challenges to face before we find out whether Sam and Emerald will get their happily-ever-after.

Taking Sam and Emerald's place on the sidelines, St. Giles continues to develop her next pairs: Marissa and her wolf, and Stephanie and the dragon-shifter shadowman who haunts her dreams. I really liked the way that Sam's deputy helps Stephanie, who is broken by her past capitivity and torture, to recover her power and to begin moving past her victimhood. The previous starring pairs, Erin and Jarred (Touch a Dark Wolf) and Annette and Aragon (The Lure of the Wolf) are back too, and there are hints that something big is in store for Meggie with her mixed vampire-hunter/angel heritage.

Marissa is up next with her damaged shadowman Navarre, when the story continues in Bride of the Wolf (The Shadowmen, Book 4). I am looking forward to Navarre's story but hopefully St. Giles will give us more setup for Stephanie and Sirius - I can't wait for their story now that I've finally gotten my Sam and Emerald fix.

Emerald and her daughter, Megan, are part angels by birth. Unfortunately for them, that seems to attract not only vampires, but demons as well!!! Once married to a vampire slayer, she must go into hiding with her daughter after he is bitten by a vampire and refuses her help to save him for he goes too far and tries to kill them.
Now they live outside of Twilight, where the new man in her life is sheriff. Now he, too, has been bitten by a vampire. As she struggles to save him, she must also help her new friends fight against impending doom for their town, and keep herself and her daughter hidden from the vampire who's brother she killed excaping from England!
She know longer can use her visions to see what's coming, because she has put up a shield around herself and friends to keep evil out. Now her daughter is coming into her angel powers at age 11, faster and more than she can handle, quicker than Emerald had at age 17. Between them and their new friends, part of which are only partly human themselves, will they be able to stop a enemy who is trying to band all of the demons and vampires to take over the demonic world?

Jennifer's book held me from the start with all of it's twist and turns! I can't see anyone not loving it as much as I did!

The recent victory cannot be celebrated as the Shadowmen and their allies continue their vigil as their lethal enemy persists on their assault. One mistake could cost them their lives as the malevolent demons and vampires keep the pressure on.

A vampire bit her husband Eric six years ago in England taking him to the dark side and leaving clairvoyant Emerald Linton alone in fear for her now eleven year old daughter Meggie and a need to relocate and conceal her heritage from everyone. In Twilight, Tennessee human Sheriff Sam Sheridan knows Emerald, who resides there with Meggie, is hiding something, but he fails to get her to open up to him. She knows what a vampire bite can do and he was bitten when Cinatas and his evil minion arrive. Preferring flight rather than fight, reluctantly Emerald has no choice for Meggie's sake except to turn to Sam if she can heal him somehow.

The latest Shadowmen romantic urban fantasy (see TOUCH A DARK WOLF and Lure of the Wolf) is a fabulous action-packed thriller from the opening prologue in Wiltshire, England six years ago to the final naked truffle epilogue. The lead couple is a strong pairing of two people banging heads even before the vampiric invasion. Fans of the saga will appreciate the tale as the clairvoyant and the bitten sheriff battle evil in small-town Tennessee.

Harriet Klausner