Nightshade (Berkley Sensation) [Mass Market Paperback]

Michelle Rowen (Author)

Book Description

Release date: February 1, 2011 | Series: Berkley Sensation

Jillian Conrad never believed in vampires-until she was unwillingly injected with a serum that was supposed to act as a deadly poison to them. Now, tormented half-vampire Declan Reese wants her blood to destroy the undead kingdom. Unfortunately, the serum has also made her blood irresistible to all vampires-including Declan, whose desire for Jillian is more than mere hunger.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Jill Conrad, a temp at a San Diego investment firm, is coming back from a coffee run when a man grabs her, injects her with a serum, and is shot dead by half-vampire Declan Reyes. Not only does she feel violently ill, she learns that the serum has just made her blood irresistible—and poisonous—to vampires. Reyes whisks Jill off to a remote lab where his human allies are plotting to kill a renegade vampire king. Schemes, secrets and betrayals pile up as Declan and Jill become allies and lovers, though it's hard to imagine that she feels well enough to have sex between suffering from nausea and headaches and being used as vampire bait. Readers may get frustrated as the protagonists are repeatedly imprisoned and otherwise restrained from taking real action, and many will be put off by Jill's repeated victimization. (Feb.)
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Jillian Conrad was an average, workaday girl. The biggest excitement in her life was making the Starbucks run for her office mates. In a twist of fate, she misses the elevator, and her life is turned upside down. Held hostage in a standoff and injected with poison, she winds up the unwilling companion to Declan, who killed the scientist who injected her. He promises he can get her to a man who can help her, since no ordinary hospital will do. The poison inside her isn�t meant for humans but for vampires, and she�s just become a pawn in a secret war. Rowen sinks her fangs into the reader and never lets go in this fast-paced series launch that blends sensual romance and urban fantasy with ease. There�s plenty of moral ambiguity, and the relationship is hot �n� bothered between Jill and Declan, though temptation lurks in the wings with the vampire king. Great treat for those who like J. R. Ward, Katie MacAlister�s Aisling Grey series, and Kelley Armstrong. --Nina C. Davis

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Berkley; Original edition (February 1, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0425239829
• ISBN-13: 978-0425239827
• Product Dimensions: 4.1 x 1.2 x 6.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (37 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #826,419 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Michelle Rowen writes paranormal romance, urban fantasy, and young adult fantasy. She has been on the Waldenbooks/Borders Group romance bestseller list and was the winner of the 2007 Holt Medallion for Best First Book and the 2009 Romantic Times Reviewers Choice Award for Best Vampire Romance.

Please visit www.michellerowen.com to learn more about Michelle and her books.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Nightshade is a fast-paced, gripping Urban Fantasy filled with tension and intriguing characters. February 1, 2011

By Bookaholics Reviewer

Format:Mass Market Paperback

Nightshade by Michelle Rowen
Paranormal Romance/Urban Fantasy -Feb. 1st, 2011
4 ˝ stars

Nightshade is a spellbinding Urban Fantasy that drew me in and never let me go. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed it and am eager to read the next installment.

Jillian Conrad was bringing coffee to work when the elevator she was waiting for opens up to reveal a crazed scientist and a threatening gunman who wants a `formula.' The scientist grabs Jill as his hostage and when the gunman threatens the scientist for the formula, the scientist instead injects the only remaining prototype into Jilian's bloodstream and is immediately shot dead. Jillian becomes ill from the shot and the gunman, named Declan, grabs her before she can recover. He informs her that she has been poisoned and the only way to find an antidote is to come with him. Despite her pleas, he drags her with him.

Soon they are followed by minions of vampires. But Jillian doesn't believe in vampires or that Declan is half-vampire, half- human. That is until he is wounded and she sees the effect light has on him and his super healing abilities. Afraid and not knowing who to trust, she follows and helps Declan. In the process, she discovers a man who is much more than he appears. But will any relationship between them have a chance when she may be dying?

I loved this story. Declan is taking a drug to hold back his vampire half because he is afraid he may hurt someone with his violent vampire side. It makes him cold and unemotional, the perfect killing machine. Declan works for people who hate vampires and has learned that his vampire half is evil. But when he is off his meds, he becomes a different person, one with feelings and needs.... Jillian is attracted to Declan's new personality but can she trust him? The suspense, twists, and turns are spine tingling. There is a lot a back stabbing as new and surprising secrets are revealed. Jillian is very resourceful and likeable. As she desperately searches for a cure, I, too, was caught in her struggles.

Nightshade is a fast-paced, gripping Urban Fantasy filled with tension and intriguing characters.

Reviewed by Steph from the Bookaholics Romance Book Club Read more ›

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Surprise! March 24, 2011

By S. McCullough TOP 1000 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Mass Market Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

I have only read one Michelle Rowan book. It was an `ok' YA book. Therefore completely consider me floored by how much I enjoyed Rowen's urban fantasy novel, "Nightshade". I read this book fluidly and at every chance I had to sit down for even five minutes.

Nightshade manages the impressive feat of being a vampire tale that also feels completely original. And these vampires are the scariest I've read about since those appearing in the first few Anita Blake novels. To add to the regular vampires, whom in this world live underground and mostly out of the way of the human population) are dhampyrs, half breeds made from a human mother and a vampire father. For unknown reasons, some of these dhampyr babies are born as mostly appearing human, but others (and more frequently) are born as literal monsters.

Our heroine Jillian, is just a temporary office worker who seems to mostly be just drifting through her life, battling some bouts of occasion depression over her parents deaths, and basically trying to do the right thing and stay out of the way. Unfortunately she is in the wrong place and the wrong time one morning when she is held hostage in her office building and injected with a mysterious poison.

She is kidnapped immediately following the injection by a scarred scary man named Declan who opens her to the entire new world of these dhampyrs and vampires. And gradually she must come to terms with the fact that she is now walking, talking vampire poison.

This is just a very basic introduction and I won't go anymore into the plot because I don't want to spoil a single plot twist. And in "Nightshade" there are plenty of those twists! You never really know who to trust in this book, even the good guys can make you wonder if they are bad and vice versa.... Jillian herself is a delight and as the reader, I really wanted her to have allies and survive every situation she gets thrown in.

The book has a little romance and a little humor thrown in too but the biggest strengths are the tale's well developed characters and incredibly detailed world. The premise of this story has much potential to be expanded on. There is a sequel in the works as well as a novella that sits between the two books, but I can see how the story could continue on well after that, should the author decide to continue the series. This book was good enough to make me want to pick up her previous "Immortality Bites", her other new Demon series (Eden), as well as her upcoming new YA series Read more ›

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars The outline of a great book August 23, 2011

By Liz N

Format:Mass Market Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

This novel had a great deal of promise that it failed to deliver on. It read like an outline of a novel rather than a finished product. Details and descriptors were completely lacking. Characters were flimsy two dimensional cut outs waiting for life to be breathed into them. The dialogue was clunky and needed to be trimmed down. Case in point: the heroine is on the floor potentially dying and the random research assistant rambles on for a paragraph on how he is curious, and gets into secret files, and he's nosy, and.... honestly it felt awkward as hell.

With so many independent authors releasing cheap lit through Kindle the product of publishing houses really needs to shine if they want us to shell out the $7.99. This novel was worthy of being published but needed 4 more rounds through a merciless editor before being let loose on the public. As it stood I had to force myself to finish. Force myself to care.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Love the series August 14, 2011

By Kim

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

I absolutely LOVED this book! Not 5 minutes after finishing I had already downloaded Bloodlust, the second book! Awesome characters, great storyline - I couldn't put it down. Finished it in one day!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Review from My Overstuffed Bookshelf July 23, 2011

By A. Jacobs VINE™ VOICE

Format:Mass Market Paperback

I have always been a big fan of author Michelle Rowen! I loved her feisty and fun Demon Princess series, but I also fell in love with her Immortality Bites series that was full of romance and quirky humor. When I noticed she was starting a new and darker series, I jumped on the fan band wagon and purchased a copy to read! The author did not disappoint even if the series is darker than her other books.

Jillian finds herself held captive during a stand off between Declan -- a vampire assassin -- and a scientist. When the scientist injects a poison called Nightshade into her neck, she doesn't realize she is now a pawn in a vampire war. Declan is not only a vampire assassin, but he is also half vampire himself. He takes a serum to keep his vampire side suppressed but it also makes him a cold robot of a man. When he takes Jillian with him to his compound, he realizes that her blood is different and she has an addictive scent to her now. The Nightshade that is poisoning her system is the ultimate weapon to destroy vampire's. They can't resist her blood, but it kills them within minutes of drinking it. Together, they have to find a way to cure Jillian of the poison, but they also have to fight their growing attraction.

I loved Declan and Jillian. She was strong and determined, but she also had a soft side. She didn't fall fast for Declan as most heroines of a book do. She couldn't stand him for a bit. Declan is horribly scarred and cold. He is not your typical and gorgeous hero. He has flaws, but ones that make him into the hero we want. He protects Jillian with everything he can and his only fault is trusting the wrong people. When they confront the King of the Vampires, I thought there was going to be a huge show down. What you get is not what you expect though.... The author pulls the rug out from underneath you and leaves you not knowing who is the bad guy, the good guy, or who to cheer for! I loved the way it ended even if there were some tears in my eyes. It leaves you craving the next book in the series so we can see what will happen next, but it also leaves the reader satisfied at the conclusion of the book.

Another great series to add to my obsession with this authors writing! I can't wait until I get my hands on the next book in the series! Read more ›