Customer Reviews

Rapture in Moonlight: Sequel to Walk in Moonlight

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4 star:		(3)
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It's approaching Halloween and Stella Schwartz, a single mother, and her son, Sam, enter their favorite store, THE VAMPIRE EMPORIUM. Because of a very tight budget instead of being in the store to buy a costume Sam must content himself with reading the vampire books in which the store specializes. Instead of their good griend and store owner, Dixie, there is what Stella considers a very good looking hunk behind the counter. Mr. Hunk turns out to be Justin Corvis, who explains that he is a guest of Dixie's from Britain and has volunteered to watch the store while she takes care of some personal business.

During their conversation Justin learns that Sam wants to dress like a vampire for Beggar's Night, as Justin calls Halloween, but also learns that Stella cannot afford a costume. Justin tells her that he will see if there is one at Dixie's house, perhaps a special order for a small person that someone did not pick up. He warned Sam not to get too excited in case there was no costume at Dixie's that would fit him. Of course, with a child's faith, Sam just knew something would turn up for him.

Justin is very taken by Sam's young exuberance and wants very much to please him and his mother. At Dixie's that night he talks her into making a small vampire's costume with a very small flaw that would render it unsalable, but not bad enough that it would show up while being worn. That way, Justin felt, Stella would be able to afford a marked down item.

Stella and Sam would be shocked to learn that Dixie, her husband Christopher, and Justin are in fact - - real vampires. Real vampires in Ohio? Yes, and very interesting, compassionate vampires indeed. Justin learns that Stella and Sam live in a rundown, somewhat dangerous neighborhood, so on his night-flights he always goes over her house to see that everything is O.K. Sometimes he perches in a tree for most of the night just to keep an eye on their safety. Their friendship grows stronger with each meeting until the friendship blossoms into a tender love affair. This pleases Sam very much since he seems as taken by Justin as Stella is. This does create a problem for Justin: How will he explain his condition to Stella. At first he thought he would return to Britain and would not have to explain anything. Now that the courting is much more serious than he expected it to get, he has a big problem. Dixie tried many times to warn him. Everything goes along quite well until one night when things in Stella's neighborhood go terribly wrong. Now, Justin's dilemma is how to make things right again.

Ms. Laury has written a sensitive love story with an unusual twist; love between a mortal and an immortal. She handles the situation like the pro she is and gives the reader a very interesting outlook about vampires. For love-story enthusiasts, this one is highly recommended.

Rosemary Laurey has done it again. Rapture in Moonlight, the sequel to Walk in Moonlight, is a thoroughly delightful read. In Walk in Moonlight, Dixie LePaige, a spunky, modern all American woman, meets and of course falls in love with Kit Marlowe, an Englishman, who was once a contemporary of William Shakespeare. To save her from death, he transforms her into a vampire. Rapture in Moonlight finds the two of them living in German Town, Ohio and running a bookstore and gift shop called the Vampire Emporium. While visiting them, their friend and fellow vampire, Justin Corvus, is smitten by attractive Stella Schwartz. Though he knows it is unwise to become involved with a mortal, especially one with an eight-year-old son, he can't help himself as he finds himself wanting to help and protect the struggling single mom and her engaging son. But Stella has her pride and is unwilling to accept his charity, which makes her all the more attractive and Justin finds himself falling madly in love with her. There is always something interesting happening in this fast paced book filled with interesting characters. I look forward to meeting them again, when Mystery in Moonlight is published in 2002...

RAPTURE IN MOONLIGHT is the sequel to Rosemary Laurey's WALK IN MOONLIGHT, and the second book in the "Moonlight" trilogy (MYSTERY IN MOONLIGHT coming in 2002).

Kit Marlowe and his lover Dixie LePage (WALK IN MOONLIGHT) have settled in Ohio. Dixie, a fledgling vampire, has a greater need for her native soil to realize the full extent of her powers. The pair have settled in the German Village section of Columbus where Dixie runs a novelty shop called The Vampire Emporium and Kit tries to keep crime to a minimum.

Gwyltha, head of their vampire colony, has sent their friend, Justin Corvus to the states to work out territorial arrangements for them with the leader of an established New World Colony, Vlad Tepes (Dracula). Although happy to see his friends once more, Justin doesn't relish the task. Vlad had stolen Gwyltha from him many years ago. Centuries later, Justin had still not gotten over the loss. Still he will do anything for Kit and Dixie.

Covering for Dixie in her shop, Justine meets Stella Schwartz who is window shopping with her son. She has more trouble than she needs already. Single mother to eight-year-old Sam, she works for a dry cleaner, barely making ends meet. They live in a crime-ridden neighborhood thanks to her mother, a habitual criminal whose house Stella's promised to watch until her release from jail. The last thing she needs is to fall in love with a handsome Brit Doctor who is just visiting. Sam needs stability in his life.

One look at Stella and all thoughts of lost love fled Justin's mind. This is a woman he could spend eternity with. However she is mortal and doesn't even believe in vampires. He too knows that an affair would be short-lived, but somehow convinces himself that a small dalliance would be mutually beneficial.

It would seem that the attraction is too hard for either of them to resist. Before long Stella and Sam are firmly entrenched in Justin's heart and vice versa. By becoming their self appointed protector, he runs afoul of the neighborhood hoodlums. When Stella falls prey to their vengeance, Justin's rage knows no bounds.

Unfortunately his colony had set strict limits on vampire justice and Justin had helped establish those rules. Breaking them carries the sentence of banishment from the colony. Interfering with human conflicts is a big no-no. His friends vow to support him, but Justin anticipating the outcome of the trial, makes plans for the care of his loved ones which don't include him.

Vampires converge in Ohio while Justin awaits sentencing by Gwyltha's tribunal. Meanwhile, her lover Vlad has asked him for an enormous favor which could mean trouble for all of them. Vlad has acquired a pair of young and beautiful female ghouls whose minds have been erased by their creator. He wants Justin's New World colony to adopt them as Gwyltha has forbidden the making of ghouls. Neither Vlad, nor Justin want to raise her ire. Dixie has other ideas though, and when Dixie's on a crusade look out! For her part Stella has no intentions of letting Justin be railroaded out of town, even if she has to face down the queen vampire herself. Double trouble!

Enter Tom Kyd (also a former Elizabethan playwright and third member of the old boys vampire trio), who arrives with the tribunal. Like Kit he has every intention of supporting his friend Justin. Tom is the colony's computer expert and is the one they turn to for forged ID, etc.. Tom is smitten with the ghoul who has taken the name Angela, and becomes determined to ferret out her identity. This sets the stage for book three: MYSTERY IN MOONLIGHT.

RAPTURE IN MOONLIGHT continues Ms. Laurey's tradition of providing strong independent heroines and passionate heroes whose protective streaks may be a mile wide, but who are also loyal, loving and supportive. Ms. Laurey has a knack for weaving human reality into her fantasy, whether it be 16th century writers caught up in the politics of their times, or a modern day single mother struggling to make ends meet in an unsavory environment, allowing readers to relate to her characters while drawing them into the realm of the vampire.

Leslie Tramposch - PNR Reviews

Stella Schwartz was the single parent of an eight-year-old boy, Sam. They stopped off at their favorite shop, The Vampire Emporium, to browse and visit with the owners named Dixie and Christopher. However, someone new was tending the shop for the normal owners.

Justin Corvus was friends of the owners and was glad to watch over the store for a bit. When Stella walked in he knew he would never be the same again! Justin had been a vampire for centuries and usually lived in Britain. He was only in Ohio for a brief visit with his friends and to negotiate with his old adversary, Vlad Tepes, in their behalf.

When a couple of hoods were offended by Justin, they wanted revenge. They endanger the very people Justin care so much about. Their act of violence altered the lives of everyone!

***** W-O-W! That says it all! This one had me sitting on the edge of my seat, literally, turning pages as quickly as I could read! HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! *****

Rapture in Moonlight continues the story of Kit and Dixie in Ohio. They own a store called the Vampire Emporium in Columbus' Germantown. Justin is visiting and meets customers Sam and his mother Stella. Things quickly escalate and soon Stella is a vampire, protecting Justin and a couple of ghouls.

There is alot packed into a small book here. Justin is the focus of the novel and the author handles the problem of a vampire with a mortal son very well. There were alot of typos in this book but they didn't detract from the story at all. Can't wait to read the next one.

Justin Corvus once was a regimental surgeon in the ninth Roman Legion Hispania, but now has a medical practice in modern day England. He is also a millennium old master vampire who has come to German village in Columbus, Ohio to meet with his old friend Kit Marlowe and his wife Dixie. Justin also has to negotiate territory for the New World vampire colony with Vlad Tepes, otherwise known as Dracula.

While playing shopkeeper in Dixie's shop, he meets the beautiful mortal woman Stella and her eight-year-old son Sam. In the very first moments of their first meeting, both feel an electrical attraction to one another. At first Justin is not going to pursue her beyond the time he is to return home but circumstance force him to turn her into a vampire. Even when she makes the adjustment, they have heavy-duty problems to work out if they mean to spend eternity together.

Fans of romance and the supernatural will love RAPTURE IN MOONLIGHT, the fantastic sequel to the Prism award winning WALK IN MOONLIGHT. The vampires of ROSEMARY Laurey's creation are urbane, witty and easy to fall in love with. Their mates are their equals in every way, which makes for some amusing "discussions" when one doesn't agree with the others. Ms. Laurey is a talent that should be on every vampire fan's "must read" list.

Harriet Klausner

I love this book. The only thing I didn't like was the romance was too soon, other than that I loved it.

Dixie LePage and Christopher (Kit) Marlowe are now happily living in the states. Dixie has opened a shop called The Vampire Emporium, eight-year-old Sam Schwartz's favorite place to go. Stella, Sam's mom isn't too sure about this place but Dixie is very nice so she tolerates it for Sam's benefit.

Doctor Justin Corvus, whom we met in WALK IN MOONLIGHT, has come for an extended visit. When he meets Stella, something just clicks. He knows nothing can come of it but there's just something about Stella that just draws him. When Justin finds out that Stella is taking Sam out for Begger's Night, he tells her she must bring Sam by the shop. Dixie and Kit are going all out and Sam will really enjoy it. Stella has reservations but agrees to bring Sam by. When Justin finds out that Sam wants to dress up as a vampire for Halloween, he talks Dixie into making him a costume from remnants so Stella won't get suspicious. This just about wins Stella over but still she isn't sure about this handsome hunk of a man interested in her.

It seems as though Justin has gotten the neighborhood bullies angry with Stella when he tells them to stop breaking bottles on her garage door. Johnny Day, the worst bully of all vows to get even with her and with Justin. Late one night he does just that when he pulls a gun on Stella and Justin. Justin steps in front of Stella but the bullet passes right through him and kills Stella. Justin rushes Stella to Dixie and Kit's where they talk him into transforming her. Justin doesn't want to lose her and even though he has reservations he transforms Stella. Now how will this affect Stella's life and especially Sam?

Justin's and Stella's story was every bit as good as Christopher's and Dixie's. I was glued to the pages and couldn't wait to see what would happen with Justin and Stella and how they would deal with day-to-day life with an eight-year-old. Rosemary Laurey threw in quite a few intriguing aspects to make this book just a bit more interesting! I eagerly look forward to the next book in this highly entertaining series.

Kathy Boswell, The Best Reviews

Rapture in Moonlight continues the story of Kit and Dixie in Ohio. They own a store called the Vampire Emporium in Columbus' Germantown. Justin is visiting and meets customers Sam and his mother Stella. Things quickly escalate and soon Stella is a vampire, protecting Justin and a couple of ghouls.

There is alot packed into a small book here. Justin is the focus of the novel and the author handles the problem of a vampire with a mortal son very well. There were alot of typos in this book but they didn't detract from the story at all. Can't wait to read the next one.

Set in present-day Ohio, Rosemary Laurey's The Amazing Maurice And His Educated Rapture In Moonlight is the story of a physician and vampire who, while in the process of negotiating with his longtime adversary and rival, encounters a harried blue-collar single mother who doesn't have much time for mysterious foreigners - until a surprising twist of fate brings them together in ways neither ever expected. A dark and romantic tale of vampires and a long-standing code of behavior that could yet be threatened, The Amazing Maurice And His Educated Rapture In Moonlight is an engrossing and recommended dark fantasy novel.