13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Dead Bang Bangs!, April 10, 2006
This review is from: A Taste of Darkness (Mackenzie Vampires, Book 3) (Mass Market Paperback)
I have been a long time fan of Nina Bangs' writing, so I am always surprised by the few who don't "get" her. She has a style that is all her own. A sexy, campy, cheeky, irreverent style (might be the cause of those few naysayers) that delights in taking the vampire genre and redefining it, making it all her own. Many vampire fans want utter reverence of the night creature. Bangs goes beyond the accepted level to drag in humor, and I think maybe a few resent that. Their loss.
She is an imaginative, incisive author who skillfully weaves sensuality, hot sex and belly laughs, which leaves me howling and wanting more. I have enjoyed all her works, but I think Taste of Darkness is Dead Bang Bangs - her best novel yet. From the opening lines, she had me laughing out loud - not an easy task, but how can you not with an opening so wonderfully brilliant, so Naughty Nina as this:
"Werewolves - furry pains in the butt.
Werecats - sneaky whisker-twitching manipulators.
Werejerks - every freakin' loser with a "were" in front of his name."
What a delightful opening! She grabs the reader from that point and takes them into the mind of one of her most brilliantly conceived heroes - Reinn Mackenzie. He is the oldest vamp in the Mackenzie Clan, over a thousand years old and that age has made him one grumpy vamp. He bought a home in the Colorado Rockies and shunned everyone. So what did Clan Mackenzie do to reward their elder? They made him Guardian of the Blood. Reinn has a few choice opinions on that job as well as his outlook on the Woo Woo Inn, where he finds himself at the opener the book. He thinks being protector of the blood, keeping the lines pure, a total crock. How does a vampire keep the blood "pure" when by nature they are running around having "suckfests" as the Woo Woo Inn?
Our delight Reinn, Harley-loving, sword-toting avenger of the Mackenzie clan, evokes a touch of Ash from Army of Darkness. I could just hear some of these lines Bangs penned being uttered by the droll Bruce Campbell! It would be a perfect vehicle for the talented actor.
Only our sourpuss lad is about to run into one sexy puss, Kisa Evans, one of those aggravating werefelines. She is one of the werecats the vamps feel pollute their pure bloodline and they want her removed. Only grouchy Reinn finds this particular werekitty is driving him wild with desire.
This has to be Bangs' best. The book is just so dead on target. I absolutely laughed from start to finish from the witty writing that just shows why Bangs keeps hitting the bestsellers list time-after-time. This is one gem of a tale. I don't reread my books these days because I just don't have the time. This one I will reread; it's one of those books that nests in the imagination and won't let you go. Kudos for the writer having the vision and craft to deliver this knock out book.
Keep 'em coming, lass.
Very highly recommended for the non-humor impaired!
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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Nobody does it better, May 4, 2006
This review is from: A Taste of Darkness (Mackenzie Vampires, Book 3) (Mass Market Paperback)
Reinn MacKensie hates his job as Guardian of the Blood, almost as much as he hates were-wolves, cats, ducks, you name it. So it figures that the only woman to light his fire in about forever is a were-kitty who turns into something even Reinn has trouble controlling. Vampires, cosmic troublemakers and assorted other creatures people this hilarious revisit to the Woo Woo Inn. I picked this up after reading the review in Romantic Times Magazine--a four and half star top pick paranormal for the month. I sure wasn't disappointed. Bangs has a wicked imagination as well as a talent for coming up with creatures that actually come from mythology-- I mean what is a harpy anyway? But as usual with Bangs, the harpy is just another madcap creature that makes me laugh. Highly recommended.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Another great book from Nina Bangs!, May 24, 2006
This review is from: A Taste of Darkness (Mackenzie Vampires, Book 3) (Mass Market Paperback)
Vampire Reinn Mackenzie has the ultimate bad job- he's the Guardian of the Blood and responsible for lopping off the head of any Mackenzie caught tainting the family bloodline with a shapeshifter. Unfortunately for Reinn, he now finds himself back at the Woo Woo Inn with the task of preventing Alan Mackenzie from marrying werecat Julie. His intentions are derailed, however, when he meets sexy werecat, Kisa, and finds he wants to taint those Mackenzie bloodlines as well!
Kisa is highly attracted to Reinn but there are a few obstacles in her way (other than his job, of which she knows nothing about!). Werecat law forbids her from having sex with any man who is not stronger than her- and Kisa's werecat is a saber tooth tiger! Meanwhile, someone is trying to keep her trapped in cat form by planting catnip all over the place. And of course, cosmic troublemakers, Ganymede, Sparkle Stardust, and Trouble are around to keep things lively!
A TASTE OF DARKNESS has perhaps the funniest introduction to a story this reviewer has ever read. Nina Bangs sucks the reader right into Reinn's sarcastic but humorous worldview from the very first sentence. Reinn is decidedly disenchanted with his job, the Council, his peers, and all were-animals until Kisa turns his world upside down. Bangs has done a fabulous job at creating a believable world-weary character and teaching him how to appreciate life again.
Nina Bangs has once again written another fantastic book in her ongoing Mackenzie vampire series. Fans of the series will enjoy seeing what chaos reoccurring characters Sparkle Stardust, Ganymede, and Trouble will create while uncovering the secret identity of the vampire Mason. In fact, Bangs does such an excellent job at depicting Trouble's thoughts and actions that he almost steals the show, particularly when he meets up with Mel at the conclusion! Newcomers to the series will not be lost, however, as each Nina Bangs book is written as a stand alone novel. A TASTE OF DARKNESS is one book that readers will not want to miss!
COURTESY OF CK2S KWIPS AND KRITIQUES
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