The Vampire's Kiss (Harlequin Nocturne) [Mass Market Paperback]

Vivi Anna (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1, 2010 | Series: Harlequin Nocturne (Book 92)

HIS DARKEST TEMPTATION Vampire CSI Olena has been assigned to lead investigations on the most recent high-profile bank robbery at the Bank of Nouveau-Monde, the city's most prestigious and oldest establishment. Interpol agent Cale Braxton doesn't care for the Otherworlders, but there's something about the lead crime scene investigator that gets under his skin. Olena pushes his buttons in ways he'd never imagined, igniting a deep and yearning attraction that's impossible to deny. Too bad Cale's forbidden from mixing business with pleasure...

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Harlequin (July 1, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0373618395
• ISBN-13: 978-0373618392
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,464,377 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

A Canadian girl, born and raised. I've been writing since 2000. I have books published with Kensington, Harlequin, Avon, and epublishers Samhain Publishing, Loose Id, and Ellora's Cave.

I love big action movies and small independent character films. Some of my favorite shows right now are True Blood, Supernatural, Dexter, and I am a huge Battlestar Galactica crazy lunatic avid fan.

Some of my favorite authors are Kim Harrison, Rachel Caine, Simon Green, Rob Thurman, Mark del Franco, Melissa Marr, Suzanne Collins, and Stephen King.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A perfect blend of mystery, suspense, paranormal and romance!, June 27, 2010

By 

Catherine Smith "Paranormal Book Freak" (Missouri) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Vampire's Kiss (Harlequin Nocturne) (Mass Market Paperback)

We are back in the European Otherworld city of Nouveau Monde with Olena Petrovich, vampiress and CSI agent; who is excited about her first time being lead investigator. The case starts out weird; with a bank robbery but no money was taken, and only some of the safety deposit boxes were robbed.

Unfortunately for Olena her excitement does not last long, within minutes of being on the case Interpol agent Cale Braxton shows up and tries to take over. Wondering why a "human" agency would be interested in a simply bank robbery and how Cale arrived on the scene so fast, Olena calls Gabriel her boss. He orders her to assist Cale on the case and to keep him safe.

Cale has to overcome is own prejudice of vampires as he and Olena follow leads that take them into the night life and some of the seedier side of Nouveau Monde. As the tension builds and they not only have to fight off the bad guys but their growing attraction for each other.

Vivi Anna still has it, a perfect blend of mystery, suspense, paranormal and romance! In this fifth installment of the Valorian Chronicles series, she shows why she is still on my must read list! I really like how with each new book we are able to see more sides to the characters. Ms Anna is able to portray characters in such a way that they seem to come alive for me. It is not often that you can say that the fifth book is better than the last, but this is the case with The Vampire's Kiss.

Reviewed by Cat Smith
PNR Reviews
6/25/2010

Note: this book can be read as a stand alone but I am sure that once you read one, it will just like potato chips, so here are the previous books in order.

1. Blood Secrets (Caine Valorian and Eve Grant's story)
2. Dark Lies (Jace Jericho and Tala Channing's story)
3. Veiled Truth (Lyra Magice and Theron LeNoir's story)
4. Vampire's Quest (Kellen Falcon and Sophie St. Clair)

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Read This Again and Again!, July 26, 2010

By 

LAS Reviewer "The Long and the Short Of It Re... (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Vampire's Kiss (Harlequin Nocturne) (Mass Market Paperback)

Originally posted at: [...]

What's a vampire cop to do when a sexy hunk of a human pulls rank and tries to take over her case? She tries to resist his charms of course and outwit him.

Olena has a different personality for a vampire. I liked her because unlike a lot of long lived paranormal characters that get bogged down with ennui, she gets a job in law enforcement. She's a breath of fresh air and I enjoyed how she fought her urges and natural inclinations in favor of doing a job she could feel pride in the doing. In this world, the author has the two-natured, the undead and witches populate it as simply people with extra talents. It made it easy for me to focus on the characters themselves, their quirks and their internal conflicts without the politics and drama that comes from them. Olena even has a cute kitty cat - regular feline. I was happy with the fact that although she has a few centuries behind her, she never treated her co-workers or friends with anything other than respect. There was no disdain, only true caring.

Cale is an interesting counterpoint to Olena. He has secrets that inspire him to take the initiative without trusting anyone else to help. He has the authority to pull rank and he does it not because he enjoys it, but because he needs to do his job and doesn't know who he can trust. I liked reading about his internal conflict about Olena and his resistance to her. He rationalizes it, or tries to. He has to deal with the whole, "I'm human, she's not" scenario. I'm thrilled the book didn't spin its wheels about that kind of conflict. It was just another piece to the puzzle. Cale also gets thrown into his own past with a flashback which almost derails something really hot and promising. But like I said, he has a good match in Olena and it gets proven to Cale and the reader both. I believe she's good for him but before she can be all that she can, something bad has to happen.

The external conflict is the case. It should have been a simple robbery but when paranormal elements get involved, it's anything but. Cale and Olena are targeted, betrayed and pitted against each other, sort of. There is some well written drama in this book that kept the plot moving and insured my focused attention. I read this story in one sitting because it was riveting. The secondary characters that populated the tale each played a role in helping or hindering the hero and heroine. The dialogue between them all helped me to understand the dynamics of their roles and their environment as well. The scene with Francois was pretty funny. Not what he did, but Cale's reaction to it. Ms. Anna outdid herself with that whole build up. I loved it and enjoyed the outcome. Gabriel made a great boss and I wonder if there's more to him. I even liked the brief appearances of Trevor, the EMT guy especially when he told Cale about his CPR experience. I totally giggled at that.

The Vampire's Kiss is a fast read with plenty of suspense, drama, hot sexual tension and a happily ever after with paranormal flair. I enjoyed the conflict, the characters and the process of Cale and Olena falling in love. It's an all around good read and I definitely recommend this book to other fans of paranormal romantic suspense. It delivers.

5.0 out of 5 stars HOT stuff, July 12, 2011

By 

justopinion - See all my reviews

This review is from: Vampire's Kiss (M&B Nocturne) (Paperback)

what's not to love about the sexy confident vampiress and her hunk human inspector. witty, fun and comical dialogue exchanges and you can't deny the chemistry they have. Characters are likable and realistic, great suspense and hottest to keep you turning the page. A great and enjoyable read.