Watchers in the Night (The Guardians of the Night, Book 1) [Mass Market Paperback]

Jenna Black (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 31, 2006

Vampires.

They hunt in every major city, hidden by the crowds, shielded by disbelief. They are Killers, and their prey is human.

Not all vampires are Killers. The Guardians of the Night sacrifice the superior physical and psychic strength that comes with feeding on humans to protect them.  But the Guardians walk a thin line, for even a single kill could leave them helplessly addicted to murder.

When detective-turned-P.I. Carolyn Mathers was left at the altar, she never once thought her fiancé had been turned into a vampire. Two years later, Gray reappears, bringing murder, mystery, and an unbelievable tale of Guardians, blood-thirsty Killers, and his own transformation with him. 

And he's been accused of murder.

A first-rate P.I., Carolyn is determined to help.  Gray won't allow what he is now to taint her -- but Carolyn vows to never let him go again.

But will helping Gray mean becoming a creature of the night? 

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Clever plotting and terrific supporting characters elevate this novel into a first-rate romantic thriller.”

--Romantic Times Bookclub Magazine

 

“One of the best new vampire series since the Black Dagger Brotherhood. . . . A must-read for all paranormal romance fans.”

--The Romance Readers Connection

 

“[Jenna Black’s] book kept me engrossed from first page to last. . . . I highly recommend this one.”

--The Best Reviews

 

“The characters, lead and secondary, are so well written you never want the book to end. And with as many twists and turns as there are, you’ll be guessing till the very end as to who the killer is.”

--Romance Junkies

 

“Watchers in the Night is the first in what promises to be a rich and varied series.”

--Fallen Angel Reviews

About the Author

Author Jenna Black writes paranormal romance books and young adult novels, including Shadowspell and Watchers in the Night, which was nominated for the 2006 Paranormal Excellence in Romantic Literature (PEARL) award. She's your typical writer: an experience junkie. Once upon a time, she dreamed she would be the next Jane Goodall, camping in the bush and making fabulous discoveries about primate behavior. She went to Duke University to study physical anthropology. Then, during her senior year, she made a shocking discovery: primates spend something like 80% of their time doing such exciting things as sleeping and eating. Narrowly escaping the boring life of a primatologist, she moved on to such varied pastimes as grooming dogs and writing technical documentation. Among her other experiences: ballroom dancing, traveling to all seven continents--yes, even Antarctica--becoming a Life Master in Bridge, and singing in a barbershop chorus.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Tor Paranormal Romance (October 31, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0765354519
• ISBN-13: 978-0765354518
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #727,338 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Jenna Black is your typical writer. Which means she's an "experience junkie." She got her BA in physical anthropology and French from Duke University.

Once upon a time, she dreamed she would be the next Jane Goodall, camping in the bush making fabulous discoveries about primate behavior. Then, during her senior year at Duke, she did some actual research in the field and made this shocking discovery: primates spend something like 80% of their time doing such exciting things as sleeping and eating.

Concluding that this discovery was her life's work in the field of primatology, she then moved on to such varied pastimes as grooming dogs and writing technical documentation. She is now a full-time writer and lives in North Carolina with her husband and two dogs.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not bad, but not great either..., November 13, 2006

By 

iheartjackbauer - See all my reviews

This review is from: Watchers in the Night (The Guardians of the Night, Book 1) (Mass Market Paperback)

Carolyn Mathers has come far since she was abandoned by her financee, three days before her wedding. Leaving the police force, Carolyn opened her own P.I. firm in hopes of finding out what happened to Gray James. When Gray appears out of the blue out of three years, Carolyn is determined to get answers. She soon finds out that Gray is just as determined not to give them.

In a vampire world where there are "good" and "bad" vampires, Jenna Black creates the character of Gray James as one who doesn't belong to either faction. With a vampire serial killer on the loose, Gray is immediately under suspicion by the "good" vampires. With Carolyn now demanding answers, Gray has no choice but to tell her the truth.

In a time where there are paranormal authors like JR Ward and Sherrilyn Kenyon, you really have to stand out when it comes to the vampire genre. Jenna Black didn't grab me. I could care less what happened and only finished the book because I don't like leaving books unfinished. While I felt bad for Gray, he was just a so-so hero. The secondary vampire character of Jules was better received, but even he was kind of blah. He was so determined to bring Gray down and the reader wasn't told why until 3/4 of the way through the book. The plot was lukewarm at best and the way the vampire world was created was nothing extrodinary.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars We all live in the protection of certain cowardices which we call our principles. - Mark Twain, January 5, 2008

By 

Cherise Everhard (Michigan, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Watchers in the Night (The Guardians of the Night, Book 1) (Mass Market Paperback)

Carolyn is an ex cop who currently runs her own PI business with her best friend, Hannah. Three years ago Carolyn's fiancé, Gray, was last seen leaving his bachelor party with one of the strippers. He was never seen again. Carolyn has spent the last three years trying to get over a man she deeply loved. Not knowing what happened to him has never given her the closure she needed to fully move on.

Then one night she is in her parking lot about to be attacked when Gray comes out of nowhere to rescue her. You can imagine the multiple emotions and thoughts that run through Carolyn, and Jenna Black does an excellent job expressing them. Carolyn finally hopes to get some answers, unfortunately Gray isn't feeling talkative. He is keeping secrets in order to protect her. As quickly as he resurfaced in Carolyn's life, he is now trying to leave her, again. Carolyn isn't ready to let him go. Soon Gray is forced to face her and their past whether he wants to or not.

Jenna Black has created a world where the Vampires that roam it are divided into two categories; those that kill for food, known as Killers, and those that drink lambs blood. There are a group of the good guy Vampires known as the Guardians that protect the city by hunting the Killers.

This is an excellent start to the series, although at times I felt it dragged a bit; Gray's alpha male, I must protect my woman by denying myself attitude, started wearing thin. I have started this series backwards. I read the third book, Shadows on the Soul (The Guardians of the Night, Book 3) recently and loved it so much I went ahead and ordered this book and the second in the series, Secrets in the Shadows (The Guardians of the Night, Book 2). While I liked the third book better than this first one, this book is still great. Vampires, romance, sex, physical and moral battles and a fantastic mystery make this book a fulfilling read.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Let's Make It 4.5--Much Better Than I Expected !, May 25, 2007

By 

C. Farley "seafaire" (Bakersfield, CA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Watchers in the Night (The Guardians of the Night, Book 1) (Mass Market Paperback)

When oh when am I gonna get the "don't judge a book by it's cover" thing down? I had purchased this book months ago and read a lot of really bad stuff since its purchase--but I was so put off by the cheesy looking cover I just let this great book gather dust. Finally, at the end of my new stack, I started reading and this is the first in what appears to be another darn good series. Because it's vampire-paranormnal there's some of the expected mythos, but there are enough fresh twists to keep the plot moving and the characters engaging. Another strong female, but missing some of the usual arrogance, which makes her not so predictable. Next one in the series is already on my to-be-purchased list--we might call this level of novel a "hot buttered popcorn" book. Make the treat and enjoy the book--not quite good enough to be a "keeper" so the salt and butter are OK on the pages.