Customer Reviews

Watchers in the Night (The Guardians of the Night, Book 1)

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

Three years ago, Carolyn's fiance disappeared at his bachelor party. Carolyn, has always been consumed by what could have happened to him. She quits her job as a cop and opens up a PI business. One night when she is finally ready to go on her first date after coming to terms w/ her fiance's disappearance, she comes face to face w/ someone from her past. The story begins wher her utter determination in unraveling the truth behind Gray's disappearnce w/o an explanation. In the meantime, someone is murdering and raping human loved ones of the Watcher's vampire council, when the killings escalate to the vampires themeselves, Carolyn gets unwittingly involved to find the killer and help Gray from being framed.

This book didn't protray vampires in the usual romanticized version. Here vampires are not allowed to drink from humans, and are only allowed to drink lamb's blood mixed w/ milk. To drink from humans, makes a vampire addicted and a killer. The Guardian's council was created to keep an eye on newly turned vampires from drinking human blood, and to police others who are.

While the premise of the story is interesting, the characters are kind of annoying. The heroine is understandablly obsessed w/ trying to find the truth, all the other characters didn't seem to be all that intelligent. But the constant blame game w/o proof made me question how these vampires could have lived this long w/o being more intelligent.

The lost love between Carolyn and Gray was kind of bitter sweet, and her support of him was admirable. However, the hero in this story was not a strong alpha character, which is ok in some storylines but I don't think it worked very well. The execution of the romantic angle worked much better than the actual murder mysteries. After the constant blaming of each other for the murders throughout the book, it got to be tiresome, and made all the vampire characters just plain silly and like bickering children.

Overall, the book is a so-so read. If you choose to read it, I would recommend buying it used.

When her ex-fiance resurfaces after a 3-year disappearance, private investigator Carolyn Mathers is determined to find out where he's been. Gray James comes back into her life suddenly and tries to leave again just as abruptly. But Carolyn wants answers about where he's been and why he left her at the altar three years prior. When Gray doesn't willingly give up the answers, Carolyn uses her investigative skills to dig up the answers. But the things that she discovers are hard to believe. Because 3 years ago her ex-fiance became a vampire and this discovery spells trouble for Carolyn's previously normal life.

Gray James is a relatively young vampire, without the strength and power of others of his kind. He's always regretted missing out on a life with Carolyn, but is determined to keep her from getting involved in his dangerous lifestyle. Gray is being watched by a group of vampires called the Guardians, who don't drink human blood and protect the city of Philadelphia from the other vampires who do--known as Killers. When people start turning up dead, the Guardians suspect Gray, putting both his life and Carolyn's at risk.

This is the first book I've read by Jenna Black and the first in the Guardians series. I have to say that I wasn't all that impressed. First of all, Gray was pretty much a wet noodle to me. He was weak in comparison to the other vampires, which isn't necessarily a problem, but he also let Carolyn walk all over him. The man needed some backbone. Carolyn definitely wore the pants in that relationship and I like my heroes a little more alpha. As for Carolyn, I found her bossy, nosy, and difficult. I had no reason to hope she found love because I didn't care for her at all. Most of the time, I wished she would mind her own business and back off when Gray asked her to.

It could be that I'm reading so many great paranormal series right now (including the Black Dagger Brotherhood series by JR Ward and the Immortals After Dark series by Kresley Cole) that it's difficult to enjoy one that's just so so. Reading this book was an interminable process and I was relieved to finally be finished with it. The story seemed muddled and murky at some points and the fact that I didn't care for the hero and heroine made it difficult to want to finish. I did, however, like the premise behind the Guardians and I liked some of the secondary characters who were introduced, including Jules, an older vampire who still keeps in touch with his mortal descendants, and Drake, a Killer who helps the Guardians when they need it. So I'll give the next book in this series a try and hope that I have better results.

Grabs you from the very beginning and doesn't let you go until the very end. Even then, you're hoping for more. Peopled with an intriguing supporting cast, and a plotline that twists and turns like a maze, Ms. Black does a wonderful job creating a world where you're never sure what's going to happen. I'm looking forward to Jules story.

Three years ago just prior to their wedding Gray James vanished without a trace. His fiancée Carolyn Mathers, a private investigator and former cop, searched for him, but found no clues. She gave up the helpless investigation assuming he was either dead or went deep aground to avoid their marriage.

In Philadelphia, a street thug threatens Carolyn when out of nowhere Gray intercedes. Stunned, but also outraged, she asks him where he has been, but he refuses to respond to her inquiry. Instead he wants to flee because he no longer deserves the human he loves and cherishes above life since he has become a vampire. Meanwhile the Guardians of the Night, vampires who protect humans, suspect Gray is a rogue serial killer preying on mortals. Carolyn believes otherwise as she thinks his heart and soul are the same whether he is human or vampire and plans to sleuth until she uncovers the truth.

WATCHERS IN THE NIGHT is a superb paranormal romantic suspense that grips readers from the moment the petit Carolyn slowly removes her coat under the orders of the street punk that she plans to stop once she opens the last button and never slows down until she confronts the killer and her beloved. The story line is action-packed with vampires flying in and out making Jenna Black's realm seem real. However, the novel is owned by the courageous heroine who takes on punks, thugs, good and evil vampires and Gray as she affirms love conquers everyone.

Harriet Klausner

I had a great time reading this book because of the fast plot, the great action scenes, and the sizzling chemistry between the main characters. Jenna's hero and heroine are so much fun to follow! The mystery kept me guessing, but the real treat for me was seeing Carolyn and Gray relearn each other and come to a new understanding between them.

I can't help but mention the highly entertaining supporting characters, Hannah and Jules, and I hope they'll have a book of their own somewhere along the line.

Overall, a fun, satisfying read!

3 and a half stars. There are 2 camps of vampires in the city: Killers and Guardians. Killers, of course, kill humans (some only attach "bad" humans) and Guardians drink lambs blood and milk as a nightcap. As suggested, Guardians protect humans, and it's often from their Killer cousins. Carolyn Mathers is a PI (former cop) that was jilted at the alter by her average appearing lover. Gray James was turned into a vampire on the night of his bachelor party, but hasn't really gotten over his former life. He's watched Carolyn upon occasion and appears to her as the studly vampire he became. Naturally curious, Carolyn tries to figure out where he's been and notices the Guardians. The Guardians are looking for a serial murder and Killer and Gray is their prime suspect.

Although its well written, there is nothing new, standout, or particularly remarkable about this book. Black weaves together themes seen in books since Interview with the Vampire introduced the conflicted vampire to the world. It is worth reading, but don't pay full price for it.

I hated to put this book down because I couldn't wait to see what would happen next. It was a very suspenseful book and I was certainly surprised when the villains were revealed.

The author has created an interesting new vampire world that is more realistic and fleshed out than many others. The characters are well developed and appealing, especially the fiesty heroine Carolyn and the sexy hero Gray.

I particularly enjoyed the flashes of humor in the book, often added by the intriguing cast of secondary characters. I hope we find out more about some of these, especially the powerful vampires Drake and Jules, in later books.