Review: Darkness Dawns by Dianne Duvall Review

Genre: Adult, Paranormal Romance
Paranormal Element: Vampires
Series: Immortal Guardians #1
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ARC Provided by Author for review

PJ's QUICKIE POV:
Not your ordinary Paranormal Romance, Dianne Duvall took an old story and made it fresh. Her characters were uniquely original and thought provoking. Duvall stepped out of the box with Darkness Dawns and made me reevaluate what I thought made a good Paranormal Romance hero. Though, like all habits and stereotypes, some are hard for me to get used to when stepping out of that self-erected comfort zone, so at some points in her story I was a little thrown off, but in general I enjoyed it and overall it was a very compelling read.



REVIEW:
Sarah Bingham is minding her own business, trying work off her insomnia with a little yard work, when out of the blue she is faced with a life and death situation. There is a wounded man being hunted by a group, practically in her backyard and they are casually discussing murdering him. She does what any self-respecting person would do...she sneaks up behind the bad men and whacks them in the head with her shovel. As Sarah takes the wounded man into her home and nurses him back to health, she realizes a little too late that she might be in over her head. Especially when the truth of what he is begins to come out.

Roland Warbrook is a 900 year old immortal. He is hunted by vampires and has lived as a recluse for most of his 9 centuries, never letting anyone close. Sarah is the first woman to make him want in a really long time. He desperately wants to let himself go and fall into the arms of Sarah, but to do so would damn her to a life of heartache. Yet, as the one that hunts them closes in, Roland can’t seem to stay away from Sarah. Will they be able to overcome the obstacles that keep them a part?

Vampires, Immortals and organic living oh my! Duvall introduces us to a new kind of a vampire, a 21st century type of vampire. He can kick ass like the best of them, hulking, big and moody like the vamps we dream about, but he also has a softer side that likes to adopt kittens, eat organic pizza and drive energy efficient cars. It made me rethink my stereotypes and I thought it was fun! Would I necessarily picture my perfect male vamp driving a Prius and making sure his chicken was Free-Range and organic? Probably not, but that is the fun thing about novels they take us to places that we don’t expect. And believe me, there have been enough written about black leather clad biker boys that guzzle Whiskey and drink blood - to make Duvall’s take on the immortal blood-drinkers highly creative and refreshing.

Check this book out and let me know what you think. Did Roland the sexy, yet sweet vampire do it for you? Or are you stuck on the stereotypical paranormal romance vamp?

RECOMMENDATIONS:
This book is recommended as a good transition paranormal romance. Pretty good for readers wanting to break into para romance from contemporary romance. Give it try you might want to check out this genre a bit more.

The 411:

1. Book 2 in the Immortal Guardian Series is called Night Reigns
2. Book 2 is scheduled for release December 2011

5/20