Sandy M’s review of Into the Darkness (Dark Realm, Book 1) by Delilah Devlin
Contemporary Paranormal Romance published 26 Jun 07 by Avon Red

I love my vampires, and this new series by Delilah Devlin has some of the sexiest and lustiest vampires around. I liked the different take on the age-old vampire legends in this series. There are The Born, those born as vampires, and then there are those who are turned just like we’ve always read about before. These turned vamps are chosen by The Born when there is a need for more of their kind and those chosen are willing participants. None of that willy-nilly turning against someone’s will just for the blood and gore of it. And the virgin vampire part of the story is different also.

Natalie doesn’t know she’s a vampire, and then when she accepts what she is, she has to learn to be a vampire, how to control her feeding and her sexual urges while still deal with her human emotions and vulnerabilities. The hero, Rene, is not a vampire and has no desire whatsoever on God’s green earth to become one. No how, no way. I loved his attitude! He tries so hard not to want Natalie. He knows if he keeps going back to her she will eventually bleed him dry and he doesn’t want to die, especially in that manner. That virgin bond is something else.

What I liked just as much as the main story is the story of Nicolas and Chessa, both vampires, but Chessa refuses to be pulled back into the vampire world she’s fought so hard to stay away from, while Nic is immersed in that world doing his duty to protect other vampires from those who have gone rogue and are on a killing spree. Nic is my favorite part of the book. There’s just something about him. His mysteriousness, his sarcasm, his sexiness, his pursuit of Chessa, which turns to hurt and betrayal, even though Chessa herself wants him and she won’t admit it. I’m glad to see this couple is being featured in the next book of the series, Seduced by Darkness, to be released next month. I just want more of Nic. He’s the type of vampire I long to read about.

Then, of course, there’s the vampire sex. I’ll flat out tell ya, it’s hot in this book and there’s a hell of a lot of it. When the sex scenes are written like these, they’re a pleasure to read. They’re consistent with the characters. Natalie is new at being a vampire and new at sex, so things don’t always go well for her. Nic and Chessa are old hands at the vampire thing and having Chessa deny any feeling toward Nic makes their scenes all the more dynamic. Everything flowed naturally throughout the book and I never felt the sex overshadowed or drowned out any of the story or any of the characters.

Grade: A-

From the back cover:

Natalie Lambert’s life has changed in the space of weeks–and she has no idea why. Her parents were murdered, she has her first taste of sexual desire–and she feels out of control, afraid, desperate to understand her changing world. She flees to New Orleans, hoping to lure the murderer out of the dark and bring to an end the trail of dead loved ones. Instead, she’s attacked by crazed birds, swarmed by locusts, and saved by a Cajun cop who awakens all her latent desires.

When Rene Broussard rescues a virgin vampire, he ends up in her bed and becomes hers for life in one lusty bite. Rene awakens the vampire within Natalie, and she awakes the passion within him. Together, they fight the evil threatening to destroy The Born vampires amidst the horror of Hurricane Katrina while they discover a treasure of love they can share for all eternity.

Read an excerpt.

Other books in this series:

Seduced by Darkness (Dark Realm, Book 2), coming from Avon, 26 Feb 08