Carressed by Night

I received this book for free for an honest review.
This is the second book in the 'Rulers of Darkness' series. This book is set in Las Vegas Nevada and unlike the previous book this book is set in modern times. So a few hundred years have past. If you read the first book you met Gabriel the outcast who set sail for America. This is his territory however though, you might see more of him; this book is not set around him. It is set around Dimitri and Kerstyn. Dimitri is the last of the true bloods and Kerstyn is just a modern day woman, who is down on her luck.

Fate plays her game once again in putting these two together. It's instant attraction and lust and most definitely a lot of steam. This book seems to be a major turning point into the series as history makes a turn about. Also some insight into how vampires were created in this story, which in my honest opinion was definitely a very creative way to how vampires came to be. I like how this author has added more key characters to the series storyline. This way you know more books will be on their way. I enjoyed this book the same as the last. While reading this one though, I was thinking in my head ok this is going to be a typical, I found my mate she will be mine forever, but in this one there is one difference. It didn't go in the direction I expected it too, the author threw in a nice twist that ended up changing the whole dynamic of the story itself and the characters within. The only problem I had with this story, is that there wasn't enough conflict between the main characters. Kerstyn took everything in stride not really questioning or getting severely angry at anything at all. That's my only complaint with the book. Everything else was just as it should be. ( )

Amanda J. Greene's Caressed by Night is the second book in her Rulers of Darkness series, following her scintilating debut, Caressed by Moonlight.

Whether you're a lover of paranormal romances, or simply a romantic at heart, Amanda knows how to caress just the right emotions in the read, drawing you deeper and deeper into her story, and entangling you with some rather unique twists so that you not only can't let go . . . you won't want to.

While I didn't care for the setting here as much as I did in the first book (Amanda transplants us from the gas-lit cobblestone streets of 19th London to the harsh fluorescent glare of 21st centure Las Vegas), it does provide for an interesting avenue to explore the progression of her vampire mythos. Fortunately, Kerstyn and Dimitri are just as enthralling a romantic duo as Victoria and Dorian were in the first volume, so it's very easy to fall back into the mythology. Personally, I liked Victoria slightly more than Kerstyn, although they are both wonderfull independant women, but I found Dimitri slightly more swoon-worthy than Dorian, so it all balances out.

The character building is superb, as is the amount of detail Amanda has invested in her vampire mythos. I loved the complexities of Dimitri, with one layer of personality revealed after another, further establishing him as both a romantic hero and a vampire legend. Silvie, Kerstyn's best friend and witch, is another character I found myself instantly attracted to, while the blood-slave-turned-vampire Gabriel successfully managed to overcome my initial frustrations to become another favourite by the end.

It goes without saying, of course, that his is another very hot, very sexy, very romantic book with enough steamy bits to make even the most staid reader swoon, but carefully woven into a story that could easily stand on it's own as a straightforward paranormal adventure . . . although it wouldn't be nearly as fun. As was the case with Caressed by Moonlight, this is another self-contained storyline that reaches back to that world, but which also contains enough promise for several new volumes to come. ( )

Betrayed by one of his very own, Dimitri Arsov has kept his presence a secret for the past four hundred years. Unwilling to continue his solitary existence, he's decided to come out of hiding in hopes of regaining everything he's lost. His goal is remove the man behind his supposed death in order to restore the glory to his failed empire, a feat that will not prove to be easy.

Saving the beautiful Kerstyn Ingmar from an unlikely fate, he finds herself draw to her in more ways than one. His inner beast has awakened and yearns to sample her delectable blood, something he must deny himself if she's to continue living. He soon realizes she's the one he's been waiting for ever since he can remember, the one who will keep him from succumbing to the curse that befalls a vampire if they're unable to find their mate in time. Vowing to protect her, he takes her under his very wing, never once imagining that she'd change his world completely.

Saved from a fate worse than death, Kerstyn finds herself drawn to her enigmatic savior. Thrust into a world she never thought existed, she does her best to make sense of it all. The feelings Dimitri evokes in her grow each and every day and she's determined to show him just how much he means to her, a fact he does his best to deny. Undeterred, she offers herself to him, knowing he'll never be able to resist her for long.

Determined to right all wrongs committed against him, Dimitri sets a trap in hopes of luring his adversary to his death. Ven refuses to give things up without a fight and is intent on killing him, once and for all. When Kerstyn is caught in the crossfire, he's hellbent on pulling out all of the stops in hopes of gaining the upper hand.

After having read Caressed By Moonlight and getting a sneak peak into what was to come, I'm glad to say that this book didn't dissappoint. The intrigue and suspense kept me glued to every turn of the page. I enjoyed the story immensely. I did feel that there was something missing in the epilogue. I couldn't quite put my finger on what it was, though, but hopefully the next book in the series will tie up all those loose ends. ( )

Kerstyn lives quite the boring life until she gets near attacked on the streets of Las Vegas and saved by a tall, blond, gorgeous viking looking guy, and then there's the fact that she's evicted from her apartment she shares with her bff and her screwed up boyfriend and of course her car dies... not the best day.

When her friend tells her she's got a solution to her new homelessness Kerstyn is shocked to find out she'll be staying with her viking rescuer who seems just as attracted to her than she is to him. What she doesn't know yet is that Dimitri is one of the first Vampires ever to be created, he's all powerful, can read minds ( hers included, to her mortification ) and see the future.

Dimitri has only two goals coming to Las Vegas, get his mate and get revenge on the vampire who assassinated him and stole his Clan, as everyone thinks he's dead it makes it all more fun to come back from the dead. But when his vengeance also bring visions of Krestyn's death, he has to do everything in his power to stop destiny from fulfilling itself. He won’t live without her.

Sometimes people get lucky with one great debut novel, and you won't know if they are seriously good until you read the next installment... well Amanda J. Greene is brilliant! Right up there with my favorite PNR authors! She's wonderfully sensitive to the characters giving them history, pain, freedom and tension that all boils to fantastic realism with that touch of unexpected paranormal. Her writing is emotional, witty, warm and absolutely fantastic. I've found yet another author to call a favorite! I was so excited about Caressed by Moonlight ( Book #1 ) and wondering if she could pull it off again, and she sure did! Ms. Greene is right up there with Frost and Cole for me!

I loved how the history of the vampire race was intertwined into the love story, it never got stale or boring, even the historical events kept the momentum going. A lot of characters were introduced and re-introduced, I loved seeing Falcon, Dorian and Victoria again, and I fell in love with Gabriel ( *swoon* I hope he gets his own book! ) and Hadrian! This book isn't just about the main couple, this is a true series that builds on all the characters and the events until you got this interwoven fabric of superb Paranormal Romance with a cool Urban Fantasy element.

Kerstyn and Dimitri clicked so well, Kerstyn was a nice fresh breath of air for Dimitri who was very old (won't reveal how old!) and had been emotionless and pretty much dead inside until he met her. She was a nice opposite to him, a fiery red head to the cool and collected ( on the outside ) blond vampire. She had few moments of awkwardness which made her more human when compared to Dimitri who seemed to have everything in perfect control.

Of course Dimitri didn't have it all under control - he was slipping, succumbing to blood lust he hadn't felt in thousand years, lust for her blood only, and battling his beast inside that demanded he claim Kerstyn where Dimitri himself wanted to give her time to adjust - I loved how he wanted everything to go his way and how things just kept slipping off his hands. And let’s not forget the fact that he knew how to make his mate happy in bed, talk about Hot!

I haven't been this excited about a paranormal romance series with an urban fantasy twist since Night Huntress and if you love that series too then you want to give Rulers of Darkness a go! ( )