Eternal Pleasure by Nina Bangs

Eternal Pleasure
The Gods of the Night, Book 1
Nina Bangs
Dorchester
July 1, 2008
ISBN# 978-0-843-95953-6

From the back cover:
The Eleven—an alliance of ultimate predators. Primal, lethal, irresistible. The Prophecy—an ancient Mayan prediction that the world will end on 12-21-12. The Prey—where can you hide from pure evil?

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Kelly Maloy opens her car door to much more than a great looking stranger at the Houston airport. Terror, desire, and a horrible truth climb in with him. She’s only supposed to drive Ty Endeka around the city for a few weeks. Too bad no one tells her that once day fades she’ll become part of a battle fought in the darkened streets with an enemy that isn’t human. And the sensual man who feeds her fantasies hides a soul that gives new meaning to animal magnetism.

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Eleven Gods of the Night… The only creatures more deadly are the ones they’ve been summoned to destroy.

My Thoughts:
When Kelly Maloy is offered a well paying job as driver, she jumps on the chance. It’s in her best interest, at least financially, to take the time off from school and earn a paycheck. She figures this job will be a piece of cake. Then she meets Ty, the dark and dangerous man who she’ll be driving around town and life as she knows it is changed. Kelly finds herself thrust into the middle of an ongoing battle between the Eleven, the group Ty belongs to, and the nine immortals and their leader that they must stop.

Ty Endeka finds himself in a new time, sixty-five million years after the life he remembers, to fight the immortals who are once again trying to destroy humanity. The current time period will end on December 21, 2012 and at that time the cosmic clock will reset to begin a new cycle. The enemy must be eliminated before then, or all will be lost.

The battle between good and evil rages on, and it’s a theme that most readers know and love, especially in fantasy. It’s a part of what grabs our attention in a story, but we also need a well written storyline, interesting characters, and originality for a book to really stick in our memories. Ms. Bangs delivers on every count and adds so much more to this first installment of The Gods of the Night series. Differing in her previous work with a less humorous approach, Eternal Pleasure offers original characters, a unique storyline, supernatural action, a cosmic countdown and a soul deep romance. This is a brilliant start to what should be a fabulous urban fantasy series, and I’ll be eagerly watching for the next installment.

Kimberly Swan, Darque Reviews

House of Whispers by Margaret Lucke

House of Whispers
The Supernatural Properties, Book One
Margaret Lucke
Juno Books
March 1, 2008
ISBN# 978-0-8095-7158-1

Claire Scanlan has moved back to California and left her life with a cheating husband behind. She’s gotten her license and a new a job as a real estate agent, but her first listing will be a very difficult sell. Especially when Claire is forced to come to terms with a talent she’s spent most of her life denying.

Her boss has sent Claire and her equally new colleague Avery to meet with a potential client to discuss the house he has on the market. Trouble is the client’s family was murdered there. After months in the hands of other agencies, it’s their hope to be the one that can finally sell it. Avery plans to make sure that it’s her name on the commission, but Claire is just as determined.

Ben Grant is still mourning the loss of his brother and his family while he does the best he can to raise Eden, his surviving niece. Then Claire comes into his life and what he believed was true of the murders is now in question. Truly solving the mystery of the family’s death is the only way they can ever move on, and Claire intends to help the deceased do just that.

House of Whispers is the first book in The Supernatural Properties series. Claire is doing everything in her power to make a new life for herself, but a meddlesome coworker and a few insistent ghosts are about to make it a very difficult process. Ms. Lucke pulls readers into her story with an intriguing murder mystery, and adds a bit of romance and the paranormal to the mix. This is an entertaining and suspenseful tale with a sweet blossoming romance. Readers will see more in The Supernatural Properties series in Ms. Lucke’s next installment, Mansion of Desire.

Kimberly Swan, Darque Reviews

Black Magic Woman by Justin Gustainis

Black Magic Woman
A Quincey Morris Supernatural Investigation, Book 1
Justin Gustainis
Solaris Books
January 29, 2008
ISBN# 978-1-84416-541-4

A consultant that deals in the supernatural, Quincy Morris has taken on a new case. The LaRue family has been cursed, and the source of that curse traces back for centuries. Morris will need help if he hopes to solve this mystery and he’s called in Libby Chastain, a white witch who has helped him in the past. Early on in the investigation they discover that the LaRue’s problems stem from the work of a black witch, but the trouble really begins in identifying her. Until they do, anything they do for the family is nothing more than a temporary fix.

Van Dreenan has been called in from South Africa to help Agent Fenton on a string of killings that appear to be muti murders. All of the victims are young and missing certain bodily organs. For Van Dreenan the facts of the case are all too familiar, and he has no intention of walking away from the investigation before he sees that the evil behind the murders is stopped.

As each investigation plays out, the lines that separate them grow closer together. There’s more than meets the eye going on, and in the background of these supernatural cases lurks something much larger and darker than they’ve even begun to realize.

Black Magic Woman is the first book in the Quincey Morris Supernatural Investigation series. As a human up against the evils of the supernatural world, Quincey’s life is always on the line. Still, as he stops each dark force from destroying the innocent it’s another case won and the world is just a little bit safer. It’s clear that Mr. Gustainis has a fabulous imagination and the talent to guide those thoughts into an intriguing storyline. Mystery, suspense, and non-stop action will grab your attention, and the paranormal elements will make it impossible for fans of this vast genre to set it down.

Kimberly Swan, Darque Reviews