"Dead Bang Bangs"
have been a long time fan of Nina Bangs' writing, so I am
always surprised by the few who don't "get" her. She has a
style that is all her own. A sexy, campy, cheeky,
irreverent style (might be the cause of those few
naysayers) that delights in taking the vampire genre and
redefining it, making it all her own. Many vampire fans
want utter reverence of the night creature. Bangs goes
beyond the accepted level to drag in humor, and I think
maybe a few resent that. Their loss. She is an imaginative, incisive author who skillfully
weaves sensuality, hot sex and belly laughs, which leaves
me howling and wanting more. I have enjoyed all her works,
but I think Taste of Darkness is Dead Bang Bangs - her best
novel yet. From the opening lines, she had me laughing out
loud - not an easy task, but how can you not with an
opening so wonderfully brilliant, so Naughty Nina as this: "Werewolves - furry pains in the butt.
Werecats - sneaky whisker-twitching manipulators.
Werejerks -- every freakin' loser with a "were" in
front of his name." What a delightful opening! She grabs the reader from that
point and takes them into the mind of one of her most
brilliantly conceived heroes -- Reinn Mackenzie. He is the
oldest vamp in the Mackenzie Clan, over a thousand years
old and that age has made him one grumpy vamp. He bought a
home in the Colorado Rockies and shunned everyone. So what
did Clan Mackenzie do to reward their elder? They made him
Guardian of the Blood. Reinn has a few choice opinions on
that job as well as his outlook on the Woo Woo Inn, where
he finds himself at the opener the book. He thinks being
protector of the blood, keeping the lines pure, a total
crock. How does a vampire keep the blood "pure" when by
nature they are running around having "suckfests" as the
Woo Woo Inn? Our delight Reinn, Harley-loving, sword-toting avenger of
the Mackenzie clan, evokes a touch of Ash from Army of
Darkness. I could just hear some of these lines Bangs
penned being uttered by the droll Bruce Campbell! It would
be a perfect vehicle for the talented actor. Only our sourpuss lad is about to run into one sexy puss,
Kisa Evans, one of those aggravating werefelines. She is
one of the werecats the vamps feel pollute their pure
bloodline and they want her removed. Only grouchy Reinn
finds this particular werekitty is driving him wild with
desire. This has to be Bangs' best. The book is just so dead on
target. I absolutely laughed from start to finish from the
witty writing that just shows why Bangs keeps hitting the
bestsellers list time-after-time. This is one gem of a
tale. I don't reread my books these days because I just
don't have the time. This one I will reread; it's one of
those books that nests in the imagination and won't let you
go. Kudos for the writer having the vision and craft to
deliver this knock out book. Keep 'em coming, lass. Very highly recommended for the non-humor impaired!
Reviewed by DeborahAnne MacGillivray
Posted May 24, 2006
SummaryHe'd lived a thousand years for this? Reinn Mackenzie was
one ticked-off vampire.
Werewolves—furry pains in the butt.
Werecats—sneaky whisker-twitching manipulators. Reinn
hated them all. But most of all, he hated his job. Guardian
of the Blood. What a crock.
The Mackenzie council, in its infinite stupidity, had
ordered him to protect the purity of the clan's bloodline.
What purity? They were all just a bunch of bloodsuckers, for
crying out loud. Besides, how could he destroy a clan member
for mating with someone not on the council's approved list
when the very sight of a certain little werecat revved his
engine?
Kisa Evans made it impossible for him to think about
anything but the dangerous fantasy of freeing his own inner
beast. No matter how he fought the desire to feel the soft
heat of her throat beneath his lips, the craving only grew.
Kisa might be the enemy, but he longed to show her the
sensual pleasure to be found in...
A TASTE OF DARKNESS
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