"Yee-haa! Cowboy Vamps! This book bites!"

This is sizzling Paranormal Romance at it's best! Angela Knight has to be one of the brightest stars hitting the Romance market today. Her JANE'S WARLORD was in the top 100 sales for Amazon and Barnes & Nobles, and top 10 in Romance sales, a pretty nifty hat trick for a writer's first time novel.

Warning to little old ladies and those faint of heart: move along lil' doggie, for Knight is a sizzling red-hot writer! For those with a more daring soul, Knight is what the doctor ordered. She is a savvy writer who can weave a tale that keeps her reader hooked the whole way. Small wonder this full novel is the first Red Sage non-anthology. Knight came up through Red Sage; they gave her the break, now it's her turn to shine. Since several of her Red Sage Novella's were vampire themes, it's not surprising she leads us into the vampire realm once again.

Edward Ridgemont, a sadistic vampire who loves the hunt and the kill, turned Cade McKinnon. For years, Cade has served as a shadowy protector for Valerie Chase. Vampires killed her family and would have killed her, too, but "The Cowboy" came to her rescue.

At seventeen, she begins to experience flashback nightmares. Anytime her dreams were too troubled "The Cowboy" was there to reassure her. Now, twenty-nine, a full- grown woman, "The Cowboy" still haunts her adult dreams, but as a seductive lover, giving her nights of erotic pleasure. Only, Cade is forced to move to protect her. Edward Ridgemont has decided to take Valerie for his own and has hired her to ghost his biography, as a means to lure her to him. Cade tries to warn Valerie through her dreams. When that does not work, he tries to call her sister, but since Valerie believes Cade only exists in her nightmares and fantasy, she will not believe it. In order to save her, Cade abducts her. At first, Valerie is not too alarmed by this, until she learns Cade is a vampire, too. Now Valerie is caught between her passion for Cade, the real man, and her revulsion for vampires. She must learn to trust Cade and make the ultimate choice to save both their lives.

I especially enjoy Knights' "remaking" of the vampire. I have always had problems with the evil killers who slurp blood nightly, always found it strange a woman would love a man who went out and "necked" with other women constantly! But Knight wisely addresses these and makes the vamp a much more enjoyable character.

This book bites - sorry for the pun - but it's right on target, proving Knight is one of the strongest writers in red-hot romance today. She has a strong voice, is able to take old tales and make them fresh. So if you are an Angela Knight fan, you must have this one. If you are a vampire fan, you need to order this stylish tale. Not a Knight fan yet, and have a daring soul, then don't hesitate to get acquainted with this Southern Belle who eschews fiddle-de- dees and goes straight to erotic with a capital E.

Reviewed by DeborahAnne MacGillivray
Posted August 24, 2004

Read an Excerpt

Summary

For years, Valerie Chase has been haunted by dreams of a man she knows only as Cowboy. When she was a child, her fantasy Texas Ranger rescued her from the nightmare vampires who murdered her parents. As an adult, she still dreams of him—but now he's her seductive lover in nights of erotic pleasure.

Yet Cowboy is far more than a dream. He's very real. And he's a vampire.

For years, Cade McKinnon has protected Valerie from Edward Ridgemont, the sadistic vampire who Turned him. But now, Ridgmont is determined to take her for his own, and Cade is the only one who can protect her. And he means to do just that, even if he must kidnap her to do it.

When Val finds herself abducted by her handsome dream man, she's appalled to discover he's one of the vampires she fears. Now, caught in a web of fear and passion, she and Cade must learn to trust each other, even as an immortal monster stalks their every move.

Their only hope of survival is . . . THE FOREVER KISS.