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Knights of the Darkness Chronicles #1
Desires Unleashed
Desires Unleashed is the first novel in the riveting, highly-addictive and sexually-charged Knights of the Darkness Chronicles. Experience the heart-pounding thrill of the chase in this electrifying page-turner as you uncover the mystery behind the series of gruesome killings that have been terrorizing the citizens of Chicago. When a grisly decapitated corpse pops up on a Chicago Street, drained of blood, the highly-trained, government-funded special police force assigned two of their best detectives to the case. S.U.I.T. Detectives Warren Davis and Matthew Eric delve deep into their investigation to discover just who or what is leaving mutilated bodies in public places. They soon realize that the killer or killers is one step ahead of them and if they are going to stop the menace before another innocent human is viciously attack, they are going to need help. Natasha Hemingway liked her life just the way it was... normal and supernatural-free. The vampires and shape-shifters were just where she wanted them to be--far away from her. All was going well until an unfortunate accident landed her in the hospital. It was then that she discovered she had an ability that could help her save countless lives. All of a sudden, she finds herself thrust into the dangerous and alluring world of the supernatural and into the arms of two very sexy and deadly vampires. Original, gritty and sprinkled with just the right amount of humor and wit, the Knights of the Darkness Chronicles will suck you in and take you for a ride you won't forget. You don't want to miss out on this amazing series! This book has been previously published and has been substantially revised from its original release.
290 pages, Paperback
First published August 19, 2004
43 people are currently reading
1526 people want to read
About the author
D.N. Simmons
9 books607 followersD. N. Simmons lives in Chicago IL., with a rambunctious German Shepherd that's too big for his own good and mischievous kitten that she affectionately calls "Itty-bitty". Her hobbies include rollerblading, shooting pool, bowling, reading, watching television and going to the movies. She has been nominated at Love Romances and More, winning honorable mention for best paranormal book of 2006. She has won "Author of the Month" at Warrior of Words. She was voted "New Voice of Today" at Romance Reviews and "Rising Star" at Love Romance and More.
To learn more, and have the opportunity to speak with the author personally, please visit the official website and forum at www.dnsimmons.com . D.N. is always interesting in meeting new and wonderful people.
To learn more, and have the opportunity to speak with the author personally, please visit the official website and forum at www.dnsimmons.com . D.N. is always interesting in meeting new and wonderful people.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 82 reviews
June 3, 2010
I got about half way through this book and finally gave up the fight to finish it. It really was that bad. It was a total cliche, for example the opening scene the cops are eating donuts, the master vampire owns a nightclub, etc. The dialogue was horrible--unbelievable and sophmoric. It was like the author was trying to be funny but really was not. The character development and plot were almost nonexistent, and what I did learn about the characters I mostly didn't like. I am annoyed that I spent $15 on this book based on all the positive reviews on Amazon and now find the positive reviews suspect. I just don't understand how anyone could think this book was well written. It makes me think the author got a bunch of her friends to do reviews on her behalf.
September 14, 2010
Awful. Really awful. If I could give it no stars, I would. In fact , I do in reality.
This was rec'd to me by someone who saw my Amazon review of the 1st book of the Chicagoland Vampires series, which we had similar feelings on. I'm thinking it may have been the author herself to be honest.
This? This might be the most poorly written published book I have ever read. I found it that bad. I have to agree the other reviewer, Shannon C. on Goodreads (& Amazon) that the high marks might actually be from the author's friends (& as I said, maybe even the author herself).
What to say...1st off, D.N. LOVES using exclamation marks in her dialog!!!!
In fact - I found it hard pressed that a character who had more than one sentence didn't have an exclamation mark or two (or three) w/in a short paragraph of dialog. It was as annoying as Ned Flanders is to Homer.
Surely not all characters can be that jovial & excitable. It was about everything! About murders, donuts (esp. donuts), working at strip clubs, shopping for white mini skirts & matching halters or silk tops (why oh why do all these books insist on dressing women in halter tops & men in silk shirts)?
And I think Simmons thinks she's being playful or funny & really...she's not. Her bantering jokes between characters s extremely weak. Actually, painfully embarrassing. And also - every character introduced does some sort of nostalgic reminiscing in order to explain their part of the back story & it's immature writing at best.
Here's a bit of dialog right from the beginning;
It opens w/2 cops who are partners & I guess gay (I couldn't finish but it seemed like it b'c Simmons tells us they constantly smile at each other "coyly" over stupid shit like sharing Donuts although this example doesn't cite it)...
“Oh,” Warren managed to say, swallowing the last of his donut. “This? It's nothing.” He followed up with a huge gulp of his decaffeinated coffee. Then he smiled innocently up at his partner. The expression on Matthew's face told Warren the jig was up and he had better share the wealth. “What?” Warren asked, shrugging his shoulders.
“If you don't cough it up, there's going to be repercussions,” Matthew threatened playfully.
“Are you sure?” Warren asked, smiling slyly. “Un-hmm,” Matthew nodded.
“Okay.” Warren began coughing and gagging playfully, attempting to bring up what he had swallowed.
Matthew grimaced in mock disgust. “Oh god, man stop it!”
Warren laughing, reached into his drawer and offered the box. “I was going to give you some anyway,” he stated.
“Yeah, sure you were,” Matthew teased jokingly as he all but snatched a donut from the box. He sat back in his chair and took a bite out of the donut. After a few minutes, he looked at Warren. “Remember when we first shared a box of these donuts?” he asked.
“Yeah,” Warren responded, remembering how Matthew had discovered his secret. The two men sat at their desk enjoying their tasty treats.
The dialog gets worse. I mean this is just rudimentary, cliched & incredibly juvenile stuff.
For example, the Captain is looking for them & has sent out word. They just sit there idiotically bantering w/one another stuffing their faces with donuts & flirting.
When they finally go in, they continue yukking it up doing more of that horrendous good 'ole boy back slapping (which sounds like something a 13 year would say) & tell her;
“Sorry, Cap'n, but Warren here, he was in the little boy's room!” Detective Eric fibbed quickly. Warren tried hard to force back the chuckles threatening to erupt at any second. Captain Lawrence looked at the two men, and shook her head, restraining her own laughter. 'These two.. .,' she thought to herself.
That's really just the start of it. Like being at a top secret crime scene & having the press all over them. The partners do like all cops & refuse to answer but in the next moment - they're excitedly screaming at each other like high school jokesters to come over & check out the headless corpse. Way to be discreet.
The characters are shallow & cringe inducing. All the exclamation points keeps them at arms length too which doesn't help.
Anyway - I don't even know why I am going on. It's full of spelling mistakes, grammatical errors, syntax errors and redundancies ("teased jokingly").
I would actually burn this book.
This was rec'd to me by someone who saw my Amazon review of the 1st book of the Chicagoland Vampires series, which we had similar feelings on. I'm thinking it may have been the author herself to be honest.
This? This might be the most poorly written published book I have ever read. I found it that bad. I have to agree the other reviewer, Shannon C. on Goodreads (& Amazon) that the high marks might actually be from the author's friends (& as I said, maybe even the author herself).
What to say...1st off, D.N. LOVES using exclamation marks in her dialog!!!!
In fact - I found it hard pressed that a character who had more than one sentence didn't have an exclamation mark or two (or three) w/in a short paragraph of dialog. It was as annoying as Ned Flanders is to Homer.
Surely not all characters can be that jovial & excitable. It was about everything! About murders, donuts (esp. donuts), working at strip clubs, shopping for white mini skirts & matching halters or silk tops (why oh why do all these books insist on dressing women in halter tops & men in silk shirts)?
And I think Simmons thinks she's being playful or funny & really...she's not. Her bantering jokes between characters s extremely weak. Actually, painfully embarrassing. And also - every character introduced does some sort of nostalgic reminiscing in order to explain their part of the back story & it's immature writing at best.
Here's a bit of dialog right from the beginning;
It opens w/2 cops who are partners & I guess gay (I couldn't finish but it seemed like it b'c Simmons tells us they constantly smile at each other "coyly" over stupid shit like sharing Donuts although this example doesn't cite it)...
“Oh,” Warren managed to say, swallowing the last of his donut. “This? It's nothing.” He followed up with a huge gulp of his decaffeinated coffee. Then he smiled innocently up at his partner. The expression on Matthew's face told Warren the jig was up and he had better share the wealth. “What?” Warren asked, shrugging his shoulders.
“If you don't cough it up, there's going to be repercussions,” Matthew threatened playfully.
“Are you sure?” Warren asked, smiling slyly. “Un-hmm,” Matthew nodded.
“Okay.” Warren began coughing and gagging playfully, attempting to bring up what he had swallowed.
Matthew grimaced in mock disgust. “Oh god, man stop it!”
Warren laughing, reached into his drawer and offered the box. “I was going to give you some anyway,” he stated.
“Yeah, sure you were,” Matthew teased jokingly as he all but snatched a donut from the box. He sat back in his chair and took a bite out of the donut. After a few minutes, he looked at Warren. “Remember when we first shared a box of these donuts?” he asked.
“Yeah,” Warren responded, remembering how Matthew had discovered his secret. The two men sat at their desk enjoying their tasty treats.
The dialog gets worse. I mean this is just rudimentary, cliched & incredibly juvenile stuff.
For example, the Captain is looking for them & has sent out word. They just sit there idiotically bantering w/one another stuffing their faces with donuts & flirting.
When they finally go in, they continue yukking it up doing more of that horrendous good 'ole boy back slapping (which sounds like something a 13 year would say) & tell her;
“Sorry, Cap'n, but Warren here, he was in the little boy's room!” Detective Eric fibbed quickly. Warren tried hard to force back the chuckles threatening to erupt at any second. Captain Lawrence looked at the two men, and shook her head, restraining her own laughter. 'These two.. .,' she thought to herself.
That's really just the start of it. Like being at a top secret crime scene & having the press all over them. The partners do like all cops & refuse to answer but in the next moment - they're excitedly screaming at each other like high school jokesters to come over & check out the headless corpse. Way to be discreet.
The characters are shallow & cringe inducing. All the exclamation points keeps them at arms length too which doesn't help.
Anyway - I don't even know why I am going on. It's full of spelling mistakes, grammatical errors, syntax errors and redundancies ("teased jokingly").
I would actually burn this book.
Read
November 11, 2011I don’t know if I’m opening a can of worms with this review, but well, I tried to do my homework and find the reason why this book or as 5 star ravening review or 1 very bad ones. There is something behind? Some event happened in the past or blog or similar that pushed people to write all of them, and not only that, but to fight on the comments session on how they hate or love this book? Sorry but I don’t understand and so I will try to give my two cents.
Desires Unleashed is not an erotic romance, so if you bought this book hoping to find hot sex, well, maybe that is the reason why they are disappointed. There is sex but it’s part of the story, more or less a way to “build” the net of connections that link all the characters. And you need that net since, second main point, this book has not a clear principal couple; if you go for the old rules that the one opening and closing the story is the main character, then here you don’t have it, since Warren and Matthew, the Supernatural Unit Investigation Team duo open it and Annette and Natasha, the two friends and roommates, and main female characters, close the whole. Who are the main focus of the reader? No one, or maybe, according to your cup of tea, you can pick. And finally we arrive to the third and last main point, this is not a heterosexual, or bisexual, or gay paranormal romance, it’s all of them and also a mix of them.
Warren (shapeshifter/gay) and Matthew (human/bisexual or maybe gay, he didn’t give me the vibes of straight) are professional partners, and there is sizzle between them, but Warren is in an on/off relationship with Darian (shapeshifter/gay); Darian (vampire/bisexual) and Xavier (vampire/bisexual) are long-time friends, professional partners and lovers, but both of them start a relationship with Natasha (human/straight). So maybe this is the issue? That no one of the male characters have a “straight” persona? I don’t want to think that this is the reason for the negative reviews but maybe it could be. And in a way this can also be the reason for a gay romance reader to give a negative thumb, since actually Warren/Darian or Warren/Matthew have not so many chances to interact on a love or sex level, and so maybe the gay romance reader feels as they didn’t have enough of what they like.
I think the strong point of the novel is also is weakest one: it does not take sides. This is not a straight, gay or bisexual novel, since that is not the whole point; plus, probably since this is only book 1 in a long series (at least 5 books in total), most of the stories are still “open” in the end. I think you should read this novel as both an introduction than a test drive: you will meet the characters and you will have the chance to decide if you like them. From my side, I don’t really see where all the venom can arrive, on the contrary, I found it quite interesting since in its ambiguity it was original… to give you an example, at first I was really thinking for Darian to be the villain of the novel.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/145639892X/?...
Desires Unleashed is not an erotic romance, so if you bought this book hoping to find hot sex, well, maybe that is the reason why they are disappointed. There is sex but it’s part of the story, more or less a way to “build” the net of connections that link all the characters. And you need that net since, second main point, this book has not a clear principal couple; if you go for the old rules that the one opening and closing the story is the main character, then here you don’t have it, since Warren and Matthew, the Supernatural Unit Investigation Team duo open it and Annette and Natasha, the two friends and roommates, and main female characters, close the whole. Who are the main focus of the reader? No one, or maybe, according to your cup of tea, you can pick. And finally we arrive to the third and last main point, this is not a heterosexual, or bisexual, or gay paranormal romance, it’s all of them and also a mix of them.
Warren (shapeshifter/gay) and Matthew (human/bisexual or maybe gay, he didn’t give me the vibes of straight) are professional partners, and there is sizzle between them, but Warren is in an on/off relationship with Darian (shapeshifter/gay); Darian (vampire/bisexual) and Xavier (vampire/bisexual) are long-time friends, professional partners and lovers, but both of them start a relationship with Natasha (human/straight). So maybe this is the issue? That no one of the male characters have a “straight” persona? I don’t want to think that this is the reason for the negative reviews but maybe it could be. And in a way this can also be the reason for a gay romance reader to give a negative thumb, since actually Warren/Darian or Warren/Matthew have not so many chances to interact on a love or sex level, and so maybe the gay romance reader feels as they didn’t have enough of what they like.
I think the strong point of the novel is also is weakest one: it does not take sides. This is not a straight, gay or bisexual novel, since that is not the whole point; plus, probably since this is only book 1 in a long series (at least 5 books in total), most of the stories are still “open” in the end. I think you should read this novel as both an introduction than a test drive: you will meet the characters and you will have the chance to decide if you like them. From my side, I don’t really see where all the venom can arrive, on the contrary, I found it quite interesting since in its ambiguity it was original… to give you an example, at first I was really thinking for Darian to be the villain of the novel.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/145639892X/?...
June 22, 2010
I really enjoyed this book, I actually have both copies of it, the old version and the new version without the errors. What I liked about D.N.'s world is that it's so different from all the other books I've read. I like that it doesn't have one female lead everyone depends on to survive. I love that there are various sexualities in this book and it's written with class and eroticism. I love that the bad guys are actually BAD and that all of the characters have to work as a team to defeat their clever adversaries. I really enjoyed the action scenes and the mystery of not just this book, but the entire series in general. Each book gets better and better, the stories get more intricate and there’s a lot more action in the later books. Was DU a little rough around the edges, sure. That can be said about almost every author’s first book, but to me, it was damn good and highly entertaining. I liked her out-of-the-box humor and quirkiness. Another thing I enjoyed was that the characters were of different races and that’s something you don’t always see in urban fantasy. These books really are good, but then again, that’s just my opinion. I can’t wait for the Lion’s Den to come out.
January 1, 2013
I received a copy from the author for an honest review.
It took me awhile to get into this book due to the number of character to this story and how with some of them I had a hard time following. But once I was about 1/3 of the way thru, it started making more sense to me and then I couldn’t put it down.
Someone or something is killing humans and leaving no clues. Between humans, shape shifters, and vampires, they will all have to work together to find a killer before there are more victims and panic sets in for the humans. So if you like reading about the different paranormal, this is the book for you.
It took me awhile to get into this book due to the number of character to this story and how with some of them I had a hard time following. But once I was about 1/3 of the way thru, it started making more sense to me and then I couldn’t put it down.
Someone or something is killing humans and leaving no clues. Between humans, shape shifters, and vampires, they will all have to work together to find a killer before there are more victims and panic sets in for the humans. So if you like reading about the different paranormal, this is the book for you.
November 9, 2012
DN Simmons delivers an action packed introduction to her Knights of the Darkness Chronicles in Desires Unleashed and frankly, this is one series I have to read periodically. It has some sexy vampires, shifters and more. A mystery and a cast of characters that grow with you. Yes this first book is packed with lots of characters as you get introduced to all the main players but stay with it and you won't be disappointed. Also has some sexy naughty scenes that will leave you fanning your fave or grabbing a bucket of ice.
Looking forward to book 2.
Looking forward to book 2.
January 4, 2013
Original post here: http://offbeatvagabond.blogspot.com/2013/01/indie-book-review-desires-unleashed.html
Let me start by saying this is the revised version of Desires Unleashed, so considering some of the older reviews I have seen, I can gladly say this was definitely awesome. Now, let's get the ball rolling.
Desires Unleashed is a book about a world where the supernatural are known. Of course, there are some who don't like it and some who don't agree with it. When a man is found decapitated (his head was literally ripped off) it seems a very ugly light will be shone on the supernatural. So we follow Detectives Warren and Matthew who are trying to get to the bottom of the case. But the murderer involved is doing nothing but taunting the cops because they have absolutely nothing to go on. The book follows various other characters who may or may not help with the case. Only time will tell who the murderer is.
I loved this book a lot. This was definitely a more character driven read for the first half of the story. We really get the chance to learn about them and their lives. Detectives Warren and Matthew were fun to know. They had me smiling a lot especially when it came to food. Warren is a werewolf, but no one knows except Matthew. If word got out, he would lose his job as a cop. There seems to be a bit of tension between them (sexually), but neither one of them confront it. We also meet Xavier and Darian. They are a bit neutral. You don't really know whether they are good or bad. They have an open relationship, but they obviously love each other a lot. We also meet Natasha and Annette. They are best friends and roommates. They were my favorites. Annette was wild and fun, Natasha was a bit reserved, but still fun. Natasha is frightened of the supernaturals, she avoids them and their businesses at all cost.
The plot is like a slow burn. We are mainly focused on the characters in this book. Simmons style is very unique with this since this book doesn't have one main story. Instead we follow four different stories and learn how these stories intertwine later on. Well actually three stories that intertwine. We follow another story with wereleopards named Sergio and Elise. Sergio loves Elise and wants her for his mate, but Elise loves Darian. Elise is a very selfish character we learn, but this story doesn't connect with the rest with the exception of Darian. But I have a feeling they will play a bigger part later. I can't wait because Elise has some great 'villain potential'. But things take a turn when something happens to Natasha and Annette. Natasha makes a discovery that will change her life forever. I won't spoil how this works, but it was quite a surprise and I loved it.
This is definitely a difficult review for me because any little thing could spoil how this plays out. Simmons style is very unique and open. The romances in this book were very steamy and complicated. Gay, straight, bisexual, we get it all in this book. I love how much we see of their lives and how they end up meeting. There is no main character or couple, there is no main story, well until you get to the halfway point, but still. Out of all the connections made in this book, my favorite was between Xavier and Natasha. I can't wait to see where that goes. The end promises more. This book was a page turner. I read this in a day because I was dying to see how these characters would connect. Highly recommended for paranormal romance lovers and people who like the six degrees of separation. But be sure to get the updated/revised version.
Let me start by saying this is the revised version of Desires Unleashed, so considering some of the older reviews I have seen, I can gladly say this was definitely awesome. Now, let's get the ball rolling.
Desires Unleashed is a book about a world where the supernatural are known. Of course, there are some who don't like it and some who don't agree with it. When a man is found decapitated (his head was literally ripped off) it seems a very ugly light will be shone on the supernatural. So we follow Detectives Warren and Matthew who are trying to get to the bottom of the case. But the murderer involved is doing nothing but taunting the cops because they have absolutely nothing to go on. The book follows various other characters who may or may not help with the case. Only time will tell who the murderer is.
I loved this book a lot. This was definitely a more character driven read for the first half of the story. We really get the chance to learn about them and their lives. Detectives Warren and Matthew were fun to know. They had me smiling a lot especially when it came to food. Warren is a werewolf, but no one knows except Matthew. If word got out, he would lose his job as a cop. There seems to be a bit of tension between them (sexually), but neither one of them confront it. We also meet Xavier and Darian. They are a bit neutral. You don't really know whether they are good or bad. They have an open relationship, but they obviously love each other a lot. We also meet Natasha and Annette. They are best friends and roommates. They were my favorites. Annette was wild and fun, Natasha was a bit reserved, but still fun. Natasha is frightened of the supernaturals, she avoids them and their businesses at all cost.
The plot is like a slow burn. We are mainly focused on the characters in this book. Simmons style is very unique with this since this book doesn't have one main story. Instead we follow four different stories and learn how these stories intertwine later on. Well actually three stories that intertwine. We follow another story with wereleopards named Sergio and Elise. Sergio loves Elise and wants her for his mate, but Elise loves Darian. Elise is a very selfish character we learn, but this story doesn't connect with the rest with the exception of Darian. But I have a feeling they will play a bigger part later. I can't wait because Elise has some great 'villain potential'. But things take a turn when something happens to Natasha and Annette. Natasha makes a discovery that will change her life forever. I won't spoil how this works, but it was quite a surprise and I loved it.
This is definitely a difficult review for me because any little thing could spoil how this plays out. Simmons style is very unique and open. The romances in this book were very steamy and complicated. Gay, straight, bisexual, we get it all in this book. I love how much we see of their lives and how they end up meeting. There is no main character or couple, there is no main story, well until you get to the halfway point, but still. Out of all the connections made in this book, my favorite was between Xavier and Natasha. I can't wait to see where that goes. The end promises more. This book was a page turner. I read this in a day because I was dying to see how these characters would connect. Highly recommended for paranormal romance lovers and people who like the six degrees of separation. But be sure to get the updated/revised version.
March 8, 2014
In the first book of the Knights of the Darkness Chronicles D.N. Simmons introduces us to a world where the supernatural races are exposed and living in the open among the humans. But human mistrust, fear and prejudice let the government enact special (not really fair) laws for their supernatural citizen and also create the Special Unit Investigation Team S.U.I.T. to deal with supernatural crimes.
This is where the story starts. Warren Davis and Matthew Eric, two S.U.I.T. detectives are investigating a gruesome murder which could have only be committed by a supernatural. Warren is a werewolf himself but has successfully hidden this little detail from his superiors, only his partner knows about his secret. In the next chapters of the book many different characters have their own storyline, Natasha and Annette, two human women, the master vampire Darian and his lover Xavier, Elise, a leopard shape-shifter and her Pride and Warren´s Pack with their leader Xander. These people seem to have nothing to do with the murder and each other but the more the story unfolds the more they get involved into the S.U.I.T. investigation.
For me it started to get interesting when Natasha (who has psychic abilities which let her see through the eyes of other people in her dreams) meets with Xavier, the vampire. Xavier is instantly attracted to the young woman but Natasha fears everything supernatural and is reluctant to meet with Xavier again. And when Darian, Xavier´s master and lover shows interest in Natasha too we have the beginning of a hot love triangle...
I wasn´t really impressed with the writing style of this book, when I´m honest it seemed to be rather amateurish but nonetheless the story could hold my attention. There were some sex scenes thrown into the plot (m/f, m/m) but not so many to dominate the story. I liked the world D.N. Simmons created and the characters were likeable (more or less). But I didn´t find the crime investigation very exciting, it wasn´t really hard to figure out the killer. The murderer´s reason were a bit farfetched and the suspense didn´t sweep me off my feet. But I´m interested enough to read the following books "The Guilty Innocent", "The Royal Flush" and "Hostile Territory".
Website of the author: http://www.dnsimmons.com/
This is where the story starts. Warren Davis and Matthew Eric, two S.U.I.T. detectives are investigating a gruesome murder which could have only be committed by a supernatural. Warren is a werewolf himself but has successfully hidden this little detail from his superiors, only his partner knows about his secret. In the next chapters of the book many different characters have their own storyline, Natasha and Annette, two human women, the master vampire Darian and his lover Xavier, Elise, a leopard shape-shifter and her Pride and Warren´s Pack with their leader Xander. These people seem to have nothing to do with the murder and each other but the more the story unfolds the more they get involved into the S.U.I.T. investigation.
For me it started to get interesting when Natasha (who has psychic abilities which let her see through the eyes of other people in her dreams) meets with Xavier, the vampire. Xavier is instantly attracted to the young woman but Natasha fears everything supernatural and is reluctant to meet with Xavier again. And when Darian, Xavier´s master and lover shows interest in Natasha too we have the beginning of a hot love triangle...
I wasn´t really impressed with the writing style of this book, when I´m honest it seemed to be rather amateurish but nonetheless the story could hold my attention. There were some sex scenes thrown into the plot (m/f, m/m) but not so many to dominate the story. I liked the world D.N. Simmons created and the characters were likeable (more or less). But I didn´t find the crime investigation very exciting, it wasn´t really hard to figure out the killer. The murderer´s reason were a bit farfetched and the suspense didn´t sweep me off my feet. But I´m interested enough to read the following books "The Guilty Innocent", "The Royal Flush" and "Hostile Territory".
Website of the author: http://www.dnsimmons.com/
July 11, 2012
Great book, great romance and characters, really enjoyed reading this book!
*Full review posted on Words I Write Crazy on June 5th*
I'm going to have to agree with the synopsis, this is a book you don't want to miss out on! There's the supernatural world, and oh, the conflict, it was delicious, after all, Natasha didn't want to be a part of the supernatural world, but then her gift/curse comes in, and well, Natasha does the right thing.
You have to care for these characters, from their love of donuts, to their jobs, to their very lives, they are things that people take for granted, and that's not always for the better!
And then there's the whole romantic conflict, because man, being torn between 2 guys, and vampires at that, well, not something I'd want to experience, but reading about, well, that's another story altogether!
The action in this book, it was astounding, after all, they are cops, and violence is a big part of their world, and with all the dead bodies, and how gruesome they were, that just added to the book, tantalizing, tempting, and yeah, just really great!
*Full review posted on Words I Write Crazy on June 5th*
I'm going to have to agree with the synopsis, this is a book you don't want to miss out on! There's the supernatural world, and oh, the conflict, it was delicious, after all, Natasha didn't want to be a part of the supernatural world, but then her gift/curse comes in, and well, Natasha does the right thing.
You have to care for these characters, from their love of donuts, to their jobs, to their very lives, they are things that people take for granted, and that's not always for the better!
And then there's the whole romantic conflict, because man, being torn between 2 guys, and vampires at that, well, not something I'd want to experience, but reading about, well, that's another story altogether!
The action in this book, it was astounding, after all, they are cops, and violence is a big part of their world, and with all the dead bodies, and how gruesome they were, that just added to the book, tantalizing, tempting, and yeah, just really great!
January 23, 2013
"AMAZING. I am in LOVE. This book was wonderful! The author has created an amazing world full of a vast variety of paranormal creatures. Gay, bisexual, straight, were, vamp… the possibilities are endless. Being a character driven story, you get to know each and every character (and there are quite a few!), their quirks, sexuality, flaws, likes, dislikes and background. The two main detectives, Warren and Matthew are my favorite characters. Funny, with great chemistry, they are perfect in their roles. The secondary characters that the author has created add so much to the story as well.
The crimes that are committed are grisly, and the author holds nothing back when it comes to the gruesome case that the detectives are trying to solve. Part mystery/thriller and part paranormal romance, the story is unique - intense yet extremely passionate. It’s a gripping, wild ride that will have you hanging on from start to finish. I absolutely cannot wait to read more!
Reviewed by Marie for Cocktails and Books
The crimes that are committed are grisly, and the author holds nothing back when it comes to the gruesome case that the detectives are trying to solve. Part mystery/thriller and part paranormal romance, the story is unique - intense yet extremely passionate. It’s a gripping, wild ride that will have you hanging on from start to finish. I absolutely cannot wait to read more!
Reviewed by Marie for Cocktails and Books
July 13, 2011
I don't really write reviews too much,it's not my thing but I wanted to for this book because it's a republished story. I think the other version has editing issues that gave it mixed reviews.
Personally, I think this may be the best urban fantasy series I've ever read. It's certainly one of the best that's out there. Number one, I liked that it had different races and sexualities. I can't really name many serious urban fantasy books like this one that have striaght, gay and bi characters that are black, white, hispanic and asian that are all on equal ground. That caught my attention right away. Next was the story. it was very well written with sound plotting that had layers which all come together. I'm really just fancinated with the characters in this series so far. I'm on book two, the Guilty Innocent and I would say D.N. can create some amazing characters that just make the flow of the story that much more entertaining.
Personally, I think this may be the best urban fantasy series I've ever read. It's certainly one of the best that's out there. Number one, I liked that it had different races and sexualities. I can't really name many serious urban fantasy books like this one that have striaght, gay and bi characters that are black, white, hispanic and asian that are all on equal ground. That caught my attention right away. Next was the story. it was very well written with sound plotting that had layers which all come together. I'm really just fancinated with the characters in this series so far. I'm on book two, the Guilty Innocent and I would say D.N. can create some amazing characters that just make the flow of the story that much more entertaining.
January 25, 2013
Desires Unleashed was hard for me to get into at the beginning due to the characters being introduced, you get to know their story and know about them which helps later on in the book but also I would imagine for the other books that will be written.
Once that bit was over I was hooked. The story was brilliant and unique.
I love reading about Vampires and Shape-Shifters so this was really up my street. Humans are being murdered and now Humans, Vampires and Shape-Shifters have to work together to stop the murder before the humans start panicking.
There was also romances involved too, and it does involve, gay, bisexual and straight sexualities which was interesting for me as I don’t think I have read a paranormal/urban fantasy where vampires and shape-shifters are gay or bisexual.
It was an amazing read and I cannot wait to read the next book.
Once that bit was over I was hooked. The story was brilliant and unique.
I love reading about Vampires and Shape-Shifters so this was really up my street. Humans are being murdered and now Humans, Vampires and Shape-Shifters have to work together to stop the murder before the humans start panicking.
There was also romances involved too, and it does involve, gay, bisexual and straight sexualities which was interesting for me as I don’t think I have read a paranormal/urban fantasy where vampires and shape-shifters are gay or bisexual.
It was an amazing read and I cannot wait to read the next book.
March 3, 2013
Fantastic book. I loved it. It has various supernaturals in it and there's something for everyone. The story is fantastic and as well as romance, there's a whole host of different characters each with a different background, and a thriller detective side to it. I wasn't sure where it was going at first as you were introduced to so many different people but when it started to come together I couldn't put it down.
This is a standalone book or you can go on to read the rest in the series as I am doing and it continues with the same characters and equally addictive plots and stories. I passed it onto a male friend who doesn't usually read my recommendations and he was hooked, so that says it all to me!! I recommend this series to anyone who has a love of weres, vampires and who likes a story they can get immersed in.
This is a standalone book or you can go on to read the rest in the series as I am doing and it continues with the same characters and equally addictive plots and stories. I passed it onto a male friend who doesn't usually read my recommendations and he was hooked, so that says it all to me!! I recommend this series to anyone who has a love of weres, vampires and who likes a story they can get immersed in.
November 10, 2011
I enjoyed this book from the start. It has a little of everything that I had not found in any other books of this genre thus far. It has different species, different sexualities and a bit of mystery thrown in. There are many great characters to enjoy, though I do have my favorites. It had plenty of hot sex, some funny moments and a little gore, with an overall good story. I'm looking forward to the next one.
January 31, 2013
I enjoyed reading this book very much. The Characters and witty, fun, and energetic. I fell into the story and did not want to crawl back out. It was action backed and kept me on edge want to know just what was coming next. I can't wait to read the rest of this series.
September 12, 2010
Awful. Really awful. If I could give it no stars, I would. In fact , I do in reality.
This was rec'd to me by someone who saw my Amazon review of the 1st book of the Chicagoland Vampires series, which we had similar feelings on. I'm thinking it may have been the author herself to be honest.
This? This might be the most poorly written published book I have ever read. I found it that bad. I have to agree the other reviewer, Shannon C. on Goodreads (& Amazon) that the high marks might actually be from the author's friends (& as I said, maybe even the author herself).
What to say...1st off, D.N. LOVES using exclamation marks in her dialog!!!!
In fact - I found it hard pressed that a character who had more than one sentence didn't have an exclamation mark or two (or three) w/in a short paragraph of dialog. It was as annoying as Ned Flanders is to Homer.
Surely not all characters can be that jovial & excitable. It was about everything! About murders, donuts (esp. donuts), working at strip clubs, shopping for white mini skirts & matching halters or silk tops (why oh why do all these books insist on dressing women in halter tops & men in silk shirts)?
And I think Simmons thinks she's being playful or funny & really...she's not. Her bantering jokes between characters s extremely weak. Actually, painfully embarrassing. And also - every character introduced does some sort of nostalgic reminiscing in order to explain their part of the back story & it's immature writing at best.
Here's a bit of dialog right from the beginning;
It opens w/2 cops who are partners & I guess gay (I couldn't finish but it seemed like it b'c Simmons tells us they constantly smile at each other "coyly" over stupid shit like sharing Donuts although this example doesn't cite it)...
“Oh,” Warren managed to say, swallowing the last of his donut. “This? It's nothing.” He followed up with a huge gulp of his decaffeinated coffee. Then he smiled innocently up at his partner. The expression on Matthew's face told Warren the jig was up and he had better share the wealth. “What?” Warren asked, shrugging his shoulders.
“If you don't cough it up, there's going to be repercussions,” Matthew threatened playfully.
“Are you sure?” Warren asked, smiling slyly. “Un-hmm,” Matthew nodded.
“Okay.” Warren began coughing and gagging playfully, attempting to bring up what he had swallowed.
Matthew grimaced in mock disgust. “Oh god, man stop it!”
Warren laughing, reached into his drawer and offered the box. “I was going to give you some anyway,” he stated.
“Yeah, sure you were,” Matthew teased jokingly as he all but snatched a donut from the box. He sat back in his chair and took a bite out of the donut. After a few minutes, he looked at Warren. “Remember when we first shared a box of these donuts?” he asked.
“Yeah,” Warren responded, remembering how Matthew had discovered his secret. The two men sat at their desk enjoying their tasty treats.
The dialog gets worse. I mean this is just rudimentary, cliched & incredibly juvenile stuff.
For example, the Captain is looking for them & has sent out word. They just sit there idiotically bantering w/one another stuffing their faces with donuts & flirting.
When they finally go in, they continue yukking it up doing more of that horrendous good 'ole boy back slapping (which sounds like something a 13 year would say) & tell her;
“Sorry, Cap'n, but Warren here, he was in the little boy's room!” Detective Eric fibbed quickly. Warren tried hard to force back the chuckles threatening to erupt at any second. Captain Lawrence looked at the two men, and shook her head, restraining her own laughter. 'These two.. .,' she thought to herself.
That's really just the start of it. Like being at a top secret crime scene & having the press all over them. The partners do like all cops & refuse to answer but in the next moment - they're excitedly screaming at each other like high school jokesters to come over & check out the headless corpse. Way to be discreet.
The characters are shallow & cringe inducing. All the exclamation points keeps them at arms length too which doesn't help.
Anyway - I don't even know why I am going on. It's full of spelling mistakes, grammatical errors, syntax errors and redundancies ("teased jokingly").
I would actually burn this book.
This was rec'd to me by someone who saw my Amazon review of the 1st book of the Chicagoland Vampires series, which we had similar feelings on. I'm thinking it may have been the author herself to be honest.
This? This might be the most poorly written published book I have ever read. I found it that bad. I have to agree the other reviewer, Shannon C. on Goodreads (& Amazon) that the high marks might actually be from the author's friends (& as I said, maybe even the author herself).
What to say...1st off, D.N. LOVES using exclamation marks in her dialog!!!!
In fact - I found it hard pressed that a character who had more than one sentence didn't have an exclamation mark or two (or three) w/in a short paragraph of dialog. It was as annoying as Ned Flanders is to Homer.
Surely not all characters can be that jovial & excitable. It was about everything! About murders, donuts (esp. donuts), working at strip clubs, shopping for white mini skirts & matching halters or silk tops (why oh why do all these books insist on dressing women in halter tops & men in silk shirts)?
And I think Simmons thinks she's being playful or funny & really...she's not. Her bantering jokes between characters s extremely weak. Actually, painfully embarrassing. And also - every character introduced does some sort of nostalgic reminiscing in order to explain their part of the back story & it's immature writing at best.
Here's a bit of dialog right from the beginning;
It opens w/2 cops who are partners & I guess gay (I couldn't finish but it seemed like it b'c Simmons tells us they constantly smile at each other "coyly" over stupid shit like sharing Donuts although this example doesn't cite it)...
“Oh,” Warren managed to say, swallowing the last of his donut. “This? It's nothing.” He followed up with a huge gulp of his decaffeinated coffee. Then he smiled innocently up at his partner. The expression on Matthew's face told Warren the jig was up and he had better share the wealth. “What?” Warren asked, shrugging his shoulders.
“If you don't cough it up, there's going to be repercussions,” Matthew threatened playfully.
“Are you sure?” Warren asked, smiling slyly. “Un-hmm,” Matthew nodded.
“Okay.” Warren began coughing and gagging playfully, attempting to bring up what he had swallowed.
Matthew grimaced in mock disgust. “Oh god, man stop it!”
Warren laughing, reached into his drawer and offered the box. “I was going to give you some anyway,” he stated.
“Yeah, sure you were,” Matthew teased jokingly as he all but snatched a donut from the box. He sat back in his chair and took a bite out of the donut. After a few minutes, he looked at Warren. “Remember when we first shared a box of these donuts?” he asked.
“Yeah,” Warren responded, remembering how Matthew had discovered his secret. The two men sat at their desk enjoying their tasty treats.
The dialog gets worse. I mean this is just rudimentary, cliched & incredibly juvenile stuff.
For example, the Captain is looking for them & has sent out word. They just sit there idiotically bantering w/one another stuffing their faces with donuts & flirting.
When they finally go in, they continue yukking it up doing more of that horrendous good 'ole boy back slapping (which sounds like something a 13 year would say) & tell her;
“Sorry, Cap'n, but Warren here, he was in the little boy's room!” Detective Eric fibbed quickly. Warren tried hard to force back the chuckles threatening to erupt at any second. Captain Lawrence looked at the two men, and shook her head, restraining her own laughter. 'These two.. .,' she thought to herself.
That's really just the start of it. Like being at a top secret crime scene & having the press all over them. The partners do like all cops & refuse to answer but in the next moment - they're excitedly screaming at each other like high school jokesters to come over & check out the headless corpse. Way to be discreet.
The characters are shallow & cringe inducing. All the exclamation points keeps them at arms length too which doesn't help.
Anyway - I don't even know why I am going on. It's full of spelling mistakes, grammatical errors, syntax errors and redundancies ("teased jokingly").
I would actually burn this book.
January 7, 2013
This is a hot book. The title really covers the underlying theme of the entire story while the main story is about a series of supernatural murders. In this world, supernatural creatures have been revealed/discovered. They didn't want to be known to the public, but people with a lot of power figured out they existed and shared it with the rest of the world. Humans have been very violent towards them. However, supernatural creatures have retaliated which has brought about four new laws to defend both the human race and supernatural races. This has also resulted in the creation of S.U.I.T., a special team of cops with divisions in every state who investigate anything deemed supernatural. Two of the main characters of the story are from the S.U.I.T. and are searching for the illusive murderer who seems to be able to hide all evidence while leaving a only a headless body.
The other main characters are Natalie, Annette, Darian, And Xavier. Darian and Xavier are very wealthy vampires while Annette is an ex-stripper in Darian's club, and Natalie is Annette's best friend. You will learn that Natalie is very special and plays a key role in helping find the murderer. The relationships between all of these characters are very interesting and personally will leave you blushing. I have not read anything that had actual guy on guy content previously, but this book is pretty full of it. It was eye opening for me. I can't say I was crazy about it because I prefer to think that my supernatural men will actually want me more than their best guy friend. However, this was very well written and if you are into that sort of thing, you will love it.
Read more reviews at Identity Discovery blog.
The other main characters are Natalie, Annette, Darian, And Xavier. Darian and Xavier are very wealthy vampires while Annette is an ex-stripper in Darian's club, and Natalie is Annette's best friend. You will learn that Natalie is very special and plays a key role in helping find the murderer. The relationships between all of these characters are very interesting and personally will leave you blushing. I have not read anything that had actual guy on guy content previously, but this book is pretty full of it. It was eye opening for me. I can't say I was crazy about it because I prefer to think that my supernatural men will actually want me more than their best guy friend. However, this was very well written and if you are into that sort of thing, you will love it.
Read more reviews at Identity Discovery blog.
August 3, 2016
This book is one for those that love a lot of story and a lot of detail. You get both in this great first book in Desires Unleashed: Knights of Darkness Chronicles Book One.
It becomes obvious quickly that the author is a natural storyteller and writing is something that she does well! There are a lot of details given in this book and the author doesn't skip a beat. Everything is explained from the different types of supernatural beings introduced to the way humans have come to live with them after finding out about their existence. A slew of characters are introduced and there are a lot of storylines being started within the pages setting this book up as the perfect start to a the series. It will draw you in leaving you wanting more when you get to the end.
The relationships in the book have no silly "societal" constraints and are therefore beautiful and well written. There are some graphic sexual situations and they are done in a way that are generally tender and very loving for the most part. They tend to expand on the characters relationships and offer a deeper understanding of the storylines and the progression to come.
Although at times it seemed there were a little too many details leading to a bit of a stalling in the progression of the story itself, I found myself really enjoying the ending of this book. In fact, I enjoyed it so much, I'm looking forward to finding out what happens in the next one!
It becomes obvious quickly that the author is a natural storyteller and writing is something that she does well! There are a lot of details given in this book and the author doesn't skip a beat. Everything is explained from the different types of supernatural beings introduced to the way humans have come to live with them after finding out about their existence. A slew of characters are introduced and there are a lot of storylines being started within the pages setting this book up as the perfect start to a the series. It will draw you in leaving you wanting more when you get to the end.
The relationships in the book have no silly "societal" constraints and are therefore beautiful and well written. There are some graphic sexual situations and they are done in a way that are generally tender and very loving for the most part. They tend to expand on the characters relationships and offer a deeper understanding of the storylines and the progression to come.
Although at times it seemed there were a little too many details leading to a bit of a stalling in the progression of the story itself, I found myself really enjoying the ending of this book. In fact, I enjoyed it so much, I'm looking forward to finding out what happens in the next one!
March 3, 2016
This series is one of the best I've ever read and I'm not just saying that. DN Simmons writing brought the characters alive and you fell into there world with such ease. The characters were complex and they had depth. The series had everything an avid reader loves, great story line, violence, mystery, love and hot and steamy sex. She snagged a lifelong fan with me.
January 27, 2012
I read the original paperback version, which was riddled with editing mistakes. Hopefully, this one is vastly improved in that area.
August 10, 2013
Reviewer: Brittany
Rating: 4 out of 5 Fairies
Reading this book was really hard for me at first. I’m a firm believer of finish what you start; and thank goodness for that, otherwise I would have missed out on a really good book. This book starts out telling the story from four different perspectives. Various aspects tie together in each character’s tale, but overall they each tell their own story. This aspect was confusing to me at first. And even by the end of the book, I still don’t understand where one character had anything to do with the main story. But it was a good read nonetheless.
The main story kept me on my toes. I wanted to know who this sick, twisted murderer was, and how it would be all tied together in the end. Certain “lifestyle choices” took me a little bit to get used to, but I eventually became comfortable with the literature. The mystery of it all was very enjoyable and once Natasha accepted her gift, I seen things were going to quickly come together. Never in my life did I see it tying together the way it did, however.
The supernatural characteristics were absolutely divine. Nothing was overlooked and everything melded together very well. This author has done her homework. I’m sure that she laid everything out to make sure that there was nothing overlooked. The pain aspect for the shapeshifters was new. I’ve read numerous supernatural books, several with shapeshifters, and no other has thought to tie in the fact that a body changing form like that has got to be painful. That was new and welcome.
Once I reached my point of no return, I couldn’t put this blessed book down. I finished it within five hours non-stop. That’s how I roll. If I love it, I devour it. Nothing will stand between me and my books. The world simply disappears, and disappear it did. Between the mystery, supernatural, sex, and heroine I was completely entranced. The conclusion left me on edge, and I was left wondering what was going to happen next. I would absolutely love for this to be a series. I would gladly lie panting for Natasha’s decision on what to do about Darian and Xavier. I would give this book a lovely four stars. I’d even bump it up a star if I was told there was a sequel.
Disclosure: This book was provided by the author in exchange for an HONEST and not necessarily positive review.
Rating: 4 out of 5 Fairies
Reading this book was really hard for me at first. I’m a firm believer of finish what you start; and thank goodness for that, otherwise I would have missed out on a really good book. This book starts out telling the story from four different perspectives. Various aspects tie together in each character’s tale, but overall they each tell their own story. This aspect was confusing to me at first. And even by the end of the book, I still don’t understand where one character had anything to do with the main story. But it was a good read nonetheless.
The main story kept me on my toes. I wanted to know who this sick, twisted murderer was, and how it would be all tied together in the end. Certain “lifestyle choices” took me a little bit to get used to, but I eventually became comfortable with the literature. The mystery of it all was very enjoyable and once Natasha accepted her gift, I seen things were going to quickly come together. Never in my life did I see it tying together the way it did, however.
The supernatural characteristics were absolutely divine. Nothing was overlooked and everything melded together very well. This author has done her homework. I’m sure that she laid everything out to make sure that there was nothing overlooked. The pain aspect for the shapeshifters was new. I’ve read numerous supernatural books, several with shapeshifters, and no other has thought to tie in the fact that a body changing form like that has got to be painful. That was new and welcome.
Once I reached my point of no return, I couldn’t put this blessed book down. I finished it within five hours non-stop. That’s how I roll. If I love it, I devour it. Nothing will stand between me and my books. The world simply disappears, and disappear it did. Between the mystery, supernatural, sex, and heroine I was completely entranced. The conclusion left me on edge, and I was left wondering what was going to happen next. I would absolutely love for this to be a series. I would gladly lie panting for Natasha’s decision on what to do about Darian and Xavier. I would give this book a lovely four stars. I’d even bump it up a star if I was told there was a sequel.
Disclosure: This book was provided by the author in exchange for an HONEST and not necessarily positive review.
July 16, 2013
Welcome to a new supernatural world, which I must admit I enjoyed immensely. This is book the first book in the series and introduces you to the main characters and gives you a little back-story and glimpse into their lives. In this world supernaturals live side-by-side with humans and are policed by their own government division which is refereed to as S.U.I.T. One of our main characters, Warren, is a detective at this agency and also belongs to the local wolf-pack. He is mistrusted and considered a traitor to supernatural kind. But he is more than that. He believes justice should be served to criminals, and he is there to make sure the government keeps their end of the bargain. He is caught between a rock and a hard place, but loves his job and his partner.
The chapters are divided up into specifics about one certain group until they begin merging. You first meet the detectives, which in turn leads you to the wolf pack. Then you meet our humans, Tasha and Annette,who livin up the story immensely. Then we have a leopard pack and of course our vampires. I loved the two party girls. They embodied the best aspects of two friends trying to make it on their own and having a great time doing it. But everything changes one night after a really bad accident that lands both of them in the hospital.
Tasha has been taking medication all of her life for headaches, and after the accident learns that the medications served a completely different purpose. She also meets Annette's boss when he comes to bring her flowers and what begins after that carries you into the rest of the and the connecting of the rest of the groups.
Tasha was probably my favorite character, followed closely by Xavier and Annette. She started out afraid of the supernatural community, but warmed up to them quickly. She was a very brave and compassionate woman.
Now we come down to my favorite part: the heat and boy, did this story pack it!! Homo-erotic romance and situations (M/M) are smoking hot in my book and there are several instances throughout the book. It only makes sense, considering we are dealing with animal packs and ancients. It was a very good introduction to the characters and I can't wait for another visit into this world!!
The chapters are divided up into specifics about one certain group until they begin merging. You first meet the detectives, which in turn leads you to the wolf pack. Then you meet our humans, Tasha and Annette,who livin up the story immensely. Then we have a leopard pack and of course our vampires. I loved the two party girls. They embodied the best aspects of two friends trying to make it on their own and having a great time doing it. But everything changes one night after a really bad accident that lands both of them in the hospital.
Tasha has been taking medication all of her life for headaches, and after the accident learns that the medications served a completely different purpose. She also meets Annette's boss when he comes to bring her flowers and what begins after that carries you into the rest of the and the connecting of the rest of the groups.
Tasha was probably my favorite character, followed closely by Xavier and Annette. She started out afraid of the supernatural community, but warmed up to them quickly. She was a very brave and compassionate woman.
Now we come down to my favorite part: the heat and boy, did this story pack it!! Homo-erotic romance and situations (M/M) are smoking hot in my book and there are several instances throughout the book. It only makes sense, considering we are dealing with animal packs and ancients. It was a very good introduction to the characters and I can't wait for another visit into this world!!
November 12, 2014
Poorly written and very amateur. I spent the beginning of the book in information overload. Between more time than needed spent on donuts, 'pages' of reminiscing over getting into SUIT, and the laws passed for supernaturals (this is only some of the information given in the first 7% of the book), my head felt ready to explode.
There's a difference between showing and telling, and this whole story is stuck in telling mode. And most of the time, it's being told with a two-by-four upside the head.
There are also a large amount of characters in play and we get to see things from everyone's POV. This gets confusing and added to my frustration over this book.
I'm glad the book was free, it hurts less when I delete it from my kindle.
There's a difference between showing and telling, and this whole story is stuck in telling mode. And most of the time, it's being told with a two-by-four upside the head.
There are also a large amount of characters in play and we get to see things from everyone's POV. This gets confusing and added to my frustration over this book.
I'm glad the book was free, it hurts less when I delete it from my kindle.
June 30, 2013
Really good!! It takes a minute to start up but it's only because she does a masterful job of in twining her many characters and setting up the world. I loved all her characters, they feel like real people. There's plenty of hot steamy scenes and action as well. I'm looking forward to reading the next one now that it seems everything is set. Somewhere in here, I hope to get a full back story on master vampire, Darien, who is smokin HOT!! This is not for the faint of heart. So glad I found this author and her first book was free but I will happily pay for the next one!!!
March 12, 2015
Paranormal Soap Opera
My full review can be found at www.priscillasbookshelf.weebly/book-r...
I really wanted to like this book but there was a lot going on. While it all ended up connecting or most of it I just had a hard time connecting.
My full review can be found at www.priscillasbookshelf.weebly/book-r...
I really wanted to like this book but there was a lot going on. While it all ended up connecting or most of it I just had a hard time connecting.
March 28, 2011
Its the worst paranormal novel i have ever read.
August 4, 2014
Tried a few times to read this one.....just got so damned bored.....every time....
February 4, 2019
Mixed Feelings
This book has it all - Vampires, Shapeshifters, Police Detectives, Packs, Prides, Humans and Differing Sexual Orientations; then throw in interracial women. There were a lot of characters introduced and at first it was hard to keep up. We're they werewolves or shapeshifters? We're they members of prides or packs? Then you had a Master Vampire and his lovers of different types. Strange mix and they all interact well together. They even worked together to solve the crime.
I'm not into M/M sex or even M/F/M. In this book, it was tastefully done and easy to skim through. Then you have two vampires wanting the same human female, Natasha, who has an interesting talent. BTW, the vampires are lovers. How will Natasha fit in or will she? You're also introduced to other shapesifters who are not really a real part of the story. Some characters seem to be superfluous even though they have a relationship with the main characters. Perhaps their story will be developed in other books. There are two detectives, one human and one shapesifter, who seemed to be attracted to each other. Will their relationship develop into a sexual one? Or is it the attraction most partners develop? Who knows?
I found the book interesting enough to buy the next one, in spite of the M/M relationships. The plot was so fully developed, it kept me reading to the end in spite of some weird grammatical errors. However, if you're totally opposed to M/M, this is not for you. If you can to get past that, there's enough drama and intrigue to make it worthwhile. Even though this is not a cliffhanger, there are enough unanswered questions at the end of the book to make you want to buy the next book. Or, it could be a complete turnoff. This one is free, so you can try it. You may give up on it before you're 40%, as I almost did. I'm glad that I kept reading. The next book in the series is inexpensive enough for me to buy it.
This book has it all - Vampires, Shapeshifters, Police Detectives, Packs, Prides, Humans and Differing Sexual Orientations; then throw in interracial women. There were a lot of characters introduced and at first it was hard to keep up. We're they werewolves or shapeshifters? We're they members of prides or packs? Then you had a Master Vampire and his lovers of different types. Strange mix and they all interact well together. They even worked together to solve the crime.
I'm not into M/M sex or even M/F/M. In this book, it was tastefully done and easy to skim through. Then you have two vampires wanting the same human female, Natasha, who has an interesting talent. BTW, the vampires are lovers. How will Natasha fit in or will she? You're also introduced to other shapesifters who are not really a real part of the story. Some characters seem to be superfluous even though they have a relationship with the main characters. Perhaps their story will be developed in other books. There are two detectives, one human and one shapesifter, who seemed to be attracted to each other. Will their relationship develop into a sexual one? Or is it the attraction most partners develop? Who knows?
I found the book interesting enough to buy the next one, in spite of the M/M relationships. The plot was so fully developed, it kept me reading to the end in spite of some weird grammatical errors. However, if you're totally opposed to M/M, this is not for you. If you can to get past that, there's enough drama and intrigue to make it worthwhile. Even though this is not a cliffhanger, there are enough unanswered questions at the end of the book to make you want to buy the next book. Or, it could be a complete turnoff. This one is free, so you can try it. You may give up on it before you're 40%, as I almost did. I'm glad that I kept reading. The next book in the series is inexpensive enough for me to buy it.
July 5, 2013
Review to come. Part of a book tour. I'm spotlighting and reviewing THE WHOLE SERIES first week in July at tiffyfit.blogspot.com Come join me!
Adjectives to describe the genre or what is in this book: Paranormal, crime/detective, with sexual situations (M/M, M/F), shifter, vampire, werewolves, urban fantasy
Wowza. Really, where do I start? I’m trying to make sense of my notes! This is a re-release after a re-edit by the author to correct grammatical mistakes and errors, etc. The author’s note tells you that in the beginning. There are no gross errors in this novel that throw you out of the (sacred) Reader Zone.
Warning: This book does deal with detectives trying to solve a gruesome murder case. If well-described gory scenes are not your thing, you’re going to have to skim those parts. Also, there are sex scenes of various natures, including M/M and M/F. This is definitely an adult-themed book with machinations of politics, violent crime, sex, and the grittiness of life.
This is the first novel in the series, however, so I was prepared for a ton of info-dumping. And it’s there, but this is info-dumping done RIGHT. There are full explanations, it’s told to us through conversations with questions and answers from characters, through different points of view from different characters. At first, it feels as if this is more than one story, and it is as we’re getting the different viewpoints. Unlike some other novels I have read that have shifting points of view, these transitioned seamlessly as a part of the storyline. Warren and Matthew are detectives in Chicago’s S.U.I.T. division (Supernatural Unit Investigative Team).
Vampires and shifters have been “outed” to the human population, and S.U.I.T. was the government answer to keeping everyone under control as much as they are able. Warren Davis is a natural-born werewolf. His partner, Matthew Eric, knows he is a werewolf, but it’s a secret they keep. While vamps and shifters are out, it’s not necessarily accepted. This bothers me (not the book or the plot line, but the human behavior). Simmons nails it: humans would not be able to tolerate the “difference” and therefore vampires/shifters/others are not granted full human benefits, especially when it comes to breaking the law. Humans trying to keep up with the supernatural have come up with their own defenses for law enforcement to use against misbehaving supernaturals: UV gel bullets, silver nitrate bullets, exploding bullets, and a pretty cool car that turns into a sunshine oven if they have an unruly vamp in the back seat. O.O
So, you meet the two detectives as they’re called in for a gruesome case. Through meeting them, you get the story behind Warren’s pack and Alpha, Xander. Next, we meet Natasha Hemingway, and her roommate Annette Balfour. Annette is a stripper at the vampire owned DESIRES UNLEASHED and Natasha is job hunting. I wasn’t sure I was going to like Natasha. The description of her is of a sweet , caring woman who was taught to try and help others when she can, but then she’s incredibly prejudiced against supernaturals, even referring to them as “scum.” So much for that bleeding heart? Luckily, she redeems herself in my eyes through the book.
I really liked the interactions and repartee of the characters, especially Natasha who seems to say exactly what is on her mind. You’ll like it, too. Simmons nails that friendly banter you have with your best friend and the joking that comes smoothly only after years of friendship.
The connection of Annette & Natasha to DESIRES UNLEASHED leads us to the introduction of the vampires: Darian & Xavier. Despite Natasha’s discomfort and desire to avoid the supernatural, it turns out she just can’t. After an accident lands her and Annette in the hospital, a visit from Annette’s boss, Xavier, brings Natasha onto his radar, and therefore onto Darian’s. Natasha learns that the medication she has been taking for over 20 years isn’t for migraines as she believed, but rather to suppress dreams. Those dreams lead her to call the police about the murders in the city, and she is connected to Warren Davis. And TAHDAH there are your connections from character to character.
So now that we have the basic plot and all the characters, what did I think? (You know I’m not giving you more information on the plot: I don’t do the whole spoiler thing! You’re just gonna have to read to find out what happens!) I think this book is a must-read for the paranormal + crime/detective + erotic sex scene loving reader.
Paranormal: you got vampires, shifters (so far wolves and leopards), and psychics/visionaries (Natasha).
Crime/detective: there are murders to be solved and the detectives are hunky, intelligent, and NON-CONDESCENDING. Seriously, I hate when someone goes in and the detectives treat them like they’re crazy. I really liked how Warren & Matthew took Natasha seriously from the get-go, without having a long period of time where she HAS to convince them.
The Sex: What’s great about the sex in this book is that it doesn’t take over the whole novel; instead it works seamlessly into the plot, demonstrating the emotions of the characters, while giving you the reader a little thrilling voyeurism. There is M/M sex, M/F sex, and discussions of future trios (M/F/M).
I liked the references to pop culture, our history, etc., that are ours but not ours. Al Cantone instead of Al Capone, Dave Lapelle Show instead of the Dave Chapelle Show, Solex watch instead of a Rolex, etc. Often, little twists like that can go awry, but here it made me view this world as …a parallel dimension to ours. It’s our world, but it’s not our world. Really well done.
Can I be done talking now about this book? Because you see…you’re kinda holding me up for the next one. *winks at you* Come back tomorrow to check out my review of the second book in the KNIGHTS OF THE DARKNESS CHRONICLES, The Guilty Innocent.
Adjectives to describe the genre or what is in this book: Paranormal, crime/detective, with sexual situations (M/M, M/F), shifter, vampire, werewolves, urban fantasy
Wowza. Really, where do I start? I’m trying to make sense of my notes! This is a re-release after a re-edit by the author to correct grammatical mistakes and errors, etc. The author’s note tells you that in the beginning. There are no gross errors in this novel that throw you out of the (sacred) Reader Zone.
Warning: This book does deal with detectives trying to solve a gruesome murder case. If well-described gory scenes are not your thing, you’re going to have to skim those parts. Also, there are sex scenes of various natures, including M/M and M/F. This is definitely an adult-themed book with machinations of politics, violent crime, sex, and the grittiness of life.
This is the first novel in the series, however, so I was prepared for a ton of info-dumping. And it’s there, but this is info-dumping done RIGHT. There are full explanations, it’s told to us through conversations with questions and answers from characters, through different points of view from different characters. At first, it feels as if this is more than one story, and it is as we’re getting the different viewpoints. Unlike some other novels I have read that have shifting points of view, these transitioned seamlessly as a part of the storyline. Warren and Matthew are detectives in Chicago’s S.U.I.T. division (Supernatural Unit Investigative Team).
Vampires and shifters have been “outed” to the human population, and S.U.I.T. was the government answer to keeping everyone under control as much as they are able. Warren Davis is a natural-born werewolf. His partner, Matthew Eric, knows he is a werewolf, but it’s a secret they keep. While vamps and shifters are out, it’s not necessarily accepted. This bothers me (not the book or the plot line, but the human behavior). Simmons nails it: humans would not be able to tolerate the “difference” and therefore vampires/shifters/others are not granted full human benefits, especially when it comes to breaking the law. Humans trying to keep up with the supernatural have come up with their own defenses for law enforcement to use against misbehaving supernaturals: UV gel bullets, silver nitrate bullets, exploding bullets, and a pretty cool car that turns into a sunshine oven if they have an unruly vamp in the back seat. O.O
So, you meet the two detectives as they’re called in for a gruesome case. Through meeting them, you get the story behind Warren’s pack and Alpha, Xander. Next, we meet Natasha Hemingway, and her roommate Annette Balfour. Annette is a stripper at the vampire owned DESIRES UNLEASHED and Natasha is job hunting. I wasn’t sure I was going to like Natasha. The description of her is of a sweet , caring woman who was taught to try and help others when she can, but then she’s incredibly prejudiced against supernaturals, even referring to them as “scum.” So much for that bleeding heart? Luckily, she redeems herself in my eyes through the book.
I really liked the interactions and repartee of the characters, especially Natasha who seems to say exactly what is on her mind. You’ll like it, too. Simmons nails that friendly banter you have with your best friend and the joking that comes smoothly only after years of friendship.
The connection of Annette & Natasha to DESIRES UNLEASHED leads us to the introduction of the vampires: Darian & Xavier. Despite Natasha’s discomfort and desire to avoid the supernatural, it turns out she just can’t. After an accident lands her and Annette in the hospital, a visit from Annette’s boss, Xavier, brings Natasha onto his radar, and therefore onto Darian’s. Natasha learns that the medication she has been taking for over 20 years isn’t for migraines as she believed, but rather to suppress dreams. Those dreams lead her to call the police about the murders in the city, and she is connected to Warren Davis. And TAHDAH there are your connections from character to character.
So now that we have the basic plot and all the characters, what did I think? (You know I’m not giving you more information on the plot: I don’t do the whole spoiler thing! You’re just gonna have to read to find out what happens!) I think this book is a must-read for the paranormal + crime/detective + erotic sex scene loving reader.
Paranormal: you got vampires, shifters (so far wolves and leopards), and psychics/visionaries (Natasha).
Crime/detective: there are murders to be solved and the detectives are hunky, intelligent, and NON-CONDESCENDING. Seriously, I hate when someone goes in and the detectives treat them like they’re crazy. I really liked how Warren & Matthew took Natasha seriously from the get-go, without having a long period of time where she HAS to convince them.
The Sex: What’s great about the sex in this book is that it doesn’t take over the whole novel; instead it works seamlessly into the plot, demonstrating the emotions of the characters, while giving you the reader a little thrilling voyeurism. There is M/M sex, M/F sex, and discussions of future trios (M/F/M).
I liked the references to pop culture, our history, etc., that are ours but not ours. Al Cantone instead of Al Capone, Dave Lapelle Show instead of the Dave Chapelle Show, Solex watch instead of a Rolex, etc. Often, little twists like that can go awry, but here it made me view this world as …a parallel dimension to ours. It’s our world, but it’s not our world. Really well done.
Can I be done talking now about this book? Because you see…you’re kinda holding me up for the next one. *winks at you* Come back tomorrow to check out my review of the second book in the KNIGHTS OF THE DARKNESS CHRONICLES, The Guilty Innocent.
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May 8, 2022Where did I stop? 12% in
Why? The storytelling was very head-hoppy, jumping from one character to the next by the paragraph. It was hard to keep track of who was thinking what, where because of that. On top of that, there was so much exposition and world building front-loaded into the story that the plot just got lost. The first chapter, which came up as a 30 minute read on my app, was mostly backstory of the world, the agency for which these officers worked, and for the undercover werewolf character. It was very all over the place and didn’t bode well for the rest of the story. I didn’t get a sense of any of the characters, and the bro setting of the policing agency was a big turnoff for me. Because of these things, it just didn’t keep my attention, so I stopped reading.
Why? The storytelling was very head-hoppy, jumping from one character to the next by the paragraph. It was hard to keep track of who was thinking what, where because of that. On top of that, there was so much exposition and world building front-loaded into the story that the plot just got lost. The first chapter, which came up as a 30 minute read on my app, was mostly backstory of the world, the agency for which these officers worked, and for the undercover werewolf character. It was very all over the place and didn’t bode well for the rest of the story. I didn’t get a sense of any of the characters, and the bro setting of the policing agency was a big turnoff for me. Because of these things, it just didn’t keep my attention, so I stopped reading.
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