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Wings in the Night #1
Twilight Phantasies
Tamara’s dreams are tormented. She is lost, alone, and calling out for someone, but when she wakes she can never remember his name. Then she meets an enigmatic stranger during a midnight skate on a frozen pond, and is overcome with a sense of familiarity and powerful longing.
Eric Marquand is a vampire, drawn to the beautiful Tamara because of the rare Belladonna antigen in her blood. It connects them. From the shadows, he has watched over her since childhood, a dark guardian. But when he returns after years away, he finds her living in the home of a man who’s devoted his life to the annihilation of vampire-kind.
Tamara’s parents had died during Eric’s absence. Daniel St. Clair, a high-ranking agent of the secretive Division of Paranormal Investigations, had become her legal guardian, had raised her.
Worse, she now works for the DPI too.
Tamara soon finds herself torn between her love and devotion for the dear, aging man who raised her, and her passionate desire for Eric, the man whose touch she craves. Daniel insists that Eric is a vampire who will drain Tamara’s blood and leave her a lifeless husk, given the chance. Eric says Daniel is a vampire hunter who performs sick experiments on his kind to find their weaknesses. He says Daniel will kill him, given the chance.
But she hasn’t much time to choose, because St. Clair’s protégé, DPI vampire-researcher Curtis Rogers, has his own nightmarish plans for them both.
Strong sexual content
BONUS! A never-before published short Rhiannon in the Temple of Isis, 1: Jewels of the Goddess
Look for Book 2, Twilight Memories
Eric Marquand is a vampire, drawn to the beautiful Tamara because of the rare Belladonna antigen in her blood. It connects them. From the shadows, he has watched over her since childhood, a dark guardian. But when he returns after years away, he finds her living in the home of a man who’s devoted his life to the annihilation of vampire-kind.
Tamara’s parents had died during Eric’s absence. Daniel St. Clair, a high-ranking agent of the secretive Division of Paranormal Investigations, had become her legal guardian, had raised her.
Worse, she now works for the DPI too.
Tamara soon finds herself torn between her love and devotion for the dear, aging man who raised her, and her passionate desire for Eric, the man whose touch she craves. Daniel insists that Eric is a vampire who will drain Tamara’s blood and leave her a lifeless husk, given the chance. Eric says Daniel is a vampire hunter who performs sick experiments on his kind to find their weaknesses. He says Daniel will kill him, given the chance.
But she hasn’t much time to choose, because St. Clair’s protégé, DPI vampire-researcher Curtis Rogers, has his own nightmarish plans for them both.
Strong sexual content
BONUS! A never-before published short Rhiannon in the Temple of Isis, 1: Jewels of the Goddess
Look for Book 2, Twilight Memories
256 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published October 1, 1993
768 people are currently reading
3188 people want to read
About the author
Maggie Shayne
257 books2,571 followersI live in the teeny, tiny town of Taylor, NY, (Alliteration Alert!) though my mailing address is Cincinnatus, my telephone exchange is Truxton and I pay taxes and vote in Cuyler. All of these are at least in the same rural county in the southern hills of New York State; Cortland County. There are more cattle than people here. The nearest “big” cities are Syracuse and Binghamton and they are an hour away, in different directions, and not really all that big by most standards, though they both seem humongous to me. I look out my window to see rolling, green, thickly forested hills, wildflower laden meadows and wide open blue, blue skies. My road is barely paved. The nearest neighboring place is a 700 acre dairy farm.
My house is a big, century old farmhouse. I moved in here after my divorce in 2006. Just a little over a year later, the house, which I had named, SERENITY, burned. It was 99% gutted, and I lost my two dogs, Sally, an 11-year-old great Dane, and Wrinkles, my 14-year-old, blind bulldog. This was the culmination of my Dark Night of the soul, which had seemed to hit me all at once in 2006-2007. My mother died that year, after a 14 month battle with pancreatic cancer. She was only 60. The youngest of my five daughters had left home that same year, and while that’s not a tragedy at all, it felt like one to me. Then came the divorce. And finally there was the fire--it seemed my darkest night wasn’t quite finished with me after all. I had lost almost everything before that point, and as I poked through the wet ashes and soot the next day, I realized that I had now been stripped all the way to the bone.
No better time to start over. (And no, I didn’t come to that realization that day--there were a few days of wallowing in pity first, particularly the day after the fire, when I hit a deer and smashed up my car, which I was practically living in!)
That’s when I started to laugh. Just sat on the side of the road as the deer bounded, uninjured and carefree, out of sight, and laughed. It was just too ridiculous at that point, to do anything else!
And from there, I picked myself up, and brushed myself off, and said, okay, there’s only one way to go from here. Forward. And that’s what I did. There I was at the age of harrurmphemmph, living in my one, mostly undamaged remaining room, with a dorm-sized mini-fridge, a futon, a TV, my cat (nine lives!) and a laptop. And not much else. (Though thank goodness the room that survived the fire, was a room that had its own attached bathroom!)
Since then I have rebuilt my beloved home, which really has become my haven, my “Serenity.” I share it now with my fiancé, Lance, and we have accumulated quite the little family together. “Little” being a relative term. We have a pair of English Mastiffs, Dozer and Daisy, who weigh 203 pounds and 208 pounds respectively, and a little pudgy English Bulldog named Niblet, who is bigger than both of them, inside her mind. We also have the aforementioned cat, Glorificus (“Glory” for short,) who adores her canine pups and keeps them firmly in line. And we've acquired a pair of stray cats as well, a mother and son, Luna (Lulu for short) and Butters aka Buddy. Lulu showed up pregnant during a lunar eclipse, had a litter, and vanished again. We found homes for all the kittens except one. Butters. We got him fixed and kept him. A few months later, Lulu returned, again expecting. This litter was born on the "Monster Moon." Again, all the kittens were spayed and neutered and placed in homes, and this time we got Lulu to the vet in time to spay her before the cycle could repeat.
Glory is not amused.
She has a story of her own, my old Glory cat, having been with me before the Dark Times descended, she went through it all with me, moved with me, survived the fire, and remains with me still. She's tolerating the newcomers. Barely.
My partner is an artist, a mechanic, a welder and an inventor, and the rumors are true, he is much younger than I
My house is a big, century old farmhouse. I moved in here after my divorce in 2006. Just a little over a year later, the house, which I had named, SERENITY, burned. It was 99% gutted, and I lost my two dogs, Sally, an 11-year-old great Dane, and Wrinkles, my 14-year-old, blind bulldog. This was the culmination of my Dark Night of the soul, which had seemed to hit me all at once in 2006-2007. My mother died that year, after a 14 month battle with pancreatic cancer. She was only 60. The youngest of my five daughters had left home that same year, and while that’s not a tragedy at all, it felt like one to me. Then came the divorce. And finally there was the fire--it seemed my darkest night wasn’t quite finished with me after all. I had lost almost everything before that point, and as I poked through the wet ashes and soot the next day, I realized that I had now been stripped all the way to the bone.
No better time to start over. (And no, I didn’t come to that realization that day--there were a few days of wallowing in pity first, particularly the day after the fire, when I hit a deer and smashed up my car, which I was practically living in!)
That’s when I started to laugh. Just sat on the side of the road as the deer bounded, uninjured and carefree, out of sight, and laughed. It was just too ridiculous at that point, to do anything else!
And from there, I picked myself up, and brushed myself off, and said, okay, there’s only one way to go from here. Forward. And that’s what I did. There I was at the age of harrurmphemmph, living in my one, mostly undamaged remaining room, with a dorm-sized mini-fridge, a futon, a TV, my cat (nine lives!) and a laptop. And not much else. (Though thank goodness the room that survived the fire, was a room that had its own attached bathroom!)
Since then I have rebuilt my beloved home, which really has become my haven, my “Serenity.” I share it now with my fiancé, Lance, and we have accumulated quite the little family together. “Little” being a relative term. We have a pair of English Mastiffs, Dozer and Daisy, who weigh 203 pounds and 208 pounds respectively, and a little pudgy English Bulldog named Niblet, who is bigger than both of them, inside her mind. We also have the aforementioned cat, Glorificus (“Glory” for short,) who adores her canine pups and keeps them firmly in line. And we've acquired a pair of stray cats as well, a mother and son, Luna (Lulu for short) and Butters aka Buddy. Lulu showed up pregnant during a lunar eclipse, had a litter, and vanished again. We found homes for all the kittens except one. Butters. We got him fixed and kept him. A few months later, Lulu returned, again expecting. This litter was born on the "Monster Moon." Again, all the kittens were spayed and neutered and placed in homes, and this time we got Lulu to the vet in time to spay her before the cycle could repeat.
Glory is not amused.
She has a story of her own, my old Glory cat, having been with me before the Dark Times descended, she went through it all with me, moved with me, survived the fire, and remains with me still. She's tolerating the newcomers. Barely.
My partner is an artist, a mechanic, a welder and an inventor, and the rumors are true, he is much younger than I
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 145 reviews
April 4, 2010
I picked this up as my first book on my new Nook ereader because I somehow got my hands on book 12 in this series and wanted to at least read the first one before reading number twelve. I found it for waaaay to much money online or 2.99 in electronic format...so electronic it was!
Twilight Phantasies is the story of a very special woman named Tamara. Tamara works for a top secret government agency that tracks and studies people with "unusual" abilities. He guardian also works for this agency tracking a vampire named Eric Marquand. Tamara's guardian is quite fanatic in his belief that all vampire's are inherently evil and should be destroyed or made weak so he can study them.
Tamara decides to go ice skating in the middle of the night, she can no longer sleep, and meets the very same man (vampire) that her guardian has been tracking and attempting to capture this whole time. She instantly feels the connection...it's as if their minds were somehow joined.
Needless to say, when her guardian finds out, trouble arises...in many many forms. I throughly enjoyed the story and the characters. The small side plots and characters only brought the main ones to life even more. I've purchased the next couple in the series and I hope they are just as good.
3.5/5
Twilight Phantasies is the story of a very special woman named Tamara. Tamara works for a top secret government agency that tracks and studies people with "unusual" abilities. He guardian also works for this agency tracking a vampire named Eric Marquand. Tamara's guardian is quite fanatic in his belief that all vampire's are inherently evil and should be destroyed or made weak so he can study them.
Tamara decides to go ice skating in the middle of the night, she can no longer sleep, and meets the very same man (vampire) that her guardian has been tracking and attempting to capture this whole time. She instantly feels the connection...it's as if their minds were somehow joined.
Needless to say, when her guardian finds out, trouble arises...in many many forms. I throughly enjoyed the story and the characters. The small side plots and characters only brought the main ones to life even more. I've purchased the next couple in the series and I hope they are just as good.
3.5/5
July 31, 2012
Through the first few chapters I wasn't enjoying this book but by the end I was wrapped up in the storyline. The plot beyond the romance really held my attention despite some predictable moments. At the beginning I felt lost but as the story unfolded I am glad the author held out on details upfront to bring more of a mystery/suspense feel. I also enjoyed the author's take on vampires -- some aspects I had heard before but there were still some original twists. The only negative for me - Lack of character description, I just couldn't picture what Eric of Tamara looked like other than his black ponytail. Perhaps this is so those reading can more easily visualize themselves in the story but I would rather have had a clearer picture.
January 17, 2019
I think the second reading is more telling about the quality of a book than the first. I really enjoyed the Wings in the Night series the first time through several years ago. After finishing a reread of books 1 and 2, I am asking myself “Why?”
I guess that I was enamored with the world building and the genre. The heroes left a lot to be desired in their treatment of the heroines, as did the quality of editing with missing words, etc. I also hate the Big Misunderstanding trope that was repeated ad nauseum to create angst between H/h merely because they do not communicate honestly with one another! The second time around I can say that I am not enjoying this series enough to continue.
I guess that I was enamored with the world building and the genre. The heroes left a lot to be desired in their treatment of the heroines, as did the quality of editing with missing words, etc. I also hate the Big Misunderstanding trope that was repeated ad nauseum to create angst between H/h merely because they do not communicate honestly with one another! The second time around I can say that I am not enjoying this series enough to continue.
December 3, 2025
Another one read for science.
I have consumed a decent amount of vampire media in my lifetime and was excited to check out a foundational modern PNR/vampire romance (yes the 90s are modern, I'll fight you). Sadly this didn't quite work for me. I wouldn't say it's objectionable in the sense that it's not badly written or blatantly problematic, but for me it's lacking all of the things that I love about vampire romance. Where's the gothic glamor, the dark and moody tension, the angst of immortality? It's all given some lip service but not depth and therefore didn't have the things that made 15 year old me swoon over bloodsucking bad boys.
I have consumed a decent amount of vampire media in my lifetime and was excited to check out a foundational modern PNR/vampire romance (yes the 90s are modern, I'll fight you). Sadly this didn't quite work for me. I wouldn't say it's objectionable in the sense that it's not badly written or blatantly problematic, but for me it's lacking all of the things that I love about vampire romance. Where's the gothic glamor, the dark and moody tension, the angst of immortality? It's all given some lip service but not depth and therefore didn't have the things that made 15 year old me swoon over bloodsucking bad boys.
November 25, 2025
Getting to read a new subgenre in our Romance History Project is always cause for celebration. This was published in 1993 as part of a new paranormal romance line called Silhouette Shadows. It's considered to be one of the first vampire romances.
It's unsurprising to learn Shayne was a writer on Guiding Light. This is soapy and melodramatic. Eric and Tamara have an instalove connection and the villains are over the top and one note. It worked well for me in the first half but the second half was more of a struggle in both believability and logistics.
On this world, some special humans have the Belladonna antigen and descend from the original vampire. Vampires are able to sense this and look out for these humans from childhood. Eric saved Tamara's life when she was a little girl. While she has no memory of him, she's had nightmares for years about an unknown man that she is looking for but can never find. Coincidentally, Tamara's guardian Daniel works for the DPI (Division of Paranormal Investigations) and has been surveilling Eric for months. When Eric sees Tamara ice skating one night, he's compelled to learn more about her, despite her working for the DPI and thus making them enemies. While I still find it suspect that he first met Tamara as a child, they haven't seen each other in 20 years.
This is a category romance so the characterization is paper thin. Eric was a French aristocrat whose vampire sire saved him from execution but we don't know anything about his life before or after the French Revolution. Tamara has lived a very sheltered and isolated life, courtesy of Daniel. She's both naive and TSTL and I wasn't sure what Eric saw in her beyond a pretty face. Their romance doesn't develop so much as it's presented to readers as a fait accompli. Tamara goes from not believing vampires really exist, despite the DPI's work, to immediately being ready for Eric to bite her during sex.
Vampires are fairly neutered. They sleep in coffins and can't see their reflection in the mirror. Eric drinks blood bags instead of from humans. There's no sense of how long he's been doing that or whether he's ever been a danger to anyone around him. My guess is Shayne wanted to make it clear who the bad guys were (DPI) and go heavy into romanticizing vampires. That's fine but it pales in comparison to the vampire romances I read prior to this. It didn't help that Daniel and Curt were so obviously awful while Tamara remained oblivious to all the red flags around her.
This was the second book Shayne ever published. The Wings of Night series wound up having 24 books despite Silhouette Shadows folding soon after the imprint launched. I guess readers weren't quite ready for PNR, although that didn't remain true for long. Either way, we must give credit where it's due, both to Silhouette for recognizing a possible trend and to 1987's The Ivory Key by Rita Clay Estrada (Harlequin Temptation #166), which is considered the first paranormal romance and a time travel ghost story.
Shayne was inspired by Anne Rice's vampire novels. After reading and watching Bram Stoker's Dracula, she was unimpressed with Jonathan Harker and thought Mina should have wound up with the vampire. Having recently read Dracula for the first time, I did not come to the same conclusion—and I love vampire romance so that should tell you something about the source material. (It's unclear if she read the David de Morrissey series by Lori Herter before writing Twilight Phantasies—Obsession (book 1) was published in 1991 by Berkely—but she does credit it as the one vampire series before Wings in the Night.)
A fun change of pace for this project but overall too predictable and bland to be my cup of tea.
Further Reading:
C.L. Foster Maggie Shayne (OMG Yay!) Wings in the Night Reborn Celebration and an Interview (August 20, 2014)
USA Today: What's so hot about vampires, anyway? Maggie Shayne knows by Joyce Lamb (February 21, 2014)
Romantic Times: The Darker Side of Romance by Maggie Shayne (1997)
The Writer's Life: Interview with Maggie Shayne by Dorothy Thompson (2003)
Olivia Heber Books: Maggie Shayne reflects on her 30-year Career (September 6, 2023)
Maggie Shayne's Coffee House Blog: Baby Got Back(list) (May 3, 2023)
Characters: Tamara is a 26 year old white DPI employee. Eric is a 235 year old white French vampire, scientist, and former aristocrat. (He was turned at 35 years old.) This is set in Byram, Connecticut.
Content notes: attempted rape (MMC arrives in time to save FMC), threat of rape by secondary character, secondary characters falsely believe MMC raped FMC and that she attempted suicide, self-harming behavior, suicide stigma, nightmares, insomnia, physical abuse by secondary character, coercive control and isolation by FMC's guardian, past non-sexual grooming by guardian, child abduction, murder, attempted murder, torture, physical assault, drug assault, imprisonment, home invasion, vandalism, surveillance, past near-death experiences, MMC saved FMC's life 20 years ago when she was 6 years old (she fell through plate glass window and severed arteries in both wrists), mind-reading, mind and body control, blood drinking, lacerations, broken rib and punctured lung (secondary character), MMC was turned into a vampire against his will, sexism, purity culture, past death of FMC's parents (rare viral infection), past beheading of MMC's father, past death of MMC's mother and sister (old age), skipping a meal, unsafe sex practices (no condom without discussion of STI and pregnancy prevention), dubious consent, on page sex, alcohol, tranquilizers, FMC mixes sleeping pills with alcohol, excessive drinking(secondary character), hangover (secondary character), "manhood" as euphemism, casual ableism, gendered pejorative, gender essentialism, ableist language, hyperbolic language around addiction, casual use of colonialist language
*Buddy read with Charlotte, Hannah, and Vicky.
RHP ranking, so far:
Whitney, My Love (4 stars)
Maurice (4 stars)
Loyal in All (3.5 stars)
The Moon-Spinners (3 stars)
The Heroine's Sister (3 stars)
Sweet Starfire (2.5 stars)
Gaywyck (2.5 stars)
Twilight Phantasies (2 stars)
Gentle Rogue (2 stars)
Loving Her (2 stars)
Playing the Odds (1.5 stars)
The Bride (1 star)
The Black Lyon (1 star)
No Quarter Asked (1 star)
Regency Buck (1 star)
The Sheik (1 star)
The Flame and the Flower (1 star)
The Lord Won’t Mind (1 star)
It's unsurprising to learn Shayne was a writer on Guiding Light. This is soapy and melodramatic. Eric and Tamara have an instalove connection and the villains are over the top and one note. It worked well for me in the first half but the second half was more of a struggle in both believability and logistics.
On this world, some special humans have the Belladonna antigen and descend from the original vampire. Vampires are able to sense this and look out for these humans from childhood. Eric saved Tamara's life when she was a little girl. While she has no memory of him, she's had nightmares for years about an unknown man that she is looking for but can never find. Coincidentally, Tamara's guardian Daniel works for the DPI (Division of Paranormal Investigations) and has been surveilling Eric for months. When Eric sees Tamara ice skating one night, he's compelled to learn more about her, despite her working for the DPI and thus making them enemies. While I still find it suspect that he first met Tamara as a child, they haven't seen each other in 20 years.
This is a category romance so the characterization is paper thin. Eric was a French aristocrat whose vampire sire saved him from execution but we don't know anything about his life before or after the French Revolution. Tamara has lived a very sheltered and isolated life, courtesy of Daniel. She's both naive and TSTL and I wasn't sure what Eric saw in her beyond a pretty face. Their romance doesn't develop so much as it's presented to readers as a fait accompli. Tamara goes from not believing vampires really exist, despite the DPI's work, to immediately being ready for Eric to bite her during sex.
Vampires are fairly neutered. They sleep in coffins and can't see their reflection in the mirror. Eric drinks blood bags instead of from humans. There's no sense of how long he's been doing that or whether he's ever been a danger to anyone around him. My guess is Shayne wanted to make it clear who the bad guys were (DPI) and go heavy into romanticizing vampires. That's fine but it pales in comparison to the vampire romances I read prior to this. It didn't help that Daniel and Curt were so obviously awful while Tamara remained oblivious to all the red flags around her.
This was the second book Shayne ever published. The Wings of Night series wound up having 24 books despite Silhouette Shadows folding soon after the imprint launched. I guess readers weren't quite ready for PNR, although that didn't remain true for long. Either way, we must give credit where it's due, both to Silhouette for recognizing a possible trend and to 1987's The Ivory Key by Rita Clay Estrada (Harlequin Temptation #166), which is considered the first paranormal romance and a time travel ghost story.
Shayne was inspired by Anne Rice's vampire novels. After reading and watching Bram Stoker's Dracula, she was unimpressed with Jonathan Harker and thought Mina should have wound up with the vampire. Having recently read Dracula for the first time, I did not come to the same conclusion—and I love vampire romance so that should tell you something about the source material. (It's unclear if she read the David de Morrissey series by Lori Herter before writing Twilight Phantasies—Obsession (book 1) was published in 1991 by Berkely—but she does credit it as the one vampire series before Wings in the Night.)
A fun change of pace for this project but overall too predictable and bland to be my cup of tea.
Further Reading:
C.L. Foster Maggie Shayne (OMG Yay!) Wings in the Night Reborn Celebration and an Interview (August 20, 2014)
USA Today: What's so hot about vampires, anyway? Maggie Shayne knows by Joyce Lamb (February 21, 2014)
Romantic Times: The Darker Side of Romance by Maggie Shayne (1997)
The Writer's Life: Interview with Maggie Shayne by Dorothy Thompson (2003)
Olivia Heber Books: Maggie Shayne reflects on her 30-year Career (September 6, 2023)
Maggie Shayne's Coffee House Blog: Baby Got Back(list) (May 3, 2023)
Characters: Tamara is a 26 year old white DPI employee. Eric is a 235 year old white French vampire, scientist, and former aristocrat. (He was turned at 35 years old.) This is set in Byram, Connecticut.
Content notes: attempted rape (MMC arrives in time to save FMC), threat of rape by secondary character, secondary characters falsely believe MMC raped FMC and that she attempted suicide, self-harming behavior, suicide stigma, nightmares, insomnia, physical abuse by secondary character, coercive control and isolation by FMC's guardian, past non-sexual grooming by guardian, child abduction, murder, attempted murder, torture, physical assault, drug assault, imprisonment, home invasion, vandalism, surveillance, past near-death experiences, MMC saved FMC's life 20 years ago when she was 6 years old (she fell through plate glass window and severed arteries in both wrists), mind-reading, mind and body control, blood drinking, lacerations, broken rib and punctured lung (secondary character), MMC was turned into a vampire against his will, sexism, purity culture, past death of FMC's parents (rare viral infection), past beheading of MMC's father, past death of MMC's mother and sister (old age), skipping a meal, unsafe sex practices (no condom without discussion of STI and pregnancy prevention), dubious consent, on page sex, alcohol, tranquilizers, FMC mixes sleeping pills with alcohol, excessive drinking(secondary character), hangover (secondary character), "manhood" as euphemism, casual ableism, gendered pejorative, gender essentialism, ableist language, hyperbolic language around addiction, casual use of colonialist language
*Buddy read with Charlotte, Hannah, and Vicky.
RHP ranking, so far:
Whitney, My Love (4 stars)
Maurice (4 stars)
Loyal in All (3.5 stars)
The Moon-Spinners (3 stars)
The Heroine's Sister (3 stars)
Sweet Starfire (2.5 stars)
Gaywyck (2.5 stars)
Twilight Phantasies (2 stars)
Gentle Rogue (2 stars)
Loving Her (2 stars)
Playing the Odds (1.5 stars)
The Bride (1 star)
The Black Lyon (1 star)
No Quarter Asked (1 star)
Regency Buck (1 star)
The Sheik (1 star)
The Flame and the Flower (1 star)
The Lord Won’t Mind (1 star)
May 25, 2011
This book is about Tamara Dey (a Chosen- i.e. special blood type that contains a Belladonna antigen- they die early because of it and are the only humans that can be changed into vampires) and Eric Marquand - a vampire scientist of sorts. Jameson Bryant is a boy in this book- he will have his story in Born in Twilight.
October 5, 2016
This was okay. I definitely wish that the female lead, Tamara, would have been a bit stronger, not so docile. I do like the male, Eric. I don't really see how they are such a good match.
The pacing of the story was good, not fast, not slow. I do wish there was more relationship building.
The pacing of the story was good, not fast, not slow. I do wish there was more relationship building.
March 2, 2014
Oooh, I really liked this vampire romance. It was romantic and intense. I wish I had telepathic abilities with my "chosen one," aka my husband.
November 15, 2025
Read for my Romance Canon reading group, as an early paranormal. And…I didn’t hate it? I mean, there is still a ton of sexual and physical violence committed against the FMC but it’s not (barring some relatively tame - for 1991 - dubcon moments) by the MMC. In fact, the MMC is positively a cinammon roll! He has feelings! He recognises and expresses them! He cares about her feelings! He takes her on dates, albeit rather weird ones! This is the first book we’ve read for this project where I could imagine my teenage self reading it and getting hooked on romance.
January 5, 2016
2.5 stars. This is another prime example of a good story ruined by poor writing. The heroine is a sniveling moron. She cries almost the entire book over every little thing. And she was waaaay TSTL...lets count some of the ways: fall for total stranger but still believe family's lies about him, climb over fence (nearly killing self) and break into stranger's house to see if hes a vampire, bring another persons child into a violent situation, defend your abuser. I could actually keep going but you get the picture-there was really nothing redeeming about her character. The hero got off to a rough start what with controlling her body against her will (and wth is up with that its such poor plot because it makes for awful romance) but came to be fairly sweet and caring though overly cheesy (both of them were actually) in his protectiveness. The romance was ok not terribly well developed but not overly rushed either. The sex scenes were pretty steamy and one of the only things i have nothing negative to say about. The plot was actually fairly interesting. The world is relatively novel (not a completely unique idea but different from most) with only certain people being able to be turned (the chosen). These people have special blood and are descended from good ol Vlad (hokey but whatever). The plot kept me interested (much to my despair thanks to the writing) and had several twists i did not expect. The writing though...wow. While she managed to not spell like a moron or use awful grammar the style of the writing was really over the top. Even for a romance it was so cheesy my head hurts from all the eye rolling. I also hate that she wrote such a wimpy heroine. Come on! Give me a girl i can identify with instead of a doormat who is the occasional punching bag. To her credit i did like that she didnt shy away from the more gruesome scenes but at the same time didnt let them overrun the book and balanced them with lighter ones.
Overall this wasnt a totally bad read and it flew by which is definitely a point in its favor. The plot was interesting enough that i think ill chalk the writing up to being a novice and try the second one in hopes that itll get better.
Overall this wasnt a totally bad read and it flew by which is definitely a point in its favor. The plot was interesting enough that i think ill chalk the writing up to being a novice and try the second one in hopes that itll get better.
February 6, 2017
This book was originally published in 1993 so I was ready to give it all kids of leeway. In the first 60% the heroine lacks agency but other lovely things are going on. The vampire hero is the protective sort and is looking out for her. His best vampire friend is an interesting character in his own right. There's an "I knew you before I met you" thing. I'm in need of a comfort read, I was able to forgive.
But then my brain got scrambled. Tamara gets a flat while driving home and the car doesn't have a spare. She is assaulted while walking to the nearest gas station, but Eric arrives in time to save her. He then piles her into the car and drives home.
...on three tires?! I reread the scene to make sure I wasn't missing anything and I have no idea how it worked. Ditto her being able to put on a fancy vintage dress that laces up the back all by herself even though she needed help the first time. Brain. Broken.
Then there's general wtf-ery. Tamara is 26 years old, a grown ass woman, and still lives her legal guardian. She even says it like that. "I can appreciate why you're so angry with my guardian... he may be an ass, Marquand, but I love him dearly." Oh, and trigger warnings for assault, attempted rape, and heaps of gaslighting. Gaaaaah.
I'm obviously not a fan... but would try another book by the author, no problem. The first half of the book was enjoyable, even with the Old Skool issues, and I'd like to see if her more recent stuff is less objectionable. Have you read any Maggie Shayne? Are all of her books like this?
But then my brain got scrambled. Tamara gets a flat while driving home and the car doesn't have a spare. She is assaulted while walking to the nearest gas station, but Eric arrives in time to save her. He then piles her into the car and drives home.
...on three tires?! I reread the scene to make sure I wasn't missing anything and I have no idea how it worked. Ditto her being able to put on a fancy vintage dress that laces up the back all by herself even though she needed help the first time. Brain. Broken.
Then there's general wtf-ery. Tamara is 26 years old, a grown ass woman, and still lives her legal guardian. She even says it like that. "I can appreciate why you're so angry with my guardian... he may be an ass, Marquand, but I love him dearly." Oh, and trigger warnings for assault, attempted rape, and heaps of gaslighting. Gaaaaah.
I'm obviously not a fan... but would try another book by the author, no problem. The first half of the book was enjoyable, even with the Old Skool issues, and I'd like to see if her more recent stuff is less objectionable. Have you read any Maggie Shayne? Are all of her books like this?
July 28, 2011
This wasn't a bad beginning to the series, but it wasn't something that was spectacular either. Eric is definately old fashioned in his thinking of "I have to save you", and Tamara is a bit too needy and lost, but that maybe due to the lack of sleep she's getting. There are several open storylines that I hope the author will explore, and I want to know more about Jamey, the Chosen that Tamara is partial to. Book 2 is with Roland, and he has a definate Yummy factor, but again, seems "old worldish", but that could be because he's a vampire.
July 4, 2010
Maggie Shayne is a new author for me. I was given a couple books in this series (and being the way that I am), I had to get the earlier books to read before I read the two given to me - that is after I had read a lot of good reviews about her books. I enjoyed reading the book. I am also glad that the three main characters are in the second book.
June 15, 2014
A new vampire series for me!!!! Loved it. Everyone I have talked to says that each book in the series gets better and better!!! This one was wonderful so I cannot wait to read the next.!
July 17, 2020
Ci voleva proprio!!! Non solo tre stelle ma anche qualcosina in piu'.
Mi è piaciuto, molto a mio dire eppure dai commenti che leggevo in giro credevo che fosse un'altra ennesima magagna ma mi ha sorpreso e si è lasciato apprezzare.Non è stato nulla di eccessivamente affrettato anzi, le parti paranormale e romance si sono equilibrate ed amalgamate per bene fino ad ottenere una storia che si lascia leggere con molto interesse.
Eric (e già il nome ha il suo fascino saranno i postumi della Harris vigenti) è un vampiro umanamente comprensibile, senza melodrammi del passato eccessivi o troppe grossolane restrizioni sulla sua natura, molto scientifica nel suo approccio personale ed umana, e sul trasformare il suo prossimo...quel tanto che basta per renderlo accattivante.Tamara, anche se il nome non mi espiava molta fiducia, è un personaggio sensibile ed umano, legato all'inconscio e con grandi potenzialità...fortunatamente non sfocia in melodrammi anzi sembra di vedere una puntata o un film della tv attraverso la sua vicenda.Anche i personaggi minori sono ben impostati e anzi mi piacerebbe continuare il loro futuro pro e contro presenti perché senza strafare hanno saputo dare la giusta carica per l'intreccio narrativo, "cattivi" compresi!
La Harmony ha fatto centro, finalmente, anche se non con un massimo iniziale ma giusto quanto basta, per tenermi legata a questa collana e non solo alla serie...me ne aspetto di altre belle letture ed incrocio le dita-
Mi è piaciuto, molto a mio dire eppure dai commenti che leggevo in giro credevo che fosse un'altra ennesima magagna ma mi ha sorpreso e si è lasciato apprezzare.Non è stato nulla di eccessivamente affrettato anzi, le parti paranormale e romance si sono equilibrate ed amalgamate per bene fino ad ottenere una storia che si lascia leggere con molto interesse.
Eric (e già il nome ha il suo fascino saranno i postumi della Harris vigenti) è un vampiro umanamente comprensibile, senza melodrammi del passato eccessivi o troppe grossolane restrizioni sulla sua natura, molto scientifica nel suo approccio personale ed umana, e sul trasformare il suo prossimo...quel tanto che basta per renderlo accattivante.Tamara, anche se il nome non mi espiava molta fiducia, è un personaggio sensibile ed umano, legato all'inconscio e con grandi potenzialità...fortunatamente non sfocia in melodrammi anzi sembra di vedere una puntata o un film della tv attraverso la sua vicenda.Anche i personaggi minori sono ben impostati e anzi mi piacerebbe continuare il loro futuro pro e contro presenti perché senza strafare hanno saputo dare la giusta carica per l'intreccio narrativo, "cattivi" compresi!
La Harmony ha fatto centro, finalmente, anche se non con un massimo iniziale ma giusto quanto basta, per tenermi legata a questa collana e non solo alla serie...me ne aspetto di altre belle letture ed incrocio le dita-
May 18, 2019
This was a fun vampire read. I know it's a fairly older vampire romance, but I still found it vastly entertaining. Though I am uncertain about the name Eric. Still a good read! Definitely a bit different than modern vampire novels.
July 3, 2018
Reread
December 5, 2022
FANTASTIC Story😁😂
Just WOW!!!. This story was OFF the charts!!!. It was so moving, exciting, entertaining and just WOW!!!. I love a GREAT vamp story and this is one of those!!!. Maggie is a FANTASTIC storyteller and is a PHENOMENAL writer!!.
Just WOW!!!. This story was OFF the charts!!!. It was so moving, exciting, entertaining and just WOW!!!. I love a GREAT vamp story and this is one of those!!!. Maggie is a FANTASTIC storyteller and is a PHENOMENAL writer!!.
March 10, 2019
Reviewed at Haunted Bookshelf
I, frankly, have had a decades-long love affair going on with the Wings in the Night series since I read and still own the original paperback. I don’t know what it is that captures one person’s passion yet doesn’t spark anything in another. We all have our ‘go to’ authors, series, and styles of writing — and for me, Maggie Shayne checks off all the boxes on my list. I fell in love with the people living in the Wings of the Night world long ago, and I’ve only fallen deeper into these characters as time goes on and new stories are released.
There is definitely more than a bit of old world about Ms. Shayne’s vampires… after all, they are rather ancient, so it’s not surprising to me that they act still as they did in life. As the series moves on we’ll still see that old world, but it’s no longer as prominent as these men are learning from their modern day lovers, mates, partners or whatever you wish to define these couples as.
Eric and Tamara’s story is intense, sensuous and just as Tamara is learning about Eric’s world… so are we. There is world building in Twilight Phantasies, there has to be as some things we encounter are explained and others are left for the future.
I’m not writing anything about the plot of this story, for I feel you really have to decide for yourself if this style of vampire paranormal world is right for you. I was caught up in the otherworldly-ness of the Wings in the Night series. I loved the dynamics and the complications of the characters. And Twilight Phantasies started me on a journey that continues to this day where I’m always excited about a new release in this world. There are quite amazing adventures to come, so I hope that you’ll give this well-established series a try. You might just discover a world you’ll want to be a part of as well. ( And, since at least two other authors that I know of claim the Wings in the Night series as their inspiration… there’s got to be something special about it. )
I own both the original paperback and a Kindle edition of this title.
I, frankly, have had a decades-long love affair going on with the Wings in the Night series since I read and still own the original paperback. I don’t know what it is that captures one person’s passion yet doesn’t spark anything in another. We all have our ‘go to’ authors, series, and styles of writing — and for me, Maggie Shayne checks off all the boxes on my list. I fell in love with the people living in the Wings of the Night world long ago, and I’ve only fallen deeper into these characters as time goes on and new stories are released.
There is definitely more than a bit of old world about Ms. Shayne’s vampires… after all, they are rather ancient, so it’s not surprising to me that they act still as they did in life. As the series moves on we’ll still see that old world, but it’s no longer as prominent as these men are learning from their modern day lovers, mates, partners or whatever you wish to define these couples as.
Eric and Tamara’s story is intense, sensuous and just as Tamara is learning about Eric’s world… so are we. There is world building in Twilight Phantasies, there has to be as some things we encounter are explained and others are left for the future.
I’m not writing anything about the plot of this story, for I feel you really have to decide for yourself if this style of vampire paranormal world is right for you. I was caught up in the otherworldly-ness of the Wings in the Night series. I loved the dynamics and the complications of the characters. And Twilight Phantasies started me on a journey that continues to this day where I’m always excited about a new release in this world. There are quite amazing adventures to come, so I hope that you’ll give this well-established series a try. You might just discover a world you’ll want to be a part of as well. ( And, since at least two other authors that I know of claim the Wings in the Night series as their inspiration… there’s got to be something special about it. )
I own both the original paperback and a Kindle edition of this title.
March 28, 2014
This was a great story, so sweet! I really wish I had found this series before now. I love her take on vampires, I love that it's an ordinary romance but the man is a vampire, I love that she's not some weak woman always running fromhim. She had her doubts but she got over them. I can't stand it when the woman in a book spends the WHOLE book conflicted about the same thing. She had conflicts but they were always evolving. I really liked this book and I recommend this to all vampire lovers but beware, this is not like most. It's better than most! :)
December 14, 2009
Very good series. Alike to Feehan or Kenyon. Should be read in order if you enjoy following the characters as they are introduced and evolve into their own stories. The first four (without anthologies) are very closely related. Available as ebook bundle at Barnes & Noble very reasonably priced.
Read
December 21, 2010I actually chose this book because I read it was pretty good...So I have great expectations.. I can say that it is sensual and although it has the "typical" chicles about vampires, the love story between Erik and Tamara is priceless! Can´t wait to start the next book!
August 14, 2012
"jangan meminta maaf karena telah menciumku, karena telah menyentuhku, Tamara. Belaianmu adalah hadiah yang berharga bagi raja mana pun... Yang akan selalu ku syukuri setiap kali kau memilih untuk menganugerahkannya. " -Eric Marquand -
January 28, 2010
loved this book! very well written and just couldn't get enough of it, read it all night long!!!!
August 10, 2010
This book is amazing. I got sucked in (no pun intended LOL) from page 1. Maggie Shayne is an amazing author. The storyline is excellent, and the passion and love scenes just set you on fire.
September 27, 2010
Really good!!!
Nice, nice, nice!!
I feel this book was written in '90s, for reference to clothing, for tiny details, the atmosphere...however good!
Nice, nice, nice!!
I feel this book was written in '90s, for reference to clothing, for tiny details, the atmosphere...however good!
November 22, 2010
I read these in the bundle but wanted to rate each individually too. This book was a great beginning to the series. True characters and believeable situations.
July 8, 2011
It was really good, it cut to the chase really fast, but then there's a problem. it was really really good *thumbs up* :D
June 5, 2012
This is my first Maggie Shayne book. I was pleasantly surprised. I really liked the story line and explanations as well as creativity. I love a good vampire romance story!
April 1, 2013
This series is my fav by Maggie Shayne :) I love the characters and the storyline! It's a must read :)
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