Keeper of the Night

The Keepers: L.A. #1

by Heather Graham

New Keeper Rhiannon Gryffald has her peacekeeping duties cut out for her—because in Hollywood, it's hard to tell the actors from the werewolves, bloodsuckers and shape-shifters. Then Rhiannon hears about a string of murders that bear all the hallmarks of a vampire serial killer, and she must confront her greatest challenge yet. Together with Elven detective Brodie McKay, they head to Laurel Canyon, epicenter of the danger, where they uncover a plot that may forever alter the face of human-paranormal relations.

Genres: Paranormal Romance, Paranormal, Romance, Vampires, Harlequin, Fantasy, Urban Fantasy

299 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 18, 2012

About the author

Also published as Heather Graham Pozzessere and Shannon Drake.

New York Times and USA Today best-selling author Heather Graham majored in theater arts at the University of South Florida. After a stint of several years in dinner theater, back-up vocals, and bartending, she stayed home after the birth of her third child and began to write, working on short horror stories and romances. After some trial and error, she sold her first book, WHEN NEXT WE LOVE, in 1982 and since then, she has written over one hundred novels and novellas including category, romantic suspense, historical romance, vampire fiction, time travel, occult, and Christmas holiday fare. She wrote the launch books for the Dell's Ecstasy Supreme line, Silhouette's Shadows, and for Harlequin's mainstream fiction imprint, Mira Books.

Heather was a founding member of the Florida Romance Writers chapter of RWA and, since 1999, has hosted the Romantic Times Vampire Ball, with all revenues going directly to children's charity.

She is pleased to have been published in approximately twenty languages, and to have been honored with awards frorn Waldenbooks. B. Dalton, Georgia Romance Writers, Affaire de Coeur, Romantic Times, and more. She has had books selected for the Doubleday Book Club and the Literary Guild, and has been quoted, interviewed, or featured in such publications as The Nation, Redbook, People, and USA Today and appeared on many newscasts including local television and Entertainment Tonight.

Heather loves travel and anything have to do with the water, and is a certitified scuba diver. Married since high school graduation and the mother of five, her greatest love in life remains her family, but she also believes her career has been an incredible gift, and she is grateful every day to be doing something that she loves so very much for a living.

Reviews

[Lady Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

Welcome to a world where Werewolves, Vampires, Shapeshifters, and Elven live among us. Very few Humans know of their existence, that is because the story takes place in LA-LA Land.. also known as Hollywood. The city where everyone wants their 'big break', and where the 'Others' are able to blend in without anyone suspecting a thing.

The Keepers are individuals who are born into their position, and are destined to enforce the Laws of 'The Others', and to ensure peace between the races, and the Humans.

Rhiannon Gryffald is the new Keeper of the Canyon Vampires, and has to learn fast, as well as establish her role as Keeper quickly in order to fulfill her duty to her charges. When Rhianna hears about a string of murders that appear to be committed by a Vampire, she has to use all of her wits to find the perpetrator, and prevent any more murders from being committed.

Rhianna teams up with Elven detective Brodie Mckay who has been working undercover trying to solve these murders. The chemistry between Rhianna and Brody is sizzling, and soon they find themselves in the situation of trying to separate business from pleasure.

As their investigation continues, Rhianna and Brodie soon realize that the murderer(s) are closer to them than they thought.

I really enjoyed reading this story. This is the first book I've read written by Heather Graham, and I won't be the last!
The story and writing was really good, but I found the characters a little shallow (I would have liked for them to had a little bit more depth, and more character building).

If your looking for a new, light paranormal romance, then I recommend this series to you.



ARC provided by Harlequin Nocturne via Netgalley

[Bree Hill · Rating 3 out of 5]

Didnt love it as much as I loved the third book, Keeper of the Shadows but at the same time-I enjoyed it. There is a Vampire Serial Killer on the loose in LA and newly Keeper, Rhiannon has to team up with Elven Police Detective, Brody, to figure out who and why and put a stop to it.

Paranormal + Romance + Suspense is totally my new kink. Love it

[Jenny Delandro · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a brand new world…
Keepers are in charge of keeping the peace with vampires, shapeshifters and Elves…
But now there are three new Keepers, all cousins, all women.
Their fathers were the previous Keepers and they have been moved into new council positions..

Sailor is the Keeper of the Elven
Barrie is the Keeper of the shapeshifters
Rhiannon is the Keeper of the vampires.

Brodie is an Elven cop, determined to show up these new Keepers, but Rhiannon catches his eye and soon they are a couple.
They are not sure how this might work, but together they solve the murders covered in this book.
I read this as a ebook from the library.

[Kathie (katmom) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was fun and an enjoyable way to spend a few hours.

Rhiannon and her cousins are the new Keepers of OTHERS in LA. Rhiannon is the Keeper of the Vampires and her cousins Keepers of the Elven and the Shapeshifters. Each of the women, although human, can take on some of the skills and gifts of their charges.

This was a new way to look at vampires and the supernatural.

The cousins have been thrown into their jobs as Keepers as their fathers have been promoted to the ruling council. Lots of info was put into this book, but it seemed necessary to me.

I don't think anyone will blame me if I picture a LotR Elf for Detective Brodie McKay, Elven undercover cop and actor. I loved him, all golden, tall and sexy.

Bodies have shown up that appear to have been killed by a vampire, but is that just what the killer wants the Keepers and the Police to think?

The mystery was fun to read and the side of romance was sweetly steamy.

I think the best part is that this sets up a couple more books to follow. Is Sailor as vapid as she appears on the surface? Is Barrie going to notice that guy who is so very into her? Yes, I want to find out the answers to these questions. And I'd love to see more Rhiannon and Brodie, too!

Thanks, NetGalley and Harlequin, for the opportunity to read this fast paced romp!

[Lisa B. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Traditional Heather Graham.

As we know from the synopsis, this book is about Rhiannon, who is keeper of the vampires. It’s her job to keep everyone on the straight and narrow. Easier said than done, especially in L.A. Plus, she is new to the job and is being tested to see if she can handle her new responsibilities. There are two cousins who are also keepers - Barrie, Keeper of the Shapeshifters and Sailor, Keeper of the Elven.

It’s nice to have a go-to author for when I want to read some thing I know will be light and fun. This book did not disappoint! It was fast paced - a mystery with some romance on the side. In the hands of Ms. Graham - this story line is always entertaining.

Here’s what is really cool. Ms. Graham has joined with Harley Jane Kozak and Alexandra Sokoloff to write what is to be a four book series. What I do know, is the next book is called Keeper of the Moon by Ms. Kozak, an author I have never read, so I am looking forward to this book.

If Keeper of the Night as any indication of what is to come, I think this series is going to be a blast!

Thank you to Harlequin and Netgalley for allowing me to read this in exchange for an unbiased review.

Publish date: December 18, 2012

3.5 of 5

[Tammy]

This was a first for me with this author. I did not like this book. The writing style was very different for me and the world they lived in was just as confusing since nothing was very descriptive. I have not read her other Keeper series, so maybe that is why I didn't quite understand what was going on. It was like the author just expected you to know. I think it would of been nice if she had recapped their world a little bit for those of us new to the series. I felt lost and could not connect to the characters due to this. I found myself skimming through pages, until about half way through the book when I realized I wasn't really getting anything out of it, or the pleasure you are suppose to find while reading. I don't know maybe paranormal is no longer my thing, but the synopsis of the book was very exciting to me. I was actually looking forward to this read. Was a bit disappointed it was a fail for me.

Seems my DNF shelf is stacking up lately.

I was provided with this book from the publisher for free via Net Galley in exchange for an honest review, thank you!

[Melissa ♥ Dog/Wolf Lover ♥ Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

EXCELLENT! I LOVE ALL OF THE CHARACTERS! CAN'T WAIT TO READ MORE ABOUT THEM! :)

[Jordan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The big thing that makes this book, and series, much different from the original Keeper series (featuring the three MacDonald sisters as keepers [Vampire, Shapeshifter, and Wolven] in New Orleans) is that more paranormal species/races come into play as characters. In the original series we saw things such as demons (as they inhabited mostly human bodies), but there were no Elven, gnomes, fairies or anything else. I really enjoyed the addition of these other species. Right away in this book we get an introduction to the Elven with Brodie. The Elven are imbued with charm and easily get what they want. They are typically tall and immensely beautiful, making Hollywood and the acting career perfect for them. They also have superior strength and the ability to read minds.

Similar to Fiona in The Keepers, Rhiannon is thrust into her position as the Vampire Keeper well ahead of schedule due to unforeseen events. Because of this, both the MacDonald sisters and the Gryffald cousins are forced to learn as they go without much for guidance from those who should've been there to teach them the ropes. Like Fiona, Rhiannon's effectiveness is doubted by those in the Canyon. She is in a position where she needs to prove herself, a tall order considering the greatness of her father as the Canyon Vampire Keeper.

I really enjoyed seeing the similarities and differences between the two series. The sisters and cousins found themselves in similar situations, but not identical by any means. In the original, the sisters all live in separate wings of one house. In this series, the cousins all live on the same compound, but in different houses. The MacDonald sisters own and run a shop in New Orleans while the Gryffald cousins are all making a living separately (Rhiannon as a singer/musician, Sailor as an actress and Barrie as an investigative reporter).

Something else I've noticed and found interesting about the the two series is that the first book in both is that of the Vampire Keeper, who also happens to be the oldest of the family members. Both of said books are written by Heather Graham. The Shapeshifter Keeper in both series is in the middle as far as age is concerned and the books are written by Alexandra Sokoloff. The divergence comes with the youngest of the trios. The youngest in the two series are Keepers of two different species and written by two different authors. It makes me wonder, if there would be further Elven or Wolven Keeper books, would they be written by Harley Jane Kozak and Deborah Leblanc, respectively?

This book is HEA with no cliffhanger. I am very excited to see what this series has to offer in future books!

[Tameka · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the problem with veing the new paranormal keeper on the block. So many people want to take you out in frivolous methods and sometimes on the behalf of the stupidity of other.
I am curious enough to want to know what other things could actually happen in this crossbreed (both humans and others) novel of epic portion.

[Tina · Rating 1 out of 5]

None of the characters were appealing; they were all neurotic and self-centered. The three women were supposed to rein in the supernatural species in their specific areas, and if they weren't whining about being tossed into the role too soon they were flirting with various males or dashing about like chickens with no heads.

[Adrianna · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a solid read. Basically a vampire keeper and an Evlin hero team up to solve grisly crimes. The pacing and action is solid, though the world building lacks; some explanations were needed. Good but not great erotic scenes. Good but not great characterizations. Nothing overly problematic in in it. Overall, solid.

[Harlequin Books]

Vampires, Romantic Suspense, Urban Fantasy, Supernatural Thriller, Fantasy Romance, Romance
Miniseries
The Keepers: L.A. (Book #2)

[Sandy S · Rating 3 out of 5]

KEEPER OF THE NIGHT (The Keepers: LA #1) by Heather Graham

ABOUT THE BOOK: Released December 2012

In their new Keeper roles, these extraordinary women must balance the fate of the world with their desires…

New Keeper Rhiannon Gryffald has her peacekeeping duties cut out for her—because in Hollywood, it’s hard to tell the actors from the werewolves, bloodsuckers and shape-shifters. Then Rhiannon hears about a string of murders that bear all the hallmarks of a vampire serial killer, and she must confront her greatest challenge yet. Together with Elven detective Brodie McKay, they head to Laurel Canyon, epicenter of the danger, where they uncover a plot that may forever alter the face of human-paranormal relations

REVIEW:

Heather Graham, Alexandra Sokoloff, and Deborah Leblanc had previous written a trio of books known as The Keeper Trilogy (The Keeper, The Shifters, The Wolven). KEEPER OF THE NIGHT (The Keepers: LA #1) is the first storyline, written by Heather Graham, in their new spinoff trilogy focusing on the daughters (all cousins) of the original Keepers who have been called to take their seats at the Council of the Others. Although this particular series is a spin-off, the first storyline can be read as a stand-alone without too much trouble. But there is a caveat at the end of my review.

The Keepers are in essence –the Law- they reside over the different paranormal and supernatural species-Elven, Vampire, Wolven, Shifter etc. known as the ‘Others’. Keepers are born and it is their destiny to oversee and enforce the law. Keeper of the Night focuses on Vampire Keeper Rhiannon Gryffald and Elven detective Brodie McKay. Although the Keepers are NOT vampire, wolven etc they do bare some of the powers and abilities of their brethren.

Keeper of the Night finds new Keeper Rhiannon Gryffald as she embarks on her first official investigation that places her into a world of rotting corpses, hidden secrets and an ensemble of actors who want nothing more than to make it big in Hollywood. But when the dead and missing are somehow connected to the local theatre group, Rhiannon finds herself with an unlikely partner-Elven Detective Brodie McKay. But Brodie is undercover as a member of the acting community and to keep his guise a secret, Rhiannon and Brodie must act like a couple to keep the cast from discovering Brodie’s true identity. But play acting as lovers soon leads to the real thing and it will be Brodie who finds himself guardian and protector of the Keeper of the Night.


Keeper of the Night is difficult to rate. Although I said that this storyline could be read as a stand-alone, some background information regarding Keepers and their destiny would have been helpful-to start a new series, especially a spin-off where there are already established characters and storylines, a little background data would have been appreciated. I kept thinking-What IS a Keeper? How did they come to be? What is the history between Keepers and the Others? I am a big fan of authors who include the pertinent background information in each successive storyline. It keeps the series and premise coherent. I hope the next author will think to include some of the Keeper history.

There is a prequel novella available for FREE from Amazon: The Gatekeeper. I had hope that the Gatekeeper would have revealed more background information but it was only an introduction to this particular series and the main characters are not involved in Keeper of the Night-in fact they have nothing to do with the first novel at all.


Overall, this storyline was okay. It won’t top my list of re-reads and I will probably not read it again. I was disappointed. Even the relationship and romance between Rhiannon and Brodie seemed forced. I did not feel the chemistry or even the tension between the couple and it was about 2/3 of the way through before any one on one time was had. And in that, I did not feel the connection.

Copy supplied by Netgalley.

[Jackie · Rating 4 out of 5]

BOOK SYNOPSIS

New Keeper Rhiannon Gryffald has her peacekeeping duties cut out for her—because in Hollywood, it's hard to tell the actors from the werewolves, bloodsuckers and shape-shifters. Then Rhiannon hears about a string of murders that bear all the hallmarks of a vampire serial killer, and she must confront her greatest challenge yet. Together with Elven detective Brodie McKay, they head to Laurel Canyon, epicenter of the danger, where they uncover a plot that may forever alter the face of human-paranormal relations

My Thoughts

When I first discovered Heather Graham years ago it was under her alias of Shannon Drake, her paranormal romance suspense thrillers were a breath of fresh air and I read as many of them as possible. In the intervening years since the author has kept me as a fan as she kept penning book after book that spanned the genres of mystery thriller, to paranormal romance, to contemporary suspense and once again in returning to her "Keeper series" her work still provides me with enjoyment.

This time the setting is Los Angeles, the City of Angels and more importantly revolves around the Hollywood players that are made up off all types of supernatural beings as well as human. The story is intense and there are going to be times when the descriptions of the murder victims may make the reader squeamish as it can get pretty graphic but to truly get a feel for how hard it is to solve the crimes that part of the story is necessary to emphasize the challenge faced by both the Keeper's and the police.

Rhiannon and her cousins Barrie and Sailor are the newest LA Keepers since they replaced their fathers, Rhiannon is the Keeper of the Vampires, Barrie is the Keeper for the Shifters and Sailor is the Keeper for the Elven, and all three women are untried as they were not really ready to assume a role they each thought would not be something they had to deal with until later on in their lives not in their early 20's.

Young though the cousins may be they step up to the plate to fulfill their duties admirably and the ensuing action that this story revolves around is very thought provoking, very excitingly set up and kept me totally engrossed in the book from start to finish. As a romantic suspense/urban fantasy read I thought that it was one of the better stories that has come out in this series so far! As we follow the series we will find out what kind of trials and tribulations as well as romantic entanglements are in store for Barrie and Sailor in the next books releasing in March and May, Keepers of The Moon-The Keeper's L.A. #2 and Keeper Of The Shadows-Keeper's L.A. #3 .

I really enjoyed this one, Hollywood crazies and a murder mystery together was very well matched.

[EArc from Netgalley in exchange for honest review]

[Jaime · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really wanted to love this book. It’s a new series that seemed like it would be right up my alley. I even downloaded and read the novella that was on amazon for free. It was a prequel to this series. The novella only sort of introduced me to this world, and it took place in another city (with character’s that were not featured in this book). But hey, it was short and free. There were several inconsistencies in the book, which make sense to me now. I later discovered that this is not actually a new series, but a continuation of an old series featuring the children of past hero’s. I also did not know that the past series was written by more than one author.

My first problem was the world was never clearly explained. Why are Keeper’s born and not made? We are just told that the Gryffald cousin’s are Keeper’s but it is never explained how or why. Why don’t they get paid for their work even though it supposed to be a priority, and there is a council? I found it odd that they have to maintain regular jobs to pay the bills, yet they are supposed to drop everything to handle a Other issue. This seems like a perfect formula for Keeper’s to end up homeless and penniless or taking bribes. Especially since Rhiannon's boss, who is a Vampire kept threatening to fire her for handling Keeper business. Why don’t the Keeper’s receive any formal training? A musician, actress, and reporter are just supposed to know how to become Officers of the Law. The reporter is the only one who would have honed some investigative skills. But what about self defense, and since there is no location or connecting network for the Keepers how does any lab or paper work get handled. Seems to me all an Other criminal has to do to not get caught is leave town for a while.

There were other things that annoyed me. Like why did it take reading half the book for me to find out Rhiannon was human. And if Other’s are trying to fly under the radar why are so many of them in Hollywood, as Actor’s, where there images will be immortalized. And finally make up your mind. Are Other’s long lived and age slowly? If so than a 60 year old Other would still be a “kid” if he or she is going to live to be centuries old.

The mystery was blah. The romance was meh. And yet I still liked the idea of it all. The next book is written by a different author. So maybe I’ll give it a try…

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Keeper of the Night is the first book in The Keepers: L.A. series. The series is about three cousins; Rhiannon, Barrie, and Sailor. They are humans who are tasked with watching over the others (vampires, werewolves, etc.). Each woman is Keeper to a certain group of others. In Keeper of the Night, Rhiannon Gryffald, keeper of the vampires, teams up with detective Brodie McKay, who happens to be elven, to stop a murderer who drains their victims of blood.

First of all, I have to mention that I am a huge fan of Heather Graham and I did enjoy this book overall. With that said, there are a few things that bothered me.

I found a couple glaringly obvious discrepancies which I feel need mentioning. For instance, the author makes it clear that Barrie is keeper of the shifters & Sailor is keeper of the elven, but on page 113 she switches their roles making Barrie keeper of the Elven & Sailor keeper of the shifters. Now usually little mistakes in a book don't bother me. I understand that sometimes authors can accidentally mix things up. But this was an important detail, one which had me thinking I made a mistake in thinking I knew each woman's role. I actually stopped reading and went back through the book just to make sure I hadn't gotten it wrong. To me this is something that the editor should have picked up if they were paying attention to the story at all.

Another thing I noticed, which really isn't that big of a deal, is about the play within the book. The author states that the play takes place in modern London, but later in the same paragraph she has the characters traipsing through Transylvania looking for family. Then, later on, they are followed by a vampire back home to Hollywood. Where does London fit in? Also, did anyone else get that when the author was describing the play she was actually describing the Rocky Horror Picture Show?

Finally, the characters. I found all of the characters to be interesting in their own way, however, I just didn't like Sailor. She was, in my opinion, TSTL. She came off as self absorbed, childish, and just plain irritating.

[Krys · Rating 2 out of 5]

The world in which you live is not the world you think it is. In fact we live in a world in which Werewolves, Vampires, Shape-shifters, and Elven live among us. Very few humans actually know of their existence thanks to a select few known as Keepers. Keepers are a group of select individuals who are born into their positions; enforcers of the the laws of "The Others" and sworn to keep the peace between all the races.

Unfortunately for Rhiannon Gryffald, she and her cousins Barrie (a journalist) and Sailor (an up and coming actress), they have been forced into their positions years before they thought they would due to their Fathers' being called to the "high council" - in Hollywood California no less.

And just Rhiannon 's luck, a string of murders have occurred just prior to her arrival - murders that mimic a vampire attack. With little choice, Rhiannon teams up with Brodie McKay - a detecting AND an Elven, where together they uncover a plot that may forever upset the delicate balance between humans and the others.

My Rating: 2.5 out of 5 Stars

I found this book to be a bit lacking. We are suddenly thrown into the world of Keepers without knowing much about them. I would have loved to have seen more background information on the Fathers (the original Keepers). Granted, this is the first book in a spin-off trilogy, but it was meant to be a stand alone novel, so that doesn't excuse the lack of information provided.

A lot of the characters seemed very one dimensional, I wish the author had spent more time developing them as I absolutely loved the premise - a string of murders apparently caused by a vampire? However, the writing felt like it was geared more towards a young adult audience (with the exception of the few minor love scenes). It took me several days to finish this book as I found it very easy (until the plot really got going - about 1/2 way through) to put it down and walk away.


DISCLAIMER: I received an advanced copy of Keeper of the Night (The Keepers: L.A. #1) in exchange for my honest review. This has not reflected on my review in any way.

[Lena Loneson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Keeper of the Night was an odd one for me, and I'm still not sure how I feel about it. I enjoy Graham's writing a lot. It's smooth and flows well, so I never feel like I'm working at reading her novels. I enjoyed simply reading this book, but I did feel a bit unfulfilled.

The Keepers premise is an interesting one: humans that look after supernatural beings, and take on some of their characteristics. So a vampire Keeper can somewhat become a vampire. A shifter Keeper can turn into a caterpillar, if she wants to. Very cool. But because I hadn't read the main Keepers series, I felt a bit adrift in reading this first Keepers: LA book. The backstory wasn't spelled out enough for me to really know what Keepers do and what the limits to their powers are.

The sisters who become Keepers in this book are new to the job. They didn't expect to become Keepers until much later in their lives, inheriting the position from their fathers. But they seem quite ignorant as to the danger involved -- why would their fathers have not been keeping them informed and beginning their training? Why did they expect to lead normal lives? What are the limits of their powers? I was never really sure.

Because I didn't know the limit of the heroine Rhiannon's powers, it was hard for me to feel any real stakes in the danger scenes. Throughout the book, stakes were a problem for me. Rhiannon doesn't want to hook up with cop/actor/Elf hero Brodie because Keepers and Others aren't supposed to mix, but why? What happens if they do? How much is she risking to be with him? It didn't seem like much, so I never really felt the passion in their romance.

I didn't feel invested in the crimes they were trying to prevent, either, because I never got to know the victims or their families. The ending was wrapped up so quickly I'm still not sure what happened.

This makes it sound like I didn't enjoy the book. But yet, I still read it through because I was intrigued by the backstory of the Keepers, and I like the way Graham writes. I might try the next Keeper book, but I feel like I need a lot more context to understand this world. Going back to the beginning might be the only way.

[Julie G · Rating 2 out of 5]

Just as her band gets an offer to tour, Rhiannon Gryffald is called to take her place as an L.A. Keeper. With her two cousins, she is a peacekeeper for the community of Others living undetected among Hollywood's humans.

An inconvenient interruption in Rhiannon's musical career, when bodies start turning up - drained of blood - things become much more difficult. Suddenly, she is forced to investigate her vampire charges, determine if one of them is killing humans, and try to protect her cousins.

All while fighting a mutual attraction to the Elven undercover cop assigned to the case.

As Rhiannon and Brodie investigate a play about rampaging vampires and desperately search for connections between victims, the author throws in a few well-placed red herrings. Are the suspicious characters part of the crimes or just ... odd?

Graham creates a fascinating world of La-La-Land's vampires, shapeshifters, Elven, and more. After all, who's going to notice another odd individual in Tinseltown? The characteristics and personality-types of each species are highly entertaining.

*****

This has been a difficult review to write. Although a lifelong Harlequin fan, this is the first book I've read by Heather Graham. I must have picked the wrong one.

Many of the character descriptions are repetitive to the point of aggravation. Continuity is fairly decent, other than one character who is 'definitely human' when first mentioned and a vampire, several pages later. (No, he wasn't turned.)

What annoyed me most, I think, was the poor use of language. Long, drawn-out, rambling sentences and unclear passages, which required reading and re-reading, abound.

All in all, for me, Keeper of the Night simply did not live up to its potential. By the time I reached the end, I didn't really care who-done-it.


Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary electronic galley of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.com professional readers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

[Eliza Leone · Rating 3 out of 5]

A light romance within a deep paranormal world.

Series: Yes, The Keepers: LA 1
Characters: Rhiannon and Brodie
Setting: Modern day, Hollywood California
Sexual Themes: Yes

Rhiannon is a young woman with a destiny, a destiny to follow in her Father's footsteps as the Keeper of the vampires for her region. When bodies begin piling up around the city she and an Other detective must team up to stop whoever is responsible. Desperate to prove herself and to protect her family, Rhiannon and her cousins investigate those around them in an attempt to untangle the lies and stop the murderers before anyone else looses their life.

The setting is modern LA with the addition of various super natural races all living in relative secrecy. Each of the races are touched upon briefly and the history of the Keepers is explained as well. With that background knowledge provided, the story begins right away with Rhiannon and Brodie meeting. Beginning the story it was very clear right away who would end up dating who and that their love story would be of the insta-love variety. I don't consider this an outright negative way of handling love, but if this bothers you as a reader, then this may be a book you'd want to skip.

Rhiannon gains confidence in herself as the book progresses and seems to loose confidence in her cousins. She becomes more protective, seems to loose faith that they can take care of themselves, (which is interesting since they are both also Keepers like she is) and yet at the same time feels safe enough to become romantically involved with Brodie while all of this is happening.

Recommendation: The romance was pretty instant, the characters were relatively single dimensional and the negativity portrayed about Hollywood and its inhabitants was pretty harsh and stereotypical. Overall, I enjoyed the read, moved past the quirks it had that annoyed me and just enjoyed the fluffy read, if you can do the same then I have no problem suggesting you give it a try.

[Angela · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not to sure how I feel about this series. In all honestly, I haven't read The Keeper series, which this is a spin-off of, but I didn't feel as if I needed to considering this was suppose to be a new series written by three different authors. It started with a prequel novella that takes place in Las Vegas and whose characters have nothing to do with the new series, which confused me considering the series is called The Keepers:L.A. not The Keepers:Las Vegas. Anyway, I found myself liking the world it takes place in, a world of vampires, werewolves, elfin, goblins and other supernatural races, but I didn't really like the main characters.

The book is about three cousins who were made the new Keepers of L.A. after their fathers were promoted. Each of the women seemed like they didn't want to be Keepers, but are pretty much forced to take over the positions. I didn't understand why they had to do it if they a)didn't want to b)didn't get paid to do it c)seemed to not know what they were doing and d)nobody in L.A wanted them to do it either. I didn't understand why everybody seemed to be hindering the investigation because they weren't their fathers and were new to town.

I kept going back and rereading the blurbs from The Keepers books because it seemed as if I was suppose to know their fathers and some of the secondary characters had back-stories that seemed as if they were part of an earlier book and I should have known who they already were prior to reading this book ( I'm talking about Merlin and Uncle Bryce to name a few).

All that being said, I will read the next book for two reasons, I'd like to see where this series is going considering the net book is written by a different author and I already have an ARC of it. This series has real potential if Sailor (cousin #2) doesn't irritate me like she did in this book.

[rameau · Rating 2 out of 5]

This review can also be found on Book Girl of Mur-y-Castell-blog.


Blame it on bouncing back from a five star book or blame it on taste differences in writing styles, but this book simply wasn’t for me.

I haven’t read the other The Keepers-series Graham co-authored with Alexandra Sokoloff and Deborah Leblanc, but I did like the paranormal world presented here. The set up was unfortunately—or fortunately depending on your point of view—delivered in an infodump prologue and it actually made me curious about the Others blending in the masses of non-believing humans. More importantly, it made me want to read about an elven character.

However, I was quickly disappointed. The world building I liked—the idea of keepers ensuring the peace among other races of paranormal creatures—but I couldn’t connect with the characters. Graham filled the beginning with repetitious lines and descriptions that quickly eroded my interest. As I read further, the less I cared about Rhiannon and Brodie, their budding relationship, and the mystery they were trying to untangle. I couldn’t even be bothered to look for the clues for the killer as I speedread through the rest of the book. On the positive side, my disinterest prevented me from absolutely hating the book.

I’m guessing that if you’re familiar with Graham’s previous work and like it, you’ll enjoy this novel too.



I received an Advanced Readers Copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.

[Landslide · Rating 3 out of 5]

*I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

Keeper of the Night is the first in a series focusing on three cousins who inherited from their fathers the role as Keepers of supernatural species. That's because, in the alternate world presented in this book, not only are supernatural species real (vampires, warewolves, shapeshifters, elves, etc.) but these species are perfectly integrated in our society (although pretending to be humans). This first book focus on Rhiannon Gryffald, Keeper of the Canyon vampires, who on her first week on the job, is faced with a serial killer whose victims show signs of having been attacked by a vampire. Rhiannon teams up with Brodie McKay, the elvin detective in charge of the investigation. Their attraction is strong and immediate and, as they work the case and spend more and more time together, impossible to resist...

I liked this alternate world and I liked the characters. I was only sorry the scenes with Rhiannon and Brodie weren't steamier. I mean, we get to watch all the tension between them rising and when they finally give in... let's just say I was expecting more.

A thing I struggled with was memorizing all the different secundary characters, mainly associating their name to their species and function. Maybe that was because there were so many different species...

I'm very curious to read the next book on the series Keeper of the Moon (who was written by another author), centered on Sailor Gryffald, the Elven Keeper. And I was glad to know she'll be pairing up with who I suspected. I knew there was something to that whole “I don't like him because he doesn't like me” story...

[Traci (Mad Hatter Reads) · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Keepers: L.A. series is a follow up to The Keepers Trilogy (Heather Graham, Alexandra Sokoloff, and Deborah Leblanc). The Keepers: L.A. consists of three individual books by Heather Graham, Alexandra Sokoloff, and Harley Jane Kozak and follows the three Gryffald cousins who are the new Vampire, Elven, and Shape-Shifter Keepers in L.A.

Keeper of the Night by Heather Graham is the first of trilogy and focuses on Rhiannon Griffald, a musician and the new Vampire Keeper of Laurel Canyon. A Keeper is a human, born into the position and with the ability to draw upon the powers of their charges, and charged with the oversight and protection of a particular faction of the Others.

Rhiannon is quickly thrust into a potential serial killer mystery that appears to involve at least one of her vampire charges. Clues lead Rhiannon to believe the play "Vampire Rampage" may be the key to linking the victims, and she teams up with Elven detective, Brodie McKay, who is already undercover investigating the actors. As sparks fly between pair, they have to solve this mystery before the killer takes another victim.

Graham does a good job world building and the characters are likable. The romance is steamy and the mystery keeps you guessing until the end. I was a little put off by some repetitive explanations, but overall, I enjoyed Keeper of the Night and am looking forward to book two, Keeper of the Moon, by Harley Jane Kozak out in March 2013.

I received an epub copy from Harlequin via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Shirley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Don’t let my rating sway you. Honestly. I think I said the same thing in my review of The Gatekeeper, but the same statement applies here. I love the premise and the characters are interesting as well. I can’t quite put my finger on why this series isn’t grabbing me, but even so, I’m not ready to give up on it.

Rhiannon is a strong female lead character and Brodie is a great Alpha male. They connect well and the relationship isn’t rushed. I like the connection that they have, so what is keeping me from loving it? I’m at a loss.

Maybe it’s because they both fight the relationship for a lot of reasons and then suddenly they both seem to cave at the same time. Or could it be that there is still so much going on that I haven’t quite caught up with the ‘who’ and ‘why’ of the premise? I guess I’m not ready to lay the blame on just one element. Regardless, it’s still a good story and I am honestly interested in the rest of the Gryffald cousins and what’s in store for them throughout the rest of the series. The dialogue flows well and the action is just intense enough to keep my interest. The mystery is pretty good too.

The next book in the series (Keeper of the Moon) won’t be released until March of 2013. It features Rhiannon’s cousin Sailor. It’s also written by a different author, Harley Jane Kozak.

[Kimberly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review featured on www.books-n-kisses.com

So the plot for this story is interesting. Rhiannon is a Keeper (babysitter/judge) for the vampires. She is new to the job with her 2 cousins. She barely gets to LA and vampire murders start happening. Brodie is a copy (and Elvan) who is working the case and they team up.

Sounds interesting right? And it sorta is except the writing of the story almost seems like it is written for YA (except the minor love scenes). This is the first in a new series but it felt like I should know the Fathers of the new Keepers because they refer to them over and over as if they were in an original series and I did go back to see if I could find the series but I couldn’t find anything but it made me feel like I was missing a little something.

Also the other problem was the female characters. She are so immature. And yes we are supposed to think that they are new and thrown into this Keeper position but it Rhiannon seems like she can not do anything alone and one cousin is too uptight and the other is a bit spoiled. I really didn’t like them much.

But I did enjoy Brodie and Rhiannon together. They worked well together. I love Heather Graham’s ghost stories so I thought I would love this too but I just liked it.

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

[Book Chatter-Cath · Rating 1 out of 5]

original review at http://mybookchatterchat.blogspot.com

Sadly, Keeper of the Night did not meet my expectations of a decent read at-all.

Long winded, over complicated, rambling sentences of incoherent musings, thoughts, and feelings that go on-and-on until all you want to do is throw the book against a wall (I didn't though because it was on my Kindle!).
This book held great promise with an interesting blurb, but that's where it ended.

The prologue made me cringe with its overly preachy telling of how this world came into being and who rules it, who wants to rule it, and how all the beasties are governed. I would have rather skipped the whole history lesson and got on with a story that held all those answers within the plot.

The first few paragraphs were repetitive and boring and it felt like I was reading a manual - it was a chore.

I felt absolutely nothing for the MC's and the secondary characters irked me. The plot... was meh at best, and I found myself pretty much skim reading the second half.

I'm sad to say that this is the worst book I've read from Harlequin in a very long time.
1 star :[

[GONZA · Rating 1 out of 5]

It was really hard to read this book, I do not really know why, the plot was interesting enough and I usually really like elves and sups too.
All this stuff about Keepers was not so clear and the heroine and her cousins were not such interesting characters, IMHO of course.
Anyway It had probably all the problems that come along with the first book in a new series, and as a multiple writers series I do not know if I'll give it another chance in March. Let's wait and see.

E' stata veramente dura finire questo libro, non so nemmeno la ragione, perchè era sufficientemente interessante e la trama non era poi così semplice. All'inizio non mi era molto chiara la faccenda dei Keepers (Guardiani) e l'eroina e le sue cugine non erano poi personaggi così intriganti. Inoltre poi c'erano tutti i problemi che riguardano sempre il primo libro di una serie, ma siccome saranno tre storie scritte da autrici differenti, forse la continuerò a leggere, o forse no, staremo a vedere.

THANKS TO NETGALLEY AND HARLEQUIN FOR THE PREVIEW

[Rachel-RN · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first half of this book was an exercise in frustration. Rhiannon is the vampire Keeper. She's new and while she knew she'd inherit this role/job from her father, it happened much sooner than she anticipated. Someone is murdering people and it's either a vampire doing it, or someone making it look like a vampire. There even might be more then one. The major players want her to solve/find out who is doing it (but not help her in any way and they decide to deliberately keep things from her).
"He could have told her that earlier. They were withholding information as if she didn't matter- and then getting mad when she didn't perform up to their standards."
Once information was shared, things picked up. Nice little mystery and wrapped in a nice little bow. Issues solved, fences mended.
On the fence about reading more in this series. I liked Barrie, but Sailor- not so much. Sailor came across as selfish and she did some stupid things in this book.

[Nicki Markus · Rating 3 out of 5]

On the whole, I enjoyed this book more than the prequel, The Gatekeeper. As a longer novel, it had a little more grunt and there was more time for Ms Graham to develop the plot and the characters.

The storyline kept my interest even though it didn't feel like anything I hadn't read before. The characters were okay; although, I would have liked a little more depth in their personalities as at times they came across a little stereotypical and bland.

Still, this is a good general paranormal romance for those who like the genre and aren't looking for anything overly inspired. If you come to this book expecting nothing more than a bit of fun and some romance, then you won't be disappointed. If you're looking for something to redefine the genre, this probably isn't the book for you.

I received this book as a free e-book ARC via NetGalley.