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The Desire Series #2
Desire at Dawn
Recently turned from human to vampire, Kylie wants nothing to do with her new life or with the clan that claims her. She certainly wants nothing to do with her mother, Belle, who is completely infatuated with her vampire wife and clan leader. To escape her unwanted existence, Kylie befriends a human, Olivia, who has been abandoned by her family. But unknown to Kylie, someone is watching her. An enemy has targeted her as the perfect way to destroy her clan. While battling this enemy, Kylie also grapples with the surprising desires she feels for the human. Desires that she'd once seen as wicked and wrong. Fighting for her life, Kylie must confront both the assassins and the beast within her that would do anything to keep her loved ones safe.
264 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 14, 2014
11 people are currently reading
754 people want to read
About the author
Fiona Zedde
59 books414 followersJamaican-born Fiona Zedde is the author of several novellas and novels of lesBiQueer love and desire, including the Lambda Literary Award finalists, Bliss and Every Dark Desire. She loves French pastries, English cars, Jamaican food, and currently lives in Spain.
Her novel, Dangerous Pleasures, received a Publishers Weekly starred review and won an About.com Readers' Choice Award for Best Lesbian Novel/Memoir. Her latest book, Just Like Her, is out now. Find out more about her catalog of 30+ books at www.FionaZedde.com.
Her novel, Dangerous Pleasures, received a Publishers Weekly starred review and won an About.com Readers' Choice Award for Best Lesbian Novel/Memoir. Her latest book, Just Like Her, is out now. Find out more about her catalog of 30+ books at www.FionaZedde.com.
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
June 16, 2020
CW: character with breast cancer, description of character viewing mastectomies online, fire play (scene where one vampire plays with fire on anther vamps back), descriptions of violent vampire attacks, descriptions of a vampire being tortured
This is my first book by Fiona Zedde and won’t be my last. Our MC, Kylie is a black Jamaican, virgin vampire, struggling with so much. What she was made into, her desires, her blood lust, her sexuality. The tenuous relationship with her mother, who she sees as having abandoned her for her wife.
Kylie is uneasy in her vampire skin. This is a recurring theme throughout. But even so she knows she has to do what she needs to, i.e feeding on humans. Kylie becomes drawn to Olivia, a human who is dying of breast cancer. She is so enthralled with Olivia and is a full voyeur, watching Olivia, sleeping in her home unknown to Olivia until she gives in to her need to be close to the human and slips into her bed. Causing Olivia to discover her there.
Not only does she spy on Olivia having some self-love time, she also watches her vamp clan members getting it on. Even takes in these human women going at it. While she is wary of sex, she is obviously intrigued by it.
Olivia also seems intrigued by Kylie, more so that being afraid. (We learn more on this later in the book and i don't want to spoil it) Not even when she witnessed Kylie basically tearing some dudes apart. Kylie is more torn up about it than Olivia. Of course O is shocked but she is drawn to Kylie too.
The entire book is written from Kylie’s POV and seeing Olivia through her eyes was quite beautiful Watching Kylie fight her attraction was so compelling. Here we have a vampire who is far stronger than this human and yet so vulnerable.
Every interaction she had with Olivia was gorgeously rendered on the page.
The secondary vampire characters, her clan members were all so captivating. We get bits of pieces of their stories. Every time Kylie returned to the clan house I wanted to know more about each vampire. They were all so different. I was especially intrigued by the notion that the vamps liked to sleep together, not talking sexually here, but just spooned up against each other, building that familial connection I guess. Of all the clan members, Rufus intrigued me the most. Would love to get a story our book about his rock star self ;)
Another great moment: Kylie basking in her power when she and Olivia finally have sex. Not because she’s a vamp and O’s a human but she feels powerful because of the pleasure can she pull out of Olivia.
As mentioned before we never get a POV from Olivia, only seeing her via Kylie’s eyes but we do get to see that while Olivia appears to be fine, she’s not. There are moments where we see her pain: when her hair sheds after towel drying she snaps at Kylie for making light of it by saying it’s just hair, it’ll grow back. There’s also tension between them when Olivia not only asks Kylie if she would turn her, at one point, but also asks if she would kill her. Kylie refuses on both counts. The idea of either action is abhorrent to her.
I already knew what would happen in this regard but everything leading up to it was wow! Did not expect that! Their relationship just gets a million times more intense and complicated.
I will simply say that Olivia and Kylie together were volatile and things wrapped up quite well for me.
Would highly recommend this one!
This is my first book by Fiona Zedde and won’t be my last. Our MC, Kylie is a black Jamaican, virgin vampire, struggling with so much. What she was made into, her desires, her blood lust, her sexuality. The tenuous relationship with her mother, who she sees as having abandoned her for her wife.
Kylie is uneasy in her vampire skin. This is a recurring theme throughout. But even so she knows she has to do what she needs to, i.e feeding on humans. Kylie becomes drawn to Olivia, a human who is dying of breast cancer. She is so enthralled with Olivia and is a full voyeur, watching Olivia, sleeping in her home unknown to Olivia until she gives in to her need to be close to the human and slips into her bed. Causing Olivia to discover her there.
Not only does she spy on Olivia having some self-love time, she also watches her vamp clan members getting it on. Even takes in these human women going at it. While she is wary of sex, she is obviously intrigued by it.
Olivia also seems intrigued by Kylie, more so that being afraid. (We learn more on this later in the book and i don't want to spoil it) Not even when she witnessed Kylie basically tearing some dudes apart. Kylie is more torn up about it than Olivia. Of course O is shocked but she is drawn to Kylie too.
The entire book is written from Kylie’s POV and seeing Olivia through her eyes was quite beautiful Watching Kylie fight her attraction was so compelling. Here we have a vampire who is far stronger than this human and yet so vulnerable.
Every interaction she had with Olivia was gorgeously rendered on the page.
The secondary vampire characters, her clan members were all so captivating. We get bits of pieces of their stories. Every time Kylie returned to the clan house I wanted to know more about each vampire. They were all so different. I was especially intrigued by the notion that the vamps liked to sleep together, not talking sexually here, but just spooned up against each other, building that familial connection I guess. Of all the clan members, Rufus intrigued me the most. Would love to get a story our book about his rock star self ;)
Another great moment: Kylie basking in her power when she and Olivia finally have sex. Not because she’s a vamp and O’s a human but she feels powerful because of the pleasure can she pull out of Olivia.
As mentioned before we never get a POV from Olivia, only seeing her via Kylie’s eyes but we do get to see that while Olivia appears to be fine, she’s not. There are moments where we see her pain: when her hair sheds after towel drying she snaps at Kylie for making light of it by saying it’s just hair, it’ll grow back. There’s also tension between them when Olivia not only asks Kylie if she would turn her, at one point, but also asks if she would kill her. Kylie refuses on both counts. The idea of either action is abhorrent to her.
I already knew what would happen in this regard but everything leading up to it was wow! Did not expect that! Their relationship just gets a million times more intense and complicated.
I will simply say that Olivia and Kylie together were volatile and things wrapped up quite well for me.
Would highly recommend this one!
June 20, 2014
This is a gratifying story about vampires. For one, they apparently can have some passionate, long-term commitments that are super hot relationships, too. This story also focuses on vampire clans which may or may not have actual family members from their pre-vampire days, but the structure, rapport, and support within these clans were really eye-opening. On the flip side, a multi-generational group that fights vampires was flat-out scary. I definitely felt that the extraordinary range of personalities within the focus vampire clan raised the scope and depth of this book considerably. There were no cookie cutter entities on the vampire side of the story. Since I really liked that, I certainly recommend this book for its in depth paranormal material and really good heat!
Kylie is a bit of a composite conundrum as a vampire and a woman. She is a part of the focus clan. Her mother, who was absent for a good portion of her childhood, is now the wife and lover of the clan's leader, a very strong, focused, and determined woman. Kylie is really struggling with her beliefs, her feelings about the clan, her mother and her lover, her strange urges, and most definitely about being a vampire. It is fascinating to have this psychologically stressed vampire be the primary character. That is just one of many delightful twists within this story. Bottom line is Kylie is a case and half!
Olivia is initially a major mystery. I didn’t learn until much later in the book how Kylie became so drawn to Olivia. Some of Kylie's attraction did come from her heart, but a lot of extra stuff was happening. It was a magnificent eye-opener and added all kinds of dimensions to conflicts that were emanating to the surface. Olivia is a cornucopia of trials, stresses, and internal conflicts. She has a relatively complicated and way-out-there plan to solve a major crisis in her life. Kylie seems to be the key caught in Olivia's web and this part of the story just blew me away. However, I was pleased to the max when I understood all the lavish components in Olivia's elaborate contrivance even if I could not condone it all. Olivia was hard to embrace, but she was a fantastic antagonist!
All the eight members in Kylie's vampire clan get some airtime and they sparkled. Only a few of the key people in Olivia's family are presented which worked well for the story in my opinion. With Kylie being more than bit complicated and Olivia having a host of hidden agendas, our key people provide many rich edges to this already engaging narrative. It really is a evocative romp and not to be missed. I totally recommend it if you have a taste for some amazingly delectable vampires. Rather captivating!
NOTE: This book was provided by Bold Strokes Books for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews.
Kylie is a bit of a composite conundrum as a vampire and a woman. She is a part of the focus clan. Her mother, who was absent for a good portion of her childhood, is now the wife and lover of the clan's leader, a very strong, focused, and determined woman. Kylie is really struggling with her beliefs, her feelings about the clan, her mother and her lover, her strange urges, and most definitely about being a vampire. It is fascinating to have this psychologically stressed vampire be the primary character. That is just one of many delightful twists within this story. Bottom line is Kylie is a case and half!
Olivia is initially a major mystery. I didn’t learn until much later in the book how Kylie became so drawn to Olivia. Some of Kylie's attraction did come from her heart, but a lot of extra stuff was happening. It was a magnificent eye-opener and added all kinds of dimensions to conflicts that were emanating to the surface. Olivia is a cornucopia of trials, stresses, and internal conflicts. She has a relatively complicated and way-out-there plan to solve a major crisis in her life. Kylie seems to be the key caught in Olivia's web and this part of the story just blew me away. However, I was pleased to the max when I understood all the lavish components in Olivia's elaborate contrivance even if I could not condone it all. Olivia was hard to embrace, but she was a fantastic antagonist!
All the eight members in Kylie's vampire clan get some airtime and they sparkled. Only a few of the key people in Olivia's family are presented which worked well for the story in my opinion. With Kylie being more than bit complicated and Olivia having a host of hidden agendas, our key people provide many rich edges to this already engaging narrative. It really is a evocative romp and not to be missed. I totally recommend it if you have a taste for some amazingly delectable vampires. Rather captivating!
NOTE: This book was provided by Bold Strokes Books for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews.
February 12, 2015
Now onto my next book.
July 2, 2014
Enjoyable
It started off slow then gradually got better when you're more than halfway through. The main characters and supporting characters were good and would love a story with Belle and Silvija.
It started off slow then gradually got better when you're more than halfway through. The main characters and supporting characters were good and would love a story with Belle and Silvija.
April 10, 2018
cotton candy guilty pleasure - definitely not read for the plot or the writing..
June 28, 2016
Some of the plot twists were a little eh for me, but overall a fun read with lots of sex.
August 6, 2020
What can I say, this book has plenty of sex but so does most of Fiona's work. But for me, it works because there is also an interesting story outside of it. I actually read this before the book about Kylie's mom and I recommend not doing that. So much made sense once I knew the background of her mother and how she got turned. The only minus, although I didn't take a star away for it, Kylie was very morose and whiny and that got old. I had to keep reminding myself that she was only 18 when turned and had not been a vampire for long. Otherwise, a fun, sexy read. I would love another book concluding this story, perhaps one from the point of view of the vampire clan leader.
September 23, 2019
Intoxicating
I’m really glad I found this book. It is incredibly intense, addictive, and just leaves you begging for more. I really like that it felt as though I was experiencing a new found intimacy level with the characters. It felt as though the author was intimately aware of her surroundings and that’s why it was so easy to fall back into the story every time I paused. With that, I can’t wait to dive into other works by this author.
I’m really glad I found this book. It is incredibly intense, addictive, and just leaves you begging for more. I really like that it felt as though I was experiencing a new found intimacy level with the characters. It felt as though the author was intimately aware of her surroundings and that’s why it was so easy to fall back into the story every time I paused. With that, I can’t wait to dive into other works by this author.
June 3, 2021
What I really enjoyed about this series is how the vampires are portrayed, not as some lonely, gorgeous immortals waiting for true love, but as predators. Of course, Zedde's vampires are beautiful too, but it's so that they can better attract prey. There is a romance, which was filled with surprises that kept me glued to the pages. Kylie was a nice protagonist, but she had a lot of growing up to do. The ending was quite shocking, but satisfying. And it was nice seeing Silvija and Belle again.
December 3, 2014
Originally posted at Butterfly-o-Meter Books on June 13th 2014:
Review
I’m going with the extended Review format, not the Fluttering Thoughts on this one because I feel there’s more to say than the shorter 5 points approach. As you’ve noticed, I tend to use this format for books I really loved, books that touched me, but you’ll say “this is 3 stars, not a 5, so what’s up?”. There were parts of this novel I loved so much that I wanted it to end as a 5 stars. Let’s get one thing straight, it could have easily been a 5 stars reading experience for me. Easily, I’ll say it again.
The worldbuilding was interesting, perhaps not overly focused on and detailed – rather the “you get it as action progresses” kind of vibe. I’m cool with that too, and though there weren’t very clear lines drawn from the get go, it’s easy to get a good sense of what’s going on and who’s who, particularly about Kylie’s vampire clan. To balance it out, the way the opposing force is built is more or less along the same lines of “you get it as action progresses”, only it’s less action that evolves them – and, I felt, less attention given to the vampire hunters side. As a reader who appreciates strong, well-built villains (at times, more than the heroes, might I add) I wished for more of that part of the worldbuilding spectrum, but that’s obviously my subjective view of things. As it is, the worldbuilding made sense in an active, on the go sort of way that I feel will appeal to readers who aren’t too crazy about the politics, and prefer the gutsy action side of things instead.
Where I felt the novel shined was the characters department, and yet it was also the department that frustrated me the most. There’s a lot I truly appreciate about these characters, from the struggles and issues they face (family life, romance, sexuality, health) – not only Kylie, but all female characters – to how they cope with or resolve those tensions. Since it’s a story about a 25 yo woman discovering herself, exploring her first relationship (physical and emotional), this is NA to me.
Our main character, Kylie, had a lot of that “figuring myself out” kind of charm, she was conflictied about her sexuality (and sexuality in general, to begin with), and I really got emotionally invested in her struggles and tribulations. The whole vampire clan contributed to that quite well, Kylie’s mother especially, and Olivia played a really good part in it for at least the first half of the novel.
The story was fun, not shocking though appropriately brutal in places, like when the vampires hunted/fed, well put together and, for the first half or so of the novel, with a great tempo for my reading pleasure. I’ll reiterate something I mention in all my reviews, which is I’m not in it for the agitated action, but rather the worldbuilding, character-building & relationship-building. To me, good, at times slower-paced character-building will always, always trump any kind of agitated action, and I’ll never love a book (movie, and so on) based on action. It’s just not my thing. I like an alert pace to a story because of it’s repercussions on character and world building, not for its own sake. Now, that being said, to me the novel felt somewhat rushed for the last half or so. The charm and fun of the read slowly dwindled away in favor of, well… agitated action. Sure, it made sense in the context, it sped up as we got nearer to the end, I’ll also say it felt like it skipped a bit of clarification in a spot or two for the sake of alertness (like the jump from attraction to emotional involvement in the Kylie/Olivia relationship, and the vampire hunters confrontation moment). To me it felt like there had been that build-up in a first draft maybe, but then it was abandoned in favor of making the read more “dynamic” and giving it a more rapid pace. To me, that’s not a plus. If you’re into action and thrills and the “get it as you go” approach, you’ll probably enjoy that. To me it felt like a loss, because the first half or so of the novel didn’t feel rushed, took the time to build up tension and interest and strength, while the last part got certainly more rapid and I guess exciting, but losing some of that charm the first part had.
The third person narrative, past tense, from Kylie’s POV was interesting and I liked her voice. I also very much liked the intense, sort of raw sexual vibe that Kylie/Olivia had, Fiona Zedde’s style certainly shined there – the chemistry was hot, palpable, explosive…for that first part. Then came the more rapid pace of events and I felt all the parts I truly loved about the novel were somehow lost, less focused on.
The cover and blurb are hooking, and it would certainly make for impulsive buy in one of my LGBT paranormal moods.
All in all, this was a great read in some respects – diversity, characters who aren’t your average Caucasian middle-class “universal” type, hot one on one and great romantic chemistry, interesting points touched on, but it became frustrating as it progressed. I was left with a very disoriented sense of loving to bits one part and not liking the other as much. This could have easily been a 5 stars reading experience for me, and I have no doubt it will be even more fun for those of you who are into rapid action.
Review
I’m going with the extended Review format, not the Fluttering Thoughts on this one because I feel there’s more to say than the shorter 5 points approach. As you’ve noticed, I tend to use this format for books I really loved, books that touched me, but you’ll say “this is 3 stars, not a 5, so what’s up?”. There were parts of this novel I loved so much that I wanted it to end as a 5 stars. Let’s get one thing straight, it could have easily been a 5 stars reading experience for me. Easily, I’ll say it again.
The worldbuilding was interesting, perhaps not overly focused on and detailed – rather the “you get it as action progresses” kind of vibe. I’m cool with that too, and though there weren’t very clear lines drawn from the get go, it’s easy to get a good sense of what’s going on and who’s who, particularly about Kylie’s vampire clan. To balance it out, the way the opposing force is built is more or less along the same lines of “you get it as action progresses”, only it’s less action that evolves them – and, I felt, less attention given to the vampire hunters side. As a reader who appreciates strong, well-built villains (at times, more than the heroes, might I add) I wished for more of that part of the worldbuilding spectrum, but that’s obviously my subjective view of things. As it is, the worldbuilding made sense in an active, on the go sort of way that I feel will appeal to readers who aren’t too crazy about the politics, and prefer the gutsy action side of things instead.
Where I felt the novel shined was the characters department, and yet it was also the department that frustrated me the most. There’s a lot I truly appreciate about these characters, from the struggles and issues they face (family life, romance, sexuality, health) – not only Kylie, but all female characters – to how they cope with or resolve those tensions. Since it’s a story about a 25 yo woman discovering herself, exploring her first relationship (physical and emotional), this is NA to me.
Our main character, Kylie, had a lot of that “figuring myself out” kind of charm, she was conflictied about her sexuality (and sexuality in general, to begin with), and I really got emotionally invested in her struggles and tribulations. The whole vampire clan contributed to that quite well, Kylie’s mother especially, and Olivia played a really good part in it for at least the first half of the novel.
The story was fun, not shocking though appropriately brutal in places, like when the vampires hunted/fed, well put together and, for the first half or so of the novel, with a great tempo for my reading pleasure. I’ll reiterate something I mention in all my reviews, which is I’m not in it for the agitated action, but rather the worldbuilding, character-building & relationship-building. To me, good, at times slower-paced character-building will always, always trump any kind of agitated action, and I’ll never love a book (movie, and so on) based on action. It’s just not my thing. I like an alert pace to a story because of it’s repercussions on character and world building, not for its own sake. Now, that being said, to me the novel felt somewhat rushed for the last half or so. The charm and fun of the read slowly dwindled away in favor of, well… agitated action. Sure, it made sense in the context, it sped up as we got nearer to the end, I’ll also say it felt like it skipped a bit of clarification in a spot or two for the sake of alertness (like the jump from attraction to emotional involvement in the Kylie/Olivia relationship, and the vampire hunters confrontation moment). To me it felt like there had been that build-up in a first draft maybe, but then it was abandoned in favor of making the read more “dynamic” and giving it a more rapid pace. To me, that’s not a plus. If you’re into action and thrills and the “get it as you go” approach, you’ll probably enjoy that. To me it felt like a loss, because the first half or so of the novel didn’t feel rushed, took the time to build up tension and interest and strength, while the last part got certainly more rapid and I guess exciting, but losing some of that charm the first part had.
The third person narrative, past tense, from Kylie’s POV was interesting and I liked her voice. I also very much liked the intense, sort of raw sexual vibe that Kylie/Olivia had, Fiona Zedde’s style certainly shined there – the chemistry was hot, palpable, explosive…for that first part. Then came the more rapid pace of events and I felt all the parts I truly loved about the novel were somehow lost, less focused on.
The cover and blurb are hooking, and it would certainly make for impulsive buy in one of my LGBT paranormal moods.
All in all, this was a great read in some respects – diversity, characters who aren’t your average Caucasian middle-class “universal” type, hot one on one and great romantic chemistry, interesting points touched on, but it became frustrating as it progressed. I was left with a very disoriented sense of loving to bits one part and not liking the other as much. This could have easily been a 5 stars reading experience for me, and I have no doubt it will be even more fun for those of you who are into rapid action.
March 15, 2022
A fantastic sequel. Another great book by Fiona Zedde.
April 5, 2025
I love Zedde’s book. I’m not a harsh critic so it held my attention and turned me on lol. However, some parts were too close to incest and that threw me off.
July 29, 2025
Exciting
Great read. Very exciting, unexpected twists and turns on every level. I highly enjoyed this read. Can't wait for the next installment
Great read. Very exciting, unexpected twists and turns on every level. I highly enjoyed this read. Can't wait for the next installment
February 11, 2017
it was ok
I found the story to be ok. i found myself skipping over parts. i felt there could have been more to the story
I found the story to be ok. i found myself skipping over parts. i felt there could have been more to the story
August 19, 2015
I Desire More... # Vampires
I love the way Fiona Zedde writes this story, which includes unexpected yet genuinely deep love between lesbian women, the realism of mortality with breast cancer, and the values of when family betrays you; as well as when the have your back. Most importantly, I am intrigued by how Fiona uncovers a society of vampires living in the present day, in a way that lets the reader feel raw yet sincerely vulnerable as this story takes you on a journey of suspense like no other! I still have yet to catch up on reading "Every Dark Desire" so I can get ready for her upcoming third installment of her vampire series. I am so excited!!!!
I love the way Fiona Zedde writes this story, which includes unexpected yet genuinely deep love between lesbian women, the realism of mortality with breast cancer, and the values of when family betrays you; as well as when the have your back. Most importantly, I am intrigued by how Fiona uncovers a society of vampires living in the present day, in a way that lets the reader feel raw yet sincerely vulnerable as this story takes you on a journey of suspense like no other! I still have yet to catch up on reading "Every Dark Desire" so I can get ready for her upcoming third installment of her vampire series. I am so excited!!!!
September 21, 2014
There are parts of the story that I actually like (e.g. the humanity Kylie losses and struggles to re-gain.) There are some other parts that I just find it unbelievable (e.g. Last part when Olivia loss her family but still end up being with Kylie). There are some pretty good scenes inside, but in general for me this is just an okay read.
October 13, 2016
2.75 didn't expect to be reading about vampires again ahaha
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews