Darkness Calls

The Calling #1

by Caridad Piñeiro

After the death of her father during a drive-by shooting, FBI Agent Diana Reyes's world had spiraled into the darkness. 

Since then she's battled to stay out of that underworld as she works as an FBI Agent.  But when an investigation to catch a psychotic killer throws her together with sexy nightclub owner Ryder Latimer, she feels herself losing that tenuous grip.  Can she resist the sensual promises of the man whose secrets threaten all that she's accomplished?

Ryder Latimer has been living in the darkness since being turned during the Civil War.

For centuries Ryder has lived without the hope of regaining the life he lost and the love of a woman.  A woman who has been haunting him in his dreams.  When he meets strong and sexy FBI Agent Diana Reyes, he realizes she can be the one who finally restore the humanity he'd thought he'd lost. But will she stay once she discovers his secret:  that he's more than a lover of the night; he's a vampire.

Genres: Paranormal, Vampires, Paranormal Romance, Romance, Harlequin, New York, Harlequin Nocturne

217 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 1, 2004

About the author

Caridad Pineiro is a transplanted Long Island girl who has fallen in love with the Jersey Shore. When Caridad isn’t taking long strolls along the boardwalk, she’s also a NY Times and USA Today bestselling author with over a million romance novels sold worldwide. Caridad is passionate about writing and helping others explore and develop their skills as writers. She is a founding member of the Liberty States Fiction Writers and has presented workshops at the RT Book Club Convention, Romance Writers of America National Conference as well as various writing organizations throughout the country. You can connect with Caridad at www.caridad.com. You can also find Caridad on:

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Reviews

[Madison Warner Fairbanks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Darkness Calls by Caridad Pineiro
Paranormal vampire romance. Originally published by Silhouette. Latina heroine.
FBI agent Diana Reyes is investigating a serial killer that seems to be selecting victims from a specific bar. Working undercover, she finds the owner, Ryder Latimer, is more than expected. She can’t resist his vampire allure. But can she trust him?

Police investigation, a serial killer, a vampire, and lots of steamy passion.
Fast moving, suspense, and a surprisingly non alpha vampire hero that you can’t help falling in love with. Originally published in 2004. Some minor technologies are outdated but overall holds up for current readers.

[Ashley Yungbluth · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Darkness Calls" is the first book in "The Calling is Reborn" series by Caridad Pineiro. I really enjoyed this first book in the series. Caridad did a great job introducing the characters and keeping my attention. I enjoy reading vampire books, and this was a good one
My favorite scene was when Ryder and Diana were going to a restaurant, and Ryder had his "assistant" meet him in the restroom. I also liked what Diana ordered while she was waiting for Ryder. I will be reading the next book soon.

[Starry · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Falling Prey to Passion FBI agent Diana Reyes knew too much about the darkness of the human soul. She had spiraled into that underworld once before and vowed never to fall again. Until she met him.
Powerful, dangerous and the key to catching a psychotic killer, Ryder Latimer was everything she couldn't have and everything she wanted. He haunted her nights, shattered her reserve and made her feel...more than she ever had before.

But once she learned his secret, would his sensual promises of eternal love be enough to garner her forgiveness? For Ryder was more than a lover of the night...he was a vampire."
_______________________________________________________________________
Diana was on an undercover mission to try to see if she can find the guy who murdered the two girls, so she goes to the club where the girls were last seen...and she meets Ryder in a bad encounter, also known as the owner and boss of the club.
Ryder couldn't believe his eyes when he saw a lady on the dance floor, one whom he dreampt about the past couple of weeks or so. So when he relizes that she's at his club undercover, he starts to help out from there and is always trying to fight his desire for her.
There are complications in this story, and at the end Ryder gets kidnapped by the murderer, and was tortured and stabbed over and over again, but that stopped when Diana and Melissa, and Sebastian(Diana's brother) came to the rescue...after that Diana relized that she loves Ryder and finally accepts to give Ryder another chance for their relationship, Melissa formed a little crush on Sebastian, The MurderER killed himself, and everythings great. Ryder even is healing greatly.

#60

[Crystal · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this because the reviews were decent and it's a complete series. It's a good little read, quick and easy. Has some great h/h scenes and she uses basic vamp lore so nothing new or unique there but it also helps you jump right into the tale without a lot of messy back story.

the mystery part isn't too shabby, only a few places I'd question if law enforcement would really have done a certain thing but I'm not going to go look it up.

Good quick read for a first in the series.

[Jenese · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to really really like this one, but it just wasn't that great to me. I loved that Diana is a Latina heroine, since there are so few, but it wasn't enough. The book was ok, but there were cheesy lines and spanish lines thrown in that doesn't seem realistic. Ryder, to me was lacking. He was dark and mysterious but he wasn't the strong alpha male that I like in a hero. Diana was able to kick his ass on several occasions, which is a turn off to me. Maybe one day I'll try the other books on the series and see if it gets better.

[Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first ever Latina Vampire series. Gotta love it.

[Sandra B · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 Stars. This was a typical, but solid vampire romance. The heroine is Latina, which is wonderful to find in a 2004 novel. In the beginning she is written to be a a hardcore cop and she reads thorny and not very likable.This coupled with the fact that the the hero is not the most dynamic character for the first 100 pages or so, makes this a slow start novel. However, it picks up about halfway through and the characters become more refined. I appreciated the more feminist takes, the references to the hero's long history and I found the serial killer storyline was compelling. I will continue with the series.


Romance Tropes: Billionaire, kidnapped, dark secret and damsel/dude in distress
Paranormal Tropes: Vampires (traditional), nods to fated or soul mates and morality chain.
"A book of its time" problems: Written in 2004, there were very few issues with the age of this book. It discusses video tapes and security tapes, not digital but nothing distracting.
Tigger Warnings: Murder, serial killer and torture
Spice: Sex on page at about the 50% mark, can be skipped without loss of plot

[Hope · Rating 4 out of 5]

Now I want to re-watch the vampire show Moonlight with Alex O'Loughlin. And break out my Team Edward t-shirt...

Things come in cycles and I'm happy to say vampires are on the way back. And are more diverse than they were 20 years ago. Which makes this a bit of a gem because it had a Latina lead back in 2004!

Special Agent in Charge Diana Reyes is after a killer who likes to target women from a nightclub known as The Lair. The sexy owner Ryder agrees to help her find the killer but clearly has a secret of his own. Can they both learn to let down their defenses and love again?

Tropes are in so here you go:
-He falls first
-Enemies(ish) to lovers (I mean she beats him up a bunch so I guess?)
-Forbidden love (vampires duh)
-She saves him
-Punchy heroine (instead of trying to stab him a lot she tries to punch him a lot)

[Tammy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Darkness Calls is a very dark and sensual paranormal romance. FBI agent Diana and vampire Ryder meet while Diana is investigating the case of a serial killer who appears to be getting his victims from Ryder’s bar. Although there is no sex until after the 50% point, I wouldn’t call the romance slow burn. The attraction is immediate and their chemistry is off the charts hot. The serial killer storyline is very interesting and as stated the romance is scorching. I recommend this book to anyone who likes dark and steamy vampire romance.

[Janet · Rating 3 out of 5]

SIM #1283 = More like 2.5+ stars

[Patty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love my vamps....

I don’t know why but I really enjoy vampire stories. This one had a bit of a twist to it that made it an easy yet very enjoyable read.

[Sally C · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fast-pased suspenseful story that keeps the reader entertained from beginning to end.

[Kimberly Prytherch · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quick and fun vampire romance with just the right amount of lore and drama!

[Tracie R · Rating 5 out of 5]

Darkness Calls is Magnificent

I found myself engrossed in Darkness Calls from the very beginning and quickly fell in love with the strength and emotions of the characters and their stories.

Ryder Latimer has chosen to live his life in the shadows. Owner of 'The Lair' a local nightclub Ryder is all too aware of what he is and what he has lost.

FBI Agent Diana Reyes is good at what she does but she has let her personal heartache spiral her out of control before and she is determined to not let it happen again.

A spree of killings has led Diana and her partner to 'The Lair' a popular nightclub to try and catch the killer. Ryder is stopped in his tracks when he sees Diana and know he should stay away but with a killer on the loose he will not be able to stay in the shadows forever. Diana will need Ryder's help to solve her case, but will Ryder tell Diana the truth before things go to far and will they catch the killer before Diana ends up being his next victim.

I loved reading Darkness Calls and look forward to reading the rest of the series.

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

this book wasn't bad by any means but I did find it rather boring. the heroine is badass with a past that should give her a vulnerability but instead just makes her prickly. the jero really doesn't have much of a personality beyond his constant struggle with the "animal" inside him. the romance between the two was underdeveloped and felt forced. there was zero chemistry so the sex scenes weren't terribly sexy. the plot wasn't bad but for some reason it just didn't hold my interest. the vampire part of the plot almost felt crammed in there. like the story could have been written and might've been better with the hero as a mortal. we aren't really given any vampire mythology other than sun and garlic are bad amd blood lust is strong...nothing that makes vamps an integral part of the story. the writing was good but it just lacked that spark that makes you unable to put a book down. I wouldn't recommend/reread and I dount I'll read the sequels.

[Maria · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although published in 2004, this novel follows more the brooding isolated vampire model of the end of the 20th century. It looks like thre series evolves quickly into somthing else in following books. The female protagonist is very strong and there are clear feminist statements. In that sense, it is very contemporary. The author and the female protagonist are both Latina, and it is well reflected in the novel but without making it the central point.

[Silverana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Many of the vampire characteristics were old, very different from those found in recent vampire books. I was upset at that several times and at the end I wasn't sure what exactly would come of the main characters in the long run, would the female character agree to be changed or just stay with the male character? But overall the book was good.

[Esther · Rating 4 out of 5]

Holy vamp hotness Batman! This is my first read by Caridad piñeiro and I have to say, thoroughly enjoyed Diana and Ryder's story. It was a great twist of a love story. Suspense, romance, passion, mystery and promise of more awesome books to come. Look forward to catching up and reading the rest of the series.

[Michelle Leah Olson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Now I know why these kept getting put back at the top of my TBR list/pile... EXCELLENT!!!!!
I can't wait to continue on with the Calling. :-)

[Karin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read Caridad’s books since The Chicas and I still enjoy them. This one had me rooting for both Ryder and Diana. I enjoyed the story and highly recommend the book.