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Out of the Shadows
Here, for the first time in one volume, are two complete novels in Linda Lael Miller's acclaimed New York Times bestselling world of vampires and mortals, lovers and legends.
Forever and the Night introduces readers to Aidan Tremayne, a vampire damned to a bloodthirsty immortality against his will...and Neely Wallace, a mortal woman who arouses a forbidden temptation that could destroy them both.
For All Eternity is the passionate story of Aidan's twin sister, Maeve Tremayne, a beautiful vampire who haunts the battlefields of Gettysburg like an angel of death...and who dares to lose her soul to a mortal soldier.
Forever and the Night introduces readers to Aidan Tremayne, a vampire damned to a bloodthirsty immortality against his will...and Neely Wallace, a mortal woman who arouses a forbidden temptation that could destroy them both.
For All Eternity is the passionate story of Aidan's twin sister, Maeve Tremayne, a beautiful vampire who haunts the battlefields of Gettysburg like an angel of death...and who dares to lose her soul to a mortal soldier.
465 pages, Paperback
First published April 1, 2002
2 people are currently reading
260 people want to read
About the author
Linda Lael Miller
553 books3,228 followersThe daughter of a town marshal, Linda Lael Miller is a #1 New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author of more than 100 historical and contemporary novels, most of which reflect her love of the West. Raised in Northport, Washington, Linda pursued her wanderlust, living in London and Arizona and traveling the world before returning to the state of her birth to settle down on a spacious property outside Spokane.
Linda traces the birth of her writing career to the day when a Northport teacher told her that the stories she was writing were good, that she just might have a future in writing. Later, when she decided to write novels, she endured her share of rejection before she sold Fletcher’s Woman in 1983 to Pocket Books. Since then, Linda has successfully published historicals, contemporaries, paranormals, mysteries and thrillers before coming home, in a literal sense, and concentrating on novels with a Western flavor. For her devotion to her craft, the Romance Writers of America awarded her their prestigious Nora Roberts Lifetime Achievement Award in 2007.
Long a passionate Civil War buff, Linda has studied the era avidly for almost thirty years. She has read literally hundreds of books on the subject, explored numerous battlegrounds and made many visits to her favorite, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, where she has witnessed re-enactments of the legendary clash between North and South. Linda explores that turbulent time in The Yankee Widow, a May 7, 2019 MIRA Books hardcover, also available in digital and audiobook formats.
Dedicated to helping others, “The First Lady of the West” personally financed fifteen years of her Linda Lael Miller Scholarships for Women, which she awarded to women 25 years and older who were seeking to improve their lot in life through education. She anticipates that her next charitable endeavors will benefit four-legged critters.
More information about Linda and her novels is available at www.lindalaelmiller.com, on Facebook and from Nancy Berland Public Relations, nancy@nancyberland.com, 405-206-4748.
Linda traces the birth of her writing career to the day when a Northport teacher told her that the stories she was writing were good, that she just might have a future in writing. Later, when she decided to write novels, she endured her share of rejection before she sold Fletcher’s Woman in 1983 to Pocket Books. Since then, Linda has successfully published historicals, contemporaries, paranormals, mysteries and thrillers before coming home, in a literal sense, and concentrating on novels with a Western flavor. For her devotion to her craft, the Romance Writers of America awarded her their prestigious Nora Roberts Lifetime Achievement Award in 2007.
Long a passionate Civil War buff, Linda has studied the era avidly for almost thirty years. She has read literally hundreds of books on the subject, explored numerous battlegrounds and made many visits to her favorite, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, where she has witnessed re-enactments of the legendary clash between North and South. Linda explores that turbulent time in The Yankee Widow, a May 7, 2019 MIRA Books hardcover, also available in digital and audiobook formats.
Dedicated to helping others, “The First Lady of the West” personally financed fifteen years of her Linda Lael Miller Scholarships for Women, which she awarded to women 25 years and older who were seeking to improve their lot in life through education. She anticipates that her next charitable endeavors will benefit four-legged critters.
More information about Linda and her novels is available at www.lindalaelmiller.com, on Facebook and from Nancy Berland Public Relations, nancy@nancyberland.com, 405-206-4748.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
March 18, 2017
There are two books in this edition, and my review is for the first, FOREVER AND THE NIGHT. And this is a really long review, so be warned. Spoilers ahead!
I thought I knew what I was getting into when I agreed to buddy read this book with Nenia (her amazing review is here). I expected a bland, boring vampire romance along the lines of Midnight Embrace—a book so full of pointless angst and schmaltz I wouldn't be able to stand it.
Well, this book was that. It was also a huge, steaming pile of WHAT. THE. FUCK.
Neely is a human woman who used to work for a U.S. senator and then found out some incriminating evidence, which she turned over to corrupt FBI agents, and now she has to hide or they'll kill her. But apparently they know where she's hiding so it's only a matter of time. Still, she's in no hurry to move along. Courting danger and all that.
Aidan is a centuries-old vampire who hates vampirism. His human life was taken from him against his will by a vampire named Lisette. He has two friends: his twin sister Maeve, and Valerian, a male vampire whose feelings for Aidan are somewhere between that of a lover and a protector.
Our two leads have two very brief encounters, one dream encounter, and then on their third in-person meeting they're suddenly in love. Like, soul-deep, undying love. They would do anything for each other! They'll never love another again!
Typical. Aidan is there to protect Neely from the human bad guys after her, but he himself is too dangerous to be with her. But... that doesn't stop him from flaunting his strange vampire powers. Powers such as the ability to sex her with his mind. From across the room. Oh yes, that happens in this book. Neely even feels like Aidan is entering her (or "gliding inside her" as this book terms it at a later point) but he never actually touches her. Because he's too dangerous and doesn't want to lose control. His need for her is just that great.
Among other powers, these vampires have the ability to travel back in time at will, like undead time machines. They can walk, talk, and feed in the past (conveniently, they keep period clothing on hand for such jaunts). They wear capes with red lining (as a private joke, of course).
All these vampires had trouble controlling their emotions. Their eyes were always brimming with tears at the unending, unbearable despair of it all. Like, they seriously couldn't handle emotions. They never learned any sort of coping skills. The one vampire I liked, Valerian, turned out to be just as emo as the rest of them. I couldn't take him seriously after he willed himself to a tiny walled-up space in order to howl with despair at the thought of Aidan loving Neely. Just go on a killing spree like a normal vampire spurned. Jeez.
As expected, Neely gets captured at one point in the story by the people who are after her (she literally just goes to the house of the senator she worked for and declares that she's tired of running, and then they pop out to grab her). They take her and the senator to a remote cabin and start setting up house, as bad guys do. Why they're waiting to kill them I'm not really sure. Anyway, Aidan shows up to rescue her.
And this is where we get to the most WTF part of the story. Because Aidan shows up in a Nazi uniform.
A FUCKING NAZI UNIFORM.
I could only draw one of three conclusions from this.
1) He used to be a Nazi and saved the uniform just in case he would need it in the future.
2) He once drank the blood of a Nazi and took the uniform just in case he would need it in the future.
3) On his way to save Neely, he stopped by a museum and stole the uniform from a display.
None of which make the least bit of sense. It's later revealed when he's talking to Valerian that the uniform is stolen, but from where? How? Why? WHAT THE FUCK. This is only explained by Aidan saying he "had to wear something." BUT WHY DID YOU HAVE TO WEAR A NAZI UNIFORM. He even speaks to the bad guys in a German accent. I just... I don't... WHAT?
Moving on from that...
Nothing in this book was explained—the mythology of vampires, their abilities, the other creatures existing concurrently with vampires (angels, witches, and warlocks), or the Brotherhood of Vampires or whatever it was called. Or if something was explained it was done so in the vaguest of terms. The author was overly fond of the word "gracious," and the sex was bad. So, so bad. The ending was quite possibly the longest, most drawn-out ending I have EVER read, which was doubly bad because by that time Aidan had been changed back into a man by the Warrior Angel named Nemesis (not explained, but it seems God and Heaven are just a given in this book). He and Neely meet as humans and are drawn to each other even though they have no memories of vampires or being a vampire. They decide to get married, and for some bizarre reason they're not going to have sex before getting married. O_o Okay... So we get to read about them doing a bunch of boring shit in their boring human lives before finally getting married and traveling the country in an RV.
And that's that. FOREVER AND THE NIGHT was published in 1993, and I think it tries to be a melding of traditional romance novels and Anne Rice-style vampires It's horrible at both. Honestly, I'm surprised I didn't violently hate it, but I can't give it anything more than one star.
Thanks for the buddy read, Nens! <3
I thought I knew what I was getting into when I agreed to buddy read this book with Nenia (her amazing review is here). I expected a bland, boring vampire romance along the lines of Midnight Embrace—a book so full of pointless angst and schmaltz I wouldn't be able to stand it.
Well, this book was that. It was also a huge, steaming pile of WHAT. THE. FUCK.
Neely is a human woman who used to work for a U.S. senator and then found out some incriminating evidence, which she turned over to corrupt FBI agents, and now she has to hide or they'll kill her. But apparently they know where she's hiding so it's only a matter of time. Still, she's in no hurry to move along. Courting danger and all that.
Aidan is a centuries-old vampire who hates vampirism. His human life was taken from him against his will by a vampire named Lisette. He has two friends: his twin sister Maeve, and Valerian, a male vampire whose feelings for Aidan are somewhere between that of a lover and a protector.
Our two leads have two very brief encounters, one dream encounter, and then on their third in-person meeting they're suddenly in love. Like, soul-deep, undying love. They would do anything for each other! They'll never love another again!
Typical. Aidan is there to protect Neely from the human bad guys after her, but he himself is too dangerous to be with her. But... that doesn't stop him from flaunting his strange vampire powers. Powers such as the ability to sex her with his mind. From across the room. Oh yes, that happens in this book. Neely even feels like Aidan is entering her (or "gliding inside her" as this book terms it at a later point) but he never actually touches her. Because he's too dangerous and doesn't want to lose control. His need for her is just that great.
Among other powers, these vampires have the ability to travel back in time at will, like undead time machines. They can walk, talk, and feed in the past (conveniently, they keep period clothing on hand for such jaunts). They wear capes with red lining (as a private joke, of course).
All these vampires had trouble controlling their emotions. Their eyes were always brimming with tears at the unending, unbearable despair of it all. Like, they seriously couldn't handle emotions. They never learned any sort of coping skills. The one vampire I liked, Valerian, turned out to be just as emo as the rest of them. I couldn't take him seriously after he willed himself to a tiny walled-up space in order to howl with despair at the thought of Aidan loving Neely. Just go on a killing spree like a normal vampire spurned. Jeez.
As expected, Neely gets captured at one point in the story by the people who are after her (she literally just goes to the house of the senator she worked for and declares that she's tired of running, and then they pop out to grab her). They take her and the senator to a remote cabin and start setting up house, as bad guys do. Why they're waiting to kill them I'm not really sure. Anyway, Aidan shows up to rescue her.
And this is where we get to the most WTF part of the story. Because Aidan shows up in a Nazi uniform.
A FUCKING NAZI UNIFORM.
Aidan lifted his hand in farewell. "Take care," he said, and then he simply faded away, boots, swastika, and all.
I could only draw one of three conclusions from this.
1) He used to be a Nazi and saved the uniform just in case he would need it in the future.
2) He once drank the blood of a Nazi and took the uniform just in case he would need it in the future.
3) On his way to save Neely, he stopped by a museum and stole the uniform from a display.
None of which make the least bit of sense. It's later revealed when he's talking to Valerian that the uniform is stolen, but from where? How? Why? WHAT THE FUCK. This is only explained by Aidan saying he "had to wear something." BUT WHY DID YOU HAVE TO WEAR A NAZI UNIFORM. He even speaks to the bad guys in a German accent. I just... I don't... WHAT?
Moving on from that...
Nothing in this book was explained—the mythology of vampires, their abilities, the other creatures existing concurrently with vampires (angels, witches, and warlocks), or the Brotherhood of Vampires or whatever it was called. Or if something was explained it was done so in the vaguest of terms. The author was overly fond of the word "gracious," and the sex was bad. So, so bad. The ending was quite possibly the longest, most drawn-out ending I have EVER read, which was doubly bad because by that time Aidan had been changed back into a man by the Warrior Angel named Nemesis (not explained, but it seems God and Heaven are just a given in this book). He and Neely meet as humans and are drawn to each other even though they have no memories of vampires or being a vampire. They decide to get married, and for some bizarre reason they're not going to have sex before getting married. O_o Okay... So we get to read about them doing a bunch of boring shit in their boring human lives before finally getting married and traveling the country in an RV.
And that's that. FOREVER AND THE NIGHT was published in 1993, and I think it tries to be a melding of traditional romance novels and Anne Rice-style vampires It's horrible at both. Honestly, I'm surprised I didn't violently hate it, but I can't give it anything more than one star.
Thanks for the buddy read, Nens! <3
March 6, 2012
This book sat untouched on my shelf for several years. Having read my share of vampire romance novels, at least I grew tired of the endless variations of vampire-meets-human, which became boring and less original with every sequel. What I did not take into account was the fact that this series was written well before the hype started, suggesting the author is one of the pioneers in this genre. The first book alone would provide material for several sequels in a series if written today, and it was a real pleasure reading it.
Forever and the Night
As suggested before, the first book in the series is a real treat. Of course we have our share of vampire romance, but already the author throws in a twist: Aidan Tremayne loathes being a vampire and and desperately wants to become human again. Throw in the concept of vampires being able to time-travel and the explanation of the vampire origin dating back to ancient Atlantis - could it be that the Argeneau family are mere descendants of the Tremaynes?! This story has so many facettes and details it tastes like rich double cream after years of low fat milk.
5 stars *****
For all Eternity
The second installment of this vampire series refers to Maeve Tremayne, Aidan's sister, and mainly consists of two story lines. One is the required vampire romance part, where Maeve falls in love with a human, but back in history. The other is Maeve's call to become the new vampire queen, which requires her to destroy the current leader of vampires. This book also explains a lot more about the party of angels, which where introduced in the first book and are the only true enemies of the vampires. This sequel was a real page-turner, too, though not quite as fascinating as the first part due to some minor lenghty passages.
4 stars ****
Forever and the Night
As suggested before, the first book in the series is a real treat. Of course we have our share of vampire romance, but already the author throws in a twist: Aidan Tremayne loathes being a vampire and and desperately wants to become human again. Throw in the concept of vampires being able to time-travel and the explanation of the vampire origin dating back to ancient Atlantis - could it be that the Argeneau family are mere descendants of the Tremaynes?! This story has so many facettes and details it tastes like rich double cream after years of low fat milk.
5 stars *****
For all Eternity
The second installment of this vampire series refers to Maeve Tremayne, Aidan's sister, and mainly consists of two story lines. One is the required vampire romance part, where Maeve falls in love with a human, but back in history. The other is Maeve's call to become the new vampire queen, which requires her to destroy the current leader of vampires. This book also explains a lot more about the party of angels, which where introduced in the first book and are the only true enemies of the vampires. This sequel was a real page-turner, too, though not quite as fascinating as the first part due to some minor lenghty passages.
4 stars ****
February 23, 2009
These books, Forever and the Night and For All Eternity, were both somewhat long and drawn-out. It didn't help that they were both about vampires, etc.
January 24, 2010
Ok, so here goes. This book was for my Circle of Friends for January. The first story, Forever And The Night, although it kept me wanting to know more (which is a good thing) was also a bit cheesy. There's nothing wrong with "love at first sight", but this was very unbelievable. The ending helped out because it was very unique for a vampire story. This story I could only give 3 stars. The second story, For All Eternity, was much better. The drama built throughout and I really liked the characters. The expected war with the vampires against the angels, was exciting. And to imagine yourself rooting for the vampires over the angels was funny. If the first book in this omnibus was the author's first, it would totally make sense that she got better as she went along. I just don't know. I am curious to read more, though...
March 1, 2011
I'm not going to finish this book. "Out of Shadows" is 2 novels and I have no desire to read the second part. The hero, Aiden, is a whiney, self-absorbed pain in the butt. I read the first 100 or so pages and skipped to the last chapter, just to see if he and Neely do get together. Valerian is one vampire friend is in love with him and he is just as pitiful. Aiden's twin sister, Maeve, isn't even likeable, so why would I read the 2nd novel which is about her. The only one that had any bite was the villain, Lisette and it wasn't much, since her main goal in life was to kill Aiden for his betrayal. I just couldn't read it all.
February 11, 2008
I've read this twice. It is a good mix of history, adventure, mystery and romance. It shows a more human side of vampires, if that's possible. I thought the characters were very real. I was intrigued and read way into the wee hours of the morning when I should've been sleeping because I had to work in the morning.
April 25, 2018
This was 2 books in 1. The 1st story was about Aiden Tramayne the vampire and his story, the second was about his twin sister Maeve's life (also vampire). Both were great love stories. Worth reading, especially for the vampire lover!
February 26, 2016
I liked the first novel in this volume more than the second. Valerian is a character and the Warlocks are interesting.
July 17, 2011
Vampires, warlocks, angels and mortals. Fun!
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January 7, 2014I enjoyed this book and the 2 stories it contained. Now I want to read the next 2 in the series!
December 29, 2012
Two books in one of my favorite vampire novellas
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews