Raphael Book Review

Synopsis:

Malibu, California—home to rock-and-roll gods and movie stars, the beautiful, the rich . . . and vampires. Powerful and charismatic, Raphael is a Vampire Lord, one of the few who hold the power of life and death over every vampire in existence. Thousands call him Master and have pledged absolute loyalty on their very lives. But when, in a brazen and deadly daylight attack, a gang of human killers kidnaps the one female vampire he’d give his life for, Raphael turns to a human investigator to find his enemies before it’s too late. Cynthia Leighton is smart, tough and sexy, a private investigator and former cop who’s tired of spying on cheating spouses and digging out old bank accounts. When Raphael asks for her help in tracking down the kidnappers, Cyn’s happy to accept. But she soon realizes her greatest danger comes not from the humans, but from Raphael himself. Battling Russian mobsters and treacherous vampires, and betrayed by those they trusted, Cyn and Raphael find themselves fighting for their lives while caught up in a passion of blood and violence that is destined to destroy them both. 

My Review:

Raphael is the first in the Vampire In America series, and I must say I am hooked.  I loved the romance/suspense feel to this book and will admit I have already read book 2, Jabril.  This world of both humans and vampires that D.B. Reynolds has created is intriguing to me in that it is very "real".  This isn't your dark, spooky, coming out of graveyards and caskets vampire story.  This is a modern world where vampires and humans exist, both aware of and living together.  Lord Vampire Raphael rules one of eight regions and has the power of life and death over thousands of vampires.  He is a powerful, rich, sexy, mind controlling hero who has a heart of gold and rules with fairness but with absolute power.  He does not expect his orders to be questioned...ever!  But he has met his match in the human bombshell Private Investigator, Cynthia Leighton.  Cyn (Raphael thinks "Sin" as he looks her up and down the first time they meet & his fangs come out!) is a P.I., formerly a police officer, who is a kick*ss, self-sufficient, fearless, smart heroine who trusts very few people and lets even fewer get close.  She works alone and doesn't give a sh*t whether Raphael likes the way she handles things or not.  The two experience an instant, sexual attraction when Raphael hires her to help find a vampire who is kidnapped from him in a major power-play while he is away.  The abductors were human, thus Raphael needs a human who can think like them and get in their world to track them down.  And so the mysterious and intriguing plot thickens and explodes as their journey begins, and they come to realize that their attraction is much stronger and deeper than just sex.  Sooner or later, they will have to come to terms with the emotions that neither one of them knows how to handle.  This was a great read, grabbing me and pulling me into a world that seems very real and yet sub-real at the same time.  The characters are strong and the sexual tension and romance grows as the danger and suspense builds.  Everything was not resolved in the ending of this book so I recommend having book 2, Jabril, ready to read immediately after although it was not a terrible cliffhanger...just enticement to read more!  I loved it!  A must read for lovers of romance/suspense/pnr/uf.


Rating:  4 beautiful ♥♥♥♥'s...And that's the truth...

Cross My Heart...xxx

Sandra 



Quotes:

"How did you know?" Raphael asked.  He had a warm, rich voice that flowed like sweet honey, a voice she could not only hear with her ears, but taste with her tongue, feel its heat against her lips.  She licked those lips self-consciously and wondered if he was using some sort of magical vampire influence on her.  
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"Yes, I want you.  I want you until I can think of little else," she whispered, not even trying to break away from him.  "You stalk my dreams and haunt even my days when I should be free of you.  Every nerve in my body is tortured with wanting you, wanting to touch you, to fuck you, to have you fill me until I scream with the delicious pain of it and beg for more."
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 Raphael came through the door like a child's nightmare, his eyes glowing an almost solid silver with wrath, his gleaming fangs fully extended, blood painting his mouth a brilliant red, dripping from his chin to shine wetly against the tattered remains of his black shirt.  His huge chest was heaving with the fury of his breath, and his hands curled into claws as his gaze found her and he growled a warning.  "Release her, human."
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Raphael smiled then, a slow, predatory baring of teeth.  "Asshole?  I don't think anyone has dared use that word to me in a few hundred years, at least not in my hearing."

"Which is probably why you're such a big one sometimes."  Cyn grinned up at him, then sobered.  "Listen, I've got a lot of information for you--"

"Later," he said.  "I want you now."