Defiance

Rating:
Summary: An Interesting Read
Review: Admittedly, I picked this book up because of the NICE cover, but I also liked the synopsis on the back. This book reads kind of like a mixture of everything. A little soap opera drama here, a little action there. A little mystery over here, and a little suspense over there. Bloodsucking. Some erotic stuff. The main character, Erica Manning, takes a little getting used to, what with her constant need to get it on with anyone within reach. Some people don't like those kinds of characters. But, her actions are understandable since her vampirism is a part of the reason why she has no real sense of self-control (although there are other more human reasons). I don't recall there ever being any vampire in any book or movie with the kind of problem she has.
But, Erica is still an interesting character. She may do some totally crazy things (like a certain something that was a little off-putting but was tastefully written as to not be offense), but Erica is sassy, smart, and very funny (this is in addition to her being a drop-dead gorgeous vampire). And, she doesn't put up with any bull, either.
The hero, her boyfriend, Ryan, is also a vampire of a different color. For a bloodsucker, he is rather tame and mild-mannered most of the time, but when you push him to the limit, watch out! He surprisingly puts up with Erica's shenanigans, but there are a few guys in the world would do the same thing, so it is realistic that he does, too. Personally, I think he should think about permanently shacking up with Natasha, one of the main sub-characters. She was a sweetie!
The main villain is one that isn't exactly original nowadays, but the writer gives her an interesting back-story. And, he successfully generates suspense every time she shows up in the book. I mean, this chick spent most of the time stalking everyone and either killing people or really hurting them! And, each time she showed up, I kept wondering what was she was going to do next and what she was going to do to the main characters once she got a hold of them (it isn't pretty; in fact, it gets tragic; and even then, there was a twist!). The way she is dealt with at the end blew my mind!
Overall, an interesting read. It is not Stephen King chills, but it is still an interesting take on vampires (their ability to use shadows and darkness was cool!). There are even a couple of werewolf characters in it. According to the writer's website, he wrote some other books starring the same characters, so I will give them a read.