Walk in Moonlight

Rating:
Summary: Extract from WIM review printed in Eroticus magazine
Review: ...Our heroine is Dixie LePage, a librarian who inherits the estate of her deceased great-aunts, and decides it is the perfect opportunity to flee America and the fiancé who jilted her. Despite her land and new-found wealth, Dixie finds that life in the town of Bringham isn't as quaint and simple as it might seem. At first she is able to pass things off to herself as unlucky coincidences which are nothing to do with her at all, but as she discovers more about the residents - past and present - of Bringham, and about her own family history, she realises she is in quite deep water - then someone starts making attempts on her life. As if finding out about a rather blotchy past weren't enough, Dixie also finds herself falling in love with Christopher Marlowe (yes, that Christopher Marlowe), 400 years her senior, a vampire with a conscience. Some people just get all the excitement. Dixie's enthusiastic courtship of Christopher - and his response, marred by her mortality - provides the backbone and romance of the story, and is one of the best aspects of the book. Walk in Moonlight is essentially a mystery/romance, but Laurey has created Dixie as an antidote to the type of heroine that usually (and unfortunately) populates novels of either genre. She is independent in the realistic sense, not in the sense of being independent until a big, strong man comes along. She is also smart, strong, gutsy, and easy to identify with - a real woman. The book's moments of humour come from Dixie's strength and the culture shock it gives to the vampires she starts associating with; Laurey makes several good points about how a strong woman is still so confronting to patriarchal culture (alive and undead), without attempting to be too political about it. Walk in Moonlight is a first-class work - engaging, amusing, entertaining, unpredictable and sexy. Get yourself a copy and be prepared to be seduced by the sharply-drawn characters, the rich occult subplot, the suspense, and the eroticism. Highly original whilst at the same time managing to stay faithful to the vampire/fantasy and thriller genres, it is one of the best books I have read in a long time.

Rating:
Summary: Best new Vampire Saga of the year!
Review: Contemporary American Dixie LePage gets more than she bargained for when she travels to England to inspect the house she's inherited from her two unscrupulous great-aunts. There she meets two unusual men who both express interest in the contents of her library.......................and her.

Dixie's solicitor, Sebastian Caughleigh is in fact the leader of a corrupted wiccan cult. Unknown to Dixie, her two great-aunts had been witches as well, with powers that they used alternately to help the villagers.....and to blackmail them. It is presumed that somewhere in that library lurks the ledger that will make Sebastian's fortune. He will stop at nothing, not even murder to obtain those secrets. He would prefer to send Dixie packing ASAP.

The other man is Christopher Marlowe, Kit for short, is interested in obtaining the literature her library contains. Kit is a vampire. What is interesting here is that Christopher Marlowe truly lived at one time. He was a contemporary of William Shakespeare, his death at an early age is shrouded in mystery lending credibility to the scenario portrayed so skillfully by Ms. Laurey. Walk In Moonlight blends fiction, fact, humor and romance to create a wholly believable tale.

For their own protection the vampire community keeps itself separate from the human race. Kit's contemporaries include his contemporary in life Thomas Kyd, and an ancient named Justin who created Kit. Both are interesting enough to warrant sequels.

While Sebastian is all too mortal, Kit cannot enter Dixie's home without an invitation. He must cultivate Dixie in order to obtain one, but he had not expected to be so taken with the lovely American. Of course he realizes that a relationship is not possible, he believes that Dixie would be appalled if she knew of his true nature. He does a remarkable job of fooling her but certain things just don't add up. He is also aware of Sebastian's interest and has reason to dislike the man. Before he knows what's hit him, he finds himself in the role of her protector. Unfortunately Sebastian is on to him as well and Kit finds that he is unable to protect himself.

Sebastian doesn't appeal to Dixie in the least. Kit is a different story. The more time she spends with him the more she comes to care. Sebastian's greed goes beyond the book belonging to Dixie's deceased relatives, he knows exactly what Kit is and believes by destroying him, he will gain Kit's power for himself. He believes he has succeeded and in truth he very nearly does. But Ms. Laurey turns the tables quite cleverly as the protected becomes the savior. Dixie, faced with the evidence of her beloved's true nature, is the only one who can rescue Kit from a fate far worse than the death he's already experienced.

Sebastian's plot takes a further twist as he goes on a killing spree, implicating Kit, who naturally has disappeared. Now the only one who stands between him and his goal is Dixie. Will she become the next victim or can Kit and Dixie find a way to thwart Sebastian and compel him to turn himself in before it's too late? Can two such totally different beings of different era's, places, and general makeup, find the means to be together in the way that their hearts desire? The answer may surprise you.

I adore strong heroines and Dixie LePage is definitively one of these. Kit is a truly marvelous hero as well. As with most paranormal novels it is the province of the author to establish "the rules". I've always found it deliciously ironic that a being with supernatural strength and rapid healing ability could also be so extremely vulnerable. Ms. Laurey invented some new vampire "rules" as well. Humor abounds as this modern day woman contends with a trio of extremely proper historical vampires. A thoroughly enjoyable and a highly recommend read. I fervently hope for those sequels!

Leslie Tramposch ~Managing Editor of PNR (Paranormal Romance)

Rating:
Summary: lackluster moonlight
Review: Somebody should have proof read this book. There's so many typographical errors it is scary.

The premise of this story was interesting. Vampires and witches in a small English town. It was an all right story overall. I could have lived without the over the top harlequin novel descriptions of sex. I don't mind sex, but I do mind descriptions like "her nacre colored mounds." What? Dixie also clings to "Kit's vampire arm." We know it's a vampire arm. He's a vampire! Also, there seemed to be a lot of strange conveniences, such as, why did the witches leave Kit out to burn? Why didn't they stick around to make sure he was dead? Seems to me they should have learned something from Bond by now. What happened to all those precious books Kit was obsessed with? Did they burn up? Who cares, let's move on to more "vampire sex"! And why is it that Dixie is the one to come up with the resolution to their problems? These vampires have been around for 400 years, you'd think they would have figured a few things out by now!

I won't be moving on to the next installment.