Nightfall by Norah Wilson

Synopsis:

Aiden Afflack (a vampire) is as charming, sexy and easy-going as he is gorgeous. Unless you happen to be a rogue vampire, in which case he’s apt to be the last thing you see. Sam Shea is a wildly successful nature photographer whose prescient dreams lead her to some of the world’s most turbulent, awe-inspiring weather phenomena. 

When their paths cross and Aiden discovers that his proximity to Sam warps her psychic power, causing her to hone in on vampire violence instead of violent weather, he knows he’s found a priceless tool in his fight to rid the world of rogues. 

Sam has a deep-rooted aversion to having her powers exploited, but once her eyes have been opened to the lives she can help save, she can’t withhold her cooperation. But she can deny Aiden the other thing he wants from her, which makes her unique among women. And absolutely irresistible to Aiden!

Review:

I reviewed a book by Norah Wilson, not to long ago, it's actually the first book in this series. It was called The Merzetti Effect, and it was a really cool way of looking into how vampires really exist, as well as a really sweet love story. At the end of the book we are briefly introduced to Aiden, he's going to take care of a problem for the main characters of the last book. 

So when this book start, it starts right off with him taking care of the favor as he promised. Making sure the police chief of St. Cloud takes a hike after being a wife beater and general bad guy. Of course it's not as simple as that, there is a photographer who just happened to be watching the outside of the house that night, and stumbles upon Aiden. And then again in the park where she is certain he is attacking another man. Turns out the two of them make a pretty good team. 

I have to say I love the writing in Norah WIlson's books. I really enjoyed the first book, so I was completely expecting to enjoy this book as well. Her writing keeps me interested not only in the characters but also in the plot. The writing is smart and paced really well. There was seldom a moment in either of her two books that I have read where I wanted to put it down, in fact it was normally the opposite, I had to know what was going to happen next. 

I found the characters to be really interesting and likable. I really enjoyed the characters in her previous book, so I don't know what I was expecting from this book. I think the one thing that I was really happy about is how different these characters were from the ones in the first book. I think if they had been similar I wouldn't have been able to enjoy them as much as I did. I like that Aiden is a strong vampire, with a moral compass, that he is out to make sure that innocent people don't get hurt by rogue vampires. But what I really like was that Sam is a pretty unique character from what we saw in the first book. She has a psychic power, whereas in the last book Ainsley was strong but had no really active powers. So in this book you have not just one supernatural being with Aiden, but also with Sam. I think that it really helps propel this book. 

The two main characters, Aiden and Sam are great to watch together. In fact I think they are way more interesting when they are together then when they are apart, they compliment each other really well. They have great chemistry together on top of that, which lets face it is a big part of what makes a paranormal romance good. 

The only real complaint I could have about this book was really not a bad thing. There was not as much sitting on the edge of my seat waiting to see what would happen next as their was in the first book. But that being said it was still well paced, and a pretty good book in it's own right. 

Overall, I really did enjoy reading this book. I think the series is a really good one, and one that I think most paranormal romance readers will really enjoy. While as of right now, my favorite book in the series is the first one, this book is a worthy follow up and I am very interested in what is going to happen next in the series, who the author decides to write about next. I also believe one of the reason I enjoy this series so much is because I think it appeals to both the paranormal romance fan in me as well as the urban fantasy fan as well. So I think you should give this series a try!  

The Merzetti Effect by Norah Wilson

Synopsis:

Delano Bowen has been a medical doctor for a very long time. More than 170 years, in fact. For much of that time, he’s been searching for a way to reverse the curse foisted on him by a vampress who sought to own him. With the emergence of medical technology, he now also aims to develop a vaccine to protect the vulnerable from predation by rogue vampires. After a century of searching, he thinks he's found the key to his vaccine – a surviving descendent of the Merzetti family. The Merzettis were virtually hunted to extinction over the years by rogue vampires who feared the anti-vampirism properties in their blood. 

A foundling, nurse Ainsley Crawford has no idea that she carries a genetic gift, and Delano aims to keep it that way. He manipulates events to ensure her unwitting cooperation. But when Delano's arch enemy Radak Janecek mounts an all-out assault to destroy Delano and the fruits of his research, Delano is forced to draw Ainsley even closer to protect her. Ainsley sees no reason why that attraction shouldn't be consummated, but Delano knows succumbing to it is not just ill-advised; it could literally be the death of him.

Review: 

This book most definitely falls into the paranormal romance category. The problem I have with a lot of paranormal romances is that the author focuses so much on the romance aspect of the book they somehow forget to deal with the actual plot of the book, like it's some kind of afterthought. I really appreciate this book all the more because the plot was so well fleshed out, and the romance, while being a big element to the book had a place in the book. The romance wasn't just there for romance sake, it actually helped move the plot along and even played a big role. 

Delano is an interesting character. He does a lot of rather questionable things, especially in the beginning of the book with it comes to Ainsley, but he does them for the right reasons. He is not a bad guy, he is just a guy who feels like he has no other options and must do whatever it takes for the greater good of the world. 

Part of the reason I think I like Delano and the book in general is because it's written rather intelligently. In fact all the characters in the book are educated or just in general talented in other ways. They explain what being a vampire is in a scientific way, as a gene mutation, that could be reversed if they could only figure out a way to do so. Basically being a vampire is like having a disease, and diseases can be cured, it just takes time and research, and testing. 

Which is where Ainsley comes in. They (the men in the book) mention several times that she is one of the most resilient people that they have met, and truly she is. While she does have freak outs a couple times throughout the book, she looks at things as logically as she can, and she ultimately decides to do what her heart tells her is the right thing to do. That being said, she always felt rather organic, she didn't panic when she found out vampires, but she did panic when she thought she could have been turned. She looks at things in a medical perspective, as well she should since after all she is a nurse. 

Eli is a character I really like as well. He is a Delano's right hand man, he is basically a guy who does it all. But mostly he is the security guy. It's clear from the book that he has scene war, and he has had to overcome that past. But it has also allowed him to be good as his job, which is often making sure that Delano and the work he is doing is protected, and of course Ainsley too once she comes into the group. 

The romance in the book was pretty well written. There was no overly cheesy lines in the book, although there was a time or two where the author opted for the clinical word and it almost sounded out of place within the intimate scenes. But overall the scenes were well written. And not only that, but the sex in the book actually plays a big part in moving the plot forward. I wish I could explain how, but it would give way to much of the book away, so I'll just say the sex is necessary and well written. 

I would recommend this book especially to those of you who like paranormal romance, but I also believe that urban fantasy readers would also like this book as well. Overall I thought it was an interesting book, and well written, I would read more by this author.