Love Is Darkness (Valerie Dearborn, #1) by Caroline Hanson

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Genre:

Paranormal Romance

Summary on Goodreads:

Valerie Dearborn wants a cotton candy life, but it’s more like a puffer fish: pointy, unusual, and—if not prepared exactly right—deadly. 

In London for graduate school, Val knows she's finally free. Her father and ex-almost-boyfriend are back in California and she's out of the Vampire hunting biz for good. Or is she? 

She draws the attention of Lucas, a 1600 year old Vampire, and King to his kind. He’s also wicked hot. As golden as Lucifer, and just as tempting, he makes Valerie an offer she can't refuse— help him find out if the Others (Empaths, Fey and Werewolves) still exist or he'll stop protecting those she loves.

Lucas tells her that Empaths were a Vampire’s biggest weakness before going extinct hundreds of years ago. While the Fey or a Werewolf might kill a Vampire, an Empath could enslave them, seducing or harming with emotions at will. The one detail he leaves out? Valerie is an Empath. 

And after 1600 years of an emotionless existence, Lucas wants Valerie like a recovering alcoholic wants a wine cooler.

Can she keep those she loves alive, stop Lucas from munching on her, survive a fanged revolution and still find a way to have that boring, normal life she’s always wanted? Probably not, but boy is she gonna try!

This is a full length novel and contains adult content.

RATING:

***REVIEW***

So, how to resist to a title & cover like this, even if it has the one thing I despise when reading and what usually makes me stay away from a book- the (in)famous curse of a  LOVE TRIANGLE ? I know I tried and failed, but fortunately I'm not sorry this time.

This actually turned out to be one of the rare books I've read and liked, although it has a *love triangle* in it. I know I always say that I'm not so big on romance and cheesy lines, but I prefer books with no triangles, squares etc., bottom line- no more than one drama queen whose biggest worry is: whom of these gorgeous & super-rich super models should I choose -_-. As the matter of fact, one of the guys in question in this book is a vampire hunter & the other is a wicked vampire king. 

The story was super-funny, action-packed and with a very hot romance.  I don't remember the last time I read a book with so much sexual tension between the characters that in one moment you just wanna shout at them :"JUST DO IT ALREADY !" Actually, I think I got that covered a couple of times :). Finally, an author who gave me a good reason to make me believe that it's possible to be in love in two persons at the same time. Yes, both male characters were were uber-hot, but they did a lot of swoon-worthy things for the female character that I kept changing my mind through the whole book about who the girl should choose. 

His gaze burned into hers, words quiet and forceful. “You want me to feel more? You want a declaration? Love? I can tell you that I have wanted

nothing more than you for hundreds upon hundreds of years, that I will kill anyone for you, anyone you can name. In me you have a shield, could have

a lover, a friend and a confidant.”

Oh well, the wicked vampire had won in the end. That shameless dirty talker! But, I still like the hunter too, damn it! See, that's why I avoid this type of books. The female protagonist was at times great and so funny, but a other times also very annoying, because she had like billions questions about every situation she found herself in and I just wanted to shake her and tell her to relax, but then my "dear" friends reminded me that I can be like that so I forgave her :P :). 

All in all- a very good paranormal book and I recommend it to everyone who likes vampires, empaths (fairies and werewolves in the future probably), love triangles etc. I'm looking forward to the next one, but I know I'll probably stop reading it if the female protagonist doesn't choose one of the guys (read: the wicked vampire) and she should do it as soon as possible, although the other one is great too *sigh*.
I guess I'll wait for the next book for my final decision. 

"If I open this bag will I find a human heart?” Val couldn't believe she'd said that. Was it a joke?
“I paid for a croissant. If it is a human heart I shall be quite put out."

xoxo