Nature of the Beast [Mass Market Paperback]

Hannah Howell, Adrienne Basso, Eve Silver/Nature of the Beast

Dark Hero by Hannah Howell
To protect his clan, Berawald MacNachton has avoided contact with the Outsiders who want to destroy them. However when he stumbles upon a young lad, who asks him for help, he is hard press to say no. His sister, Evanna Massey has been injured, but when her wounds heal quickly, he realizes she isn't like the other Outsiders. What this means he isn't sure. He's drawn to Evanna like no other and longs to embrace the fierce passion.

Evanna has always known she and her brother were different. They lived all their lives in fear of being hunted. Berawald doesn't judge them. He accepts them and shows them kindness when others would condemn. Evanna finds herself falling in love with Berawald, but she has no right when she knows she puts his life in danger.

I loved this tale of dark secrets and longing for acceptance and love. Ms. Howell has written an irresistible vampire story where the true nature of the beast is slowly revealed. The passion is heartfelt and sincere. Berawald and Evanna are two lonely souls surviving in a world that wants them dead. Together, they discover how to rely on each other, giving them a chance for happiness.

Bride of the Beast by Adrienne Basso
As young girl, Bethan of Lampeter saves Haydn of Gwynedd from certain death. Now that she is grown up she needs help to destroy her stepfather, who she fears is a vampire.

Haydn knows what Bethan's stepfather is. He shares the same dark gift, but he doesn't abuse his strengths to torture others. He agrees to help Bethan. He offers marriage in name only so he can be close to her stepfather and find a way to destroy him. However, Haydn and Bethan share a passion they cannot deny, but will Bethan accept Haydn for who he is?

Haydn, who is honor bound and brave, is a perfect match for Bethan, who would risk her own life to save another's. I loved how their romance progressed. Bethan's discovery of Haydn's secret and how she comes to terms with who he was as a person and realizing he was more than the beast he held at bay. This is a tale of choices to be good or evil and Ms. Basso spun a revealing tale.

Kiss of the Beast by Eve Silver
Sarah Lowell works for King's College Hospital. She realizes there is a threat. Someone is killing the patient's and draining them of blood.
Killian Thayne is a surgeon at the hospital. Sarah realizes he's been there each time a patient has been killed and yet she knows in her heart he isn't the one responsible. There is something that draws her to

Killian, something sensual and dangerous and she finds it difficult to resist.

Ms. Silver's old-fashioned mystery had me intrigued from the start. There is the presence of danger and just the right amount of tension to keep you turning the pages. Sarah is strong-willed and capable to taking care of herself despite the fact that Killian wants to protect her. Killian is a dark and mysterious presence to be reckoned with, but he also has a very human side to him, which makes him all the more lovable.
I loved each paranormal tale of dark passion. Nature of the Beast is a definite keeper on my shelf!

Karen Michelle Nutt, Reviewed for PNR Paranormal Reviews

Courtesy of CK2S Kwips and Kritiques

Be swept back in time by three brilliant authors who explore the deepest realms of our imagination and explore the Nature of the Beast in these vampire tales.

In Dark Hero by Hannah Howell, Vampire Berawald MacNachton lives in isolation to avoid the hunters who would wipe out his entire clan. When he comes to the aid of Outsider Evanna Massey and her little brother as they are trying to escape hunters who want to kill them, Berawald discovers his destiny is quite different than he ever dreamed. How can a vampire and a human find everlasting love?

Hannah Howell continues her series about the cursed Clan MacNachton and their need to protect themselves Outsiders, as they call the non-vampires. I enjoyed the premise of this novella and I love Berawald and Evanna. These two are perfect for each other, filling the voids in each other's life. I did have one issue with the story though. While I totally understand the desire to use dialect and language in a story to give a truer sense of the life and times, I found the use of such strong brogue to be excessive and highly distracting. I kept being pulled out of the story since it is very difficult for me to stay emotionally invested when I'm trying to figure out what exactly is being said and how to pronounce it.

Bride of the Beast by Adrienne Basso finds Bethan of Lampeter desperate to escape the control of her violent and cruel stepfather. She turns to the reclusive Haydn of Gwynedd for assistance, shocked to find he is the same man she rescued from her stepfather's clutches years ago, when she was a young girl. However, Haydn has a secret, he is a vampire. If Bethan knew the truth, what would happen to the passionate love brewing between them?

Bride of the Beast was my first introduction to Adrienne Basso's writing and I loved the story. Bethan is a strong woman who will let nothing deter her from doing what is right and protecting those who can't defend themselves. She stands up to her stepfather in a time when such behavior was simply not tolerated. Haydn is exactly who Bethan needs in her life, as much as he may have wished that weren't the case. These two need each other to be everything they are meant to be. A revelation towards the end of the story caught me completely unawares, though I should have picked up on the clues peppering the story all along. This surprise adds an extra depth to the story making Bride of the Beast all that more enjoyable of a read.

Sarah Lowell was thrust into employment at King's College Hospital to support herself after her father's death. Here she discovers someone is killing the dying patients by draining them of their blood. Danger is stalking Sarah and when the mysterious surgeon Killian Thayne offers her his protection. As their attraction deepens, Sarah has to wonder... Can she survive the Kiss of the Beast (by Eve Silver)?

Kiss of the Beast was the longest story in the book, and my favorite. I adore Eve Silver's writing, no matter the genre or the pseudonym. Everything I have found to be trademarks of her work - strong character development, passionate love, dark and eerie settings, the sense of impending doom all the while knowing somehow everything will work out - was evident here. I could not get enough of Sarah and Killian. There is a nice twist at the end that while I did not find totally surprising, suspecting that may be the case, I love the way Eve Silver tied it up so brilliantly and handled it with flair.

Nature of the Beast is an engrossing collection of historical vampire romances. With time periods varying from the Medieval era to the 1800s and a few unique bits of lore to each story, we find three compelling and individual stories. Good collection of historical vampire tales. Eve's story was my favorite (and the longest in the anthology). No surprise there though since I love her books, no matter what she writes.

© Kelley A. Hartsell, August 2008. All rights reserved.

"Dark Hero" by Hannah Howell. In 1512 Scotland Berawald lives in a cave to limit all the spirits he sees. He notices a living child David who he brings inside his cave and goes to the beach to see if the lad's older sister Eve lives. He is stunned that he desires the battered unconscious woman. He takes her into his cave and begins to heal her. A few days later Eve awakens and knows David is okay by his laughter. As they fall in love, each has secrets if revealed would end their relationship; but if concealed will end their relationship anyway.

"Bride of the Beast" by Adrienne L. Basso. In 1220 thirteen year old Bethan detests her evil stepfather Sir Agnarr. Bethan liberates a few prisoners including young Haydn of Gwynnedd before her stepfather murders them. Ten years later Bethan seeks a champion; Lord Meiford agrees to help her because she freed him from Agnarr's prison a decade ago. As Bethan and Hayden fall in love, he fears her reaction to his essence.

"Kiss of the Vampire" by Eve Silver. In 1839 London day nurse Sarah is alone since her dad died. She works at King's College Hospital Women's Sick Ward where she notices a man biting a woman's wrist. Surgeon Killian arrives, but the man is gone and the woman is dead. Two weeks later another patient dies with a cut wrist. Killian escorts Sarah home, but upon arrival she is stunned when she sees three presents in her apartment that could have only come from her dead father. Killian and Sarah make love and he bites her; she knows he is a vampire. Sarah tells Killian she loves him; he says he cannot love a mortal.

The three tales are all well written with strong lead characters as the vampires seem real in each novella although some readers might feel the Silver tale is more supernatural than romance.

Harriet Klausner