The Monster Within: 1 [Paperback]

"... his lips descended on hers. There was simply no other way to describe the manner in which he kissed her. It was not gentle or sweet; it was raw and brutal. A statement of carnal intent."

The paranormal genre is not my niche. I have enjoyed reading it in the past but as I grow older I need more and more scenarios I can easily identify with, and less and less make believe supernatural action. Very few series of this kind still go onto my reading list by default, but let me tell you, this one most definitely will.

In this first short novella-type instalment of the upcoming Mounting Darkness series, we are introduced to all the major characters. Our heroine is Nicole. We meet her at the instant when her painful past suddenly catches up with her, causing her to panic and flee from the scene. Nicole had hoped for her horrific nightmares to stay in the past, but they come back seeking her out, angry and hungry for vengeance. In this moment of distress, she is saved from her own panic attack by a stranger, Gideon, who comes to her rescue inexplicably drawn to her. What follows is a very speedy introduction between the two lead characters, in the Biblical sense as well, and the appearance of all the other secondary characters.

This is an incredibly enticing story of magic, supernatural creatures, a new world that Lola Rayne craftily weaves for us but only allows us to dip our toes in it. Her writing style is flawless. She can make you feel whatever she wishes you to feel. Her prose is elaborate and yet to the point, current but not overly slang-ish. It never distracts from the story itself and it draws you in from the very first sentence. It is laced with delightful humour, making even the more dramatic scenes quite entertaining and light-hearted.

"The fact that she'd actually forgotten that her main squeeze was lying unconscious on the floor caused her to flinch before she rushed to his side. She had always assumed she would make someone a very sh*tty girlfriend, and as far as she was concerned, this clinched it.
"Oh well, sweetheart, you're stuck with me now."
"Huh?"
"Nothing baby. How do you feel?"

Ms Rayne can also undoubtedly write good chemistry between characters, some of the scenes are so full of passion that you might need a glass of water afterwards. But the length of this book did not do the story any favours, especially when it comes to the natural development of the attachment between the lead characters. The pace with which bonds were forged felt slightly rushed to me, making me wish they had more time to explore the draw between them. I had no time to properly connect with the characters myself. I loved Nicole's sharp-tongued sassiness and passion, I was weak at the knees from Gideon's vulnerability and yet dominant alpha male tendencies, but I was left hoping for more pages to pace out a good thing. Their connection was solidified physically through some very sizzling hot lovin' rather than through careful character compatibility and development and this was dissatisfying for me, a little less for Nicole and Gideon. They went from 0 to 100 in a matter of hours, almost whip-lashing the reader into a situation where we were told they were "mates" rather than shown the build-up of feelings between them.

I was left a bit uncertain as to why this book needed to be a novella rather than a full-length book. I believe it would have had a greater impact on the reader as a full instalment rather than just a teasing bite. This book only sets the scene for the rest of the series. It establishes the links between the characters, hints at some of their shared histories and makes sure the reader is sufficiently intrigued to keep on reading. It literally only puts the keys into the ignition, turns the car on but it never puts it into `drive'.

This genre might have not been my `natural habitat' and it might have made me uneasy at first, but I very quickly found my bearings and never looked back. A great beginning to a tantalising new series.

~ N ♥

First, let me say that Lola Rayne definitely has a sense of humor, and its wicked. If you get the opportunity make sure you read her "Acknowledgements" and the "About the author" sections. The way she speaks in these sections makes me think I want to hang out with her and do shots until someone gets arrested.

I have a habit of only reading partial blurbs. I read until I find something I like, then I read the book. I often get surprised by the content inside. That's I was with this book, surprised by the content. This book morphs into several things which I didn't expect from the minute portion of the blurb I read. I didn't expect the fantastic high heat, the action, or the awesome paranormal aspext. This story was full of terrific surprises that had me flying through the words at breakneck speed.

While at work Nicole gets a disturbing phone call. One that brings her horrifying past right to her present. Her body reacts and its only a moment before she takes off. But her body proves that it is not always her brain that is in control, and she passes out. Then we see that someone has been following her. Gideon.

Gideon postiviely gives me the creeps...but only until he gives me the shivers, and I mean that in a completely good way. This man has a lot more going on than what you'd expect just from looking at him. I think he is a fabulously interesting character, and I'm hoping we get to see more of him in the future.

"He might have howled her name. He might have let loose a string of profanity. H**l, he might have done something really stupid like shouting to the ceiling the he f*****g loved her."

I loved these two in action! I mean, if you read the book you will absolutely see why. There are more than sparks, there are damned electrical currents causing white hot fire. Even without all of the other great aspects of this story, the parts where Nicole and Gideon are together are worth the price of admission.

But then on top of that you get a great story that starts in the highlands of Scotland. There is a paranormal battle that includes changlings, magic, berserkers, and much more. The evil is clearly evil, and the steamy scenes will make you wish you were there. All in all, I'm impressed with this story, and I definitely think you should add it to your TBR!

I wasn't sure what to expect, but a few reviews I read were great and they were spot on!! Couldn't put it down! and when I was done I was on a quest to find more by Lola Rayne... but there is nothing...YET! But I did learn that Lola Rayne and Ginny Lurcock, Co-Owner, reviewer & editor from PureTextuality.com are very close... Loved the humor... can't wait to read more from Lola!!