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Watchers in the Night (The Guardians of the Night, Book 1)
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Product Description
They hunt in every major city, hidden by the crowds, shielded by disbelief. They are Killers, and their prey is human.
Not all vampires are Killers. The Guardians of the Night sacrifice the superior physical and psychic strength that comes with feeding on humans to protect them. But the Guardians walk a thin line, for even a single kill could leave them helplessly addicted to murder.
When detective-turned-P.I. Carolyn Mathers was left at the altar, she never once thought her fiancé had been turned into a vampire. Two years later, Gray reappears, bringing murder, mystery, and an unbelievable tale of Guardians, blood-thirsty Killers, and his own transformation with him.
And he's been accused of murder.
A first-rate P.I., Carolyn is determined to help. Gray won’t allow what he is now to taint her -- but Carolyn vows to never let him go again.
But will helping Gray mean becoming a creature of the night?
Product Details
- Amazon Sales Rank: #186564 in Books
- Published on: 2006-10-31
- Original language: English
- Number of items: 1
- Binding: Mass Market Paperback
- 304 pages
Features
- ISBN13: 9780765354518
- Condition: NEW
- Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
- Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices
Editorial Reviews
Review
“Clever plotting and terrific supporting characters elevate this novel into a first-rate romantic thriller.”
--Romantic Times Bookclub Magazine
“One of the best new vampire series since the Black Dagger Brotherhood. . . . A must-read for all paranormal romance fans.”
--The Romance Readers Connection
“[Jenna Black’s] book kept me engrossed from first page to last. . . . I highly recommend this one.”
--The Best Reviews
“The characters, lead and secondary, are so well written you never want the book to end. And with as many twists and turns as there are, you’ll be guessing till the very end as to who the killer is.”
--Romance Junkies
“Watchers in the Night is the first in what promises to be a rich and varied series.”
--Fallen Angel Reviews
"Jenna Black has created a fresh and fascinating vampire universe." (Lori Handeland 20060414)
"You'll want to bare your throat to Jenna Black's enthralling heroes." (Sabrina Jeffries 20060414)
"Jenna Black has crafted a fine story with Watchers in the Night. She supplies deft handling of plot, characters, and genre." (Heather Graham )
"Just the right mix of mystery, vampires, romance, great characters and underworld shenanigans!" (Tess Mallory )
About the Author
Customer Reviews
Not bad, but not great either...
Carolyn Mathers has come far since she was abandoned by her financee, three days before her wedding. Leaving the police force, Carolyn opened her own P.I. firm in hopes of finding out what happened to Gray James. When Gray appears out of the blue out of three years, Carolyn is determined to get answers. She soon finds out that Gray is just as determined not to give them.
In a vampire world where there are "good" and "bad" vampires, Jenna Black creates the character of Gray James as one who doesn't belong to either faction. With a vampire serial killer on the loose, Gray is immediately under suspicion by the "good" vampires. With Carolyn now demanding answers, Gray has no choice but to tell her the truth.
In a time where there are paranormal authors like JR Ward and Sherrilyn Kenyon, you really have to stand out when it comes to the vampire genre. Jenna Black didn't grab me. I could care less what happened and only finished the book because I don't like leaving books unfinished. While I felt bad for Gray, he was just a so-so hero. The secondary vampire character of Jules was better received, but even he was kind of blah. He was so determined to bring Gray down and the reader wasn't told why until 3/4 of the way through the book. The plot was lukewarm at best and the way the vampire world was created was nothing extrodinary.
It's difficult to enjoy a book when you don't like your hero and heroine
When her ex-fiance resurfaces after a 3-year disappearance, private investigator Carolyn Mathers is determined to find out where he's been. Gray James comes back into her life suddenly and tries to leave again just as abruptly. But Carolyn wants answers about where he's been and why he left her at the altar three years prior. When Gray doesn't willingly give up the answers, Carolyn uses her investigative skills to dig up the answers. But the things that she discovers are hard to believe. Because 3 years ago her ex-fiance became a vampire and this discovery spells trouble for Carolyn's previously normal life.
Gray James is a relatively young vampire, without the strength and power of others of his kind. He's always regretted missing out on a life with Carolyn, but is determined to keep her from getting involved in his dangerous lifestyle. Gray is being watched by a group of vampires called the Guardians, who don't drink human blood and protect the city of Philadelphia from the other vampires who do--known as Killers. When people start turning up dead, the Guardians suspect Gray, putting both his life and Carolyn's at risk.
This is the first book I've read by Jenna Black and the first in the Guardians series. I have to say that I wasn't all that impressed. First of all, Gray was pretty much a wet noodle to me. He was weak in comparison to the other vampires, which isn't necessarily a problem, but he also let Carolyn walk all over him. The man needed some backbone. Carolyn definitely wore the pants in that relationship and I like my heroes a little more alpha. As for Carolyn, I found her bossy, nosy, and difficult. I had no reason to hope she found love because I didn't care for her at all. Most of the time, I wished she would mind her own business and back off when Gray asked her to.
It could be that I'm reading so many great paranormal series right now (including the Black Dagger Brotherhood series by JR Ward and the Immortals After Dark series by Kresley Cole) that it's difficult to enjoy one that's just so so. Reading this book was an interminable process and I was relieved to finally be finished with it. The story seemed muddled and murky at some points and the fact that I didn't care for the hero and heroine made it difficult to want to finish. I did, however, like the premise behind the Guardians and I liked some of the secondary characters who were introduced, including Jules, an older vampire who still keeps in touch with his mortal descendants, and Drake, a Killer who helps the Guardians when they need it. So I'll give the next book in this series a try and hope that I have better results.
We all live in the protection of certain cowardices which we call our principles. - Mark Twain
Carolyn is an ex cop who currently runs her own PI business with her best friend, Hannah. Three years ago Carolyn's fiancé, Gray, was last seen leaving his bachelor party with one of the strippers. He was never seen again. Carolyn has spent the last three years trying to get over a man she deeply loved. Not knowing what happened to him has never given her the closure she needed to fully move on.
Then one night she is in her parking lot about to be attacked when Gray comes out of nowhere to rescue her. You can imagine the multiple emotions and thoughts that run through Carolyn, and Jenna Black does an excellent job expressing them. Carolyn finally hopes to get some answers, unfortunately Gray isn't feeling talkative. He is keeping secrets in order to protect her. As quickly as he resurfaced in Carolyn's life, he is now trying to leave her, again. Carolyn isn't ready to let him go. Soon Gray is forced to face her and their past whether he wants to or not.
Jenna Black has created a world where the Vampires that roam it are divided into two categories; those that kill for food, known as Killers, and those that drink lambs blood. There are a group of the good guy Vampires known as the Guardians that protect the city by hunting the Killers.
This is an excellent start to the series, although at times I felt it dragged a bit; Gray's alpha male, I must protect my woman by denying myself attitude, started wearing thin. I have started this series backwards. I read the third book, Shadows on the Soul (The Guardians of the Night, Book 3) recently and loved it so much I went ahead and ordered this book and the second in the series, Secrets in the Shadows (The Guardians of the Night, Book 2). While I liked the third book better than this first one, this book is still great. Vampires, romance, sex, physical and moral battles and a fantastic mystery make this book a fulfilling read.
