Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #759615 in Books
• Published on: 2007-01-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Mass Market Paperback
• 304 pages

Customer Reviews

A Brand New Twist to A Great Paranormal Series
Ricardo Fernandez was born power the ability to harness energy to heal a life force or take life away with the touch of his hands. Living in Spanish Harlem, he chose to use his gift under the guise of a Santeria practice. He had also vowed never to use the dark side of his power lest he become dark inside.

Sara Martinez is a nurse who put her faith in medicine until her own mother is pronounce terminal with days to live, but that was more than a year ago. A year since she had turned to Ricardo and his gift. The price is a few blood bags to help his friend Samantha Turner who runs the women's shelter in the neighborhood. Sara is unaware of the possibility supernatural abilities. Ricardo with his gift is not. Samantha is a vampire.

Sara and Ricardo are strongly attracted to each other, but when he tries to tell her that there is only so much he can do for her mother, she wants to know why. Ricardo knows he can't tell her, but she suspects that there is something fishy about his Santeria cover. She's not sure she can put her heart in the hand of a man who can't be honest with her having been burned once already and yet she finds him harder and harder to resist.

An evil force has entered the neighborhood drawn to Ricardo's gift. It is a soul sucking Chupacabra a creature of myth who survives on blood. The creature had once been human, a man whose dark nature had earned him this punishment. But unlike Ricardo's vampire acquaintances the creature had retained none of its humanity and lived beneath the sewers surviving by sucking the blood from stray animals. Moving from place to place as the supply grows thin the creature arrives in the barrio and sensing Ricardo's power is reminded of his former human state a state that it now wishes to return too. The longing grows more intense as it observes Ricardo's relationship with Sara. The monster remembers and craves the passion for himself.

Once encounter with the beast nearly drains Ricardo of his life force. His power has its limits but the beast is incapable of understanding. It wants and with what's left of its reason convinces the creature to use Sara as bait. Ricardo must now choose whether to break is vow and use his power for dark purposes and risk his soul or lose the women he loves more than life itself.

DEVOTION CALLS, book 5 in The Calling series took an amazing twist from the usual vampire and human villains giving the reader a taste of Afro-Cuban culture in a familiar setting. Have no fear that terror and suspense may overshadow the romance for these star-crossed lovers will stop at nothing to protect the other even at the cost of their life. Series readers will enjoy the reappearance of familiar characters as the task force formed to track the creature also consists of Sara and her human lover Detective Peter Daly as well as FBI Agent Diana Reyes and her vampire lover Ryder Latimer. Sara is about to enter a whole new world, a world I just can't get enough of. Look for book 6, BLOOD CALLS, in May 2007. Caridad Piñeiro is the new queen of supernatural romance with a Spanish flavor.---- Reviewed for PNR Reviews

fantastic paranormal romance
In Spanish Harlem, Ricardo Fernandez places his hands on ailing people and heals them. He pretends to be a priest in the African-Carib religion Santeria because that is the only way he can help his patients including Sara Martinez's mother. She is suffering from cancer and he can at least provide her a bit more time with her family without pain.

Ricardo and Sara are attracted to one another, but she senses that he his hiding something from her; she cannot abide liars having been once hurt by one so the two wrestle with their feelinggs Meanwhile a soul sucking blood eating Chupacabra is drawn to Ricardo's emotions; he demands he uses his power to turn him back into a human. Ricardo knows that is impossible and would be devastating for innocent people so he refuses knowing he will fight this evil, but he will need a specially ally, the woman he loves, whom the monster craves too.

Caridad Pinero is one author readers can consistently rely on to provide a fantastic paranormal romance. The star-crossed lovers are so very much alike, both fear opening their hearts though their reasons differ; she because she does not want it broken again while he is his afraid of rejection. The support cast include vampires and humans with everyone aware of Ricardo, a beacon of light for the unnatural to devour.

Harriet Klausner