Rene Lyon's in the Corner!

April 2007

I believe an author's tastes in film and books can indicate whether I'll be a fan of that author. According to her Blog, Rene Lyons likes:

Authors - Christina Dodd, Lynn Kurland, Karen Marie Moning, Sherrilyn Kenyon, Julie Garwood, and Johanna Lindsey

Movies - Lord of the Rings Trilogy, Gladiator, Braveheart, Pirates of the Caribbean, and The Princess Bride - she even quotes it! A True Fan!!!

So, do her tastes mirror yours? If so, I hope I've piqued your interest enough to read further.

Hidden away in the dark recessed corner of a living room the Templar Vampires come to life through the vivid imagination of Rene Lyons. Rene grew up with a love of the Medieval and of course, the Templar Knights. It was this love and the devastating loss of her older brother that were her primary influences in developing the series.

They are five Templar Knights, brothers in spirit, protectors of those less capable - which is basically everyone else. They are the most powerful, they once fought in the Crusades, they had joined the Templars, and then were among those captured and killed.

Rene has introduced a fascinating new spin to the Templar Knights. For many, the only knowledge of The Templar Knights comes from The DaVinci Code, and since there is such a meshing of fact and fiction in that book, it can be somewhat difficult to decipher between the two, or whether The Templars actually existed.

The Templars did exist, and while they did, the Order thrived. However, in 1307, King Philip IV of France ordered the capture of the Templars. Many were captured, and tortured into "confessions", which were later recanted. Then they were burned alive.

Rene's Templars were among those that had been captured, then burned. They were barred from Heaven for having lost their faith while fighting in the name of God. However, they have been given a chance of redemption. They must protect a holy relic, and any deviation from their path will lead them to damnation.

Sound dark? What's ironic is that although it is, considering their curse, the renegade vampires, and the particulars of some of their pasts, there is enough levity and fun spiritedness that the darker elements do not overwhelm the stories.

Let me introduce you to the Templars:

1) Sebastian - Sage - named for the hero in Teresa Medeiros's Sebastian in Heather and Velvet. His story is told in Midnight Sun (Please see my review!)

2) Constantine - Dragon - Constantine is Goth. One highlight of each book is reading his t-shirts. My favorites? "I scare even my own family" and "It's all about the pain (the ink and the jewelry are just souvenirs)." Constantine claims his mate in The Daystar (Please see my review!)

3) Lucian - Knight - Lucian is the embodiment of a Knight's Code. Lucian fights to keep his chance of redemption in Tempting Darkness, (Please see my review!)

4) Rafael - Rogue - His nickname says it all.

5) Tristan - Guardian - The responsibility to guard the relic lies with him. He is considered their leader, and even Constantine will defer to him.

In my opinion, I believe it is best to read the Templar Knights in chronological order.

It is amazing that Midnight Sun was the first book Rene completed. As I read it, I could not tell that this was her debut novel. The characters burst from the pages, and I wanted each Templar to have his story.

What can we expect from Rene in the future? She will be finishing Rogue's and Guardian's stories with Samhain. Then she has a new series The Seraphim starting this summer, also from Samhain. Recently she announced a new series, The Shadow Huntresses, with a new publishing house - Tease Publishing. This is a great testament to how well Rene has established herself as an author. An author must be invited by them.

I hope that when you leave my site, you will head directly to Samhain to get your copy of Midnight Sun. If you do, I would love to hear back from you. I also know that Rene loves to hear from her readers. She can be reached at rene@renelyons.net

Also, please check out my Rene Lyon's Profile Page