Tempting Darkness
A Templar Vampires Series - Book 3
By Rene Lyons
Samhain Publishing - April 2007
Vampire
Lucian of Penwick was in a hell of his own making. The sins of his past had caught up to him in the form of Stephan, his brother who had turned renegade vampire. He was chained in the dungeon of Penwick Castle, his childhood home. With him was yet another innocent pawn of Stephan's depraved game, Jessica Vargo.
A few painfully long months ago, Jessica had lived her life ignorant of the paranormal forces around her in her hometown of Damascus, Pennsylvania. That was until she came face to face with Stephan, and he had brought her to England, attacked her, brutalized his brother, and did everything he could to force Lucian to break and lose his soul forever. Jessie was cautious of Lucian, she knew she couldn't trust him. He was a vampire, just like the other residents of the castle who thrived on hurting her. Yet he seemed sympathetic to her pain, and only fought when they turned their attentions to her.
Lucian knew he didn't have much time until he would be unable to stop himself from succumbing to the temptation of Jessie. He would have to face the demons of his past, and stop his brother. Stephan was his younger brother, who he remembered fondly looking up to him in the past, but had chosen a dark path to follow. Lucian must save Jessica, from Stephan, and from himself. He couldn't allow her to dwell in the darkness that was his death.
Wow. Tempting Darkness packs a wallop. Lucian had disappeared in Midnight Sun, the first in the Templar Vampires series. Now we learn of his fate during the course of the first two books. And what has happened to him is very unsettling because Stephan takes such malevolent glee in the abuse of his victims. Watching the slowly growing attraction between Lucian and Jessie was believable, as Jessie must overcome categorizing all vampires as renegades. Rene Lyons has also interjected enough hints at the upcoming battle for the enigmatic relic that this reader anxiously awaits the next book in this exciting series. My only disappointment is that I feel that Lucian and Jessie's story is unfinished. I hope that certain issues will be addressed by the end of the series.
Kathy Andrico - KathysReviewCorner.com