“HEART OF DARKNESS“In all of his four hundred years, Rayven had never met a woman like Rhianna McLeod. She was a vision of light, of warmth, of everything he was not—nor could ever be. Doomed to live forever in darkness and solitude, he knew all too well the risk in getting close to her, yet he hungered for her with a fierce passion he swore he’d never allow himself to feel.
“Rhianna’s father had sold her to Rayven to put food on the table—so she had no choice but to go with the dark stranger. To her surprise, he gave her everything she wanted—the finest clothes, education, and the run of the castle—everything, that is, except his touch. For although she sensed danger beneath his soft-spoken manner, although even Rayven himself warned her away, she was drawn to this creature of the night, and loved him as she would no other.”
I finished this book last night and I must say that it’s my favorite of Amanda Ashley’s yet! To be entirely honest, I find myself liking her works more and more with each book I read. Her characters are eloquently written and the situations are very imaginative. The language is beautiful and I devour her books! The author has a way of keeping to the taditional (almost Bram Stoker-like) vampire while maintaining her own flair. However, this plot was similar to that of Embrace the Night and—though I can’t really describe it—a few of the descriptions reminded me of her short story “Darkfest”. Though, this story still had its own color that kept me riveted. In fact, the book had several poems in it and one of them (the one that is boken up into 6 sections and begins th first 6 chapters) is my favorite!!! It reads:
"I hide in the shadows
"and lust for the light
"For I am Vampyre
"forever imprisoned by the night
"The moon is my sun,
"the night is my day,
"Blood is my life,
"and you are my prey.
"I long for what I've lost
"For that which can never be.
"I cloak the horror of what I am
"and prey you never see.
"I shadow my gaze in your presence
"and pray you may ne'er be part,
"Of the hunger that claws at my vitals
"of the evil that blackens my heart.
"I look into her eyes
"and find forgiveness there
"and for a moment—
"one brief, sweet shinng moment,
"I see an end to my despair.
"Her touch has rendered me helpless,
"her trust weakens the chains of the past.
"Dare I believe in the love she offers?
"Have I found and end to this darkness at last?"
Isn't that beautiful?!? I was so creative and a brilliant way to keep me reading. And, of course, I will be reading more of Ashley’s works in the future!
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