Review: Kiss of the Vampire by Cynthia Garner

Title: Kiss of the Vampire Series: Warriors of the Rift #1 Author: Cynthia Garner Publisher: Forever Format: eCopy, 384 pages. Published: February 1, 2012 My Copy: NetGalley Rating: Buy: Warriors of the Rift. Once a generation, the rift between the paranormal world and the human world opens, allowing supernatural entities to cross. Vampire, demon, or shapeshifter, they can save the world-or send it spiraling into chaos. Half-demon, half-human, Nix de la Fuente is accepted by neither and mistrusted by both. Determined to prove she’s more human than not, she devotes herself to solving crimes between the world’s mortals and its most unsavory undead. But her latest case brings her face to face with the one vampire she could never resist… Called in to investigate a string of violent murders, special agent Tobias Caine isn’t interested in rekindling his relationship with Nix. Yet one look and the vampire knows his need for her is as strong as ever. Once, their all-consuming passion nearly cost Nix her fragile hold on her humanity. Now, as their hunger for one another intensifies, exposing them to an unimaginable danger, it could cost them both their lives.

I enjoyed several aspects of this book, namely: Garner’s unique take on preternaturals, Nix’s heritage and the scope of the Warriors of the Rift universe. In Kiss of the Vampire the focus is on the undead but the next novel is all about werewolves which is what pushed me to take-up this series. It’s always better to start at the beginning! I thought that the story was well written and found the characters engaging but overall it just lacked a certain “je ne sais quoi”. I’ve been reading a lot of paranormal romance books lately and I’m beginning to find them a bit repetitive. Unless the book has something that really sets it apart from the rest of the genre, the stories begin to blur together after a while which is exactly what happened with Kiss of the Vampire from my perspective.

My favorite part of this novel was the world building. It’s obvious from the very start what an active imagination Cynthia Garner has. I enjoyed drilling down into the nitty gritty details that comprise the world of the Warriors of the Rift. The supernaturals come across as aliens! No, not the little green men type; instead they’re of the vampire, werewolf, fairy and demon variety. I’m particularly fond of how the author spun the story behind the undead characters. I thought it was original and a welcome breath of fresh air to an over popularized preternatural in fiction.

Nix is a great gal and I couldn’t help but like her. As a half-breed she’s already shunned by most of the paranormal world but add to that the fact that she’s 50% demon and you have everyone’s favorite scapegoat. Not only is she battling prejudice at every turn but she’s also constantly fighting to keep her demonic side in check. She brought a smile to my face every time she snuck away from a heated situation to do a bit of tai chi to help calm herself down. You have to admire her discipline and determination! I was so happy with how this book ended for Nix. Garner found a way to give her some much needed peace; unexpected but well played.

Even though Nix has a thing for Tobias, I only had eyes for Detective Dante. He’s quirky, has a soft spot for the half-demon and can hold his own in a fight. He was great at diffusing the tension that kept popping up between these two ex-lovers. MacMillan provided some much needed comedic relief whenever tempers started to flair. I was afraid that he’d get off-ed because he’s only human so I was happy that he survived this round.

I’m looking forward to checking out Secret of the Wolf in June. From the sounds of the blurb it looks like Dante is going to play a larger role this time around. Yay! Kiss of the Vampire is original, fun and easy to like. It won’t knock your socks off but it’ll keep you entertained the whole way through.

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