Publishers Weekly
11/30/2020
Day (Apple of My Eye) launches the Vampire Motorcycle Club series with this exhilarating romance between a 300-year-old vampire and the fearless woman who reminds him how to love. Over the centuries, Bane has forgotten how to care about anyone new. His fondness is reserved for his sister and the few others closest to him in his motorcycle club. But when Hunter, the only human he considers a friend, lies dying in the hospital, Bane offers to turn him into a vampire. There, he meets Dr. Ryan St. Cloud, who shocks him when his power to erase human memories fails to work on her. She shows no fear of the man trying to intimidate her into silence as he steals Hunter from the hospital, and her bravery awakens passionate, possessive instincts in Bane. Ryan demands she be allowed to visit Hunter and continue to care for him—and the time she spends with Bane quickly turns to a fierce love that only grows stronger when threatened by a group of dangerous warlocks. Bane is possessive to the extreme, but thankfully, Ryan is capable of holding her own and repeatedly shuts down his alpha male displays. This action-packed paranormal romance is a thrill ride. Agent: Kevan Lyon, Marsal Lyon Literary (Nov.)
From the Publisher
"Narrators Teddy Hamilton and Laurie West enliven this first book in a vampire motorcycle series.… Both Hamilton and West bring subtle menace to their portrayals of Bane—listeners will wonder if he is going to kill Ryan or kiss her.… With the banter between Bane and Ryan increasing in intensity, the story takes listeners on a wild ride."
—AudioFile Magazine
JANUARY 2021 - AudioFile
Narrators Teddy Hamilton and Laurie West enliven this first book in a vampire motorcycle series. Bane, a vampire, is in the midst of war against necromancers who are threatening his territory when he encounters Dr. Ryan St. Cloud. Ryan is immune to Bane’s hypnotic power, and Hamilton aptly expresses his frustration and puzzlement over his inability to affect her. Both Hamilton and West bring subtle menace to their portrayals of Bane—listeners will wonder if he is going to kill Ryan or kiss her. The villains are given tones that make one think of old movie monsters, adding to the entertainment factor. With the banter between Bane and Ryan increasing in intensity, the story takes listeners on a wild ride. S.B. © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine
Kirkus Reviews
2020-10-07
A doctor gets caught in a war between vampires and warlocks in this paranormal romance series opener.
Bane rules the Savannah, Georgia–based Vampire Motorcycle Club. He’s more than 300 years old, fiercely protective of those he considers family, and wants the warlocks of an organization called the Chamber out of his territory. A confrontation in Savannah’s National Wildlife Refuge between the two groups reveals that Constantin Durance, a powerful necromancer, is Bane’s true opponent. Bane and his vampire companions Meara Delacourt and Luke Calhoun survive the battle, and days later, Bane learns that his human friend firefighter Hunter Evans has been mortally wounded after saving a child’s life. He uses magic to travel to Savannah General to see Hunter and runs into Dr. Ryan St. Cloud. Bane is fascinated by the fact that she’s not like other humans; to him, her skin strangely glows, and later, it’s revealed that his “Voice” commands don’t work on her. After Bane vanishes with her patient, Ryan goes home, drinks copiously, and assumes she hallucinated the vampire. Then he shows up at her door—but he hasn’t come to claim her just yet. He needs her medical knowledge; Hunter, whom Bane has bitten in order to save his life, isn’t “Turning” properly. Meanwhile, Carter Reynolds, president of the Wolf Pack Motorcycle Club, contends with Sylvie, a warlock working for Constantin. Day opens her new paranormal romance with a scene of impressive vampire action, which includes severed limbs. There’s plenty of sexual tension throughout the narrative; Ryan, who believes herself to be unremarkable, is described, from Bane’s perspective, as having the “most delicious, curvy legs he’d ever hoped to have wrapped around his waist.” Day drops many hints that Ryan’s healing skills and glowing skin have inhuman origins, and readers should expect a fabulous and fitting solution to the mystery. Bane is shown to have empathy for helpless humans in need, which proves that his heart still beats. Day also includes a few amusing genre references along the way, such as naming an Irish Wolfhound Bram Stoker. A final state of domestic bliss presents a strong foundation for a sequel.
A revved-up supernatural tale that takes some impressively sharp turns.
