Key To Conflict - Talia Gryphon
Key To Conflict
Talia Gryphon
Ace
Paranormal Romance
Gillian Key is both a licensed psychologist for Paramortals (supernatural beings,) and an operative with the Marines Special Forces. As such, she’s uniquely qualified for a job in Romania. It seems that even Vampires get the blues, and Count Aleksei Rachlav, at four hundred years old, needs some help. Some Vampires, being immortal, get bored or crazy and end their lives. Aleksei hopes to avoid that, with Gillian’s help. To her surprise, Aleksei’s brother, Tanis, is also a Vampire and is also in residence. His interest is less in therapy and more in Gillian.
While in Romania, Gillian is supposed to look into the rumors that a Vampire Lord is on the move. Dracula, a cruel despot, has been in hiding for several centuries, waiting for the right time to strike out at humanity. Unlike most other Vampires, Dracula sees Humans as food. At best. While in the area, she’ll try to help out a centuries-old Ghost, haunting a manor, and maybe get some inside dirt from him, too.
There are some serious flaws with this novel, most notably with the character of Gillian. She’s a trained psychologist with a specialty in Paramortals, whose mental health services are known and in demand the world over; she’s also a decorated Captain in the Marines Special Forces who has seen her share of combat. And she’s all of twenty-eight years old. In addition to the age factor, there’s the fact that she possesses a hair-trigger temper and constantly lashes out at everyone around her (patients included) both verbally and physically. This makes her unbelievable as any kind of professional and unsympathetic as a main character.
The mythos of this world are quite interesting. There are three main branches of Vampires: the oldest, Egyptians, made by the all-powerful and benevolent Osiris; the Greeks, led by unpredictable Dionysus; and the European line, who come from Dracula. The Rachlav brothers descend from Dracula’s line, despise his views and claim loyalty to Osiris. The crossed relation lines and loyalty lines make for an interesting situation. Unfortunately, much of this is pushed aside in favor of some fairly forced pairings. The basis for a great series is here. This is the first novel in that series. If Gillian can evolve into a likeable, believable character, this one could be a winner.
Rating: 5
June 2007
Talia Gryphon
Ace
Paranormal Romance
Gillian Key is both a licensed psychologist for Paramortals (supernatural beings,) and an operative with the Marines Special Forces. As such, she’s uniquely qualified for a job in Romania. It seems that even Vampires get the blues, and Count Aleksei Rachlav, at four hundred years old, needs some help. Some Vampires, being immortal, get bored or crazy and end their lives. Aleksei hopes to avoid that, with Gillian’s help. To her surprise, Aleksei’s brother, Tanis, is also a Vampire and is also in residence. His interest is less in therapy and more in Gillian.
While in Romania, Gillian is supposed to look into the rumors that a Vampire Lord is on the move. Dracula, a cruel despot, has been in hiding for several centuries, waiting for the right time to strike out at humanity. Unlike most other Vampires, Dracula sees Humans as food. At best. While in the area, she’ll try to help out a centuries-old Ghost, haunting a manor, and maybe get some inside dirt from him, too.
There are some serious flaws with this novel, most notably with the character of Gillian. She’s a trained psychologist with a specialty in Paramortals, whose mental health services are known and in demand the world over; she’s also a decorated Captain in the Marines Special Forces who has seen her share of combat. And she’s all of twenty-eight years old. In addition to the age factor, there’s the fact that she possesses a hair-trigger temper and constantly lashes out at everyone around her (patients included) both verbally and physically. This makes her unbelievable as any kind of professional and unsympathetic as a main character.
The mythos of this world are quite interesting. There are three main branches of Vampires: the oldest, Egyptians, made by the all-powerful and benevolent Osiris; the Greeks, led by unpredictable Dionysus; and the European line, who come from Dracula. The Rachlav brothers descend from Dracula’s line, despise his views and claim loyalty to Osiris. The crossed relation lines and loyalty lines make for an interesting situation. Unfortunately, much of this is pushed aside in favor of some fairly forced pairings. The basis for a great series is here. This is the first novel in that series. If Gillian can evolve into a likeable, believable character, this one could be a winner.
Rating: 5
June 2007
ISBN# 978-0-441-01503-0 (paperback)
posted by Deborah Hern @ 11:46 PM
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