Dusk: Book 1 (Warrior series)

The following book I would still class as young adult, it contains no swearing but the romance is a little bit steamy without going into any explicit detail. I gave it four star as I liked the story, but thought the pace could be a bit quicker and scene descriptions a little sharper.

Dusk by Melanie P Smith on Amazon.com

When Alex Deveraux loses both her mother and father in a short space of time, she thinks her world has come crashing down. What she doesn’t know is that her family has tried to protect her from an even more dangerous world. She meets a whole host of people she didn’t even know that existed. What I liked most about this book (besides the action and romance!) is that the author has set this fantasy novel in a modern setting. I often get distracted when I read fantasy as the alternative universes some writers set their stories in can be very complex and bewildering. (Maybe you can tell that I wasn’t a big fan of the hobbit!) I could understand Alex as a woman. She not only has to deal with the loss of her father, but also the stress of organising the perfect funeral and making sure his company remains a successful one. Alex is a strong female lead, independent, successful as a business woman, but also vulnerable and complex.  Alex’s romance with Dimitri takes centre stage and even though it is lovely and pure, I could have maybe done with a bit more action and a quicker pace. (The fighting kind, I’m a big fan of clean fantasy) I also would like to know more of both her parents’ history, but that might be for another book. There are still a few blanks to be filled in and the fight with the vampires is far from over. Great start to a series.