Dark Need: A Novel of the Darkyn

Is it just me or are the Darkyn getting better and better? DARK NEED, which is the third book of this series, is the best so far. Well, that's my opinion anyway. Viehl does an excellent job in making Lucan a desirable hero. This was a tough task since basically he wasn't likable and I'm not sure he was meant to be. Lucan is the assassin for the Darkyn. If a vampire needs to be killed, his job is to put them down. That he's the least favored among his kind doesn't come as a shock, but he's not been given the respect he's due. In walks Samantha Brown, a homicide detective investigating a murder connected somehow to Lucan. There is immediate attraction between them. When he seduces her and she is able to resist, Lucan realizes she is one of those rare humans who are resistant to the Darkyn's powers. This, of course, makes him want her even more. What he doesn't realize, but will soon enough, is that Sam comes with her own personal baggage as well as another talent. I love the darkness of this series. There are no predicable happily-ever-after endings, where everyone walks away feeling good. What I am left with is a lot of tension which drives me to want to read the next book of this series.

Initially, I had only planed to read the first one (If Angels Burn) and this one but after reading this one I was convinced that purchasing the second one (Private Demon) was not a mistake; it just took longer to arrive in the mail. I so loved Sam and Lucan's romance. They are perfect for eachother; both even had a rat faced person in their lives. Sam's rat face guy was tormenting her while Lucan's rat face girl was distracting him. Very interesting. Lucan is the ultimate, sexy, bad boy type; completely misunderstood, feared, lonely and the bearer of unrequited love . His powers are awesome too; shattering glass whenever he is upset and the ability to kill anyone with the touch of his hands. Usually, I love reading about Alex and Michael (from the first book -If Angels Burn) but honestly I only wanted to read more about Sam and Lucan's explosive love affair; and the sections dealing with Jon (the ex-priest and Alex's brother) nearly drove me crazy but I understand that it is all a part of the story and everything tied in nicely at the end. As much as I loved reading the first one and as much as I am enjoying reading the second one, this one (the third book) is my favorite one so far. I really do hope that Sam and Lucan are mentioned in the next ones as well.

I thought that this was a great read. The characters were fantastic together, the storyline had a nice flow to it and never got boring. However, I think it is not fair to market these books as romance. They are more of a dark fantasy, with romance being a subplot among other subplots. Readers that expect to read romance when it's just her and him within the four walls will no doubt be dissapointed. I also agree with other reviewers that John Keller has to go. There are way too many characters running around as it is. I think that Viehl writes very well, and she created a vivid and realistic world that is extremely interesting. One should really give these books a try and not base that decision on all the negative reviews which are often unfair, as it seems that some people just skimmed through without actually reading it. I am glad that i did!

...encompass this stand alone novel from the Darkyn series. At first I was a little put off by the Franco/Slavic language combo used to describe the various players, but I finally got it--so don't give up. The language is heavy going for the first few chapters. The richness of the world created by the author uses the archaic language to advantage and to add the sauce of the Knights Templar to a vamp series is brilliant. The sensuality is just lovely--inspired slightly by Laurel K's use of ardeur--here is called l'attrait and is noted by a lovely smell--wild rose, jasmine, lavender--of the vamp who is attracted. The plot is complex, the setting is lush So Beach, Fla and the romance between the male & female leads sensual, healing and involved. A pleasant surprise and a fabulous new author to add to our list.

Ok,after reading some of the reviews.I thought maybe not as good as the first two.This book is written different from the others,but I loved it.Please don't let a few negative reviews put you off This series.Purchase the first two read them in order and enjoy the Darkyn as I do and the many other fans.