Dreamveil

The world that Lynn Viehl has created, with its melding of science and vampires, is not the easiest to wrap one's mind around, with all of its complexities and twists, but it is entirely original, and genuinely interesting in all respects. Beyond that, what makes this book stand out in the increasingly-crowded field of paranormal romance, is the actual romance. Viehl has created, and sufficiently developed, three main characters who are easy to root for, and compel a person to read on to find out what happens to them. There is the street-smart heroine Rowan, who is talented in some surprising ways, and who is quite strong, but is not the standard tough-as-nails heroine that has become commonplace - she has her vulnerabilities, and readers can relate to her, regardless of the things she has endured. Further, once she finds love, she embraces her feelings rather than fighting them tooth and nail (even though the situation is not without its fair share of complications). Then there is Sean, who is testosterone personified - a man of few words, who is all muscles and attitude. What he is not, however, is obnoxious and abrasive, because even though he's not an easy man to relate to and has more than a few rough edges, he is also a man of character, with a strong sense of right and wrong; he may not readily accept his feelings, but once he's forced to face them, he falls hard and is utterly devoted. Finally, there is Jean-Marc, who is gorgeous, elegant, and sophisticated beyond the telling of it. He is a man who (like Sean) has some huge secrets, but he doesn't let them lessen his enjoyment of life, or harden him to the joys of human interaction and emotions. The connections between Rowan and Jean-Marc, and Rowan and Sean, are instantaneous and cannot be denied. Viehl has written a love triangle that avoids all of the usual cliches and pitfalls, while simultaneously reveling in an abundance of heat, passion, and genuine affection and caring. In fact, I found the relationships so compelling and sincere that they actually provided my one problem with the book - I wish more time had been devoted to these characters and their interactions with one another. Granted, Viehl had to juggle a fairly large cast of supporting characters and several different plotlines, and it is to her credit that sufficient time was devoted to all of them. I just wanted Rowan, Jean-Marc, and Sean to be featured a bit more. One of the most captivating aspects of the book is Rowan's feelings for both men, and her struggle with the thought of having to choose one over the other. And it is here that Viehl truly impressed me - her resolution to the love triangle was inventive and creative, and like nothing I had ever read before. She deserves a lot of praise for that, in my view, because given the sheer amount of love triangles that have been tackled by writers, I thought that it would be impossible to break any kind of new ground. Happily, Viehl's talent and imagi

I'm a big fan of the darkyn series, so I was excited when Viehl made a spin off, the Takyn. The Takyn are children that were experimented on as infants. They possess paranormal/supernatural powers and abilities. The Takyn have the ability to become the Darkyn if given the virus/blood. This is a very rare ability to be made a darkyn so they are tracking and helping the Takyn. As well as a network of Takyn themselves that knows the truth. Shadowlight: A Novel of the Kyndred was the first in the series with Jessa and Matthias, along with updated stories of the Darkyn. There was only one update in this of Darkyn Michael and Alexandra, but a nice tidbit just the same. There is much more updates of the Takyn network. Dreamviel is a fast paced entertaining book, I enjoyed it! This one is about Rowan, from shadowlight, making a change in her life. Location work.. etc. On her way to Boston she wrecks her bike in a back alley of New York. A chef, Jean-Marc, there with an instant attraction to Rowan, offers to pay for her bike repairs in exchange for work at his restaurant. She agrees, enjoying learning more of French Cuisine and the talented Jean-Marc. She also meets her next door neighbor, Sean Meridian. Sean is the one fixing her bike. Rowan and Sean have a raw pull towards one another. I liked their chemistry more...but who will she choose??

Having escaped an abusive home and her life as a teen on the streets, Rowan had vowed never to return to New York. But starting over once again, Rowan is just passing through when an accident strands her amid the ghosts of her past and lands her on the doorstep of Jean-Marc Dusant's exclusive restaurant and, somehow, Rowan finds herself ensconced in an apartment above the restaurant, with a muscular yet grumpy neighbor and a with a job working for the gorgeous Frenchman. Reader's who didn't read Shadowlight will likely have to endure a bit of head scratching in Viehl's second entry in her Kyndred spinoff even if they are familiar with Viehl's Darkyn universe. Probably the most crucial knowledge that newcomers to the series will be missing are: first, the genetically altered Rowan's gift, and her curse, is that when she's touched by a man, Rowan 'shifts' into the image of his true love. And, second, that after years of unrequited love, Rowan holds out little hope that one day someone will `see' the real her. Since it is Rowan's turn in the spotlight and there's always a short romance at the heart of the books in Veil's series, we're counting on Rowan finding that man. But who will it be? The enthralling master Chef Jean-Marc Dusant or the cranky mechanic/bounty hunter Sean Meridan? I'm not telling, though I have to say that resolution to this love triangle was truly original and I loved the story even though I wished that Rowan's part of the book had been just a bit longer, because a bit more angst over making her choice would have made the ending even better. The chemistry between Rowan and each of the men is good, but it is hard to decide who to root for - both men have moments where they overpower Rowan (mentally or physically, even though she does want them). A good part of what made the story so enjoyable for me was that I really liked Rowan a great deal. She has a sense of humor, is very straightforward in dealing with both men, and is quick to pursue misunderstandings. Along with Rowen, I also enjoyed the `flavor' that Rowan's time working in Dusant's kitchen added to the story. Rounding out the book, there were a few cameos of other Kyndred and some movement in the background Genhance story arc along with a very brief appearance by Darkyn stars Alex and Michael to drop a clue to Dusant's past. Though this series still has a touch of darkness to it, now that the enemies are evil scientists instead of religious fanatics, there's not a lot of the lingering torture scenes which made me squirm with the Darkyn books. I like Viehl's Kyndred, even better than her Darkyn and I am very much looking forward to more of the Kyndred and the next book, Frostfire.

Wow. I loved this book. At the beginning I was totally lost but the characters were so enthralling that I couldn't stop reading. I might have been a bit lost because I didn't start with the first one but I figured stuff out. I just stuck with the story and everything was explained down to the most minute questions which had been confusing at the beginning of the book. Except for the continuing story arc, of course, but that is going to play out over several books obviously. The author just drops you into the middle of the story and explains and ties things together as she goes. It was great fun figuring things out as we went along. I absolutely loved the main character, Rowan. She was kind of a roll with the punches kind of girl. I loved the twist at the end which I guessed pretty early on but then I had the fun of watching it all play out. I loved the French chef Dansant and the surly mechanic Sean. Two really great characters and the love story was very well done and very touching. There was one pretty hot love scene. While explicit it was still tasteful. The paranormal stuff was well thought out and interesting. Can't wait for the next one and I'm going to get the first one to read as soon as possible. I read a lot of books for free but this one I'm definitely going to get my own copy of. I'm giddy with pleasure at this book. But then I finished it at 2:30 in the morning having read it in one sitting so that may factor in. :-)