Touch of Evil (Thrall, Book 1)

Adam's and Clamp's Thrall are reminiscent of the Wraith from Stargate Atlantis the Sci Fi Thriller that spun off of Stargate the movie and then the series nowadays on the Sci fi Channel. Unlike the vampires that flood the media these days, the Thrall and the Wraith are a Hive based entity. They share mental communication and food sources but the similarities end there. The Wraith, hibernate and work and fight as one entity where as the Thrall are individuals following the Queen who is a host for the eggs of her followers. For her immense power she has to sacrifice, a short lifespan is her payment. It is a concept that sets this new series apart from any other, I have seen of late. The heroine is kick ass and very defined as opposed to the one dimensionals like Buffy, etc. She reminded me a bit of the early Anita Blake. In any case this book kept me entertained from page one until I turned the last page and I was happy to see that it will be continued. I was also happy to see that the Sazi series will be continued as well. Clamp and Adams as a writing team have what it takes to keep us entertained and the diversity to give us something a little different form the run of the mill paranormal. Top it off with excellent writing and you have bestsellers. Keep it up ladies.

Touch of Evil is an entertaining and griping book. It is fast paced and has plenty of twists and turns to keep your eyes glued to the pages. The unique take on vampires - parasites with a hive mentality - is fresh and intriguing. The characters are interesting and life like. Kate is a fabulous heroine. She can kick ass and take care of herself, and she has many layers to her personality. The world is well-developed and believable. I haven't had the time to do much reading lately, and I am very glad that I picked up Touch of Evil. I enjoyed it immensely and would highly recommend it!

What a fantastic twist on the vampire story! In this world, vampires are parasites who survive in hives with a queen who controls the hive. Vampires are called the Thrall due to their power over the minds of humans. Once selected as a host by the Thrall, the human body is worn down by the parasite and eventually the human host dies. Once the queen of the hive nears her death, she must select a new queen or all of her hive will die with her. Unfortunately for Katie Reilly, Queen Monica has chosen her as her successor. Katie survived an attack 6 years earlier and now is designated Not Prey. According the rules surrounding Not Prey, Katie should be safe from Monica but Monica isn't playing by the rules and has grown in power to the point that the other queens can't control her. In addition, Katie's ex-fiance, Dylan (who is the reason behind her designation as Not Prey), asks her to locate his niece, Dusty, and protect her from the Thrall as Dusty is Monica's second choice for queen. Meanwhile, Katie has a new tenant, werewolf firefighter Tom Bishop, who is protecting Dusty and doesn't trust Dylan's motivations in asking Katie to find Dusty. C.T. Adams and Cathy Clamp have created a very complex and fascinating world that I definitely want to read more about. Highly recommended!

Courtesy of Love Romances Readers, buckle your seatbelts, Touch of Evil is a non-stop thrilling ride. Katie Reilly has been through a lot in her life. She's traveled the world as an international courier, watched her brother become a drug "zombie," and fallen in love only to have her former best friend steal the man. Oh, and she's had her former lover sacrifice her to the parasitic vampire Thrall to save his own hide. This all happens before the story even begins... Fast forward six years. Katie has discovered that being attacked by the Thrall has magnified her already strong natural psychic abilities. Now the new Thrall Queen, Monica is near death and must find her successor before she and the whole hive die. Unfortunately for Katie, she has been hand picked to replace Monica, who will stop at nothing to get her. When Tom, an incredibly sexy werewolf, rents an apartment from her things begin to change dramatically. For the first time since Dylan betrayed her, Katie feels stirrings of desire for a man. Just as their relationship seems to be getting good, Dylan comes to her to protect his niece, also chosen as a possible successor to Monica. Never did Katie expect the way that would affect her life. Tom knows more than he is telling... and her life, and those of her family and friends are in more danger than ever. Just why are the werewolves so intent on interfering with her job to protect the young girl? Can Katie get past her mistrust of Tom to experience the shifting love they share? With Touch of Evil, CT Adams and Cathy Clamp prove once again they are a stellar writing team in the paranormal romance genre. The action starts immediately and carries readers through to the several peak moments that all lead up to the final confrontation between good and evil. The tension is gripping and the multiple minor story lines all work together to enhance the main plotline, never detracting from it. Katie is a take charge kind of girl, insisting on doing everything alone. One of the lessons she must learn is that everyone has their strong traits, which complement hers to make the combined team a force to be reckoned with. Her history makes her who she is, and this reviewer loved her all the more for her weaknesses, as well as her strengths. Of course, one can't forget her sexy werewolf, Tom, whose strong alpha wolf tendencies give him the desire to protect Katie at any cost, even when she doesn't believe she needs his help. One will especially love the authors' vampire world. They use a completely different concept than this reviewer has ever read. The vampires are actually parasitic creatures that take over the human "host" in order to survive. There's certainly nothing sexy about these bloodsuckers, unlike how vampires are so often portrayed in the romance genre. It's also interesting to have the community of the Thrall being described as hives, very similar to what people think of in regards to bees. Some of the best descriptive scenes ca