Vulnerable

On the surface Vulnerable is about a young girl living in a small town who dreams of escaping and seeing the world. She's already a warrior even if she doesn't see herself as such. Her armor is the facade of a tough little Goth complete with makeup, metal, hair dye, contacts and a bitchy attitude. Her weapons are her tongue, her wit and her determination. Then one night working her graveyard shift at the Chevron she "sees" Arturo. One accidental touch irrevocably changes her world. Adrian becomes besotted with her and leads her into a new life where she finds she's stronger than she ever knew. As Cory discovers herself she helps those around her discover themselves as well. The story runs the gamut of emotions from desperation, despair and guilt to wonder, hope and acceptance. Love, salvation and redemption. Parts of the book were hysterically funny. Other parts were utterly heartbreaking. Any author who can make you care about her characters, make you laugh out loud and make you cry real tears has done her job. Amy Lane did her job very well.

Cory lives in rural America in the middle of nowhere. She comes from a poor working class family and as a result, not only do other people consider her white trash, but her own parents also can't understand why she would want to get a good education instead of finding a cheap job and a husband asap. But since she doesn't want to be stuck in this life and place, she takes a job as a night-shift clerk at a local gas station to finance a good education. Once she has passed her finals, she will get the hell out of here! She has learned to deal with the way people treat and see her by taking on a "tough-chick" persona, including died hair, heavy make-up, lots of earrings and a tough, often unfriendly behaviour. But underneath that exterior she's actually shy and feels that she's not worth much. She's not beautiful or thin or from a good family. Because of that, she's almost painfully shy around some of the more good-looking men who come to the gas station regularly. But one night, Arturo, one of those customers, won't accept that anymore. When he touches her hand and makes her look at him and talk to him, her life changes forever. Because Arturo is not a normal man, he's one of a large group of preternatural beings living in the surrounding foothills, and his touch opens her eyes to this world. Soon she makes friends with some of the sidhe, were-creatures and vampires she now sees as what they are. And she falls in love with Adrian, a vampire who's also second in command at the fae's hill. Things get complicated and dangerous when attacks on Adrian and the were-people start. Someone from the vampire's past obviously wants to harm or even kill him. In the process, Cory discovers not only that she has powers she never knew about, but she is also confronted with the fact that human morals don't count much among the fae / were / vampire community. Because Adrian and Green, the sidhe leader of the group, have been lovers for a long time. And Cory also feels attracted to Green... This is Amy Lane's debut novel and also the first book in the Little Goddess-series (followed by "Wounded" and "Bound" so far). She isn't with a large publisher, but has worked with iUniverse, a self-publishing company. As a result she doesn't get as much money or attention as authors with larger publishers, but when I look at her great books, I also get the impression that she has more freedom to write a gripping and unusual story instead of being forced to do what some editor thinks will sell well. What should also be mentioned is that the price for the book may seem relatively high if you just look at the article page without seeing the real book. But although the page count may not be that high, it's larger than your average trade paperback and iUniverse don't waste space by extra large print or lots of unprinted space at the edges as many large publishers do to justify their exaggerated prices for trade paperbacks. So you really get something for your money. What may also be a

By accident, a preternatural being introduces Cory to a world beyond her imagination. She has never dated. She's never been kissed. She didn't know vampires existed, until Adrian walked into her life. Adrian is a hundred and fifty year old vampire. Because of his sordid past, he is determined to save other lost souls. He never thought he would fall for a human, but Cory touches his soul. If need be, he would die for her ... again. Green is one of the sidhe and leader of a mismatch group of preternatural beings: faeries, weres, elves, and vampires to name a few. His special gift is to heal the body and mind with sex. When Adrian, his beloved brings a human girl home, he becomes just as devoted to her, but more important, he realizes she's vitally imperative to all who reside within his realm. As Cory's love flourishes, so does her ability, a power she never knew she possessed. Not all is paradise for there is an old enemy set out to destroy Adrian. Green knows Cory can help them defeat this threat. Cory will do anything for her beloved. Only problem is Adrian will sacrifice everything to save them both. Ms. Lane spins an intriguing tale. She describes the foothills, the garden and the magic with such vivid detail, making you feel as if you are there. Adrian and Cory's love is endearing, as is their love for Green. Her secondary characters are just as memorable. There is Renny and Mitch, the were creatures; Bracken, a sidhe who can call blood; Arturo, the Aztec God; and Grace, a vampire who is more like a den mom. Excitingly erotic at times, you will be drawn into a world where friendship and love goes beyond gender. Enter Green's Faerie Hill where family is everything and sacrifices may change everyone's life forever. Great read!

This book was a great effort for this first-time published author. The book tells the story of Cory, a young woman trying to find her place in her world. In doing so, she meets various supernatural beings, and finds that her place is not necessarily where she thought it was, and home is where you make it. I enjoyed this book greatly, and it is an extremely refreshing change of pace from the usual "vampire" book which tends to be extremely violent and dark, with some quite sadistic. This book takes a more positive approach, although there is certainly enough action to satisfy traditionalists. The characters are complex and we get a glimpse into a three-dimensional culture of the supernatural beings-not just a one-dimensional, stereotypical description. In addition to creating a complex, vital world of the supernatural, Amy Lane also vividly portrays our own human world and paints a complex picture of our human heroine, so Cory too breaks out of the stereotypical hero/heroine role. This certainly is a book that will please fans and readers of traditional "vampire" books, and people simply looking for an enjoyable book as well. I hope we see additional books from this author.