Review - Seduced by the Night

Title: Seduced by the Night
Author: Robin T. Popp
Publishing Date: 2006
Genre: Paranormal
Rating: D+
Sensuality: Warm
Book Disclosure: I purchased a used book.

Seduced by the Night is the second book in Robin T. Popp's Night Slayer series. Bethany Stavinoski is a biochemist and has recently been awarded for her brilliance in her leading research. Unfortunately for Bethany, it has made her the target of a group of men looking to create a new drug. These men are strange and mysterious but Bethany is lucky to have a protector in Dirk Adams a former military man who has a few secrets up his sleeves. Bethany is engaged to another man, but that doesn't extinguish the flames that burn between Bethany and Dirk.

I really enjoyed the first book in the series Out of the Night, which I rated an A. But unfortunately I didn't enjoy Seduced by the Night quite as much. One of the things I really enjoyed about OOTN is the unusual twist to the vampire legend. I thought it was rather clever and different from most vampire books, but by the second book that novelty had worn off and nothing new in terms of the legend had come to light, although there were new characters and motivations that surfaced in this book.

The other thing that bothered me with this book was that Bethany was engaged to another man and while she didn't feel passionate toward him she still was committed to him and it took away from her relationship development with Dirk. Dirk was kind of a Neanderthal with Bethany at times and of course hated the fact she belonged to another. I just couldn't really get into this one. Robin T. Popp's writing style reminds me of Elizabeth Jennings or Lisa Marie Rice, where the heroines are very feminine and the males are extremely protective, which is not a bad combination, it just didn't work for me in Seduced by the Night.

Review - Out of the Night

Title: Out of the Night
Author: Robin T. Popp
Publishing Date: 2005
Genre: Paranormal
Rating: A-
Sensuality: Warm

Out of the Night is the first book in Robin T. Popp's Night Slayer series. Lanie Webber, the daughter of a famous biochemist needs to travel to the South American jungle to identify her father's body. It seems while studying a strange new animal species for the military, he was attacked and killed. Lanie has arranged to take a private charter flight with pilot Mac Knight. When Mac and Lanie arrive in the jungle they discover a strange creature which attacks Knight and nearly kills him. Thanks to Lanie's quick thinking she is able to save his life. But Lanie's father's body is missing and there is something strange going on.

Out of the Night was a fantastic read! I have to admit, I wasn't looking forward to reading another vampire book, but Out of the Night really took me by surprise. I think one of the reasons for this were the characters Mac and Lanie. They both were very down to earth, normal individuals. Even though the situation they faced seemed like something out of a horror movie, they themselves acted with an ordinary or standard reaction. There was a reality to their personalities that helped ground the story and not make it so fanciful.

Lanie is an average woman who works in a library. She is a volunteer fire-fighter/paramedic on the side. She is not out kicking butts in this book. She is much more likely to think up a clever plan before taking any kind of action, but when in a tough situation she keeps cool and can do the impossible. I am such a sucker for this type of heroine. Mac is no slouch either. A former captain in the Navy SEALs, his confidence and masculinity are the cornerstone of his personality. He holds himself to a strict moral code that he sometimes struggles with. I felt this only added depth to his character.

I love, love, love the way the vampire legend played out in this story. It is unique to most of the vampire books out there and it feels plausible. I could almost believe that this situation could happen in our world. The setting and atmosphere that Ms. Popp created was down right spooky, to say the least. At the beginning of the story, when it took place in the jungle, I would have jumped sky high if someone would have come up behind me while I was reading and tapped me on the shoulder. Luckily that didn't happen, but it was definitely tense reading for a while.



Out of the Night is part of Keishon's TBR Challenge. In March, Keishon suggested that we pick a book in the paranormal/science fiction/fantasy genre. I figured Out of the Night was a straight paranormal, but it wanders into science fiction territory too. I sure am glad that I chose this one, yet sorry that this sat so long in my TBR pile. Definitely check out Keishon's link to read the reviews from other participants.