Lisa's Lair - Author Lisa Kessler's Blog

Night Thief
Author: Lisa Kessler
Series: Night #0.5
Publisher: Entangled
Published on: September 29, 2012
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Format: 109 pages, eBook
Provided by: Purchased

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After the fall of the Mayan civilization, Kane, an immortal Night Walker, has taken refuge in France for over 800 years. The modern world holds little interest for him until the night he meets the Golden Thief and is robbed of much more than his pocket watch.

Marguerite Rousseau is living a double life. By day she is the assistant to an eccentric French artist, Antoine Berjon, and by night she dons elegant evening gowns to woo French dignitaries before lifting their wallets.

Sparks ignite when Kane captures the thief, but Marguerite harbors a dark secret that could ruin them both.

For those of you that like historical romances and paranormal romance, this one could be the book you need because it combines both. It’s a novella, and part of the Night Walker series, but it can absolutely stand alone.

The year is 1840, and the setting is Paris. Marguerite is a beautiful woman and a pickpocket. She’s actually been nicknamed by the police, and is called the Golden Thief. Yes, she’s blonde, but she also has collected a lot of gold coins and jewelry from the rich of the city. Kane is extremely rich, handsome, and he catches Marguerite’s eye when she sees his jewel encrusted pocket watch. What she doesn’t know is that Kane is a Night Walker. Night Walkers are immortal, have an inner animal that they can shift to, are only awake at night and drink blood. They are not vampires. Marguerite is human, but knows all about the secret vampire world-which she despises. When Kane notices her steal from a man, he is fascinated by her, and goes out of his way to meet her. It should be noted that she really isn’t a criminal, and she does have a pretty desperate reason why she does what she does.

I have never read a book or novella by Lisa Kessler that didn’t entertain me, and this was no exception. Since it was a novella, it was a very quick read. If I had one complaint it would be that some of the dialogue was a bit cheesy. I noticed it, but moved on, and kept right on enjoying the read. The romance was sweet and a bit hot at times, and I rooted for this couple to make it against the odds, due to a horrible evil that is in Marguerite’s life. I especially loved how they go about finding a way to be together.

Paris in the 1800’s was a pretty different setting for most paranormal romances-at least the ones I have read. Ms. Kessler practically painted a picture of what life was like in those times and actually opens the story with Napoleon’s funeral. I found it to be richly descriptive of the people, the streets of Paris, and even the beauty of the French countryside. It was very easy to picture it all while reading, always a plus for me in any read, and much appreciated.

If you find yourself in the mood for a quick paranormal or historical romance read, I recommend this novella to adult romance fans. It’s the second one that I read in the series, and a great introduction into the Night series and the Night Walkers.

Night Walker
Series: Night #1
Author: Lisa Kessler
Publisher: Entangled
Published on: May 8, 2012
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Format: 352 pages, eBook
Provided by: Purchased

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He gave up his soul for a second chance to love her...

Two and a half centuries ago, Calisto Terana lost everything when a zealous priest murdered the woman he loved. Now, desperate for another chance to love her, he wants redemption for the mistake that cost her life.

She's haunted by dreams of her own death...

After catching her fiance with another woman, Kate Bradley returns to San Diego to clear her head. The last thing she needs is romance, but after meeting Calisto she's drawn to him in ways she doesn't understand.

They've waited in the shadows for centuries...

Calisto has no doubt Kate is the reincarnation of his lost love, but the Fraternidad Del Fuego Santo has a new watcher with dark ambitions of his own. As old enemies reemerge and a new threat arises, the betrayal that enslaved Calisto to the night might destroy the only woman he's ever loved again.

I spend time on one of the paranormal book club sites on facebook, and Lisa Kessler’s name almost always comes up when it comes to recommendations. I had heard of her before of course, but this is the first book by her that I have read. And I think I picked a good one to start with!

Kate is a young school teacher from Reno that visits her friends in San Diego. She’s running from a broken engagement and since she grew up there, it’s the perfect place to lick her wounds. While doing the tourist thing with her friends, she visits an old Spanish mission. She meets Calisto, a handsome, old fashioned, Spanish gentlemen, that she immediately feels drawn to. What she doesn’t know is that her destiny and his are intertwined, and in fact, she is the reincarnation of his only love that died a couple of centuries before. Calisto is a former monk that committed the sin of falling in love. Through a series of events, he loses his love before they can have a life together. He chooses to become a Night Walker(vampire) so he can love her again someday, and this is the story of what happens when they meet again.

The story goes back and forth in time a bit, just enough for us to get the back story. I found both parts of the story to be well written, and in fact, I found Ms. Kessler’s style/tone of writing was a bit different. At first I wasn’t sure about it, but I found that I did enjoy it. I don’t know how to describe it other then, there’s a seriousness to the tone. No lighthearted read here, this is a true romantic drama. I hope that makes sense; if you read this, perhaps you will understand what I am trying to explain. I should mention that this is her first book, and I think she does an excellent job for a first book!

I enjoyed the world building involved. We get the story about how Calisto becomes a Night Walker, and also the story of the group of monks that are trying to kill him. So yes, this book also involves killer monks with both Calisto and Kate as their targets. And while I am talking about Calisto and Kate, I should say how much I enjoyed their characters. I thought they were fully realized and were interesting characters. Calisto, in particular, was well imagined in that he really did seem like someone that had lived centuries before.

This is a series, but I think this could stand alone because another couple are the main characters of the next book, and I am not sure if it intersects with this book at all. If it wasn’t for the very last part of the book, you would never know it was a series. I don’t feel the need to immediately read the next book, but I do want to read it, and have already bought it. I do love a different spin on a vampire book-although Calisto doesn’t consider himself a vampire, because as he says it, he is a Night Walker.

Night Child by Lisa Kessler

Release Date: April 28, 2014

A psychic gift...

Muriah La Deaux's latest job requires her to locate an ancient codex detailing a prophecy of an immortal birth. But before she can deliver it, her client is brutally murdered. Now a man with chaos in his eyes wants the codex she's hiding.

An immortal child...

Issa is one of the original Night Walkers, a proud protector of the mortal world. Now, when the survival of his entire race rests on protecting an unborn child, Issa is the only immortal strong enough to protect Muriah on a risky mission--locate the lost scrolls that will trap their foe--but his tenuous grasp on his sanity is slipping.

The ultimate sacrifice...

Muriah's headstrong spirit awakens feelings in Issa that are best left buried. But as the battle between love and chaos ensues, sacrifices must be made...

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Sometimes the only way to heal is to love...

When Colin Flynn returns home to Ireland, the immortal Night Walker is not the protector he had once been. Although his flesh has healed, the scars hide a broken spirit.

Juliana Duffy is a survivor. She owns a florist shop and continues to play piano in spite of her deafness. Her prophetic dreams warn her of coming death and show her the faces of two men: one a customer and one a handsome stranger.

After hearing her music, Colin finds himself drawn to this woman who refuses to be defined by her injury. As an ancient enemy emerges and threatens her safety, Colin will need to learn Juliana's secret to overcome his wounds, and regain his strength.

But falling for a mortal could be the greatest risk of all...

Colin Flynn’s scars run deep. They not only mar his flesh, but have marked his soul and broken his spirit. Returning to Ireland to try and find a way to heal, Colin finds himself searching for anything to help him move past his pain. When he meets Juliana Duffy he thinks she may have the answers he is looking for to start the healing process…

I just loved Colin and Juliana. Lisa Kessler has once again created characters that make you feel every emotion and struggle right along with them. Colin’s inability to move past his injury was heart-wrenching, but you felt that the spark of his spirit was still alive as he looked for a way to move past all that he had lost. Juliana was everything I love in a heroine – strong, willing to do whatever it takes to protect those that she loves, and smart enough to know her limitations. Although she too has suffered loss, she has found a way to move past it, accepting all in her life that she cannot change.

Although this was only a novella in length, the pages are filled with a wonderful love story that had me captivated from the first page. The only complaint I have is that I would have loved to have had more detail regarding the rivalry between Colin, the Night Walker, and Benedict, the Water Horse – I think there was probably a wonderful back story to the history that is alluded to in the book, and I can only imagine what story could have been told in a full length novel. Don’t get me wrong, this book was wonderful – so wonderful that I just want more! Thank you Lisa Kessler for crafting a story that had me living and riding the emotions right along with your characters.