In the Shadow of Darkness by Nicole Stiling is an urban paranormal romance. We get a split view of Angeline Vallencourt's life - when she was first turned by Kathryn and their time together, as well as present-day and her relationship with a totally boring normal human, Megan.

Overall, I enjoyed this book more than I thought I would. The early chapters with Kathryn and Angeline feel a bit dry and the dialogue can be cringe at times, but once you meet Megan the story begins to unfold and flow a lot easier. The plot is secondary to the characters and their interactions with each other, think of it as a slice of life vampire story. I love the almost complete lack of men, and how very gay the majority of the characters are.

The only thing I wish the writer had done differently was to leave out references that would date this novella in a few years. There was an off-hand remark about "Alexa" which could be confusing to people not familiar with the digital assistant or anyone reading it outside of this generation. Things like this should either be explained briefly or left vague and unbranded.

If there was a spin-off detective series with Angeline and Nolan, I would definitely read it!

4.5*

In 1926, Angeline Vallencourt was turned without her consent by Kathryn, a much too nonchalant vampire in search of a friend to roam the world with. Now herself a reluctant vampire, she tried to resist her new nature, to no avail. In today’s world, Angeline works at the Fog Hollow Animal Hospital and leads a quiet and discrete life, until she saves Megan Denham from a gunshot wound. She feeds her too much of her own blood and ends up bonded to her, albeit temporarily. When the police investigation into the violent death of the armed robber who shot her comes too close, Megan finds herself protecting her mysterious saviour.

I enjoyed reading this book a whole lot. It’s fun and clever, and well-written. When I reviewed Nicole Stiling’s debut novel last year, I wrote that I was looking forward to her next book, and I’m happy to say she didn’t disappoint. I tend to forget stories and only remember impressions and feelings and what I remember from Secrets in a Small Town is the atmosphere Stiling created. In this new book, she again sets an interesting atmosphere, but there’s a lot more too. There’s wit and humour, and just enough tragedy to take this novel to the next level. The relationship between Angeline and Megan is unusual and the complete opposite of her relationship with Kathryn, which borders on abusive. It’s a testament to Stiling’s talent that I never questioned the reality of either the chemistry between Angeline and Megan or their feelings, much less the existence of vampires.

The book I read before this one felt like a complete waste of my time, but In the Shadow of Darkness saved my day. Yet another reason to recommend it to anyone looking for a not-too-heavy not-too-fluffy romance.

I received a copy from the publisher and I am voluntarily leaving a review.

I really enjoyed this paranormal romance novel. Note: while one of the leads is a vampire - thus paranormal - this is a very non-paranormal paranormal book - if that can be a thing.

Megan's life is cruising along - nothing fancy but it works. Until the night when she walks in on a gas-station robbery, gets shot, and wakes up a mile away with a woman standing above her having given Megan her blood to survive the gunshot wound.

Angeline has a blood disorder that makes her extremely photosensitive and basically immortal - okay she's a vampire. But all she wants to do after years and heartbreak is live a low-key life. She an overnight veterinary technician and likes it just fine. Until she saves Megan, and her carefully-crafted, below-the-radar life starts to get immensely more complicated.

Now tied together by a blood bond - and the fact that they genuinely like eachother, Megan and Angeline must decide if they can try to make a relationship work and figure out how to avoid the complications of Angeline's past.

Blood Disease.

It's 1926. Angeline is walking home from work and meets Kathryn, a beautiful read headed predator who attacks. Fast forward to present day and Meghan finds herself in the wrong place at the wrong time at the local Gas 'N' Eats. She wakes up in a parking lot and finds Angeline, a beautiful brunette predator who saves.

This book alternates between past and present as we learn about how Angeline has been shaped into the <i>person</i> she is today. I liked the mystery and how things were uncovered a little bit with each progressing chapter.

Lately I have been reading books that are outside of my usual genre and have been rewarded for stepping outside of my comfort zone. This book is no exception. What I appreciate about this story is that it is very modernized. When I think of vampires, what comes to mind are caskets, castles, crosses, bodices, garlic, stakes through the heart, etc. This one sort of pokes fun at those things as just being silly stories told over time.

There was a bit of sarcasm and humor as Meghan tries to wrap her mind around the idea of vampires. And even more as she finds herself becoming invested in Angeline's welfare and trying to decide if one should get involved with a creature of the night.

So people in this small town are suddenly being drained of their blood and Angeline and Meghan try to find out who is doing the killing.

I felt like there was an opportunity to create more suspicion as to who was doing the killing. There were certainly some side characters that we could have been a red herring. And the romance was a little bit too insta love for my preference.

Overall it was a very entertaining read. I liked the interactions between Angeline and Meghan.

I recommend this to those who like to read about romance, murder, mystery, suspense, loyalty, loss, letting go, accepting love, and rare blood diseases.

This was a good read. Great second novel from this author.

Angeline is walking home when she snatch by a vampire named Kathryn who decide to turn her instead of killing her because she wants a companion to travel with.

Angeline is distraught that she won't be able to see her family or husband again even though she didn't ask for this it gives her freedom to realize that although she loved her husband Ben she realize women is where her heart is at.

Angeline goes into hiding after Kathyrn does something unforgettable when she decide to interfere when an arm robbery at gas station leaves a woman dying.

Megan who was at gas station at the wrong time get shot and survive when Angeline gives her blood. When she comes too she can't believe what happen neither does the officer Nolan who is investigating what happen. Things starts to get worst when bodies start piling up.

I like the romance between Angeline and Megan as they try to find out what going on. I did like Megan friends Stacy and Kristen and how they accept Angeline for who she was. Kathryn was a piece of work on how she treated Angeline.

I received an ARC copy of this book from the Publisher via Netgalley and voluntarily leaving my review.

I don’t usually read books about vampires, but the blurb was interesting and I never read anything by this author. So I took a chance that it might be entertaining. It was actually a pleasant escapism for a few hours.

The story alternated between present day Massachusetts and the years when Angeline was first turned in 1926 by Karthyn, her demanding and controlling maker. Unlike Karthryn, Angeline refused to kill for her food. She just took what was needed. Their relationship was not a pleasant one.
When Megan, 32, was shot during a gas station robbery, Angeline, 26, saved her life by giving Megan her blood but not turning her. This was the beginning of a connection to each other…a blood bond. Angeline felt Megan’s emotional swings and offered support, especially when Detective Nolan kept questioning Megan’s recall of the circumstances surrounding her survival after being shot and the mysterious woman who helped her by giving her blood. He kept thinking Megan was withholding information, and she was. Megan kept her word to Angeline that she would not give her up to Nolan. Over time, the women’s connection and attraction grew. But as their relationship intensified, other mysterious deaths became a major concern for the women as well as Detective Nolan.

I enjoyed the banter between Megan and Angeline, especially during the questioning phase of Angeline’s life as a vampire, or as Angeline referred to herself as just having a blood disorder. Megan’s friends, Stacy and Kirsten, were also likable characters who had no qualms about a vampire being in their midst. They also provided humor to the storyline.

If you read this story for its entertainment value, you will find it to be enjoyable.

ARC given for honest review.

3.75 stars This was my first book by this author. I'm a fan of vampire stories and this one fit the bill. Personally, I think this book is more thriller and suspense with vampire characters and historic flashbacks more than the typical vampire supernatural storyline. There's nothing wrong with that, just measure your expectations accordingly. The writing was good and most of the characters were sympathetic. I would be happy to read another book by this author. I received an ARC of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

OMG, I might be doing a bit of fang-girling right now. I mean fangirling. Bloody, frickin' brilliant. Full review to follow once I come back down.

This ^^^ this book. Loved. It.

Review - I don't tend to read a lot of vampire books because I find they are either hit or miss for me. Thankfully, this one was a totally hit.

I loved the author's take on vampires. My heart broke for Angeline, and I was rooting for her all the way. Her Maker was a despicable woman that I only wanted bad things for.

The budding relationship between Angeline and Megan was a delight to read. There's some heat, nothing over the top, but what there is compliments the story.

The story is told in third person and has a shifting timeline which also worked well for me.

Copy provided by the publisher, Bold Strokes Books, via NetGalley.

This is by far one of my new favorite vampire novels! I enjoyed the lore as well as Angeline’s journey. The chemistry between the two leads was palpable. It was sexy and angsty with the right amount of humor to balance it out. I’m hoping for a sequel! Definite five stars.

I loved this book! The way the past was woven throughout the story really made Angeline come to life. Learning what happened to her in the past made understanding her present thought process a lot easier. Megan was a fun character and the two of them gelled really well. I expected a lot of the usual vampire tropes but I didn't find very many. Super interesting and the love story was believable and exciting. Highly recommend!

Wonderful read! I highly recommend this book! Vampire Angeline story is beautifully woven from the past to the present. Megan is delightful and you can feel the connection all through the well thought out story.