Caressed by Moonlight (Rulers of Darkness #1), Amanda J. Greene

Smart, sexy and cleverly written the Rulers of Darkness series will have you ensnared from the very beginning. Set in 1814, this is not your typical historical romance.

The story begins in London. Victoria has come to the city seeking the help of her aunt after the passing of her father. Needing to provide a home for her younger sister, she is greatly in need of help but her aunt isn’t the type to lend her aid. Instead her aunt threatens to permanently assume custody of her sister if Victoria is unable to find a husband within 30 days and therefore be able to provide for her.

Dorian is known within the city as a wealthy foreign prince and a rake. In reality he is Vampire King who has come to London to drawn vampire hunters away from his Clan. Women swoon in his presence and at the same time cringe from the possibility that their reputations will be ruined if they are seen with him. He finds it all to be a bore and he forces himself to remain in social settings to make his presence know to the hunters, hopefully keeping their attention away from his homeland. That is until he meets Victoria. The chemistry between Dorian and Victoria is intense and immediate but she knows that she needs more then just a one-night tryst with a prince – she needs a husband. And Dorian, although he is intensely attracted to her, knows that there can be no future for them given her humanity and the fact that only his mate can fix his cursed soul. The only problem is that his doesn’t know how to tell whether or not she is his mate since the ancient’s of his race died taking the details of the legend with them.

As Victoria’s plight to find a husband becomes more desperate, her situation with her aunt further deteriorates and hunters begin to take notice of Victoria herself - Dorian finds himself doing the one thing he never thought he would do – he offers her a marriage of convenience and luxury. At first, they both “play house” but the intense chemistry they share finally get’s the best of them. Their connection grows and has them both yearning to admit just how emotionally deep things have gotten when the threat to his homeland and crown comes to a head. Dorian is forced to return home and he discovers just whom he married. Victoria refuses to be left behind and is determined to stand by her man. But she is the one in for a shock when she has to make the voyage to his homeland and face just whom she really married and what she has gotten herself into.

This story is masterfully written. Not normally a fan of historical fiction? This story really transcends the typical historical work and actually benefits from the rich setting. The balls, carriage rides, clothing… all lend a fairytale quality to the tale without getting bogged down in too many cultural issues. Once they begin to venture to his homeland the struggles they go through to get home lend a sense of adventure and suspense to the story that would have been hard to achieve in another time period. This story is a great start to the series. Ms. Greene does a great job introducing several secondary characters and developing them enough that you will be anxious to read the next in this exciting new series.

RATING: 5 chocolate dipped strawberries served at Tea Time!

Many Thanks!