Raphael by D.B. Reynolds
- UF, paranormal, romance -
reviewed by Tara SG
bought book via Amazon.com
Book Order (Vampires in America)
- Raphael * * * 1/2
- Jabril
- Rajmund
Links
Author’s Website : www.dbreynolds.wordpress.com
Amazon : paperback
Add To Your GoodReads TBR List
This book in 6 words:
exactly the adult break I needed
Why did I read this? And am I glad I did?
I came across this via Parajunkee and as soon as I read this line in her review, I knew I had to read it! “I need to simultaneously smoke a cigarette and punch something after finishing this novel.” That is exactly what I look for in my UF/PNR books… and boy was she right. I have been reading a lot of YA lately and almost all for review tours. I really, really needed something more “adult” to cleanse my palate and this did the trick. I started this late at night thinking I’d read a few chapters. I was up finishing it when my husband’s alarm went off in the morning (3:30 am… yeah wouldn’t you love that waking you up every morning).
This wasn’t overly original in the basic plot, but I found the characters and mystery to be intriguing. You may need a cold shower after a few of these heated scenes and the action will keep your blood pumping. I will warn that it ends with a slight cliffhanger and you may want the second book on hand… luckily I was prepared for this 
Brief Summary
Malibu, California-home to rock-and-roll gods and movie stars, the beautiful, the rich . . . and vampires. Powerful and charismatic, Raphael is a Vampire Lord, one of the few who hold the power of life and death over every vampire in existence. Thousands call him Master and have pledged absolute loyalty on their very lives. But when, in a brazen and deadly daylight attack, a gang of human killers kidnaps the one female vampire he’d give his life for, Raphael turns to a human investigator to find his enemies before it’s too late. Cynthia Leighton is smart, tough and sexy, a private investigator and former cop who’s tired of spying on cheating spouses and digging out old bank accounts. When Raphael asks for her help in tracking down the kidnappers, Cyn’s happy to accept. But she soon realizes her greatest danger comes not from the humans, but from Raphael himself. Battling Russian mobsters and treacherous vampires, and betrayed by those they trusted, Cyn and Raphael find themselves fighting for their lives while caught up in a passion of blood and violence that is destined to destroy them both.
- via GoodReads.com
Plot/Pacing/Writing Style
Like I said above, this isn’t the most original plot. Powerful, sexy vampire hires tough human PI and drama/sexual tension commences. However, the mystery was well-done and it wasn’t as much about OMG-who-did-it?! as it was intense fighting to get to the bad guys.
The pacing was very well-done. I could not put this down. I also loved the writing style. She definitely has a way with words and I’ll not only be finishing this series, but looking for other stuff by her.
Characters
For being fairly cookie-cutter characters as far as face-value, I was impressed with the characters. Cyn is a tough, kickass, smart PI who happens to come from money. What I loved about this is that she spends it! She has a nice car, designer clothes, and isn’t ashamed of inheriting a trust-fund. This doesn’t mean she doesn’t want to work for a living and she has a very strong work-ethic. We learn a little about her via her non-relationship with a distant father and her forced isolation of being raised by nannies and board schools. She was open about being vulnerable as a human, but wasn’t going to let that keep her on the sidelines…. it just means more gear
Raphael is yummy. He is powerful, rich, and arrogant… everything we want in an alpha vamp. But these are also his weaknesses. He has to come to terms with the fact that he’s been letting other people fight his battles and needs to earn the respect he believes he deserves. I loved learning about his past and hope to see more of this in future books.
Recommendations
If your a fan of UF then you should definitely try these… so if you like smexy scenes mixed in with some violent fights *For adults!*
This is on my TBR! I have a few books ahead of it but I am not missing this series
I’ve never heard of this one, but I’m glad you mentioned it! Just put it on my TBR list. You definitely have a point: sometimes I need an “adult” break from all the YA I read as well, and this one sounds really good!
@ Felicia : I’m surprised I hadn’t heard of this series before! I actually enjoyed the second even a little more than the first
Can’t wait to see what you think of them!
@ Natalie : I think you’d like these. They are a little dark and definitely turn up the heat and violence, but after a lot of YA I needed it lol.
[...] Raphael * * * 1/2 [...]