TEST
I liked this one. Make that I really liked this one. Fresh, pleasingly erotic, and totally free of anything to do with Regency England or an alliance of extra large paranormal warriors – in short, unlike about 95% of the books out there right now – Elizabeth Guest’s Night Life had me from its very first pages when I was immediately caught up in the romance of an Egyptian king now living in modern day Las Vegas and a non-stiletto wearing, non ass-kicking Egyptologist heroine.
There’s a bit of world-building involved here, but, thankfully, it’s not heavy handed. In its simplest terms, Adrian King, AKA Egyptian King Merneptah Seti, was betrayed centuries earlier and died. Mysteriously awakened, along with others of his time whose presence he can sense, Adrian is now the billionaire owner of an Egyptian-themed casino. The former king, who still retains his Imperial demeanor, struggles against what he believes will be his eventual fate: to become an Eater of Blood and a Breaker of Bones, which is Egyptian-speak for vampire.
Egyptologist Christine Day visits his casino while in Vegas to attend a professional conference. Caught up in her admiration of the seeming authenticity of the Egyptian reproduction artifacts adorning Adrian’s casino, Christine tumbles into what she calls one of her “waking dreams” featuring a mysterious man who is her lover. When she spies Adrian beside a casino lotus pool, she knows immediately that he is none other than the man of her dreams. Adrian, too, recognizes Christine as the woman who has haunted his dreams and fantasies for centuries.
Basically, that’s the plot. There is, of course, a bad guy or two and a few other characters from ancient Egypt now living in the modern world who feature in the book, but the author wisely devotes most of her efforts to telling a simple and compelling love story. Adrian is a fantastic character and, while he is decidedly larger than life, it is, thankfully, in a different way from all those paranormal warriors to whom we’ve grown so accustomed. The author does such a good job with his POV that he always feels like a king in the truest sense.
Christine, though far less vividly drawn, is, nevertheless, an appealing and likable heroine. What I appreciated most about her, though, is what she isn’t – a stereotyped and clichéd hip young heroine expertly kicking demon ass while wearing a tight leather skirt and Manolos. Christine is instead a believable academic bewildered by events and by her sudden overwhelming feelings for a powerful man with many secrets.
In case you can’t tell by now, I really liked the fact that this book is different. Starry Egyptian desert nights and equally starry Las Vegas ones – with a generous helping of sex in lotus pools mixed in – made for a delightfully invigorating read. And did I mention that I liked Adrian? Well, I did. A lot.
As for quibbles, the mythology seemed a bit muddled since I was never quite sure how or why the vampire stuff (the Eater of Blood and Breaker of Bones thing) worked. Still, despite my confusion, I have to admit that I didn’t really care since the relationship between Adrian and Christine is the reason to come to this party.
A quick Google reveals that Elizabeth Guest is a pen name for Suzanne Simmons (also Suzanne Simms), a romance author for a number of years without many good AAR grades to her credit. I have to conclude that Night Life is a major step forward for the author and that a new pen name (and a fresh start) seem to be in order.
I have to admit I’ve sometimes granted DIK status to great books I knew I would never reread simply because they deserved an A or A- grade. Night Life is a DIK in the classic sense for me; this is an exceptionally well done romance I know I’ll read again. If the premise appeals to you (as it did to me) or if you’re simply looking for something you haven’t read before, then there’s a very good chance you will enjoy this book as much as I did. And if nude swims in lotus pools under starry desert skies hold any appeal to you (as they do to me), then don’t even think about missing this book.
Grade: A-
Book Type: Paranormal Romance
Sensuality: Hot
Review Date: 25/03/07
Publication Date: 2007/04
Recent Comments …
Yep
This sounds delightful! I’m grabbing it, thanks
excellent book: interesting, funny dialogs, deep understanding of each character, interesting secondary characters, and also sexy.
I don’t think anyone expects you to post UK prices – it’s just a shame that such a great sale…
I’m sorry about that. We don’t have any way to post British prices as an American based site.
I have several of her books on my TBR and after reading this am moving them up the pile.