Also by this author: Dead Man's Hand, Queen of Hearts, House of the Rising SunWelcome to Nocturne Falls, the town where Halloween is celebrated 365 days a year. The tourists think it's all a show: the vampires, the werewolves, the witches, the occasional gargoyle flying through the sky. But the supernaturals populating the town know better.
Living in Nocturne Falls means being yourself. Fangs, fur, and all.
Sebastian Ellingham isn’t known for being a happy vampire. And when his long estranged wife comes to town expecting to pick up where they left off, things take a sharp turn toward cranky. Sure he’s been protecting her for centuries, but her assumption that he’s still available (he is) rankles.
His answer is to hire a woman to play his fiancée. The lucky victim is Tessa Blythe, sister of one of the town’s deputies, librarian in need of a job and, oh yes, reluctant Valkyrie. Playing along with Sebastian is all about the end game for her, the position of Dean of Library Studies at the local private academy.
When unexpected sparks fly between them, they agree to mutually deny the attraction. Fate, however, has other plans…
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So if you haven’t read the first four books in the Nocturne Falls series, you should. The Vampire’s Mail Order Bride, The Werewolf Meets his Match, The Gargoyle Gets His Girl, and The Professor Woos the Witch.
Found Vampire Sebastian is not only the financial guru of the Nocturne Fall’s founding family, but he is also a grouch. I don’t mean an occasional one, I mean hide in your room, hiss at anyone coming near you that isn’t family grouch. Some of that is his personality and some of it is the fact that he not only sired but married a younger vampire who left him to tour the world, and of course make Sebastian pay for it by holding his hope that someday they may get back together.
He had finally gotten to the point where he was done with his estranged wife, when guess who breezes into town, yup no other than said estranged wife. Fed up with her attitude and general lack of respect, Sebastian got upset and told his wife that he had a fiancee. A fiancee that doesn’t actually exist. Enter Valkyrie/Deputy’s sister Tessa who just so happens to be in town for a job interview as a librarian. Since Tessa was available and single, they hatched a plan to fool the wife with her being a fake fiancee. Best laid plans and all.
I really enjoyed this book, I think it had the tempo that the fourth one lacked a little and it followed the normal plot that the first three did for the most part. I really like how this story really got into Sebastian’s head and you learned not only more about him but his entire family, which hasn’t been done up to this point. I mean you hear about one or two family or other community members but not to the extent that you do in this book. I really feel more familiar with the town and the founding family because of this book.
If this shows you as much I liked the series, I did not receive this book in exchange for a honest review, no I bought the book, brand new, from Amazon so I could read it. What? I was having withdrawals from Nocturne Falls. Well that and I really like the series, and I was really excited to learn about yet another one of the Vampires. To learn about their family as well really added to the quality of the book. Honestly, another thing that I enjoyed about this book was Tessa. Unlike her sister who really embraced their abilities and ancestry, Tessa wanted nothing to do with it. Just because Nocturne Falls allows Supernaturals to be themselves, doesn’t mean that the supernaturals are ready to be themselves. For Tessa this book really pushed her boundaries and what she was willing to do to protect those she cares about.
P.S. Because it has been so long since I read this book, I just bought the Valentine’s Day short story. I know Nocturne Falls is like a drug.
About Kristen Painter
When the characters in Kristen Painter’s head started to take over, she decided to put them on paper and share them with the world. She writes paranormal romance and the gothic fantasy vampire series, House of Comarre, for Orbit Books. She has also been published in non-fiction, poetry and short stories. The former college English teacher can often be found online at Romance Divas, the award-winning writers’ forum she co-founded. She’s represented by Elaine Spencer of The Knight Agency.
