Nightfall by Lois Gresh – a Review
Secrets…they always find an ugly way of revealing themselves, don’t they? In Nightfall by Lois Gresh, near-fatal situations could have been avoided altogether had characters just been honest. Especially when the person on the verge of causing harm is none other than legendary Voodoo Queen, Marie Leveau. Even when facing evil vampires, truth frees (and offers options).
Raised by her Great Uncle Frenchie since the age of 2 in Havenshire (a rural village in upstate New York), Alexandra Leveau is a 22 year old mathematician who works intermittently in a knife shop to ensure bills are paid. Life is a routine until she meets Vadim Blerinca…and Alex begins to ask questions.
“I’d sworn to myself that I was done with Vadim Blerinca before we’d even started anything, but here he was now, right in front of me, and I couldn’t pull myself away from his gaze. We were locked in time, in the moment, drawn together by an irresistible force that I didn’t understand.”
Before she analyzes Vadim’s unique ability, Vadim communicates telepathically and impresses upon her the one word that should have warned her away: Vampire. Yeah, I wouldn’t have run away, either! 😀 Problem is, Vadim DOES. He vanishes, but his mere presence has Alex prodding Uncle Frenchie for their family history. Uncle Frenchie begrudgingly shares knowledge that could no longer be denied (should NOT have been denied), as it pertains to Alex’s own protection. Secrets…I tell you! Uncle Frenchie gives Alex a ring with a gem that shone like ten different colors of green. The dazzle only momentarily distracts Alex.
“Frenchie said, “In essence, Alex, as long as you have that ring on, you are Marie Leveau. You must stay away from Vadim Blerinca. He could try to kill you. Or worse, his father might do it for him.”
Greeeeeaaat…the Montagues and Capulets have nothing on this family! What ensues is further exploration into Alexandra’s previous life as Marie. Vadim was her one true love gone awry. Unfortunately, Frenchie downplayed the venom possessed by Vadim’s father, Haimon, for revenge: Marie killed Haimon’s human lover. Together, and apart, Alex and Vadim try to right previous wrongs to secure an eternal future.
Nightfall had juicy elements to entice and delight, but I was repeatedly lost by too many additional characters. Granted, Alex is slowly coming into her own as Marie, and with that come persons already familiar with her (just a matter of reacquainting/refocusing), but their roles (and true identities) didn’t enhance the story by much, IMO. There is also a subplot involving imposter cardiac medicine that was perfected by Alex/Marie in the throes of near death. It was necessary for the author to complete the story line, but it seemed incongruous to the more vital part of the book.
Some irritants: Vadim constantly refers to Alex as Marie, encouraging her to embrace Marie’s memories and abilities, but when Alex has her first face-off with Haimon, who is hell-bent on preventing this ill-fated union, Vadim not only refuses to part with personal information critical to Alex from Marie’s long-ago actions, he goes so far as to threaten Alex with her own life! What happened to the love? If Vadim had freely given/shared past experiences involving Marie, perhaps Alex would have avoided certain confrontations. When Alex accepts she and Marie are one and the same, and she has the power to command the elements, minds of humans and even supernatural creatures, how dare Vadim then recoil from her? And don’t get me started on Alex, suddenly empowered with Marie’s skills that nearly eclipse Vadim’s own vampire strengths. I hate it when that happens.
Hmmm…the book does tie up all loose ends and we thankfully receive a HEA. I wish certain story lines hadn’t been as featured as others were left unanswered: Why did Vadim focus on that certain group of “blood donors”; who did Venus de Milos end up with; did Naomi and Skipp find their final resting places; why on earth did Alex/Marie bite Vadim? If we’re lucky, Ms. Gresh will continue this series and charm us with further discovery.
I researched Marie Laveau, as I lacked in my own knowledge of the voudoun practitioner, but there weren’t so many facts to consider as there were theories about her vast abilities. Kudos to Ms. Gresh for bringing to life such an enigmatic character worthy of attention in this world of the paranormal.
Reviewed by Carmen
Copy provided by Author.
