After Dark

Title: After Dark

Author: Jayne Castle

Date Finished: January 6, 2011

Personal Book Count: 2 out of 75

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Genre/ Subject: paranormal romance

First Line: If it had not been horribly obvious that Chester Brady was already dead, Lydia Smith might have strangled him herself.

Why did I pick this book?: I have read a couple others in this series.

Summary and Review: taken from the author’s website-

“Life is tough enough these days for Lydia Smith, licensed Para-archaelogist. Seriously stressed-out from a nasty incident in an alien tomb, she is obliged to work part-time in Shrimpton's House of Ancient Horrors, a very low-budget museum. She has a plan to get her career back on track, but it isn't going well. Stuff keeps happening. Take the dead body that she discovered in one of the sarcophagus exhibits. Who needed that? Finding out that her new client, Emmett London, is one of the most dangerous men in the city isn't helping matters either. And that's just today's list of setbacks. Here in the shadows of the Dead City of Old Cadence, things don't really heat up until After Dark.”

I liked it. I did spend the first few chapters struggling to reconcile this book with the other 2 from the series I have read (one before, one after). They are set in the same world, but not necessarily the same characters. Once I realized that, it was easier to let it go, and enjoy the story. I enjoy (and admire) the author’s ability to create the world so similar, and so different, but has the ability to suck you in completely. Within that she weaves together and intricate mystery, with the appropriate, surprising bomb drops. Then to be able to weave in sometimes subtle, yet appropriate romance… I think that is a big part of what keeps me coming back to these novels. And Emmett London… I just want to melt into his arms… *swoon*… The one drawback (which reflects on me, not the author) is I had to put it down for about a month and a half, due to ‘obligation reads’. So I sort of lost the train of the story, and it took me a while to pick it up again. I am really looking forward to the next one in this series, as I believe the same characters are back.

Agree? Disagree? Recommendations? Any insights, suggestions, or comments on the book or format, or blog at all are most welcome. If you have read this and/ or review it yourself, please let me know. Can you think of any books like this? Give me a recommendation! =D