 The Vampire’s Mail Order Bride, Book 1 of the Nocturne Falls series by Kristen Painter, was another Book Bub discovery for me. If you have not signed up for Book Bub, what are you waiting for? You get free notifications about free or cheap eBooks in your favorite genres. It’s a bookworm’s dream come true! But back to the book review. When I first saw the cover, the bright pink and black color combination drew me in. I hadn’t read about vampires since the Twilight Saga kicked off the fad and then left it to fizzle. I knew there was a chance it would be cheesy but it was free to download to Kindle so I figured I would give it a try. Boy, am I glad I did! I read the entire book in one day. One. Day. I couldn’t put it down. Then to my relief, I looked up the author on Goodreads.com and realized there are five more books and several novellas in the series to keep me occupied.
Nocturne Falls, the namesake and location for the series, is a place where tourists go to celebrate Halloween 365 days per year. Little do they know, the supernaturals roaming town are not an act and really are who they seem. After Delaney witnesses her mobster boss murdering someone, she runs for her life to Nocturne Falls in the guise of a mail order bride. Hugh is a 377 year old vampire who is determined not to marry again after the death of his first wife centuries ago, but he agrees to meet with the woman chosen for him by a matchmaking agency to appease is grandmother. Sparks fly when the human and vampire meet but the most interesting part of the story is watching them confront the unveiling of secrets and dealing with the hurdles thrown their way. Their relationship is put to the test in a short amount of time which makes the romance scenes even more rewarding. In addition to quirkiness and fluffy paranormal love, this story has a strong comedic thread weaved throughout. The witty banter between the characters was amusing and kept me wanting to turn the page to see what they would say next. A part of me wishes Nocturne Falls was real so I could move there or, at the very least, take a road trip. A good book makes you homesick for places you have never been and this book did just that. After finishing The Vampire’s Mail Order Bride I am homesick for the little Halloween town of Georgia and now plan to read the next books in quick succession. Based on the book descriptions, the secondary characters I fell in love with in the first book will get their time in the spotlight as the series progresses. I can’t wait! With Halloween right around the corner, I can’t think of a more fun read to enjoy leading up to everyone’s favorite fall holiday.
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 Summary
After Tyris’ wife files for divorce, he goes on a dangerous mission with the hope of winning her back. He crash lands on Zerris, a planet removed from the map of the Colonies after it was supposedly destroyed, and discovers it is inhabited by a small village. He also learns it holds the valuable fuel resource he was looking for, but with a damaged ship he can’t make it back to the Colonies to announce his discovery. As winter sets in, he must depend on the hospitality of Marlee, a beautiful and caring woman who may need his help as well. Marlee has lived on Nerris her whole life. Her mother was pregnant with her when she made the journey to Nerris after their home planet of Semala was hit by an asteroid. Unfortunately, the gas on the planet has rendered many people infertile and they face the danger of not being able to repopulate. The Council tries to overcome this dilemma by dictating that everyone change partners if the pairing does not result in a pregnancy within eighteen months. When Tyris crash lands on Nerris, Marlee takes him into her home as a way to avoid being forced to pick a new partner. In the cold of a Nerris winter, will sparks fly? Review I discovered the Barren Planet series by Rinelle Grey when I received an email from Book Bub (I highly recommend this site for any book lover) advertising the first book was available to download for free from Amazon and Barnes & Noble. The cover was visually stunning and the plot intrigued me. I figured why not, I will give it a shot. Reckless Rescue sucked me in from the first chapter and I read the remaining books in the series in quick succession. Reckless Rescue gives off a M. Night Shyamalan's The Village vibe but adds a science fiction twist to it. It has the village which functions like centuries past, building their own shelter and growing their own food, while the rest of society lives in modern times. The Council rules over the village but the difference is, the younger generation is aware of those living modernly elsewhere and that brings an interesting challenge to the story. The part about planet Nerris being removed from the Colony maps gave me a flashback to Obi-Wan Kenobi of Star Wars searching for a lost planet and discovering it had been deleted from the archives. There is so much for science fiction romance fans to adore in this series. It is no secret, I love character driven stories. The writing can be phenomenal and the plot complex, but if the characters do not feel real I will not read on. The characters of Reckless Rescue are well developed and it is easy to become attached to them all, even the minor ones. You will be rooting for Marlee, Tyris and all their friends with the turn of every page. After Reckless Rescue, one book will not be enough. Luckily there are three more books in the series: Reckless Rebellion, Reckless Recon and Reckless Remedy. I highly recommend the Barren Planet series by Rinelle Grey. Check it out! |
Author's NotesI am thankful for the opportunity I had to publish book reviews on Examiner.com for six years. Unfortunately the company decided to discontinue their news site but I have decided to post my book reviews here. Enjoy! Archives
April 2022
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