Dark Salvation

Rating:
Summary: Recommended vampire tale w/ a scientific twist
Review: Desmond Lacroix isn't a vampire, but he might as well be. Avoodoo curse laid on him by his grandmother has given him all thestandard symptoms. Jennifer Dunne has concocted a fast-paced, involving story with sympathetic and engaging characters. It's a vampire tale with a scientific twist, and should appeal to fans of vampire romances as well as those who like paranormal romances from other niches. My only real quibble was with the end, which seemed to be too abrupt, and in my mind left a few threads hanging.

Recommended.

Rating:
Summary: A vampire romance for the new millenium
Review: I originally read "Dark Salvation" when it was released as an e-book, and I'm delighted to see that it is now available in paperback.

In "Dark Salvation" Jennifer Dunne has crafted a wonderfully entertaining, sensual love story that puts a futuristic spin on the vampire romance. Desmond Lacroix is convinced that medical science has the power to overcome his vampirism, and to save his young daughter. But his unusual research draws the attention of reporter Rebecca Morgan, who finds herself drawn to the enigmatic man, even as her investigations convince her that there is indeed a story here. But Rebecca has her own secret-- a genetic inheritance that could prove the key to Desmond's salvation. Now, can Desmond overcome a lifetime of secrecy and learn to trust her? Or will he lose her, and with her his only hope for salvation?

I really liked this story, particularly the way the author managed to integrate high-tech medical science without overwhelming the romance and action. The characters are very believable, and I particularly love the way the sparks fly when these two very independent people first try to work together as partners.

Highly recommended.

Rating:
Summary: A vampire romance for the new millenium
Review: I originally read "Dark Salvation" when it was released as an e-book, and I'm delighted to see that it is now available in paperback.

In "Dark Salvation" Jennifer Dunne has crafted a wonderfully entertaining, sensual love story that puts a futuristic spin on the vampire romance. Desmond Lacroix is convinced that medical science has the power to overcome his vampirism, and to save his young daughter. But his unusual research draws the attention of reporter Rebecca Morgan, who finds herself drawn to the enigmatic man, even as her investigations convince her that there is indeed a story here. But Rebecca has her own secret-- a genetic inheritance that could prove the key to Desmond's salvation. Now, can Desmond overcome a lifetime of secrecy and learn to trust her? Or will he lose her, and with her his only hope for salvation?

I really liked this story, particularly the way the author managed to integrate high-tech medical science without overwhelming the romance and action. The characters are very believable, and I particularly love the way the sparks fly when these two very independent people first try to work together as partners.

Highly recommended.

Rating:
Summary: Not your ordinary vampire
Review: I've always loved vampire stories. I got hooked on Dracula in grammar school, and continued reading and collecting vampire fiction (and nonfiction!) throughout the years, so I thought it would be easy to draw on this knowledge to write my own. Wrong! My scientific background prevented me from using the easy answers. I kept asking, "But why?" Finally, working with a wonderfully imaginative genetics researcher, I developed an explanation that covered the major vampiric traits (aversion to sunlight, need for blood, rapid healing) and that was, if not probable, at least plausible. But that's just the background, giving a unique but not overpowering flavor to the story. If you just want a fun, sexy love story, you can happily ignore all of it. :-) Enjoy!

Rating:
Summary: A vampire romance for the new millenium
Review: In "Dark Salvation" Jennifer Dunne has crafted a wonderfully entertaining, sensual love story that puts a futuristic spin on the vampire romance. Desmond Lacroix is convinced that medical science has the power to overcome his vampirism, and to save his young daughter. But his unusual research draws the attention of reporter Rebecca Morgan, who finds herself drawn to the enigmatic man, even as her investigations convince her that there is indeed a story here. But Rebecca has her own secret-- a genetic inheritance that could prove the key to Desmond's salvation. Now, can Desmond overcome a lifetime of secrecy and learn to trust her? Or will he lose her, and with her his only hope for salvation?

I really liked this story, particularly the way the author managed to integrate high-tech medical science without overwhelming the romance and action. The characters are very believable, and I particularly love the way the sparks fly when these two very independent people first try to work together as partners.

Highly recommended.

Rating:
Summary: A vampire romance for the new millenium
Review: In "Dark Salvation" Jennifer Dunne has crafted a wonderfully entertaining, sensual love story that puts a futuristic spin on the vampire romance. Desmond Lacroix is convinced that medical science has the power to overcome his vampirism, and to save his young daughter. But his unusual research draws the attention of reporter Rebecca Morgan, who finds herself drawn to the enigmatic man, even as her investigations convince her that there is indeed a story here. But Rebecca has her own secret-- a genetic inheritance that could prove the key to Desmond's salvation. Now, can Desmond overcome a lifetime of secrecy and learn to trust her? Or will he lose her, and with her his only hope for salvation?

I really liked this story, particularly the way the author managed to integrate high-tech medical science without overwhelming the romance and action. The characters are very believable, and I particularly love the way the sparks fly when these two very independent people first try to work together as partners.

Highly recommended.

Rating:
Summary: Recommended vampire tale w/ a scientific twist
Review: Rebecca Morgan is a free-lance reporter on the trail of a hot story. Desmond Lacroix, and the secrets he guards fiercely, is her hot story. When Rebecca travels to Arizona to tour the mysterious Prescott Institute, she is determined to unravel the secrets behind both the work done there and the director, Lacroix. However, the secrets she is seeking based on her reporter's imagination don't even come close to the reality that is Desmond Lacroix's life.

Desmond's main focus in life is saving the life of his three year old daughter, Gillian. Gillian is has a very rare disease that has been killing her since the moment she was born. Her mother died shortly after Gillian's birth of a rare form of leukemia that was exacerbated by Desmond's curse, although we don't know for the longest time what his curse truly is. All we know is that he strictly guards the security of his Institute and the various types of research going on there.

Rebecca not only becomes intrigued with Desmond and the institute, but she turns out to be a possible bone-marrow donor for Gillian. When she resists the tests needed to determine complete compatibility, Desmond is able to persuade her using his telepathic abilities. He is also able to detect that Rebecca is telepathic, although she doesn't know it. As she spends more time at the institute, Rebecca is unable to deny the feelings she has for Desmond and the intensity of their chemistry.

The world into which Jennifer Dunne takes us in Dark Salvation is just slightly skewed from our own. It is possible to see how such a reality might occur and how these two people could find each other given all the odds stacked against them. I was drawn into the story from the very beginning because I like the strong and independent heroine, which Rebecca definitely is. Desmond creates that mysterious aura that invokes images of intense passion soul-wrenching love. These elements are a large part of Desmond and Rebecca's story and certainly how they are each other's Dark Salvation. Barb Deane Copyrightc 1999, Barb's All Romance Book Store. All rights reserved

Rating:
Summary: A exciting new author with a vampire-type romance story!
Review: Rebecca Morgan is a free-lance reporter on the trail of a hot story. Desmond Lacroix, and the secrets he guards fiercely, is her hot story. When Rebecca travels to Arizona to tour the mysterious Prescott Institute, she is determined to unravel the secrets behind both the work done there and the director, Lacroix. However, the secrets she is seeking based on her reporter's imagination don't even come close to the reality that is Desmond Lacroix's life.

Desmond's main focus in life is saving the life of his three year old daughter, Gillian. Gillian is has a very rare disease that has been killing her since the moment she was born. Her mother died shortly after Gillian's birth of a rare form of leukemia that was exacerbated by Desmond's curse, although we don't know for the longest time what his curse truly is. All we know is that he strictly guards the security of his Institute and the various types of research going on there.

Rebecca not only becomes intrigued with Desmond and the institute, but she turns out to be a possible bone-marrow donor for Gillian. When she resists the tests needed to determine complete compatibility, Desmond is able to persuade her using his telepathic abilities. He is also able to detect that Rebecca is telepathic, although she doesn't know it. As she spends more time at the institute, Rebecca is unable to deny the feelings she has for Desmond and the intensity of their chemistry.

The world into which Jennifer Dunne takes us in Dark Salvation is just slightly skewed from our own. It is possible to see how such a reality might occur and how these two people could find each other given all the odds stacked against them. I was drawn into the story from the very beginning because I like the strong and independent heroine, which Rebecca definitely is. Desmond creates that mysterious aura that invokes images of intense passion soul-wrenching love. These elements are a large part of Desmond and Rebecca's story and certainly how they are each other's Dark Salvation. Barb Deane Copyrightc 1999, Barb's All Romance Book Store. All rights reserved

Rating:
Summary: Competent but nothing extraordinary
Review: Sometimes a writer can be perfectly competent - everything is spelled correctly, sentences are well-crafted , characters behave consistently, and the plot is direct and potentially engaging - and yet the story doesn't come together in any meaningful way, doesn't capture the imagination. "Dark Salvation" is such a book.

Journalist Rebecca Morgan is determined to get the scoop on Desmond Lacroix and his research into blood-borne contagions which she suspects to be nothing more than a con game. But Lacroix has more invested in his research facility than she can imagine, and as she begins to uncover the truth, she is drawn deeper and deeper into his world. Despite some problems which are probably more matters of personal taste than otherwise (I found just a little more cribbing from other sources than I like, though I recognize it as an occupational hazard for genre writers.) Dunne has constructed a workable universe, and a relatively new take on vampirism - sub-genre: Physiological reasons for their existence. She writes with assurance and the competence mentioned earlier, but without some essential spark which would have kept me wondering what was going to happen next. The writing is good, neither particularly crisp nor particularly sluggish, but eminently readable and fairly undemanding. If there are any glaringly awkward bits, it's probably that she tends to over-use colorful descriptions, such as referring to Desmond's voice as "caramel." The plot itself isn't too strenuous; we're told almost from the beginning what Desmond's game is and the rest of the book pretty much works through his concerns with Rebecca's help. There's a good deal of sex here, as well, and those who don't care for the graphic stuff might be put off, though I found it a nice change from the implied sex of so much vampire lore. But again, there's nothing dazzling about it, nothing visceral, and that's a shame. The characters are pretty much what you'd expect; dark, brooding hero with a secret, spunky, beautiful heroine who is his soul mate, who understands and accepts even in the face of what is commonly thought of as horror. Competent but no sparkle.

I wish I could have liked this book more, I wish I could find something more to say than "competent" because I sound as if I'm damning with faint praise which really isn't the case at all. Even blunt criticism would probably be better than relative indifference, but I have no major quarrels with what Dunne writes or how she writes it. If she could put some muscle in her prose or make her story quirkier I believe she could produce a book that would capture the imagination. "Dark Salvation" is not that book, alas. I would recommend it if you're a die-hard vampire romance fan or a voracious reader of romances looking for something just a little different, but if you want to be dazzled, I don't think this one is for you.