WHEN DARKNESS HUNGERS – J. K. Beck
The Shadow Keepers – Book 5
Bantam
ISBN: 978-0-345-52565-9
July 2012
Paranormal Romance

Hollywood, California – Present Day

When Alexis was a young girl, she really looked up to her sister. Growing up in a home of neglectful parents, Tori was Alexis's lifeline. But then Tori went missing, leaving Alexis to deal with everything on her own. Grown up, Alexis joined the FBI to find her sister…and she did, just too late. Tori was dead, and Alexis came out of the experience with a new understanding of the world. Vampires are real, and Alexis would kill every last one of them so she could rest knowing she had killed her sister's murderer.

Serge was cursed. And while the curse itself is gone, the horror of it still remains. Serge is no longer just a vampire, he's something more—something so dangerous, he shuns contact with the world. No longer feeding on blood, Serge must feed on the life source of other beings. Hoping to do some good in the world, he hunts rogue vampires, feeding off those that would kill innocent humans. Alexis sees the good in Serge that he can't, or refuses, to see in himself. With her help, maybe Serge can finally become something better. But if Alexis finds out about his brutal and violent past, will she still be able to love him?

WHEN DARKNESS HUNGERS is the fifth book in the Shadow Keepers series, and long time fans will be excited to see Serge finally get his own story. A true tortured hero, Serge must come to terms with what he has become before it tears him apart and destroys everything and everyone he loves. Alexis has already lost her sister, and will lose so much more by the time her war against rogue vampires is over. These two strong characters must come together to fight and save everything they hold dear, and it's truly a joy to watch these two fighters work together. 

Though a later book in the series, WHEN DARKNESS HUNGERS can be read as a standalone. Characters from previous books show up in this novel, and readers might miss part of Serge's back story, but author J.K. Beck does a very good job at summing up the world and Serge's sordid past for new readers. A dark and gritty paranormal romance series, readers will love the Shadow Keepers books, and Serge especially.

WHEN DARKNESS HUNGERS follows WHEN BLOOD CALLS (Sept. 2010), WHEN PLEASURE RULES (Oct. 2010), WHEN WICKED CRAVES (Nov. 2010), and WHEN PASSION LIES (June 2012). Be on the lookout for the next in the series, WHEN TEMPTATION BURNS, coming August 2012.

Amanda Toth