VAMPIRES NOT INVITED - Cheyenne McCray
Night Trackers , Book 3
St. Martin's Paperbacks
ISBN: 978-0-312-53268-0
December 2010
Paranormal Romance

New York City, New York - Present Day

Sprites are foul smelling, annoying creatures bent on creating mischief at every chance. Luckily, they aren't an organized group and, therefore, don't cause so much trouble for the Night Trackers (law enforcement of the Paranorm world) and their fellows that their activities can't be hidden from the norm world. Until now that is. The darn things have banded together, and even the Soothsayers (the clean-up crew of the Paranormal Task Force - PTF) can't cover it all up. But as Nyx, the half-human, half-Drow (Dark Elf) private investigator and Tracker and the rest of her allies are about to discover, there's a darker threat than any they've ever faced behind the Sprites' actions…the Vampires. Led by Master Vampire Volod, they've come up with a plan to recover the power they lost after their defeat in the Paranorm Rebellion over a century ago. Worst of all, the ammunition they plan to use will be provided by the very group that should be doing the most to protect all paranorms, the Paranorm Council. Nyx and her friends thought they'd faced the worst life had to offer when they had to deal with Demons and Metamorphs  (shifters who can take on any human shape) just recently, but they were wrong. Volod is about to begin a reign of terror that not even Nyx and the other Night Trackers may be able to end.

If Nyx had her way, VAMPIRES NOT INVITED would be posted on signs everywhere; for that matter, complete extermination isn't that bad an idea. Then again, the normally fearless and dedicated Tracker and Drow princess never really regarded the Vampires as a viable threat, until now. Nyx is about to face her own mortality, as well as that of all those she cares about. If she can't overcome her fear and embrace the mission she's always called her own, protecting innocents, everything good this world has to offer may be lost forever, for both paranorms and norms alike.

Right by Nyx's side (at least when she isn't rushing in to face danger on her own) are many readers of the Night Trackers series will recognize: Adam, a human NYPD detective and her lover, may be the only person to really get Nyx; Olivia, sarcastic and tough, the only human Tracker and Nyx's PI partner, and Rodán, mysterious and beautiful as only a Light Elf can be—he's the leader of the Trackers. Of course, some of the more memorable Trackers must be mentioned; among them are: Joshua, new to the team, he's a sexy Australian Shadow Shifter; Ice, a jerk, but a useful one; Angel, beautiful and scary smart; Nadia, Nyx's close friend, a Siren with no patience for alpha males; and Kelly, a good Tracker, but not one of Nyx's favorite people. Among the Sprites you'll meet are some that stand out: namely Tobath, a half-Drow, half-Sprite with aspirations of power and Negel, a Sprite who could be the first to show that nasty and useless shouldn't be the first words to come to mind when thinking of his people. If you've ever thought Vampires were moody, romantic beings, Volod and his brother Danut, and Drago (another old Vampire) will soon disabuse you of that notion.

While I missed the first two installments in the Night Trackers series, DEMONS NOT INCLUDED (June 2009) and NO WEREWOLVES ALLOWED (May 2010), Cheyenne McCray's talents are such that I never felt lost, quickly gaining an understanding of just who Nyx and her friends are. That being said, I enjoyed this book so much that I simply must go back and read the first two, and I'd recommend the same to anyone else in my situation. Set in an intriguing new world, romance, adventure and non-stop action fill the pages of this book, and I have to say that with storytelling this good, VAMPIRES NOT INVITED should be at the top of your book buying list.

Lori Ann