INSATIABLE DESIRE - Rita Herron
The Demonborn, Book 1
Grand Central’s Forever
ISBN: 0-446-19947-8
September 2008
Paranormal Romance

Eerie, Tennessee - Twenty Years Ago and Present Day

The Dark Lords are mortals born of an Angel of Light and a demon or another Dark Lord. Vincent Valtrez is the product of such a union. Standing on the cusp between good and evil, his father, Zion, is just days away from rising to take his place as the most evil leader the Underworld has ever known. If Vincent joins him in his reign, the earth may never recover, but if he can resist, find the goodness in his soul and embrace it, he can be one of the mightiest forces for the light ever known. It’s just too bad Vincent doesn’t know all of this…

Psychic Clarissa King has always been haunted by the dead like her mother and grandmother before her, but the latest souls to come asking for her help were brutally murdered, unusual in a small town like Eerie. Clarissa is certain the killer isn’t an ordinary man; in fact, she’s becoming increasingly sure that he’s something very different indeed, something she may not be able to fight on her own. That’s where Vincent Valtrez comes in.

Special Agent Vincent Valtrez is one of the best at hunting down serial killers, maybe because he’s something like them; he has a dark side, bad blood it’s been said. Coming back to Eerie, the place where he spent his early childhood, isn’t high on Vincent’s list of things to do. He lost his mother there; he’s relatively certain his father murdered her, but no one knows for sure. As a child, Vincent was found in a horrible state just outside the Black Forest (the first human to have ever survived the place) and his parents were never seen again. That’s why Sheriff Waller calls him in. Anyone who could do that may have a chance against this killer.

Vincent thinks Clarissa is a fraud; Clarissa thinks he’s an arrogant s.o.b. It doesn’t have the makings of a great working relationship, but add in the powerful, almost mystical passion that springs to life between them, and suddenly things get very interesting. Could Clarissa be the one to help Vincent claim the side of the light, or will he drag her down to the depths of darkness as his father did his mother?

INSATIABLE DESIRE is an intriguing blend of erotic romance, mystery, and thriller. Vincent is both admirable (he’s caught more than a few criminals, helping to save the innocents of the world) and annoying (the way he treats Clarissa is abominable, at least at first). Conflicted as only someone who is a mix of both good and evil can be, readers won’t be sure at times if they want to like Vincent, but in the end, it’s difficult not to (perhaps similar emotions to what Clarissa experiences). Clarissa is a haunted woman, not just by the ghosts, but by her own past (her mother committed suicide rather than continue to face the dead). Determined to help all those she can, she wants to help Vincent as well, even if she might be safer without that entanglement. Their passion is undeniable, but love may be an impossibility, especially with a killer in Eerie who has them both in his sights.

The secondary characters in INSATIABLE DESIRE are each unique and well drawn, leading Vincent and Clarissa into situations that will make your pulse pound even as you try to decide which of them is the killer, and who among them can be trusted. Sheriff Waller is aware of Clarissa’s “talent” and trusts her enough to call in bigger and better help, namely Vincent. Deputy Bluster has dated Clarissa in the past, and he’d rather she not get involved with Vincent, in fact, he’d rather the “feebie” just head on out of town. Sadie Sue is a stripper and prostitute; she chose the professions to provide her baby boy with the things she just can’t earn any other way in Eerie. Her decision-making skills might be just a bit off. Hadley Crane is the local gravedigger. He still lives with his mother and suffers from mental illness; luckily he’s on medication. Then there’s Pan, the god of fear; he’s looking to improve his place in the new kingdom of darkness to come. Oh, and I mustn’t forget Vincent’s father, Zion. Though he doesn’t feature greatly (except in the very beginning of the book) his dark shadow overlays everything that happens.

A fast-paced, heart-pounding read with a potentially legendary romance at its core, INSATIABLE DESIRE is a sure fire winner and promises to be just the first installment in an intriguing new world, the world of The Demonborn.

Lori Ann