Elancourt Manor; Outside Orleans Parish, New Orleans – Present Day

Once a beautiful, vivacious young woman, the ghostly Néomi Laress now roams the rooms and hallways of her empty home, Elancourt Castle. Murdered by a spurned lover, Néomi woke to find herself chained to the house, so to speak. Over the centuries, visitors have come and gone (especially when she scared the heck out of them) but most of the time Néomi spent her time alone. Then one day, three vampires arrive with one in chains, kicking and screaming. She is amused and intrigued by the one they call Conrad, and daily she enters the room and sits by his bedside or floats above him…watching, observing. One evening while visiting and murmuring to herself, she notices something about him. He is staring at her. Can he see her? If so, why does he pretend he cannot? And why do his brothers keep him chained and locked in her home?

Vengeance courses through Conrad Wroth's veins. He wants nothing more than to kill his brothers, Nikolai for what he turned Conrad into…a vampire, and the others for holding him prisoner. Conrad has left a path of death and destruction in his wake, become part of a deadly group called Kapsliga Uur, a group of mercenaries for hire who kill vampires. A contradiction for Conrad, right? Not really…his brother turned him without giving him a choice, and ever since then Conrad has loathed his own existence. Now, after centuries of taking the blood and memories of his victims, Conrad suffers from hallucinations. When his brothers drug him, chain him up, and bring him to Elancourt, Conrad sees a beautiful woman. She can't be real. Or can she? Why is she there? Why is she a ghost? And why does she pick his brother's pockets and leave a pebble? Is she a thief as well?

In DARK NEEDS AT NIGHT'S EDGE, readers learn of Conrad Wroth's fate. Of all the brothers, Conrad is the most unforgiving and the one who, it seems, suffers the most, partly due to his involvement in the Kapsliga Uur. If that's not enough, he has been marked by a demon called Tarut, so Conrad can't sleep for fear of Tarut finding him through his dreams. Ain't life grand? When Conrad sees Néomi, he truly believes she isn't real. However, over the course of time he soon learns that she is -- for a ghost anyway -- and something about her calms him, centers him. Still, he wants free and wants away from his brothers. Néomi is a mischievous ghost, and I found myself chuckling numerous times throughout the story over some of her antics. But there is also the fact that she died in her prime, never experiencing many things, including true love. Conrad interests her like no other. He's handsome even with his face covered in dried blood and dirt, and his glowing red eyes. Are his red eyes the reason that only he can see her? Because see her he does, even though he tries to pretend otherwise. One of the many things these two eventually learn is that they are meant for each other. However, there is one problem…well, maybe two, that could possibly keep them apart. I won't share more because it would give away too much. Secondary characters include Sebastian, Murdoch, and Nikolai, Conrad's brothers; Bowen and Mari (see WICKED DEEDS ON A WINTER'S NIGHT); and several other familiar faces who play minor roles in the drama unfolding around Conrad and Néomi.

A real page-turner, Kresley Cole's DARK NEEDS AT NIGHT'S EDGE, will hold you in its grip even after the last written word.

Sinclair Reid