Book Review -- The Nightwalkers Series

I received two books by Jacquelyn Frank in the Box o' Books. Both are from her Nightwalkers series. Genre is Romance (man-woman) with a sub-genre of paranormal.

Jacob (The Nightwalkers, Book 1) (Published December 2006 by Zebra - Paperback Edition - 383 pages)

For 700 years, he hes resisted temptation.
But not tonight...

Jacob knows the excuses his people give when the madness overtakes them and they fall prey to their lust for humans. He's heard every one and still brought the trespassers to justice. Immune to forbidden desires, uncontrollable hungers, or the curse of the moon, his control is total...until the moment he sees Isabella on a shadowy New York City street. Saving her life wasn't in his plans. Nor were the overwhelming feelings she arouses in him. But the moment he holds her in his arms and feels the soft explosion of her body against his, everything changes. Their attractions is undeniable, volatile, and completely against the law. Suddenly everything Jacob has ever believed is inflamed by the heat of desire...

Bring on the night.

Gideon (The Nightwalkers, Book 2) (Published June 2007 by Zebra - Paperback Edition - 352 pages)

As a healer, he know her body.
But it's her heart he wants.

For a thousand years, Gideon has healed his people. And as the oldest surviving male of his race, his wisdom has always been respected without question. But Gideon knows that even he is vulnerable to the powerful, primitive desires that befall his kind during Hallowed moons—and nine years ago that truth was hammered home when he found himself claiming Magdelegna, the Demon King's sister, in a wild embrace. Horrified by his lack of control, he left her wanting and furious—and then exiled himself for the better part of a decade. Now, with necromancers threatening his people—and Magdelegna nearly their victim—Gideon must face another truth. He and the beautiful, stubborn Magdelegna are destined to be together, to share a love as deep and old as time itself. But first he needs to regain her trust. Then he'll have to save her life.

Every night holds secrets.

I polished off both of these books quickly -- a day and a half maybe for each. I'd never read a novel with a good demon before, never even heard of such a thing LOL Frank masterfully brings the impossible idea of good demons to life and makes it believable.

Frank put plenty of thought into creating her species of demons. Unfortunately rather than letting the detail flow into the story as it occurs it often comes across more like a history lesson than a story. In the first book, much of what is learned had been a complete mystery to the demons themselves. Demons who have existed for centuries without a clue as to where their strengths and weaknesses lie was a bit of a stretch.

The antagonists in the series become more clear in the second book but Frank doesn't just throw them out at you. The reader learns a bit more from one book to the next, and Gideon definitely answered some questions I had lingering after Jacob. The leads are well drawn with tension and chemistry between them. I enjoyed Jacob's aghast and Bella's wit, they truly were an opposites attract couple. Gideon and Legna's love story felt more true to me if a bit drier.

Overall, I was able to suspend disbelief for enjoyment. I'm not sure at this point if I will continue the series. But I'm glad I was introduced to the author.

-- Please note, Jacquelyn Frank tends to push the limited of everyday romance over into a romance-erotica blend called romantica. So if you don't like hot sex, and lots of it, then you should give these a pass.