Dark Promise

Dark Promise

by Nikki Landis

2.5 out of 5

Synopsis
A love story between two people who live in two very different worlds; is it right to keep a promise when it hurts the one you love? Can the darkness survive in the light?

Mare's life is in danger. An unknown enemy seeks to destroy her, only months after her mother's brutal death. When a handsome stranger saves her life everything she has ever known will be put to the test. Dare she trust her life - and her heart - with a man who walks the endless night?

Andre stumbles upon Mare's attack, saving her life, immediately drawn to the innocent beauty. Cursed and soulless, his existence has never meant so much or brought him so close to salvation. His dark promise, hidden in the deep recesses of his heart, becomes his only objective. Can he save Mare in time? Or will he be lost, forever damned, in his pursuit to have her at any cost?

Against all odds they seek to find the truth together, all the while fighting their mutual attraction, until their passion can no longer be contained. Can love survive the impossible?

Dark Promise is the first book in a series of paranormal romance novels about the dark and exotic world of the vampyre. Blood suckers, demonic monsters, and supernatural creatures that roam the night - the NightWalkers claim a world torn between humanity and the evil that originated with the First Creation.



Review
When Andre stops an attack on a mysterious human woman, the ancient vampire can't resist the urge to protect her, to love her...

I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book felt like an adult Twilight.
If star-crossed lovers and love at first sight, with a paranormal twist appeals to you, I would recommend picking up this book.

Personally, I struggled with Dark Promise. Which is a shame, because there is a promising story behind it all, with the threat of the mob. Landis has also outlined an interesting vampire civilisation that has been working in the shadows for centuries, and has it's own rules and political agenda.

The story starts with vampire Andre, who we are quickly told is handsome, charming, and a highly-desired mate for any woman. He has no intention of settling down, and has never had feelings for anyone, although he likes to bring the ladies to his bed on a conveyor belt.
Cue seeing Mare, and his world shifts. She's the only thing he can focus on, and he is immediately hypnotised by her every movement. She is sheer perfection, and appeals to him in a way that he could never have imagined.
Then some thugs appear to cause trouble (because Mare is a witness when the mob murdered her mother), and Andre steps in to save the day.

The narrative is split between Andre and Mare, but I found Andre's to be more interesting, perhaps because he has all that history and trying to find out what he is capable of.
Mare is a nice girl, a little bit bland character-wise, in the way that Bella is, but gets all the attention and drama. She's there as a suitable damsel-in-distress, and love interest for Andre. I didn't feel connected to her particularly.

The plot takes a back seat to the romance. Which is fine, it's a paranormal romance and I was expecting that; but within a page, Andre is infatuated with Mare. And within a couple more pages, he's shared that he's a vampire... despite the fact that it's his job to protect the secret that vampires exist, and that he has ways of making people forget, and he's never failed at that job. (BTW, Mare's lack of reaction to the fact that the hot-guy-who-saved-her has fangs and is a monster didn't help with my frustration.)

This is followed with more unspoken-but-expressed-in-every-way-possible attraction for each other.
It felt like it came out of nowhere, when Andre suddenly put the brakes on, and decided not to encourage Mare anymore, because human-vampire relationships are banned. Or at least, any serious relationship.
His intentions don't do much, though. Every though is Mare, and how he loves her, but he shouldn't. And doesn't she look nice, smell nice. Aren't her kisses nice, but he shouldn't lead her on.
I like forbidden-love stories, but I never felt like there was any angst, or doubt, or confusion. From the very beginning, they are soulmates, they are in love. Playboy-commitment-phobe-Andre and innocent-human-Mare don't ever try to fight it. Which all made the narration repetitive and slow.

This was a 2.5 out of 5 for me.

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