The stats are in and, unsurprisingly to most people, Romance Novels are pretty much beating out the competition. Despite the poor economy and almost every other genre of book experiencing a general reduction in sales, Harlequin still managed to post a 32% sales increase in 2009. Stats for 2010 show that romance novels account for more than 13% of the market, easily beating out every other genre. Their ebook sales are even better with romance ebooks sitting in second place sales as of 2010.

What More...

Darkness Dawns is a must read for 2011! This is the first book in a series called Immortal Guardians and its a phenomenal start. Action starts off at the get go and leaves you on the edge of your seat through the whole book. I loved how everything is explained where you have no questions, but yet the author didn’t skip out on the passion or action with this adventure. These Immortals have different ability gifts and are like vampires with a twist.

Heroine Sarah is a organic nut and school teache More...

Quick review

Cover: Hot
Rating NC-17 for the sexiness of it all.
Thumbs Up 5 shiny stars
Overall: Brillant read!
Characters: Love the characters.
Plot: Fresh look at old tale.
Page Turner: Yes
Series Cont.? Yes, definately.
Recommend Yes
Book Boyfriend: Roland

SUMMARY (50 word or less)

Dianne Duvall is truly a gifted writer. Darkness Dawns is a fresh take on an old legend. Diane has breathed life into vampires without making them sparkle. Her vision is a mesh of the old and her own vision of the new. More...

1.5 stars

It's a bad sign when before you get to 5%, you are already hitting your head against something hard - and if you end up pissed and frequently ranting for 95% of the book. Granted, this was partially due to my general crankiness for the majority of the time I was reading this, which may have affected how I perceived this book, but it also had to do with the things I've read previously. Or maybe it was just the book.

Within the first 5%, I immediately saw the world's resemblance to the wo More...

Sarah thought she would go out to garden early before dawn since she couldn't sleep anyway only to be mowed down by something very fast and strong then followed by two men. Brushing it off as hunters chasing a wild animal she went on with her gardening. It wasn't in till the men started talking and making her realize that it was a man that had ran into her and these men plan on killing him. On impulse she grabs her shovel and goes to his aid.

Roland cannot fathom the kindness this beautiful stra More...

My first reaction after finishing this book is a resounding "Awwwwwwwwwwwwww!"

It was such a touching love story! Don't get me wrong it was sexy too, as all these paranormal romances tend to be, it's not all mushy lovey dovey stuff, but the connection that developed between the characters was so compelling I totally fell in love right along with them. It has me in a kind of ooey, gooey state of contented bliss as I close the final pages.

Both the hero and heroine were refreshing and extremely end More...

Incredibly addictive read! The storyline kept me VERY interested and the good writing kept me on the edge of my seat!

The romance between Roland and Sarah was really lovely and well timed. (I believed it.) I normally don't go for books with a ton of action, but this one wasn't over the top and it actually made the story even better; which was really a nice surprise! I also loved being in Sarah's head and knowing how she fantasized about Roland, who also happened to be immortal. Though, Sarah dos More...

This book is clearly...hands down a five star +++ all the way. It grabbed ahold of me right from the first page and didn't let me go until the final page. My god what an awesome f---ing read. Ms Duvall you out did yourself. Your writing is so fluid, and engaging...you are definitely in my top ten favs.
The characters drew me in and held on tight and I didn't mind one damn bit. They are quick witted and intense and so engaging. I loved the world building, it was so easy to follow, not once did I h More...

Well, if you follow this blog... or at least the book boyfriend meme on this blog, you can already guess that I enjoyed this book. Fine... I'll just say it... it's a good PNR! Now on to the review:

Ah yes... Roland, one who was thought to be anti-social and a royal pain in the.. uh... hiney is very swoon worthy! He "meets" a young music teacher, Sarah who is strong, independent and a bit weary of others herself. Roland finds himself wanting to protect the young mortal from danger he feels he brou More...

This review is for the audiobook version, narrated by Kirsten Potter

Sarah Bingham is a professor of music theory who, while digging her garden, is knocked down by a large figure who disappears into the woods. After hearing nearby voices, she goes to investigate and encounters an immortal guardian whose life she saves. This act of goodwill draws her into a world of vampires, immortals, and danger.

Once a human with special powers, a vampire bite turned Roland Westbrook into an immortal guardian ( More...

Wow, what a pleasant surprise. I got this book as a Kindle freebie, and wasn’t quite sure what to expect. What I got was a terrific first installment in this new series. I was hooked from the first page, the story moved along nicely with just enough detail to hold your interest, but not bore you out of your mind. The H and h, Roland and Sarah, had sizzling chemistry that exploded when they finally acted on their feelings for each other. HOT! The secondary characters, especially Seth and Marcus, More...

Darkness Dawns is free for the kindle today on Amazon for pre-order!!

ETA - looks like the freebie offer is now over. Congrats to those who got it! It is lendable, so if you didn't get it ask a GR friend to share. :-)

It was an amazing book.I really loved Sarah and Roland and I believe that they were really good for each other.

In the beggining of this book Roland is very badly injured when Sarah finds him and takes him to her home in order to treat his injuries.There she suspects that something is wrong with him.After having fully recovered Roland tells her that he is a C.I.A agent under cover and that's the reason he can't go to the hospital.Cause he'll blow his cover.But the truth is that he is an immortal More...

-- A Romantic Book Affairs Review

Where to start. I've slept since finishing it, so all of the myriad things that bugged me so greatly yesterday have had time to settle and hide in my brain...

Well, I will start with Roland. He is supposed to be 936 years old but there really is no hint throughout the book to that affect - unless you count using the word "trencher" or referring to his kids as "babes." Otherwise, he was like any other man from the 21st Century. Not to mention he is supposed to be t More...

I first came across this book while browsing through the free eBook section on Amazon. The half-naked man on the cover didn't exactly appeal to me but I decided to try it out regardless... and I'm so glad I did.

Pros and cons without spoilers:

Pros:
- Fast-paced story for those who just want to sit down with a book on a rainy night.
- Likable characters, the main characters don't drive you up the walls with excessive whining nor place themselves in irritating situations.
- It's free!
- Lots of romanc More...

There are many directions you can go with vampire books these days, but this one will take you far off the beaten path. It heads into a direction no man, or vampire, has gone before. Many of the characters in this novel, whether human or not, are environmentally friendly and health conscious. Now, I'm not against such things in real life, but I didn't expect to find it in a paranormal romance. I like my blood suckers to be dark, dangerous, and generally uncaring (until the right woman comes alon More...

Nie hätte die Musikprofessorin Sarah gedacht, dass ihr so etwas passiert. Erst rettet sie einen unbekannten Fremden, bevor dieser von zwei naiven Jungs erstochen wird und dann stellt sich auch noch ihre ganze Welt auf den Kopf. Dabei war ihr größtes Problem bisher nur ihre Schlaflosigkeit. Wer hätte das gedacht?

Der unsterbliche Vampirjäger Roland weiß gar nicht wie ihm geschieht, also er schließlich an Händen und Füßen auf den Boden gepflockt mitten im Wald liegt. Dass er sterben wird ist ihm be More...

Darkness Dawns ของไดแอนน์ ดูวัล

หนังสือเล่มนี้เป็นเล่มแรกในชุด Immortal Guardians เรื่องราวของแวมไพร์ที่แบ่งออกเป็นสองฝ่าย ต่อสู้กันเพื่อความดีและความชั่ว

ซาราห์ บิงแฮม อาจารย์มหาวิทยาลัยที่กำลังอยู่ระหว่างปิดภาคการสอน บังเอิญไปพบการรุมทำร้ายที่เธอเองทนไม่ได้ ต้องยื่นมาเข้าไปเกี่ยว แม้ว่า ซาราห์จะเป็นหญิงสาวตัวเล็ก ๆ ต้องสู้กับคนร้ายที่เป็นชายหลายคน แต่เธอก็ไม่ลังเลเลย เธอช่วยโรแลนด์ ชายลึกลับที่มีอาการแ้พ้แสงแดดอย่างรุนแรงมาได้ และพาเขากลับไปที่พันของเธอ ซึ่งนั่นทำให้ซาราห์ต้องเข้าไปเกี่ยวข้องกั More...

I have had this book sitting and waiting for a long time, not sure why I waited so long to read it but I could kick myself for not reading it sooner. This book was amazing, though it did remind me of a certain other series that I love so much but that didn't bother me in the least.

I found the story enjoyable as well as the characters, though who can never get enough of sexy immortals. My problem is who is my favorite. I love Roland, but then there is Marcus and Seth as well as David, oh and I c More...

This novel is utterly compelling and truly unique! Dianne Duvall introduces a neat version of vampire lore that is still completely believable, and does so in a simple enough way as to easily understand it all, yet complex enough to stay interesting. There are laugh out loud funny moments, heart-pounding action sequences, and steamy, but sweetly sensual sex.

The characters, oh the characters! You can’t help but fall for every single character, each having that special something that draws you in. More...

My Thoughts
So our two characters Sarah the person pulled into a mess by an accident and Roland the warrior fighting against the bad guys. Together they have a burning passion forming between them from the moment they meet.Even when they try to ignore it.Alone both can stand on their own, normally in books like this the characters need to be together to fit perfectly.

The Review
Darkness Dawns had the main problem, the side problem, and the fights in between reaching the climax. Sarah and Roland’s More...

Darkness Dawns is sizzling hot! Sarah was just minding her business - and her garden - when she heard two strange men talking about hurting another man. She follows them and saves Roland from being killed regardless of the danger to herself. But there's a lot more to Roland than she ever could have imagined. He's an Immortal Guardian - a human with supernatural powers who was turned by a vampire, but became something so much more. Now they're both in the villain's cross-hairs and Roland will do More...

First things first, I want to make something very clear, I absolutely love Sherrilyn Kenyon’s Dark Hunter series, so if you don’t like her work you probably won’t agree with this review. Darkness Dawns and the Dark Hunter series share some common themes. For one thing they are both about semi-vampires who protect the human race from evil. For another thing, both the Immortals and the Dark Hunters have a powerful, mysterious leader who has powers far beyond those of his followers.

All of that hav

More...

My Review:

Another fabulous audio book.
Another fabulous new series.
Another author to obsess about.

I absolutely adored this book! The entire premise of the series is eerily familiar to Sherrilyn Kenyon's Dark Hunter series, but that didn't affect my enjoyment of this book one little iota. This book was absolutely fabulous. The bad thing when you become completely enthralled by an audiobook? You are committed to the hours and hours listening to it when you can't set it aside. Unlike a book that yo More...

I was very excited when Darkness Dawns showed up in my mailbox the other day. I loved the premise of the series before I started reading and so I couldn’t wait to get into Darkness Dawns.

The basic idea of the world of the Immortal Guardians is pretty straightforward in some ways. There are two main forces in the world: the immortal guardians, like Roland, who try to keep humans safe from vampires. Like vampires, immortals need blood to survive. Unlike vampires, immortals have an incredibly long More...

Continuing with the romance genre research, this one gets high listener marks on Audible.com. I'm guessing it's a first novel.

I have to slag on the reader a bit. The overly dramatic reading bordered on comical, but the cardinal sin came with macabre. Paranormal romance authors like to use this word, I've noticed, and audiobook readers like to mispronounce it. Readers, please check the pronunciation here:
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictio...
You have two choices:
1. muh-COB
2. muh-COB-ruh
Pleas More...

Sarah is suffering from insomnia when she notices a group of men hurting another man who is badly hurt, Roland. Right away it is love at first, but before they can live happily ever after they have vampires to slay and a mystery to solve.

The story is cute. I liked Sarah she was a good heroine, somewhat feisty but not over bearing. Roland is reclusive and anti-social but Sarah is like his beacon of light (ahhh). The book is well written and the plot is evenly spaced. Even though the way they fell More...

I accidentally read the second book in this series first Night Reigns. Thank god it didn't give away so much that it ruined reading the first book I would have seriously missed out on a great read. There are some events that if read this series out of order you know before your suppose to but this can't be helped because it wasn't meant to be read out of order :) This didn't make the first book any less enjoyable. After reading the second book I was dying to know more about this world and the ch More...

So happy to have finally found a good PNR after stumbling through a flock of disappointing ones. Reminiscent of BDB, but the author's tone is her own and it doesn't feel like a cheap knock-off or as if she's "trying too hard". Good smattering of humor, romance and action, no single theme taking over the book and making it unbalanced.
The H/h are awesome - no simpering twit or overbearing caveman. None of the dreaded misunderstanding or stupid cliched issues that could have been resolved with, oh More...

One early morning, music teacher Sarah Bingham overhears men talking in a field close to her secluded home, and she goes over to investigate. When she find one man staked to the ground being tortured and stabbed by two others, she doesn’t think, she acts and saves the man from his attackers. She takes him home and gives him first aid. What she doesn’t know is that Roland Warbrook is an Immortal Guardian who was hurt fighting vampires.

Roland Warbrook has never met anyone like Sarah in his almost More...