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Haunted by personal betrayal, stalked by a murderer and taunted by destiny. Finding justice—not to mention a little faith—has never been so hard.
The Niteclif Evolutions , Book 2
A murderer is terrorizing the streets of London, targeting women who look suspiciously like Maddy. Under the mantle of darkness, the killer attacks his victims from behind, severing their heads with startling efficiency and single-minded brutality. A single gold coin is left at the scene of every crime, buried in the neck of each victim. Nothing adds up, and the deeper Maddy gets into the investigation, the more she learns that there are hostile eyes in every faction—some malicious, others murderous.
Amid her struggles to stop a seemingly unstoppable killer, Maddy learns that dreams are far too fragile to juggle. Her newfound love is crumbling around her under the burdens of guilt and blame, and where one man abandons her, another is slated by the gods to take his place. Defiant, Maddy finds her struggles with free will versus destiny have only just begun.
Figuring out whom she should trust, and when, will force Maddy to reassess her alliances…and reaffirm her fragile mortality.
Contains Scottish and Irish brogues, heads that—literally—roll, seriously random acts of violence, heartbreak and hope, explicit m/f sex in a variety of locations, a voyeuristic vampire and one dinner table that will never be the same.
The Niteclif Evolutions , Book 2
A murderer is terrorizing the streets of London, targeting women who look suspiciously like Maddy. Under the mantle of darkness, the killer attacks his victims from behind, severing their heads with startling efficiency and single-minded brutality. A single gold coin is left at the scene of every crime, buried in the neck of each victim. Nothing adds up, and the deeper Maddy gets into the investigation, the more she learns that there are hostile eyes in every faction—some malicious, others murderous.
Amid her struggles to stop a seemingly unstoppable killer, Maddy learns that dreams are far too fragile to juggle. Her newfound love is crumbling around her under the burdens of guilt and blame, and where one man abandons her, another is slated by the gods to take his place. Defiant, Maddy finds her struggles with free will versus destiny have only just begun.
Figuring out whom she should trust, and when, will force Maddy to reassess her alliances…and reaffirm her fragile mortality.
Contains Scottish and Irish brogues, heads that—literally—roll, seriously random acts of violence, heartbreak and hope, explicit m/f sex in a variety of locations, a voyeuristic vampire and one dinner table that will never be the same.
291 pages, Paperback
First published April 3, 2012
3 people are currently reading
314 people want to read
About the author
Denise Tompkins
9 books43 followersI hate talking about myself in the third person--feels too much like a eulogy and I'm not dead yet. So here it goes, one biography coming up.
Humor, be it light or dark, is critical to my mental health. Add a dash of snark, a little suspense and an occasional murder and you've found my literary voice. Oh, and smexy. Can't forget the smexy. My theory is a kiss should be meaningful regardless of length, a hero can say as much with a well-written look as he can with a long-winded paragraph, and heroines are meant to hold their own. She's no Cinderella and Shakespeare wrote the only Romeo and Juliet, so I stick to women who can save themselves and tortured heros who are loathe to let them. If we can find a little, or a lot, of romance along the way? We're both happy.
I'm not perfect and that's perfectly fine. It's too much pressure, and pressure leads to guilt, self-hatred, a little too much wine, new kittens, Twinkie binges and a sore stomach.
I write the stories I want to read but can't find. Okay, that's not true. I write the stories the characters in my head tell me to write. I'm a conduit not for the spiritual world, but the fictional one. Don't be alarmed. I'm a professional. I paid my daily horoscope subscription for the daily affirmation, so it's now guaranteed. Thank you, Mastercard. You were right--some things ARE priceless.
I'm an unashamed Anglophile.
My favorite things are totally random and unrelated--
masculine men with a sense of chivalry but no pretention, a rainy day, snow, my Bull Mastiff, good guacamole, the rare true friend, a good book that makes me lose track of time, and the gift of hope.
I'm represented by the amazing and fearless Deidre Knight of The Knight Agency. (I still get lightheaded and slightly giddy at the fact.)
Humor, be it light or dark, is critical to my mental health. Add a dash of snark, a little suspense and an occasional murder and you've found my literary voice. Oh, and smexy. Can't forget the smexy. My theory is a kiss should be meaningful regardless of length, a hero can say as much with a well-written look as he can with a long-winded paragraph, and heroines are meant to hold their own. She's no Cinderella and Shakespeare wrote the only Romeo and Juliet, so I stick to women who can save themselves and tortured heros who are loathe to let them. If we can find a little, or a lot, of romance along the way? We're both happy.
I'm not perfect and that's perfectly fine. It's too much pressure, and pressure leads to guilt, self-hatred, a little too much wine, new kittens, Twinkie binges and a sore stomach.
I write the stories I want to read but can't find. Okay, that's not true. I write the stories the characters in my head tell me to write. I'm a conduit not for the spiritual world, but the fictional one. Don't be alarmed. I'm a professional. I paid my daily horoscope subscription for the daily affirmation, so it's now guaranteed. Thank you, Mastercard. You were right--some things ARE priceless.
I'm an unashamed Anglophile.
My favorite things are totally random and unrelated--
masculine men with a sense of chivalry but no pretention, a rainy day, snow, my Bull Mastiff, good guacamole, the rare true friend, a good book that makes me lose track of time, and the gift of hope.
I'm represented by the amazing and fearless Deidre Knight of The Knight Agency. (I still get lightheaded and slightly giddy at the fact.)
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
January 13, 2017
Reread 01/13/2017 5 stars
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Read 01/03/2013 4 stars
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Read 01/03/2013 4 stars
April 3, 2012
This review was originally posted at http://www.readingreality.net/2012/04...
Wrath is the second book in Denise Tompkins' Niteclif Evolutions. The story takes up immediately, and I do mean immediately, where Legacy leaves off. (This review contains spoilers for Legacy, book 1 of The Niteclif Evolutions. If you haven't read Legacy, check out my review, then go forth and read Legacy. It's a terrific and necessary introduction to the Niteclif supernatural world of Wrath.)
As Wrath opens, Maddy Niteclif's new life as the supernatural investigator for the High Council has fallen apart before it had fairly begun. The prophecy that she and her newfound love, Bahlin Drago spent all of Legacy trying to avoid seems to be coming true in the worst possible way. Their dreams are in tatters, and Maddy's trust in everyone in her new world is shattered.
The death-curse of Bahlin's rival has left Maddy sick, weak and dependent: she's now an invalid who needs a full-time attendant just to make it to the bathroom!
She's not even capable of doing her job as the Niteclif, and someone in the supernatural community has turned serial killer. The murderer clearly has some kind of grudge against Maddy, since all of the victims look enough like her to be her twin.
And into the middle of this mess steps yet another prophecy. The first prophecy said that whichever male member of the High Council managed to get Maddy into a sexual relationship would become Head of the High Council. That man was also fated to love Maddy and lose her. Bahlin and Maddy spent all of Legacy hoping to thwart the prophecy, but prophecies do not readily accept being thwarted.
That High Council had three men sitting on it when Legacy began. Tarrek, the fae prince, met his fate by the end of Legacy. Bahlin was the other contender for Maddy's hand. But what of the third?
During Legacy, the last man, Hellion the wizard, was not "in play". He had a mate. By the time that Wrath begins, Hellion is available, but still angry at Maddy for her part in in his mate's death.
However, there's another prophecy...
Can Maddy manage to get over her betrayal by one man (even if he is a dragon), long enough to figure out if she's ready to trust another (even if he is a wizard)? Can she stop railing at her fate long enough to listen to her heart? Can Maddy stay one step ahead of the killer long enough to figure out who it is before he kills her and makes all her other problems go away--permanently?
Escape Rating B: There are parts of Wrath that I absolutely love, and parts that made me want to shake Maddy until her teeth rattled.
The whole concept of this supernatural world, and that someone like the Niteclif has to straddle the two, is a terrific concept. The idea that Maddy's great-grandfather was Sherlock Holmes still gets to me. Maddy has to maintain her balance between the worlds, otherwise she'll just fade away into fiction like great-grandad. That's cool...and eerie at the same time. Maddy knows there's a fiction writer already prepped and waiting in case she fails.
On the other hand, Maddy's love life definitely has its ups and downs, and not all of them between the sheets. While I understand that Bahlin's betrayal would make her rather gunshy when the prophecy about Hellion comes along, I found the constant angst a bit much. Especially the repeated refrain of how seldom Maddy had sex until after she become the Niteclif but now she's supposedly a bed-hopper. Then she'd have some internal debate and "give in" to Hellion again, as though he or the circumstances were responsible instead of Maddy being responsible for her own actions.
Not that the romance and the sex weren't sizzling hot, but I wished that Maddy would take more responsibility for her personal actions sooner in the story. As the Niteclif, she can be judge, jury and sometimes executioner in criminal cases. I wanted to shake her when she kept pretending that circumstances were in control in her sex life for so long.
But I'm really enjoying Maddy's evolution and I can't wait to see what happens next! I have some guesses but the next book, Vengeance, doesn't have a pub date yet. Now I wish I could find a prophecy!
Wrath is the second book in Denise Tompkins' Niteclif Evolutions. The story takes up immediately, and I do mean immediately, where Legacy leaves off. (This review contains spoilers for Legacy, book 1 of The Niteclif Evolutions. If you haven't read Legacy, check out my review, then go forth and read Legacy. It's a terrific and necessary introduction to the Niteclif supernatural world of Wrath.)
As Wrath opens, Maddy Niteclif's new life as the supernatural investigator for the High Council has fallen apart before it had fairly begun. The prophecy that she and her newfound love, Bahlin Drago spent all of Legacy trying to avoid seems to be coming true in the worst possible way. Their dreams are in tatters, and Maddy's trust in everyone in her new world is shattered.
The death-curse of Bahlin's rival has left Maddy sick, weak and dependent: she's now an invalid who needs a full-time attendant just to make it to the bathroom!
She's not even capable of doing her job as the Niteclif, and someone in the supernatural community has turned serial killer. The murderer clearly has some kind of grudge against Maddy, since all of the victims look enough like her to be her twin.
And into the middle of this mess steps yet another prophecy. The first prophecy said that whichever male member of the High Council managed to get Maddy into a sexual relationship would become Head of the High Council. That man was also fated to love Maddy and lose her. Bahlin and Maddy spent all of Legacy hoping to thwart the prophecy, but prophecies do not readily accept being thwarted.
That High Council had three men sitting on it when Legacy began. Tarrek, the fae prince, met his fate by the end of Legacy. Bahlin was the other contender for Maddy's hand. But what of the third?
During Legacy, the last man, Hellion the wizard, was not "in play". He had a mate. By the time that Wrath begins, Hellion is available, but still angry at Maddy for her part in in his mate's death.
However, there's another prophecy...
Can Maddy manage to get over her betrayal by one man (even if he is a dragon), long enough to figure out if she's ready to trust another (even if he is a wizard)? Can she stop railing at her fate long enough to listen to her heart? Can Maddy stay one step ahead of the killer long enough to figure out who it is before he kills her and makes all her other problems go away--permanently?
Escape Rating B: There are parts of Wrath that I absolutely love, and parts that made me want to shake Maddy until her teeth rattled.
The whole concept of this supernatural world, and that someone like the Niteclif has to straddle the two, is a terrific concept. The idea that Maddy's great-grandfather was Sherlock Holmes still gets to me. Maddy has to maintain her balance between the worlds, otherwise she'll just fade away into fiction like great-grandad. That's cool...and eerie at the same time. Maddy knows there's a fiction writer already prepped and waiting in case she fails.
On the other hand, Maddy's love life definitely has its ups and downs, and not all of them between the sheets. While I understand that Bahlin's betrayal would make her rather gunshy when the prophecy about Hellion comes along, I found the constant angst a bit much. Especially the repeated refrain of how seldom Maddy had sex until after she become the Niteclif but now she's supposedly a bed-hopper. Then she'd have some internal debate and "give in" to Hellion again, as though he or the circumstances were responsible instead of Maddy being responsible for her own actions.
Not that the romance and the sex weren't sizzling hot, but I wished that Maddy would take more responsibility for her personal actions sooner in the story. As the Niteclif, she can be judge, jury and sometimes executioner in criminal cases. I wanted to shake her when she kept pretending that circumstances were in control in her sex life for so long.
But I'm really enjoying Maddy's evolution and I can't wait to see what happens next! I have some guesses but the next book, Vengeance, doesn't have a pub date yet. Now I wish I could find a prophecy!
May 27, 2012
I am really loving this series. In 'Wrath' book 2 of the Nighclif series, Maddy is dealing with heartache and prophecy. It is foretold that she would love two men. Well actually it's more complicated than that. Bottomline, the first she would love and experience heartbreak, the second would be the one she stays with.
Maddy's story picks up a few weeks after the end of book 1. She is not recovering well from some nasty injuries she received from the battle royale ending of book 1. Her lover, Bay (the dragon) is distant and eaten with guilt over what he had to do to save her life. I knew this was the opening for the second lover to come in but I was sad by the turn of events. I thought she and Bay were perfect.
At any rate, she is also under threat of death from the Council wizard, Hellion because she killed his mate. While trying to find some way to save her relationship with Bay, she discovers that women who look like her are being murdered all over London. Their throats are being cut and dragon gold is being left at the scenes. She just realizes someone is out to get her when Hellion shows up to finish her off except the god Odin stepped in and declared them destined to have a love for all time.
Suffice to say, Maddy wasn't jumping on that one without a fight. I was dismayed at first because I could not see her loving anyone but Bay. But the love story with Hellion was built on a solid foundation throughout so I decided to go with it never being sure if Maddy and Bay would find a way around destiny.
The murders where quite the mental exercise but Maddy eventually solved the case, made some new friends in the vamp world, and cultivated a few new enemies. In the end, she got the job done and made a choice between the two worthy men. All in all, this is an sexy ride with plenty of action. It's clear Tompkins knows her stuff. There is so much originality in the story and the characters that I could not put it down. She weaves in Gaelic and brogue seamlessly when you least expect it. It's like these little treats sprinkled within the story. I must also give a high five for making the story wrap. I don't believe you will enjoy this one without reading the first but it is a standalone.
Maddy's story picks up a few weeks after the end of book 1. She is not recovering well from some nasty injuries she received from the battle royale ending of book 1. Her lover, Bay (the dragon) is distant and eaten with guilt over what he had to do to save her life. I knew this was the opening for the second lover to come in but I was sad by the turn of events. I thought she and Bay were perfect.
At any rate, she is also under threat of death from the Council wizard, Hellion because she killed his mate. While trying to find some way to save her relationship with Bay, she discovers that women who look like her are being murdered all over London. Their throats are being cut and dragon gold is being left at the scenes. She just realizes someone is out to get her when Hellion shows up to finish her off except the god Odin stepped in and declared them destined to have a love for all time.
Suffice to say, Maddy wasn't jumping on that one without a fight. I was dismayed at first because I could not see her loving anyone but Bay. But the love story with Hellion was built on a solid foundation throughout so I decided to go with it never being sure if Maddy and Bay would find a way around destiny.
The murders where quite the mental exercise but Maddy eventually solved the case, made some new friends in the vamp world, and cultivated a few new enemies. In the end, she got the job done and made a choice between the two worthy men. All in all, this is an sexy ride with plenty of action. It's clear Tompkins knows her stuff. There is so much originality in the story and the characters that I could not put it down. She weaves in Gaelic and brogue seamlessly when you least expect it. It's like these little treats sprinkled within the story. I must also give a high five for making the story wrap. I don't believe you will enjoy this one without reading the first but it is a standalone.
June 18, 2012
Wrath is the second installment in the Nighcliff series. This story takes up immediately where Legacy concluded. Maddy is foretold that she will fall in love with a man that will break her heart and have a love the defies the ages with a second man.
Bay and Maddy are not doing well. Maddy is not healing and Bay cannot forgive himself or Maddy for having to kill his father and sister. Maddy moves out of his house so Bay can have some space. Bay decides that they are over.
While Maddy is staying at the hotel, she finds out that there are women being killed that look like her. Hellion is still trying to kill Maddy and when he reaches her, Odin shows up and declares them to be soul mates.
I was upset because I really enjoyed Bay and Maddy, but as the story goes on I see how awesome Hellion is.
Maddy is still dealing with the grief of her parents, losing Bay and finding these wonderful feelings for Hellion while trying to solve the murders.
I cannot wait for the third book in this series......hurry Denise :)
Bay and Maddy are not doing well. Maddy is not healing and Bay cannot forgive himself or Maddy for having to kill his father and sister. Maddy moves out of his house so Bay can have some space. Bay decides that they are over.
While Maddy is staying at the hotel, she finds out that there are women being killed that look like her. Hellion is still trying to kill Maddy and when he reaches her, Odin shows up and declares them to be soul mates.
I was upset because I really enjoyed Bay and Maddy, but as the story goes on I see how awesome Hellion is.
Maddy is still dealing with the grief of her parents, losing Bay and finding these wonderful feelings for Hellion while trying to solve the murders.
I cannot wait for the third book in this series......hurry Denise :)
June 29, 2013
i loved this book,and the way it cuts off in the end makes you want to read more so you have to wait for the next book to come out .
June 12, 2012
Ugh, my computer blurped and I lost my long rant - er, review. I suppose the tl;dr version is this:
Ms. Tompkins takes two books to do what Laurel K. Hamilton's Anita Blake series needed at least 5 to do, namely ridiculous love triangles with roll-your-eyes steamy sex scenes. However, unlike this book at least Anita Blake seemed to focus more on murder scenes and actual logic than Maddy does (for all that she is supposedly Sherlock Holmes's great-great-granddaughter). Not to say that Anita Blake didn't get there - she did eventually - but I loved the first books so much more for its lack.
I'm dropping this series because I really do need a bit more sleuthing and less emotionally charged ranting and/or steamy sex scenes between characters. It got old in the first book and beyond so in the second. Sorry, for being a 'detective' paranormal romance I'll need more than just the romance aspect to keep me going. Pass.
June 29, 2013
Good Read! I am glad that I read Legacy prior to reading Wrath.
I think there was too much of Maddy's personal love life in this book and not enough sleuthing. I was looking forward to some Sherlock Holmes crime solving to happen. It felt as if the "sudden" solving of this crime was more luck than actual criminal deduction.
Maddy also seems to be one unhappy lady even though every warlock and dragon want to bed her. She is either crying or "bitching" with no sense of happiness. She is one depressed chick! It makes me not like her that much. Some of the scenes in the book were hard for me to follow also. The kitchen scene with the police officers really threw me for a loop.
Overall, I really did enjoy reading the book but would love to see more sleuthing skills that are as good as Sherlock's and less of her personal love life, although the sex scenes are steamy and hot.
Goodreads Giveaway Book
I think there was too much of Maddy's personal love life in this book and not enough sleuthing. I was looking forward to some Sherlock Holmes crime solving to happen. It felt as if the "sudden" solving of this crime was more luck than actual criminal deduction.
Maddy also seems to be one unhappy lady even though every warlock and dragon want to bed her. She is either crying or "bitching" with no sense of happiness. She is one depressed chick! It makes me not like her that much. Some of the scenes in the book were hard for me to follow also. The kitchen scene with the police officers really threw me for a loop.
Overall, I really did enjoy reading the book but would love to see more sleuthing skills that are as good as Sherlock's and less of her personal love life, although the sex scenes are steamy and hot.
Goodreads Giveaway Book
December 27, 2012
A little late with my review on this one. I loved it as much as the first and read it in one sunburned sitting in the back yard (with the exception of making dinner and stressing out that the story might carry on without me).
I adore Maddy and cheer along side her, she's a great heroine and I enjoy her point of view. I also like even though it's entirely from Maddy's POV we don't know what the ending is until she experiences it. She's a clever detective who doesn't reveal who done it until the very end.
Again, thank you Denise and I look forward to the next one!
I adore Maddy and cheer along side her, she's a great heroine and I enjoy her point of view. I also like even though it's entirely from Maddy's POV we don't know what the ending is until she experiences it. She's a clever detective who doesn't reveal who done it until the very end.
Again, thank you Denise and I look forward to the next one!
July 4, 2012
The second book was epic and awesome and full of amazingness that wasn't in the first novel. I loved it so much that I just can't wait for the third installment to come out. Despite the first book only being okay, the second book makes it worth reading.
May 8, 2015
I'm going to say it... I don't like Bay.
I can only hope Denise doesn't go all Anita Blake on this series because I don't want the Bay - Maddy thing to happen again or for a weird Hellion - Bay - Maddy trio to occur.
I can only hope Denise doesn't go all Anita Blake on this series because I don't want the Bay - Maddy thing to happen again or for a weird Hellion - Bay - Maddy trio to occur.
February 5, 2013
I liked it, but it really did NOT go the way I wanted it, I really didn't understand the why of it, or the complete 180 maddie within 2 mins.... Dunno if I'm reading the next 1....
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews