From the Underworld movies to Twilight to Charlaine Harris’ Southern Vampire series, we are
bombarded with the rivalry between werewolves and vampires. I Kissed a Dog has its own
werewolf/vampire intrigue. Unlike many of the typical love triangles or stories
that feature vamps and weres battling for dominance, I Kissed a Dog offers a twist: werewolves at war with a mutant
werewolf race, yet allies with chosen vampires. For Zane Marshall, and the
Pacific Pack of werewolves, it’s clearly a case-by-case decision when it comes
to hanging with vampires. In the scene below, Chloe Carpenter, the book’s heroine
meets her love interest, Zane’s, vampire associate, for the first time. Their
encounter leaves her more than a little unsettled.
Ahead of me, the front door yawned open, revealing the three wolves
facing Detective Davis. I couldn’t hear what she was saying, but she was
gesturing dramatically. The wolves continued that low throat rumble I’d come to
recognize as a major warning signal. I was surprised the detective wasn’t minus
her head or at least a limb by now.
Crouching low, I peered out the door.
“You, my dear, should have
stayed in the closet,” said a pleasant but unfamiliar voice.
Bewildered more than scared, I turned to face the source of the deep
British accent, which under normal circumstances, I would have found enticing.
“You’re the vampire,” I whisper-hissed at the sight of his pallid face so
close to mine. His eyes were a shocking blue, like pools of liquid turquoise. I
recognized him as the teleporter.
“So glad you noticed.” His mouth bowed into a wide grin revealing two
gleaming fangs.
“Your teeth are so white.” I couldn’t help myself. I’d never seen such
polished teeth. Maybe vampires had their own special teeth-whitening products.
“You’re the first human in five centuries to comment on the whiteness of
my teeth. They’re typically more focused on the sharpness.” He paused,
inhaling. “I must say, Chloe, you smell divine.”
Unsure whether to thank him or scream; I decided to acknowledge his fangs
with flattery. “Your fangs are so sharp, and
you know my name. Are you friend or foe?” I figured I’d know the answer to the
second question soon enough, but his polite demeanor stirred just enough
courage for me to ask.
“My name is Alcuin. I was named after the British scholar known as the
‘Alcuin of York.’ As for your second query, in this case, I am friend; though
that could change rather quickly depending on the circumstances.”
I exhaled; relieved at least for the moment that the vampire was a
friend. He remained crouched just behind me, stirring something akin to desire,
yet nothing like what I felt with Zane.
“I find you quite desirable as well, Ms. Chloe. Should you tire of the
wolf, I’m available,” he whispered closer to my neck now.
Not to give away any spoilers, let
me simply say there is another vampire
(besides Alcuin) who plays a significant role in Chloe’s life. Alcuin serves as
an accomplice of sorts and the primary mode of transportation for our troubled
heroine.
So the question remains: Who rocks more? Vampires or werewolves? You
decide.
Leave your answer in the comment
section below, fill out the Rafflecopter form and you will be entered to win I Kissed a Dog, book one in the Werewolves of the West series. And
while you’re at it, share why you picked one sexy supernatural creature over
the other.
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December 5 Interview and review
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December 7 Interview
I Kissed a Dog
The Werewolves of the West Series Book One
Carol Van Atta
Genre: Paranormal Romance/Urban Fantasy
Publisher: Cambridge Press US under the umbrella of Charles River Press (CRP)
ISBN: 1936185725
9781936185726
ASIN: B009SV179U
Number of pages: 446
Cover Artist: Ann Falcone
Book Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jeuDqevNSXM
Book Description:
Chloe Carpenter isn't like other women. She can communicate with animals. A gift she unwrapped following one of her frequent dances with death.
In her otherwise wacky life, she's finally found a semblance of sanity working at the Plum Beach Wildlife Park, where her unique talents can make life or death differences for the animals in her care. That semblance is shattered when a new veterinarian roars into the park in his spiffed up sports car and sets his golden gaze on her. If she had her way, he'd roar right back out.
Problem: He's her new coworker and he's saved her life twice - in the past twenty-four hours.
Zane Marshall, Enforcer for the Pacific Pack of purebred werewolves, has a job to do - figure out who or what is mutilating the young men of Plum Beach.
With orders to find the woman who talks to animals, he accepts a position working alongside the fiery Chloe Carpenter, a female who ignites his interest far more than he ever expected. Remarkably, she's the one elusive female with potential to bring meaning and passion to his empty existence.
Problem: She despises him.
Together, they're forced to unravel a mystery of supernatural proportions, a murderous mystery with eternal implications for everyone. In the process, they discover opposites really do attract.
Major Problem: Zane is pledged to another woman, and she'll do anything to keep him from Chloe.
Buy the book Author Blog Book Depository Indie Bound
About the Author:
Like most authors, Carol Van Atta is no stranger to the written word. She penned a short novel at age 12 (somewhat frightening illustrations included, and lots of bunnies were involved), and had a creative writing piece published in her high school newspaper (about David Bowie's Diamond Dogs LP). Yes, she's an ex-80's chick.
Devouring books from numerous genres, Carol developed a deep thirst/hunger for more reading material, and could almost always be found with her nose in a book.
She has contributed to several popular inspirational anthologies and devotional books, and lives in the rainy wetland of Oregon with a terrifying teen (another in college) and a small zoo of animals. She is taking an undetermined hiatus away from inspirational writing to delve into her darker side. (Though you can check out her latest spiritual suspense novel, Soul Defenders). It is rumored that this genre-jumping occurred after Carol discovered too suspicious red marks on her neck, and experienced an unquenchable urge to howl at the moon.
3 comments:
Right now I really like were wolves.
debby236 at gmail dot com
Debby, you probably guessed I like wolves ... a lot! Thanks for commenting. Roxanne, thank you for having me on your site!
I'm a vampire girl, though I do love werewolves too something about that alpha animal...
I usually root for the vamps but sometimes....
Like Jacob in Twilight and Alcide in True Blood- both much hotter than the vamps surrounding them...
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