Wednesday, September 23, 2015

BLOG TOUR ~ THE DARK ONE by Rachel Van Dyken





The Dark Ones
Release Date: Sept 20, 2015




BLURB

To touch a Dark One is death.
To talk to an immortal is suicide.
Yet, I've been marked by both.
A Vampire.
And the King of the immortals.
My life is no longer my own.
And now I know the truth, my life was never mine to begin with.
It was theirs.
It's always been theirs.




PURCHASE LINKS

 Barnes & Noble  **   Smashwords  *   iBooks






REVIEW:

I am not a huge paranormal fan, I tend to stay away from them. BUT, when I heard that Rachel Van Dyken was publishing one, I knew I had to give it a try. Rachel has a way of developing characters that make us fall in love with them. The characters in The Dark Ones are no different, even though we have a Vampire, a Siren, a Werewolf, a Dark One and The Archangels.  Yeah, I know it sounds like there a lot of different paranormal characters to keep track of, but the way the story is written, everything flows effortless. You will love each of them for their own traits.

In The Dark Ones, a human should never show fear. Their fear can be sensed, even when they try to lie and cover it. When the human, Genesis’ number is called, which is the first number to be called in over 100 years, she has no idea what to expect. She only knows what she has read, what she has been taught through the years.  But it appears that what she was taught was inaccurate.  What role do the humans play with the immortals?  All her life it has been repeated over and over that she was ugly, so why are the immortals interested in her?  Why are the immortals fighting over her? What makes her so special?

Each of the characters have their own personality.  A personality that will draw you in. You will crave each one for a different reason. Of course, it wouldn’t be a Rachel Van Dyken book, if we didn’t have humor in it. 
I loved Alex’s sense of humor, he reminded me very much of Chase from the Eagle Elite Series.  You will get your fix of the perfect ALPHA MALE, with Ethan. Mason is a huge teddy bear with a heart of gold. The way he treated Genesis warmed by heart. If I didn’t love Ethan so much, I would have loved to see Mason fall in love with Geneses. Then we have Stephanie, who is Alex’s sister. Your heart with hurt for her when you read the book. So that leaves us with the one and only, Cassius. As much as I wanted to hate him, he held a soft spot in my heart.  Deep… deep… deep down, Cassius has a heart. He may not think he knows how to love, but his actions show otherwise. 

I don’t want to tell you too much of the story because I feel like once I start talking about it, I won’t be able to stop and I may give too much away.  Plus, it is hard to put in to the words the overwhelming feelings that you are left with after finishing the book.

The Dark Ones is a great read that will have you turning the pages quickly to get to the next page. You will not want the story to end. You will be left wanting more, like I was. All I can say is TRUST me, when I say, you will want to read this book. TRUST is a huge factor in this story, so I am asking you to trust me a one click, The Dark Ones.







EXCERPT:

I still tasted her blood on my lips, was embarrassed for the first time in a century when Alex glanced up from his spot at the kitchen table to see me licking my lips like I'd just devoured the poor girl.

He shook his head. "Been that long, huh?"

"Alex…" I closed my eyes and prayed for patience. "…remind me why I let you live here?"

"I'm good-looking," he answered simply. "Besides, I'm a hell of a fighter — scrappy, I think is how you define my kind. You need me."

"Stop." I pressed my fingertips to my temples and rubbed. The ache to have her had consumed me so much that I'd run down the stairs moving so fast I'd nearly collided with a wall, and grabbed blood from the fridge.

I didn't need it.

But I craved it.

And if I didn't drink the donated blood, I sure as hell was going to drain her and enjoyed very last drop.

"I wonder" Alex's voice pierced my thoughts. "What's it like?" He leaned forward. "Having to learn self-control all over again… being as ancient as you are?"

I ignored him.

He kept talking.

"Blood-free for a century and now…" He grinned and licked his lips. "Kind of like falling off the wagon, yeah?"

"You're giving me a headache." I threw the empty bag of blood at his face. He moved to the side and snickered. "And I'm fine. Everything is just—"

Her smell was intoxicating. She was walking down the stairs, so her heart picked up speed, her body giving off a scent of burnt vanilla and oranges with a hint of sugar. My mouth literally watered.

"Fine?" Alex said in a mocking voice. "Was that what you were going to say? Damn, man show a little decorum, you look… starved."

"I am," I whispered and fought the urge to rock back and forth. That was the problem with mating — with bonding. Nothing tasted like her, nothing ever would, and typically, having her as my mate gave me full access.

But the more I took…

The stronger the bond.

And the more I wanted…

It was a vicious overwhelming cycle. It would lead me to become emotionally invested while she, as a human, could simply pretend.

It wasn't fair.

Immortals, in essence, were cursed with a deep desire to be like a human — to possess them, to bond with them forever — while humans only felt the same draw to us if they actually loved us.

Ridiculous.

"Oh, there you are." Stephanie pushed Genesis forward and pulled out a chair.

Slowly, Genesis took a seat and glared at each one of us. "Where's Mason?"

It shouldn't have pissed me off.

But it had.

"He's none of your concern," I spat.

"Easy!" Alex chuckled. "Rule number one, don't ask your mate where the other dude is. Just… don't."

Genesis blinked at Alex then back at me. "Because you guys have the capacity for jealousy."
Alex whistled while Stephanie laughed.

Immortals were the most jealous beings on the planet. Had her school taught her nothing?

Was I to be her tutor as well?

"So…" Alex trained his eyes on her, putting her at as much ease as he could without stopping her poor heart. "Now that the mating is complete, you get to learn all about us and service your man here." He slapped my back.

Really. Really. Poor choice of words.

Genesis paled.

I rolled my eyes. "He's kidding."

Alex laughed. "I think it needs to be said that having a human at the house has already helped my mood immensely."

"That makes one of you," Genesis said under her breath.

Alex leaned forward and whispered, "Ethan, try not to be so grouchy. Keep the fangs in and all."

I extended them just to prove a point.

Genesis recoiled.

I instantly felt guilty.

Damn it.

"You won't…" I licked my lips. "You won't have to service me, as Alex so delicately put it."

"Is that what mates do?" Genesis asked, her eyes searching mine. "They…" She lifted her hands into the air and dropped them.

"If that's what you think they do, we have a very big problem." Alex mimicked her movements and winked.

She blushed.

I hissed at him and returned my attention to her. "It's like a human relationship, only stronger. You'll attend functions with me, be by my side, at my beck and call for as long as you live."

I didn't want to say until one day she just didn't wake up. It sounded too cruel.

"And when I'm bored out of my mind… I do what?" She crossed her arms. "I mean, what could you possibly need from me?"

"Adorable." Alex sighed happily. "I'm so glad we kept her."

"Alex…" I was two seconds away from slamming him into the nearest wall. "Make yourself useful and find our human a snack."

"I'm not a pet!" Genesis yelled. "And I'm not your human!"

"You are," I yelled right back, "mine!"

"Kids." Stephanie stepped between us.

I didn't even realize I'd gotten out of the chair and was towering over her, fangs out, hands raised. She'd turned me into a monster. And still, my eyes found her erratic pulse. One more taste…

"Ethan—" Stephanie pushed against my chest. I didn't move. "Ethan!"

"Friend…" Mason walked into the room. "Sit your ass down before she hands it to you."

"Like she could!" I roared.

"Like I have!" Stephanie pushed me again. "Don't tempt me… again."

I sat, while Mason made his way over to Genesis and offered an easy smile. The man had nothing to smile about, yet he was smiling — at my mate.

I growled.

Mason gave me the finger and kept his attention trained on Genesis. "How do you feel?"

"Better." She returned his smile and squeezed his outstretched hand. "Thanks for not… killing me when I asked."

"Damn…" Alex said from the kitchen.

"You were in pain." Mason shrugged. "And I'm glad you're alright."

"She's fine. We're fine. Everything's fine," I said through clenched teeth. "Now it's probably time to give her answers before she thinks she can run off and actually survive in the real world without being hunted by a Dark One, or worse, found by Cassius."

"He isn't all bad," Stephanie said defensively.

We all glared at her.

"What?" She lifted her hands into the air. "I'm just saying he's been trying as hard as we have. So what if he's gotten a bit possessive over the last few numbers that have been called."
Alex slammed his fist onto the table. "He stole Ethan's—"

"Enough." I held up my hand. The pain in my chest grew until it was hard to breathe. I knew what would take that pain away.

Genesis.

But I was too angry to ask for it. Too ashamed to fall to my knees in front of a mere mortal and beg for her to end the pain by allowing me one solitary drop of her blood.

As if on cue, another bag of blood hit me in the head.

Alex must have sensed my mood.

I bit into it and looked away from Genesis's horrified expression.
  




ABOUT RACHEL VAN DYKEN:

Rachel Van Dyken is the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today Bestselling author of regency and contemporary romances. When she's not writing you can find her drinking coffee at Starbucks and plotting her next book while watching The Bachelor.
She keeps her home in Idaho with her Husband, adorable son, and two snoring boxers! She loves to hear from readers!

Want to be kept up to date on new releases? Text MAFIA to 66866!

You can connect with her on Facebook www.facebook.com/rachelvandyken  or join her fan group 

Rachel's New Rockin Readers. Her website is www.rachelvandykenauthor.com .


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