I received this book for free from in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Chaos and Moonlight on May 6th 2015 Pages: 209
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The Nines, an elite group of vampires, was established to stand as protection for their race. Fractured by centuries of betrayal and loss, the group is now little more than myth, its remaining members scarred and shattered.Taris, the oldest living vampire, is no stranger to loss and heartbreak. He is all that holds the Nines together as they struggle to save themselves from total extinction.Enter the beautiful and brilliant Dr. Sarah Bridgeman, whose medical research has resulted in a breakthrough for both humans and vampires. Her work may be the salvation this weary band of guardians has been looking for.Taris needs to reach Sarah and enlist her help before those aligned against him can act. Can a vampire king convince a stunning young scientist to save a species that isn’t even supposed to exist?For now, only one thing is certain: no science can explain the explosive chemistry between them.Chaos and Moonlight is the first installment in the Order of the Nines series, and is A. D. Marrow’s debut novel.
Taris is an ancient vampire who inherits the duty of curing his people of infertility. They cannot create or birth new children because human and vampires have evolved away from one another. No longer are they able to mix blood to create immortals, only death follows.
Taris finds Sarah while she is interviewing on a talk show regarding her new technology heralded as a miracle treatment for transplant recipients. Taris is not the only one who has heard of Sarah Bridgeman and it becomes a epic race to save Sarah. The easy part is convincing her to help the vampire race because Taris has unwanted desires regarding the tough doctor. Can Taris keep his objectivity long enough to save his people? Can Taris and Sarah create the cure before the evil-doers catch up?
“Every year, hundreds of thousands of men, women, and children across the nation depend on organ donations to survive. From kidney failure to liver cancer, and many diseases in between, families pray for the day when their loved ones will be the lucky recipient of a donor organ, because with those organs comes the chance to live again. But that opportunity comes at a heavy price. Transplant recipients face a lifetime of antirejection medications to keep their bodies from rebelling against the very thing giving them a second chance. Young women are unable to have children because of the plethora of medicines coursing through their bodies on a daily basis. But what if, through the miracle of modern science, daily rejection medication regimens were a thing of the past? What if there was a simple shot that allowed recipients’ bodies to accept the donated organ indefinitely?”
I can’t say that Chaos and Moonlight is another Black Dagger Brotherhood, but there are plenty of elements (read: vamp communal living arrangements, patriarchal structure, extreme biological reactions to mates) and its got the black leather.
Taris is a bad ass who knows his way around a weapon and also can hold his own with diplomatic issues. He retires from the life he loves to protect and lead the people he loves. One part daredevil, one part saint.
Sarah is intelligent and strong willed. She knows her worth and doesn’t take flack from a blond bimbo talk show host. A simple public mistake costs her everything, but brings danger and intrigue to her door. After a few moments of floundering in a new world, she picks herself right back up. Sarah is the ultimate tough girl with a dark past.
Even with all these elements and strong characters, this book just didn’t do it for me in the romance department. I haven’t felt okay with the black leather element since high school and I’m far too experienced with mommy-and-daddys-who-didn’t-love-me to feel a kinship with most unloved characters. Also, why do all vampires in romance novels have long hair? It just doesn’t do anything good for me in terms of picturing an attractive lead character: unkempt, out of style (man bun anyone?) and scruffy. Ew. And the insta-love was painful for someone who likes romance with a bit of suspense.
All in all C&M was your typical AD Marrow read: gritty, pushes the envelope and is fantastic after a bad day with a cold glass of wine. The book melts away within a few hours and engrosses you in the lives of its characters. Chaos and Moonlight was worth the read. I enjoyed the science and the incredible story weaving. AD Marrow would write a mean action-suspense novel and if she ever writes one I will definitely read it. Hint, hint Marrow!
This book would appeal to readers who enjoy action, bad guys who aren’t afraid to get their hands dirty, black leather, paranormal romance, and a dash of medical jargon for good measure.
About A.D Marrow
A.D Marrow is a a registered Sapiophile, a proud Geek since before Geek was chic and believes that everyone deserves a happily ever after. She lives in the foothills of North Carolina with her ridiculously hot and amazingly supportive husband, three kids that rock so hard there should be a national holiday for their awesomeness, two really stupid dogs and a plethora of Post-it notes with book ideas to last her until she’s 90. Her childhood dream is realized in the fact that YOU have cause to read her bio. She hopes that one day, it lends her enough credibility to live out her second dream, which is to write an episode of Doctor Who.
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