Books Unbound D. Lee & Kammy Bonias Official Homepage Category:  Fantasy Publisher: Books Unbound ISBN-10:  1592010040 Type: Fiction Pages: 315 Copyright: Jan 22 2000 Dream Realm Award finalist! This is a Paranormal tale of romance, action and adventure. Vincent McBride had spent years building his paradise. His only wish to live in peace. But that was not to be, he is hunted down, his paradise shattered, and all of St. Claire now under the Hunters shadow of destruction. Excerpt Sarah rested her head on his shoulder. "But, you gave them so much. You love more than any human can love another." She looked at him. "Selenia was so happy with you, she would have not traded an instant of her time with you. Is that wrong to make someone happy? And you were happy as well. How does the saying go? 'It's better to have loved and lost, than never loved at all.' Don't keep yourself from living, Vincent." "That is a poor choice of words, Sarah," Vincent remarked dryly. "I am not alive." Sarah pulled back and looked at him sharply. "Oh bullshit! You are more alive than any man I know... well, besides Jeff that is." She grinned. "It doesn't take a beating heart to live, Vincent. It takes a mind... a soul... compassion and desire. You have all these things. You feel love, pain, anger and hate. All these things are part of life... not death." Vincent blew out a loud breath and gently pulled her into a hug. "You are a mother cat, you know that? You're always taking care of me, and I do love you for it." "I know you do." Sarah hugged him tight. "As we do you." Vincent gave her a kiss and stood. "I am going to go riding. We will talk about your punishment tomorrow." Sarah's eyes twinkled at him in humor. "Promise?" Vincent shook his head in fake exasperation. "Yes."

Vampires Never Die...

...And I've always found that sad. I have nothing against the vampires themselves, just the stories written about them. Perhaps there are vampire aficionados who haven't read Bram Stoker's Dracula. They might appreciate the current fare. I don't. Reading Stoker is like sipping a rare wine and dining on caviar. The current books are more like eating canned sardines on Saltine Crackers while guzzling Kool-Aid.

They all make an attempt to mimic the formula. You have one or more vampires who, as we all know, have difficulty tying their black tie to their matching tuxedo because they can't see themselves in a mirror. Who cares? If someone makes fun of their dress, they can always change into a bat and fly away.

There's always the helper, a Peter Lorry type whose had a lobotomy. There's always the buxom maiden who wasted her money on implants because the vampire is more interested in her curvaceous neck than her bustline. She always has the boyfriend or secret admirer who is out to slay the vampire and save her for himself. He enlists the help of a true vampire slayer, more of an academic than a hero, who has been chasing the vampire around the world. Always armed with wooden stakes and holy water, the "professor" is searching out the dirt because everyone know that the vampire must sleep in his own anthill.

Sigh. Groan. They're all the same. Today, the vampire may have different names, and travel on a 747 or the Space Shuttle while escaping the hunter, but the formula is the same. You don't need a crystal ball when reading the first page to know what us written on the last. Authors have tried to add humor, minor variations and more characters, but the basic plot is the same. Consequently, if I find myself faced with a limited choice, I generally opt to read the dictionary or telephone directory in place of a vampire story.

You can imagine my dismay when I discovered that Paradise Shattered was about vampires. I had picked it up because I had read other Lee and Bonias works and enjoyed them. I thought I would be treated with science fiction, but I wasn't. I was tricked. To make matters worse, I have concluded that the authors dabble in black magic. They put another of their spells on me and I found myself enjoying-- no, relishing--the book.

Stoker on Hallucinogens

Had Bram Stoker set out to write romance rather than horror, he might have written Paradise Shattered. Had he sampled the mushrooms in the woods behind his house, he might have replaced the venerable professor with a demon or a warlock who harbors a deep hatred of vampires. He didn't. He left that up to Lee and Bonias.

At the outset, readers find that there aregood vampires and bad vampires. The bad vampires, the ones we all know and hate, go about the countryside drinking human blood. The good vampires go to discos and drink plasma highballs. Then there are the hybrids. They are more like incredible hulks...if the incredible hulk had ridden a Harley and belonged to Hell's Angels.

There are humans and ghouls. The good humans are in love with the vampires. They do far more than lunch, which adds the Lee and Bonias touch of mild erotica to the book. The ghouls replace Stocker's idiot henchman who lives to do the mater's bidding. They are human, well developed characters that touch the heart. Their relationship with their vampire is more like a family headed by a 2000-year-old patriarch.

There are other humans. Bad humans. Hunter humans. They are out to kill all of the vampires, their ghouls, and any humans who stand in their way. That may not sound that much different than Stoker until we add their leader: a warlock who was reputedly killed in the 16th century. He holds them under his spell, turning the "vampire militia" into his variety of ghoul.

Don't Reveal Plots

... and I will not make an exception here. Suffice it to say that this is the age-old battle of good and evil that is the grist of most fiction. Stoker was a master at it. Lee and Bonias twisted it here. The good guys are evil and the bad guys are righteous. Will the hero get the girl and ride off into the sunset? Not likely. The hero can't tolerate the sun and besides, the horse would most likely spook when it saw the fangs.

Of course, amid the gut wrenching action and mind-boggling skullduggery, there is a love story. It wouldn't be a Lee and Bonias book without it. Did I say "a love story." I lied. There are several. Boy meets girl and falls in love. She's twentyish. He's the oldest vampire on earth, the elder of the "good" clan. Boy meets girl and falls in love. He's thirtyish and she's younger. He'll age. She won't. She's a vampire. Boy meets girl. They fall in love, marry, and become ghouls. Such is the meat of the relationships so well developed in the book. It's enough to make a marriage counselor choose another profession. The authors redefine the term "May-December Marriage."

There are not bats. No one is blinding people with crosses or burning them with holy water. Stakes don't kill. There's no mention of garlic, though I might have missed an Italian pasta recipe in my reading. This book is not Stoker at his best or worst. It's not Stoker at all. It's Lee and Bonias weaving their spells and entertaining their readers.

An Excellent Read

This book, like all of the authors' books, has something for everyone. There's romance, action, mystery, suspense and their patented dry humor. They always include a bumbling character who is, well... lovable. They are always my favorites and I keep reading until they're revealed. By that time, I'm hooked and keep reading until the last page.

The authors write for one purpose--to entertain--and they do it so well. They have no axes to grind or deep-seated philosophy to convey. It's obvious that they write for their enjoyment, nothing more. When authors enjoy their work, the readers are taken along for the ride. Such is the case with Paradise Shattered.

Bare your fangs and bite into this one. It's a wild ride with an explosive ending. When you reach the end and the depression sets in because there is no more, take heart. This is the first book in a trilogy. The fun's just beginning.

Genre: Fiction: Fantasy, Romance, Adventure
Wayne Arnold