Last Call

Rayme’s dream was to be a dancer, so she ignored her mother’s fatalistic warnings and headed for New York City. Unfortunately, fate has a way of handing us setbacks just as we think we’re getting ahead in life. One night, leaving her boyfriend’s apartment, Rayme was attacked and almost killed by a gang of street toughs. Her kneecap and leg were broken and she was lucky she could walk, even if she couldn’t dance anymore. After two years of recovery, Rayme was making a living as a waitress in a local bar.

One night, a man comes into the bar with whom she seems to have an instant connection. In fact, Maxim rescues her from sleazy lowlife Dag, who apparently thinks he can take Maxim’s place as King of the Lycans. A couple of days after this, another mesmerizing man enters the bar – Jovan, the Dark Master. Why are there suddenly all these men who want Rayme? Which man will Rayme choose?

This book was unusual in many ways. Not only does the heroine have to cope with the loss of her dream of dancing – she must also choose between two men who both seem to love her as a lifemate. Rayme is an (apparently) normal human, who has no idea that such paranormal creatures as werewolves and vampires really exist. How she copes with such startling revelations and rapid changes in her life demonstrates a strength of character that is unusual in a romance heroine. This story is written in the first person from Rayme’s viewpoint, so the reader gets intimately acquainted with her thoughts and feelings as the story moves along. The characters of the male protagonists, Maxim and Jovan, seemed not drawn as carefully as Rayme’s character, and came across to me as shallower and less developed than the heroine.

The squeamish reader should be warned that the story contains graphic violence and blood-letting, as well as several sexual scenes that are very explicit, depicting man/woman sex, a ménage à trois, and rough sex. I was very interested in the conflict depicted between the protagonists that spiced up the story and left one wondering what would happen next. I thought the complex plot was intriguing, and very interesting – it certainly held my attention since I read it through in only 2 hours! This novel ends with a cliffhanger, so I am sure that we will get to see more installments of Rayme’s adventures in the near future. I recommend this story to those who like their romance a little dark and brooding.

Reviewed by: Jean