The first vampire I ever fell in love with was Louis de Pointe du Lac from Interview with the Vampire. I was a young girl when the film came out and it had been one of my mom’s favorite movies. It had been the first time I realized vampires could be sexy and didn’t look scary like Nosferatu. I thought Louis was so sweet, sexy, and caring. A girl’s dream comes true. Oh, how innocent was I?
Next, I fell for… pretty sure you can guess this one… Angel. Yes, the one from Buffy the Vampire Slayer… the tv series, not the movie. Again, naïve. He was sweet and innocent, loving, and caring. Did I tell you I was a huge fan of swoon romance, and soulmate love back then? Anyway, Angel had been my second love. I absolutely hated Buffy when she got with Riley.
The next vamp I fell for was the creature/man himself, Dracula. Of course, it was Bram Stoker’s Dracula. Gary Oldman will always be my Dracula… though Jonathan Rhys Meyers and Luke Evans give that man a run for his money. I loved everything about his Dracula. Especially how he just wanted to be with his lost love, Mina. I was completely lovesick. As you see, I really loved the sweet innocent vampires… though I don’t know how much you can call Dracula sweet and innocent.
It was at the end of my high school years, I finally got the courage to watch the film, The Lost Boys. I thought it was this crazy, scary horror movie but I am mad at myself for waiting so long to find my new loves… yes, loves, plural. I was in an internal conflict about who I loved more, Michael or David, so I loved them both. I loved Michael's sweetness and caringness, but David was the ultimate bad boy. Keith Sutherland played him so well, and I loved his voice. Spoiler: I am still pissed he died at the end.
Wanna know something crazy? I didn’t read my first vampire novel until my second year in college. I was a huge fan of historical romance and that is all I read until Primal Heat by Susan Sizemore. I loved it so much that I devoured her novels, which led me to read Return to Me by Julia Templeton. Then the next one was After Midnight by Teresa Medeiros. I won’t continue to bore you will the vampire novels that I popped my cherry with but after reading these I wanted more. Unfortunately, Twilight was among them, but I tried to avoid it like the plague until my friend finally got me to read it. Definitely was Team Carlisle, but I won’t get into that.
Even though I started reading about vampires, I hadn’t found one that I completely fell in love with, so I did what any normal person did… I re-watched Buffy and fell in love with Spike… oh, yes. Spike. I realized that he was just so much better than Angel because he thought he was bad but he was really good, even though he was bad. I loved his redemption story.
At this point, I started to read Lara Adrian’s midnight breed series and I began to watch Vampire Diaries. I was completely in love with…Stefan. I know. I know. Crazy, but I didn’t really start to love Damon until… spoiler… he and Bonnie got trapped in that weird afterlife, then I was fully Team Damon, still am. Though I really love Enzo too.
Then I watched Queen of the Damned and fell for Lestat. I think it was his musical voice that attracted me the most, but I don’t know. There is just something about him and also, I do love Aayilah as the Queen.
Following my love for Vampire Diaries, I watched the Originals. I hated Klaus, but I was completely in love with Elijah. He is absolutely devilish and very different from all the other vampires I had met and fallen for. He was a blend of two worlds that I absolutely loved. A gentleman vampire who will always have my heart.
Then I met Eric Northman, and it completely wrecked me for anyone else. He was the only reason I continued to watch True Blood until the very end.
It was all these men that led me to create my world filled with vampires and the reason vampires are my favorite creatures to write about.
Entwined Within the Darkness Within the Darkness Trilogy
Book One
Charley Black
Genre: Paranormal Romance, Fantasy
Publisher: Charley Black
Date of Publication: September 4, 2022
ISBN: 979-8986887708
ASIN:B0BD577QKC
Number of pages: 310
Word Count: 95, 963
Cover Artist: MiblArt
Book Description:
A wild evening goes demonically wrong…
Patience craves answers. Half a century after appearing on the steps of the witch academy, she was still no closer to recovering her lost memories and identity. Tormented nightly by visions of red eyes and burdened by dreams that, although connected, remain unclear. Patience, to distract herself, decides to defy the rules and enter the vampire club, Moarte, an act strictly forbidden for witches. Never expecting her best friend, Michael, to begin his transition into a full demon, Patience, desperate to save him, binds him to his vampiric lover.
To make matters worse, Lucius, the domineering brother of the vampire, whom Michael is now bound to, harbors a deep resentment for witches and especially for Patience. Even so, they must now work together to find a soul gem that will untether the bond before her best friend completely consumes his brother’s soul. As their unlikely alliance takes form and their attraction grows, Lucius’ presence draws out long-forgotten memories deep from within Patience. He may just be the key to unlocking her past—but will she be able to convince him that he needs her far more than he needs to kill her? Rediscovering her past and how it binds her to Lucius may just prove to be far more dangerous than either of them imagined.
Entwined, the first book in the Within the Darkness Trilogy, will leave readers in suspense. This enemies-to-lovers story will be filled with plenty of action, humor, and steam. So, prepare yourself, as the end of this novel leaves us with a cliffhanger, but not for long! Intended for 18+ readers, stay tuned to find out what lies ahead in this captivating trilogy.
Excerpt 2:
She let the
tempo of the enchanting rhythm carry her away. It helped her let go. It had
been a long time since she had done that… just let go.
The rhythm
flowed through her as she moved her body, letting all her frustrations float
away.
The image
flashed through her mind when she closed her eyes as she danced to the beat. It
was still unclear. Not letting it bother her, she kept on dancing.
The more she
ignored the image, the clearer she could see it until powerful arms wrapped
around her from behind her, swaying with her without missing a beat.
She didn’t tense
because she wasn’t afraid of the arms enclosing her. They seemed familiar as
their warmth surrounded her, making her feel safe. Protected. Her body melted
into his.
They swayed to
the slow rhythm as his breath tingled her neck, his lips brushing against her
russet-brown skin.
She wanted…
more. She craved to taste him.
This was crazy
talk. She had no clue who was behind her, but she needed to see his face. The sensation
from earlier went through her and caressed her soul. Her heart knew this male.
She turned in
his arms. His illuminating silver-gray eyes saw right through her, ensnaring
her.
She moved
closer, never missing a beat. The world around them melted away.
I belong to him…
and he belongs to me. Once the thought was in her mind, the feeling rushed
through her, causing her to shiver. This was the reason—the reason she was
here. For him.
It made little
sense. Who was he? And why did she feel like she belonged to him?
All thoughts
disappeared when his eyes lit with hunger.
“Mine”, he
growled as he grabbed her hair, pulling her head back to expose her neck.
The heat burned
its way up her body. His kisses forced her to feel things she longed for until
they brushed against her skin—his fangs. Shit.Vampire.
A moan escaped
her lips as his fangs grazed her. She shouldn’t let him bite her. Yet… she wanted
him to.
It terrified
her.
Patience pulled
away not realizing her heart was racing until there was a space between them.
She couldn’t
tell if it was from fear or desire.
Staring at him,
he was taller than her, even with her six-inch heels. He was about six feet
four, give or take an inch or two. His dark hair lay disheveled, like he had
run his hands through it too many times, giving him a devastating look. His
straight nose and sensual lips didn’t help her situation.
This is bad.
She had long awaited to discover a connection with someone, but not a vampire.
The bad blood
between the two races was real and deadly. One hundred and fifty years ago,
they banned the slaughter of each other. And only because their hatred was causing
chaos amongst the humans. All for one crazy vampire going on a witch-killing
spree. In the past fifty years, she had mostly avoided them. Until tonight. Why
did I think this was a good idea?
Her soul was
wrong. Her heart was mistaken. This was just another enchantment to draw her
in.
To be their
prey.
“Mine,” he
growled again as he tried to pull her back to him, but she evaded him.
Patience had to
locate Michael. If they didn’t leave now, she would find herself in this man’s
arms, which would be very dangerous. The bind on her powers wouldn’t last long.
He didn’t know
she was a witch.
About the Author:
Charley Black is an up-and-coming writer and author who has been creating stories since she was twelve years old. Her early short stories dabbled in different genres, but her passion for romance novels — paranormal romance in particular — always shone through. Charley currently resides in Rhode Island, with her family and works at a local university. Debuting in September, Entwined will be the first of three novels set in the Within the Darkness universe.
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