Better Than I Expected

Nocturnal:  The Noctalis Chronicles, Book One by Chelsea Cameron

Paranormal Romance

I wasn't expecting much when I started this book.  It was a cheap read for Kindle and my book experience is, you pretty much get what you pay for.  This, however, was a pleasant departure from that mantra.

The basic plot?  A girl falls into doomed love with a paranormal creature.  Yada, yada, yada.  But, this book is so much more than a paranormal romance.  What makes is so different is that the romance seems almost to come into second place to....characterization and plot!  Gasp!  There's a new concept.  Ava Claire's life is enough drama to carry the whole story without a vampire thrown in here or there.  Her mother is dying from cancer; she doesn't really get along with her father; and, for some reason, she's keeping all this a secret from her best friend and the only person she can trust.

The voice of Ava Claire is so beautiful and real--fraught with real-life feelings and angst.  This is a strong female lead character you an really sink your teeth into (no pun intended).  Ava escapes to a graveyard to meditate (hey, it is quiet!) and is saved from a savage attack by a strange young man named Peter.

She can't get Peter out of her mind and returns to the graveyard....where Peter is waiting for her.

Thus starts a strange and doomed relationship.  These two work very hard at not falling for each other.

I love most everything about this book.  I love what makes this a doomed love.  Peter must promise never to love anyone more than his master and not love Ava at all.  How in the world is this going to work out?  I can't wait to see!

And, the cover is beautiful.  I know you shouldn't judge a book by it but I do sometimes and this one was breathtaking.