I am very excited for today’s Spooky Legend, as we host the writing duo of Ellen Connor (aka – Ann Aguirre and Carrie Lofty).  Abigail and I are big fans of these ladies’ writing, both when they write as a team or when they fly solo.  Ann Aguirre’s Corine Solomon, Sirantha Jax, and Razorland books have about a bazillion bats between them all here on All Things Urban Fantasy, and fans of historical romance will know that Carrie Lofty has some serious romantic chops of her own (I particularly loved SONG OF SEDUCTION, whose musical hero and heroine both stole my heart).  With this kind of pedigree, it’s no surprise that together these ladies write one heck of a book.  Abigail reviewed NIGHTFALL, the first in the Dark Age Dawning series, and said it “[combines] thrilling danger and steamy romance in a magical post-apocalyptic world.”  Book two in the series, MIDNIGHT, came out this September, and is on both of our wishlists (Why can’t my birthday come four times a year?  Sure, I’d be 120 years old, but it would be worth it).  Hopefully we get to catch up before DAYBREAK comes out this December. 

Click to see the Spooky Legends Master List with links to all the previous posts and giveaways

Bloody Mary by Dr. Chris Welsh
by
Ellen Connor

Dr. Chris Welsh is the hero of MIDNIGHT, which takes a few years after the disastrous Change wiped out civilization. And yet, human nature is resilient. A new civilization has taken its place to defend against scavenger beasts, violent raiders, and creatures known as skinwalkers—human shapeshifters, some of whom have gone feral and have no qualms about eating people. Chris began his journey through the Change as a rather beta intellectual, resisting any temptation to believe in magic. But he has been wandering for years on his own. The terrible, incredible things he’s witnessed cannot be explained any other way.

Then he meets Rosa Cortez, the tough, independent leader of Valle de Bravo, a tiny human settlement in what used to be the American southwest. To say their romance is tempestuous and fraught with danger is an understatement. But there’s tenderness too, as each struggles to trust in the safety of their love.

Now, Dr. Chris Welsh will do his best to explain the legend of Bloody Mary:

 

*This title will be released on June 7, 2011*

Title: Nightfall Author: Ellen Connor  Series: Dark Age Dawning #1 Cover Art: N/A Genre: Paranormal Romance Excerpt: Yes Source: Publisher Reviewed by: Abigail Paperback: 336 pages Publisher: Berkley Trade (June 7, 2011) ISBN-10: 0425241696 ISBN-13: 978-0425241691 Sexual Content: A few graphic sex scenes. Rating: Excellent - Loved it! Buy it now & put this author on your watch list.

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Description

First in a stunning new post-apocalyptic paranormal romance trilogy.

Growing up with an unstable, often absent father who preached about the end of the world, Jenna never thought in her wildest nightmares that his predictions would come true. Or that he would have a plan in place to save her-one that includes the strong, stoic man who kidnaps and takes her to a remote cabin in the Pacific Northwest.

The mysterious ex-Marine named Mason owes a life-debt to Jenna's father. Skilled and steadfast, he's ready for the prophesied Change, but Jenna proves tough to convince. Until the power grid collapses and mutant dogs attack-vicious things that reek of nature gone wrong.

When five strangers appear, desperate to escape the bloodthirsty packs, Jenna defies her protector and rescues them. As technology fails and the old world falls away, Jenna changes too, forever altered by supernatural forces. To fight for their future, she and Mason must learn to trust their instinctive passion-a flame that will see them through the bitter winter, the endless nights, and the violence of a new Dark Age.

Review

NIGHTFALL is the first in a new Paranormal Romance trilogy from Ann Aguirre and Carrie Lofty (who combined Ellen Ripley from Alien and Sarah Connor from The Terminator to create their pen name Ellen Connor).  Co-writers can be hit or miss for me.  Ilona and Gordon Andrews, and also Clay and Susan Griffith combine the strengths of both writers to produce books that are better than one writer could pen by themselves. But others tend to be a clash of ideas that produce uneven stories.  NIGHTFALL lands right in the middle of that spectrum.

The story grabbed me right away.  The world is slowly changing, succumbing to a devastating ‘Change’ that  defies explanation.  The death of technology begins crawling across our country.  People push further and further west to escape it.  Rumors and speculations run rampant.  Desperate new governments emerge, but the world as we know it still ends.  Mason, one of the few who knows what’s coming, literally kidnaps Jenna and flees with her.  He plans to hole up with her in a remote cabin while the first wave of devastation hits.  

After that killer setup, the plot didn’t develop quite the way I expected for a paranormal romance.  Just when things are about to explode between Jenna and Mason, a group of new characters got dumped into the mix.  I resented them for their intrusion, specifically the sulky teen, Tru, and it took me a long time to adjust to everyone.   If you’ve watched the first season of The Walking Dead, NIGHTFALL is very reminiscent the the last few episodes of the season.  A ragtag group of survivors end up in a bunker with a doctor and try and survive the end of the world. 

Overall, NIGHTFALL was a fun fast read, combining thrilling danger and steamy romance in a magical post-apocalyptic world.  Some of the supporting characters grate at times and I do wish the sudden introduction of magic into our world had been explained more, but the two leads were perfectly matched and their love story was  exciting from start to finish.  I’m already looking forward to the next two Dark Age Dawning books which will both be released later this year and feature characters introduced in NIGHTFALL.  MIDNIGHT in September, and then concluding with DAYBREAK in December. 

Previous Books in Series	Also Reviewed By:
N/A	Genre Go Round Reviews theJeepDiva