"excellent romantic fantasy thriller"

Crimson City is home to humans, vampires, and werewolves though fighting for supremacy keeps the three species somewhat divided. Now with the Crimson Veil devastated, a fourth race has begun to emerge; the demons are on their way back from Orcus and once they arrive little can be done to stop them even if the other three races set aside their difference in an alliance.

Hope resides with the Draig-Uisge the Druid Patrick Lewis, who knows first hand how deadly demons are as they murdered his parents years ago. Before she died his mother told him to find the Cambodian Xiao Fei, the Phoenix Tear, because she believed the hemophiliac blood of the Asian combined with her son's powers can repair the rip in the mystical gate. Xiao Fei knows the demons are coming to kill her, but rejects Patrick's assertion that together they can stop the horde as she once did with many others, all dead, two decades ago.

The fifth Crimson City romantic fantasy thriller (each by different authors) is an exhilarating fast-paced tale from start to finish yet still insures that the two lead protagonists are fully developed. Especially critical to the engrossing plot is the key respective traumatic incident from each of the lead protagonist's past that shaped much of their lives since is understood enough to know what motivates each of them. Fans of the series have already been SEDUCED BY CRIMSON; newcomers once they have a TASTE OF CRIMSON will want to see more THROUGH A CRIMSON VEIL to CRIMSON CITY where A DARKER CRIMSON is fun to read.

Harriet Klausner

Reviewed by Harriet Klausner
Posted March 12, 2006

Summary

Long ago Los Angeles became Crimson City, a glittering metropolis and sometime-battleground-sometime-home for humans, werewolves and vampires. Before that, demons ruled. And with the Crimson Veil now torn asunder, those demons are on their way back.

There exist those who oppose the Dark Ones: mystics attuned to the earth, the druids. From San Bernadino they come, sending one of their mightiest—their Draige-Uisge. He can shape energy, twist it to harm or heal. But he must have something to bend, and the requisite power can be summoned by one method alone...and from one source: the beauty Xiao Fei, the Phoenix Tear. Her blood is the key, along with her ecstasy; her union with Patrick means salvation. Yet in a world of vampires, werewolves and evil untamed, even a kiss can be deadly. Opposition lurks in every shadow, peril in every caress...and both redemption and oblivion lie in one woman being...SEDUCED BY CRIMSON.

Other books in the series:
Crimson City by Liz Maverick - July 05
A Taste of Crimson by Marjorie M. Liu - August 05
Through a Crimson Veil by Patti O'Shea - October 05
A Darker Crimson by Carolyn Jewel - November 05
Crimson Rogue by Liz Maverick - Apr 06