Sharon Ashwood

Dark Forgotten — (2009-2011) Publisher: Vampires, Werewolves, and other creatures have emerged from the shadows. And some of them have sinister THINGS on their minds... Holly Carver is a witch who sometimes relies on the help of Alessandro Caravelli for her family’s preternatural investigations business. Alessandro is the oldest and strongest vampire in Fairview — and he’s made no secret of his desire for Holly. But while she aches to succumb to his suggestive wiles, she knows it would be an invitation to trouble. Then Alessandro’s queen, Omara, complicates matters when she turns up in Fairview to enlist his help. Sultry and manipulative, she is jealous of Alessandro’s feelings for Holly, and demands he use Holly to trap Geneva — the most evil demon of all.

Ravenous

Ravenous is the epitome of a middle-of-the-road book. It’s an entertaining read, but not one I’d jump to recommend.

Classified as paranormal romance, Ravenous follows the structure of that genre, but also includes plenty of urban fantasy elements and will probably appeal to readers on that side of the subgenre divide. The central characters, Holly (a witch) and Alessandro (a vampire), fall in love while trying to prevent a demon from wreaking havoc in their city. Sharon Ashwood tells the story in third person, with the point of view alternating between Holly, Alessandro, and occasional others.

Ashwood’s best touch is probably the witch houses. In this universe, when a witch family lives in a house, the building absorbs a great deal of power and becomes partially sentient. We see two examples in the novel: one benevolent and one gone horribly wrong. Another fun aspect is the snarky humor:

Eternal life didn’t make a person anything besides old. The real value lay in what you did with all that time. As far as he could tell, most immortals wasted that opportunity on internal politics and fashion crimes.

On the other hand, the characters could have used more fleshing-out, as could the relationship between the leads. Holly and Alessandro initially meet and establish a friendship offscreen, before Ravenous begins, so we don’t get to see the formation of that bond. Instead, most of the development is sexual. One terrific exception is the scene where Holly calls Alessandro for comfort after dispatching a human-sized mouse, and he comes to her rescue even though he thinks she means a garden-variety rodent. This is one moment when the emotional connection between the characters really comes through. I’d have loved to see more moments like that. In addition, everything seems to fall into place a little too easily at the end.

Also disappointing is... [Spoiler: highlight it if you want to see it]... the revelation of the bad guy who orchestrated the demon summoning. This character, who had previously appeared complex, reveals himself as a one-note zealot willing to sacrifice anyone for his cause. He’s much more interesting, though, as he first appears — a well-meaning but weak man who lets his fears get the better of him.  —Kelly Lasiter