Silk & Serif

Received via NetGalley from the University of Rochester Press in exchange for an honest and completely unbiased review.

Also posted on Silk&Serif
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Taris is an ancient vampire who inherits the duty of curing his people of infertility. They cannot create or birth new children because human and vampires have evolved away from one another. No longer are they able to mix blood to create immortals, only death follows.

Taris finds Sarah while she is interviewing on a talk show regarding her new technology heralded as a miracle treatment for transplant recipients. Taris is not the only one who has heard of Sarah Bridgeman and it becomes a epic race to save Sarah. The easy part is convincing her to help the vampire race because Taris has unwanted desires regarding the tough doctor. Can Taris keep his objectivity long enough to save his people? Can Taris and Sarah create the cure before the evil-doers catch up?

"Every year, hundreds of thousands of men, women, and children across the nation depend on organ donations to survive. From kidney failure to liver cancer, and many diseases in between, families pray for the day when their loved ones will be the lucky recipient of a donor organ, because with those organs comes the chance to live again. But that opportunity comes at a heavy price. Transplant recipients face a lifetime of antirejection medications to keep their bodies from rebelling against the very thing giving them a second chance. Young women are unable to have children because of the plethora of medicines coursing through their bodies on a daily basis. But what if, through the miracle of modern science, daily rejection medication regimens were a thing of the past? What if there was a simple shot that allowed recipients’ bodies to accept the donated organ indefinitely?"

I can't say that Chaos and Moonlight is another Black Dagger Brotherhood, but there are plenty of elements (read: vamp communal living arrangements, patriarchal structure, extreme biological reactions to mates) and its got the black leather.

Taris is a bad ass who knows his way around a weapon and also can hold his own with diplomatic issues. He retires from the life he loves to protect and lead the people he loves. One part daredevil, one part saint.

Sarah is intelligent and strong willed. She knows her worth and doesn't take flack from a blond bimbo talk show host. A simple public mistake costs her everything, but brings danger and intrigue to her door. After a few moments of floundering in a new world, she picks herself right back up. Sarah is the ultimate tough girl with a dark past.

Even with all these elements and strong characters, this book just didn't do it for me in the romance department. I haven't felt okay with the black leather element since high school and I'm far too experienced with mommy-and-daddys-who-didn't-love-me to feel a kinship with most unloved characters. Also, why do all vampires in romance novels have long hair? It just doesn't do anything good for me in terms of picturing an attractive lead character: unkempt, out of style (man bun anyone?) and scruffy. Ew. And the insta-love was painful for someone who likes romance with a bit of suspense.

All in all C&M was your typical AD Marrow read: gritty, pushes the envelope and is fantastic after a bad day with a cold glass of wine. The book melts away within a few hours and engrosses you in the lives of its characters. Chaos and Moonlight was worth the read. I enjoyed the science and the incredible story weaving. AD Marrow would write a mean action-suspense novel and if she ever writes one I will definitely read it. Hint, hint Marrow!

This book would appeal to readers who enjoy action, bad guys who aren't afraid to get their hands dirty, black leather, paranormal romance, and a dash of medical jargon for good times.