Kiss Me Deadly

Bewitch the Dark #2

by Michele Hauf

Death cocktail is what the vampires call a witch's blood. It's poisonous--a drop will destroy a vampire within minutes. Nikolaus Drake is the rare vampire who has survived his first taste. Now he's on the hunt for the witch who almost brought him to his demise--Ravin Crosse.

A witch who spends her nights hunting vampire tribes, Ravin has three obligations to fulfill to set her soul free. One of those obligations--crafting a love spell--twists her world upside down when Nikolaus draws the spell from her veins. Natural enemies rarely make the best bedfellows--but is it possible their intentions are really, truly the same? Can Nikolaus's tribal loyalty survive if he surrenders to desires far darker than his own?

Genres: Romance, Paranormal, Paranormal Romance, Vampires, Fiction, Fantasy, Witches

288 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published September 1, 2007

About the author

Michele has been writing romance, action-adventure and fantasy stories for over twenty years. Her first published novel was DARK RAPTURE.

France, musketeers, vampires and faeries populate her stories. And if she followed the adage 'write what you know', all her stories would have snow in them. Fortunately, she steps beyond her comfort zone and writes about countries she has never visited and of creatures she has never seen.

Michele also writes as Michele Renae, and you can find her erotica, chick lit, and Harlequin Romance titles at your favorite online retailer.

--From the author's website bio

Reviews

[Dina · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was one of the Harlequin freebies and, once again, I was reminded that (almost) nothing good comes for free.

The premise was interesting, but the author's writing was so bad that I couldn't get past the first three chapters. That was the worst world building setting that I've read in, oh, I don't even remember how long.

This book didn't hit the wall because it wasn't a "physical" one, but I pressed the "delete" key with a vengeance!

[Ann has a dirty mouth · Rating 2 out of 5]

Yay! This book was free this month! Double yay! It is completely, cracktasticly over the top!

I am sure you may be thinking- this is a vampire harlequin! Surely it must suck! And it might have if the author had been less committed to bringing every wonderful cliché out into the open and gleefully allowing them full reign. I feel that this was a bad book that crossed back over to being good. I was certainly not bored while I was reading it.

Is there a vampire? YES! Is he also a doctor? YES! Is he the kind and gentle kind of vampire who would never kill anyone? YES! Is there a vampire slayer who falls in love with him? OF COURSE! Werewolves? Evil vamps? Satan on the lookout for bargain souls? YES YES and DOUBLE YES! Is Pikachu in this book? No, but then I guess you can't have everything.

Ravin is a witch who accidentally casts a love spell in her enemy, a totally sexed up vampire doctor. They do it several billion times, but it isn't described in any detail if you are into that sort of thing. Drinking witches blood gives him fantastic powers. Unfortunately for them both, Ravin has sold her soul to the devil. He generously gives Ravin her soul back and allows them to be together in exchange for their first born baby. They are somewhat broken up about this, but at the end of the book, they just decide to deal with it later. Parent of the year award! I guess what the fuck could you expect from a witch and a vampire.

There is also some vampire clan in-fighting, a war against a clan of werewolves, spell casting, the ever present threat of witch burning and too much plot to shake a stick at. I wouldn't feel right giving this book more than 2 stars, but I enjoyed the hell out of it, and I think you should too. After all, it’s free!

[Rachel Maloney · Rating 1 out of 5]

The first few pages of this book were so amazingly bad that I couldn't bring myself to keep going. Almost the entire first chapter was written in past perfect (SHAME!) -- with several sentences even in passive voice! I couldn't have turned this manuscript in to my high school english teacher. Pages and pages of boring exposition-- no action or even dialogue for the first several pages. Seriously? How is this person a published author? What happened to "show don't tell"? Every writer, actor, playwright, songwriter.. (etc) has heard a version of this mantra in regards to his or her respective field.

The book is available for free from Barnes & Noble's e-book store -- if you are a semi-educated or literature-loving person I encourage you to download it (but only if it's still free) and laugh your @$$ off at how bad it is. I wish I could have given this no stars.

[Harry Rutherford · Rating 1 out of 5]

One of a selection of Harlequin romances available free for download, this is a vampire/witch romance with added werewolves and cameo appearances from Satan. Which piqued my curiosity enough to download and read it on my phone.

I don't know how she managed to make the idea of vampires and witches fighting a secret ancient war on the streets of American cities seem quite so mundane.

[Mojca · Rating 3 out of 5]

A vampire falls in love with witch he's sworn to kill. Very Buffy, the Vampire Slayer, don't you think?

Well, Ravin Crosse is a vampire slayer, but also a witch. Two months ago she killed a vampire, but the fool refused to stay down. Now, Nikolaus Drake, former neurosurgeon turned vampire, is a phoenix. He's lived through his "death" and is now immune to witch blood (that's poisonous to the vampires) and sun.

Now, he's healed enough to be able to kill the witch. He comes uncannily close, chomping down onto her neck, when he suddenly finds himself...Head over heels in love with the woman.


It was as hilarious a start of a story as I've ever read. The moon eyed, endearing sputtering vampire was to die-for-funny...And the woman he was so hopelessly, logic-defying in love with hated his guts. Of course it was defying logic, he was under the influence of a love-spell. She tried to talk reason into him, she tried to knock some reason in him, yet he wasn't deterred. Good for him, because she soon melted, and I was all ga-ga over this story. What more do you want than two mortal enemies suddenly developing the hots for each other and staring the sheets on fire?

Then, the spell was reversed, and the tender, loving, gorgeous guy turned into a super-sized jerk (what a great metaphor for real life that was). And the story took a nosedive for me. Because he was a total jackass and she had no fight in her anymore...Add the Devil himself onto the heap, some power games in the vampire ranks, a turf war with the werewolves...And you have a real mess.

Yep, after a great, sexy, funny start, this story turned into a mess toward the end, but still managed to deliver a sweet HEA with just enough intrigue for me to consider reading the fifth story in this series. We'll see.

[Deborah Obida · Rating 3 out of 5]

I downloaded this book on free harlequin nocturne, and surprisingly i actually liked it unlike the others i downloaded.

The book is about a witch who is also a vampire hunter, Till one day a love spell she made mistakenly poured on a vampire that wants to kill her and he instantly fell in love with her. She got attached to him and fell for him for real. Till the spell faded and he hated her again, but later realized that he actually love her.This is the major story but other stuffs about vampires, werewolves and witches are also included in the book.

I also like that the writer included her past and why she decided to become a vampire hunter and how he was turned into a vampire.

[Corrine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a great read, and not particularly well written, but the end was pretty good.

Ravin Crosse is a witch with one mission: to kill as many vampires as she can. To further her goal, she trades her soul to the Devil for three obligations in order to receive the Sight, which will allow her to distinguish vampires from mortals without having to touch them.

Nikolaus Drake is the vampire she kills - well, she thought she had killed him. Instead, he became the rarest form of a vampire - a phoenix. When Nikolaus seeks Ravin out to avenge himself, however, her second obligation to the Devil is accidentally disturbed: a love potion. Nikolaus immediately changes his tune about Ravin, and instead sets out to seduce her and make her love him.

The first half of this book is pretty unbelievable: Nikolaus really believes he loves Ravin, and even though Ravin knows his love is chemically-induced, she can't help but soften towards him.

I enjoyed the second half of this, though the writing wasn't all that much better, but the first half is a mess. C-

[Robin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I downloaded this book for free on the Kindle. This was really a good book! It was about a witch and a vampire. The witch's blood is poison to a vampire. It totally destroys thier bodies and reduces them to ash. They can "spit" blood at vampires. Anyway she spits this blood at a vampire leader and he goes down. Before he can die, he lands on one of his clan and drinks from that vampire before he dies. Well he doesn't die, he becomes a phoenix. A phoenix is immune to all witch poison. Now he has a mixture of vamp blood and witch blood. He goes after the witch that almost killed him. She is in her kitchen making a love spell for a customer. He blasts into her kitchen and they have a fight where he throws her and the spell spills on her AND on him. Since its a love spell, he immediately falls in love with the witch who tried to kill him. The story progresses from there.
It is a cute story, yes there is some fluff and sex, but it was written well and I really liked the characters. I had never read this author before and the way the book ended it certainly will have a sequel. When it come out, I will definately go and buy it. It was that good.

[Sheila · Rating 1 out of 5]

Two great ways to make me not finish a book?

1) Start with TWELVE PAGES of exposition. Are you kidding me?

2) Toss in a blatant word error just as something actually starts to happen. (Wards, or other barriers, are breached. Not breeched.

Yeargh.

[Kelly · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book took me far too long to read. Like, days. And it wasn't because it was OMG! So Deeeeeep! or anything. No, it was simply because it was a decent enough idea, poorly executed. There was way too much information and supernatural mythology for the amount of book we were given. The premise behind it was ... weak. It goes something like this: Vampires, Werewolves, and witches all exist. The blood of the witches is deadly to vampires. One vampire, however, has survived the death cocktail and risen as a Phoenix Vampire, which makes him super strong, immune to sunlight, blah, blah, blah. Going after the witch who tried to kill him, Nikolaus ends up bespelled by a love spell she had been cooking up. He falls madly in love with the witch and follows her around like an overgrown puppy. I can accept this part. The part that rubs me wrong is that the witch, his mortal enemy who has already tried to kill him and his entire tribe once, doesn't attempt to kill him on the spot and instead also falls in love with him. Without the help of her bad ass spell. What? Things just keep going from there. There are deals with the devil, vampire politics, more deals with the devil ... it gets to be too much. My suggestion? Skip this one and find something a little more cohesive to read.

[Felicity Heaton · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was a decent enough premise, but it really could have been so much better. The ideas are there, but the heroine is so weak when she's supposed to be kick-ass. The moment she accidentally casts the love spell on the big bad vampire, making him into her love puppy, she's throwing herself at him every opportunity she has. Considering how heavily we're told in this book that witches and vampires HATE each other, and how she's supposed to be on this mighty vendetta against all vampires, including the hero who she has unsuccessfully attempted to kill, she's damn quick to be tossing herself into his arms. She barely fights against him, letting him have his way, which makes her rather vapid as a heroine. We're told in the story that the spell didn't affect her, so why isn't she at putting up a bit of a struggle against the hero? I was severely disappointed by the heroine. Can you tell? I hate it when they throw aside their principles and everything they stood for, and then throw themselves at the hero (even when he's her deadliest enemy).

Also, found a few wrong words and editing glitches, which just shows that no author is infallible, including published ones.

This book could have been superb with a stronger heroine, the one we're promised at the start.

[Lizze Gorski · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was pleasantly surprised by 'Kiss Me Deadly'; it definitely held true to the old saying, "Don't judge a book by it's cover". Based on the cover, I was expecting a book with gratuitous sex. I was pleasantly surprised to find that while there is sex mentioned, it's never in an 'over-done, over the top' descriptive kind of way. It's more hinted at and eluded to that ever actually step-by-step described, which I must admit was a nice change. The plot was also different from every other vamp-love story out there currently.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the novel and would probably read it again in the future, which for me, is the true stamp of approval. I would definitely recommend 'Kiss Me Deadly' to anyone who is actually looking for a good 'romance novel' with love, passion, and all things emotional with a little bit of sex thrown in.

If you are looking for a 'romance novel' that is light on the emotional stuff and heavy on the physical aspects of a relationship, then 'Kiss Me Deadly' isn't the book for you. Although you should still give it a read anyway. But that's just my opinion.

[Jackie (Literary Escapism) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Kiss Me Deadly had the potential to be something different and interesting, but it’s not capturing me at all and I just can’t bring myself to finish it when I have so many other novels waiting for me. The chemistry between Ravin and Drake seems force and two-dimensional, the conflict was introduced to late and the resolution to the love spell is known fairly quickly but doesn’t get activated for some unknown reason. I’ll probably give this novel another try later on, but right now, it’s just not doing anything for me.

To read my full review, click here.

[Teresa Kleeman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Michele Hauf's books. She writes with an expertise. This book is not your usual Vampire story romance. I like the fact that Michele puts a twist into this book. Our hero is a Vampire with a vengence against a Witch. This Witch hates all Vampire because of a tragedy in her past. So she feels it's her duty in life to rid the world of the Longtooth's.

Except our herione Ravin doesn't have a clue that her world is about to change when she comes against our hero Nicholas Drake. Let's just say the devil himself will have the last say in this book. This is a must read. I believe that you will come to love Michele's books as much as I do.

[Sharon Ryder Roberts · Rating 5 out of 5]

This had me laughing and in shock" what a fab read....(Right I am going to get my stake)..they are only flowers! fabulous! What a guy...who just loves knocking down doors to enter a house...Love him. What a bad boy he later turns out to be, he drops Raven!! (SHOCK) I cried out NO!! Then the tears flow...a must-read for any fan!

[jD · Rating 3 out of 5]

The only reason I am not rating this book higher is that I read it three days ago and can't remember much of what I liked. I know I laughed out loud more than once. I loved the chemistry between the characters. I could not put it down. I think it was a novella because I read it fast even for me. I read it before starting another book by Ms. Hauf so I could get a sense of her writing style. Well, this book entertained and gave me a sense of her creative range but I would not say I loved it. A strong 'like' for certain.

The foundational paranormal twist is pretty simple and falls along familar vampire vs. witch lore. Vampires can't drink the blood of a witch, it is a Death cocktail for the them. Witches can even touch them with a bloody finger and take them out. So suffice to say, vamps avoid witches at all cost especially one in particular -- Ravin. She is a vampire hunter and thrives on the creative things she can do with her blood to take out vamps with extreme prejudice. One night she goes for the gold and infects one of the most powerful vamps in her city -- Nikolaus Drake. He survives and is now immune. Not only that, he is some kind of Phoenix and can tap her powers now. He comes to her house for revenge as soon as he heals enough. This takes awhile because he was in a world of hurt from her blood and he had to regrow some organs and flesh. His plans intersect with Ravin putting the finishing touches on a love potion she made for another client. During the fight for her life with Nicolaus, the potion spills and he falls in love with her against his own will and nature. The banter could have been written by a professional comedian. Oh yeah, did I mention that Ravin was also working off a deal she had made with the Devil who pops in and out as her favorite sexy actor. It's all a riot of laughs.

I will most likely re-read this one because it may actually be 4-stars after all. Next time, I will consume it in smaller bites or write the review as soon as I am done.

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was only the second book in the Paranormal Romance genre that I have read, and because of my unfamiliarity with the genre, I selected this book based on the fact that it was a free ebook for my Kindle. That being said, I did like it.

The action was slow to start, really only picking up more than halfway through the book. The beginning was very much character and relationship development. It was nice to have the relationship between Nikolaus and Ravin well developed before the action started, but the length of the book left little time for the meat of the story, which was a shame. Once the action did pick up, it was exciting and entertaining. I only wish there was more of it, which is the main reason I didn't give it 4 stars.

The romance was sweet and passionate. It took much persuasion on Nikolaus' part, but once Ravin fell for him, her feelings only snowballed. And so quickly the roles were reversed as she must convince Nikolaus of the love he once felt for her. I felt for her, empathized with her, I could feel her heart breaking. I enjoy when a story draws me in emotionally.

As far as the sex is concerned, there are a few scenes that are somewhat detailed, but Michele Hauf stops just short of the explicit details, leaving much to the imagination. If you like your romances with little filter and expect as much detail as can fit on a page, you will be disappointed with this book. That's not to say it's not worth the read. There are some pretty steamy scenes between Nikolaus and Ravin!

Overall this was a good book. I enjoyed it and would recommend it to fans of paranormal romance.

[Raven Carluk · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the second Silhouette Nocturne book I've read, and the second one I really haven't liked. Not because of any flaw in the writing itself. Just because the story and narrative are so focused on sex (but not an explicit sex), that there feels like there's no depth.

One of my problems with the book was the giant clump of backstory right at the opening of the book. It was nothing that needed to be so heavily laid out right then, as it was doled out again with the rest of the story.

A lot of the reasons I disliked this book are personal. That's why I rated it a three: the book wasn't bad, but just wasn't to my tastes.

The male character was described repeatedly as a hulking guy, and that never fit with my idea of what a brain surgeon would be. Did he become a body builder after the neurosurgeon career tanked, or after becoming a vampire? If he became a vampire and got ripped, why can't he get more tattoos? Plus, my personal aesthetic just finds hulks unattractive.

The female was trying just too hard to be a tough girl.

And babies aren't a sign of love. Loving someone is not made better by having a rugrat around. Why are vampires able to have babies anyway?

There were hints of a well built world in the story, but I suspect the author was hampered to fit the publisher's line. Which made the book less than enjoyable, and less than deep.

[Darlyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

The first 40 pages was a bit boring and I just keep reading because I can't stop just like that (it's a habit). Yes, it started with a scene, but not quite interesting. The explanation is too much that made somehow lost the interest a bit. The introduction of both characters, Ravin and Nikolaus are a bit shaky and out of nowhere. I think it's like not strongly constructed. No chemistry. Honestly, it's more like a cheesy romance. Sorry. But, there's no overrated scene in the story. So, I was very glad.

I think the story should be better. The storyline is quite interesting though, since it's a story of how a powerful vampire being bewitched or under a spell of a young witch. The relationship between both of them pretty corny and and quite conflicted with Satan or Himself. However, the last 100 pages are very captivating and I kind of got my mood back. The story becomes more fascinating and I finally get the feeling of how the bond or romance between them sparks, finally.

I don't know if I want to recommend it but you could try since you can download it free from the website I'd mentioned above. Maybe you will like it better and love to know you will think of it.

[Yolanda Sfetsos · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second Bewitching the Dark book. I really enjoyed the first one, and since we met Ravin, the heroine in that tale, I was intrigued. Couldn't wait to see what she got up to in this book.... and well, it didn't disappoint! What a cool read. I really wanted to get through this one very quickly, but other things kept getting in the way. :/
Anyway, by Friday afternoon, I decided that I was going to get to the end no matter what. And boy am I glad I did.

Both Nikolaus and Ravin had great voices that really sucked me into the story. I also loved the concept of this story, two enemies drawn together by a love spell. It was a wonderful way to throw them in the deep end and then have to get them to rise above it. I was quite surprised at how it all came together. Of course, that's a great thing.
I really enjoy reading Michele's books, and I love how she tackles the world of the vampires.

This is one you just have to read if you're into vamps. ;) So many cool concepts here, and a rich world of the paranormal.

[Kate · Rating 2 out of 5]

All I have to say is I'm happy that this was a freebie from eharlequin.com's 60th Anniv. give away. I would have felt bad spending money on such smut. Yeah, it's just another trashy romance novel with lots of battles of wills, silly terminology such as "blood sex magic" bwahaha and a butt load of sex. The characters, Nikolaus Drake (Vampire) and Ravin Crosse (Witch), were sort of lame and undeveloped. So, yeah, just a story sloppily thrown together of a couple who's "impossible" relationship is based off of sex mostly. Throw in a few visits from "Himself" (the devil) and you've got the perfect plot for a book full of smut. Yippee

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

I downloaded this book to see if I could figure out this ebook stuff - since it was free figured if there was a glitch no big deal. I finally got it to work and started to read it. I really loved the plot and the characters. Love the whole, vamps/werewolfs/witchs/angels/devil thing. I love fantasy stories. This has a different spin on how all the supernaturals are and how they come together. There is a follow up to this story to. Over all its worth the read for a free ebook.

[Aileen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well this was actually my first vamp rom book to read and I enjoyed it. Of course there are better books out there but it was different for me and I like the mixture of characters. I think if people would just read the book and not try to compare it so much to every other book they might just enjoy it for what it is and not for what it isn't. I also read two other books of hers and also enjoyed them. I really like the way she intertwined her characters in her other stories.

[Gwen · Rating 2 out of 5]

histoire sympathique, agréable à lire, bien écrite. Mais sans réelle péripétie. Un peu plat à mon goût, cela manque d'action.
les héros sont attachants et l'ont apprécie leur évolution.
2,5 étoiles.

[Andrea · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved it!

[=^☺^=mskitty · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the "love spell" story and was so happy with the ending. Good read, bad guys(the devil), love love love, heartbreak...happiness!

[Amber Daulton · Rating 4 out of 5]

In book 2 in the Bewitching the Dark series (which is a mini-series set in the Beautiful Creatures series), witch Ravin Crosse has been stalking and killing vampires for years in order to protect humanity and to avenge the death of her parents. She lives her life alone, her heart hardened to love and friendship. Then she attacks tribe Kila, killing several vamps, but one of the vampires escapes.
As tribe leader, vampire Nikolaus Drake wants peace with the werewolves and does his best to protect the humans in his city. His fellow vampires follow his lead and no longer kill humans for blood. Then he’s nearly killed in a witch attack. He survives, stronger and more powerful than ever, but now the need for vengeance has taken control of the peace-loving man he once was. He goes after the witch, never expecting to interfere with a magic spell that makes him fall desperately in love with her.
The beginning of the story is hilarious. Nikolaus is so determined to kill her, but then he flips around and can’t stop seducing her and declaring his undying love, despite his mental turmoil. Poor Ravin. She’s so frustrated. This crazy vampire won’t leave her alone and keeps chipping away at her defenses. But when the spell is broken, will Nikolaus still love and accept Ravin for the vampire-killing witch she is?
The H/h are fun, flawed, relatable characters. They’re both set in their ways, yet they don’t realize how lonely they are until they put aside their prejudices and give one another a chance. Nikolaus, however, is harder to like at the end, when he becomes so cold and heartless to Ravin.
The story ended with a HEA, but there are some unanswered questions. Like: what will happen to Truvin after the horrible things he’s done? Will tribe Kila accept Ravin in their fold?
I liked the story and plan to read more from Ms. Hauf.
4 Stars

[The Book Coyote · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was the first book I read on my new Kindle. While I love my Kindle, this book was pretty bad. The story was actually okay - it could have been an interesting idea with a better author. This author was making grammar mistakes left and right (misuse of who/whom, split infinitives, sentence fragments, etc), her sentence phrasing was incredibly awkward, and her dialogue was stilted and unnatural. Really bad writer. Really bad. I couldn't help but wonder how this even got past her editor. I will be actively avoiding this author in the future.

[Leia · Rating 1 out of 5]

Inane, poorly written. Contains such gems as "blood sex magic" (???) and half-developed plotlines. A lot of sex, not left to the imagination but not described either. Names are spelled in the annoying one-letter off fashion (Nikolaus, Ravin). Strange and semi-abusive character traits. Not worth the time.

[Bree · Rating 1 out of 5]

The writing in this novel was incredibly poor - grammar, phrasing, you name it. My memory of the Harlequin brand is that they usually do better editing than this.

Which was a shame because the world-building was going pretty well. It was an Amazon freebie, and I did finish it, but it was a struggle.