Review: ‘Night Walker’ by Lisa Kessler
Night Walker
by Lisa KesslerSeries: Night #1
Published by Self-Published on July 29, 2011
SubGenres: Paranormal Romance
Format: Paperback
Pages: 267
Source: Purchased
Audience: 18+/Adult
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He gave up his soul for a second chance to love her…
Two and a half centuries ago, Calisto Terana lost everything when a zealous priest murdered the woman he loved. Now, desperate for another chance to love her, he wants redemption for the mistake that cost her life.
She’s haunted by dreams of her own death…
After catching her fiance with another woman, Kate Bradley returns to San Diego to clear her head. The last thing she needs is romance, but after meeting Calisto she’s drawn to him in ways she doesn’t understand.
They’ve waited in the shadows for centuries…
Calisto has no doubt Kate is the reincarnation of his lost love, but the Fraternidad Del Fuego Santo has a new watcher with dark ambitions of his own. As old enemies reemerge and a new threat arises, the betrayal that enslaved Calisto to the night might destroy the only woman he’s ever loved again.
One of many reasons why I’m obsessed with PNR is how authors like Lisa Kessler put their own spin on vampire mythology. This was the case with Night Walker, which is the first book in her Night series. I’ve had this book on my TBR for a while, and I thought I had already read it years ago, but hadn’t, and now I’m making time to read the whole series.
Night Walker is technically not a vampire romance, as per the MMC, Calisto Terana, because he doesn’t consider himself one. He’s something else entirely. Calisto sold his soul years ago and is hoping that he will be reunited with his loved one, who was unalived by his enemies. Kate Bradley is not looking for love with anyone, especially after her ex-fiance cheated on her, but she finds herself falling for Calisto when she first meets him. Calisto knows Kate is his reincarnated lost love, and he’ll do anything to protect her from his enemies.
This was a great start to the Night series, and I loved how Lisa switched from past and present storylines of how Calisto (who had a different name) and Kate first met. Their love was forbidden back in the day, but Calisto loved her and didn’t care what anyone thought, which made it more devastating how he lost her. It definitely explained so much about why Calisto, in the present day, was desperate not to lose her again, even though Kate had no clue about their past together, even though she was having recurring dreams about her past with him. Calisto did drive me crazy with some of the choices he made, especially with Kate. There was one scene in the book that broke my heart and what she endured, especially alone.
Fair warning, there is some content in this book that may be triggering to some readers. One of the scenes involves Bettina, who works for Calisto. She ends up with Calisto’s enemy romantically, and something happens to her in the book. The enemies in this book, Fraternidad Del Fuego Santo, have some horrible people within them, and I’m not at all sad about what happened to one of them in the end.
I enjoyed this take on vampires, even if Calisto didn’t consider himself one. Calisto and Kate’s story was a HEA well-deserved, especially with what they endured the first time and the second time around. I give this first book four stars and can’t wait to read the next Night Walker’s story, which is someone Calisto happened to turn in his past.
If you enjoy Paranormal Romance with a Reincarnation storyline and a Second Chance at love after over 200 years of being apart, then check out this book from Lisa Kessler.
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About Lisa Kessler
Lisa Kessler is a Best Selling author of dark paranormal fiction. She’s a two-time San Diego Book Award winner for Best Published Fantasy-Sci-fi-Horror and Best Published Romance. Her books have also won the PRISM award, the Award of Excellence, the National Excellence in Romantic Fiction Award, the Award of Merit from the Holt Medallion, and an International Digital Award for Best Paranormal.
Her short stories have been published in print anthologies and magazines, and her vampire story, Immortal Beloved, was a finalist for a Bram Stoker award.
When she’s not writing, Lisa is a professional vocalist, and has performed with San Diego Opera as well as other musical theater companies in San Diego.
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My obsession with reading started over 30+ years ago when I went to my first Scholastic Book Fair and found R.L. Stine's Fear Street series. Later, I came across Anne Rice's novels at my public library when I was fourteen when my obsession with vampires started. I was the girl who preferred to be a vampire over a princess any day. My husband says I would leave him a heartbeat for a vampire that looked like Spike or Angel (from Buffy the Vampire Slayer) or Damon Salvatore from The Vampire Diaries. (It's true, though, and he's accepted it.)
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