[ARC Review] Nightwolf by Karina Halle

Amethyst DeMille is one of the few humans in San Francisco who knows that vampires really exist. Working as a bartender and event planner at Dark Eyes - a vampire club - Amethyst has seen is all. Well, everything except maybe a shirtless Wolf. And as much as Amethyst would like to see more of the tall, Nordic god-like vampire, they've always just been friends. As Wolf says, humans and vampires don't mix - at least not in the long run. But then lines are crossed, love is lost, and Amethyst discovers just what lengths she will go to in order to keep Wolf in her life. 

It's hard to explain, but Nightwolf feels like the old school vampire romances that I used to read, before vamps became less scary and more romanticized and main stream in paranormal romances. There is definitely a current of darkness running throughout Nightwolf without there being specifically dark elements to give it that feeling. I can't even pick out specific parts that contributed to the overall vibe, but I was so ecstatic to see that danger and darkness lurking in a vampire romance again. 

These main characters were a delight to get into the heads of - both had trauma and tragedy to overcome, but Halle handled it in (what I thought) was a very realistic manner. As someone who's been there, I found Amethyst to be very relatable in those moments. I also really loved that Wolf was not immune to sorrow and trauma; too often, these centuries old vampires are stoic and emotionless, and I loved that Wolf was not forced into that same box. 

I really enjoyed the plot; there was spice, there was danger, there were big, life-altering decisions. As someone who has read a lot of paranormal romance, I believe Nightwolf will stand out as a favorite paranormal romance for quite a while. Halle definitely makes vampire lore her own, and I loved all the little nuances of vampire life that differs from the campier stories. 

Full of big, bad vampires, strong and brave heroines, and a love to last several lifetimes, Nightwolf is sure to please fans of paranormal romance. 

A huge thank you to the author and Valentine PR for providing an advanced copy of Nightwolf!

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Release date: 11/22/21
Format: eARC
eARC provided via Valentine PR