sixfeetunder

Charlee Madison is a novice private investigator who has made an error in judgement. Now she's buried six feet under. In swampy ground. No hope of escape. Perhaps it's just the terror, her mind trying to deal with the prospect of a gruesome death, but someone-something-suddenly reaches into Charlee's mind and tries to soothe her. A devil, the woman decides, as she struggles to hang onto her fading life.

Devin Leduc is troubled. His brother, Damien, is facing a bleak future that might soon become Devin's. The two are aging vampires doomed to a descent into maddened bestiality unless they can find suitable life-mates. Transforming himself into a bird and taking to the night-time sky over New Orleans, Devin seeks to lose himself for awhile. This is not to be. He stumbles upon a presence so strong it nearly knocks him from the sky. Following the unusual disturbance to its source, the vampire picks up an unmistakable scent. He's found his mate!

The woman in the ground is traumatized, death fast approaching. Devin uses his substantial powers to try and calm her as he raises the coffin from the depths. But Charlee's no pushover. Once in the open air, she turns on Devin, fighting him as she fought against death. The vampire is forced to send her into a sleep while he carries her to his home.

So begins the fiery and unusual romance penned by erotic author Mackenzie McKade. Follow along as Charlee comes to understand the nature of her rescuer. Attracted and repelled, torn between the uncontrollable passion she feels for Devin and a sense of disgust and loathing at the thought of becoming a being who must sleep underground, Charlee tries to return to her life, to the relative normalcy of her current murder investigation. This, too, is not meant to be.

The killer Charlee seeks is also a vampire. He's one of the beasts her new lover refuses to become. How will the sleuth stop an insane creature with God-like powers? Can Charlee bring herself to step fully into the dark life of the man she's come to love? Does she have a choice?

Six Feet Under is a solid offering. The story, which is interesting enough to stand on its own, also contains several erotic scenes guaranteed to raise your temperature to red hot. Add in McKade's original treatment of the vampire archetype and you have a tale with the power to keep you captivated to the very end.

I found myself caring about the two protagonists. The author breathes life into them with every turn of the page. Even her foils are developed through story rather than exposition. This is a book that draws the reader in. It entertains.

If you like some sizzling romance with your adventure, Mackenzie McKade is an author you should try.

Clayton Bye

GWN reviewer

copyright © 2006 Clayton Clifford Bye