Aubrey Hunnisett, the owner of the successful nightclub the Rio Blue, is determined to buy out the Club Lunar, run by the dark and mysterious Michael Lennox. Michael is a vampire, and although he can feel intense mutual attraction arcing between them, he’s suspicious of Aubrey’s offer. Two tragic murders have thrown his club into rough financial waters.
Passionate sex fulfills her exhibitionist fantasies and gives Michael the chance to sift through Aubrey’s memories to see if she’s working for his hated enemy, the vampire Richard Sands. Though he discovers she’s not, his trip down her memory lane leads to its own batch of problems: he’s halfway to falling in love with her.
Aubrey’s a weakness his enemy can use, and does, dragging her into a vampiric conflict that’s more than a century old. But he’s underestimating Aubrey and her feelings for Michael.

Red Rio Blue – Marianna Lauren
November 8, 2009
Paranormal Romance
Novel length, ebook
Loose ID
Book received from author

Career minded Aubrey Hunnisett, owner of the Rio Blue nightclub, wants to expand her territory by convincing Michael Lennox to sell his nightclub, Club Lunar. Her plan of walking into his club and convincing him that this is for the best doesn’t work out so well for her. Michael doesn’t want to sell his club, even though there was a murder there recently and business has gone down hill. Michael is a vampire, although Aubrey and other mortals have no idea. Michael knows his vampire nemesis, Richard Sands is responsible for the murder and he knows Sands is out to get revenge for a past wrong deed. When Aubrey struts into the club, demanding Lunar be sold to her, his suspicions go on alert wondering if she is in league with Sands. So he does what any vampire would do – he uses his powers to seduce her – he gives into her ultimate sexual fantasy, for a chance to read her memories. After realizing she has nothing to do with the murders , he feels regret for intruding into her mind. But he also reads her more intimate thoughts, and those memories jolt Michael’s normal cool composure. He feels connected to Aubrey, and an attraction develops.

Aubrey wakes two days later with very fuzzy thoughts. She knows something is not right, but she can’t remember many specific details. When Richard Sands starts to hunt her, she knows there is only one man that can keep her safe. As her memories of her night with Michael slowly return, her life takes a dangerous, unexpected turn.

Red Rio Blue is one sexy story – we are talking having sex up against a window for all to see sexy! The next time I hear skin squeak against glass, I may break out in a full body blush. What’s even better than squeaky skin, is that there is a really good story to go along with all the sexin’. Michael Lennox is a vampire you don’t want to fool around with – well let me rephrase because I am first in line to fool around – you don’t want to cross him. His no-nonsense attitude comes to somewhat of a halt after he investigates Aubrey’s mind to see if she has anything to do with the murders. He finds memories of a beautiful woman, inside and out and is hit with much more than lust. He feels regret after intruding in her mind so viscously and erasing her memories, and he also feels an overwhelming sense to keep her safe from Sands.

Aubrey is a business woman who is quite confused by the emotions she feels towards Michael. Whenever she is near him, her body reacts, but she also learns the first time her full out lust was all choreographed by Michael and she becomes untrusting of his motives. She is smart and independent but I was also happy she leaned on others when she realizes Sands is for real and out to do her harm. Although she didn’t want to trust Michael, she knew she needed him to stay safe – hooray for a smart heroine.

I did think Sands let Aubrey slip through his grasp a bit too easily at one point and Aubrey makes a very big decision late in the book that I was somewhat expecting, but at the same time surprised she did it as carelessly as she did. And it wasn’t even that she made a decision without regard, but afterward she still took everything in stride. She had a lot to lose with this decision, and I feel like it should have been a bigger deal.

While I really like both Michael and Aubrey, I love Jackson, the head of security in Aubrey’s club. He is a huge, bulking man that acts like a mother hen – well, a hen that carries a big gun. Marianna Lauren puts little things in the story here and there that make me laugh – like when Jackson leans back in his chair and it makes a really loud noise – both Jackson and Aubrey burst out laughing. I would totally laugh at that too! It’s a stupid thing, but it makes the characters more real in my opinion. Jackson is funny, and caring and totally bad ass and he made the story for me.

Super sexy, great dialogue, Red Rio Blue is definitely recommended and I look forward to more from Marianna Lauren.

Rating: Four Stars

Marianna Lauren’s website