Adam by Jacquelyn Frank (The Nightwalkers #6)
Paranormal Romance
October 25, 2011
Zebra

Reviewed by Helyce

Adam is book six in Jacquelyn Frank’s Nightwalker series and it was such a sweet surprise because I had been under the impression that the series had ended with Noah’s book, three years ago. I really enjoyed the world that Ms. Frank created in her Nightwalker series and because I couldn’t remember Adam at all, I was even more intrigued.

The story begins with a prologue in the year 2008. We revisit most of the characters from previous books and get a quick update and some insight to their lives. Unfortunately, the mind demon Ruth is still at large and her threat is now compounded by the fact that she has mated the vampire Nicodemous. Together they have powers unmatched by any other and when they kill a beloved demon couple, those that are left behind are so affected by the unexpected tragedy, no one will ever be the same.

When we meet Adam, we have gone back in time about 400 years. The war between demons and vampires is going strong. Adam is the Enforcer. He takes his job seriously and in this time he is the most revered Enforcer of demonkind. Being Enforcer is not Adam’s only priority, however. His family is as well and he will do anything he can to keep them safe. Adam is especially close to his brother, Jacob, and their close relationship comes through clearly through the author’s words.

It is a few days before Beltane and Adam is making his rounds in mist form when he senses someone. Taking his human form, he finds a beautiful woman bathing in the lake. Jasmine is a vampire, but even knowing this, Adam feels a pull toward her. Jasmine, too, senses Adam and as she’s just awakened from going to ground for 40 years, she figures a little chat with the demon can’t hurt anything. The attraction they feel toward each other is so strong they are both surprised by it. Both know, however, that they cannot act on this attraction; it doesn’t stop them from taunting each other.

“Oh, darling,” she purred, “do not stand there and pretend you are not considering dozens of ways of penetrating me,” she taunted him like a cruel siren. “Putting aside the state of your body, Adam,” she said, purposely using his name to remind him how easy it was for her to see into his mind, “you are already imagining the feel of coming deep inside me. Perhaps just after I have had a fresh feed, when my body is at its highest heat…”

Adam, refusing to be the only one affected, get’s Jasmine back.

“He changed form in the blink of an eye, morphing from man to a deluge of water that dashed against her face and body. But unlike normal water, he did not cascade off her and fall to the ground. Instead, he flowed over her supple body, slowly washing over and around her, covering her inch by inch. He felt the smoothness of her skin beneath his touch, the weight of her breasts…tasted the hard points of her nipples.”

They don’t know it at the time, but their brief contact has changed them and started something neither of them would have been able to control. Eventually, they would not have been able to stop themselves from giving in to their attraction to each other, laws notwithstanding.

Unfortunately, they never get the chance. The next evening, the huge party that Adam’s mother is throwing to celebrate Beltane is in full swing. The gypsies from the area are in attendance as always as this is a way for the demonkind to ‘blend in’ and lay to rest any fears or worry the humans of the area might have toward them. When Adam notices a young woman on the edges of the party, staring at Jacob he approaches her. His assumes that she is a young gypsy girl taken with the handsome Jacob and he intends to set her straight.

And that is the last time Adam is ever seen. His disappearance goes unexplained and it is assumed that he was killed because Adam would never willingly leave his family that way. Jacob becomes the new Enforcer and holds that title for many, many years. Eventually the war between vampires and demons ends and life goes on for the Nightwalkers, moving into present time and the current situation with Ruth and Nicodemous. Much has happened over 400 years. Many revelations have been made and many things have been learned and all of it is in danger unless Ruth and Nicodemous can be stopped.

The story than jumps forward, back to Samhain 2008. Jacob and Isabella are furiously battling Ruth and Nicodemous and out of the blue, Adam appears with the young gypsy girl. There is no time for explanations or answer to questions. Adam immediately engages in the battle. There will be time for explanations….later.

Fortunately for Adam, Jasmine is still around and when they see each for the first time, that fragile bond that had been started 400 years ago snaps into place. Adam is thrilled to learn that much has changed over time, most especially the intermingling of species and the thought that he can actually be with Jasmine and act on his feelings is something he’s looking forward to. But there is much to overcome in that area as Jasmine has had to live through the 400 years pining for Adam and not understanding why.

When Adam and Jasmine learn that Ruth and Nicodemous’ recent actions are responsible for why Adam disappeared from his own time in the first place, they team up to make sure Ruth and Nicodemous’ reign of terror is ended. This common goal brings them together in more ways than one. But their battle will not end easily; in fact, additional obstacles will continue to appear making their task even more difficult.

I loved Adam’s story, but if you are not familiar with the series I don’t think you can possibly appreciate fully the world that Ms. Frank creates with her series; especially, in a story where time travel is involved. There is back story in this book, as it is explained to Adam to help him assimilate to being plucked out of one time and deposited into another. As you can imagine, Adam’s appearance at a very opportune moment changed the course of history as it had played out previously and with that come many ramifications which I hope will be explored in future books.

There is so much going on as we move back and forth through time, but I had no trouble keeping up with the world as it was and as it became. We meet a few new characters that raise many questions and left me incredibly hopeful that this is not the end but perhaps the beginning of a new phase in Ms. Frank’s Nightwalker books. I would love to see the true effects of Adam’s traveling forward in time and the very positive changes his appearance brought to those who had mourned him for so long, not to mention the effects that are just hinted at.

I would have liked to have the romance between Jasmine and Adam fleshed out a bit more. We know that when they meet something happens and then they are separated. We know that Jasmine suffered greatly during Adam’s 400 year absence and that she went to ground several times to try and abate her unexplained melancholy. When they are reunited in the future the attraction is still there and it is explored. In fact there is one super sexy scene where Jasmine feeds from a very surprising vein and I’m not talking the femoral artery. It was wicked hot! That said, their romance and subsequent HEA is kind just assumed.

We are left with questions and again, I’m hoping Ms. Frank is not done with the Nightwalkers after all. I only pray we do not have to wait 3 more years for the next installment.

Rating: B+

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