
An exciting vampire series like no other ~ Dawné Dominique takes the reader into a world
where biblical facts crash headlong into fiction, and the age old question is answered:
How and Why did the first vampires come into existence?
Book I in a series of V: The First
Ranked 6th Best Erotic Novel of 2009
When I read the blurb I was initially intrigued about a story detailing the mythology of Adam and Lillith. But from the very beginning of the story I became a fan of Dawné Dominique’s Eden’s Hell. She’s created a world and a story that exceeded all my expectations and, to be honest, I didn’t think that I would be as spell-bound by the tale as I was. What a pleasant, nay wonderful, surprise!
I really love the way that Ms. Dominique took the myth of Adam and Lillith and transformed it into a contemporary tale, albeit a paranormal one. I was constantly amazed at how well this was done and, even though I’m not a huge fan of the vampire-who-kills-to-survive theme, I can definitely give ground here. It works and works very nicely.
The main characters were very nicely defined, but it was especially enjoyable watching as both Addison and Eva’s relationship changed both of them… and not in a way that you may expect.
Addison has been mourning the betrayal he suffered, but he’s also punishing himself for what was done… he takes responsibility rather than blaming. He’s strong and just but also feeling entirely hopeless. And that’s where Eva comes in.
Oh no! The book ended all too soon! I loved this first book and look forward to reading the next part, II: The First Dark Diary, coming in July 2010.
The author wove a wonderful story with numerous twists and turns, pulling me eagerly along all the way to the end. It was an enjoyable different version of the vampire world. The characters were well drawn, emotions running deep, including for the villainess.
Dark Diva's review (read the entire review here...click on Dark Diva icon)
You’re in for a wonderful ride with Eden’s Hell. It picks you up on those first few pages and it’s really hard to set it down until you’re done. I enjoyed the relationships between the characters and I could almost feel what they were feeling. It was even hard to hate the bad guy/girl in the story because their emotions were so powerful.
ParaNormal Romance review (read the full review here...click on PRN icon)
In this first book of a new series by Dawné Dominique, she takes us back to the beginning of man and the first vampires. The love that grows between Addison and Eva is a powerful love that will endure some hard tests. I cannot wait for book two.
Coffee Time Romance's review(read the entire review here...click on Coffee Time icon)
Love is the key....although the story has an erotic flavor, the leading element is love and sacrifice. I thought the eternal ex-wife was an inspirational element to a paranormal story. It takes the bad divorces between humans and elevates them to a whole new level. I enjoyed this story and found the vampire characters realistic and enjoyable.
Bitten by Books review:
Eden’s Hell by Dawne Dominique was in one word: marvelous! This book had so many twists and turns that it kept you guessing. The storyline was so unique. Eden’s Hell had just the right amount of sexual tension, mystery and drama. According (to) the last page, this is only the beginning to a wonderful series. Read the rest of the review here:
http://bittenbybooks.com/?page_id=58&book_author_id=Dawnè%20Dominique

Sullen quiet
permeated between them on the ride back to Daniella’s penthouse. When the steel
skyscrapers of the city center passed by, Aiden forced himself to break the silence.
“You always carry three gold coins in your pocket?”
It made
little difference that she’d willed them into existence with her magic, and the
lie came easy to her lips. “I took them from my dresser before I left.”
“Oh.” He
paused. “Is that a ritual from Scotland, then?”
She pinched
the bridge of her nose, despising the cat and mouse game they played with one
another. She wanted nothing more than to hide away in her room and sort things
out for herself, but Aiden’s concern had nestled in her, creating an odd calm.
Comfort was something she wasn’t used to receiving—from anyone, let alone a
mortal. “Yes and no. I’m also part Egyptian.”
Aiden’s
mouth dropped, his expression filled with incredulous wonder before he focused
back on the road. “I thought you were Parisian?”
It was easy
to detect the subtle threads of suspicion in his tone. “I am. That’s where I
lived, most of life. M-my father was Egyptian. That’s all I know about him.
He…I never knew him.” It felt as if she sat on a pile of burning nettles. Only
Connor Talbot knew this about her, and she was shocked that she’d revealed such
personal information to a man she hardly knew; a man who was slowly getting
under her preternatural flesh.
“You’re full
of surprises, Ms. Rolfe.”
That crooked
grin of his tugged at her, and she turned away as heat flooded in her face. “You
don’t know the half it,” she murmured under her breath.
“Pardon me?”
“Never mind.
I need to make a phone call to the Talbot family and confirm that proper
funeral arrangements will be made.”
When Aiden
took his eyes off the road to look at her, she hurried on to explain. “I’ll be paying
for all the arrangements. Manvera was killed because of me and it’s, it’s the
least I can do. Her body will be airlifted to England to be buried at the
family crypt.”
To her dismay,
Aiden reached over to grasp her hand, but she involuntarily flinched away.
Although her body temperature hovered around ninety odd degrees, nowhere near
as cold as it was during her blood cycle, she had a thing about people touching
her. A flash image of his warm hands teasing her breasts crept into her awareness.
This wasn’t the time, the place, or the right man. He carried a badge! And how
and why could his mere presence make her feel so unbalanced?
He placed
his hand back on the steering wheel with a tight smile. “It’s not your fault,
Daniella,” he said at last.
She concentrated
her attention outside the window. “Yes, it is, Aiden. I don’t know why or how,
but it is. Now this maniac has dragged you into it, too.” She fell silent,
trying to piece together the morbid details. All of them raped! Sure, rummaging
through a human’s mind uninvited or sucking their blood unaware were
violations, but rape? That went beyond the spectrum of violation. Spasms rushed through her body as her rage ignited merely
thinking about it.
They didn’t
speak again until they returned to her penthouse. When she entered the suite, she
strode straight to the bar and lifted out a bottle of absinthe. Aiden was quiet
as he watched her pour a shot glass full of the neon green liquid. With her
back to him, she stared outside and took a small sip, savoring the bitter
linseed and licorice.
“If that’s
what I think it is, you’d better be careful.”
His concern
forced her to turn toward him. “Alcohol does little to calm my nerves; however,
the wormwood in absinthe does. It makes the blood flow…better.” She downed the shot
and poured another, trying to work her mind around Manvera’s death. Those were teeth marks on her neck, and
these fool mortals think it’s
probably an animal. A vamp is hunting my territory and covering his DNA as
carefully as I do mine. Why the secrecy? And why can I not sense him? Frustration
and anger were a volatile mix, and she had little experience dealing with
either of those emotions. She peered at Aiden, who still stood by the elevator.
With a minimum shrug, she grabbed the slender neck of the bottle and sat on the
sofa, crossing one leg over the over. Aiden watched her every move. His piercing
stare created a savage heat that rippled through her system. She poured another
shot, downing it like the last, hoping to ease some of the effects he had on
her.
“It’s not
quite noon, Daniella. Don’t you think you’re starting a mite early?”
His worry didn’t
go unnoticed, but right now, all she wanted was a little numbness. Perhaps go
back to sleep and reenter that wonderful dream of hers and forget this horrid tragedy
had ever occurred. “I need a moment of respite, okay?” she snipped, tilting the
lip of the bottle over the shot glass again. When he lowered himself beside her
on the couch, his scent scored her to the core. A slow euphoria settled in.
She focused ahead
and threw back another shot. Like doses of fresh oxygen to a human, the thujone
drug contained in the wormwood was far more powerful. It was like going back to
the 17th century poppy dens of China. She wanted oblivion, if only for
a little while. Daniella leaned into the cushions of the couch and floated in a
self-contained anesthetized haze.
“Well, it’s
gotta be five o’clock somewhere, right? Do you have any beer?” he asked.
With a
lethargic roll of her head, she nodded toward the kitchen. She half-sensed
Aiden rise. The clicking open of the kitchen door echoed dimly in her ears and
she closed her eyes, relishing the moment of solitude.
They didn’t
sell this alcohol in stores, and, in fact, she was breaking the law for even
possessing it in this country. The specialized liquor came from a family in
Switzerland, who guarded the recipe like dragons hoarding gold, and she’d paid
nearly that amount to obtain it. Only this absinthe could create a drunken
stupor for her.
Two more
shots followed, and then the associated numbness settled over her like a warm, heavy
blanket. Although the amount of thujone currently in her system was enough to
kill a mortal, her body reacted differently. In human terms, she felt like she’d
polished off half a bottle of scotch and smoked several large joints. She
downed another shot and refilled the glass, spilling some onto the coffee
table. By the time Aiden returned to the living room, she knew she’d gone too
far.
When he
seated himself at the other end of the sofa, her head rolled like rubber toward
him. She knew she shouldn’t say anything, but the gnawing pit in her stomach to
help him with this case, combined with the amount of absinthe, began loosening
her tongue. “Those were teeths…wait.” She started again. “T-e-e-t-h marks on
her neck.”
The corner
of Aiden’s brow rose slowly as he took a long draught from the bottle of
imported beer and swallowed hard. “What makes you say that?” he asked at last.
Hmmm, he doesn’t look surprised. Could he suspect what really killed these
people? The thought amused her, and the grin that formed couldn’t be
stopped. “The ripping of the skin, the slivers and markings. It’s-s-s teeth.
E-long-ga-ted teeths-s.”
The tingling
in her legs became more pronounced as the drug took further control over her
senses. “He loses himself, you know, in the lusts-s of the act. Tell me, Aiden,
have you…have you done…done that? Lo-o-se yourself in lust?” Familiar heat licked
across her skin like flames.
A lock of Aiden’s
chestnut hair hung over his one eye and she leaned into him to push it back.
His sharp intake of breath seemed to suck her in closer. Those ice green eyes of
his locked on to her and that unique spell of his ensnared her as it had the
first time she’d seen him.
He licked
his lips and dashed back a mouthful of beer, his gaze searching her face. “Yes,”
he whispered.
The
compulsion to confide in him was too strong to fight. “He’s-s-s really trying
to, to be neat about it,” she forced past frozen lips. “The par-allel cuts-s-s
on the wrists-s-s—feeding, showing me his-s-s, his c-control, his-s-s talent,
his f-f-fine tastes-s-s, but…b-b-lood m-m-madnes-s-s.”
“I think
that’s enough for you,” she heard Aiden say, barely feeling the glass leave her
fingers.
Her eyelids
slid closed and there was nothing she could do to stop them. She’d drunk too
much. What a fool! “A-a-iden?”
“Yeah?”
A little
voice kept telling her to stop talking, but her lips weren’t listening. “He’s-s-s
hunting and, and feeding, s-s-showing off to me.” Damn! She’d forgotten to call Connor, but it was too late now. She’d
have to sleep off the thujone.
The feel of
Aiden’s arms wrapping around her body brought a whispered sigh to her lips. She
fit perfectly against his chest as he effortlessly carried her to the bedroom.
Laying her head against his shoulder, she savored the clean, virile smell emanating
off him. He reminded her of an old memory. Strange, the cliffs of Dunnotar Castle floated
through her thoughts and then another, but this one in ruins. Another side
effect of the drug. Visions came and went at leisure, but so did the darkness. She was about to tumble headlong into the drug’s absolute
control when she managed to force out, “A-Aiden?”
“Just rest,
okay, Daniella? It’s been a helluva morning.”
“I-I-I will
p-p-protect you from him-m-m.”