Dusk

An unappreciated wife finds her way back to love with the help of a nocturnal stranger. Maddie can’t believe her husband has forgotten her special day. When her car decides to die near a dance studio she comes across Seth, a vampire/slash dancer extraordinaire, who rekindles her passion for the seemingly forgotten art. Will her clandestine time spent reviving her desire to dance lead to something that will jeopardize her marriage, or is this just what she and her husband need to reconnect with each other?

Dawn

On the hunt for her daughter’s murderer Detective Samantha Lowe goes back to the one vampire who owes her a favor. Having saved his life when she was just a beat cop, Morgan owes her, and she needs him to turn her into a nocturnal creature if she is to ever find peace. Morgan disagrees with Samantha’s request, and is sure she will only wind up a dead vampire. When he decides to help her find the culprit responsible before the investigation is over, Samantha will be in for the shock of her life when she finally comes face to face with the fiend that haunts her spirit.

Midnight

Preferring the open roads to traveling by plane, Sales exec Alison Winterhall couldn’t have picked a worse time to be traveling. Caught in the middle of a thunderstorm with no place to stop for the evening, she can’t believe her luck when the couple of locals she runs across are as scary as the weather outside. Having an accident is the last thing she needs, but thankfully a less frightening local finds her in a ditch. Kyle lives far away from the city and people because of his addiction. Content for the most part with his way of life, Alison brings with her a sense of renewal. A person he can see getting to know better, something he hasn’t done in years if she can get past his desire for blood.

In a sensual mix of vampire tales, Crimson Hours is an anthology for someone interested in stories with assorted plots that focus more on the story than the preconceived notions about vampires. After getting used to the idea that these stories wouldn’t be the same wild and crazy vamp stories normally found in the genre, I found myself enjoying the way Susan Phelan weaved her way into my mind with turned vampires who made being cultured and reserved into a new art form. The stories in the book are slower in pace, but that wound up being part of their charm because I was able to focus on the actual characters and not the frenzy that normally comes with the genre. Since this is the first story I’ve read from Ms. Phelan I’m curious to see if this is just a glance at her overall style of writing and look forward to any future projects.

Reviewed by: Rachelle