Devil at Midnight

Launching a duology, Holly weaves together vampire lore, time travel, and uninhibited passion. 1950s teenager Grace Michaels is killed by her abusive father. She awakens in a place between life and death, from which a spirit guide sends her back in time to 1460. Mercenary Christian Durand is surprised by Grace's ghostly appearance, but that doesn't stop him from initiating unconventional sexual encounters with the generically innocent yet oddly worldly young woman. Her rival for Christian's attention is upyr (vampire) queen Nim Wei, who sexually manipulates Christian's band of warriors and makes a deal with Christian's cruel father in hopes of seducing Christian into being her undead companion forever. Explicit scenes of promiscuous sex and violence, sometimes in close proximity, will appeal to fans of Charlaine Harris and Laurell K. Hamilton, but may put off readers of more traditional romance. (Nov.)