Nocturne by Elaine Corvidae

A decent read that was free on kindle. It's like Zorro in Regency England? Not sure of the time. I just got that impression. 
Anne has been discarded from the King of England's bed. Her parents send her to marry a man of a large estate, thinking he is wealthy. Truth is, he's broke and his lands are the hunting ground for Nocturne, a man dressed in black with a bullet proof cloak and a demon horse. He robs everyone of wealth passing through, including Anne.

Anne settles into a loveless marriage and meets Nocturne at night to learn self-defense as she frightened after her attack.

Who is Nocturne? I knew all along. The story was a tad too predictable. I enjoyed it, however, as I am fan of bandits and  Zorro type stuff. The only reason this lost another star was the romance...I didn't feel it, not between her and Nocturne, not between her and her husband. For them to suddenly confess their love for another. It seemed to have come out of the blue.

An enjoyable weekend read though. I'd recommend it for treadmill workout, a plane flight... It's not filled with mundane or boring stuff.

Favorite quote:
"I cannot chose (?) the color of my hair, or my height, which is that of my father. But I can chose (?) my actions."

It needs another round of edits, but I still liked that saying. Three bikes.

Nocturne by Syrie James

First, I must confess, I don't do vampire novels. Until now, I had read only one vampire book in my adult life, that book being this same author's Dracula, My Love. I read that one because I was curious about the classic tale being told from the woman's viewpoint. I liked it, thus when I was offered a copy of Syrie James' latest, Nocturne, I decided to give it a go.

I really liked this one. Perhaps it was simply what I needed today. It was simple, romantic, entertaining, and even made me shed a few tears. There is only two characters, Nicole and Michael. There is only one setting, a remote cabin in the Colorado mountains.

Nicole wrecks her vehicle on her way to the airport and a handsome Michael with a cabin nearby rescues her. They are snowed in together for four days. During this four days they play piano together, do wood working, ride horses, and even do some indoor gardening...

Dracula Orchid, a flower mentioned in the story

But there is more going on here than discussing dracula orchids. Michael has a huge secret. There's a reason behind his strange eating habits (he eats nothing), the bags of blood in his fridgerator, his amazing speed when he does his chores, and his incredible knowledge of history. He's a 150 year old vampire.

Needless to say, he has issues in his past that would do him good to get off his chest. So does Nicole. She left a career she loved to sit behind a computer... Why?

Together, in four days, Nicole and Michael can help each other heal, but first Michael must get over his fear of being around a human with blood pulsing through her veins tempting his appetite and Nicole must learn to accept her rescuer as he is, fangs and all.

Michael came across as a bit bipolar at times, but really if you are a 150 year vampire, I suppose that is to be expected. I really liked Nicole, no complaints on that front. The ending was sad, but I'm not a "happily ever after person" and it worked for me. It fit and it was realistic.

And.. another plus for me regarding this story is that I actually learned some stuff. The woodworking was new to me and I had never heard of the dracula orchid which I had to immediately google and see for myself.

Good book and just what I needed today. 5/5 stars.

I received a copy of this from a publicist.