Product Description

Like any sensible girl, Cassie tries to avoid vampires. But when the bloodsucking Mafioso she escaped three years ago finds Cassie again with revenge in mind, she's forced to turn to the vampire Senate for protection.The undead senators won't help her for nothing, and Cassie finds herself working with one of their most powerful members, a dangerously seductive master vampire- and the price he demands may be more than Cassie is willing to pay.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #5205 in Books
• Published on: 2006-06-06
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Mass Market Paperback
• 320 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780451460936
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.

From Booklist
Cassandra Palmer has been in hiding for three years since she escaped Antonio, the master vampire who raised her after he had her parents killed when she was only four. A gifted clairvoyant, Cassandra was Antonio's useful tool until she discovered his complicity in her parents' deaths and fled his estate. Tony has finally caught up with her, but he isn't the only one. The vampire senate is after her, too, and they've sent sexy vampire Tomas, who insinuated himself into her life by pretending to be an abused runaway, to watch over her. After Cassie and Tomas are attacked, he brings her to the senate. There she learns that the mages are gunning for her, too, as is the powerful vampire Rasputin, who is gearing up to challenge the senate. Cassie is in a race against time to save her own life and find out why so many want her dead. Exciting and inventive, with definite series potential. Kristine Huntley
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review
"A wonderfully entertaining romp with an engaging heroine. Here's hoping there's a sequel in the works!" -- Kelley Armstrong, USA Today bestselling author of Haunted.

"An outstanding must-read paranormal! Karen Chance has expertly blended mystery, suspense, romance and the supernatural." -- Romancejunkies.com

A fair maiden tough enough to kick [vampire] butts. (Rebecca York) A grab-you-by-the-throat-and-suck-you-in sort of book. (Patricia Briggs)

A fair maiden tough enough to kick [vampire] butts. -- Rebecca York

A grab-you-by-the-throat-and-suck-you-in sort of book. -- Patricia Briggs

About the Author
Karen Chance is from Orlando Florida, Touch the Dark is her first novel.

Customer Reviews

A stunning fantasy from a debut author
Courtesy of CK2S Kwips and Kritiques

Touch the Dark by Karen Chance is a stunning adventure that speeds along to the thrilling conclusion... which is really just another new beginning.

Cassandra "Cassie" Palmer has a gift. She is a Seer, capable of seeing future actions and able to see and communicate with ghosts. Unfortunately for her, these gifts are coveted by many, especially vampires. For years she had been a prized captive of the vampire mafia, until she managed to escape.

For three years she's been on the run but even Cassie knew this "freedom" would likely be short lived. When the vampire don tracks her down, her only hope is to turn to the vampire Senate, who have their own plans for her, for assistance. This seems like the lesser of two evils... or is it?

Then there is the pesky problem of a surprising legacy Cassie doesn't want. With beings from every direction wanting to kill her it seems her only hope is one alluringly sexy vampire. But his price may be too high, costing Cassie her very soul.

Cassie has been on the run for so long that this is all she knows now. Her life was never really her own and as she discovers new levels to her abilities, her desperation to be in control of her own life grows. Determination to make it in a cut-throat world has made her into a strong willed individual with a more than healthy survival instinct. She's not afraid to do whatever it takes to protect herself.

One thing I love about Touch the Dark is the wide variety of supernatural beings found in the story from both the light and dark sides of magic... and the "dark" side is not always the more dangerous. We find vampires, ghosts, were-creatures of all kinds, elves, witches, mages, even satyrs and faeries. Don't forget the talking "shrunken heads." Every individual has its place in magical society and how they all interact makes for some fascinating reading.

Adventure is not at all lacking in this story as readers follow Cassie and company in its wake. Touch the Dark doesn't end, but stops after this leg of the journey. It is apparent Karen Chance still has a lot in store for Cassie and this reader is sure to keep going, looking forward to the next installment of this exciting world.

© Kelley A. Hartsell, May 2006. All rights reserved.

loved it!
I was lucky enough to pick this up a few days before it was released, and after I'd read it, I wasn't sure if I should be glad of the early pickup or not! I'll tell you why. I'm glad of it because I really loved the book. On the other hand, now I have a long time to wait before her second installment of Cassie's story is released! But there is good news--Karen Chance will be publishing the sequel through Roc and it's entitled Claimed by Shadows; look for it in June of 2007. After you read Touch the Dark, I can almost promise you that you'll be equally as eager as I am to preorder a copy.

But I'm getting ahead of myself. Let me tell you what Touch the Dark is about.

Cassie Palmer is being hunted by assassins out to kill her. Why? Well, she suspects it may have something to do with her hated Mafioso ex-mentor, whom she ran away from. Her only chance to survive is to run for her life. Her sexy roommate Thomas won't have any of that though--if Cassie's leaving, he wants to go with her. In the process of trying to escape from said assasins, there is a bloody battle, and when it's over, nothing in Cassie's life will be the same again.

She is taken to the vampire Senate, and surprisingly, they are willing to help protect her. But Cassie's not sure she's willing to bargain with a bunch of untrustworthy vampires. What do they want from her? And will she be able to afford the price?

I had a few minor gripes with Touch the Dark. There was a lot of backstory to wade through, and a lot of history and introduction to the world of vampires and ghosts, etc. that Cassie lives in. However, I enjoyed finding out more about her world and her powers (she can communicate with ghosts). There were also tantalizing bits about her past and her parents which remained unresolved. That's okay, because I feel pretty confident that Karen Chance will take care of these things in the next book. I think the worst part for me was the ending, because it was kind of sudden and left things very unsettled. But please keep in mind these are minor problems I had with the book.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed reading about Cassie and her adventures. I don't want to say too much, but there is also a very seductive and delicious character with a strong interest in Cassie. I had to keep a supply of tissues on hand to wipe away the drool that appeared every page he was in.

I highly recommend this book. I hope you pick up your copy soon, because I know this is one you won't want to miss. Karen Chance has a very promising future in this genre.

A good start
I thought it was a good start to a new author and series. She covers all the paranormal in this book, not just vampires and werewolves like most do. There are ghost (obviously--since the main character can see and speak to them), satyrs, etc. The vampire society forms this sort of mafia, in which Cassy was raised after her parents were murdered. She discovers they were murdered by the same people who were bringing her up and runs away. She thought she was getting by with her own life until they return to capture her. In the process of telling her roommate goodbye the muscle vampires break in and attack. She discovers her roommate was actually a powerful vampire himself (sexy, too, to boot) that was sent to watch and protect her. As a matter of fact, she finds most of her world completely turned upside down. There is simply too much going on in the story to explain here, and I wouldn't want to spoil it anyway. I suggest you don't read the blurb because it's misleading. There were a few parts in the story that caused snags and bumbs. Hopefully the author will reduce this with experience. I'll definitely read the next in the series.