Review: Smolder by Lisa Carlisle (Underground Encounters 0.1)

Title: Smolder

          (Underground Encounters 1)

Author: Lisa Carlisle

Release Date: September 5, 2017

Publisher: Amazon Digital Services

Category: Paranormal Contemporary Romance

Type: Digital

Click Here To Buy NOW!

Lisa Carlisle Website

Blurb:

I'm a firefighter. He's a vampire.

What happens when fire meets ice?

We all lead double lives in a way. Only the most trusted are allowed into our private space. When my reality and fantasy worlds collide one night, I end up in danger.

I never thought a gym crush could be deadly... 

All I wanted was an escape from reality. Being a firefighter can be stressful and I unwind at an underground goth club. I can forget about being on call for danger, and just be Nike, a woman who likes to lose herself in music and dance. But when I spot the guy I fantasized about at the rock climbing gym, he discovers my secret. 

Michel has a darker one and a connection to a world I never knew existed. My life is threatened and I have to choose whether to go with Michel. How do I find a way out of this nightmare that doesn't end with me getting burned--or worse, sucked dry by a vampire?

Smolder is a novella that starts the Underground Encounters series, set in a club that attracts supernatural creatures. Step into Vamps and discover a thrilling new world of steamy paranormal romance featuring sexy shifters, thirsty vampires, wicked witches, and gorgeous gargoyles.

Excerpt:

By reading any further, you are stating that you are at least 18 years of age.

If you are under the age of 18, please exit this site.

I glanced around.

It was him. Looking amazing in a black leather jacket.

Holy shit. He was here. My gym crush. All that adrenaline that had pumped through me moments before while dealing with the pushy jerks vanished.

In all the times I’d come here, dressed in miniscule outfits, never had I felt so exposed. I wished I wasn’t wearing such a tight laced-up black leather dress that exposed a lot of cleavage.

He was sitting on one of the dark-red leather stools, facing the crowd. I caught his eye and turned away. Those ice-blue eyes were so penetrating. Each time I’d met his gaze at the rock climbing gym, I’d have the same reaction, averted his gaze.

Why didn’t I have the guts to converse beyond simple hellos? He was just another guy. So why did he have that effect upon me? There were tons of hot guys with jacked bodies at the gym. This one—only this one—made me react this way, like a turntable that had gotten stuck. Something about him was different, putting him far out of my league.

My palms heated and I grew aware of the sound of my heartbeat despite the reverberation of the pounding bass around us.

“I know you from the gym, don’t I?”

Oh God. Whenever I heard that sultry voice and the accent, I trembled slightly inside. Was there anything sexier than a French accent? During my brief semester in the south of France my junior year of college, I was in a constant state of sexual arousal with sounds of the language all around me. Especially when purred by hot men.

I opened my mouth to answer, but nothing came out. Maya elbowed me.

“Ye-yes,”I stammered, trying to sound nonchalant. “I go to Rock Hard Climbing. I’ve, uh, seen you there. You belayed me once.”

His eyes gleamed. “I remember.”

“I’ll catch up with you later.”Maya scooted to an empty spot at the other end of the red-and-black-marbled bar.

Damn it. How could she leave me alone with him? She must have figured out he was the guy I drooled about when I clammed up like an idiot.

I stared at Maya as she scanned the crowd on the dance floor, shooting invisible daggers at her back. I’m going to kill her later.

In all those months fantasizing about this guy, never did I think it would start as awkward as this. Perhaps a friendly hello would evolve into a deeper conversation. I’d seem aloof at first, but he’d say something funny to break through my exterior. Things would progress nice and slow until he finally asked me out.

He snapped me out of my thoughts when he said, “I knew I recognized you. But you look,”he paused, “different.”

Never, never, did I think we’d have a conversation in some underground club. All while my breasts were pushed up against a leather laced-up bodice, accentuated by a brooch with a silhouetted skull.

“Um, yes.”I peered up at him. He wore a tight black T-shirt that enhanced rather than hid all those hours he put in rock climbing. His black jeans were tight and I didn’t dare look to see if they enhanced certain areas as well. “You look different, too, out of gym clothes.”

He chuckled. Did I say something funny? I didn’t think so.

“I only wear my gym clothes while I’m working. But I guess that’s the only time you’d see me,”he said.

I smiled. If only there were other times.

“I’m Michel,”he said, pronouncing it with French accentuation on the syllables. Damn, that was hot. He put out his hand.

“Mee-shell,”I repeated softly the way he had said it, letting his name roll over my tongue like a smooth whiskey. “I’m Nike,”I answered, shaking his hand.

The touch of his skin arrested me and I hoped he didn’t catch my quick intake of breath.

“Like the goddess of victory,”he said. “Fitting. I’ve seen you conquer many tough climbs.”

He held on to my hand for a few seconds longer than what was customary, and lightly ran his thumb across my knuckles. My skin tingled with heat where he’d touched it and I resisted closing my eyes to revel in the sensation. I tried not to let his remark go to my head and set my fantasies in motion again, but that slight caress made it inevitable.

I pushed away a vision of us in bed together, rolling in satin sheets as I whispered his name through hot, passionate kisses. He’s just being polite, I told myself. He’d do the same to any other person he recognized from the gym.

“Yes. Thank you. Most people say, ‘Like the sneakers?’My mother was into Greek mythology.”

“I see,”he said. “Ni-kee,”he drew out the syllables in a low rasp.

Hearing him say my name with his accent excited me.

“Can I get you a drink?”

My heart began beating faster again. A drink meant I’d be talking to him a bit longer. This was better, yet faster, than any fantasy I had concocted on my own slow timeline.

“Yes, please. I’d love the Sepulchre by the Sea.”Many of Vamps’specialty drinks gave a nod to classic literature, especially Edgar Allan Poe.

“Nice choice,”he said. “I’m keen on the Dorian Gray.”

“Well then, may you never age.”

He gazed off into the distance with an odd smile. “Yet his soul paid the price.”

Review:

Nike is supposed to be a bad-ass female. One of the only two in her firehouse who can take the demands and pressure of such a rough job. With the high-stress situations of the profession, a little unwinding is in order occasionally. She chooses to let the tension ebb away in the form of Vamps; a nightclub for those who don’t exactly fit in. Ironically, she ends up running in to the object of her desires from the rock climbing gym. She has never had the guts to talk to him before, so when he starts a conversation, she loses all confidence and isn’t sure what to say. She’s not even sure it is really happening. And little does she know, he’s been desiring her for just as long.

Michele couldn’t be more excited to see Nike walk in to his club. He’s watched her a long time, but has never approached. He isn’t what she thinks and there isn’t a future for them, so why even go there. But maybe something would be better than nothing – even a couple of months. Before he knows it, they are alone – but an old nemesis rears his ugly head at the most inopportune moment and ultimately threatens Nike. Michele can’t allow any harm to come to her and she is quickly thrown into his supernatural life. Not only does she not have a lot of time to process this unexpected info, she quickly has to decide what he means to her.

Sounds like it would be pretty good. Yes? The best description I can come up with is … Meh. 

This one just didn’t do it for me. I’m not sure if it was the school girl outfit that made me continue to think of Nike as a child (yes, it was supposed to be sexy); the crazy name she has (which really wasn’t working for me); or the fact that she was supposed to be a strong and independent woman, who can’t stop falling all over herself in the presence of Michele. Possibly also the fact that all of this happens within the space of 24 hours-ish. I mean – it’s fantasy. I get that. But I’d like just a bit of believability to come in to play in my stories. She’s a firefighter for Pete sake. She should be good under pressure. Unfortunately I just didn’t get that with this story. It’s a novella, so it can be read quickly. But as a prequel to a series, I think it needs a bit more substance to aid in drawing the reader in. I just didn’t get sucked in to this world.

But here is where I struggle even more. The novella contains a rather large chunk of the first book of the series, Fire. Fire actually comes out next week. I’m not sure why I read it. I wasn’t impressed with the prequel, so why keep reading, right? I did anyway. Now Fire … I actually liked it. Maybe it was the fact that they weren’t trying to jump each other the first time they met. Maybe it was that there were more characters introduced that provided a level of depth lacking in the novella. Maybe this author is just much better at a longer novel. I don’t know for sure, but I wasn’t turned off by my introduction to Fire. I would probably pick that one up to read in the future.

Because I had such a conflicting response between this book and the following book intro, I struggled with this review. So here it is … Based on what I read, you don’t need this novella. If I were you, I’d just skip it and go straight to the meat of the series and get started with book 1. There is some mention of Nike and Michele in Fire – granted, not much given that Maya has no idea that Michele is a Vampire – but I’m pretty sure that will be revealed at some point given the supernatural twist quickly unwrapped in Fire. Of course, this is all just IMHO, and you may really like the quick read. And that’s cool too. This is just a suggestion based on my reading preference. Hopefully it helps you guys make a determination. For me, Fire definitely seems to have much more Smolder within.

Note: The author did provide me with an ARC of Fire and I did like that quite a bit more than Smolder. The review of Fire will appear in 2 days. My opinion stands. Read Fire first, then go back to Smolder. Reading in that order would have been more beneficial to me.

Kindle version provided by Auhor in exchange for an honest review.