Review: Of Light and Darkness: A Vampire's Daughter by Shayne Leighton

Goodreads Summary:  When one human stands before an army of impossible obstacles, the likelihood of overcoming them in this coming-of-age modern fairytale may result in war between light and darkness.
Abandoned as an infant in Prague, naive and strong-willed Charlotte Ruzikova was raised by one of the last Vampires left alive. As a human, she knows no other home than the one nestled deep in the woods of Eastern Europe, where Witches drew spells of enchantment, Phasers threw tea parties, and Elves are the closest in kin. Charlotte has lived her life in the dark with her Guardian, content to having him to herself and reveling in his attention, until she's realizes she wants more...
Resident medical doctor and Vampire, Valek Ruzik fears the day his ward would come of age and blossom into a fine woman, and he is forced to confront his own motives as time is of the essence once his past catches up to him, and their lives become endangered...
As genocide and war threatens their secret society, the dictator in power is ready to wipe out Valek's race, but Charlotte will not allow that to happen. Fighting for the only one she's ever loved and truly believed in, she will do whatever it takes to save their love...before the sun comes up and light takes over.

Title:  A Vampire's Daughter

Series:  Of Light and Darkness #1
Author:  Shayne Leighton
Publisher:  Decadent Publishing
Release Date:  June 2011
Source:  NetGalley

This is a very unusual Vampire story and I loved it. The story was non-stop from beginning to end and I am really excited for book 2.

Valek Ruzik is a vampire. He is wondering around Prague and goes along a park when he hears noises behind a bush. Upon investigating the noise, he finds a baby girl that has been abandoned. He is worried she has been forgotten, but there is nobody around. The beautiful girl has drawn him in and he cannot leave her there and so he takes her home.

Skip forward 17 years and Charlotte is grown. They have been living happily together in a routine. Charlotte would go hunting for Valek, as he is not allowed to leave the boundaries of his Occult or City. The laws of the Regime forbid anybody with magical blood to leave the boundaries. As Charlotte is not of magical blood, she is the hunter. The past couple of times she went hunting, she has been attacked by a Lycan. What has changed that she is now in so much danger?

Charlotte sees one of her childhood friends, an Elf named Aiden. She has had a crush on him for a while and he seems to have feelings for her also. Evangeline is a Witch and likes Valek, Charlotte comes home from hunting to find them in a compromising position. Charlotte is devastated and the way she thinks of Valek is changing from father figure to lover.

The Regime has declared war on all Vampires and is out to capture and destroy them all. They claim they are darkness and therefore evil. Valek and Charlotte are on the run and find a long-time friend of Valek’s to stay with in hiding.

Can Valek and Charlotte’s love last and what type of love is it? Aiden isn’t what he seems and wants Charlotte for himself. What will happen with the Regime?  Are the Vampire’s able to live in peace? What is Charlotte’s fate?

This is a Vampire story like no other. The magical components as well as vampires and lycan’s all contribute into an awesome story. Human girl falls for Vampire, but it is a very different story from Twilight. It is very well written and has such an easy flow that you cannot put it down. The characters are beautifully created and have their own little attitudes, that they could all really become main characters. There is so much potential for them all in future books. I can’t wait for number 2 and highly recommend this to all that enjoys a vampire story.

5 STARS - BEST BOOK EVER!

You can find Shayn Leighton's books on Amazon, Goodreads and Shayne on her website.