Maggie Shayne: At Twilight

At Twilight is a reprint of two previously published stories from the Wings in the Night series: Born in Twilight and Beyond Twilight. The stories actually make more sense if you read them in reverse order. Born in Twilight is the story of Jameson Bryant and Angelica. Jameson Bryant is one of the Chosen. He holds the Belladonna antigen in his blood, making him one of the few mortals who can be transformed into a vampire. Jameson was introduced as a young boy in the story Twilight Phantasies about Eric and Tamara. One of the frustrating things about Shayne’s vampire novels is the reading order. Multiple reprints with different names confuse even further. Twilight Phantasies is in the books Twilight Begins and Wings in the Night. Anyway, Jameson is all grown up into a gorgeous man who holds a lot of hatred and anger inside. DPI, the Department of Paranormal Investigations (aka the bad guys) have destroyed his life. The secret government organization charged with researching and destroying vampires, has been on his trail since he was a child. They murdered his mother and have captured him several times to do humiliating research tests on him. His impotent rage against DPI has been festering inside him along with his desire to destroy the organization.

While wandering in NYC, Jameson hears the cries of a young woman. Angelica is slowly starving to death in an abandoned building. Three days before she was brutally attacked and turned into a vampire. Her strict morals won’t allow her to attack an innocent for food. Angelica was abandoned to the nuns as a young child and she was on her way to becoming a nun herself. She knows nothing about what she has become or what she is capable of. Jameson and Angelica meet and sparks collide. DPI agents attack and drama ensues. Angelica becomes the first female vampire to give birth which of course DPI wants to study. Jameson Bryant is the only one who can save Angelica and her miracle child. So begins the endless cycle of running away from DPI and getting captured by them and running away again. I’m confused as to why these vampires who are stronger and faster than mortals are so easily captured. DPI uses some king of super tranquilizer to immobilize them. By the end of the book, when the vampires get their revenge they are suddenly able to dodge bullets and overpower mortal guards at the DPI facility. It remains a mystery why they can dodge bullets but not tranquilizer darts.

The book concludes with a very short Beyond Twilight. This story actually takes place before the events of Born in Twilight. Ramsey is a DPI agent on the trail of Cuyler Jade. My brain keeps wanting to turn that name around to Jade Cuyler. Cuyler toys with Ramsey leading him on a chase which includes multiple practical jokes at his expense. She really turns the tables on him by drugging him and taking him to her castle far from civilization. She thinks that if he can just get to know her he will see that they are not really monsters at all. Cuyler is also magnetically attracted to Ramsey. She feels a connection to him and they seem to be sharing the same erotic dreams of each other. Ramsey wants Cuyler but she’s a monster right? Those same monsters killed his mother so how could he love one of them. Enter the DPI agents, capture, getting away, etc ensues. Prepare for frequent mini-lectures on racism and prejudice. Beyond Twilight seems like a very weak afterthought with very one dimensional characters. There’s not quite enough story here to make it worth reading. Overall, At Twilight is mildly interesting. Unless you’re a diehard Maggie Shayne fan, you’ll probably want to skip this one.

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