Taken from my review at RomanceJunkies.comWitch Garnet Lacey had been late getting to her coven meeting. So when she arrived, expecting teasing, she found, instead, that her whole coven was dead and the Vatican hunters were walking among the bodies. Too late, they saw her. Calling upon the goddess Lilith, Garnet sought and won revenge against them, leaving a swath of destruction behind. With the help of her ex-boyfriend, vampire Daniel Parrish, she buried the bodies. Now eight months later, she has relocated to Madison, Wisconsin. Trying to keep her inner goddess, Lilith, from taking over and to keep the Vatican hunters, known as the Order of Eustace, from finding her, she has vowed not to use her magic. Besides, her familiar, a cat named Barney, is allergic to magic. Deciding to hide in plain sight, she gets a job as manager at Mercury’s Crossing, an occult bookstore and herb emporium. Having found a job she enjoys and friends that she cares for, the last thing she wants to do is go on the run again. But she is prepared to run at a moment’s notice.Sebastian von Traum, a vampire through alchemy, lost his wife. He had tried to save her, but his efforts failed, leaving her in a state of limbo. Although he buried her, she is not technically dead. The Vatican vampire hunters want Sebastian dead, but they also want his reanimation formula. His son, Matyas, a dhampir, keeps digging his mother up and hopes to get a Vatican exorcism for his mother, who lingers somewhere between death and vampirism. So he is helping them against his father.One night, just as Garnet is preparing to close the shop, Sebastian walks in, hoping to purchase mandrake root for his reanimation spell. Right away, she notices that he does not have an aura, meaning he is dead. Still, due to an instant attraction between them, she goes for coffee with him after closing the shop. Later, when a Vatican vampire hunter overhears her talking about Sebastian, she begins to ask Garnet some questions about him. Realizing just who the woman is, Garnet sets out to protect him and goes to his home to warn him. She ends up staying the night, but she notices that he spends his days outside in the sun, making her wonder if he is a vampire after all, or is he some other powerful being? With vampire hunters after them, Garnet’s ex back in town, hoping to reunite with her, and Sebastian’s deceased wife somewhere between life and death, should Garnet run again, or should she do what she longs to do and take a stand?A fresh, sexy tale, TALL, DARK AND DEAD, the first book in talented author Tate Hallaway’s GARNET LACEY series, is a witty, sensual paranormal romance that draws you in right from the beginning. This story addresses the battle between good and evil. But where normally, the Vatican would be the good and witches would be the evil, Ms. Tate has switched the roles, making the Vatican the villains. A vegetarian, Garnet strives for peace and constantly struggles to keep the evil Lilith under wraps. Paranormal romance lovers will get a kick out of this story and are sure to go in search of the sequels. Imbued with surprising plot twists, quirky characters, humor, vampires, witchcraft, goddesses and a love triangle, this fast-paced story is delightful. Although it is somewhat dark, the humor helps to lighten it. The characters are flawed and complicated, but this adds depth to this originally creative and delightfully entertaining story. Once you read this story, I am sure you will be seeking the other books in this series; DEAD SEXY, ROMANCING THE DEAD, DEAD IF I DO and HONEYMOON OF THE DEAD.Dottie, RomanceJunkies.com
What do You think about Tall, Dark & Dead (2006)?
This is the first book by Tate Hallaway I've read and I really enjoyed it. I'm glad I have the next two in the series on my TBR, unfortunately I'm on a challenge to read 9 books by authors I've never read in this month. So I'm trying to hold off reading the next two Garnet Lacey books! I love the Wiccan with a habit of dating dead dudes. I love, even more, the killer priest army the Vatican sends out. My gosh, this is the best yet conspiracy theory of the Vatican I've come across. They train witches, tattoo them, and send them off to... kill witches. Because we can't have witches, now can we? Guess it is OK if they are being paid by the Vatican... sounds like something one of the popes would set up in the dark ages. HA!I love the Vampire Alchemist. Even more I like his son, and boy does that kid have his panties in a wad.And then there's the hapless friends that kind of get sucked into the fray, the poor things. Life is about to become a little stranger in their small town.
—Lady Ozma
Tate Hallaway’s Debütroman "Nicht schon wieder ein Vampir" ist der Auftakt zu einer humorvollen, paranormalen Romanreihe. In dieser neuen Fantasy-Romance Reihe dreht sich alles um die Hexe Garnet Lacey.Verfolgt von der Kongretation des Vatikans, die ihren gesamten Zirkel vernichtet hat, flüchtet Garnet in das Städtchen Madinson. Dort baut sie sich unter neuem Namen und neuem Aussehen ein neues Leben auf. Eines Tages taucht in Ihrem astrologischen Kuriositätenladen ein äußerst attraktiver Vampir auf, der nach Alraunen verlangt. Hals über Kopf stürzt sich Garnet in eine Affäre mit dem gut aussehenden Sebastian. Die Beziehung scheint unter keinem guten Stern zu stehen, denn Lilith bemächtigt sich immer öfters Garnets Körper um eine geheimnisvolle Formel zu kommen, die sich in Sebastians Besitz befindet. Als Lilith das Grimoire mit der Formel an sich genommen hat landet es in Garnets Wohnung.Garnet ist vollkommen verzweifelt, sie weiß nicht wie sie ihrem neuen Geliebten beigringen soll, dass Lilith und nicht sie das Grimoire gestohlen hat. Doch sie hat keine Zeit sich groß damit zu beschäftigen, denn ihr Ex-Vampir-Freund steht vor ihrer Tür und bittet sie um eine Übernachtungsmöglichkeit. Garnet’s Ex-Freund nimmt das Grimoire an sich, und als die Jäger des Vatikans vor ihrer Tür stehen versucht Garnet verzweifelt das Leben von Sebastian zu retten…Tate Hallway die sich selbst gerne mit Astrologie beschäfigt versteht es ihren Charakteren eine ordentliche Portion Charisma zu verleihen. Schon von Beginn an mag ich die etwas chaotische Goth-Hexe Garnet, die von der Göttin Lilith besessen ist. Als dann auch noch der attraktive Vampir Sebastian und Garnets Ex-Vampir-Freund und Biss-Stricher auf die Bildfläche treten, hat man eine Auswahl an den verschiedensten Charakteren beisammen. Das gepaart mit der erfrischenden Schreibweise von Tate Hallaway, macht den Roman zu einem Schmöcker den man einfach zwischendurch lesen kann, um auf andere Gedanken zu kommen. Natürlich spart die Autorin auch nicht mit erotikgeladenen Szenen die sich zwischen der Hexe Garnet und Sebastian abspielen. Da die Geschichte am Anfang ziemlich unspektakulär beginnt und ziemlich lange braucht um Spannung zu entwickeln gebe ich einen Stern Abzug. Mein Fazit:Ein humorvoller und erotisch aufgeladener Auftakt zu Tate Hallaway’s Debütreihe!
—Bella (Bella's Wonderworld)
Don't let the cover fool you on this one...it is not in any way funny or cartoony. Garnet is a witch inhabited by the Goddess Lillith, and Sebastian is a vampire warlock who has created a spell allowing him to walk in the sun. He has a mostly dead ex-wife and a dhampyr son. Garnet has a vampire prostitute ex-boyfriend who says he's still in love with her. They're all being chased by Vatican assassins.Sound like fun? Well, it is.....parts of it were really campy, but it was action-packed! I'm really looking forward to the next installment!
—~Megan~
