Book Reviews / Favorite Books I've Read: Dark Waltz by A.M Hargrove

DARK WALTZ, A Praestani Novel
by A.M. Hargrove

Series: The Praestani Series
Genre: Adult Romance (a blend of paranormal and sci-fi)
Heat: HotDark Waltz--A sizzling legend of loss, lust and love.

It’s the year 2030 and the human population has been annihilated by a virulent form of small pox. Liasare Davidson is desperately searching for her brother, who has been missing for three months. It’s been eighteen years since she was evacuated from Earth and she is horrified to see it’s become a cesspool of unimaginable things.

In her quest to find her brother, she meets Jurek, a powerful and enigmatic being that frightens her, yet she is unable to resist. When things begin to unfold between them, they both discover a paralyzing truth that puts Liasare at grave risk. She must make a choice to join Jurek and find her brother or fulfill a role she believes she is ill equipped to undertake.

My Review:

Dark Waltz, a Praestani Novel (#1) by A.M. Hargrove
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Dark Waltz is an adult science fiction novel and is the spinoff of the authors Guardians of Vesturon Series (YA Genre). Since I am a huge fan of A.M. Hargrove I was really excited about reading this book to see how she crossed over to the adult genre. I have to say her writing of course is fantastic, character are developed well that you immediately have an interested in what is going on and I have to say I sort of have a crush on Jurek, plus in my head I can picture him tall, dark, long hair, muscles and very sexy. I wonder if aliens would have tattoo’s …yummy!

So this novel is about Liasare who is searching for her brother and she meets up with Jurek and the chemistry between these two is off the chart hot. Their story is full of mystery; adventure a tad bit of suspense and of course a sizzling romance. But of course Liasare is here to find her brother and has an uphill battle to conquer. She has to dig deep to find the strength to overcome her new abilities and to continue on in her search for her brother.

A.M Hargrove has written a fantastic story and I for one will recommend this book to all of my friends and followers. I have given Dark Waltz a 5 star rating as the writing is great, the story flows well and I’m in love with all the characters she has introduced us readers too. I cannot wait for the next novel in this series to see what will happen next.

My Interview A.M Hargrove:

1. What inspired you to write about the theme?

When I wrote Determinant, I introduced a new character, Jurek. He sort of stole the show. He kept bugging me…literally, he wanted to take the whole book over. I had issues with this because Determinant is a YA/NA book, so that wouldn't do because Jurek definitely does NOT fit that mold. So he eventually won the battle and ended up getting his own story.

2. What’s did you find to be the most challenging aspect of writing? Most rewarding?

Honestly, the most difficult is the time. I have so many ideas brewing in my head I want to get them all out, but I don't have enough hours in the day. The most rewarding is having the book go live.

3. While creating your book, what was one of the most surprising things you learned?

For me it's when I start a project, I think I have it all figured out it my mind…where it's going from start to finish. But then, I start writing and the characters come alive and take over. They have their own ideas on what they want to happen and things turn out much differently than what I originally intended.

4. How do you develop your characters?

When I start to form the plot in my head, I can see the characters in my mind. Sometimes I base them on pictures of models I've seen in magazines or on the internet, and sometimes they are just images conjured up by my mind. If you've read any of my books, you'll know I have this thing about guys with long hair. So it's often difficult to find pictures of men that fit my characters. When I have the idea in my mind, I go from there. Their personalities fall in line with the story…are they alpha males…dominant and strong or are they the type of guy that wants his girl on more of an equal footing? Is he overbearing or just protective? I start with the basics and then as the story becomes more complex, the character begins to develop.

5. Which of your characters would you most/least like to invite to dinner, and why?

That would definitely be Jurek. First of all, I would want to look into his eyes. Then I would want to feel the way the room charges up with his power. And then…well, I think I'll just stop right here. *Wink*

6. Do you have any other published works?

Yes, I have the The Guardians of Vesturon series which includes, Survival, Resurrection and Determinant (where we first meet Jurek) and the novella Beginnings. I'm also getting ready to release my first contemporary romance this month.

7. Please tell us about your latest book.

Well, there are three that I'm working on right now. I'm getting ready to release a contemporary romance this month, I'm writing reEmergent, book 4 of The Guardians of Vesturon series and then I'm writing Death Waltz, the sequel to Dark Waltz.

8. What does your husband/wife think of your writing? Do you ever ask him/her for advice?

My hubs thinks its great. But I will share this with you. When I was writing Dark Waltz, it was my first foray into the adult genre so I was a bit nervous when I wrote my first sex scene. I'm a pretty quick writer but that day, I spent most of it working on that one scene. I'd finally gotten it finished and polished up and I emailed it off to one of my beta readers, just to make sure I was on the right track. About that time, my hubs came home from work. So I handed him my computer and I asked him to read it and give me his opinion. He read it and about the time he was finishing, my email pinged with a response from my beta reader. She was flipping out with excitement over how great it was. So I asked my hubs and he tells me I need to add a lot more detail because he felt like I was missing too much on the descriptive side. I think he thought I was writing pornography or something. I quit asking for his opinion on sex scenes after that. LOL.

9. After you've written your book and it's been published, do you ever buy it and/or read it?

Nope…because by the time it hits the market, I have read the damn thing fifty times. At least. I must admit though, I could go and read Dark Waltz again and again and not get tired of Jurek. I think it's because he has such depth to him...not to mention heat!

10. Are you in control of your characters or do they control you?

They control me…I have no control. They own me. I am putty in their hands.

11. What is your favorite genre?

I'm a total romance freak…all the way. I also love suspense and thrillers.

12. Do you share rough drafts of your writings with someone whose opinion you trust?

That's a funny question Tana! I've tried to share them with you but you won't read them!…You don't have to use this ---HAHA!

13. Do you write on a computer? Do you print frequently? Do you correct on paper? What is your process?

100% computer…no printing, no paper.

Thank You A.M!

About the Author:

One day, on her way home from work as a sales manager, A. M. Hargrove, realized her life was on fast forward and if she didn't do something soon, it would quickly be too late to write that work of fiction she had been dreaming of her whole life. So, she rolled down the passenger window of her fabulous (not) company car and tossed out her leather briefcase. Luckily, the pedestrian in the direct line of fire was a dodgeball pro and had über quick reflexes enabling him to avoid getting bashed in the head. Feeling a tad guilty about the near miss, A. M. made a speedy turn down a deserted side street before tossing her crummy, outdated piece-of-you-know-what lap top out the window. She breathed a liberating sigh of relief, picked up her cell phone and hit #4 on her speed dial.

"Hello."
"Boss, is that you?"
"Why yes, A. M., who else would be answering my phone?"
"Er... right. Well, I'm calling to let you know you can pick up my luxury Ford Focus at Starbucks near the interstate."
"Why ever would I want to do that?"
"Because I quit you idiot!"

A.M. hit the end button and speed dialed her husband.

"Hi hubs, can you pick me up at Starbucks?"
"Sure... Having some car trouble?"
"Not at all. I don't have a car to have trouble with because I just quit my job."
"WHAT?!"
"It's time for a new career and I am going to be a very famous novelist."

So began A. M. Hargrove's career as a young adult paranormal romance author of self-published ebooks. Her series, The Guardians of Vesturon, centers around a family of six siblings and is a mix of humor, mystery, suspense and of course, love. Survival is her first book in the series and her second, Resurrection will be released in January.

If you're wondering, it didn't happen EXACTLY that way, but....

Book Links

The Guardians of Vesturon is available from the following retailers: