Why am I passionate about this?

I am a very inquisitive person with a background in psychology and sociology. Human behavior and ancient civilizations fascinate me, as do the heart, mind, and soul. Why do we love? Why do we hurt? Why do we do the things we do? Having researched numerous vampire legends across history and cultures, I was surprised to find this folklore virtually everywhere! And now, I bring this love of research, psychology, and soul-level motivation to my plots, characters, and world building–hair color, eyes, and background are fine, but what makes this being tick!? Where’s the light, the dark, and the shadow? I hope you enjoy my book list!   


I wrote...

Blood Destiny

By Tessa Dawn,

Book cover of Blood Destiny

What is my book about?

While some might say my book is about a tragic ancient curse that spawned a powerful race of male vampires,…

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The books I picked & why

Book cover of Lover Awakened

Tessa Dawn Why did I love this book?

This book is gritty, hard-hitting, and beautifully written–blood, sweat, and tears on a page.

I loved this book because the author did not pull any punches! The main male character was broken, his life had been tragic, and he didn’t just magically morph into some perfect model hero. While yes, I both see and imagine vampires as capable of incredible, deep love and loyalty, I also see them as a distinct species with an alternate nature, possessing the capacity for raw, animalistic pain, deep anger (even brutality), and the ability to act from all three places. This author nailed this, and she did it with intelligent, intricate plotting and bare, relatable emotion. She also wields some clever wit and biting snark. 

I was sucked in from the first chapter, and I never wanted to put it down. This story gave me so much to think about, and it stayed with me long after I finished the book.  

By J. R. Ward,

Why should I read it?

6 authors picked Lover Awakened as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

In the shadows of the night in Caldwell, New York, there's a deadly war raging between vampires and their slayers. And there exists a secret band of brothers like no other - six vampire warriors, defenders of their race. Of these, Zsadist is the most terrifying member of the Black Dagger Brotherhood. A former blood slave, the vampire Zsadist still bears the scars from a past filled with suffering and humiliation. Renowned for his unquenchable fury and sinister deeds, he is a savage feared by humans and vampires alike. Anger is his only companion, and terror is his only passion…


Book cover of Dark Possession

Tessa Dawn Why did I love this book?

Wow, wow, wow!

I’m not even sure what to say. *This* was the book that awakened and solidified Dark Fantasy & Paranormal Romance as the ‘stay in your lane’ genre(s) for me. The depth of emotion, the vivid imagery, the history, storyline, and worldbuilding–yes, yes, yes!

Christine took me on a journey into dark forests, terrifying worlds, crazy, almost animalistic passions (no, not just lust–angst, fear, rage, and love) that picked me up, dropped me in another universe, and kept me there until the final page. 

Any author who can make you gasp, hope, dread…feel the entire spectrum of emotions while reading a book…well, yeah, that’s the craft in a nutshell!

By Christine Feehan,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Dark Possession as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

#1 New York Times bestselling author Christine Feehan returns to her uniquely sensual Carpathian world in a novel about the nature of true love and the unnatural forces that could destroy it...

Manolito De La Cruz knew he was dangerously close to turning into a vampire. The last thing he expected after being called back to his Carpathian homeland by Prince Mikhail was to catch the scent of his destined lifemate in MaryAnn Delaney. MaryAnn is human, but she knows all too well the overwhelmingly aggressive instincts of Carpathian males. And they're not exactly the kind of men she'd prefer…


Book cover of Darkfever

Tessa Dawn Why did I love this book?

There is so much grit and titillation in this book!

What a wicked, wicked imagination–I couldn’t love it more! This story has everything: a smart, brassy, relatable main character; a dangerous, cynical, hot male lead; and Celtic culture, the world of the Fae, so full of magic, mysticism, and elaborate history that the world-building alone weaves a mind-blowing tapestry.    

It’s gripping. It’s entertaining. It’s non-stop excitement, endless fodder for the imagination, and food for the soul. It’s dark. It’s funny. It’s just plain brilliant. 

By Karen Marie Moning,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Darkfever as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The action-packed paranormal series that is filled to the brim with attitude, determination and and one kick-ass heroine.

'My philosophy is pretty simple: any day nobody's
trying to kill me is a good day in my book.
I haven't had many good days lately.'

MacKayla Lane's life is good. She has great friends, a decent job, and a car that only breaks down every other week or so. In other words, she's your perfectly ordinary twenty-first-century woman.

Or so she thinks ... until something extraordinary happens.

When her sister is murdered, leaving a single clue to her death - a…


Book cover of Kiss of Midnight

Tessa Dawn Why did I love this book?

I'm recommending this book because sometimes life is hard or overwhelming (even unhappy), and a book like this can take you somewhere else, let you live something else, then deposit you back in your life, reinvigorated.

This book was like a dark, sultry dance (under a menacing sky) or a slow, lingering kiss (with a rogue). It drew me in, piqued my curiosity, then held me, hypnotized, with its constant danger and alluring, cat-and-mouse peril. You got it: high intensity with spine-tingling feels. The stakes were high. The plot was engaging. And the world-building was absolutely enthralling.  

For me, it was a perfect escape.

By Lara Adrian,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Kiss of Midnight as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

"Evocative, enticing, erotic. Enter Lara Adrian's vampire world and be enchanted." ~J.R. Ward

More than 17,000 five-star ratings on Goodreads for KISS OF MIDNIGHT!

He watches her from across the crowded dance club, a sensual black-haired stranger who stirs Gabrielle Maxwell's deepest fantasies. But nothing about this night--or this man--is what it seems. For when Gabrielle witnesses a murder outside the club, reality shifts into something dark and deadly. In that shattering instant she is thrust into a realm she never knew existed--a realm where vampires stalk the shadows and a blood war is set to ignite.

Lucan Thorne despises…


Book cover of Minion

Tessa Dawn Why did I love this book?

This book encompasses the good, the bad, and the ugly—it is both powerfully real and beautifully raw!

We think with our minds, we feel with our hearts, but we exist within our souls. And this book pried every one of those open for me. It was so gritty and hard-hitting, so raw and uncut, so reminiscent of what it is like to look deep inside oneself, face both strengths and weaknesses, conquer fears and inner demons, acknowledge everything without pretense, then continue fighting to reach one’s potential.

Yes, this novel taps into all of this and more in an extremely well-written, brilliant tale about a kick-ass vampire huntress!  

By L. A. Banks,

Why should I read it?

3 authors picked Minion as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

There is one woman who is all that stands between us and the eternal night.
Here is an account of her legend....

All Damali Richards ever wanted to do was create music and bring it to the people. Now she is a Spoken Word artist and the top act for Warriors of Light Records. But come nightfall, she hunts vampires and demons—predators that people tend to dismiss as myth or fantasy. But Damali and her Guardian team cannot afford such delusions, especially now, when a group of rogue vampires have been killing the artists of Warriors of Light and their…


Explore my book 😀

Blood Destiny

By Tessa Dawn,

Book cover of Blood Destiny

What is my book about?

While some might say my book is about a tragic ancient curse that spawned a powerful race of male vampires, tortured souls who will only be given one chance in an immortal lifetime to find or know love, diehard readers might disagree: They would say it is about loyalty and brotherhood; honor and code; love, loss, and overcoming. They would say it’s about the journey of a soul, good versus evil, and light versus dark. The struggle that exists in the shadows. 

They would say they relate to the emotion, the characters, and the sometimes shockingly beautiful–or brutal–plots. They laugh, they cry, they scream–they are deeply affected. But mostly, they remember.    

Book cover of Lover Awakened
Book cover of Dark Possession
Book cover of Darkfever

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The Pact

By Lisa Darcy,

Book cover of The Pact

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Lisa Darcy Author Of The Pact

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Why am I passionate about this?

Author Cat lover Traveler Reader Amateur tennis player Foodie

Lisa's 3 favorite reads in 2023

What is my book about?

The Pact is a contemporary fiction novel about Australian sisters, Samantha and Annie, who are doubles tennis champions. This story amplifies the usual sibling issues and explores their professional partnership and personal relationships – similarities, differences, motivation, competition, abandonment, and grief – and how they each respond to the stress of constantly being under the media spotlight.

What happens when, at the pinnacle of fame, it all falls apart?

With dreams shattered and egos destroyed, how do they cope?

I have an older sister and although our rapport isn’t as dramatic, or as close, for that matter, I was able…

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