Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Jacob
    Jacob
    Jacob
    Audiobook11 hours

    Jacob

    Written by Jacquelyn Frank

    Narrated by Xe Sands

    4/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    Since time began, there have been Nightwalkers-the races of the night who live in the shadows of the moonlight. Love with humans is absolutely forbidden, and one man makes certain to uphold this ancient law: Jacob, the Enforcer.

    For 700 years, he has resisted temptation. But not tonight...

    Jacob knows the excuses his people give when the madness overtakes them and they fall prey to their lust for humans. He's heard every one and still brought the trespassers to justice. Immune to forbidden desires, uncontrollable hungers, or the curse of the moon, his control is total...until the moment he sees Isabella on a shadowy New York City street. Saving her life wasn't in his plans. Nor were the overwhelming feelings she arouses in him. But the moment he holds her in his arms and feels the soft explosion of her body against his, everything changes. Their attraction is undeniable, volatile, and completely against the law. Suddenly everything Jacob has ever believed is inflamed by the heat of desire. Bring on the night.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherTantor Media, Inc
    Release dateJun 30, 2011
    ISBN9781452673189
    Jacob
    Author

    Jacquelyn Frank

    New York Times bestselling author Jacquelyn Frank is the author of the successful Nightwalkers series, which first introduced the world to her unique paranormal romances. She has since gone on to create two more successful, bestselling series: The Shadowdwellers and The Gatherers. Jacquelyn Frank has been passionate about writing ever since she picked up her first teen romance at age thirteen. Since then, she’s gone on to write over ten bestselling books, with more on the way. Before Jacquelyn became an author, she worked as a Sign Language Interpreter and substitute teacher. For more information on Jacquelyn Frank and her books, readers may visit her Facebook page at: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Jacquelyn-Frank/371620872548 or visit her website at www.jacquelynfrank.com.

    More audiobooks from Jacquelyn Frank

    Related to Jacob

    Titles in the series (6)

    View More
    View More

    Related audiobooks

    General Fiction For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      My friend Jackie, by Carly Simon

      Jan 29, 2020

      It was the summer of 1983 when Carly Simon, by then famous for such hits as Nobody Does It Better, You’re So Vain and You Belong To Me, attended a dinner at the Ocean Club in Massachusetts’ affluent summer playground, Martha’s Vineyard. Also there th

      9 min read

    • Article

      My friend Jackie, by Carly Simon

      Jan 29, 2020

      It was the summer of 1983 when Carly Simon, by then famous for such hits as Nobody Does it Better, You’re So Vain and You Belong to Me, attended a dinner at the Ocean Club in California’s affluent summer playground, Martha’s Vineyard. Also there that

      9 min read

    • Article

      The Leftovers: Desert Trip

      Apr 30, 2017

      The Leftovers: Desert Trip
      6 min read

    • Article

      STEPPING Out

      Feb 19, 2020

      STEPPING Out
      10 min read

    • Article

      More

      May 10, 2023

      Jacob was finishing his cup of coffee, which he didn’t really need with his nerves already shaking him, when his wife, Dina, walked over with the coffee pot. “More?” She inquired sweetly, but he shook his head. He had enough coffee. He had enough in

      11 min read

    • Article

      Left To Lose

      Jul 10, 2022

      Around the time she gives up her name, it starts to feel like this entire revolution isn’t worth it anymore. The world is probably lucky that Kelian—she still remembers Kelian, in spite of everything—is there to pick up the pieces, the way he always

      11 min read

    • Article

      The Leftovers: A Nicer Story

      Jun 4, 2017

      The Leftovers: A Nicer Story
      11 min read

    • Article

      The Symmetry Of Ruby Margot

      Feb 6, 2020

      The Symmetry Of Ruby Margot
      10 min read

    • Article

      SETTLING Scores

      Aug 12, 2020

      SETTLING Scores
      9 min read

    • Article

      A Year in Reading: Tim Lane

      Dec 8, 2021

      We stopped at the Topaz Internment Camp, where my wife’s family was held during World War II, near the tiny town of Delta, Utah. We found the apocalyptic remnants of one of our country’s great shames. The post A Year in Reading: Tim Lane appeared fi

      7 min read

    • Article

      Six Dart Out

      Sep 10, 2023

      Marc figured the girl was a vegan. Her puke had overflowed the sink and run onto the floor—tomatoes and rice marinated in microbrew lager. He’d told Vegan Girl to slow down, but her friends had won the turning-21-peer-pressure battle. Admittedly, Mar

      9 min read

    • Article

      Abandoned

      May 24, 2022

      Abandoned
      5 min read

    • Article

      Winter Sun

      Feb 6, 2020

      Winter Sun
      4 min read

    • Article

      Winter SUN

      Oct 4, 2022

      Winter SUN
      4 min read

    • Article

      Dirty John: The Real Thing

      Oct 2, 2017

      LOS ANGELES - Their first date was at Houston's, a restaurant in Irvine where he opened the door for her and put her napkin on her lap. Candles flickered along the polished-mahogany bar; jazz drifted from speakers; conversation purred. Debra Newell h

      10 min read

    • Article

      Healing

      Apr 8, 2020

      Healing
      9 min read

    • Article

      Poets

      Dec 1, 2020

      Poets
      19 min read

    • Article

      A Temporary Arrangement

      Oct 2, 2023

      A Temporary Arrangement
      19 min read

    • Article

      Ursula K. Le Guin

      Jun 15, 2018

      He was thinking of Lookfar, abandoned long ago, beached on the sands of Selidor. Little of her would be left by now, a plank or two down in the sand maybe, a bit of driftwood on the western sea. As he drifted near sleep he began to remember sailing t

      15 min read

    • Article

      Living With A Painful Past

      Jun 24, 2023

      Living With A Painful Past
      8 min read

    • Article

      The Peeper’s Routine

      Jul 23, 2019

      The Peeper’s Routine
      7 min read

    • Article

      Winchester House

      Dec 1, 2022

      ABOUT TWENTY years ago a friend from my childhood, Skanda, gave me a photograph of a boarding school in Colombo that I had gone to at a very young age for two or three years. Skanda was a relative but only in the Sri Lankan sense, where everyone you

      13 min read

    • Article

      Abandoned

      Jun 3, 2021

      Abandoned
      5 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for Jacob

    4/5

    373 ratings22 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 3/5
      Jacob wasn't a bad book. It was enjoyable enough that I went on to read Gideon. Isabella's childishness and whining and silly dialogue throughout the story really annoyed me after a while. Isabella is a librarian and a strong woman. She often did not act intelligent or mature.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      Yum, yum - this is a must read if you enjoy your books steaming hot and full of guilty pleasures! Fans of the Black Dagger Brotherhood or Carpathian Dark Series will want to DEVOUR this book. This was a page turner that I HAD to finish in one sitting.
    • 4/5
      This book started out very slow for me. I have actually been fighting a sinus infection/ear infection all week with extreme sinus pressure, so I haven't been staying awake long enough to really dig in deep. So the first few chapters went slow for me. I didn't understand some of the stuff, because i hadn't been introduced to the world yet. You don't learn about the world in depth until after Isabella is interrupted with Jacob, "for her own good/saftey," and the king (Noah), the kings sister (Magdalegna) Elijah the Warrior Captain, and of course Jacob (after he calmed down some) explained their world to her.

      Their world being that they are Nightwalkers, one of many night dwelling races. Vamps, weres exsist, but Isabella is dealing with none other than Demons! But these aren't the normal demons that you think of. No, these demons are demons of the elements, knowledge, sophistication, and pride. Each demon has a element skill that their "magic" is based off of. And only one. Jacob is an Earth demon. Noah, the king, is Fire. Magdalegna is a Mind demon. The mind is considered an element. Gideon is a Body demon ( yes, another element). And the warrior camptain, Elijah's element is Wind. Earth and Fire demon's are suppose to be the super rare types.

      One of the things I REALLY enjoyed about this book, was the constant banter and humor. I would tell my husband scenes that would cause me to chuckle and he didn't get it. I think I just understood the humor very well. But between Jacob and Isabella, the poking fun at each other was absolutely awesome. I LOVED IT.

      "So much for the calm, cool, collected Enforcer who struck terror into the hearts of Demons everywhere." Isabella------ I loved this scene!

      "The Enforcer, in the Demon world, was what mothers used to scared their children into good behavior." There is only one enforcer, and that's Jacob. So basically, when he does his duty, he has ruffled some feathers along the way that he can't help, because it's part of his duty. Since one of the main problems is the fact that before the full moon of Beltane in the spring and Samhain in the autumn, those holidays held Hallowed by the Demons, they were also the center of the demons curse. These times cause an animalistic urge in the male and female Demons making them want to mate with anyone and anything. It is against the law to try and mate with humans though. So Jacob is the one who goes and punishes people for trying to "harm" humans by mating with them, when their base instinct is uncontrollable.

      In comes the human who rattles the Demon world. Isabella, or Bella, is part druid, which is the only type of human that was meant to be mates for Demons. The truth is in the scrolls that Bella discovers, in her quest for answers. Apparently, Demons were never meant to mate amongst themselves, but with Druids. But there was a huge war years ago that caused the Demons to kill off all the Druids, but apparently not because Bella is part druid. So obviously some went into hiding. These druids had some powers of their own. Immortal just like the Demons, but in Bella's case other powers as well. She basically can nullify people near here. But with the centuries of Druid's breeding with human, it cause what use to be one special ability mutate into something more. In Bella's case, not only can she nullify people but she can totally JACK their power and use it against them.

      On top of all this, Jacob and Bella, begin to have this whole telepathy thing which is absolutely HILARIOUS to me during the hike scene. Where he's got to hike while carrying her, and the whole time she's sending him mental images. HE HE HE!!

      I would totally recommend this book to anyone! I loved it. The demons to me weren't really demons that much. More like sexy elemental people. :P


      ********************************************************************************************

      "Jacob the Enforcer belongs to one of the many Nightwalker races that thrive on the dark of night. He has a job to do for his species and it's rather straightforward. He polices his people. During the full moon their animal urge to mate overcomes them, and if they stay within their race they never need to encounter the Enforcer. But if they cross the line and turn their lust to another species...say humans...it's Jacob's duty to prevent them and then to punish them severely for it. As this 'madness' grows worse and worse for his people, there is hardly a family who hasn't felt the brutal sting of Jacob's justice. Punishment is so dire and so feared, Jacob can call very few others his friend and the life the Enforcer leads is a very solitary one.

      Then one night during a hunt for one of his own, he encounters the first human woman who will tempt him in all of his 622 years of life. Isabella is a simple Bronx gal who works at her local library, lives with her sister and owns a cat.

      She hardly expects a night of moongazing to change her life forever and send her falling for a man like Jacob in all kinds of outrageous ways. Heck, she certainly doesn't expect that he isn't exactly a 'man'... although he sure looks like one, smells like one and boy-oh-boy does he feel like one!

      As for the Enforcer, Jacob finds himself tempted beyond reason, needing Isabella to the point that he begins to strain against every law he has always upheld.

      But before long the couple finds themselves fighting for their lives against evil, Jacob's bretheren, and even their own desires for each other. How can they find the way to resist one another before Jacob faces his own punishments...or before Bella ends up dead, torn up from the animal passion inside of him that she, as a human, is too frail to ever endure?"

      Taken from Jacquelyn Frank's site since it's a perfect description of the book, but with my added thoughts along the way:P
    • 3/5
      With the first book in her Nightwalkers series, Frank created an interesting take on demons. Instead of being from the darkest depths of the underworld, they live right alongside humans. Their powers are related to the elements and only when summoned by a necromancer do they become the evil beings of our nightmares.

      It all started out so well and while nothing ever really went wrong with Jacob it never felt altogether right either. I liked our lonely hero. He actually seemed rather well adjusted compared to some heroes I've read about which was refreshing. He fought his attraction to Isabella but he soon realized she was his destiny and fell completely and unabashedly in love. It was actually quite a nice change of pace to have the lead couple madly in love through a good portion of the book. Unfortunately that really didn't give you anything to keep reading for. For reasons that are kind of spoilerish Jacob doesn't suffer any punishment for his relationship with Isabella. In fact, there's no real threat to Jacob and Isabella's relationship until the final 50 pages. If the hero and heroine are happily and madly in love halfway through the book with no threats to their bliss, why should I keep reading for another two hundred pages? If the conflict isn't coming from the characters then it has to come from somewhere. Jacob suffered dearly from a lack of conflict.

      I blame the lack of conflict on Isabella. At first I didn't know what that ringing in my ears was. Around page three hundred I realized it was the Mary Sue alarm. She smart and gutsy which is admirable in a heroine. (Big thumbs up.) She's also mouthy and bossy and everyone finds it oh so endearing. (Uh oh.) She's the one who discovers the meaning of the prophecy saving the demons. Not only that but she has a pivotal role to play in bringing the prophecy to life. (Danger!) Over the course of the book she becomes so powerful that even King Noah is frightened of her a little. But she's so sweet and innocent no one can be scared or mad at her for long. In fact everyone in Jacob's world loves her. Except one person on the Council who is set up to be a bad guy. (Not that ole chestnut again) Oh and the cherry on top? She's a virgin. But of course.

      The only thing that saved this from ending up on the wallbangers shelf was Jacob and his fellow demons. I'm intrigued by Gideon and Legna whose story is up next. Elijah is sexy as hell and I want to know more about him too.


    • 4/5
      Interesting paranormal romance. Jacob guards demons against a madness wher they fall prey to their lust for humans. He brings the trespassers to justice. However things change for both himself and the demon community when he falls for Isabella. She learns more about herself and her part in the future of the world.The characters are a little overpowered but Isabella is great fun and quite solid in herself.
    • 4/5
      I really liked this book. I read another person's review that said she thought it was too verbose, but I disagree wholeheartedly. I thought it read smoothly and was nice and meaty. I enjoyed the book a lot even though it had, in my book, some other serious flaws (I'll get to them in a minute). I liked her writing style, I liked all the characters, I even liked the plot (for the most part). It was quite a little different than the usual, and that was nice...

      However...

      ...........Spoiler Alert.....................

      There were enough issues, I don't know where to start...

      First off I'd like to bitch about the timeframe. It takes place in a matter of days... So, it's another of those insta-love books (which I usually hate), however, this book did a spectacular job of making you believe that that kind of instant adoration and connection is possible. It's actually the first book I've read that I 'bought' the whole love at first sight stuff. I still don't understand why instant love/infatuation is such a hot seller. I don't see why it can't be a LITTLE more gradual! Why do all these authors and readers seem to think the characters should be wed and pregnant within a month?!?!?!

      Secondly, speaking of the time frame, there was a serious flaw in the story as far as I'm concerned... SPOILER!!!!... the Druids are the soul mates to the Demons, that's fine, they are so connected that time apart literally kills them, that's lame, but what really bugs me is that it only takes a matter of DAYS!!! for the Druid to die from lack of contact with their Demon mate. That seems so evolutionarily unlikely that it struck me as ludicrous and nearly ruined the whole story for me. Within days Bella's sister is nearly dead from a 5 minute encounter with her soul mate for the first time. Yet the Demon lives on miserable for the rest of his/her long ass life. ????? WTF? I'm not buying that. So, if the mate has a business trip, his soul mate dies? Come on, DAYS?!! I can 'buy' years, after a few years their heart slowly dies, that I can accept. but days doesn't work for me. Fucking stupid!

      Next, as usual, the author endows the characters with superhuman abilities and strengths, and then neglects to have the characters constantly use them. So, yet again we have a book where the single character should be able to do anything and everything, and yet isn't! An example, here is the 600 year old Enforcer Demon who's never failed in finding and punishing those that break the law. He's THE most feared Demon, perfect track record. First battle we witness finds him allowing the 'human' he's just met to follow him into a battle after he told her to wait. I'm thinking if she's following him, shouldn't he use that mind control talent of theirs to force her to stay back, or do whatever it is in his nearly omnipotent power to do in order to keep the human safe while a Demon/necromancer battle ensues?? Then, once the battle starts he's instantly floored (literally) and rendered useless and unconscious. Leaving said human to save the day (again). Second battle, he's again bested in a matter of minutes, leaving said human to defeat another Demon on her own. And then a THIRD TIME!!! 3 out of 4 fights he's taken down within minutes (sometimes less!)!!!!!!! Why is he feared?? Why is he touted as the best??? Come on!!

      Add to that the inconsistency of using their innate powers... here is a guy that can feel every heartbeat, grow a plant with his will, et cetera, and then he can't even remember to use those (and the billion other powers he has) to do anything. His first instinct (and in fact ALL of the characters) seems to always be to run around like a headless chicken and then almost towards the end they have that 'ah ha!' moment when they suddenly remember they have powers! "oh yeah, I can ___!.... How could I forgot?" Fucking lame. If the author's can't keep up with all the damn powers they've bestowed upon their characters, than they needn't give them! I am so sick of this omnipotent characters being more useless than a five year old human everytime their powers would have been or could have been used.

      And another thing about those powers... Ok, so he can grow plants from his will alone, he's of the earth and can do oooooohhhh so much, and yet, the fucking bastard has lived 600 years and doesn't do shit with it! He can't even use them in battle 'cuz he's so useless! If he'd use that power, even a fraction of it, on healing the planet there'd be no famine (due to the overflow of crops), no deforestation (due to his ability to replenish the forests), no pollution (due to his ability to use the earth to filter the water), no many things! And that's just his talents, add to them Elijah's abilities with the weather, and the Earth would never be ailing.

      So, again we have an author wanting to make these guys badass, unbreakable, and yet sensitive and 'human' in their ability to make mistakes and need to lean on someone eventually. So they make them god like, useless, and emotionally clingy. SNORT!! I'm sick of it!!!

      Thirdly, I'm disturbed at how easily forgotten the sister was. She was going to do the wedding without her!! I mean, really, how about waiting until next lunar phase?! It's only been a few fucking days since you and your 'mate' met, wait a fucking few months for the almost dead girl to recover and participate! I find my fucking sibling dying, or hell, even sick, and I'd postpone my wedding!! Good grief. Selfish much?!

      Another thing that bugged me about this book was, after just a short while (a matter of days) she was easily translating ancient texts that even the king couldn't translate, and yet soon after that needed her lover to translate a simple romantic phrase he uttered about her. That didn't jive, if she can translate text that the scholar king couldn't translate, than she can understand a simple phrase!

      At this point you're probably wondering what I did like! Me too! hehehe, but really, all that bitching aside, I really did enjoy this book. I liked the writing style, and I liked the word choices she made (for the most part). I enjoyed the book enough that I'll be continuing to read the series.
    • 5/5
      I haven't read that many books about demons so I wasn't sure what to expect. I have to say I was pleasantly surprised as how much I enjoyed this story.Jacob: The Nightwalkers introduces you to the world of demons through the eyes of Jacquelyn Frank. Jacob is an enforcer in the demon world. He is out looking for a demon that has been summoned by a necromancer when a human falls from a window. Isabella is the woman that falls into Jacobs life that night.I found Jacob and Bella very entertaining especially as they start to discover things about each other. Her being human and him being a demon and it being illegal in the demon world to touch a human. Bella is different than most humans. I did not enjoy the romance between Bella and Jacob. I found it overbearing at times. I enjoy romance but I just didn't like all of the romance in this book. I look forward to reading the other books in this series.
    • 5/5
      This review can also be found on my blog.

      Demons have lived among humans all along, though they keep themselves isolated from them as per their law. Twice a year, demons succumb to the moon madness that drives them to seek pleasure with human females. Since it goes against their purity laws to harm or consort with human, there has always been one man who enforces that law – Jacob the Enforcer. He is the most feared demon in their community. He lives and breathes that law and will execute it without exception. That has isolated and alienated him among friends and family, with the exception of King Noah and the warrior Elijah. Jacob comes from a long line of Enforcers because he seems to be the only one strong enough to resist the moon madness. If he were to succumb, who would enforce the Enforcer? He returns from his duty on the night of Samhain to learn that one of demons, Saul has been Summoned. There are two things that demons fear the most – one is iron, and the other is being Summoned. A Summoning is performed by necromancers (humans powerful in wielding dark magic). Necromancers are basically your human fanatics, who use their powers to eliminate all things considered evil – demons, vampires, lycanthropes, etc. When a demon is Summoned, their forms change into the beast we all picture in our heads – ugly, winged, talons, etc. At that point, they are beyond saving and have only one goal in mind – to slake their lust and kill.

      Isabella Russ has always felt different - something that set her apart from everyone else. What that might be, she doesn't know. She's intelligent and loves to absorb knowledge from books, which is why she became a librarian. One evening, she's leaning out of her window staring at the full moon when she sees a stranger on the street below. They exchange words, she falls out of the window, he catches her, saving her life. In his arms, she feels a sudden attraction she can't explain. It seems to go beyond the lust of being in the arms of an incredibly handsome man. Jacob also feels that instant attraction, which both stuns and horrifies him because Bella is a human.

      After Jacob saves Bella, she senses evil in the vicinity and takes off after it without a moments hesitation. Jacob is stunned that a human is showing that ability and takes off after her. They come to a warehouse where they find the Necromancer and the demon Saul. A fight ensues, the Necromancer escapes, Jacob is momentarily put out of commission so it's all up to Bella to face Saul in his changed form. She manages to kill him with an iron rod. That's just another shock to Jacob, for no mere human should be able to kill a demon. He puts her under a sleep spell and whisks her away to his home where he's determined to find out who and what Bella is.

      Lust soon morphs into something more profound for both of them – a connection that grows stronger as the days go by. Along with that, Bella also comes into strange powers. But she is human, or isn't she? The scholar in her delves into the vast knowledge accumulated in the King's library, and she discovers an ancient prophecy that has the potential to topple old belief and change the demon community forever, with her at the center.

      I loved both the hero and the heroine. Jacob was a strong alpha male character with a lot of heart despite his many centuries being a loner. When he meets Isabella, he knows that their intense attraction goes against everything he's ever known, but in the end he has found something that will end his lonely existence, in her (pun intended). I attribute Bella's knack for being seemingly unflappable to the fact that she's always felt different, she's intelligent, she's a scholar, and her ability to think outside the box. She doesn't seem to be afflicted by common human female insecurities that get exploited ad nausea in most romance books. Her kindness and compassion extends beyond the human race; an attribute that endears her even more to the Demons. She's also fiercely protective of Jacob. Not just of him as a lover, but as a person. She sees what his duty has cost him and makes sure everyone around her knows of the sacrifices he's made to fulfill his rather thankless job.

      Their joking and teasing was so damn sweet; it made my teeth ache. I found myself grinning a lot at Jacob's reactions to her stubbornness. As an alpha male, Jacob may be over protective, but she took it in stride. Perhaps because they were able to read each others thoughts to understand the true intent behind their words and actions. Naturally he stumbles a little through this new relationship. After all, he's never had a relationship before, and he's always been alone. I think he can be forgiven for any mistakes he makes in that area. Their fierce love was quite endearing. At times it may have seemed a bit much, but I didn't take offense to it. I think the most interesting aspect of their culture is not that they're demons residing in a castle and various other homes instead of a fiery pit, but that they all have special powers tied to an element. That made for some interesting battles instead of fighting with weapons or claws.

      Ha, for once I'm Team Jacob. Definitely a keeper, for me and worth re-reading.



    • 4/5
      Jacob is a Nightwalker, a Demon Nightwalker to be precise since there are Others who walk the night among the humans. Jacob is the Enforcer and has been for 400 of his almost 700 yrs. It’s his job to find and punish those bad little Demons who intend to interact in an, um, intimate way with humans. That type of interaction is forbidden because it doesn’t take much to harm a human, but Demons have a hard time resisting twice a year around Beltane in the spring and Samhain in the autumn when the full moon makes them crazy with lust and sexual desires. But never Jacob the Enforcer. Until the night he meets Isabella.Isabella is a librarian, human, restless and intelligent with a hunger for knowledge. One night as she’s leaning out her fifth story window looking up into the night sky she falls out and is caught by Jacob who is out hunting a Summoned One. She senses what he cannot and leads him where he needs to go much quicker than he could’ve done on his own. Not only does she lead him to the Summoned One and the nasty necromancer who did the Summoning, but after Jacob gets his butt handed to him, she saves him and herself by killing the Summoned One (now the Transformed One) with a lucky move. How could a human do what she had done? Such a thing had not been heard of yet she did it. So many questions and the answers are forthcoming if you read the book.I love this new (to me) series. The characters are real to me, the writing smooth, the world fascinating. Likeable characters, mystery, action and yummy hot sex along with humor and butt kicking. What’s not to love? I’m ready for Book 2, Gideon.
    • 5/5
      I enjoyed this book! I think I am going to like the series!
    • 4/5
      This book is the first one in Frank's Nightwalker series. I read the series a few years ago but had forgotten many of the details. The story itself is a fairly standard paranormal fated-mates romance, although some effort was made by Frank to have Jacob agonise about what he thought of as Bella's lack of free will. In a neat trick, Bella had decided she belonged with Jacob before knowing of their destiny - so she didn't have a problem. However, if you think about this too long, your brain starts to leak out your ear so I don't recommend it. It's a chicken/egg thing. I quite liked Jacob but I don't remember Bella's character annoying me when I read the book - I'm putting this down to changing tastes over time because the narration was excellent. I don't know how Xe (I've "chatted" with her at Goodreads, so I feel I can call her "Xe" :D) does it - but she's got this absolute deep gravelly thing going on for the male voices which are vastly different to the female voices and she can (seemingly effortlessly) shift between one and another in a conversation. She made a wonderful effort differentiating the accents and tones of each of the Nightwalkers which I particularly appreciated given the recent debate over Angela Dawe's narration of Nalini Singh's Psy/Changeling series (in short, she has one "hero" voice and it makes it very hard to differentiate the men - even more difficult in a series). I had no such problem with Xe's narration. I enjoyed the book in print a few years ago but I think if I read it now, I would probably give it a C. The narration was so good, it was neverless elevated to a B listen. I'm definitely looking forward to more from this narrator.
    • 3/5
      I enjoyed this first book in the series, but look forward to the next books now that the groundwork of the series has been put down. 3 stars.
    • 4/5
      I've had this one for I don't even know how long. It caught my eye at the book store but then got shelved on my to be read shelf and I just never got to it until after a conversation with a fellow book blogger. She said she loved this author and I also found out she is going to be at the Romantic Times Convention that I hope to attend. So off the shelf it came and I have now found a new series that I cannot wait to continue! The World BuildingWhen I read the synopsis I assumed it was going to be about vampires, one reason I held off on reading it since I was vampired out, but it turns out the Nightwalkers are actually demons. What I loved about this concept was they weretn' the evil, stereotypical demons with just a few members here or there who are redeemed by love of some special woman. Instead they are a species with their own culture, laws and families. They do not rampage across the country murdering innocent humans. There are only two days in which the nightwalkers are a real danger to humans and it's not by choice that they end up harming anyone. The Enforcer's job is to prevent any of these incidents from happening and he is responsible for disciplining any of their people that attempt to harm a human being. Talk about a whole new way of viewing demons.The CharactersI loved Jacob's character. He's a combination of macho, super strong male but he also has a vulnerability that he tries to hide from others, he's lonely. His role of enforcer causes those around him to always walk around with a slight fear and reservation that one day he will be called upon to punish them or their children. He's even faced with the fact that his own brother subconsciously fears him. I love when a guy has a little bit of softness to him and admits it to himself from the beginning instead of trying to deny its obviousness. His sense of humor as he teases Isabella is wonderful to see and makes you just love him all the more and want him to find that perfect partner.Isabella is also a great female heroine in her own right. First off she's a librarian! Plus she is an interesting mix of shy, soft heartedness and her irreverent thoughts makes you laugh as you read what she is thinking. As she comes into her own powers she also becomes totally kick ass and I love that although Jacob is madly in love with her until in a lot of other romance stories he does not try to lock her up and keep her away from the fight. He acknowledges that she will be able to hold her own and in some cases can even do a better job than himself.The Story LineThere is a little bit of everything for the paranormal lover in this series. Demons, druids, necromancers, etc. The story started off a little slow for me but that may have been because I was sleep deprived but by halfway through I could not read fast enough. I kept wanting to turn the pages faster and faster to find out what happened and yet wanted to savor some of the great one liners and the little details about the nightwalker world. The nightwalkers aren't an entirely peaceful race. They have had epic wars with the druids that have had devastating consequences as well as another war with the necromancers that decimated a great number of the nightwalkers. Both wars are coming back to haunt them as a new group of necromancers are hunting them and the nightwalkers find that the druids might actually be their salvation. This book definitely starts to set up future story lines that leave you wanting to pick up the next book right away. Definitely a fun new series to add to my list.
    • 4/5
      It is along the same lines as the Black Dagger Brotherhood - mostly it's a romance with some great sex scenes, with a little bit of tension caused by some bad guys, and by some 'societal rules' that get broken.It's an interesting take on a 'new' supernatural being (demons) and there is a full exploration of their mythos and society and etc. Very interesting. The sex is quite extensive but is on the 'flowery' side, not hard-core, and there isn't any swearing... or gore, or graphic violence. But it's a fast read about an interesting supernatural culture.
    • 4/5
      Falling out of a fifth floor window might have been the best thing that ever happened to Isabella Russ since Jacob was there to catch her. Following him and then some how helping him to destroy the monster that he had been tracking was an unusual way to start a relationship, but both Bella and Jacob could feel that there was something there that made it different. Getting over the fact that it was against everything that he had ever known and practiced as the enforcer of his races laws, Jacob could not and would not give her up until he found out what it was that set this woman apart from everyone else he had ever met and saved from his fellow Demons.Book 1 ….. Oooh, Demons with a twist. This race is one of the nightwalkers along with werewolves and vampires (which are the most common paranormal romance novel subjects) the twist is what great people they are. Fun and interesting concept I really enjoyed learning about each of the demon powers and the prophecies was a great tease for subsequent books. A bit predictable in a lot of different ways, but the gifts and the powers that kept changing or growing was also fun. Love seeing a humble demon and Jacob seemed to be a great place to start this series. I know I will be reading more from this author, including the next of the Nightwalker series (Gideon).
    • 5/5
      Yum, yum - this is a must read if you enjoy your books steaming hot and full of guilty pleasures! Fans of the Black Dagger Brotherhood or Carpathian Dark Series will want to DEVOUR this book. This was a page turner that I HAD to finish in one sitting.
    • 5/5
      Jacob is the first in The Nightwalkers Series. He's an elder, over 600 years old, and the Enforcer of his demon brethren. He is the only one who can uphold justice when a demon is overtaken by the madness. A madness that will lead them down a path that can eventually harm the human that they become obsessed with. For humans are forbidden to demons - punishable by the Enforcer himself. Jacob has never succumbed to the madness himself - but when a tiny, spitfire by the name of Isabella literally falls into his arms he had no idea his whole world was about to change - and that he would be the one that would be breaking the rules.Isabella was the perfect match for Jacob. Where he is calm - she is explosive. I absolutely loved her character. She was downright funny at times and I definitely found myself laughing out loud more than once. I loved their interactions, dialogue and, of course, romantic interludes. I am a big fan of paranormal/soulmate romances, and this one fit the bill. Bella's encounters with the Demon kind was great because you go on the journey with her. Every new discovery is a thrill to her as well as to you as the reader. There was plenty of action (and I mean that in more than one way ::wink-wink::). With the threat of Necromancers and Jacob and Bella trying to save themselves and their friends, there was never a dull moment. I loved the introduction to most of the characters you will be encountering within the upcoming books (i.e. Gideon, Noah, Elijah, Magdalegna, etc.) I think out of all 5 books this was my favorite. Although one of the one's with the most action, it also was the one with the lightest feel to it.
    • 4/5
      This is the first book in the Nightwalker series and the first time I have read Jacquelyn Frank. The story starts out with the main character Isabella falling out of the window and Jacob catching her. Jacob "feels" something. He's not sure what it is but he certainly knows that Isabella must come back with him. Isabella has free roam of the mansion and starts sifting through all the books stored in the immense library. Her she learns a great deal about the paranormal.This is a love story, but not sickening sweet. It has good characters and you get a good sense of their personalities. You soon learn their weaknesses and their strengths. You are also introduced to other major characters that Frank uses for her series. I found this book interesting with a good plot line and a good amount of romance to balance it out. I enjoyed this book very much and would recommend it to any paranormal/romance readers. I intend on reading the whole series and hope that it is as good as this first book.
    • 2/5
      I finally read it, this book that has been loitering around my home for months. Am I glad that I did? Well, sort of. The concept for the series, "The Nightwalkers," is interesting. Demons with elemental powers who are really a seperate species -- like vamps, lycanthropes, and other spookies in the underworld. In this first book we meet Jacob, the enforcer of Demon laws. Jacob has done the forbidden, involved himself with a human, Isabella Russ. But there's more to Isabella than even she knows, especially her role in the Demons' war against necromancers. Like I said, Frank presents an interesting concept and I enjoyed the story. I had a consistent problem with the actual writing, though. In general it's just too poetic. As in good poetry -- her descriptions of the characters feelings is often beautiful and vivid and she sure knows how to pick her verbs. But in several instances the price for beauty was urgency, and a 7% tax of cheesiness. Also, there were holes in the story, which I see as Frank taking the easy way out in her writing. Her transitions between scenes basically suck. Three days go by all of a sudden with only disjointed comments to fill in the blanks, nothing so orienting as "Isabella sighed and looked around the dusty archive where she'd spent most of the last few days, though Noah had set her up in one of the guestrooms." Frank seems to forget she's got an audience. And [spoiler alert] the whole set-up with Bella's sister, Corrine, was poorly done. Summary: they find out Bella's a Druid, never stop the realize her relatives are most likely Druids as well, and stumble across Bella's sister near the end of the book and everyone's frantic to bring Corrine into the fold. Bella's all, "oh, I can't believe I never thought about it, and me supposedly the really smart Druid." And Jacob's all, "oh, I can't believe it never occurred to me either." Rinse and repeat for several characters. Which leads me to say, "I can't believe it, either. And since even your characters can't understand this breach in logic, clearly you need to go back and rework the story." So now I'm left with a problem: I like this series, I just don't like the way it's written. There are three books out currently, with two more released this summer. I'm very tempted to read the second book, despite my misgivings, because Gideon is an interesting character and his and Magdalena's relationship has that love-hate thing going on, which is always a party. What to do, what to do.
    • 5/5
      Jacob is a demon and the Enforcer of the laws of his people, in particularly the main rule, Do not harm humans. Jacob has taken pride and sacrificed much to live up to the Enforcer heritage, including estranging himself from his friends and even his brother. That is why when the human, Isabella, falls into his arms his instant and uncontrollable reaction to her is shocking to himself and all those who know him. Growing up as a reclusive librarian Bella feels that there is more to the world than meets the eye. This feeling becomes so much more when her life is saved by a beautiful demon and she becomes part of a destiny she never could have imagined.As far as paranormal romances go, this one was really quite good. I enjoyed the demons and learning about them. It was kind of odd to see some of the ideas I have worked with in my own writing mirrored here. I guess just as there is with vampires, there are certain stigmas associated with demons that come out when writing about them. However, the mythology and society created here does branch out on its own which is nice. The plot was well done and engrossing. Also, the characters themselves were very intriguing and it is easy to believe there may be a good many stories involving them to come in this series. I especially look forward to hearing more about both Kane and Gideon in the future. I would certainly say this is a very worthwhile paranormal romance which I wouldn't hesitate to recommend to those fans of this genre.
    • 5/5
      sexy; new take on demons; great read; good description of action sequences; detailed an intricate world; characters are complex and dark; love it; will read again
    • 4/5
      Overall, I thought this one was an excellent read! Yes, it has some of the exact same elements as most other "Immortal" themed books: Immortal guy who's race is in danger of turning to the "dark side" meets mortal woman who is his "true mate / life mate / destined mate" and the key to saving his race from destruction. It's a plot that's been used to death. However, I think Jacquelyn Frank has made this book just different enough to rise above that "tired old immortal plot" stigma for me, and those differences made this book interesting to read. I do have to agree with a previous reviewer that while I like Isabella's spunk, I did kind of get tired of her eye-rolling rudeness after awhile. I've never quite been able to accept how authors will take a character who's supposed to be this virginal wallflower and within a few days make them cocky, tough-talking warriors. Frank attempts to explain this by talking about how Isabella's core DNA started to change as soon as she met Jacob, but I'm just not sure that her whole personality would change so quick.Also...and this is a very minor critique...I'm not sure if the author realized this, but by the middle of the book, whenever Isabella would talk she would say Jacob's name every time, and sometimes more than once. Even if she was talking directly to him, it was Jacob, Jacob, Jacob over and over and over. It started to get distracting after awhile. Jacob didn't seem to say Isabella's name every time he spoke, so I'm not sure why Isabella had to say Jacob this and Jacob that every time she spoke.But again, that was a minor irritant in an otherwise very well written book that rises above many other paranormal books I have read. I will definitely be buying the next in the series.