In New York, there’s a troll under the Brooklyn Bridge, a boggle in Central Park, and a beautiful vampire in a penthouse on the Upper East Side. Of course, most humans are oblivious to this, but Cal Leandros is only half-human. His father’s dark lineage is the stuff of nightmares-and he and his entire otherworldly race are after Cal.

He and his half-brother Niko have managed to stay a step ahead for three years, but now Cal’s dad has found them again. And Cal is about to learn why they want him, why they’ve always wanted him…

This book has one component with infinite appeal: Tortured brothers. Big brother Nik took responsibility for Cal the day he was born; their mother, who loved alcohol more than her boys, was only ever in the picture to hurl insults or, once they were old enough to work, demand money. Out of love and necessity the boys’ bond became unbreakable, but when Cal’s auphe* father comes looking for his son, the Leandros brothers are going to need to depend on each other like never before.

Adding to the appeal: Cal and Nik are fully developed, compelling characters. One of the things I loved about the story was that Cal, whose personality and voice are wonderfully captured in the book, was constantly questioning his humanity and yet his motivations and reactions were beautifully, painfully human. There’s a real nice balance in this urban fantasy offering. Plus, secondary characters are equally intriguing and there’s plenty of action to go around.

So far there are three books in the Cal Leandros series: Nightlife, Moonshine, and Madhouse. Look for book four, Deathwish, in March of ’09.

*In case you were wondering, an auphe is a really evil elf. Legolas they are not.