Book Blog Tour

Author Interview

About the Author

Delphine McClelland was born in Statesville, North Carolina where she is a graduate of Statesville Senior High School. After graduating from high school she took her dreams and passions to Knoxville, Tennessee where she attended and graduated from The University of Tennessee with a degree in Anthropology. Her career path was set until life happened and on the advice of a co-worker, she took her passion for reading and channeled it into writing her first novel Dark Obsessions. For more about Delphine check out her website at www.delphinemcclelland.com.

It’s Q & A Time!

#1 What is your book about?

Dark Obsessions is an adult paranormal romance novel about the power of love. Kairo is a 300-year-old vampire with an obsession with torture. He refers to his victims as his little mice and he learned his evil ways from a natural-born “vampire” named Malachi. Kairo has a very dark past and is okay with living in the dark until he comes to Charlotte, North Carolina. It is in the City Center where an unknown force or energy grabs a hold of him and it will not let him go. Skylar had been obsessed with the supernatural world for as long as she can remember. Both her life and Kairo’s life will be forever changed when they finally lay eyes on one another.

#2 What inspired you to write your book?

I was inspired to write this book by a coworker of mine. His name is John Voldstad and some of you may know him from the Newhart Show as the other Brother Darryl, from Stripes a Stillman’s aid, the one who shouts grenade, or the pawnbroker in the first Leprechaun who gets pogo sticked to death. He saw the passion that I had for reading and believed that I should and could write a book.

#3 If you have a business related to the book, tell us about it.

No business related to the book, just a new love and passion to write. Dark Obsessions is slated to have at least two more parts to it, part two is already being written and there could be two possible stand-alone spin-offs. One would be about Malachi- not his back story but a continuation of what occurs in the Kairo and Skylar series and one about Angelina and the Wolf that she falls in love with.

#4 What is a typical day like for you? 

A typical day for me starts with working at The Nascar Hall of Fame, getting off at 5:00 or 6:00. Once I walk in the door I change out of my work clothes and grab something to eat. I relax from the day and watch a bit of tv and then I spend the next several hours at my desk working on my second novel.

#5 What do you most enjoy about what you do? 

I love to write and find the creative process so much fun. I love to create this world within the real world and explore dark themes as they relate to the world that I live in. In Dark Obsessions, I play on the idea of hate and how we as humans find it so easy to hate those individuals that are different from us before we even give them a chance to show us who they really are.

#6 What are some favourite books you’d recommend to your readers?

Some of my favorite books are the Game of Thrones series, The Touched Saga by Elisa S Amore, The Crescent Chronicles by Alyssa Rose Ivy and the Wicked Trilogy by Jennifer Armentrout.

#7 What would people be surprised to learn about you?

That I studied Forensic Anthropology at The University of Tennessee and processed human remains.

#8 What’s next for you?

Continuing to spread the word about Dark Obsessions. In a perfect world, it will be the next great paranormal romance novel. I also hope to finish the second installment sometime this year and get the full concept for the third installment laid out. I know how I want the third one to start and end but the middle is not clear.

Dark Obsessions – Book Review

---

Pages: 278
Genre: Vampire Romance / Paranormal Romance / Romance
Warnings: Violence / Torture / Sex / Language
Published: June 26, 2022, with Dorrance Publishing Co. Inc.

Book Summary

(From Author)

Skylar was a Montgomery and with that came power and prestige among the wealthy in Charlotte, North Carolina. From the outside looking in, she had it all, the perfect life. For Skylar, being a Montgomery, a socialite, was not who she wanted to be. Skylar was different, she was weird and a bit of a dreamer. For as long as she could remember, she had an obsession with the supernatural world. Vampires were her favorite of all the supernatural creatures and she could not get enough of them. She read almost every book, watched every movie, and even wished they were real because she had dreams of becoming one. On the annual Montgomery Family Vacation, Skylar’s world was turned upside down. Her life was further changed the moment she laid eyes on him. He was the most intriguing and striking man that she had ever seen. In one night, he would change Skylar’s world forever.

Kairo was in need of a change. After living for over 300 years and always staying one step ahead of the Council of Truth Seekers, a vigilante group whose sole mission in life was to kill all supernaturals. Kairo needed a new scene away from it all. Along his travels, he heard that Charlotte was becoming an epicenter of fun. It was a city full of life and the perfect place for a vampire to hunt without the watchful eye of the Council. From the moment that Kairo stepped foot in Charlotte, things were very different for him. The city made every fiber of his being come alive with an energy, unlike anything he had ever known. Kairo would find the source of that energy no matter what it cost him and when he did, his world would change forever.

Winner in the Romance Paranormal/Supernatural category of The 2022 American Fiction Awards

Rating

3/5

You may also like:

• Phoenix’s Ascent by Winter Austin
• Mission Improbable: Vietnam by Nancy Nau Sullivan
• Hag of the Hills by J.T.T. Ryder

My Thoughts

I love books about vampires and other fantasy creatures and was excited to read this one. Unfortunately, it seems this story was not for me. Delphine keeps jumping from one POV to another and it’s a little hard to keep up sometimes. I feel that at times, the explanations of their emotions and thoughts went on a little too much or were repeated a few times in different ways and I’d get bored and skip parts.

I was interested to know what Skylar was uncovering at the morgue and how the whole story was going to unfold.
I usually enjoy vampire stories but this one is very gory and I didn’t enjoy reading those parts of the story. If you enjoyed Twilight, I’m not sure that you’ll enjoy this book. The actual storyline was interesting though and I enjoyed seeing what was going to happen between Skylar and Kairo.

I liked that Skylar was a strong female character and that she didn’t break when Kairo tortured her. I think it is fitting that she’s a witch. The dialogue was easy to follow when you knew who was talking. The author doesn’t use unnecessarily large words.
I liked that Skylar’s friend, Angelina, was so loyal to her even through all the weirdness. I didn’t like Malachi or Kairo because of their violence. I also wasn’t crazy about Dimitri either. He couldn’t take no for an answer which showed a lack of respect for Skylar.

This is apparently a standalone book but the book ended on a cliffhanger and this irritated me because now we don’t know what happens next. I do not see anywhere that this is a series. (UPDATE: After doing the author interview I see that this is going to be a series and that the author is working on book two currently.) There are grammar and spelling mistakes that I picked up throughout the book and that distracted me a bit but it may not be that distracting to normal readers.

People who like the more violent vampire books with a little bit of bondage thrown in will probably enjoy reading this book.

Book Links: 

Amazon
Goodreads
Bookshop

Author Links:

Delphine McClelland
Instagram
Facebook
Goodreads Author

Have you heard about this book? Would you like to read it?
What do you think about it?

Check out the other reviews at the below blog and Instagram accounts:

Giveaway:

That’s it from me for now…

Please show me some love and comment below. If you enjoy what you see, please follow me for more features.

Enjoy the moments

---

(This blog contains affiliate links. As an affiliate, I earn a small commission from qualifying purchases of their products but only when you use my link. This is at no extra cost to you. This helps me keep my blog afloat. Thank you for your support)

Love my content?

You can find more on my YouTube channel.

You can support my blog on Patreon by searching for Patreon/OndeaneLourens.

---

UCOOK removes the stress from last-minute shopping, with an easy, convenient way to cook delicious meals. Making time spent in the kitchen exciting again! They work with carefully selected producers to guarantee the quality of their ingredients, which are organic and come from ethical producers. They support small local purveyors and rural & urban farming projects, keeping their menus seasonal and homegrown in South Africa.