Dianne Duvall - Cliff's Descent

Every mortal who works at network headquarters knows that vampires reside below them. They were the first to surrender to the powerful Immortal Guardians who hunt them. And they did so, hoping they can be saved, that the doctors and scientists the Immortal Guardians employ can halt the progressive brain damage that robs all vampires of their sanity. Though curious, Emma never thought she would meet any of the vampires who remain under heavy guard several stories beneath her office. Then mercenaries strike, bombarding the building with heavy artillery. The vampires are freed to join the fray... and Cliff saves her life.
From that moment on, she can't stop thinking about him regardless of the restrictions placed on interactions with vampires. When Emma discovers a way to speak to Cliff at network headquarters, she becomes even more fascinated by him. He's smart, charming, and honorable to his core despite the darkness that lies ahead. And he seems to crave her company as much as she does his. Aware of the eyes that watch them, they keep their encounters innocent, limiting them to those of mere acquaintances. Nevertheless, their attraction grows and she soon falls in love with him even as the madness begins to claim him.
Cliff realizes his future is dark. As one vampire friend after another succumbs to insanity, hope that network doctors will be able to find a cure in time to keep him from meeting the same fate begins to dwindle, leaving him little to look forward to... until he meets Emma. Just speaking to her brings him a happiness and contentment he hasn't experienced since before his transformation. And when they finally find a way to be alone together, everything changes. Emma burrows her way right into his heart and quiets the voices. She sparks dreams of a future with her that strengthen his determination to beat back the madness. But as time passes, the voices grow louder and insanity begins to chip away at him until he fears it will eradicate every part of him she fell in love with.
Will the two of them find a way to defy the odds and find their happily-ever-after? Or will Cliff's descent consume him?

Comment: This is the most recent installment in the Immortal Guardians series by the author. The next one will be released in June and there are yet books in the aliens spin off but I was quite interested in this one since it would feature Cliff, one of the characters we have known for longer and whose path has been one of sadness and hope.

Cliff is a vampire who was transformed against his will be has come to the possible terms to accept it. When the opportunity came, he accepted to surrender to the Immortal Guardians and stay at the compound so that the doctors trying to come up with a cure for the virus that changes humans into "vampires" might help him. After years, he doesn't have much hope but he prefers this to escape and perhaps hurt innocent people. 

One day, after helping others in an attack where some workers were hurt, he is invited to eat in the cafeteria every worker attends and while some dislike this, others welcome him for the savior he was. Emma, in specific, is thankful but the longer they get to know each other, the more she starts seeing Cliff as more than just a vampire. Cliff knows there might be no solution for him, but he can't ignore how happy Emma makes him feel. Is there truly no hope for Cliff...?

In long series, obviously readers tend to like certain characters more than others for some reason. Sometimes, though, a character is well liked by everyone and Cliff has been developed in such a way that, this is now book #11 (not counting spin offs and novellas), and people are still defending Cliff and wishing he could have an HEA. Considering the "rules" of the world, humans without specific genetics can't be transformed into immortals, therefore their life span would be regular, unlike immortals who live (together) longer. Those regular humans infected with the virus that causes "vampirism" even become so ill and violent that often people go mad/evil.

This is Cliff's destiny since he doesn't have the specific genetic code to become immortal and since the book where he and others were apprehended and volunteered to stay in the immortals' compound, he has been stuck in this situation. Readers still care for him and root for him and probably begged the author for a HEA because Cliff has been developed in a way that everyone sees him as a good guy dealt a bad card. It's Not something he can't help or avoid but he tries to keep a good face and be a good person and treat others with respect. He is certainly a good candidate to deserve a HEA.

This story went as I imagined, to be fair, in terms of giving Cliff a path readers feel is deserving and where things didn't go as easy as that. Cliff and Emma have their HEA but while I liked it and I liked the how it was done it was obviously a little deux ex machina, because of the dead end the author created from the start. Some readers also were't fans of the style in which the story was told, jumping from moment to moment in Cliff's path until we get to where he was at when story happens in the linear narrative. I didn't mind because with such a long series, some things were nice to be mentioned again, others I had forgotten, but it can feel repetitive in the beginning, yes.

I guess that for a new reader or someone who knows nothing about the series and was captivated by he blurb alone, it was a good method to convey information without being too boring, because I don't feel the setting up took that long - especially looking at some reviews that make it seem endless.

The plot isn't complicated, we basically have Cliff going on through his days and then his slow paced romance with Emma and the last chapters where we doubt if things go well or not for them. I actually liked this one better than some other books featuring new characters simply because Cliff and Emma have a slow romance, we are very aware of time passing by for them, as they get to know each other and develop feelings for one another in a believable way. As for personalities, not much comes to mind, true, but they are good, likable characters who we feel should have an HEA.

I guess if the author had chosen differently, readers would feel sad Cliff couldn't be saved, but the possibility of this going wrong wasn't too hard to imagine. In terms of how much plot is advanced, I must say not much, really. Things remain pretty much at the same level we had in the previous book, when villain Gershom was doing some evil and sneaky deeds. I hope the next installment can add something more in this regard, but for now Cliff finally got his HEA and, all things considered, will probably remain a part of the big immortal family anyway.
Grade: 8/10