A Dance Between Light and Darkness by M. C. Ryder is a spellbinding tale for fans of urban fantasy and supernatural thrillers. Finally Vladimir has been defeated at great cost and vampires and werewolves live together in peace. Or so they think. When dead bodies begin to turn up, bodies left with a Dragon's eye symbol, Vince knows that the future can be grimmer than anything they have known in the past. As leader of the vampires, Vince has suffered a great loss, but now that someone from his past has resurfaced and is out to even the scores, Vince must defend those under his charge. But there is far more that awaits the vampire community than an unforgiving enemy from the past — there is a more sinister threat.

I love compelling characters and plot twists that enthrall and M. C. Ryder succeeds in delivering both. The characters in this story are extraordinary. While Vince is a powerful vampire, he is depicted as genuinely flawed and vulnerable, a man who must learn to handle the darkness within him, his vampiric impulses. He knows the pain of losing a dear one. The cloaked figure introduces mystery into the narrative and readers want to find out who and what it is. Vince's relationship with Melia is deftly written and it adds depth to the narrative. A Dance Between Light and Darkness features superior storytelling with stellar prose and wonderfully crafted dialogues. The conflict is strong and it moves the story steadily forward. The tale is both terrifying and tactile, a beautiful tale that will wrap any reader up and pull them along the journey; it is confidently executed and relentless in its pulse. This second book in the series reads well as a standalone novel.