Author: Jeaniene Frost
Publication: Avon (July 27, 2010)
Description: An immortal war has been brewing in the darkness...and now one woman has stumbled into the shadows.
Chicago private investigator Kira Graceling should have just kept on walking. But her sense of duty refused to let her ignore the moans of pain coming from inside a warehouse just before dawn. Suddenly she finds herself in a world she's only imagined in her worst nightmares.
At the center is Mencheres, a breathtaking Master vampire who thought he'd seen it all. Then Kira appears - this fearless, beautiful....human who braved death to rescue him. Though he burns for her, keeping Kira in his world means risking her life. Yet sending her away is unthinkable.
But with danger closing in, Mencheres must choose either the woman he craves, or embracing the darkest magic to defeat an enemy bent on his eternal destruction.
My Thoughts: This was another one of those books that grabbed me and didn't let me go until I got to The End. It is very satisfying to find out more about characters who have appeared in other stories. I have always been curious about Mencheres. The idea of living for more than 4000 years fascinates me. How do you maintain interest and enthusiasm in a life where you have done everything - and probably more than once? Mencheres thinks this is the time to end it and seems to be contemplating "death by ghoul" when Kira shows up to save him. Kira doesn't have the personality that lets her walk away from someone she sees as being in trouble.
I liked that Kira was attracted to Mencheres for himself. She didn't know that he was a supremely powerful vampire with massive wealth. In many ways this surprises him because it hasn't happened to him for a while. Everyone in his world knows all about him and treats him with either respect bordering on awe or hates him.
Kira finds herself caught in the ancient conflict between Mencheres and his enemy Radje. It is usual to erase the memories of humans who get caught in vampire business but he can't erase hers. She is injured trying to rescue him and he uses his blood to heal her. He thinks that is why his memory erasing isn't working. He brings her home with him to give the blood a chance to dissipate before he can try again. While she is with him they get to know each other and begin to fall in love. After some days and other tries Mencheres realizes that he can't erase her memory but comes to trust that she will keep his secrets and sends her home to keep her safe.
Kira wants to keep up the relationship though and tries to find him. Her searching puts her in danger and through a variety of circumstances it becomes necessary for Mencheres to turn her into a vampire. We see a lot about what it is like for new vampires as she learns about her new life.
This was a wonderful addition to Jeaniene Frost's body of work. Recommended for lovers of paranormal romance.
Jeaniene Frost's bibliography is here.
Favorite Quote:
As a result of Kira's baffling, selfless act, combined with his inability to control her mind or hear her thoughts, he hadn't been able to stop thinking about her. Even as the day slipped into evening and he sent another vampire to deliver food and refreshment to her room, Mencheres couldn't banish her from his thoughts.Challenges: RYOB Reading Challenge, Paranormal Reading Challenge
I can't wait to read this book :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for the review. I think I might give this author a try.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you liked it Kathy, I hope you come to my blog for the discussion ?'s
ReplyDeletePaula
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