Review: Afterlight by Elle Jasper

Afterlight
Author: Elle Jasper
Publication: Signet; Original edition (November 2, 2010)


Description: Savannah's most unconventional tattoo artist, Riley Poe, lives on the edge. Now she's put over the edge when her younger brother is taken by a sinister cult led by vampires. Her only ally is the hot-tempered vampire Eli Dupre, attracted to Riley's beauty and rare blood type. To save her brother from certain un-death, Riley faces dangers she's never dreamed of, ruthless bloodthirsty enemies, and an evil of endless hunger that wants to devour it all...


My Thoughts: This is a quick reading erotic vampire romance. Riley had a troubled adolescence (which she tells us frequently in the first few chapters) but she has straightened her life out and is a responsible tattoo artist raising her younger brother. When the brother and his friends unleash ancient evil in a prank in a local cemetery, Riley is introduced to a portion of Savannah she didn't know existed. she meets a family of vampires - the Duprees - and falls in love with the eldest son. 


The villains in the story are two brother vampires Victorian and Valerian who had been imprisoned by the Gullah population until Riley's brother Seth and friends turned them loose. Seth was turned by the vampires and now Riley and Eli have just one month to put down the threat and save her young brother. It will take a month before the two released vampires have the strength to complete their evil plans. But they are able to send very erotic dreams into Riley's head as she sleeps.


As an added complication, Riley's blood is especially appealing to vampires and it has been masked by her Gullah guardian Preacher. The Gullahs and the Duprees have a treaty in place in Savannah. The Gullahs meet the vampires needs and the Duprees keep worse vampires out of Savannah.


This was an interesting romance for those who like their heroes dark and scary.  Of course the heroine is kind of dark and scary herself. I'll be watching for the sequel next summer.


Favorite Quote:

I've walked Savannah's cobbles the whole of my life, been in the darkest alleys, and I've seen a lot of crap go down. I've been in a lot of crap as it was going down. I was one effed-up kid back then, and if it weren't for Preacher, I still would be. But I'd never had a feeling creep over me like this one. I wanted to continuously look over my shoulder, or worse--overhead.