Well, this rounds out the final book from my latest poll of indecisiveness. Though it came in last with your votes, it’s certainly not ranked last when it comes to my reading experience.
Victoria Kingston’s early life hasn’t been easy. Following the death and her mother and suicide of her father, it’s up to her to take care of her younger sister. With no money and choice, they are forced to move to London to stay with a resentful aunt. Giving her an impossible ultimatum to marry a random suitor by the end of the month, Victoria tries her best to find a suitable gentlemen, or she surely will lose guardianship of her sister forever.
Crossing paths with Dorian Vlakhos, playboy aristocrat and secret vampire king, she tries to resist his whiles. But she is no match, especially as Dorian places his promiscuous side in check for good. While appealing and seemingly perfect, Dorian’s secret puts Victoria and her family at risk. As the target of witches and hunters, there is an all out war between their kind and he must fight for his people. But can he keep his new beloved safe?
I enjoyed Amanda Greene’s efforts with this book. It was a very light and breezy read, even with the drama, conflict and tension. Dorian is ancient, but you’d never really know it. His personality seems to evolve with the times and he rarely has to drink blood. For me, the more blood the better, but it’s certainly not a neglected plot point. Victoria is likable enough, but I think I liked her little sister the most. She’s been through a lot of tragedy but still finds a way to be a happy and innocent child; it was sweet to see how much Victoria cared about her. That relationship resonated with me a lot, along with Dorian’s interactions with her.
The romance between the starring couple certainly doesn’t disappoint. Per the usual paranormal romance formula, it builds throughout the novel, but the teasing wasn’t very agonizing.
While it’s a period novel and the narrative is appropriate, there were times when I felt like the dialogue was too modern. I mean, how many people used the word “slut” back then? “Harlot”, maybe. “Jezebel”, sure! But I genuinely had to look up origins of the word just to check for consistency. Other words that bothered me were “pigheaded” and “Tory” (short for Victoria) to name a few. Though it was a minor quirk, it wasn’t significant enough to hamper my overall enjoyment.
While there’s nothing earth shatteringly new or original, I do recommend the book. It kept my interest fairly well and I wrapped it up in only two days. I look forward to reading the second novel, and if I wasn’t pressed for time I’d probably read it immediately. But since this book is a standalone it’s not completely necessary.
I read it when it came out over a year ago and enjoyed it. It was a very good debut. I have the second one in my reader and look forward to it.
I’m not one to usually read this type of book, period books just don’t do it for me. However after reading your review I went straight and bought it as I really enjoyed your review. Thank you
It sounds interesting on intro… I will have to see… Have several others that are in front of this one… But on my read listing.. Thanks for the insider peace.