Release Date: November 10, 2011
Series: #5 Vampires in America
Buying Links: Amazon The Book Depository
Book Blurb (from goodreads):
Washington, D.C. … capital of an empire. Powerful. Exhilarating. Corrupt. And in the shadows … vampires far older than the nation itself.
A power unto himself, Duncan has served at Raphael’s side for nearly the entire two hundred years of his existence. But long laid plans have finally borne fruit, and the time has come for Duncan to leave Raphael and tackle the greatest challenge of his life. He will face treacherous vampires and murderous humans. He will rock the halls of human power if necessary. But Washington, D.C. will be his.
Emma Duquet cares nothing for vampire politics. She just wants to find her missing roommate and best friend, Lacey. But Lacey’s been playing with vampires of a particularly dangerous kind, and Emma will have to deal with the new vampire in town if she’s going to find her friend.
Battling powerful enemies who will stop at nothing to keep their secrets, Duncan and Emma will dig beneath the corruption and depravity that is Washington, D.C. and uncover the most heinous conspiracy of all …
Teaser:
That cool reserve of his was gone, and in its place was something ice cold and deadly, and absolutely lethal. This was the real Duncan, the vampire powerful enough to command others, and she knew instinctively that he could kill her with a thought. "You have no idea what i want," he said deliberately. "Be very careful, Emmaline."My Thoughts:
Duncan has been a fan favorite since "Raphael", the first "Vampires in America" book was published. Fans clamored for Duncan's story and it's finally here. Reynolds had a lot of pressure on her, high expectations to live up to and I'm happy to say she succeeded. :)
Where to begin? There's a mystery, Duncan agrees to help Emma find who killed Lacey. There's romance and yummy smex between Emma and Duncan, and it was a very sweet romance. There are humans actively working against Duncan, displeased that he's replaced D.C.'s former Master, and also displeased that he's actively pursuing the people involved in the illegal activities that led to Lacey's death. We also get to see Duncan's background and his initial meeting with Raphael.
While I enjoyed the mystery and the murder investigation, what I liked best were the romance, seeing Duncan take over as a Master, Duncan's interactions with both humans and vampires, and learning Duncan's background. I think my favorite part of the story is the romance. Duncan is possessive and very much an alpha but he's also willing, sometimes, to temper those traits; he can also be sweet, compassionate and thoughtful. Emma is caring, loyal, smart and independent. She's not so independent that she can't accept help, with a little prodding. At times Duncan seems almost human, then he'll say or do something that reminds you he is a vampire, and not the warm, fuzzy kind. Emma, in a refreshing change from heroines in many contemporary romances, doesn't fight her attraction to Duncan, but freely admits it. I enjoyed that very much and I enjoyed their interactions.
A sweet, sexy romance, wonderful characters (I really enjoyed Baldwin, one of the vampire guards) and a strong story made for a wonderful read.
I received a PDF from the author.
I loved that book as well, Bea! Actually the whole series is pure joy to read, although Raphael and Cyn are still my absolute favorites :)
ReplyDeleteI agree, it's a wonderful series. I was slow to start it but I'm glad I did. Rajmund was favorite, but now it's Duncan. :)
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