Fire in the blood (utgåvan 2017)

This clipped review can also be found on Netgalley and will hopefully post it on Amazon once the book has been published on 25th April 2017. My full review can be found on my Wordpress blog - Flora's Musings...

So, what did I like about it?
[a:Amanda Ashley|48190|Amanda Ashley|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1458520552p2/48190.jpg] is a new-to-me author and I enjoyed her easy to read, writing style. I never felt lost in this story; the first chapter sets up the world, introduces our leading lady, Tessa Blackburn, and the relevant background for the story.

The pace of this tale isn't fast or frantic and it’s definitely not dark or gritty but it does have suspense and oodles of romantic gestures.

The suspense comes from never knowing when or where Tessa will be attacked by vampires; her blood calls to them. I should mention that the scenes in the book where killings, fighting and hunting take place are never explicit or described using vivid imagery.

The romance element starts very soon after our romantic couple meet, which some reviews have frowned on but don’t we hear about people who experience life threatening incidents forming instant attachments? I think so. Where this book differs from so many others is the fact that our main character, Tessa, believes in (and practices) the Christian value of no sex before marriage, so it was a refreshing change to see the sexual relationship between her and Andrei, being allowed to develop over the chapters; I enjoy it when the physical side of a relationship is allowed to bloom gently, prolonging the sexual anticipation of when they will finally do the deed.

So, ummm, was there anything I disliked about it?
I understand that this book is first and foremost a romance novel, focussing on the evolving relationship between Tessa and Andrei, however, I am disappointed that there wasn’t more made within the story about the mystery of Tessa’s blood. I would have loved them to research it more; why is it so special? Surely all the vampire hunters in town could be tapped for information, the internet maybe or a trusted witch, gypsy or shaman? I just found it a bit frustrating; researching the mystery could have added an extra dimension to the story.

So, basically what I’m saying is...
This is a good paranormal romance and I enjoyed it. I would recommend this book if you like books in the young adult (YA) genre or sweet paranormal romances. If, however, you are looking for a dark and gritty vampire romance, then this isn’t for you. ( )

A Fire in the Blood was a book that I was sure I was going to love, not just like. I was not in love with Andrei Dinescu’s character at the start of this story. This was mainly due to the fact that he was actually quite deceptive with Tessa. He led her to believe he was a regular man who was interested in dating her. Not that he was a vampire interested in tasting her. He wanted to know what all the “fuss” was about. Tessa was at the center of a publicity storm as rumors had been started that her blood had qualities that would do great things for young vampires. Due to the rumors, there was a large number of newly turned vampires looking for Tessa and this had catastrophic results for the small town she inhabits as they had a hard time controlling themselves.

For the first third of the book I went from dislike to mistrust for Andrei. Once things became clear that despite his actions to the contrary Andrei truly did want a relationship with Tessa, I still did not trust his character at all. I kept expecting deception. So, it is hard to find the main character all sorts of swoony when you are waiting for the metaphorical other shoe to drop. There is a point in this story when I accepted the romance that was taking place but the heat factor between the characters was not steamy.

I did enjoy the character of Andrei’s maker, now there is a vampire worthy of ire. She gave off a whole Queen of the Damned vibe and played a great part! She kept the story interesting, albeit predictable. There were also shape-shifters involved in this story as supporting characters and that was wonderful. I could have had more involvement of the shifters. Overall I enjoyed parts of this story but felt that I wanted more.

This review is based on a complimentary book I received from NetGalley. It is an honest and voluntary review. The complimentary receipt of it in no way affected my review or rating. ( )