Review: Eternal Blood by Laura Wright (Mark of the Vampire #2.5)

Publisher - Piatkus Entice
Publication Date - 14th February 2012
Genre - Paranormal Romance

Source - Received from publisher for review

Rating - 3 out of 5: I liked it

Book Info - Gray Donahue is crippled by the guilt he feels for his father's death. An Impure vampire cursed with the ability to hear the thoughts of others, he indulges in blood and sex to stave off the pain of his existence. He is then abducted by the Eternal Order of Vampires, who subject him to a nightmarish ritual. But when he is rescued by the icy pureblood vampire Dillon, he finds something that is worth living for, dying for, and killing for...

My Thoughts - Eternal Blood is a very short novella that is part of the Mark of the Vampire series. I recently read Eternal Kiss (book two of the series) and I was very intrigued by the character of Gray so I was very pleased when I found out this was his story.

The best thing about this novella for me was the growth that Gray makes during the course of the story - something I found amazing considering the fact that it was only 21 pages long. At the start, he really couldn't care less about anybody else. All he wants to do is get drunk and have meaningless sex with as many women as possible so he can try and forget about everything. But, after the events of Eternal Blood, he is ready to take responsibility and try to take down the Order (a group of ten all-powerful vampires who have complete control over all other vampires). This is a Gray I could fall in love with, as he takes control of his life and actually wants to make a difference in the lives of others.

What I did feel was lacking was the romance element of the story. There is one steamy scene at the start with somebody who isn't Dillon (the heroine of the story), but once Dillon arrives on the scene there is just constant bickering between the two of them. There is a lot of chemistry between them and it is obvious that the bickering is the grown-up equivalent of pulling the pig-tails of the girl you fancy in the playground, but I was really hoping it would turn into something more.

Summary - A great insight into the mind of one of the more intriguing characters of the series. But I wish more could have been made of the romance between Gray and Dillon.

Other books in the series:
1. Eternal Hunger
2. Eternal Kiss
2.5. Eternal Blood
3. Eternal Captive

Other reviews of this book:
Sizzling Hot Book Reviews / Under the Covers

This book counts towards the following challenges:
Book #11 for 2012 Speculative Romance Reading Challenge
Book #15 for 2012 Outdo Yourself Reading Challenge

Paranormal Romance Month Review: Eternal Kiss by Laura Wright (Mark of the Vampire #2)

Publisher - Piatkus
Publication Date - 5th January 2012
Paperback - 320 pages
Genre - Paranormal Romance

Source - Received from publisher for review

Rating - 3 out of 5: I liked it

Book Info - His father unknown, his mother dead, Nicholas Roman was raised by the vampire Breed with one wish: to live as a normal vampire. But when he's transformed against his will into a gifted immortal, Nicholas has one goal: to stop the Eternal Order of vampires from controlling his life. Then comes a beautiful stranger with a startling secret.

Vampire Kate Everborne claims she's sheltering Nicholas's long lost son. If this is true, then who is the mother? And how endangered are they if, indeed, Nicholas does possess the bloodline so coveted by the Order? These are questions that with every seductive whisper and every silken touch draw Nicholas and Kate intimately closer, and nearer still to the truth.

Review - I hadn't heard of this author or series before being sent this book for review, and I became very intrigued by it after reading the blurb. And I will admit that Eternal Kiss provides a fairly unique take on a subject that has been done a lot.

I really enjoyed the world building in this book around the different classes of vampire. There are Purebloods and Impurebloods (human/vampire halfbreeds) and they are all controlled by the Eternal Order - a group of ten Purebloods who punish any vampires who break the rules and who keep their existence hidden from the humans. Also there is a breeding male who can impregnate any female vampire at will and who is kept in a cage at all times as his desire to reproduce is uncontrollable.

I instantly fell into the world that the author describes but I did have a bit of trouble with some of the language. The author has created some words in a new language that the vampires use and it isn't always necessarily clear what they mean during reading (eg. Balas = vampire child / Paven = male vampire of pureblood / Veana = female vampire of Pureblood. And this is just a small selection). A glossary is provided at the start of the book but it can definitely affect the flow of reading when you have to keep flicking to the front of the book to find out what a word means. But I got to grips with these words after the first few chapters so I was then able read on quite happily and I felt that it did add to the world created by the author.

I really liked the two main characters. Kate is fearless and always does the right thing even if it brings trouble to her doorstep. And Nicholas is very sexy in an overbearing Alpha male kind of way. There are descriptions of some tragic things that happened in his past and, although they made for uncomfortable reading and added a very dark tone to the story, it made me understand him so much better.

There is a lot of chemistry between the two of them which doesn't feel forced at all like it can in some paranormal romance novels. Vampires each have a True Mate who they are destined to be with and they share the same mark somewhere on their bodies. Kate and Nicholas are True Mates but I loved the fact that their feelings started to develop before they even realised they were destined for each other. It just made the romance feel a lot more real to me.

My biggest problem with the book was the overuse of a certain four lettered C-word during some of the more intimate moments. This is a personal peeve as it is a word that I really don't like and it kept on distracting me from what was happening on the page. I can see how it fit in with the tone of the story, which is very dark, but I just wish the author could have occasionally used another word for that part of the body.

Summary - Despite this complaint, I am still very intrigued by the world of the Roman brothers and I am hoping to read the next book in the series, Eternal Captive, very soon and I may even go back and read the first book that I missed, Eternal Hunger.

Other books in this series:
1. Eternal Hunger
2. Eternal Kiss
2.5. Eternal Blood
3. Eternal Captive

Other reviews of this book:
A Bookworm's Haven / Good Choice Reading / Leontine's Book Realm