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