Yours For Eternity

September 27, 2010
This trio of vampire romances starts off strong with Howell's "Highland Blood," a compelling and complex tale of a scattered clan of half-vampire children who must be rescued by humans who fear and loathe them. Adeline Dunbar, feared as a witch but begrudged a marginal existence for her healing abilities, rescues a vampire child, Osgar. Lachann MacNachton is on a mission to rescue lost vampire children and bring them back to repopulate the sterile vampire clan. His attraction to Adeline grows quickly, resulting in a passionate tale of a man torn between bitter experience and the hope that this time it will be different. Ivy's Regency-era "Taken by Darkness" features Victor, a vampire and notorious rake, and his obsession for Juliet Lawrence, a half-imp witch who denies her passion for Victor out of fear that he sees her as just another conquest. Superior writing elevates this tale beyond the stalker-esque plot. In O'Reilly's "Immortal Dreams," widowed Grace is plagued equally by dreams of a mysterious lover and the reality of her mother-in-law, an overbearing zealot. This tale falls flat, adequate overall but weak compared with the others.

August 1, 2010

Darkly entrancing, this anthology of historical vampire romances sweeps readers from early 16th-century Scotland to Victorian England with a trio of diverse, inventive tales. A young healer saves a vampire child left to die in the woods and fights The Hunters for her life and eventually her love as she goes in search of the boy's clan in Howell's adventurous "Highland Blood." A cold, arrogant vampire lord is attracted to a witch who seems immune to his charms in Alexandra Ivy's magical demon-laced Regency "Taken by Darkness." A young widow, haunted for years by sensual dreams that are actually past-life memories, is reunited with her dream vampire lover despite cruel, malicious efforts to keep them apart in Kaitlin O'Riley's "Immortal Dreams." VERDICT Although varying in style, quality, and chill factor, these stories are perfect reading for a mysterious, uneasy Halloween night. Howell, Ivy, and O'Riley live in West Newbury, MA; Ewing, MO; and Los Angeles, respectively.

Copyright 2010 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.