This new series Larissa Ione has started is darker than her Demonica series. You’re dealing with slavery (the vampires are slaves-many are defanged and castrated, many females raped by their owners, etc) and the after-affects of a little girl watching her family’s slaves rise up and kill them all. It’s pretty gruesome.

But, it’s also very intriguing.

Nicole Martin left the States after she survived the slaves uprising in her parents’ home, and she stayed abroad until she had to come home to take over the family business. She hates vampires. After what she had been through who could blame her? So when she is kidnapped by Riker, a vampire male who she watched murder his pregnant mate, her nanny, it’s no surprise she tries to escape.

Riker, (spoiler alert!) didn’t kill his mate. When Nicole was a child, she didn’t see the whole situation play out, but he does have his mate’s death on his hands in the typical emo/broody male way. But Riker needs Nicole. He plans to ransom her back, because her company has taken a female hostage, and they need her returned. The woman is a midwife, borrowed from another clan, and she is needed desperately.

But, the problem with Nicole remaining safe and secure abroad, is that she never wanted to see what was really happening in the company. She kept her nose in her research and never looked around. All of the information coming at her from realizing that vampires are just like humans, some are good, some are bad, they live, they love, and that humans are actually the bad guys here, is quite a shock to her. BUT, she is willing to open her mind and at least try to understand. She no longer remains willfully ignorant, she wants to help.

I liked how she was not so stubborn that she kept her “vampires are evil” mentality going. She was willing to change, and she even apologized when it was warranted. She was a bit naive, don’t get me wrong, but I think she’s supposed to be.

Riker is part of a clan of vampires hiding from humans. Most of them are escaped slaves, and they want to get their borrowed midwife back, whether it’s trading Nicole for her, or just storming in and taking her back. But no one expects Nicole’s company and remaining family to say, “Ehh, keep her. We’re good.”

This book  has the beginnings of an interesting series, however it does suffer from FBITS (First Book in the Series Syndrome), and it got bogged down by almost too much backstory.
It’s dark, compelling, and very interesting. I hope the next book doesn’t have the same problems. To be fair, I don’t think it will.

***Review copy courtesy of Berkley, Pocket Books

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