"A sexy, savvy series"
I have truly enjoyed Blood Moon and The Brotherhood, the
first two in the Blood Moon series, but have so waited for
The Ravening, the third book. I have heard there will be
more Blood Moon vamp books down the road, but for now this
completes the arc of this trilogy. And WOW! Dawn Thompson
conjured up a new vampire hybrid in a market where everyone
said nothing could be done that hasn't already been done.
Thompson does what she is best at - goes back to the
original roots of mythology, in this case, back to where
vampire lore started. She created a hybrid of Stoker's
Dracula and Regency Romance, a period where Thompson seems
most at home. She made the series new, without all the
modern day trappings, and got it back to its dark origins,
in a sexy, savvy series of both that please horror readers
as well as romance readers. IN creating Milosh, the Gypsy vampire hunter, she gave us a
hero that was itching to break out into his own book.
Finally, we get to see Milosh in his full glory. Milosh
has lived over four centuries now. Milosh is a vampire,
but because of the Blood Moon Ceremony, he is able to live
his life in control of the hunger that affects vampires.
He has tirelessly worked to see others like him protect the
world from the undead monsters that stalk unsuspecting
humans. He's formed the Brotherhood, those like him that
are dedicated to stopping the evil menace. Only, even he
is not above the rule of the Brotherhood, and it may cost
him his life. The book takes up in Cumberland, England in the late 1800s,
the Victorian era. Milosh is a legend among the vampire
hunters, but he still must face his ancient enemy,
Sebastian Valentine. Sebastian's trail has brought Milosh
near Whitebrair Abbey, where the Hyde-Whites now live
(first two books). Only the place is now in ruins. He
pauses to rest in the burnt out ruins, and there meets
Paloma, a beautiful Gypsy. Paloma has been bitten and needs blood, and she makes the
mistake of biting Milosh. In a bizarre change, she is now
immune from the vampire blood lust, but Milosh has been
turned back into what he hates most -- a vampire. Only, in
taking the blood that has saved her, she becomes the target
of those wanting the power her blood now contains. Milosh calls upon the Brotherhood to save her, no longer
believing he can control his blood ravening. The
Brotherhood that he built may have to kill him to keep her
safe. The only thing that can save him is The Blood Moon
Ceremony. But will he be able to perform the ceremony in
time? The next cycle would be two years away; too late to
save him. It's now or never. The Ravening is very much a stand-alone story, but for pure
enjoyment read all three in order. Thompson, one of the
most beautiful writers in romance today, has done a knock
out job of delivering an amazing trilogy. Dark, sexy,
scary. It just doesn't get any better than this!
Reviewed by Deborah Macgillivray
Posted January 9, 2008
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