"First Blood is a vampire anthology from four of today's top paranormal authors."
Cave Canem by Susan Sizemore
A Laws of the Blood novella Dan Conover is a former Gladiator, turned strigoi.
But he's not just any strigoi, he's also an
Enforcer -- one of the few strigoi entrusted to police
those
that break the rules of the Strigoi Council. After making
a promise a thousand years ago to his maker, he now raises
and protects hellhounds -- terrifying beasts if left to
their own nature. Tess Sirella is a werewolf witch whose psychic warnings
have let her know there are monsters on the loose. She's
hot on the trail of a demon who has stolen a hellhound from
Dan. Her pack is descended from the one who originally
bred with a hellhound and it's now their job to protect or
defend against the hellhounds. When Dan and Tess end up working together, sparks fly. Can
these two overcome thousands of years of mistrust and
prejudice to not only take down a demon and a hellhound
before any more human deaths occur, but to also find a
chance of love? Russian Roulette by Erin McCarthy
A Fallen novella Alistair Kirk is a 400+ year old British vampire living in
modern day New Orleans. When he hears of a woman being
held prisoner, he feels compelled to help her -- even
though
he's sure he's just setting himself up for trouble. Sasha Checkikov is a beautiful, ex-slayer turned fledgling
vampire who has been kidnapped and is going to be sold to
the slayers. She's been betrayed by everyone she loves her
whole life and she no longer has any use for love or
friendship. That is, until she is rescued by a strange,
but handsome vampire. Can Sasha overcome years of abuse and mistrust to take a
chance to see where this unwanted attraction will take her
and Alistair? Double the Bite by Chris Marie Green
A Vampire Babylon novella Ben Tyree is a small town cop on the trail of his brother's
killer. It's 1978 and that trail has led him to New York
City's Studio 54 -- the place to be seen and the
epitome of true debauchery. Ginny and Geneva are gorgeous Liz Taylor look-alike twin
vamps living it up in New York City. When Ginny meets Ben
in the infamous Studio 54, there is an instant attraction
and a connection that she cannot explain. Gen's humanity
has been slowly slipping away from her for years and has
grown fiercer in her possession of the one thing left from
her mortal life -- her twin sister, Ginny. When Gen realizes that Ben may be the one to finally come
between her and Ginny, she decides once and for all that
Ben must go. Will Ginny choose her own flesh and blood --
or the mortal whom she has come to love? Thicker Than Blood by Meljean Brook
A novella of the Guardians (Book 6) Annie Gallagher is a one- time doctor-turned-vampire and
now the Enforcer for Philadelphia. She longs for the love
of the family that has denounced her and her lost lover
whom she had to abandon. She's also on the search for her
young mortal charge, Cricket Snow, who just happens to be
on the run from a nephilim, or demon. Jack Harrington is the ex-FBI agent who resigned after
orders from above told him to back off a case that he
shouldn't be chasing. Problem is, people are missing and
things just aren't adding up for Jack. After having lost
Annie to what he believed was a car accident six years ago,
Jack has been living a shell of a life. When he turns the
tables on an uninvited guest in his home one night, he
finds the intruder isn't so unwanted, after all. When Jack jumps at the chance to help Annie save Cricket,
he decides that this time, he won't be letting Annie get
away. Terrified of having the man she loves turn away from
her just as her own family did, Annie tries to keep a cold
distance from Jack. But Annie slowly begins to realize
that her heart may not be so cold, after all. Can Jack
prove to Annie that their love is worth fighting for and
that their love truly is ... thicker than blood? These four novellas were truly enjoyable reads. I always
enjoy revisiting the various worlds that authors create and
this is a perfect anthology for doing that. I particularly
enjoyed going back to Susan Sizemore's Laws of the Blood
universe, since it has been over 10 years since her last
book from that series. If you are looking for quick, but
thoroughly entertaining vampire stories, I highly recommend
the First Blood anthology.
Reviewed by Mippy Carlson
Posted July 15, 2008
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