Let me start by saying that as someone who reads a lot of paranormal romance I'm fairly jaded and tend to be critical. This book, really the series as a whole, is an attempt to modernize and re-imagine the concept of vampires.
The basic plot:
Heroine Beth has lived her life as a human, with no idea that vampires exist, only to discover that she is in fact half-vampire and will soon undergo what is known as a transition-the painful process of becoming a full fledged vampire-at which point she will need to drink from a male vampire to survive. Wrath, our hero, is a warrior as well as the heir to the vampire throne. He is asked by Beth's vampire father to see her through her transition. He initially refuses, but changes his mind upon her father's unexpected death.
The romance is fast and hot. Wrath is an undeniably sexy character. He is strong and pushy. Thankfully Beth is no push over either-she speaks her mind and actually does reasonably well at dealing with everything thats thrown at her. The resulting chemistry is explosive.
Other characters introduced are intriguing and diverse. Wrath's fellow warriors are bad boys who have rich and complex personalities and backgrounds.
The action is present, believable, and well balanced. Ward supplies a band of villains, the Lessers, who are the enemies of the vampire. The warriors fight to keep their numbers down, and to keep the civilians of their species alive. This enriches the conflict, but does not detract in any way from the romance.
The two biggest problems with I found with this book were dialog and pacing. Ward tends to have her characters speak in a weird mix of urban slang and old-world European. There are times when it just strikes me as silly. Secondly I had some issues with the fact that that Wrath and Beth's romance caught and progressed so quickly. Ward explains away their quick attraction as a result of the fact that they're vampires. None the less, I felt that a slower progression would have made the emotional side of the romance more believable.
Over-all: There are some truly wonderful moments in this book. I see it as a violent, politically incorrect fairy tale. It should appeal to most fans of paranormal romance.
The basic plot:
Heroine Beth has lived her life as a human, with no idea that vampires exist, only to discover that she is in fact half-vampire and will soon undergo what is known as a transition-the painful process of becoming a full fledged vampire-at which point she will need to drink from a male vampire to survive. Wrath, our hero, is a warrior as well as the heir to the vampire throne. He is asked by Beth's vampire father to see her through her transition. He initially refuses, but changes his mind upon her father's unexpected death.
The romance is fast and hot. Wrath is an undeniably sexy character. He is strong and pushy. Thankfully Beth is no push over either-she speaks her mind and actually does reasonably well at dealing with everything thats thrown at her. The resulting chemistry is explosive.
Other characters introduced are intriguing and diverse. Wrath's fellow warriors are bad boys who have rich and complex personalities and backgrounds.
The action is present, believable, and well balanced. Ward supplies a band of villains, the Lessers, who are the enemies of the vampire. The warriors fight to keep their numbers down, and to keep the civilians of their species alive. This enriches the conflict, but does not detract in any way from the romance.
The two biggest problems with I found with this book were dialog and pacing. Ward tends to have her characters speak in a weird mix of urban slang and old-world European. There are times when it just strikes me as silly. Secondly I had some issues with the fact that that Wrath and Beth's romance caught and progressed so quickly. Ward explains away their quick attraction as a result of the fact that they're vampires. None the less, I felt that a slower progression would have made the emotional side of the romance more believable.
Over-all: There are some truly wonderful moments in this book. I see it as a violent, politically incorrect fairy tale. It should appeal to most fans of paranormal romance.
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