Companions (Laws of the Blood, Book 3 ) [Paperback]

Susan Sizemore (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2001

Selena Crawford is a Chicago homicide detective. She is also the unwilling companion of Istvan, chief of the Enforcers. They do their best to avoid one another-until they both find themselves investigating the murder of a vampire.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Selena Crawford leads a double life as homicide detective and the human companion of Istvan, a powerful vampire. Although bound together by a powerful attraction, Selena and Istvan are constantly at odds and determined to resist the attraction as much as possible. But when mutilated vampire corpses multiply, Istvan decides to investigate. Selena is doing some investigating of her own, and when she is contacted by a rogue companion to vampires, she knows she has found an important clue. That companion leads Selena to Rosho, a sinister vampire who preys on those weaker than him, including other vampires. Istvan has also closed in on Rosho, but to avoid capture, Rosho follows the vampire codes carefully. He has chosen a new target, though, someone close to Selena, and Selena must stop him. Determined to do so, even at the cost of breaking vampire laws, Selena calls on other companions from her secret companion online support group. A rousing adventure. Kristine Huntley
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Ace (October 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0441008755
• ISBN-13: 978-0441008759
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #892,214 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Susan Sizemore is the New York Times, Award Winning Author of The Vampire Primes paranormal Romance series, the urban fantasy Laws of the Blood series and numerous historical, contemporary and futuristic romances. She has numerous short stories in many anthologies. Her fantasy novels include works for Ace, Five Star, Prime Books and Tor. She is the author of original works, MEMORY OF MORNING, PRIMAL CALL and WRITTEN IN INK exclusively available in ebook format.

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

115 of 120 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Move Over Anita Blake, Here's Selena Crawford, November 12, 2001

By 

paula_k_98 "paula_k_98" (Muskogee, OK USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Companions (Laws of the Blood, Book 3 ) (Paperback)

Just when I despaired of ever finding anything to take care of my "vampire fix" that had a strong heroine ready to kick butt (like my favorite Anita Blake), I ran across Laws of the Blood: Companions by Susan Sizemore. What a treat and what a story for a newcomer to this genre of writing such as myself.

Selena Crawford is a homicide detective for the Chicago Police Department. She's tough, she's strong, and she's a regular Amazon. Selena doesn't take anything off anyone except...of course there has to be an exception in this story. It seems that two years earlier, Selena got in a bit of bind when vampires surrounded her and were about to do away with her. To her rescue came our hero, Istvan. Istvan, or Steve, as Selena calls him is the enforcer. He makes sure all the vampires obey their written code or set of laws. In order for Steve to save Selena, he ends up making her his "companion." The last thing Steve wants is a "companion." It ranks right up there with being married. According to vampire law, a companion is a vampire's property. They may do with their companions, as they will. There is one little problem though, Selena chooses to do what she wants, not necessarily what Steve wants. In order to keep from driving each other insane, Steve and Selena see each other as little as possible.

Then someone begins killing vampires and leaving their bodies out for the police to find. Selena is naturally called in to investigate. If having dead vampires to deal with wasn't enough to deal with, Selena finds her family sheltering one, and Steve just casually dropping in for a visit. Selena is also secretly talking to other companions on the internet about the way they are treated. This has to be done secretly, or they could all pay the price.

I am so glad I found this book. The characters are dynamite, the dialogue is snappy and there is plenty of action. Yes, for you who enjoy a little romance and hot sex, there is plenty of that also. It is my understanding that this is the third book in a series of five. While the storyline continues, the characters don't necessarily show up in each book. I'm impressed enough that I've order the first two (...). For me, if this book is any indication of the two previous books and the two forth-coming books, I'm in for the long run.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic romantic horror, October 3, 2001

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Companions (Laws of the Blood, Book 3 ) (Paperback)

Istvan was born a dhampire, having been the issue of a vampire father and a mortal mother. When he grew into his powers he became a ferocious vampire hunter killing as many of them as he could. He was turned into a vampire against his will, which made him hate vampires even more. For the next five hundred years he became the Vampire Council's chief enforcer, a lone wolf who let no one get close to him.

In modern day Chicago, he met his soul mate, Selena Crawford and they exchanged blood making her his companion. Not wanting anyone to get too close to him, he left her alone for two years until unsanctioned vampire killings brought them back together. When the killer is brought to justice, Istvan intends to walk away but he doesn't realize that Selena has some powers of her own.

LAWS OF THE BLOOD: COMPANIONS is a juicy and tasty novel that whets the appetite for more works in this dynamite series. Susan Sizemore has created a believable new universe of the supernatural set in modern day America that will appeal to readers who like the works of Laurell K Hamilton and Tonya Huff. This supernatural romantic thriller is guaranteed to leave the reader hungering for the next work in this series.

Harriet Klausner

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My Favorite Of The Series (So Far!), November 23, 2001

By 

mayfayre "mayfayre" (New Jersey USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Companions (Laws of the Blood, Book 3 ) (Paperback)

Other reviewers have given the plot synopsis, so I'll just say that if you're a fan of both vampire and mystery genres, you'll like the books in this series. The stories are well-written and the characters have depth to them.

All of the books in the Laws of the Blood series are stand-alones, but the previous two made mention of Istvan, the Enforcer of the Enforcers, always speaking of him in tones of dread. This is Istvan's story and it was interesting to read his point of view. What also made this book enjoyable was the fact that his companion is a strong person in her own right, and is not too happy to find herself in the role of companion. This book also brought back some characters from the previous books, so it was nice to get the update on their stories.