2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Covenant in Blood by Ariel Tachna, November 23, 2008
The second book in the Partnership in Blood series took me by surprise two times: first since it's almost double longer than the previous book on the same series, Alliance in Blood, 420 pages the second, 235 pages the first; and second since I was expecting the story of a new couple in the partnership between wizards and vampires, and instead it is the carrying on of the story between Orlando and Alain, the couple of the first book, but also the parallel stories of a group of others, like Adele and June, Angelique and David, Blair and Laurent, Caroline and Mireille, Catherine and Justin, Charlotte and Sophie, Jean and Raymond, Luc and Magali, Marie and Genevieve, Mathieu and Fabienne, Sebastien and Thierry, who more and who less, but all of them an important part of the story.
So this second book it's not specifically a book about a single romance, it's more a choral book where Alain and Orlando play an important role, like two main characters in an opera, but they are not the main focus of the story: the main focus is the alliance and all the little domino pieces that allow its building.
In a way I'm happy that Alain and Orlando's story didn't end in the previous book, since it was not full developed, there is a lot more to say on these two: last time Orlando came out like a very proud man, willing to risk a lot for the good of the vampire clan, but his personal story didn't come out in its full complexity. Orlando is a very troubled man, with a lot of open issues from his past that still haunt his present life. In a way, in the previous book, one could have the idea that Alain was the man with a painful past to forget, the loss of his son, and that he made the greatest sacrifice putting aside his pain to forge the alliance with Orlando. Now instead the reader understands that Orlando's pain is more ancient and deep-rooted.
Being the book so long, unfortunately there is also space for sad events in it; the full series is about a war, and as in all the wars there are victims. Alliance in Blood it was about how vampires and wizards met, and how they found about their special bound. It was a bit dark and gothic, but all in all it was lighter. Covenant in Blood must go on, and so there is also more darkness.
Two things I would like to highlight: as I listed at the beginning, there are a lot of different couples, same sex and not, and all of them have their important role. And so there is also the same sex couple made by Caroline and Mireille; usually I don't like this type of pair, it's a personal taste not a prejudice, I know that as there are fans of gay romance, there are also fans of lesbian romance. But I have to say that I enjoy also the romance between Caroline and Mireille, and they have an important share on the story.
The second thing it's more a nice wink the author makes to the reader: as in the first book she described the first meeting between vampires and wizards as one of those awkward teens party full of insecurity and shyness, also in the second book she recalls a teen memory, when one of the wizard, uncertain of the feelings of his paired vampire, asks to his best friend to be his herald, to try to find if the vampire likes him. Who of you, in high school, didn't find himself in the role of the herald or in those of one of the two sweethearts?
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5.0 out of 5 stars
Great character development in this continuation of the series, November 11, 2011
This review is from: Covenant in Blood (Partnership in Blood) (Kindle Edition)
With the alliance between the vampires and wizards of Paris in place, both sides must learn to deal with the changes being wrought within the partnerships that have formed; and, of course, the partners themselves must learn to deal with their changing emotions and ideas about their own partners. In the meantime, the dark wizards are trying to discover how it is that the Millice are having such exceptional success against their operatives and operations, and the leader has instructed his lieutenants to find him a vampire to question. They find Edouard, a vampire that is not bothered by killing his victims, unlike many vampires, and who is - initially at least - more than willing to help out the dark wizards. Will they be able to discover the secret of the bond?
A great continuation of the series, we are quickly introduced to various bonded pairs and experience their changing attitudes toward one another, and their rapidly developing bonds. I was very impressed by Tachna's attention to individual personalities in her various characters, even those who only showed up briefly. With familiarization, I am finding myself less disturbed by the more explicit scenes, while not exactly titillated like many people I know. If you enjoy a well-plotted story with great character development, you should really check out this series for yourself.
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