Customer Reviews

The Ruby Tear

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4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

As a long-time fan of vampire fiction, I have had the opportunity to read many different kinds of novels, shorts, etc. Although "The Ruby Tear" is certainly not one of the worst, it isn't one of the best, either.

The story is pretty mundane; a vampire with a grudge against the family who wiped out his family centuries ago. He wants revenge and the jewel the invaders stole. Of course there is the tragic heroine and star-crossed lover story line. And of course the vampire -- who should be old enough to know better -- falls for the girl and screws up his revenge.

The story moves along but it really is more on the order of a Harlequin Romance than the true vampire genre. Not bad for a snack, but don't expect too much substance.

Under a pen name, Suzy McKee Charnas, author of THE VAMPIRE TAPESTRY, creates a more traditional vampire, with all the Byronic allure of his kind. Whether or not you ordinarily read vampire romances, don't miss this one. A family feud rooted in medieval Eastern Europe gives rise to an unsual vampire-human love triangle. Baron Ivo von Cragga, transformed into one of the undead by the vengeful goddess of his war-torn homeland, devotes his existence to the quest for the Ruby Tear, his family's stolen treasure, now possessed by Nicolas Griffin, journalist and playwright. Jess, an actress, Nic's former lover, becomes the vampire's target in his pursuit of revenge against Nic. Charnas' familiarity with New York and the world of the theater lends realistic detail to the story. Unlike Weyland in THE VAMPIRE TAPESTRY, who confronts the chance to grow toward humanity by embracing his memories of the human friends he has come to care for, Cragga is CUT OFF from humanity by the weight of memory. The bloody history of his native land, with its memories of ancient wrongs, binds him to his vampire nature. Only shedding the burden of the past can offer him hope, just as Nic must find a way to free himself from his family's greed-haunted past. The Ruby Tear functions as a symbol of clinging to timeworn hatreds. Charnas plays unique variations on the vampire romance subgenre, injecting notes of humor amid the suspense and making both the lonely, magnetic vampire and his human rival complex, sympathetic characters. Unlike the conventional romance, this book does not make it easy to predict which man, mortal or vampire, will win the heroine's love. The climax of their conflict, with the resolution of Jess' attraction to both heroes, is surprising as well as satisfying

He had been dying on the battlefield when the lady appeared to him. They made a deal. She would give him immortal life as a vampire to hunt down his family's traitor and their descendants until the line is wiped out, as well as, retrieve the ruby necklace the traitor had stolen. Afterward, he would do whatever she said. She wanted other's pain and blood.

Nic is the last of his line. He thought the family curse was but a story. But the lady on the white horse appeared to him. He swerved his car to avoid hitting her and nearly killed his fiance. Now he knows the story is true. A gift would appear next to him or his loved one as warning. Then the vampire will show to kill him. Nic knew the men in his family always died tragically. Now he knew why. Once he knew his fiance, Jessamyn would recover, he broke all ties to her. It was the only way to keep her out of the curse. He refused to have children to carry on the curse. It was time to take a stand. Win or be the last to die to the curse.

Jessamyn had recovered from the accident which nearly crippled her. Nic had thrown her love away and would not even accept her calls. Now Nic had written the best play possible about a family curse and an emerald necklace. She wanted the lead part. She was the best actress for the job. But Nic was determined she would have no part in this play. It was bait to lure a vampire. Jessamyn does get the part. Someone is causing accidents to make her leave the play. A gift of old jewelry shows up and a new strange man comes into her life. A man trying to find Nic through her...a dangerous man.

I tried to stay awake from the get go, but the story was slow at the beginning and slower in the middle and the ending didn't make much sense at all.