Devon Ruthin and A Vampire in Love Volume one of The Ruthin Trilogy [Kindle Edition]

Tessa Stokes (Author)

Book Description

***Second Edition***
A contemporary paranormal romance.

 

When a girl looking for love meets a lonely, but strange man
she has her suspicions about him, especially since he doesn't seem to eat.

He's not what he used to be, he's totally reformed and lives
amongst a group of ancient magical beings. Just what is he besides, gorgeous,
sexy, intelligent and totally in love with her?

He's a dress designer, a dot com businessman, a good friend,
courageous, and he's four hundred and some years old.

 

Fate has some weird twists in store for this couple but
above all else it has a delicious love story.

Devon Ruthin finally hears from his very dangerous brother
after twenty years. It's not the reunion he would hope for, when Drew takes a
liking to the girl Devon loves.

It's not the reunion Drew might have hoped for either,
because he discovers the woman he's always loved lives in the same town as
Devon and begins a quest to win her back.

Drew is still a dangerous being but his love interest Elise
has some tricks up her sleeve.

 

This is the first book in the paranormal romance The Ruthin
Trilogy.

Follow what happens to Drew in the second book now out on
kindle Drew Ruthin and the Blood of
Changes. (Contains explicit love scenes).

Editorial Reviews

From the Author

From the author,
 I enjoyed writing this book immensely, the vampire community was such fun to formulate and I began to like the main vampire character even though I had started out to dislike him. Oddly, towards the end of the book I liked him more than the other main male character. It's his complex and unpredictable vampire character which still retains some kind of vulnerable quality, although he is dangerous that I like. The book is adult paranormal romance, so we have love, gentleness, sex, romance, lies, trickery, magic, strange beings, killings, betrayal and fun.

From the Back Cover

"The author weaves a fantastic story......and is also a stellar character creator."

Bliss watched Devon for twenty minutes as he walked up and down the length of his garden. He seemed to be able to do it very quickly, unless he turned and came back as he was in the dark part, where the garden lights petered out. What was he doing out there she thought and then she decided to go down to him. She wanted to be with him, she had come looking for love, and she thought she had found it.

A place full of history and magic Bliss is bound to have found love but what else has she found? Suspense, mystery, danger and a community of ancient beings with strange blood running in their veins.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• File Size: 549 KB
• Print Length: 266 pages
• Publisher: Tessa Stokes; 2 edition (September 28, 2012)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B005SIXIZI
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Not Enabled
• Lending: Not Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #513,972 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A Suspenseful Vampire Love Story February 16, 2012

By Lynne Murray

Format:Kindle Edition

One of the fun things about vampire books is that every author sets up new rules to govern their vampires. The vampires in Tessa Stokes' Devin Ruthin, A Vampire in Love, exist under rules that keep the suspense at a high pitch, and the reader turning pages. I cared about what was happening to the hero and heroine and stayed up late to read "just one more chapter" when they were in danger.

The hero vampire Devin Ruthin and his fellow vampires don't completely understand all of their powers and weaknesses themselves and that can prove to be an error that kills them permanently. Suspense grows as the characters put the pieces together--but several times during the book when characters are in danger, the reader knows just enough to fear for the worst.

The book begins with an unnamed vampire on the prowl through a modern nightclub. He meets women who fall under his hypnotic charm, entices them outside to secluded places with the promise of romance, drains them of blood and discards their bodies like used food containers. This guy is even worse than the bad boys our mothers warned us about.

Within a few pages we meet the heroine, Bliss, a young teacher who cannot resist the lure of romantic fiction and who longs for a love of her own and a more interesting life. She can't really believe love will come to her, but when she takes a vacation she meets the gorgeously handsome Devin Ruthin and falls in love with him very quickly.

When Bliss first meets Devon, despite his being the title character, I was suspicious of him--particularly after the opening scene where the un-named vampire is going through the ladies and tossing their bodies in dumpsters. But the reader eavesdrops on Devon's thoughts and finds that he's a vampire who has managed to overcome the blood lust after over 400 years as a ruthless vamp. Devon is trying to regain his humanity and he doesn't know if it is totally possible, but the stakes are suddenly very high because he has fallen in love with the very human Bliss.

Bliss doesn't realize that the man she loves is a vampire and her innocence comjures up more suspense when an old enemy from Devon's days in the vampire world begins stalking her as a meal and for revenge on his old rival. Bliss can't protect herself from something she doesn't even know exists. Watching her wandering into the path of a homicidal vampire with no way to comprehend the danger was a real nail-biter.

I started to worry about Bliss immediately in a way that I never worried about Bella in the Twilight books. Maybe it was because Bliss was such an appealing character. After years of being a mild mannered teacher and dutiful daughter and sister, she wants to find happiness in love, but she never complains. She's shy enough that she is tremendously vulnerable, yet she has a strong stubborn streak and will fight for her man, even when it seems she's hopelessly overmatched. It seems that Devon will be able to overcome his blood thirst, particularly with love as an incentive but can he protect Bliss as well?

Devin Ruthin is a fun, tremendously suspenseful read and I could not have guessed the twists and turns that it took along the way to a satisfying ending--with hints of future conflicts in Book 2 of the series!

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Romantic, hypnotic, beautifully crafted! Five Stars!! December 4, 2011

By Karen Luellen

Format:Kindle Edition

Devon Ruthin is strikingly handsome at 424 years old; of course he would be--he is a vampire. He has spent his life in England, not far from his inherited wealth and power. As a member of the aristocracy, Devon wanted for nothing and spent his carefree youth romancing countless women with his attractive presence and charming ways. It was during one of these encounters with a random girl after a play that he found himself victim to a vampires.

For centuries, Devon walked the night, using his extreme speed and strength to satiate his thirst for blood. Just as he had a love for women in his years as a human, his thirst for female companionship and the sweet, red blood they provided was insatiable. As was his station and temperament, Devon became widely revered and acknowledged as the leader of a large group of vampires.

And this is how he lived until twenty years ago when an event in a barn on the edge of his estate changed his life forever. That fateful night, he found himself standing between eight vampires lead by one who hated Devon and looked to take over his leadership and a group of five "beings" with magical powers of their own.

His decision that night changed the course of not only his life but the lives of countless others setting in motion the venomous hunger for both revenge and absolution.

Present day, we meet a school teacher named Bliss full of restlessness and optimism as she sets off on holiday by herself searching for adventure and romance--the kind of which she has only experienced vicariously through characters in books.

Tessa Stokes writes so fluidly. Her imagination and description pulled me completely into the story as though I was dreaming it and moving right along the stream of consciousness without realizing how many hours slipped past. Several times I had to remind myself to stop to eat or drink, her writing is so hypnotic! I am anxiously awaiting the release of book number two in her trilogy! Five stars!!!

5.0 out of 5 stars Even Vampires Get Lonely! February 12, 2012

By P. Elliott

Format:Kindle Edition

Devon Ruthin has grown weary of the vampire life and lost his blood lust. He has learnt to lead an almost human existence, but eternity is lonely and he craves love and companionship.
Enter Bliss, a school teacher whose previous relationships have left her emotionally bruised. Stuck in a rut she goes on holiday, where she meets two gorgeous men - Devon, and then Drew. She is immediately attracted to Devon but when he leaves without taking her number she assumes she'll never see him again and accepts Drew's dinner invitation.
Devon however is smitten, and tracks Bliss down - on a date with Drew. Bliss makes it clear she wants to be with Devon, but unfortunately Drew's jealousy has been aroused -with deadly consequences.
This is a story of love, relationships and vampires that is full of twists and turns, such as, how Bliss reacts when she accidentally learns of Devon's vampire past. Then (spoiler alert) she finds out Drew is Devon's brother and events spiral out of control as the unstable Drew abducts Bliss...
The opening paragraph with Drew in the nightclub and his casual disregard for life had me hooked straight away. Contrast that with Devon's strength and masculinity, and his personal struggle to stay off blood and you have two brothers on a collision course.

There is something hypnotic about Ms Stokes work. She has a writing voice that, for me, resonated with echoes of Steig Larson. I love the detailed descriptions that immerse the reader in the time, place and character and kept me turning the pages.
What stood out for me was the Devon / Bliss storyline. It was tender and touching and had me rooting for the characters from the beginning.
I wonder if Ms Stokes has thought of writing romance since the emotional connection between Bliss and Devon was so strong that it almost hurt when Bliss was abducted.
Bravo, Ms Stokes, I look forward to reading more of your books.

More About the Author

A British author, Tessa writes paranormal romance and urban fantasy romance, as it gives her more chance for happy endings.
She was born in the United Kingdom, but has lived in different parts of the world because of her work and has many interests, amongst which reading features highly. Tessa loves history, and tries to cram in as many visits to historical, sacred and ancient places as she can in any free time she has.