4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Dark, erotic vampire tale, March 3, 2009
This review is from: A Vampire's Claim (Vampire Queen) (Mass Market Paperback)
When a human male and a female vampire find common ground, a bond is formed that blazes the trail to a more substantial emotion - love.
Both Dev and Lady Daniela have lost their families. Each is alone in the world, with no one to rely on but themselves. That is, until they meet each other. From their very first encounter, the attraction between them is undeniable. Of course, neither of them really tries to deny it, lol.
Beyond the physical attraction, however, they soon realize there is something more between them, something lasting.
Lady Daniela stirs every protective instinct that alpha male Devlin has. But Daniela is a born vampire, and is normally quite capable of protecting herself. When an attempt on her life is barely thwarted, however, she realizes the time has come for her to take a vampire servant. Marking Dev would not only strengthen her, but would cement the connection between them in the most permanent of ways.
The question is whether Dev can submit to Lady Daniela as a servant to a vampire must? Failure in this area can mean certain death to him and worse, possibly to the woman he loves should her enemies see her as weak.
Joey W. Hill delivers the third tale in her VAMPIRE QUEEN saga, A VAMPIRE'S CLAIM. This story takes us back in time to when Lady Daniela and Dev first met. Readers were first introduced to this charismatic couple in the previous story, THE MARK OF THE VAMPIRE QUEEN, and I was delighted to learn this new book explores their relationship.
Both Dev and Lady Daniela are heartbreaking characters. Each carries the pain of lost loved ones with them, and that pain draws them together as surely as their sexual desire does. Beyond the pain and desire, however, they find a deeper connection, one that would equal love and forever in a human relationship. In the world of vampire politics, though, love between a vampire female and her human servant is frowned upon. It is acceptable to have a human male for a servant, but to treat him as an equal? It just isn't done.
Things work a little differently in private, however. Lady Daniela is certainly dominant most of the time, but she shares the power in their relationship with Dev, allowing him full reign when he needs it.
Dev is a fantastic specimen of a man. He is resourceful, caring, strong, and pretty much every other positive quality you might want in a romantic hero. It isn't hard to understand just why Lady Daniela is drawn to him.
I do have to say that the story started out a little bit slow for me. The beginning moved at a pace that was a little slow, yet still fascinating. It didn't take long for things to pick up, however, and no matter the pacing, all of it was good. Although I'm a fast reader, all of the VAMPIRE QUEEN books have been slower reads for me, and I believe it is due to the intricate politics of the vampire society that Ms. Hill has crafted in these books. This isn't a bad thing, but it does slow me down a little.
Also, readers should be prepared for a story that is rife with darkness, and some pretty intense sexual scenes. This world has no limits, and it isn't unusual to see a female dominating a man, some BDSM, and even a little male/male eroticism.
A VAMPIRE'S CLAIM is a fantastic continuation of an addictive series, and will undoubtedly thrill fans of Joey W. Hill's just as it did me. Lovers of paranormal romance who are new to this series will have no trouble diving in with this book first if they so wish, as it works remarkably well as a standalone novel.
**4.5 Bookmarks, courtesy of Wild on Books**
Series Order:
The Vampire Queen's Servant (Vampire Queen, Book 1)
The Mark of the Vampire Queen (Vampire Queen, Book 2)
A Vampire's Claim
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Another fantastic Vampire story by Joey Hill, March 3, 2009
This review is from: A Vampire's Claim (Vampire Queen) (Mass Market Paperback)
Vampire's Claim is the story of Lady Daniela and Devlin who were secondary characters in Joey's wonderful story, The Mark of the Vampire Queen.
Devlin is on walkabout. He's lost his family and in some ways his soul and no longer spend much time around anyone. He stops at a friends bar for a drink and meets Lady Daniela who has come back to Australia to reclaim her families station. She and Dev spends one passionate and very erotic night together and a bond starts to form between them. Lady D has never taken and human servant and Dev has not had a relationship since he lost his family. Dev decides to stay to help Lady D get safely to her place and what transpires is an action filled adventure full of fierce battles, erotic love scenes and the healing of hearts.
Whenever I read a Joey Hill book I am transported to another world, her storytelling is so compelling. This is another wonderful story in her Vampire series and so far this is my favorite one in the series. Highly recommended!
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