The Blood Bride (Blood Secrets
#1)
by Imogene Nix
Erotic Paranormal Romance
Categories: Mystery/Thriller
Publisher: Total-e-Bound
Release Date: June 21, 2013
Heat Level: Steamy
Word Count: 78,900
Available at:
Blurb:
Hope just wants to be an
ordinary nestling. She went to college and escaped, but now she’s back and
there’s a secret everyone is keeping from her.
Xavier is the new master of the
nest, ready to welcome home the daughter of the house who he has never met.
He’s unprepared for the woman who steals his breath and enchants him.
Now Hope and Xavier must fight
for lives and those of the innocents. After all, it is only by overcoming the
rogues that they will have a chance of a timeless future together. But will it
be in time?
Warning: This title is intended
for readers over the age of 18 as it contains adult sexual situations and/or
adult language, and may be considered offensive to some readers.
Excerpt:
Copyright © Imogene Nix, 2013
All Rights Reserved, Total-E-Ntwined Limited, T/A
Total-E-Bound.
Hope hauled the last heavy box
up the stairs of the manor house, occasionally catching glimpses of the way her
midnight black hair shone in the sunlight, when she passed the window in the
living room of her apartment. "Thank heavens this is the last one,"
she muttered to herself, sliding the box down to rest on the floor, before
straightening and rubbing the nagging ache in her back. She could have had
help, all she needed to do was ask, but now that she was an adult she needed to
stand on her own two feet, she reminded herself.
Straightening up, she looked
around at the mass of boxes waiting for her to delve into. "Well, gone
away and back again. Where do I start first?"
The phone trilled and she
started for an instant, before extending her hand to the receiver on the shelf
beside her. "Hope."
"Miss Hope, do you require
any help? Lisi is wondering if you require her assistance." The muffled
voice of one of her guardians flowed out of the earpiece. She had forgotten
that living at the manor meant the goldfish bowl lifestyle she had tried her
best to escape at college. Not that she’d had much opportunity to live a free
lifestyle. She’d been lodged with a guardian family within the college grounds.
Even then, her personal team of five guards had shadowed her every move—to
classes, shopping and even to the hairdresser’s.
They hadn’t escaped her notice,
the looks some of her classmates had thrown her way. Longing for the lifestyle
they’d thought she enjoyed. Little did they know, Hope would happily have
swapped, a lot of the time. Downtime had existed within a carefully vetted
group of companions, each from houses of similar status. The cloying atmosphere
she hated, but, nonetheless, she had submitted to her parents’ will. Only a few
times had she sought to do activities that they would have deemed
inappropriate, but her conscience had always kicked in, and she had derived no
enjoyment from the guilty feelings that had overcome her.
"No thanks, Jeffrey. I
have all the boxes up here and I am going to take my time going through
everything." How could she explain that she needed a freedom that had been
denied? That this small and almost insignificant rebellion was one she
embraced? But she couldn’t. It wasn’t fair to Jeffrey to share that.
"Fine, Miss Hope. Oh, and
I am supposed to remind you, the new Master has requested your presence in his
library after sundown."
She nodded, knowing it was
expected that she would take her oath of fealty. "Oh. Right. I’ll be down
for sunset." She laid down the receiver. It’s one thing to owe your
continued safety to a vampire nest Master, but quite another to be at his beck
and call all the time, just as her parents had been. Her temper spiked
momentarily. The emotion coiled through her then she shuddered, pushing away
the negative thought, while absently reaching for the boxes she needed to
stack, store or unpack. The rough exterior of some of them brushed against her
hands. For now, she had time. Lots of time.
Ripping the tape off the first
box, she then started to root through it, unwrapping reminders of her slightly
more free college life, formulating arguments to put to her parents, knowing
that the dice were stacked against her. Her life had been mapped out since her
birth, but perhaps she could find a way around some of the roadblocks. At least
she hoped so. With that thought, she set to work.
* * * *
He stretched in the bed,
feeling the cool sheets around his body, savouring the experience of knowing he
could rise when he wanted to. Luxuriating as he came to full awareness of his
surroundings. His bed. His home. His nest. A feeling of exultation swept
through him. One he had experienced several times in the last six months since
he had become Master.
Xavier had only recently been
transferred to this nest, after Cyrus had been called to ascend to a seat on
the Council with his predecessor Cressida, the most senior of the vampires on
the Council.
A new Master had been required
for the nest, a situation arising from the ascension of Cressida who had saved
the child Hope from the rogues. The death of another of the Council meant that
Cyrus had answered a call to accept a seat. It was an almost unheard of event
for a nest to have two new Masters in under a hundred years, but Xavier had
accepted his unexpected promotion. Not that he would take it for granted—no, he
worked beside his vampires as required, so they knew he would ensure their
safety while they ensured his.
The household he had taken over
was well run, and he had no fears for the financial status, even though they
had lost the manor and many assets during the dark days of clearing the rogues
who had attacked the house. Indeed, he had been with Cyrus the night he had
ascended and had seen the great strides Cyrus had made during his Mastership.
He swiped a hand over his
stubbled face and a voice to his left said quietly, "Master, refreshments
for you." A crystal goblet appeared in a white hand at the edge of his
vision. He accepted it with a grunt, the ruby red liquid inside calling to him
on a primal level. Blood wine. Sustenance that would ease the clawing hunger he
always felt on awakening.
His teeth extended and his
mouth opened. The first drop touched his tongue and a frisson moved through
him, the ecstasy of drinking flowing into his body. He took his time, savouring
the flavours.
Young.
Full bodied.
Tart aftertaste. The wine, the
only human sustenance he could now enjoy. Food was relegated to a memory of
things long past.
He closed his eyes as the last
drop flowed, and breathed deep. Yes, a Master could very quickly become
accustomed to this lifestyle, but not now and not today. He needed to meet this
Hope, the one who had turned their entire world upside down. James had told him
little about his daughter, save that she would need to remain within the house,
protected from the world. That someday she would assume the mantle of leading
the house from within, while her brother oversaw the legal and financial
affairs of the nest.
He pushed the bed covers away,
unconcerned about nudity as he padded to the bathroom. He might be a vampire,
but he still bathed and shaved, a thought that made him chuckle. Even after all
these years, when vampires had made their entry into the human world, humans
outside nests thought vampires had no need for those daily rituals.
He moved through his ablutions.
She would be waiting for him, but he would present himself to her in his most
urbane incarnation. She would take her oath of fealty, then he would meet with
his advisers, James and David leading the human contingent.
My Review:
I had no idea going into this
book that it being a nestling meant vampire, but I will admit I did enjoy this
book. It started off with some great descriptions and then they all tried to
sort out what happened, and it got a bit confusing to me. Honestly though, with
the amount of secrets being kept, it might have been a bit confusing for the
characters too.
It’s an interesting story with
secrets abound and at the core it’s a rather unique erotic vampire story. I
easily read it in one sitting and stayed up late to do so. While it was
confusing, I think that can be attributed to Ms. Nix wanting to set up and
explain all the different factions and rules of her world. There were several
hot scenes that cements this as a decent erotic romance.
At the end of the day, it’s a
good start to a new interesting twist on vampires, which has the potential to
be something exceptional. It’s a good read and I think it’s worth picking up
and trying.
3.5 Books
I received this book in
exchange for my honest opinion. I was not compensated for my review.
About the Author:
A mother of two, compulsive
reader and bookstore owner. She lives in regional Queensland ,
Australia
She is also a firm believer in
writing what you enjoy… something she strictly adheres to!
Connect with Imogene Nix
Giveaway:
Prize is 2 eBook prize packs (1
prize pack each to 2 winners), each consisting of 1 copy each of "Blame
the Wine", "The Blood Bride", "Starburst" AND
"The Plan" from Imogene Nix. Contest is tour-wide and ends July 5.
Must be 18 years of age or older to enter. Use the Rafflecopter to enter!
