Avalon Revisited by O.M. Grey
Paranormal/Steampunk Romance
April 22, 2010
Blue Moon Press


Why I read: Review request from publisher


Favorite Quote: Remember Arthur, I rebuked myself. Remember what it’s like to be human. As if I could after so long, but I faked it well enough.

Arthur is a 350 year old Vampire, although he looks like a teenager living in the heart of the English ton. When he was mortal, he was the brother of King Henry VIII, and lover of Catherine, before he died and she became Queen. Arthur is still bitter over Catherine, and refuses to believe in love. He spends his days seducing older women, his life just a game to him. Until he boards a dirigible, his first air ride, and meets Avalon, who to him looks like Catherine reincarnated. From the first glance he wants her, but she is different than any other woman he has met. She refuses his flirtations, which just makes him want her more. Arthur’s life has just got fun.

While reading Avalon Revisited, I became very intrigued by our hero (or maybe a better description would be anti hero) Arthur. The book is in his POV, and as the reader you quickly learn how lonely, bored and far from a human he has become. He is 350 years old, and has forgotten much of his humanity. He can still behave in public, and is still in good graces with the British elite, but he kills without remorse. His morals are long gone. He plots which person will be seduced and killed in advance. He doesn’t necessarily relish in killing, but it’s part of who he is. He is arrogant, judgmental and I really liked that he is different from your standard hero in a book. As I read, I was very curious to see if O.M. Grey would transform him into a hero we wanted to like or if he would stay in his anti hero status. What we get is a muddled mix of the two.

Arthur meets Avalon, who looks like his beloved Catherine from long ago, and he is enamored. He declares himself in love from the get go, and is determined to have her. She makes him work for it, his simple flirtations annoy her rather than have her lifting her skirts. His predatory natures perks at this hunt, and there is no going back for him. Where my intrigue started to wan happens here. First, Arthur displays supernatural strength and speed in front of Avalon and her vampire hunter friend Victor (while he is suppose to be pretending he is mortal), and while Victor kind of questions it, Avalon just accepts it. They are hunting vampires, Arthur displays vampire traits, and they just carry on. This was a huge red flag that should have had Avalon and Victor jumping into action.

Second, Arthur is in love, or so he says with Avalon and knows to get close to her he has to get close to her companion, Emily. While hitting Emily up for information, he also hits her up for sex. Arthur says, “A man has needs.” If it was Arthur taking her blood, or something directly related to his vampire needs fine. But don’t tell me in a romance that Arthur is completely in love and then have him sleep with another woman – guilt free. I couldn’t believe in his love, and want him to be with Avalon when he does something like that. He eagerly has sex with another woman while “in love” with Avalon, so just because Avalon at the end says I love you, we are to expect he won’t do it again?  He NOW is reformed? He NOW will feel regret and guilt because Avalon found out about his indiscretion? I don’t buy it. I like his character, he is SO different, I just don’t like him in love.

I think I would have preferred him not to have “caught” Avalon at the end. Her declaration of love is very abrupt and needed more time to evolve. I would have really enjoyed this story if things didn’t work out between them. I didn’t buy their love, so the intrigue and great character build up we see at the first half fell flat for me in the second half. I very much enjoyed Arthur’s voice and the story kept my attention throughout. He made me laugh and he said and did outrageous things. However, what could have been a very different book, turns out to be a mediocre love story.


Rating: 3/5

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