Blood Avenged by Gabrielle Bissett
Paranormal Romance
December 2011
Self Published

Reviewed by Mandi

Sasa is an empath who on occasion helps Madame Quiterie, who runs a voodoo shop in New Orleans, with a bit more insight to her customers. Without the customer knowing, Sasa gives signals to Quiterie when she is with a client to let them know if she was affecting them one way or another. Sasa does all this to barter Madame’s Quiterie’s spells to help her ailing mother. Although only temporary relief, it does reprieve her mother of pain for a short amount of time. Madame’s current client though, is going to cause some trouble.

The vampire Tatiana is furious that another vampire, Vasilije has sired a vampire who was Tatiana’s boyfriend. She wants revenge and she has a bargain for Sasa. She will turn her mother into a vampire, which would cure her illness, if Sasa uses her empath gift to help her get revenge against Vasilije. Desperate to save her mother, she agrees.

Tatiana ends up staking one of Vasilije’s vampires that he sired, knowing he would immediately feel the loss of connection. Sasa poses as this deceased vampire’s girlfriend, who then wants to help Vasilije hunt down his killer.

From here the story unfolds as Vasilije and Sasa become romantically involved all the while Vasilije is trying to figure out who killed the vampire he sired and Sasa pretending to help him. I had a really hard time with this story though. First, it felt like every scene was rushed, and not explored thoroughly. From the first time Vasilije turns a vampire, to Sasa’s mother being turned, to Sasa and Vasilije falling in lust – there wasn’t enough time spent on each event. They was no build-up or exploration of emotions. I guess it all just fell flat for me.

Sasa starts by being terrified of posing as the staked vampire’s girlfriend, worried she has to spend time with Vasilije, but very soon after this she is licking his fangs. Again, I felt like the time from when she is terrified to getting naked is rushed. Her mother gets turned into a vampire, and Sasa leaves right away. Apparently her mother’s health has always been top priority and yet she leaves her mom as a new vamp and doesn’t seem to stay in touch with her.

At the beginning, I liked Vasilije because he seemed like a vampire without morals and a little out of control. He craved the rush he felt when he turned a human into a vampire and started doing it a little recklessly. But I felt like by the end of the book, he didn’t necessarily transform into a “better vampire” – someone who I could believe Sasa would love. Or at least, we don’t see that part, there is an epilogue that takes place in the future.

While I think the basis of a dark, adventurous story is here, it didn’t work for me.

Rating: D

Recent Reviews:
Love to Read For Fun – D
Red Hot Books – 4/5
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