Author: Melissa Schroeder
Series: By Blood #1
Genre: Victorian Paranormal Romance
Publisher: Melissa Schroeder Publishing
Format: eBook/Paperback
Release Date: September 9th 2012
Pages: 302
Source: Provided by Author
Contact Melissa
Overall Rating: 5 Bad Boys – Absolutely Loved It!!!!!
Reviewer: Kat
Author Summary
A man with a secret.
Nicodemus Blackburn has seen the best and worst of mankind. Five hundred years of dealing with them teaches the vampire to be very wary of the creatures. Unfortunately, alarming events leave him no choice but to enter the world of the ton to hunt a rogue vampire—one who is making his own army of blood thirsty vampires. Searching for the villain is not the worst of his troubles. That can be laid at the feet of bluestocking Lady Cordelia Collingsworth.
A woman on a mission.
Cordelia has always been an outcast, even in her own family. She has forged her way in the world with her ability to write, and Nico Blackburn is the focus of her next article. Before she can obtain any information about the mysterious man, she is pulled headlong into a scandal that leaves her with no choice but to marry Nico—a man with dangerous secrets.
A passion that consumes them both.
Thrust into a world she knows nothing of, Cordelia finds herself falling in love with a man who claims to be a vampire. As their passion grows, so does the danger around them and Nico will have to call on all of his powers to protect the one thing he has realized he cannot live without: his opinionated, infuriating, and thoroughly delectable wife.
My Thoughts
When it comes to character development, Melissa Schroeder is a mastermind. That’s what I loved about this novel the most and what I’ll remember - the characters and their relationships.
I quickly became invested in the hero (Nico) and the heroine (Cordelia) and the intensity and passion they felt for each other. This impassioned feel carried through the entire novel. Then as each supporting character was introduced, I loved them just as much. Each has a story to tell and seriously, I can’t wait to hear them all.
The banter between the boys (Nico, his best friend Malik and his cousin Saint) was amusing as only boys can be. They tormented each other in ways that alpha males may not find amusing but others do. On the other hand, their love and respect for each other was clear and heartfelt.
This is a series that left me wanting more. I love it when you read a novel and you dread the finish because you just don’t want to leave that story world the author has ensnared you in. I seriously didn’t want it to end. In fact, I read it a second time because I didn’t want to let go.
For me, I think part of the allure was I found the author’s use of description incredibly persuasive. Let me give you an example. Nico is walking through a crowded room and people move to let him pass. A simple enough situation and it could have been said just like that. However, the author tells it from Cordelia’s perspective. She describes how she feels as she watches him, her reaction to his movements, his commanding presence, noticing other people’s reaction to his movements and how they instinctively move out of his way and finally the conclusions she makes about his character from this one simple event. I could actually picture myself in that room moving back to let this Adonis pass, staring in awe with butterflies in my stomach. And this wasn’t done in pages and pages of prose. Just a few strategically placed words and sentences. That’s just one example and the novel is full of them.
As with most series romances, most issues are resolved for the main characters; however, the author teases us with a couple things to whet our appetite for stories to come. Oh Saint, how I’m dying to hear why you hide away in your Scottish castle…
A Little about the story…
Desire By Blood is the first novel set in Victorian London. Governed by the Vampire Alliance, their world has their own class structure and operates within the Victorian ton. A ‘Born’ vampire is one born of a vampire and Carrier mating. A ‘Carrier’ is a woman who carries the gene that allows her to birth vampires. Vampires can also be ‘Made’ but they are susceptible to Blood Lust and often have to be eliminated if not helped through the transition by a Born. Mades are considered lowest in their society.
In this story, a Born vampire sets out to make his own army of Mades in his desire to take over the Vampire Alliance. The Mades are wreaking havoc on London society by brutally killing women, mostly Carriers. So the adventure begins with Nico, as a member of the Alliance, investigating the murders and trying to stop the slaughter of innocents.
About the Characters…
As I mentioned above, all of the characters in this novel held me spellbound. I can’t talk about them all here, so I’ll just to give you a brief description of the main ones:
Nico – the hero of the story; definitely alpha male; possessive over his mate yes but not in an annoying way; (I think the boys in this story aren’t obnoxiously alpha because of the mother, Adelaide, and their fear of her cutting off their mushy bits if they were. That’s just my impression.)
Cordelia – the heroine of the story; a Carrier but unaware of this fact since she’s unaware that a vampire society exists. Despite her position in London society, she grew up poor after her brother spent all the family’s money. She had to find a way to support herself and did so by becoming a writer. She could have taken the easy way out and become a courtesan; however, she did not. I think she’s one of the best heroines I’ve read this year. Truly, she’s a role model for all women. She’s somewhat afraid of the mother.
Malik – Nico’s best friend; a Made vampire; self-proclaimed bachelor; loves to poke fun at Nico, in true brotherly fashion, for his falling for Cordelia while swearing it will never happen to him (I think his book is next...how the mighty will fall); considered part of Nico’s family; very afraid of the mother.
Saint – Nico’s Scottish cousin; totally hot in a brutish sort of way; also loves to poke fun at Nico and Malik in a fun brotherly way; rarely leaves his home so for him to come to London to help with the investigation means the situation is dire; deathly afraid of the mother.
Adelaide – Nico’s mother, a Carrier, can shrink men to bite-size pieces with just a look; has a big heart and is extremely caring towards women; outspoken. She was one of my favorite characters and definitely someone I’d love to have in my corner.
There’s so many more characters introduced and all are equally interesting. Wish I could continue but I’d keep you all night.
Bottom Line
Desire by Blood is a novel that any lover of Romance will not want to miss out on! The author shows her incredible expertise at creating multi-faceted characters (both main and supporting) and integrating them into an exciting storyworld and plot. This is a great introduction to the series and I highly recommend you add this one to the top of your To Be Read list!
Happy Reading!!
5 Bad Boys – Absolutely Loved It!!!!!
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