What do you think?
Rate this book
Companion
Sacrament
It began in Sienna, with an illicit kiss stolen under a hot Mediterranean sun. It made the blood sing in her veins, burn in her body in ways—in places—that she had never felt before. It was a pulsing need to be someone else; to be something else...something she didn't yet understand.
It was embodied by Davinoff. The dark lord was the epitome of beauty, of strength. He was feared by the ton, and even by fleeing to Bath, Sarah could not escape him. His eyes were ageless, held a sadness she could hardly fathom. They pierced her, struck so deep that she felt penetrated to her very core. What they offered was frightening...and tantalizing. Was it evil that lurked within this foreigner's unnatural kiss, or was the communion he offered something else entirely? All Sarah knew was that the sacrament of his love would either be the death of her body or the salvation of her soul. And she could no more deny it than she could herself.
It was embodied by Davinoff. The dark lord was the epitome of beauty, of strength. He was feared by the ton, and even by fleeing to Bath, Sarah could not escape him. His eyes were ageless, held a sadness she could hardly fathom. They pierced her, struck so deep that she felt penetrated to her very core. What they offered was frightening...and tantalizing. Was it evil that lurked within this foreigner's unnatural kiss, or was the communion he offered something else entirely? All Sarah knew was that the sacrament of his love would either be the death of her body or the salvation of her soul. And she could no more deny it than she could herself.
357 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 2001
13 people are currently reading
444 people want to read
About the author
Susan Squires
41 books203 followersSusan Squires is a NYT bestselling author known for breaking the rules of romance. Whatever her time period or subject, some element of the paranormal creeps in. She has won multiple contests for published novels and reviewer's choice awards. Publisher's Weekly named Body Electric one of the ten most influential mass market books and One with the Shadows a Best Book. Time for Eternity received a starred review.
Susan has a Masters in English literature from UCLA and once toiled as an executive for a Fortune 500 company. Now she lives at the beach with her husband, Harry, a writer of supernatural thrillers, and three Belgian Sheepdogs, who like to help her write by putting their chins on the keyboardddddddddddd.
Susan has a Masters in English literature from UCLA and once toiled as an executive for a Fortune 500 company. Now she lives at the beach with her husband, Harry, a writer of supernatural thrillers, and three Belgian Sheepdogs, who like to help her write by putting their chins on the keyboardddddddddddd.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
January 29, 2018
Buddy read with Elena on 1/22!
REVIEW
This was an enjoyable vampire book, but unfortunately it didn't quite meet my expectations. I generally like my vampire fiction to be a bit darker and sexier, and this tried to be those things, but it just fell short. Although most of the book held my attention, even if I didn't love it, the last 100 pages really bored me.
Based on the two Squires books I've read, I think my problem with her writing is that she leaves the romance to the very last. I enjoy a slow-burn, but I don't like when most of the book is absent of romance, only to have sex happen suddenly in the last quarter, without a satisfying buildup having occurred. That's what happened in here and in Body Electric, and I'm giving this book the same rating of 2.5.
REVIEW
This was an enjoyable vampire book, but unfortunately it didn't quite meet my expectations. I generally like my vampire fiction to be a bit darker and sexier, and this tried to be those things, but it just fell short. Although most of the book held my attention, even if I didn't love it, the last 100 pages really bored me.
Based on the two Squires books I've read, I think my problem with her writing is that she leaves the romance to the very last. I enjoy a slow-burn, but I don't like when most of the book is absent of romance, only to have sex happen suddenly in the last quarter, without a satisfying buildup having occurred. That's what happened in here and in Body Electric, and I'm giving this book the same rating of 2.5.
September 15, 2021
This prequel to the COMPANION series is one of Squires’ earliest novels, & also the initial foray into her vampire universe. In some ways that makes it interesting to read—but it also feels weak, flighty, & “young” when placed alongside its successors. Her style improved dramatically between this novel & The Companion/Hunger/Burning, most noticeably in terms of discarding the lighter, fluffy tone of traditional Regency roms & settling squarely into a dark & predatory Gothic voice better suited to the subjects of sex, death, violence, & guilt. Here, the horror factor is relatively muted; likewise, the sexualized violence has yet to rear its head. For those (like yours truly) who read the other COMPANION books first, these things are dramatic in their absence, & SACRAMENT suffers for the lack (though others might disagree).
In short: whereas I love the COMPANION books for their balls-to-the-wall approach, this feels neutered & de-fanged (pun intended :P). I can’t help wondering if Squires felt something similar, as those familiar with her vampire world will notice the seeds of Beatrix & Asharti in the relationship between Sarah & Corina; she also reworks or amplifies several themes & motifs in her later novels, e.g. Blake’s second innocence, the refs to early gothic fiction, the rapey, oversexed female antagonist, etc. Also, it was interesting to get some perspective on recurring minor characters Khalenberg & Rubius—Khalenberg’s thread is brief but illuminating to his personality in later books, whereas Rubius felt slightly off-kilter, as if Squires wasn’t sure where she wanted to take him in future.
So…3.5 stars. While it wasn’t awful, it was very different from the later COMPANION books, both in style & content; I much prefer the luscious & assured darkness of the main series, but there was enough here to round up.
In short: whereas I love the COMPANION books for their balls-to-the-wall approach, this feels neutered & de-fanged (pun intended :P). I can’t help wondering if Squires felt something similar, as those familiar with her vampire world will notice the seeds of Beatrix & Asharti in the relationship between Sarah & Corina; she also reworks or amplifies several themes & motifs in her later novels, e.g. Blake’s second innocence, the refs to early gothic fiction, the rapey, oversexed female antagonist, etc. Also, it was interesting to get some perspective on recurring minor characters Khalenberg & Rubius—Khalenberg’s thread is brief but illuminating to his personality in later books, whereas Rubius felt slightly off-kilter, as if Squires wasn’t sure where she wanted to take him in future.
So…3.5 stars. While it wasn’t awful, it was very different from the later COMPANION books, both in style & content; I much prefer the luscious & assured darkness of the main series, but there was enough here to round up.
July 17, 2019
Rated 4.2 Stars
Last book of the series and I believe I'm ready for it to end. It seems I've been reading it forever. It was pretty good overall. Don't think I'll read it a third time though.
Last book of the series and I believe I'm ready for it to end. It seems I've been reading it forever. It was pretty good overall. Don't think I'll read it a third time though.
May 22, 2010
Oh, Sacrament. Sacrament, Sacrament, Sacrament. I’d heard such good things about you before I finally read you, and I seriously feel let down, in more ways than just one.
This book had an identity crisis almost from page one. What kind of book is Sacrament? Who knows? Frankly, who cares? As a whole, this book had such potential, and all of it was squandered mercilessly.
The first part of the book introduces the motley crew of characters and sends Sarah Ashton, a supposedly independent and self-sufficient woman who in fact had all the appeal and personality of vegetable peelings, on a wild goose chase, trying to find some proof that she owns Clershing, her family home, and can thus successful defend her claim against that of her creepy neighbor, Julien Davinoff. We also meet Sarah’s psychotic friend Corinna, who is completely unlikeable and plainly has Sarah wrapped around her little finger, a fact that is pretty much an instant turnoff for me in any book whatsoever.
So Sarah finds out what happened to the deed (sorry to ruin that for you) and through a series of banal but painfully detailed social functions, manages to not only repeatedly run into Davinoff but also to watch Evil Corinna become completely obsessed with him. Sarah wears a dress with a waist! Her boring pseudo-suitor George babbles about blood! Corinna finally goes off the deep end and kidnaps Davinoff and almost kills him! Then we find out that the alleged reason why Sarah puts up with Corinna’s nonsense is because back in the day, Corinna convinced Sarah to lose her virginity to some strange underage boy while they were all under the influence of magic mushrooms. It was a creepy interlude that did nothing for the characters, ground the plot to a standstill, and left me feeling like I wanted to get my tongue scraped.
Once Sarah finally (of course) rescues Davinoff, she carts him off to yet another English countryside locale and helps him kick the drugs Corinna had him on. She finds out he’s a vampire but doesn’t seem to care. Immediately after that Davinoff tries to bail on her because converting people to vampires is wrong; never mind that he’s done it twice already. Sarah traverses Europe to finally track him down and convince him of her true feelings; at this point I had covered so much of the book that, no matter how much I wanted to bury the book out in the yard, I made myself finish it.
Read more reviews at What Book is That?
This book had an identity crisis almost from page one. What kind of book is Sacrament? Who knows? Frankly, who cares? As a whole, this book had such potential, and all of it was squandered mercilessly.
The first part of the book introduces the motley crew of characters and sends Sarah Ashton, a supposedly independent and self-sufficient woman who in fact had all the appeal and personality of vegetable peelings, on a wild goose chase, trying to find some proof that she owns Clershing, her family home, and can thus successful defend her claim against that of her creepy neighbor, Julien Davinoff. We also meet Sarah’s psychotic friend Corinna, who is completely unlikeable and plainly has Sarah wrapped around her little finger, a fact that is pretty much an instant turnoff for me in any book whatsoever.
So Sarah finds out what happened to the deed (sorry to ruin that for you) and through a series of banal but painfully detailed social functions, manages to not only repeatedly run into Davinoff but also to watch Evil Corinna become completely obsessed with him. Sarah wears a dress with a waist! Her boring pseudo-suitor George babbles about blood! Corinna finally goes off the deep end and kidnaps Davinoff and almost kills him! Then we find out that the alleged reason why Sarah puts up with Corinna’s nonsense is because back in the day, Corinna convinced Sarah to lose her virginity to some strange underage boy while they were all under the influence of magic mushrooms. It was a creepy interlude that did nothing for the characters, ground the plot to a standstill, and left me feeling like I wanted to get my tongue scraped.
Once Sarah finally (of course) rescues Davinoff, she carts him off to yet another English countryside locale and helps him kick the drugs Corinna had him on. She finds out he’s a vampire but doesn’t seem to care. Immediately after that Davinoff tries to bail on her because converting people to vampires is wrong; never mind that he’s done it twice already. Sarah traverses Europe to finally track him down and convince him of her true feelings; at this point I had covered so much of the book that, no matter how much I wanted to bury the book out in the yard, I made myself finish it.
Read more reviews at What Book is That?
January 3, 2015
I've read one of the Companion Vampires series before and thought it was okay, so I wasn't expecting much from this prequel. Wow! Was I thrown for a loop!
This book was so much more than what I was expecting. The storyline wasn't just a vehicle for a vampire romance. It was in depth. In fact, the romance happened so slowly as to almost be an afterthought. I really, really enjoyed this. It makes me hope that the 2-3 star book The Hunger that I had read previously was an aberration.
This book was so much more than what I was expecting. The storyline wasn't just a vehicle for a vampire romance. It was in depth. In fact, the romance happened so slowly as to almost be an afterthought. I really, really enjoyed this. It makes me hope that the 2-3 star book The Hunger that I had read previously was an aberration.
October 26, 2025
A vampire period romance. Think Bridgerton crossed with True Blood.
I have not read others in the series but I found this to be ok without reading the others.
I have not read others in the series but I found this to be ok without reading the others.
July 31, 2025
The heroine is devastated when a claim is put through that her home is actually legally in the ownership of another man. The only way for her to fight the claim is to produce her legal ownership but it's gone missing under mysterious circumstances.
The one responsible is a devil instead. Dressing is all black and possessing the ability to both terrify and attract every soul in any room he enters, the hero is threatening her livelihood and that's something she won't allow. But despite the fact that they should really be enemies, the heroine finds herself enjoying his conversations, much to her disgust. He's gentlemanly enough to escort her home and in that time, she speaks with him about history and her love of Roman culture. Though they often disagree on a range of topics, she finds him to be extremely interesting. Her friends also finds him to be interesting and the deranged woman takes it into her head to capture the mysterious man's attention. Though nothing at all like with the other woman and in all honesty strongly opposed to the way she presents herself and her single minded obsession with the hero, the heroine stays friends with her as they've shared a dangerous experience some years ago. The other woman keeps the heroine secrets so they have a twisted sort of friendship. The heroine is envious at times the friends courage and intensity as she finds herself boring and reserved, not at all the sort of woman to capture and hold the attention of such a man as the hero. But when the man spurs the friends attentions, ridicules her in public, the unstable woman seeks revenge. She locks him in the basement, forces him opium.
When the heroine hears no word from either the hero or her friend for some weeks, she grows concerned and visits the friends estate. There she is horrified to discover what her friend has done and convinces the friend to let her take him off her hands. The other woman, horrified to discover that the hero is more than human and kills her manservant, the friend is happy to be free of her burden. The heroine takes the man back her estate and nurses him back off his addiction. In the process, she discovers that she is bonded to the man like no other. The experience they've shared has created a link that shall forever connect them. Also, she's discovered he's a vampire. She even gives him her blood to heal. The heroine was horribly naïve at times but selfless to a fault and willing to believe that the hero is no monster. She manages to change him. She makes him become a kinder man, more forgiving. It's because of her that he doesn't seek revenge for what the friend did to him. But not satisfied with what she's already done, the friend has him convicted of murder and he must flee the city. Before he goes he expressed him love for the heroine, offers her his Companion so as to make her immortal and his mate. But she turns him down, in her cowardice, she fears she's lost him forever so she follows him to Vienna to fight for the man whose come to mean everything to her.
I thought this book was a nice but it had just too many things going on. Normally a historical romance is known to be slower paced, drawn out so as to develop characters. But this one had the reader bouncing all over the place. First the land dispute, then the crazy friend, then the kidnapping and imprisonment and opium addiction, then the murders, then the Monk's convict. It was like a connect the dotes drawing. It didn't focus as much on the romance until the end. In fact, I wasn't convinced the hero felt anything for the heroine until after he was free of opium which is well past the halfway mark of the book. When they did settle down and get to the romance, it was lovely and passionate. but I just felt like it was too busy and muddled for my liking.
The one responsible is a devil instead. Dressing is all black and possessing the ability to both terrify and attract every soul in any room he enters, the hero is threatening her livelihood and that's something she won't allow. But despite the fact that they should really be enemies, the heroine finds herself enjoying his conversations, much to her disgust. He's gentlemanly enough to escort her home and in that time, she speaks with him about history and her love of Roman culture. Though they often disagree on a range of topics, she finds him to be extremely interesting. Her friends also finds him to be interesting and the deranged woman takes it into her head to capture the mysterious man's attention. Though nothing at all like with the other woman and in all honesty strongly opposed to the way she presents herself and her single minded obsession with the hero, the heroine stays friends with her as they've shared a dangerous experience some years ago. The other woman keeps the heroine secrets so they have a twisted sort of friendship. The heroine is envious at times the friends courage and intensity as she finds herself boring and reserved, not at all the sort of woman to capture and hold the attention of such a man as the hero. But when the man spurs the friends attentions, ridicules her in public, the unstable woman seeks revenge. She locks him in the basement, forces him opium.
When the heroine hears no word from either the hero or her friend for some weeks, she grows concerned and visits the friends estate. There she is horrified to discover what her friend has done and convinces the friend to let her take him off her hands. The other woman, horrified to discover that the hero is more than human and kills her manservant, the friend is happy to be free of her burden. The heroine takes the man back her estate and nurses him back off his addiction. In the process, she discovers that she is bonded to the man like no other. The experience they've shared has created a link that shall forever connect them. Also, she's discovered he's a vampire. She even gives him her blood to heal. The heroine was horribly naïve at times but selfless to a fault and willing to believe that the hero is no monster. She manages to change him. She makes him become a kinder man, more forgiving. It's because of her that he doesn't seek revenge for what the friend did to him. But not satisfied with what she's already done, the friend has him convicted of murder and he must flee the city. Before he goes he expressed him love for the heroine, offers her his Companion so as to make her immortal and his mate. But she turns him down, in her cowardice, she fears she's lost him forever so she follows him to Vienna to fight for the man whose come to mean everything to her.
I thought this book was a nice but it had just too many things going on. Normally a historical romance is known to be slower paced, drawn out so as to develop characters. But this one had the reader bouncing all over the place. First the land dispute, then the crazy friend, then the kidnapping and imprisonment and opium addiction, then the murders, then the Monk's convict. It was like a connect the dotes drawing. It didn't focus as much on the romance until the end. In fact, I wasn't convinced the hero felt anything for the heroine until after he was free of opium which is well past the halfway mark of the book. When they did settle down and get to the romance, it was lovely and passionate. but I just felt like it was too busy and muddled for my liking.
July 18, 2015
I picked this book up for $1 and it was well worth it!! The book was a wild ride with lots of action sequences and it never held still. I am not sure if it is the writer or the fact that it was written 13 years ago but I feel like today the book would have stopped after the first arc and there would have been more introspective from the leads. I love that there was some introspect but it wasn't 3/4 of the book. This book was perfect for me!
August 23, 2017
This was one of those good books that I didn't want to put down! I loved Julien and Sarah! It's not often that I wish for more stars for a book, but even 10 wouldn't be enough for me! It had the intensity and the talented writing like A Rose in Winter by Kathleen E. Woodiwiss. Unlike most vampire novels (And I'm a fan of the Black Dagger Brotherhood by J.R. Ward) this was the first book I'd come across that took place in the Regency era. I was instantly hooked and can't wait to check out more in this series!
July 24, 2017
If you're looking for "vampire" or any paranormal action here, you'll be disappointed.
I actually found the hero Julian a bit wimpy for a vampire. The last couple of chapters is focused on Sarah chasing after Julian.
Expected so much more from this book but sadly it didn't live up to it's expectation.
I actually found the hero Julian a bit wimpy for a vampire. The last couple of chapters is focused on Sarah chasing after Julian.
Expected so much more from this book but sadly it didn't live up to it's expectation.
March 19, 2013
Really good book.
The beginning might be a bit slow but you get to follow in details the different sides of the story. Sarah and Julien's love was not an easy one, even in the end. But the way its slowly develop and evolve gives you hope.
I had some trouble appreciatingvSarah's personnality in the first half. She is so weak and silent, you wished she would just throw everything away and speak her mind for once. It takes some time to get to that point but you don t regret the wait. As for Julien, he is so dark and mysterious, you can't help but being drawn to him.
Two very different and complex characters that make a love story go through time.
The beginning might be a bit slow but you get to follow in details the different sides of the story. Sarah and Julien's love was not an easy one, even in the end. But the way its slowly develop and evolve gives you hope.
I had some trouble appreciatingvSarah's personnality in the first half. She is so weak and silent, you wished she would just throw everything away and speak her mind for once. It takes some time to get to that point but you don t regret the wait. As for Julien, he is so dark and mysterious, you can't help but being drawn to him.
Two very different and complex characters that make a love story go through time.
December 23, 2015
I chose this book for a reading challenge and was surprised by how much I enjoyed it. It is a prequel book to the Companion Vampire series. The book could be classified as a paranormal & historical romance. I enjoyed the twist on what causes one to become a vampire as it allows the reader to see it in a different light. I'm slightly skeptical on the continuation of the series as each one can be treated as a stand-alone novel but I am hoping that there will be some overlapping of characters as I would like to see how Davinoff and Sarah's romance continues to unfold.
September 1, 2014
Part of the Companion series, found information somewhere that claims this is a prequel.
It just amazes me how many different vampire worlds authors create...it blows my mind.
Squires has a unique twist---part monk, part virus.
It just amazes me how many different vampire worlds authors create...it blows my mind.
Squires has a unique twist---part monk, part virus.
December 25, 2010
A very good historical paranormal. I read it in one great rush, and found myself compelled to continue reading late into the night. I'm not overly fond of vampires and/or vampire romances, but this one I enjoyed.
July 1, 2016
This is the book to start off with if your interested in reading The Companion Series. It can be read at any time but I recommend reading this one first. Sets the tone & storyline for the rest of the series.
December 31, 2024
9.5/10
I LOVE THIS BOOK! It literally had me on the edge of my seat, screaming at the characters or sobbing. I love how it starts out as your typical period piece and then just flips into something dark and wild. It is a great enemies-to-lovers moment with great scenes of love, loss, and vampires.
I LOVE THIS BOOK! It literally had me on the edge of my seat, screaming at the characters or sobbing. I love how it starts out as your typical period piece and then just flips into something dark and wild. It is a great enemies-to-lovers moment with great scenes of love, loss, and vampires.
October 19, 2009
I loved this book. I thought it was very well done. Looking forward to reading all of her books.
July 4, 2014
Pretty good for a vampire romance. Puts a new spin on the vampire origin story.
December 26, 2015
This book was crazy, crazy, crazy.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews