Blood Rites

Austra Family #3

by Elaine Bergstrom

Helen Wells has achieved physical immortality but the artist in her demands jher moments of fame as well. After a series of successful exhibits,she retreats to the wilderness with her lover, Stephen Austra. But their peaceful existence is shattered by a sadistic killer from her past who tears her away from Stephen. With her life threatened, she must draw on powers she has barely learned to use in order to survive.

Genres: Horror, Vampires, Fiction, Fantasy, Paranormal, Romance, Urban Fantasy

332 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1991

About the author

Elaine Bergstrom is a Milwaukee-based novelist whose writing melds vampire, romance, mystery and, always, suspense.

Her first published piece of fiction was her first novel, Shattered Glass (1989). It introduced the character of the immortal Stephen Austra and artist Helen Wells, a victim of polio, along with Stephen's family of vampires who are “born not created and have an abhorrance for coffins, particulary their own.” The novel was a critical success, a consistent favorite with readers of adult-oriented vampire fiction. Bergstrom has written six novels in the Austra series, including Daughter of the Night, which featured Elizabeth Bathory as a half-breed Austra vampire. Beyond Sundown, the newest book in the Austra series, released early in 2011. The Violin, a novella, in 2012. Most are in print. All are available on Amazon kindle or through the author's website www.elainebergstrom.com

Using her grandmother's name, Marie Kiraly, Bergstrom wrote a sequel to Dracula called Mina ... The Dracula Story Continues, and its sequel, Blood to Blood ... The Dracula Story Continues, which both look at Mina Harker as a woman changed by her experience in Transylvania, struggling to find her way in the repressive Victorian society. Both were featured in the Science Fiction Book Club and Doubleday Book Club.

For the novel Madeline ... After the Fall of Usher, she adopted Poe’s journalistic style to tell a story in which the details of the last few months of Poe’s life are correct, with her own fictional story overlaid on them.


J. Gordon Melton (The Vampire Encyclopedia) notes that Shattered Glass contains "one of the most horrific scenes in vampire literature." (less)

Reviews

[Tricia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book continues the story of Helen Wells and Stephen Austra. In this book Helen is struggling with her humanity and her vampirism. She also becomes a mother. When a hired killer comes looking for her uncle Dick (because Dick killed the son of a crime boss), Helen and Stephen are face exposure as they are forced to defend their family.

I liked this book a lot more than Shattered Glass.

[Tracy Smyth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m enjoying this series

[Jeff · Rating 2 out of 5]

1st Read: June 27, 1996 - July 3, 1996
The intriguing title of this book was my decision to buy it. I can't recall getting into it even a little bit. My thoughts were continuously elsewhere as I was having complications in a relationship. I will keep it for now and re-read it later. As well, it is apparent that there are two books before this one.

[Daelith]

32 pages into this and it just was not holding my attention. I see now that it the 3rd book in a series. Maybe that was part of the problem. Not enthused enough to look for the first book though.