The Guardian's Curse

Cursed Blood #1

by J.D. Monroe

Love is the cruelest curse of all.

Shoshanna York knows vampires are nothing but trouble. But what’s a witch to do when the rent is due and the vampires are offering five figures for some simple spellwork? This was supposed to be one simple job, but when a rogue vampire breaks into her apartment, Shoshanna’s fanged employers come to the rescue. Unfortunately, their idea of a rescue is to whisk her away to a luxurious mansion with a mysterious vampire as her bloodthirsty babysitter.

For over a century, reclusive vampire Alistair Thorne has hidden his cursed face in the shadows of his Atlanta mansion. When an old friend brings him an uninvited houseguest, he reluctantly agrees to protect the witch as long as she stays away from him.

But Alistair’s will is no match for Shoshanna’s, and they soon meet face to face. Determined to make herself useful, Shoshanna vows to break Alistair's curse. But this is no fairytale, and it will cost far more than true love's kiss to break this twisted curse.

It may cost everything they hold dear.

Cursed Blood is a brand-new vampire series that’s sure to appeal to fans of J.R. Ward’s Black Dagger Brotherhood, the Vampire Diaries, and True Blood. One-click today for a whirlwind of a story packed with action, romance, fated mates, and a magical world that you won’t want to leave.

Genres: Vampires, Fantasy, Paranormal, Paranormal Romance, Romance, Magic, Witches

399 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 11, 2022

Reviews

[Rain · Rating 4 out of 5]

*3.5* This was a fairly decent vampire beauty and the beast pnr for 3/4 of the book. Unfortunately, the pacing was off. Nothing much happens for a large chunk of the story, and the last 20% was insanely fast.

Vampires/witches
PNR romance, M/F
Great setup, disappointing pacing

Shoshanna (29) is a witch, moonlighting as a barista on the side to make ends meet. She is working a spell-casting side job for a local vampire, and when she runs into trouble she calls the vampires for help. They place her in a safe house, owned by the mysterious Alistair, a vampire in hiding.

You will have to suspend belief a few times, as the plot points are slightly ridiculous near the end. I don’t believe that such a young vampire would be able to last more than a minute with an ancient one.

I’m not sure why we needed to know the hero and his best friend were lovers for a while. What did that add to the story?

“You were always good with your mouth.”

Enjoyed the addition of them playing piano together. Sharing music with someone really is a gift.

She followed him easily, matching his tempo and volume. A good follower, a lovely quality in a fellow musician and a lover.

Ultimately, the romance felt lackluster. There were so many opportunities for the two of them to explore their feelings before the curse was broken. Maybe this was just a beauty and the beast moment, where I like the beast better as a beast, than a man.

[Madison Warner Fairbanks · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Guardian’s Curse by J D Monroe
1st book in the Cursed Blood series. Vampire / witch paranormal romance.
Shoshanna York doesn’t want to work for vampires but her spell work helps to pay the bills. When an old boyfriend, turned vampire, tries to force Shoshanna to go with him, she’s able to get protection from the vampire Auberon Covenant. She’s to stay in the house with Alistair Thorne, a reclusive vampire that mostly hides in the basement and wears a hoody that covers his features. Alistair is cursed and finds himself fascinated with his houseguest. As she works on protection spells for the Covenant in return for the protection, she also finds herself playing the piano nightly with Alistair and curious about his covering and gloves. She sees a curse in him and also a statue in his home. She decides she will help break those curses with her magic.

Vampires and witches, blood and magic. A combination that makes this book and series compelling. It’s rich in details, suspense and world building on the darker side of the genre. The hero is tortured, the heroine slightly naive, but hopeful and giving. Their story will hold you in thrall.
A curse that touches several in its own tortured manifestation and books that will share each as the series continues.

[Lorrie (Clockworkbookworm) · Rating 4 out of 5]

2024 Reads #468/250

3.75⭐️

[Alex (HEABookNerd) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed THE GUARDIAN'S CURSE and I can't wait to read more by this author! Shoshanna knows working for vampires is risky but she needs the money. When a rival vampire attacks the witch, her employers stash her away in a beautiful mansion with the mysterious Alistair. Decades ago Alistair was cursed, giving the vampire a monstrous appearance, and he's lived in shadows and isolation ever since. The last thing he wants is a houseguest but he can't deny Shoshanna's beauty and compassionate heart -- but can she break his curse?

I was completely sucked into the world Monroe created, with all it's interesting vampire politics and history. Alistair was a loner and had distanced himself from his Court but we slowly started to see more and more and I loved all the parts we learned. I'm already so excited for the stories of the other cursed vampires, especially Dominic.

THE GUARDIAN'S CURSE is a slow burn but it doesn't necessarily feel slow. There's so much going on with Shoshanna and Alistair and the curses that it keeps things moving fairly quickly. Shoshanna was strong, intelligent, and generous while Alistair is possessive, growly, and brooding and they make a perfect match. Their romance was sweeping and dramatic and filled with ups and downs but it's also obvious how much they're destined to be together and how much they love each other. This book was sensual, a little bit dark, and absolutely delicious to read.

Content Warning: Shoshanna's ex is stalking her; forced blood consumption and enthrallment (not the hero)

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Favorite Quotes:

“I was always pleased with what I saw,” she said. He scowled, but she tapped his nose lightly. “I saw you as you were from the beginning. I always knew you were beautiful. No curse could hide that. But I like seeing your smile. I like that you’re not afraid anymore.”

[Disgusted Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

Vanpire & witch version of beauty & the beast.

[Crystal P · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Vampire twist on Beauty and the Beast?? Yes, please!

I loved everything about Shoshanna, from her beautifully lyrical name to her determination to free the vampires from the curse. She was in no way motivated solely by her love for Alistair, but rather truly for her compassion towards all the vampires who had lived with this curse placed upon them. I liked her witch side and the way she weaved Magic through drawings. It seemed much more authentic than how witchcraft is sometimes portrayed in paranormal books.

Alistair was such a gentle soul and my heart broke for the loneliness he’d allowed the curse to inflict upon him. It made my heart happy to watch him accept company an even affection from Shoshanna.

There is a wonderful cast of characters introduced in this first book of a new series and I am down for each one to get their own story!!!

[Debbie Eyre · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fangtastic start to this series! Imagine beauty and the beast but with a witch and a vampire instead. Spells to be cast, curses to be broken but this is not your typical fairytale retelling, it’s so much darker then that, more gripping, more deeper and it is oh so good that you will easily get lost into this story. The world building is incredible and the story filled with action and romance and our main characters are simply put, delicious! I did not want to leave this magical world and am so ready to dive into the next book.

[Tamye Whitener · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beauty and the Beast Vampire Style

I thoroughly enjoyed this well-written, page-turning romance. Shoshanna is confident in her abilities, yet less so in her desirability. Alistair doesn't believe anyone can look past his hideousness. But these two soulmates will have to find a way to overcome their problems if they want to not only love but survive.

This is the first book in a new series and I can't wait to read more.

[T.A. Burke · Rating 2 out of 5]

You know that thing, when the whole massive drama, plot, and emotional finale ----- is based on one of the MCs doing something stupid and implausible? Yeah, DNF 80%

[Sunshine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eh. I liked the plots and characters but the writing and pace didn’t work well for me. Longer than it needed to be. More telling than showing.

[Suzanne Bourgeois]

I can't believe I read and liked a vampire novel! I digged the Beauty and the Beast vibes. Shoshanna is a great, kickass female character. Alisaire is a whiny morose little shit at first. But i do like that Shoshanna was able to get to him and that he was starting to come out of his shell, before his curse was broken. There is just so much i liked about this book. I loved that the vampires were not unnecessarily devious and mean. They were ruthless, but not mean. And i am diggin the magic system. All in all great book!

[Bree · Rating 4 out of 5]

Shoshanna and Alistair are an enjoyable couple in this vampire version of beauty and the beast. While they’re but a little stubborn and I just wanted to shake them at times, I enjoyed watching their story develop. This is an interesting world with a lot to explore. While Shoshanna helps Alistair, it’s clear she’ll be working in each of the books in the series to help the others.

Overall, a decent entertaining read 3.75-4 stars (I can’t decide).

[Ashley Yungbluth · Rating 5 out of 5]

"The Guardian's Curse" is book one in the "Cursed Blood" series by J.D. Monroe. I enjoyed this first in a series book and love J.D. Monroe's writing. It kept my attention and had me wanting to read it until I was finished. Shoshanna and Allister's characters were very well written and had you wanting more. Allister is a vampire and trying to keep Shoshanna safe. Shoshanna is a witch and trying to help break a curse. I can't wait to see what happens next with this series and look forward to reading the next book.

[Natward1 · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was well written. I enjoyed the writing. I really liked both shoshona and Alastair a lot also. I liked how vulnerable Alastair was.

The biggest thing I didn’t like was that there were so many missed opportunities for tender, intense, meaningful moments. Certain important situations were rushed over, or made light of, or just not portrayed in a way that I felt would have given the story even more depth than it already had. For instance, when shoshana first sees Alastair it could have been a tender, huge moment of trust for him to reveal himself to her. Instead, it just happens. Which, okay fine, but then he never shows himself to her ever again and I just thought it would have made for such a sweet, intense scene where they’re together and he lets her uncover his face and they make love in the light, just to build trust and another layer of love. It could have been such an intense scene and given their love story even more layers. Another example is that since Alastair hasn’t been with anyone in so many years, when he is finally with shoshana, he’s just kinda chuckling through the scene and making light of it. I wish he would have treated it with more wonder and awe, more seriousness. It doesn’t always need to be like that but for your first time back into it you’d think he’d be a little nervous and guarded and just awe stricken or something. He just needed way more emotion and the scene could have really been unforgettable. There were a ton of these types of instances. It’s not like it was bad, it just frustrated me because the author sets up these perfect opportunities to really give the story even more depth and emotion and intensity and then doesn’t take advantage of them.

Also I don’t ever like insta lust. This doesn’t have it as bad as some books I’ve read, but it’s still wasn’t slow enough for my liking. I just don’t understand the rush. They’re in the same house. She has a reason for being there awhile. They have plenty of time to build an actual real romance. It makes it seem way too easy for the characters when they just both so instantly want eachother and made it seem like the lust for shoshana was more because she’s just the first woman to come through his door in so many years instead of being because he really does love her. And the reason shoshana starts lusting after Alastair was a little bit of an easy out in my opinion. She dreams about him like the first night she’s there and suddenly she’s all turned on by him. It felt too easy and meaningless. Again, it wasn’t horribly done, but it just would have been nice if there was a little more time taken to develop a real love story.

Other than that I really enjoyed the book. It was entertaining and swoon worthy and had the great characters all around. I’ll probably continue the series because I liked the other characters with their own unique problems and personalities.

[Noor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow wow. YOU MUST READ THIS BOOK IF YOU LIKE VAMPIRES
I don’t know what to write I’m out of words.
First of all I want to say big thank you for writing such an amazing book J.D. Monroe have restored my faith in vampire paranormal romance.
The story, the plots and tough characters complemented each other. From the first page I was drawn to this book.
The way the writer described Shoshanna is Smart, funny and tough and her ability to preform magic un like other books where they show witches just possessing some power, no this is different it is an engineering like magic skills and her determination to achieve and break the cures.
Then you have Alistiar who is some one not important or the super duper Alpha that we usually see in books .He is just a musician and became a vampire who worked for the Auberon and worked in the inner circle to protect their coven that is ruled by Eduardo who bonded all his vampires to him by magic and everyone submitted to him.

The whole time while I’m reading I was in imagining the world the writer had built in this book. I hate to say but I even were invested emotionally with Paris and Alistair relationship/ friendship.
I rarely rate a book 5 stars it has been a while.
I can’t wait to read the rest and also can’t wait to see Paris, Hugo and Eduardo’s books.

[Elena · Rating 1 out of 5]

From boring to bad from the last 100pgs or so. Glad Elliott gone, but man oh man, the the thrall he had Shoshanna & ruby really irked me, esp. Since the tension building between her & Allister was tame compared to tension between her & Elliot. Felt like the tension between her & Elliot was for shock value more so than anything because of how slow building & awkward the tension between her & Allister was. Disappointed.

[Sue · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book 1 of The Cursed Blood series
Witch and Vampire Beauty & the Beast
Paranormal Romance
Entertaining read with strong characters
Drama, love, danger and laughter
Will the witch be able to help break the curses

#CMC25

[°˖✧˚lindsay˚✧˖° · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was sold at Beauty and the Beast but with vampires & witches, but there are a few things that strain the bounds of eager engagement.

There’s honestly no reason for the characters to be attracted to each other beyond the ‘forced proximity,’ which is a stretch, seeing as they begin at pointedly opposite ends of the huge house on obviously opposite sleep schedules.

If playing the piano together is what does *it* for her enough to shrug off the strangeness of a shrouded figure skulking through the halls enough to want to jump his cloaked bones with impunity? More power to her. I just wish they’d taken the time to instead get to know one another with banter beyond the ironically surface level information he offers before sinking back into the shadows and subsequently into her.

This meant that the reader knew more about the characters than they ever learn about each other before jumping into bed because there was more tell than show. If we step back and imagine the extent of their knowledge of the other at that time, the amount of excitement and obsession is as unrealistic as his flamboyant best friend failing to inform him that his curse is nothing to be ashamed of when girls are seriously into gargoyle guys with horns these days.

The pace of the story ensured a calm climb to the climax, just to drop us off into enough chaos to give me palpitations. It was a lot to take in at once. Multiple times I found myself wanting to sit down even though I already was.

It then ended as abruptly as it started, but with a rapid-fire dump of information that I would’ve appreciated substantially less had I not known it would be imperative knowledge to have throughout the rest of the series.

Nonetheless, it was well written with its interestingly intricate magic system, well rounded characters we meet, and their unique curses promising fresh and individual stories. The second book is already a marked improvement on pacing that affirms this series is a worthwhile investment.

[Sou · Rating 2 out of 5]

The blurb said this will appeal to fans of JR Ward's BDB series, which I am a fan of. So I was expecting some surface level worldbuilding, some band of brothers/vigilante feels. However this book ended up being a joke in the end.

The first 70% of the book was enjoyable. It had its issues but I was willing to overlook them. The worldbuilding is pretty much nonexistent, there is no lore, no explanation about the PNR system in place. How did the vampires come about? How to the covens form? Why are there different titles for the heads of each of these covens? What makes any of them bad or good? How do they survive among the humans in the age of phone cameras? How did the witches come about? And are they generally friendly with the vamps? Also how are they all making money??? So many more questions but no answers. Also the MCs are the most two dimensional characters ever. The MMC at least had reasons to be sad and brooding and nothing else. But the FMC, girl why is your whole personality lusting after a vamp you don't even know?? Also how is she this super competent witch without even completing her training? No explanations there either.
HOWEVER, I was ready to overlook it all since the writing was decent enough and I was curious to see how the relationship between the MCs would turn out. And I was hooked up until the 70% mark. The last 30% of this book is where everything went down. Suddenly the author's voice changed and it was a 13 year old writing instead of an adult. It was so ridiculously written, with such inane conversations/situations between these centuries old vampires, I wanted to throw my ereader out! But I skimmed through and finished and it was the most unsatisfying read ever because of that last 30%.

[Alexandria Woods · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cursed Vampire Needs a Witch

*****Spoilers*****

Ah, Shoshanna and Alistair. I'm not sure if it was the book's intent but it reads slightly like a Beauty and the Beast retelling. She's a brilliant witch who hasn't finished her schooling but is determined not to be bound to a vampire court and forced to do terrible things like her father was before he died, and he's a curse ridden disfigured vampire ashamed of his appearance and withdrawn from the vampire world. Alistair cloaks himself and hides in the darkness whenever he goes out and Shoshanna's need for protection lands her in his secluded home. Over the course of the time she spends at his home, they meet and share interests with Alistair refusing to lift his cloak. Until one day, when he comes through the door injured after a fight with vampire hunters and Shoshanna sees his face. From there, they get closer after some expected hiccups on Alistair's behalf and get their happily in the end.

I thought Shoshanna was modest but also confident, this showed itself well when it comes to her abilities as a witch. She spends a lot of time studying to break the curse that she learns not only afflicts Alistair but also his other vampire brothers in arms and dhampire Lucia. Alistair is more gentle than I'd have expected from a centuries old vampire even though he does fight here and there in the book. Them together just seems right and I thought the characters were real and different enough that it's believable. It seems as if the series is all set for Shoshanna to help the others with their curses, a soulmate being the key she found to break them.

[Fay J · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book held me enthralled and I could not put it down until I had read it all in one go, my only disappointment is that now I have to wait for the others. Shoshanna is a witch who has been brought in to protect a club for a particular group of Vampires. They each have their own courts and are rather territorial although they do have the joint enemy of the Hunters but I digress. The court ask her to join them and be their witch but Shoshanna knows something of being part of vampire court and has no wish to lose her freedom. Emancipation from vampire courts, once joined, are invariably only achievable in death. While she is working however she runs into a former high-school beau only now he is no longer human. It was hard enough to get away from him the first to,e when he became her stalker, now it is almost impossible. To prevent a war between themselves and a neighbouring court, since she refuses to join herself with them which would nullify her availability, her employers send her to the house of Alistair Thorne. He is affliated with the court but not really a part of it since he was cursed which means Shoshanna is effectively on neutral ground and protected as much as she can be, joys sof politics and all that. Alistair has railed at and hidden from the world for nearly two centuries and yet this tiny witch in his house has him all in a turmoil. Could there be more to it than that?
I enjoyed this so much and I cannot wait for the next step!

[Emily Pennington · Rating 5 out of 5]

Alistair and Shoshanna . . .

Shoshanna York is a witch who has been helping vampires with some minor spells and they keep her safe. When an old boyfriend, Elliott, who is now a vampire, approaches her wanting to get together, she wants nothing to do with him. But several days later, he is waiting for her at her apartment. She calls Dominic and he sends help to her. But the vampires are concerned for her since they know Elliott will come back for her. For safety, they take her to Alistair who is not happy with the arrangement.

Alistair Thorne had been cursed and keeps his hands and face hidden. Shoshanna wants to break the curse, but he doesn’t believe she can and they argue. When he is asleep, she calls a friend to pick her up, not knowing her friend is being controlled by Elliott. He wants to force her to help him cheat and become baron of the vampires.

When Alistair woke, he knew something was wrong. Will he be able to track down Shoshanna and rescue her from Elliott? Will he believe in her skills to give her a chance to break his curse? And will he realize the feelings he has for her and want her to stay with him? Is that something that she will want as well?

There is much going on in this story line, but I did enjoy it. I look forward to the next book in the series.

[Bryckk Wilkes-DuBois · Rating 5 out of 5]

Alistair & Shoshanna: A Witch and A Vampire Love Story! 5 Stars!

Poor Alistair! Cursed with disfigurement by a powerful witch, vampire Alistair has become a recluse for centuries. Held up in a mansion with few friends, his books and piano for comfort, Alistair spends his nights on the prowl, hunting the city's worst, cloaked and hiding his hideous features. His world is suddenly turned upside down when he is assigned to protect a witch, Shoshanna, who is under the employ of the head vampire of his Vampire House.

Shoshanna wants no part in vampire politics but gets caught up in the melee when a rival House wants Shoshanna and her talent for themselves. Before long, the two are drawn together and begin to fall madly in love with one another in this retelling of the classic Beauty and the Beast.

I LOVED this story and the supporting characters. I mainly loved Shoshanna! Shoshanna was a very likeable heroine, and I loved her energy. Alistair was a total brood, and you felt his pain. I loved how Alistair slowly let Shoshanna into his heart through their mutual love for music. Their connection was magical! Together, they sparked and sizzled!

This is book one of the series and I plan to read the rest of these books. This series is off to a wonderful start, and I cannot wait to read the rest.

Happy reading!

[Barbara Hanson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Shoshanna York is a witch, when she does some freelance work for a local clan of vampires, she is spotted by someone from her past and now he is a vampire, she is in even more danger. When he turns up at her home and attacks her, she turns to the local clan who save her and give her protection by moving her into a safe house.
Alistair Thorne was cursed by a witch many years ago, as a result he is disfigured and now lives in isolation, rarely venturing out and when he does, he wears a hooded cloak to hide his disfigurement. When his friend turns up with a human that needs protection, he agrees that she can stay and he is determined to avoid her so she doesn’t see the man he is now. But fate has other ideas and when she is determined to help those who were cursed, he is unable to avoid her.
An amazing read: a world where vampires rule their territory, witches, of various talents, are powerful beings, the whole idea and story makes this a wonderful read and I assume each book will deal with a different person’s curse, which promises more fantastic books to follow.
I voluntarily received and reviewed an ARC copy of the book.

[Jessica Buckingham · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a good read! Shoshannas character really embodies the fierce independence that runs deep in a dynamic lead. Her past is what helps her grow but stay true to who she is. Very beauty and the beast esk. She falls for the “man under the mask” so to speak. Easy descriptors to bring the character to life.

Alister, this poor tortured soul. Will say this is where the main beauty and the beast theme lays. He stays in the shadows bc he hates his curse, pushed the lead female away but can’t help but fall in love bc he is enamored. Very well written. Old soul, would have liked to read a bit more detail of his thoughts alone. Not just of Shoshanna, or his feelings that grow for her or his anger of the curse.

The only reason I gave it 4 stars instead of 5 is bc I think there were a few opportunities missed as far as describing *SPOILERS* breaking the curse or the intense “battle” scenes. They are straight forward and get the point across. As far as the curse, I wanted a lot more descriptions other than feeling like he had a “dream” and woke up with a curse broken. I was waiting for MORE. More banter, gore, catalyst, anguish. I just wanted more.

[Cait M · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 🌟
I know, I'm a sucker for Beauty & the Beast retellings...they don't even have to be that good for me to rate them highly.

But, I really enjoyed this new-to-me author's take on a vampire Beast and witch Belle. The story was well written and flowed nicely and didn't need huge amounts of world-building to set up.

Alistair is a 200-something-year-old vampire who has been cursed for the last century with a beastly appearance. Once part of the high-ranking "Shroud" who defend and protect their Vampire lord, Alistair now lives as a recluse much to the dismay of his old friends (who are also cursed, but in different ways).

Shoshonna is a young woman who is a talented witch by birth, but is in training to gain her witchy qualifications. Like any student, she makes ends meet working as a barista and doing magical side-jobs.

When a magical spell for the local vampire lord gains her unwanted attention from a rival faction, the Shroud places her in the care of Alistair for protection.

Standard B&B/proximity romance follows. Shoshonna uses her time to try and break Alistair's curse and in the process becomes more entagled in it.

This book contains descriptive love scenes.

[Tammy · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Guardian’s Curse is the start of a new to me series about cursed vampires and witches. The book does a good job of setting up the storyline for the series. A dark witch cursed members of the Blade of Auberon vampire court. Alistair was disfigured by the curse. He is so ashamed of his appearance that he hides away in his house. Shoshanna is a witch who weaves spells. When Shoshanna is attacked by a vampire from a rival court, she calls on Auberon vampires for help. She is taken to Alistair’s home for protection. Alistair and Shoshanna are attracted to each other but Alistair’s insecurities about his appearance cause him to keep her at arm’s length. Through sheer determination Shoshanna slowly breaks down Alistair’s defenses. Shoshanna is a strong female lead. She is confident in her abilities and stands up for what she believes in. I enjoyed reading about Shoshanna weaving spells, using drawings almost like an architect. I recommend this book for anyone who likes paranormal romance and look forward to continuing the series.

[Sue Philips · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story has everything I love in a story - adventure, love, emotion, magic, a witch and a vampire and a kidnapping.
Shoshonna knows working with a vampire could be dangerous, but add an ungrateful ex boyfriend who is now a vampire with huge dibs on himself and you have the makings of a story you won't want to put down anytime soon. And I couldn't. This story was a sort of Beauty and the Beast with witch and vampire starring in the lead roles. A vampire who has been cursed for hundreds of years and is now living the life of a recluse because he's been turned into a hideous monster. A witch hired to lay protection around his home. She falls in love with him, but he is reluctant to meet her even halfway. Music brings these two together. Add a stone statue the vampire spends evenings reading to, the witch who is convinced she can break curse spells, other vampire friends of the "Beast" who don't believe in her powers and this story keeps giving.
Highly recommended.

[ButtonsMom2003 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got sucked in (in a good way)!

I read this story for a book club. I’ve got to be honest; I didn’t really want to read it; it’s not my normal type of book to read (I’ve said that more than once with this book club) and I put off reading it until it was nearly time for our Zoom meeting. Now I want to devour the rest of the series and I can’t – at least not right now; I have other books I must read.

The world building in this story was fantastic. The main characters were great and so were all of the secondary ones – some I know have their own books in this series. There were so many times that I was on the edge of my seat reading this. The blurb really sets things up nicely so I’m going to leave it at if you like vampire stories at all you will probably love this one. OK, one more thing…this is the first book in a series of connected stories. There is no cliffhanger for the main couple but there is more to come for other characters in the following books.

[Tara Heilman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was just amazing! I am always excited to start a new series. This set the bar pretty high for what might come next. First, I am a sucker for a beauty and the beast theme. Add vampires, witches and magic, well I'm hooked. This story will keep you enthralled from the very beginning. Allistair's curse had cause him to hide himself away. When he is tasked with protecting a witch, that becomes impossible. Shoshana has no desire to be indebted to the vampires. After an attack in her own home, she is out of options. From her first night in Allistair's home, she is drawn to him. Without ever even laying eyes on him. Protections need to be placed, spells need to be cast and curses need to be broken. But most of all, Allistair and Shoshana both deserve to find love. I can not wait for book two. I received an advanced copy and this is my honest opinion.