Per Sanguinem

by Ashlyn Drewek

Vampires don't get a happily ever after. Eric Collins learned that the hard way, which is why he swore off the whole idea and prefers to throw himself into his job as a Chicago PD detective. His plan for a peaceful, solitary existence, however, is disrupted the night he saves Chase Turner—a human and a fellow cop—from being brutally murdered. 

With vindictive vampires after them and Chase’s meddling ex around every corner, it’s time for Eric to leave Chicago. But first he has to make a choice—convince Chase to give up everything and come with him, or say goodbye to the love of his life?


PER SANGUINEM is a slow-burn MM paranormal romance with a lot of suspense, police procedures, and sexual tension between two cops on the DL. It features an overprotective vampire, two insanely loyal partners, and a forbidden love story set against a complicated backdrop of murder and vampire politics. It is intended for a mature audience and reader discretion is advised. A full list of triggers can be found in the front matter of the book and at my website under Tropes & Triggers. 

Genres: M M Romance, Vampires, Paranormal, Fantasy, Romance, Dark, LGBT

483 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 25, 2022

About the author

International best-selling and award-winning author Ashlyn Drewek has always been fascinated by "weird" things like Edgar Allan Poe, Halloween, and witchcraft. Not necessarily in that order. But she's also a hopeless romantic who lives for stories about true love conquering all. Since variety is indeed the spice of life, she writes a mix of MM tropes and subgenres to satisfy her rapidly changing whims.

For information on upcoming releases, go to ⇢ https://www.ashlyndrewek.com/upcoming

Have a question? I might have an answer! ⇢ https://www.ashlyndrewek.com/faq

Looking for links? Go here ⇢ www.ashlyndrewek.com/main

Reviews

[D.L. Howe · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m so glad that Ashlyn came across my radar because she’s a technically fantastic writer, you can tell she did her research, that or she’s a cop. Not to mention how good the character and relationship development is. From the obvious adorable sweetness that grows between Eric and Chase but also the animosity between them and several characters.

I especially enjoyed the back and forth between both MMC’s and Miguel. That guy is a piece of work and I was gnawing at the bit for his comeuppance.

I love that no matter how hard people try to ruffle Collins feathers he’s utterly unaffected. Especially when he laughs them off. I always wanted to be like that.

This one is very cop forward, I’d say for at least the first half of the book it’s all suspense and crime drama. I personally enjoy it, especially when you throw in some vampire action.

I found the vampire hierarchy interesting, pretty original from anything I’d seen before.

But man, once the boys grew affectionate I was a goner. The loyalty, the protectiveness but most of all the cuddling. Honestly, it would’ve been enough for me but since Ms Drewek was kind enough to include her mouth watering steam, yeah utter perfection.

The build up to the penultimate crisis was a nail biter. I may or may not have been able to see a few things coming but it in no way took away from a phenomenal story. I’m hopeful there will be more books in this world and I’ll get to see Eric and Chase again.

[Julia (bookish.jka) · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Sliding my hands over his hips, I gripped them hard and pulled him up against me. He jumped and wrapped his legs around my waist, slotting his mouth against mine and kissing me as I carried him over the wreckage of scattered furniture to the bed."

Ashlyn Drewek is one of my most favourite authors and is an absolute one-click, must have the e-book, paperback and special edition hardback copies of EVERYTHING she writes, thank you.

So.... when I found out that she was rewriting her very first novel Out of the Dark (which was MF and actually a damn good read so go check it out) BUT MAKING IT M/M, this was a must have, give it to me now, stop the press, I want it book.

And it is FABULOUS. Per Sanguinem ('through the blood') is a paranormal/urban fantasy suspense romance, in a contemporary setting. It's plot and character driven, with amazing world building - Ashlyn Drewek actually creates a whole new species/culture of vampire for our reading delight - oh, did I mention it has vampires? It has vampires. And cops. And vampire cops.

So we have the slowwww burn (forbidden) love story between our MC cops, Chase (human) and Eric (vampire), developing in line with the plot - a series of killings which clearly aren't what they seem to be, because supernatural elements are in play and vampires are living amongst the humans, unseen and unknown. The story-building is layered, complex and beautifully written.

Throw in some forced proximity, a jealous ex-lover, slow burn and high steam (think vampire bites during smexy times and a 'mine' vibe), gruesome murders, lascivious and vicious vamps and a closeted cop with the hots for his vampire partner, and you are getting an idea of the rollercoaster ride that is Per Sanguinem.

I can't recommend it highly enough!

5 sensational stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

[Gloria (in a slump? idk) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Available Now!!

Sitting at over 120k words, this book is a beast and a thiccc one at that. So strap in, clench all the clench-ables, and grab some snacks cause it's about to be a wild ride.

I physically cannot write a sentence without giving away anything so here's a vague recap:

The story is centered around Chase who is a cop, and his vampire, also a cop, boyfriend Eric. Of course when we first meet them, they aren't boyfriends but you get the gist. They embark on a metaphorical journey to uncover the mystery of a string of killings while also attempting to not get dead. That's all I'll say for now 😅

“Have I ever told you how adorable you are?”
“I am not adorable . I am a fearsome creature of the night. Ask Hollywood.”

It is a romantic suspense in every sense of the word, and this author does not shy away from turning up the volume on both of those genres. One moment you're swooning, the next you're chewing all your fingernails because "WTF Andrea?!" (Sidenote: Andrea is one of the characters, sorry if your name is actually Andrea 😅). The world building, the vampire dynamics, the suspenseful plot ... it almost makes me sad this is a standalone because I would love to see more episodes of these characters solving mysteries. Almost because Eric and Chase have definitely been through enough. I'm looking at you Ashlyn 👀

In true Ashlyn Drewek fashion, every single person in this book, except characters which I shall not name for spoilers sake, was sus af. I can confidently say that if I were ever given the opportunity to throw some of them into a quarry, I wouldn't bat a single eyelash 😌

While I uber appreciate that there was a well fleshed out suspense storyline, I also completely love that the author did not shy away from giving us all the ooey gooey feels. The unresolved sexual tension, the lingering and subconsciously fleeting touches, the forced proximity breeding a form of domestication, and the constant inexplicable desire in Eric to protect Chase and vice versa (touch him and you die vibes y'all!!!). oh! Can't forget THE BITING 🥵🤌🏾

"If Napoleon himself rose from his grave and tried to take you from me, I would rip his heart out!"

The fact that the pacing of the mystery somewhat mimics that of the romance was *chef's kiss*. And for someone who barely has the attention span of a fly nowadays, being so enraptured by these two was to me, a true testament to Ashlyn's talent. I highly highly recommend picking up this gem!!

P.S. I think this book is tagged as dark. While it wasn't too dark for me, please heed all the trigger warnings friends 🖤

[Renae Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Per Sanguinem is an epic slow-burn paranormal detective romance that I absolutely loved and devoured. The atmosphere created is one of suspense and eeriness that makes for such a great vibe as you navigate through this complex world focused on two detectives.

One of my favorite aspects of this story is the friendship that develops over the first half of this story. Eric and Chase become unofficial partners and watching their partnership grow and mature so subtly was so magnificently done. You can feel the growing sexual tension between the two as they try to hold themselves back.

Another great aspect to their relationship is how both Eric and Chase are intensely loyal and protective to one another. Not only do they protect each other, they also have immense trust, which only strengthens their bond. Eventually things take a more intimate turn and the story intensifies even more from there.

Overall I have never read such a brilliant slow-burn vampire detective story. Per Sanguinem is unique and original in its concept, but what sets it apart is the relationship between its main characters. Both Eric and Chase are complicated, haunted people who develop a bond that is more than either could have expected. Every facet of their relationship is layered and well developed, thus making for an epic story that truly transforms.

I am still so in awe of this story and cannot wait for more...

[Sheena · Rating 5 out of 5]

5/5 stars

Blood may have been the key to eternal life, but Chase was the reason my heart kept beating. Everything I did, I did for him. I had ever since I first laid eyes on him in that alley. After centuries of failure and loneliness, dedicating myself to the abstract concept of duty instead of my own desire, I finally had a companion to share my life with. A true soulmate.

I loved loved this so much! I always find something missing in books about vampires, but this was done so well. I couldn’t find anything that I hated or disliked that much. I thought I would hate that’s it’s almost 500 pages, but those pages go by so fast.

“I know it’s probably old-fashioned, but I don’t want you to doubt how important you are to me. You gave me my humanity back, reminded me what really matters. I want to give you some stability. Or security, or whatever you want to call it. I want to take care of you, for as long as I’m able. But only if you want to.

He said I gave him back his humanity, but did he realize he did the same thing for me? Without him, there’s no telling what I would have become after Jankowski’s murder, trying to fight the demons by myself. But now I didn’t have to worry, because I knew he’d always be there. My husband. My partner in every sense of the word.

These two 🥺 I loved Eric and Chase so much. They were so adorable together. I just loved the progression of their relationship. Eric helped Chase from being murdered then they turned into friends, and slowly they realized they had feeling for each other. I loved the pacing, but mind you it’s slow sometimes. So that might be a problem, but I loved them trying to solve the murders and then doing mundane tasks. They truly are soulmates in every way. Also I need need a book on Aubrey like right now. Please and thank you 😌

“And in this case, I believe Eric’s saying he’ll love you forever. More literally, he’ll bleed for you for his eternal life.”

I didn’t think I could love him any more than I did when he was a human, but every day as a vampire he proved me wrong.
Per sanguinem ad vitam aeternam — the motto adopted by all vampires — meant more to me now than it ever had.

[Jennifer☠Pher☠]

DNF

11/01/22 - Update and change of plans. No longer taking a break. I avoid drama at all costs but an author coming at readers is about the worst thing that they can do, so, DNF. Do not aggressively attack how a reader interprets your work. It is wrong and not fair.
-------
I'm going to take a break, I think.

I'm at 51%, page 246, and I'm not sure if I even care about what happens anymore truthfully.

This is supposed to be a slow burn but there is nothing between the two, no sexual tension, nothing. The case is convoluted and really isn't making much sense. The ex is so extreme I don't know how he gets anything done. Eric is centuries old but we've learned nothing about him and he's sort of boring. And Chase, well, he is very unlikeable, VERY. I've yet to like anything about him and that makes for a very difficult read. He acts out like a child and it's not cute.

So, I was going to throw in the towel but instead I'm going to wait for my friend Anne to finish! HAHAHHAHAHAH! No pressure friend!

If she gives me the green light I might pick this back up. If not, I'll move it to a different shelf.

Such a bummer. I loved Malum Discordiae but this is so far a huge fail.

[haletostilinski · Rating 5 out of 5]

Edit: Goodreads did it again. This review actually has 23 likes, but it isn't showing that on here at all, so it looks like I have 0 likes on it *sighhh*

~*~

⭐︎ 4.5 stars rounded up! ⭐︎

I absolutely adored this. It's almost 500 pages but once you really get into it, it doesn't feel like it. It just goes by so quickly because you're so into the story and the love story between Chase and Eric

Eric has been a vampire almost 280 years, since around 1748. Now we're in modern day Chicago, and Eric spends his eternal life going from city to city, and job to job to keep him occupied in his very long after life.

In Chicago, he's a detective. One night while he's out gathering evidence, he hears screaming and runs to investigate, up on the roof with his vampire abilities. What he sees is one cop dead and the other close to being killed by two guys.

Eric jumps in to save him, and it turns out to be Chase, a 26 year old human who has seen his fair share of pain and suffering.

Eric is instantly intrigued by Chase, and after Chase get s out of the hospital and assigned light desk duty with Eric, Chase is intrigued right back.

There is an attraction between them, but they resist for the longest time. Eric, because he's a vampire and doesn't want to get too close to Chase and fall for him or anything, when they're only doom for failure because of who Eric is, right? And Chase, because he's a mess at the moment and doesn't think he could date anyone at the moment.

But the more they work together, and the more Eric asks Chase to come along with him on some cop business, the closer they get as time goes on.

And it turns out that in that alley where Chase and his now dead partner were being attacked, there was another male vampire, a literally ancient one, who had attacked and killed a girl - her screams are what drew all of them to that alley.

And that vampire seems to be wanting to take out everyone that saw him in that alley - the two guys who were helping him, as well as Chase.

Eric is determined to help him and look after him, and along the way kind of, maybe...forgets to not get close to Chase haha.

There's also the threat of a female group of vampires in the city, who unlike male vampires who are usually lone wolves, stay together in a group usually. The "Queen", when Eric goes to her for help in trying to catch the male vampire who is threatening Chase, says that his closeness with Chase could be a liability, as vampires generally don't like humans being in the know, and they might either kill him or turn him.

So they are also a threat to Chase's life. And as the attacks or almost attacks mount up, Chase seems to permanently move into Eric's home to keep him safe. Under the guise that it's just temporary until they deal with all the vampires after them, mainly Chase, but it runs into a more permanent thing ;)

I enjoyed this so much. I loved their slow burn. Even as I wanted to scream "now kiss!" the pay off was so worth it. They don't kiss until after halfway through in a 500 page book, but it is oh so good once they do.

Their chemistry was definitely amazing and I give all the thumbs up for it.

I guess my only reasons for .5 off the total rating is for that very small part in the beginning where it felt a little slow for me, and then near the end when they go from the slow burn to married a little bit too fast, for my tastes.

It felt, honestly, a tad out of place? Like why did Eric, out of the blue, ask Chase to marry him when they'd only been officially dating for not that long at all. Maybe a few weeks, at best?

And then why did Chase agree so fast and then why did they both immediately just go to a courthouse and get married right then and there, with in the hour of Eric proposing?

I know they were in love, but it just felt way too fast, and then of course at one point Chase was doubting things because he learned the primary reason Eric proposed was so that he would be secure financially if Eric died. It just didn't feel 100% romantic to me, and I wish, if they were going to get married , that they could have easily done it in the epilogue? That whole big just felt out of place. It felt like it could have easily happened at the end adn the story wouldn't have changed at all.

Otherwise, this story was near perfect. I loved the plot, characters, romance and sex. Yeah, I wish there had been more sex scenes, but what we got so was good. And the rest of the story was just so good that I didn't mind too much that there weren't a ton of sex scenes ;).

So overall, I highly recommend this. The romance, the chemistry, the plot, it's all so good and makes for a well put together story, overall.

👍Two MASSIVE thumbs up from me!👍

[~Nicole~ · Rating 5 out of 5]

And that’s how you write a book with vampires!!! Freaking amazing!!!! Wow!!!! I absolutely devoured this book, best read this year for me so yay!!
This book had EVERYTHING: beautiful romance, action, world building, absolutely fabulous MCs, slow burn, the right amount of smut and fantastic writing. This author only improved with time! I enjoyed Chase’s and Eric’s journey so much. Chase , prickly and stubborn and fierce and yet so vulnerable and Eric, so stoic and so loving ,gah, I loved them!!
As soon as I saw the blurb to this book I felt it in my gut that I will love it and I didn’t love it, I adored it!!! Great, great book!!

[Ashleigh · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars

i looooved this! eric and chase were perfect for each other. also wasn't expecting this to be so funny and make me swoon. I need more 🥲

** ARC received from author **

[Kat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Per sanguinem ad vitam aeternam.

I can’t believe it’s OVER. Ugh. This book was everything I needed from a vampire investigative PNR. Between Eric’s trauma from his long life and Chase’s PTSD and coming out story, I couldn’t help but love them.

‘When the noise inside my head started to get too loud, he was a quiet place to turn to.’

And then there’s the vampirism! So familiar, and yet done so uniquely. I LOVED how the hierarchy worked. It felt… realistic for the animal world, which only made it easier to understand.

“I am not adorable. I am a fearsome creature of the night. Ask Hollywood.”

I will never be okay that this is a standalone.

[Stacy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. It is definitely a slow burn. I wish it would have been a little less SLOW, but still no major complaints. Miguel was a real piece of shit.

Loved Aubrey! The author mentioned maybe writing a book with him and I am here for it! And for more of Chase and Eric in New Orleans! Please and thank you.

[Cassie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This review is mine, and mine alone.


I’ve read everything that Ashlyn has wrote, she is a one click for me. She writes it and I’ll read it.

This book was completely different from what she normally writes and she explains that this was her 1st story ever published and it was originally a M/F book. You can tell by reading it that this writing style is different from where she is now.
I thought it was great! It’s not as in-depth as what we are used to with her stories, but it completely covered all bases.
Two beautiful broken boys, trying to make a difference in a world determined to kill them. Chase had an awful childhood and a worse walk through early adulthood. He was broken and hurting and had no one in his corner. Eric was a 250 years old Vampire that saw Chase and loved him regardless of how “broken “ he was.
The vampire dynamics are different from the usual, the females are basically the ones in charge. It’s an interesting spin.
Overall I really enjoyed the story!

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Edward Cullen, eat your heart out.

Would 100% rather have Eric as a hot stalker-y vamp boyfriend, thank you very much. Chase, you lucky devil.

This book is thiccccc and it shows. SO MUCH happens; like to the point that by the time I got to the end I was like "Wait, how did this book even start again?" It felt like a duology or even a series.

Especially because the first half of the book and the second had completely different vibes. The first half of the book is exactly what I expected: a deliciously slow slow burn where Eric and Chase slowly circled each other as we waited for their two worlds to eventually collide. Collide they did and it was yummy.

Once they get together, it's no holds bar - the slow burn turns into a raging inferno and suddenly it kind of starts to feel like a different book? Things start happening really quickly - almost too quickly. But it's not just the romance that takes off, it's the whole plot. In fact, the romance actually starts to get a little bit lost under the issues with Tiberius, the female vampires, Miguel (that fuckin prick), Chase's dad - there's just so much going on and the scenes are switching and colliding so quickly I started getting literary whiplash.

Don't get me wrong, I still very much enjoyed the whole story! But somewhere along the way, because of the way the second half of the book was written, my interest in the romance was starting to wane. Ashlyn is still as solid a writer as ever; I think it would have done the story more justice to draw out the scenes and just divide the story up into multiple books rather than try to cram it all into one. BUT I will say - I know this is story is one that she wrote before as an MF that was unfinished and picked it back up again. That may be way the book feels so different in the first and second halves? Not sure, but still something I took into consideration with my rating; I applaud the ability to go back to an unfinished work and re-vamp it (lol, see what I did there?) Overall, though, still really enjoyed this one!

Rating: 3.5 rounded up to 4 stars!

[S.M. LANYON · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it🖤🖤🖤

Okay, you guys know, I'm very much in love with everything vampire, so when this book became available for me to read and review I practically inhaled it.🖤
The story is set in contemporary times, with the supernatural and horror elements built in with fantastic detail. I loved the underworld feel of creatures running the city at night, hunting humans and waging their own wars for power. 🖤
In the middle of the underbelly of vampire kingpins making unprecedented dangerous moves and crime rates at all time high, Chase and Eric's lives become entangled.🖤
Starting off with Chase, because he is my adorable, stubborn, hot AF babe. No, he's not the grumpy to Eric's sunshine - Chase has plenty of reasons explaining where his attitude comes from. Yet, despite all the shitty things life throws at him, he somehow finds it within himself to stand tall and be his own man.🖤 When he crosses paths with Eric, albeit sparks are flying he isn't ready to surrender his heart, even if Eric's charm is often quite disarming. He really made Eric work for his affection and I only loved him more for that.🖤
Eric gave me all the fuzzy swoony feels🖤 I loved him so much - his intensity, charming personality, casual light-hearted demeanour and hilarious sense of humour were at odds with the usual expectations about what vampires should appear to be. I honestly loved how he took everything in strides and simply lived the life that brought him fulfilment and kept him on the side of righteousness. The way he cared for Chase was so sweet and heartwarming, I was totally falling for them as a couple, before they even shared their first kiss.🖤
Once these two made the decision to be together it was absolute fire meet gasoline 🖤 oh my god, they were freaking CRAZY HOT🔥🖤
There were some pretty unexpected plot twists and reveals that had me quite excited. I honestly feel the story produced enough teaser material for another book and I demand Aubrey be the star of it.😌🖤
Honourable mention for that delicious bite of a man.🖤
This is a perfect SpookTober read🖤
I absolutely loved it.🖤

[꧁•Zakiyya•꧂ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Clear your schedule to read Per Sanguinem because this book is nearly impossible to put down from the first page. 

The search for your next perfect read for the spooky-season stops right here.

Storytelling so vivid and sharp that it plays out like watching a movie – every scene crystal clear in your mind.  

The build-up was just as hot and intense as Chase and Eric’s eventual coming together.

And the relationship that develops between was both satisfying and explosive.... 🔥🔥

This author has an unfailing ability to create swoon-worthy characters that you cannot help falling in love with. 

As smart and stylish as it is compelling – this book is immensely entertaining.

I am a massive fan of the MM Vampire, Witches and Werewolves genre so if you are too then you won’t want to miss this one.... 💙💙

[Mx. T *Chaotic Reader* · Rating 4 out of 5]

Prussian vampire detective and CPTSD-suffering cop get together to solve crimes and fall in love. As always, A. Drewek's plot points are a mystery to me, but in this one there were a few I kinda expected. The romance isn't super developed at the beginning, but you totally get why they would like each other. Chase has had a lot of emotional shit to deal with, his dad and ex being two nasty pos. He carries a lot of shame and guilt. Eric is just minding his vampire detective business but cannot stay away from Chase. Add in a vampire queen and an evil bloodsucker who's after Chase and Eric, and voilà.

This read like a film and I mean it in a good way.

[Alexa · Rating 1 out of 5]

Profiting off of queer men when your views align to the far right is a choice. It’s giving “I like to fetishize gay men”. You are the problem.

Also, disrespectfully, I have more to add. this book pisses me off bc it is literally a copy paste of her MF romance - out of the dark, which has been unpublished - she just switched the gender of the FMC to male. Probably bc it fucking flopped & she was riding the wave from the success of her MM series. This is also gross behavior bc once again having the audacity to vote against the fundamental rights of the very people you are profiting off of IS GROSS BEHAVIOR.

[Kaitlyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

"I will kill them all, Chase. I will kill every unnatural creature I find if it means keeping you safe."

Star Rating: 4/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐
POV: Dual
HEA: Yes
Spice Rating: 3/5 🌶️🌶️🌶️

ARC provided in exchange for an honest review

Overall Opinion
Going into this book, I was unaware of just how big it was, sitting around 129K words, and yet not once did it feel like a long dragging story. Not only were the characters written in a way that gets you attached, but the storyline had me gripped, and whilst it is largely plot-driven, it was done in a way that captivated you and help you in its grip until the end. There was amazing world-building, being very in-depth, drawing in many elements to create a unique story. The main characters, Eric the 250-year-old vampire detective who is doing all he can to not fall in love with his new work partner, Chase, the 26-year-old suffering from a broken childhood and severe PTSD. This has to be the healthiest relationship I've read from this author, and I wholeheartedly loved it! Overall I thoroughly enjoyed this story, it was fresh and suspenseful and I hope one day we get Andrea's story!

Read if you like:
❣️ M/M Romance
❣️ Vampire/Human
❣️ Suspense
❣️ Slow-Burn
❣️ Cops
❣️ HEA

[Devoted❤️Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fangfully fantastic

I love a good vampire romance. One that I can sink my teeth into and savor from beginning to end. Ok, ok, no more puns, but really, can you blame me? It’s vampire humor.

“It was still surreal to me that I, a mere human, had somehow managed to capture the love of a man who could literally kill me in the blink of an eye. Instead of terrifying me, all I wanted was for him to bite me and use me until we were both spent.”

This. Book. Left. Me. Breathless. And with such an amazing book hangover, it’s gonna take me days to recover. I loved every single page; every depth-driven character we met (even if some of them I loved to hate); every tantalizing word spoken between Eric and Chase; every purpose-filled action taken by them, every unspoken word, glance, breath, touch; gah, so emotionally fulfilling and yet I didn’t want it to end. It has everything I love: suspense, fiery chemistry, action, humor, unforgettable people, twists I didn’t see coming, and an angsty love so swoony you’ll fast become addicted. A platinum read—no gold here—you definitely want to take a bite out of.

[LifeReader · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, I am on a high after reading this book, and it’s a lot of book. All I can think about is how hot vampire bites are. I’m literally drooling over Eric as he is everything I love in a character and at parts I felt myself swoon!

Chase, our struggling human who has a lot of struggles connects so quickly with the grumpy vampire and I loved how their story unfolded.

This book is very plot heavy, it’s so brilliantly written and immersive that it’s hard to just stop at points as you get so lost. The vampire world Ashlyn created was perfect, the balance between the story and the romance was just right.

I cannot explain how much I loved this book. I am a sucker for vampire stories in general but this one was intense, sweet, full of action and sexy. The pacing was perfectly pitched and it just flowed so well.

Love Chase and Eric, such a perfect couple. Tough guys on the outside who are complete mush for eachother. Pure deliciousness.

[Dani · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love when there's a law enforcement guy and he gets paired up with a secret supernatural creature to solve a case. Chase ends up on desk duty after his partner catches a case of the wrong place, wrong timesies. In a way that didn't feel sanctioned by the Chicago PD at all, Eric starts taking Chase out into the field with him and ends up involved with some other bad vamps.

I thought the whole situation that happened at city hall seemed a little rushed but all in all, I didn't mind it. With how the story was going, there was only one way through for Chase and I'm glad he got to make his own choices. I very much appreciated that there was no room for reconciliation with Miguel. He was the second worst in this book next to Chase's father.

I got a kick out of this. It had a fairly heavy paranormal story line but was still romantic and whatnot. I squawked out loud when a New Orleans werewolf showed up. Give me more about him.

[Ezra · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars. Story of a Prussian Vampire, Eric working in modern day LAPD who saves a fellow detective Chase during a shoot out which inadvertently thwarts another rogue vampire's murder spree resulting in a game of cat and mouse. Eric then feels responsible for keeping Chase safe from the rogue vampire who tries to cover his tracks by eliminating Chase as a witness. Their forced proximity results in them developing stronger feelings for one another.

As is with Ashlyn Drewek's other story, Malum Discordiae which focussed on mystery over romance, this story is primarily a police procedural where the two MCs develop feelings along the way.

It is a well written and interesting plot, with great supporting characters and villains both human, e.g. Chase's piece of shit ex and supernatural e.g. a female vampire coven and a werewolf bestie.

Possibly a tad too long at 483 pages, this had a realistic slow burn and some swoonworthy undying devoted obsession from our Vampy leading man, Eric for his feisty, stubborn and brave human, Chase. Also touched on themes of grief and loss, PTSD and homophobia with insight and sensitivity.

[Jude: The Epic Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

Vampires plus cops and crime! I love a good vampire romance, what a way to start of October and spooky season. This book did go on a little long but was easy and enjoyable to read, a little too much of a slow burn for me (by the time they got to anything I was already focused on other things).

I wouldn't mind a sequel to this, which we probably won't get. The world set up with the side characters were interesting and good enough for another book.

[AngelFire · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF @ 60%

I had really high expectations for this because I keep expecting Ashlyn Drewek to deliver another masterpiece like the Leander Welles series, but it keeps not happening and this book is yet another example of that. To be fair, the summary does a pretty decent job of setting this story up exactly as it is: a low angst MM romance that happens to include some paranormal elements and a simplistic mystery/suspense plotline that includes some gory violence. Unfortunately, I had way higher expectations than this.

My first problem with the book was the excessive length (it’s nearly 500 pages). More than half of this book could and should have been cut because it was repetitive and boring. The worst was the first 35% (or 18 chapters), during which Chase has no idea vampires exist. This is a problem because the book has alternating dual POV chapters so all of Chase’s chapters in the first 18 were generic MM romance stuff: Chase angsting about not wanting his fellow cops to find out he’s gay, dealing with his homophobic father, dealing with a clingy asshole ex-boyfriend who is also in the closet etc. All of these things would have been fine...if the story hadn’t been a paranormal suspense featuring vampires! I mean, come on! In addition to Chase’s ignorance of the supernatural world making his chapters boring, it also meant his view of the murder cases that he’s dealing with were a waste of time. Through Eric’s POV, readers learn pretty early on that all of these random murders are being committed by a male vampire (Tiberius) for reasons that are stupid and boring (but I’ll get to that later) but at least readers get some direction and forward movement with Eric’s insights. Chase has zero insight and that’s not his fault but it meant his chapters were really boring.

While things did pick up a little bit after Chapter 18 when Chase finds out about vampires, things quickly shift back to Boring Town. I didn’t think it was possible to create a paranormal vampire romance featuring multiple murders that was boring and unoriginal, but the author managed to do that. Every single plotline was done in the most unoriginal and boring way possible:

Eric is a badass 250-year old vampire, but he prefers to live the life of a normal human detective. He doesn’t socialize with other vampires, he doesn’t do any cool vampire stuff, he just goes to work, does his job, swings by a Polish deli to buy pigs blood to eat and comes home. Rinse and repeat.

Chase and Eric have feelings for each other but the author wanted to draw out their slow burn romance as long a possible and this was done by the tried-and-true methods of having the MCs interrupted every single time their clothes came off or having one or both of them do the whole ‘I’m-not-good-enough-for-him’ thing.

The murder mystery (ie the string of murder victims who all have their throats torn out) isn’t actually a mystery because we learn early in the story who is behind the murders and why. Essentially, another male vampire (Tiberius) is annoyed that Eric is living on his turf and for some odd reason, he’s decided after decades of them sharing space in Chicago that NOW is the time for him to express his dissatisfaction by creating tons of work for Eric and making it hard for Eric to keep the vampire world hidden from humans. Oh, and Tiberius is also trying to kill Chase because he knows that would annoy Eric. Even typing that out felt boring. You have a 250 year old vampire and another one that’s been around since the Roman Empire and territory jealousy is the only conflict between them? Seriously? Anyway, so we know who is committing the murders and why so the only thing left is finding Tiberius and sorry, but having Eric constantly staring at a map of Chicago and angsting over not being able to find the guy wasn’t interesting. Not to mention that this setup (ie having readers know who is doing the killing) means I didn’t care whenever another random body showed up. The repetition in the murder mystery was truly baffling. Over half of it could have been cut out with no impact on the overall story and I didn’t even read the whole thing.

Then there are the gorgeous and scary female vampires who came with such potential but once again – their main problem with Eric seems to be that he refuses to get involved in their internal politics and that he’s fond of Chase. B-O-R-I-N-G. Also – side note but I was annoyed that the author didn’t describe the Queen’s physical appearance except for noting that she looks stunning and is pale. I don’t care if authors don’t describe what generic characters look like, but when you have somebody with interesting physical features, I want to know about them so I know what to picture. I have no idea what the Queen looked like – hairstyle, eye color, clothes etc and that bothered me. Anyway, back to more important things.

So basically, every single plotline (the paranormal stuff, the romance, the murder mystery/suspense stuff) was done in a boring and generic way. I just didn’t get it...the author had all the ingredients to make this an amazing and intense paranormal romance, yet this bland stuff is what she came up with? After the brilliance that was the Leander Welles series?!? To be fair, I didn’t read the whole thing but that’s part of the problem. This book is so unnecessarily long that I read nearly 300 pages before calling it quits. Maybe something interesting does happen in the final 200 pages but readers shouldn’t have to read through 300 PAGES (which is the length of an average romance novel) in order to get to the good stuff. That’s assuming that there as any good stuff hiding in the last 40%, which I doubt.

I also dislike Chase’s characterization and that impacted my ability to enjoy the romance (asides from the romance being boring). Chase is portrayed as the typical damsel-in-distress and it drove me nuts. The author kept inserting cringy scenes where Chase would insist that he’s capable of taking care of himself and he would get huffy at Eric being over-protective while everybody (Eric, readers, probably Chase) knew that actually, Chase wasn’t capable of taking care of himself in those situations and he DID need Eric’s help and protection. The whining and complaining just made him look pathetic. This is the exact behavior I hate seeing in MF romances with those ‘strong’ female characters who insist that they’re tough and smart but they’re actually useless and do dumb things. Thankfully, the author stopped short of pushing Chase into TSTL territory, but it came close. The guy spent way too much time terrified, throwing up, hiding in bed and self-medicating. I think another problem with Chase was that the author seemed to be writing him as being younger than he actually was. He was supposed to be 26 years old but he came across as younger. The author would randomly shove in references to Chase having been in the military and being a tough guy with an attitude, but none of that came across in the scenes where I wanted Chase to actually be a tough guy. He reminded me really strongly of Roan (from the Roan Sinclair duology) and I think maybe the military angle and saying Chase is 26 was the author’s attempt to make Chase seem tougher and more capable than Roan was...? But in any case, it didn’t work because he was written to be way too similar to Roan (or generic romance heroines).

All of this also meant I didn’t understand what attracted Eric to Chase in the same way that I didn’t understand what attracted Sasha to Roan in the Roan Sinclair duology. Not only is Eric much older than Chase, he’s literally lived several lifetimes while Chase is only 26, he outranks Chase at work, has way more work experience than him and is more comfortable with his sexuality. Basically, Chase had nothing that would have attracted Eric and or made Eric need him, except for sex related things. The author routinely noted that both of them were in the military, but this fell completely flat because their military pasts are only relevant during one short conversation near the beginning. I knew what the author was going for and I was eagerly waiting for their military ties to become relevant or to help explain why Eric was so drawn to Chase (ex. maybe they default to military tactics while chasing a suspect or maybe Eric has some PTSD flashbacks to combat like Chase did) but the author did NOTHING with the military connection. In addition, to this being wasted potential (and resulting in Eric’s attraction to Chase not making any sense), I also hated how Chase’s military PTSD conveniently disappears after Chapter 18 when he becomes aware of the supernatural world and the author needs to shift focus to that.

Lastly, I’m pretty sure this is already obvious but there was nothing particularly dark about this story. Yes, there were vampires and yes, they did kill people but that doesn’t automatically make a story dark. Much like the meat grinder scene in The Vengeance Of Roan Sinclair, the author shoved in an extremely gory scene where Eric tortures a female vampire by digging inside her skin, breaking her collar bone and trying to rip it out. My problem wasn’t the gore – it was that the violence was over the top for that particular situation and that the gore was gratuitous. Like with the meat grinder scene, there was no reason for the MCs to spend extra time doing those gory things to those random side characters. Both scenes felt like the author had realized that the stories weren’t dark enough and this was her amateur way of quickly shoving some into the story. Sorry, but isolated scenes of over-the-top gore doesn’t equal dark romance. Once again, I’m left baffled because this is the SAME AUTHOR who wrote the Leander Welles series so she knows exactly how to write dark romance. That series had creepy and dark imagery and symbolism that was cleverly woven throughout the entire series, it had horrifying yet purposeful violence, it had MCs whose violent desires were portrayed in a dark and terrifying way but whose love for each other beautifully balanced out that darkness, and it had original plotlines that were meticulously woven together to make them intense, exciting and every beat left me on the edge of my seat.

Overall, I had many of the same problems with this book as I did with the Roan Sinclair duology. At this point, I don’t know if I’m going to continue reading this author’s work. It seems like she’s happy with the books she’s been writing since she finished the Leander Welles series and I’m happy that she’s found a formula that she enjoys, but it’s not what I enjoy.

[Peppa · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don’t know why I pushed myself through it because I didn’t enjoyed it at all.
I felt no connection with the MCs and also the bookers so long and everything went on so slow and I’m usually not someone who complains about slow-burn.

[Sparkle (Roronoa Zoro’s girl) {in the longest slump🥴} 💜Tortured Reader🤍 · Rating 5 out of 5]

RTC

[Brey (lil Sebastian) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this author!! She writes such good dark/gray character books. I loved the duet she wrote previously and loved this vampire novel. The two characters were awesome and I was hooked from the beginning. I don’t know what it is about her writing style but I just can’t find any fault with it. If you’re a fan of this authors, previous books, I won hundred percent recommend this one. Especially if you’re in the mood for a vampire in a world where they’re not super indestructible.

[Amy Voce · Rating 5 out of 5]

“𝓘 𝓱𝓪𝓭 𝓽𝓸 𝓻𝓮𝓶𝓲𝓷𝓭 𝓶𝔂𝓼𝓮𝓵𝓯 𝓱𝓮 𝔀𝓪𝓼 𝓪 𝓿𝓪𝓶𝓹𝓲𝓻𝓮, 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓭𝓮𝓼𝓹𝓲𝓽𝓮 𝔀𝓱𝓪𝓽 𝓽𝓮𝓮𝓷𝓪𝓰𝓮 𝓶𝓸𝓿𝓲𝓮𝓼 𝓽𝓸𝓵𝓭 𝓾𝓼, 𝓽𝓱𝓮𝓻𝓮 𝔀𝓪𝓼 𝓷𝓸 𝓱𝓪𝓹𝓹𝓲𝓵𝔂 𝓮𝓿𝓮𝓻 𝓪𝓯𝓽𝓮𝓻 𝔀𝓲𝓽𝓱 𝓪 𝓿𝓪𝓶𝓹𝓲𝓻𝓮.”

“𝓓𝓲𝓭 𝓱𝓲𝓼 𝓭𝓮𝓪𝓽𝓱 𝓱𝓪𝓿𝓮 𝓽𝓸 𝓫𝓮 𝓼𝓸 𝓶𝓮𝓪𝓷𝓲𝓷𝓰𝓵𝓮𝓼𝓼? 𝓗𝓮 𝔀𝓪𝓼 𝓪 𝓼𝓸𝓵𝓭𝓲𝓮𝓻. 𝓗𝓮 𝓭𝓮𝓼𝓮𝓻𝓿𝓮𝓭 𝓪 𝓰𝓸𝓸𝓭 𝓭𝓮𝓪𝓽𝓱. 𝓐𝓷 𝓱𝓸𝓷𝓸𝓻𝓪𝓫𝓵𝓮 𝓭𝓮𝓪𝓽𝓱. 𝓣𝓱𝓮𝓻𝓮 𝔀𝓪𝓼 𝓷𝓸 𝓱𝓸𝓷𝓸𝓻 𝓲𝓷 𝓫𝓮𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓼𝓵𝓪𝓾𝓰𝓱𝓽𝓮𝓻𝓮𝓭. 𝓘𝓯 𝓘 𝓬𝓸𝓾𝓵𝓭 𝓼𝓪𝓿𝓮 𝓱𝓲𝓶 𝓯𝓻𝓸𝓶 𝓽𝓱𝓪𝓽 𝓯𝓪𝓽𝓮, 𝓽𝓱𝓮𝓷 𝓶𝔂 𝓶𝓲𝓼𝓼𝓲𝓸𝓷 𝔀𝓪𝓼 𝓬𝓵𝓮𝒶𝓇.”

“𝓒𝓸𝓶𝓹𝓪𝓻𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝔂𝓸𝓾𝓻 𝓽𝓻𝓪𝓾𝓶𝓪 𝓽𝓸 𝓼𝓸𝓶𝓮𝓸𝓷𝓮 𝓮𝓵𝓼𝓮’𝓼 𝔀𝓪𝓼 𝓪 𝔀𝓪𝓼𝓽𝓮 𝓸𝓯 𝓽𝓲𝓶𝓮 — 𝓪𝓽 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓮𝓷𝓭 𝓸𝓯 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓭𝓪𝔂, 𝓼𝓸𝓶𝓮𝓽𝓱𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓯𝓾𝓬𝓴𝓮𝓭 𝓾𝓹 𝓱𝓪𝓭 𝓱𝓪𝓹𝓹𝓮𝓷𝓮𝓭. 𝓟𝓮𝓻𝓲𝓸𝓭. 𝓨𝓸𝓾 𝓭𝓲𝓭𝓷’𝓽 𝓰𝓮𝓽 𝓪 𝓰𝓸𝓵𝓭 𝓼𝓽𝓪𝓻 𝓯𝓸𝓻 𝓱𝓪𝓿𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓽𝓱𝓮 “𝔀𝓸𝓻𝓼𝓽” 𝓽𝓻𝓪𝓾𝓶𝓪 𝓴𝓷𝓸𝔀𝓷 𝓽𝓸 𝓶𝓪𝓷.”

One day very soon! I swear Ashlyn Drewek will be featured on America's Most Wanted. Like a thief in the night she has done off with my beating heart. Per Sanguinem was once again an absolutely phenomenal read. Is there truly anything this author can't do? Because I'm yet to see it. Chase & Eric are written in stone and forever etched into my heart. This book was a beast and a half, coming in at 120k+ words! It took my sloth like brain a hot minute to read but also I wanted to savour every damn minute of Per Sanguinem. The hypnotic duo that is Eric and Chase sprinted off on a concourse meddled with loss/grief, psychotic murderous vampires, werewolves, stalking A-hole exes/lawyers and a gaggle of bitchy Queen's trying to stake a claim to the vampiric throne. Talk about muddied waters! I 1000% recommend this book. So much action, mystery, murder & romance in this paranormal feast! Another finely crafted slow burn that will definitely increase the heat and your pulse.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.25 stars

It’s been weeks since I read this so I will try to remember the most important stuff.

I remember liking it, but also thinking sometimes that the writing felt a bit off. Like, they were suddenly commenting on a tv show, while I wasn’t even aware they were watching one.

The relationship was fine, but somewhere near the end I got a little tired of these guys.

Sorry, that’s all I can remember. Oh, and it has a vampire. ;)

[Kaitlyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gotta love a hot cop and vampire who fuck and solve cases