Chosen by Blood

Para-Ops #1

by Virna DePaul

Leader of an Otherborn clan, half-breed vampire Knox Devereaux would do anything to find a cure for the anti-vamp vaccine slowly starving his people into extinction. When the FBI contacts him about leading a team of hand-selected Others on a mission to reclaim the stolen antidote, Knox accepts. His new assignment places him in direct contact with Special Agent Felicia Locke, the beautiful human he’s craved since their very first meeting.

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

384 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published May 3, 2011

About the author

A former prosecutor, Virna DePaul writes "heat, heart, & HEA" for Harlequin and Random House. She is also a bestselling Indie author, with Bedding The Wrong Brother being a top 100 contemporary romance on Amazon with over 150 5* reviews. www.virnadepaul.com

Reviews

[Catherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

*3.5 Stars*

The prologue of this book made me blink a few times and wonder if I was comfortable with the romance setup. [Don’t worry, the following isn’t really a spoiler. It’s all explained in the prologue.] When Knox and Felicia first met, they both knew that they were soulmates (literally). The only problem was that Felicia's best friend, Noelle, was married to Knox at the time. They both tried to resist it. Felicia even stayed away for years at a time and visited rarely. When she did visit, she avoided Knox like the plague. She didn't want to hurt her friend by letting her see the pull between them.

Noelle and Knox are both vampires. Knox finally gave up waiting for his soulmate after 300 years or so and married Noelle. He loved her, but he wasn't in love with her. She was fully aware of this and okay. She didn't believe in soulmates the way he did. In this book, vampires don't value marriage the same way humans do. They marry, and don't believe in divorce, but they often have Mate-Pairs so they can have more opportunities to breed. Vampires are all about breeding to preserve the continuation of their race, especially now that they’re all slowly withering away.

I was kind of uncomfortable because the intensity between Knox and Felicia was great—even though it was only the prologue—but there was someone they both cared about standing in between them. Knox asked Felicia to be with him after he had been married to Noelle for 9 years. Noelle knew about their connection and wanted them to have relief. Noelle had already strayed a couple times, but that wasn’t considered a bad thing. Vampires just don't cast marriage and cheating the same way humans do. Felicia turns him down even though she doesn't want to. She does care about cheating and she can't do that to her friend.

Because of that prologue I knew going into it that this would probably not be a typical romance. And I was right. Although I was deeply uncomfortable with the friend/wife being a stepping stone to their happiness, I loved the struggle between the characters. Knox has finally grown tired of stepping back because of Felicia’s morals. He has to do what’s best for his race, so he can’t belong to her solely, but he’s determined to bring her around to his side of things. For her part, Felicia knows that she can never accept the life that Knox wants them to have. She doesn’t understand how he can truly love her when she’s not enough for him.

I loved the intensity between them in the beginning. They were both stretched tight from denying their attraction to each other and were in danger of snapping.

Another emotion--pure, undiluted rage--filled him at the thought of her with another. It made everything else, every other emotion he'd ever felt, seem innocuous. Made him want to rip off his clothes--the luxurious symbols of civility that he normally loved--and make her see him as he truly was--primal, lethal, and fucking ready to prove to her that she was his, once and for all.

I wanted to be angry at Knox for pushing Felicia to be with him just to make himself happy. He knew she wouldn’t be happy if she gave in, but he convinced himself that they could work it out. He was stuck in a position of power because of the decline in his race and he felt responsible for doing all that he could to ensure their continued survival. He was unwilling to give up his responsibilities for her, but she was unable to give in, no matter how much she wanted him. She wanted more for herself than to have to share a man when he was needed to breed.

Even though, I wanted to be angry at Knox, as I said, I couldn’t. He was in a crappy situation and I could understand how desperate he was to get her to agree to be with him in some way. But I also loved that Felicia didn’t give in. She wanted to, and at times she wavered, but she always stuck to her morals and refused to give in. At least in the beginning she did…

That’s really where the relationship shone the brightest. Unfortunately, once they got together, they seemed to change and lose all of the intensity I prized. Felicia lost her backbone and became a weak, self-pitying creature. The relationship devolved into a more typical, irritating romance and I lost interest in them. It was a shame to go from such a different, compelling romance to such an overdone, dramatic one.

Luckily, once the romance went down the tubes I still had the Para-Op team to keep me entertained. I think the author put together a great cast of characters there. They managed to feel fleshed out and compelling without taking away too much from the lead characters. I loved that each team member was so different and that they didn’t easily get along together. Out of them all, Wraith was the one that hooked my attention the most. I’d love to learn more about her. She was so closed off and abrasive, but I saw a peek of sentiment under there now and again.

The way the romance read in the second half is what slowly lowered my grade. I wish I could have been more satisfied with their relationship, because everything else in the book just seemed to pop for me. I did have a slight problem with a character from both of their pasts popping back in at the most convenient moment possible to talk them through their issues, though. That really made me roll my eyes.

Although I only gave this one 3 ½ hearts, I still really enjoyed how fresh and different it felt. I loved the Para-Op team characters and can’t wait to learn more about them. I already have my eye on book 2 and it’s not even out yet. :)

Favorite Quote:

He wanted to get so deep inside her that he would touch her soul and make her realize that, despite everything, their difficult circumstances, her mistrust, his inability to give her all she wanted, he loved her. Good, bad, it didn't matter. She was his.

Review originally posted on Fiction Vixen.

[SheLove2Read · Rating 1 out of 5]

I didn't get very far into this before I decided not to finish it. First of all, I'm never going to be okay with a story where a man is "ok" with cheating on his wife, even if she's ok with it and/or she's also cheating. Maybe that's prudish of me, but it's not something I'm interested in reading. I also didn't like the author's voice. I can't quite say why, other than I just didn't. Won't be reading anything more by this author.

[ALPHAreader · Rating 2 out of 5]

In an alternate history the US Second Civil War has all but wiped vampires out of existence, and in the aftermath of peace they are on the brink of extinction. A vaccine was invented that tainted human blood, ruining it as a food source for the vampire population. As a result, the number of fanged are dwindling.

Now the US vampire population live in a sanctuary called ‘The Dome’, and are led by Knox Devereaux – a dharmire human/vampire hybrid, and among the last few unaffected by the vaccine.

Knox was a soldier in the Second Civil War, but now he lives to lead his dying race . . . a heavy task to fall on his shoulders. As the vamp leader, Knox is expected to marry a pure vampire female and help to procreate and save the fading population. He already performed his duty when he married the vampire Noella, and had two beautiful children with her. But even though Knox married Noella, he has always been in love with her best friend – the human female, and FBI hostage negotiator, Felicia Locke.

Knox’s leadership role is about to get even more complicated. The FBI have got wind of an antidote to the vaccine – something that could eliminate the contamination of human blood and restore the vampire’s food supply, thereby saving an entire race of paranormal people.
And sine Knox has the most to gain from this antidote, he is heading up the mission to find proof of its existence. Together with a walking-dead-woman simply called ‘Wraith’, a werewolf called Hunt, psychic human O’Flare and a mage named Lucy, Knox will put his life on the line to save his people . . . but when Felicia joins the task-force, Knox suddenly has more to lose, and gain.

‘Chosen by Blood’ is the first book in Virna DePaul’s new paranormal series, ‘Para-Ops'.

It’s always nice to read fresh blood in the urban fantasy / paranormal genre. Old favourites will always be anticipated New Year releases, but the promise of a fresh new series to sink one’s teeth into is equally exhilarating. So it was with great enthusiasm that I delved into DePaul’s first book, ‘Chosen by Blood’. . .

This novel is the establishment of the series focus Para-Ops team. In DePaul’s alternate world, paranormal people are marginalized and ostracized in the wake of Civil War. Thanks to a vaccine, humans gained the upper hand in the war by eliminating themselves as a food source for vampires. But when a cure is rumoured to exist, all paranormal factions see it as an opportunity to right the imbalance between humans and paranormal’s.

‘Chosen by Blood’ mostly concerns the Para-Ops leader and vampire head-honcho, Knox Devereaux. Not only does Knox have the weight of his people’s existence on his hands, but he is being confronted with his own personal wants and desires in the form of human FBI agent, Felicia Locke.

In theory, Felicia and Knox have a good romance – full of unrequited love and unimaginable yearning, stirred up with controversy over her being a human and Knox being part vampire. Knox has been pursuing Felicia since they first met, despite her uneasy attraction to him and his marriage to her best friend. Noella and Knox even proposed a mating-pair arrangement, whereby Felicia would be Knox’s mistress. But Felicia wanted monogamy and fidelity, and she had no interest in being ‘the other woman’. When the novel opens, Felicia is attending Knox and Noella’s wedding anniversary when Knox succumbs to lust and proposes this ‘ménage’ arrangement to a disgusted and heartbroken Felicia. Skip ahead two years and Noella is dead, murdered the only way a vampire can be – her heart ripped out and burned. Felicia has managed to avoid Knox, who has been in France for some time arranging his new marriage (which will strengthen ties with the European vampires). But Knox is still adamant that Felicia be his mistress – and he hopes that when they are reacquainted, Felicia will be willing to shake off the shackles of close-minded human fidelity.

Right away, DePaul is on the back-foot with regards to Knox and Felicia. First off, she references their first meeting where, apparently, sparks were flying and lust was running high. But readers are given little to no back-story about Knox and Felicia’s first meeting. We don’t even really know how Felicia came to be best friends with the vampire Noella (strange, since their friendship probably kicked-off in the wake of vampire discrimination?). But most detrimental of all is that readers never experience Knox and Felicia’s first meeting, either in flashback or detailed remembering, it’s always just stated as a fact that they have a heart-tugging attraction to one another . . . Urgh. True love, soul mates and love at first sight all rolled into one. If you’re like me, then this romantic premise really bugs you because it gives the author a scapegoat – ‘soul mates’ can replace actual attraction, and ‘love at first sight’ is cited instead of actual scenes of sexy repartee and genuine affection. Such is the case with ‘Chosen by Blood’. Knox need only be in the same room and Felicia creams her pants. And even when Felicia is heart-broken and insulted by Knox’s offer of mistress-status, Felicia still wants him and can’t deny her attraction to him. It’s telling, not showing; DePaul is telling readers that Felicia and Knox want each other, without showing us much evidence to back it up.

For some people, Knox’s offer of blatant infidelity will be quite off-putting to the overall romance of the novel (especially when vampires in most paranormal romances ‘mate for life’). But DePaul actually works this unorthodox offering into the story . . . Felicia is frustrated by Knox’s presumptuous and hollow offer of an extramarital affair. But it’s the norm for vampires to marry pure-bloods, but take other lovers – while Knox believes that Felicia should ignore her stuffy human preconceptions about fidelity and monogamy – both of them are ruled by their cultures and beliefs, but are desperate to change the other’s thinking.

I thought that Knox and Felicia’s tug-of-war romance, with the hurdle of misconceptions about fidelity and marriage, was interesting and tension-filled. But their actual ‘sparkage’ and heat just wasn’t there . . . as evidenced by their first sex scene. This was clunky and unsatisfying. Considering the fact that Felicia had been ignoring her lustful pull towards Knox for years, you would think that their first coupling would be explosive and soul-affirming – instead it read awkward and unfulfilling.

Knox and Felicia were a pretty awful first HEA couple for the new Para-Ops series. But there is hope for two secondary characters introduced in ‘Chosen by Blood’. The living-dead-girl, Wraith, and human psychic Caleb O’Flare. I loved these two – they are both combative and hurtful towards one another, but only to hide their true (awkward) attraction. These two stole the romantic spotlight, completely. I’m thrilled that the next book, ‘Chosen by Fate’ is about their romance . . . and whereas DePaul just told us that Felicia and Knox were attracted to one another (as opposed to showing us), I can definitely attest to O’Flare and Wraith’s sizzling chemistry.

The romance in ‘Chosen by Blood’ felt completely flat to me, but I did like DePaul’s world building. The story of an alternate history and Second Civil War is ingenious and full of possibility. The vaccine/antidote storyline of this book is a good introduction to this universe, in which vampires are dwindling and ‘Others’ are discriminated against. But there’s plenty of leeway for deep exploration . . . in the wake of war one group is always the down-trodden, the loser forced to succumb to the whims of the victor. That’s humans and ‘Others’ in DePaul’s world. I’m willing to forgive a lot of the romantic fizzle, purely because I loved this Civil War storyline so much;

The door opened and Knox Devereaux stepped inside. He was, as always, impeccably dressed. Tall and grim-faced, his dark pants, expensive black duster jacket, and polished boots made him look like a GQ outlaw.
Yes, indeed, Mahone thought. The times had changed.
The right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness no longer applied just to humans.
Wraiths had a right to vote. A court had just ruled that a mage’s right to practice magic was akin to one’s right to worship. And vamps, both full vampires and dharmires alike, couldn’t be denied health coverage based on ‘malnourishment’ being a pre-existing condition.
The Others were demanding their due and making their presence known.

I will also say that the ending of this book didn’t entirely work for me. The dénouement drags, and a lot of previously-unmentioned villains pop out of the woodwork to complicate the finale . . . . But like I said, I’m willing to forgive a lot of DePaul because I loved the back-story universe she created. I’m also really excited to read Wraith and O’Flare’s romance – which is sure to wash out the bad taste Felicia and Knox left behind.

2.5/5

[Kale · Rating 1 out of 5]

Chosen By Blood (A Para-Ops Novel) is set in a world where the paranormal are tentatively accepted by human society after a civil war between the two factions. But the cost was great to the vampires, their numbers dwindling from starvation due to a vaccine developed by humans that have contaminated the blood supply, during the unrest. Enter Knox a half human half vampire hybrid unaffected by the tainted blood and leader of his dying race. Knox will stop at nothing to save his people, putting duty above all else. Even his heart. Felicia is a negotiator for the FBI, and Knox's only weakness. She has been denying his advances for years because of his marriage to her best friend, and her own morals.

But Felicia is about to lose the luxury of running away from the strong attraction she has for Knox. Because they are about to join an elite team of paranormals, and their first mission is to retrieve the antidote to the vaccine that is destroying the vampire's food supply.

This book needed a better editor. There were quite a few typos, and grammar errors. Mostly it needed someone to find a way to fix the confusing beginning. The whole book was set up poorly. Actually I think the story would have been better without the already established, overly complicated lead relationship. The book opens up two years prior to the story's main timeline and thrusts the readers into the middle of Knox's, his wife's, and Felicia's weird relationship. I found this disorienting because the threesome has a long history better suited for a book of it's own, and while I get that DePaul is trying to set up the love interest we aren't getting much of anything about the actual book. It comes off messy and forced. It would have been better to scrap the whole thing and change the relationship structure or at least not make it so rigid.

Another problem with the story is how unlikeable Knox is. It seems like DePaul took her vampire straight out of a carpathian novel by Feehan, but the writing was way more crass. Throughout the book he was mostly concerned with only what he wanted completely disregarding Felicia's wishes. There was no building of a romantic relationship. No getting to know one another. No foundation for their professed feelings. It was nothing but lust in the guise of love.

Most of all I am surprised that Chosen by Blood was so graphic. I'm no prude but most writer's try to find interesting ways to describe sexual content. Not DePaul, she was not creative at all in her descriptions. She was so glaringly blunt and to the point with her writing, that it just didn't fit well, like a puzzle piece jabbed into the wrong slot. And there was a lot of naughty scenes. It seemed like there was something steamy going down in every chapter. This book could be re-shelved in the erotica section instead of paranormal romance. Normally I like this kind of thing but I just don't think it was done very well.

I think the Para-Ops concept is a great and an original idea, but I think the book didn't focus on that idea enough. The supporting characters were awesome and under utilized. DePaul had an interesting take on the undead, mages, and half borns. Plus her world building is lacking. She spent way too much time creating a vampire society that came off aloof and pretentious. Along with an overly complicated one dimensional relationship and then used sex to cover up her short comings.

Chosen by Blood could have been a killer book with the potential for an equally amazing series. But DePaul is stalled by the tired and stale romantic standards of barbaric bloodsucker stereotypes. Choosing to highlight her stories weaknesses instead of developing it's strengths and originality. I think she could benefit by focusing on the missions, moving her minor characters into equally major roles, and putting as much effort into her post-apocalyptic world building as her sexual content.

[Jennifer Estep · Rating 3 out of 5]

Chosen by Blood by Virna DePaul is the first book in her Para-Ops paranormal romance series.

FBI special agent Felicia Locke has been not-so-secretly attracted to half-breed vampire Knox Deveraux for years, but Felicia has fought the attraction since Knox was married to her best friend, Noella, before her death. But now, Knox is single and has been asked to head up a special Para-Ops team that is charged with tracking down a potential cure that may cleanse human blood and keep the vampire race from starving. The human Felicia is among those asked to join the team, along with Otherborn creatures like a wraith, a mage, and more. None of the team members really trust each other, but they're going to have to if they want to survive -- because there are people out there who don't want them to succeed and will do whatever it takes to stop them ...

I thought the premise of the book was really cool, and I enjoyed the beginning as the team members were assembled and started working together and getting to know each other. It kind of reminded me of a paranormal Magnificent Seven or an Ocean's Eleven (or six in this case). I just enjoy those kind of storylines. I also liked Felicia and the fact that she stuck to her guns and didn't get involved with Knox while Noella was alive.

I also liked the secondary characters, especially the tortured but wise-cracking Wraith and Mahone, the FBI boss man who's in charge of trying to keep all the team members in line and not at each other's throats. The world building was also interesting, especially in regards to Wraith and how no one seems to know why she and others like her have come back from the dead.

But I have to say that I didn't like Knox at all. In the beginning of the book, he wants Felicia, even though he's married to her friend. After Noella dies, Knox still wants Felicia, even though he plans to marry another vampire as part of a political alliance. Knox wants Felicia, but it doesn't seem like he wants to sacrifice anything to have her either. He came off as kind of selfish.

There's a lot of action in the book, which I enjoyed. However, I thought there were just too many unanswered questions at the end about everything from whether or not the cure would work to which characters were on what side. It got a little jumbled and confusing.

Overall, though, if you like paranormals with plenty of action and suspense, you might want to give this one a chance.

[Jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

What I liked about this book was a complete departure from how I normally feel. Normally I like the romance and the world building is just a bonnus. I kind of knew from the prologue that I would not like the setup of the H/h relationship. And as the book went on that part just did not get any better for me.

The premise is that humans have been given a vaccine that spoils their blood for vampires. Because of that vampires are starving having to survive on animal blood. Knox is a dhampire, half human, half vampire so he does not need as much pure blood as a normal vampire. He is not as week as all other vampires. Knox is also the head of all the vampires and has to do his duty by marrying another pure blood vampire so they can reproduce. Unfortunately the woman he marries has a human best friend that just so happens to be his mate. Bad for both of them.

The US government forms a group of Others and humans to do some covert operations. Both Knox and Felicia are on the team. Knox's wife had died leaving them free to hook up...but oh wait Knox still plans on marrying another vampire and wants to keep Felicia on the side. He set up the arrangement with the other vampire by telling her that his heart belongs to someone else so their marriage would be for children only.

Now I don't know about you, but I think I would have a real hard time being with someone that was boinking another woman, even if only for children. Not happening. That part of the story never worked for me. I wanted Knox to go up in a ball of flames each time he talked about how wonderful it would be for him and Felicia to "love" each other freely. Yeah, whatever dude.

I did like the world that DePaul has created. The concept of the others and the things that were going on are really what kept me interested in the story. I think I will read the next one if only to find out what happens with the teams that have been created.

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 STARS!!!

My Review:

The Plot:

When the secret was unveiled that the creatures of nightmares and legends did in fact exist, humans immediately enacted every force in their arsenal to protect themselves from the new unknown. Now, five years after the Second Civil War has ended, a thin precarious coat of civility exists between humans and Otherborn. In fact, war may once again be upon the horizon as the world watches the vampire population starve into extinction after a man-made vaccine inoculated human blood from a vamp's thirst. In a final bid to uphold the tenuous peace, the FBI has created a specialized task force called Para-Ops. Their mission: regain a stolen antidote that may be the key to counteracting the effects of the vaccine that is polluting the vamp's sole food source.

Human FBI Special Agent, Felicia Locke, has warred endlessly with her consuming desire and its resulting guilt from the moment she laid eyes on her best friend's husband and fell helplessly in love. Now, having tragically lost her beautiful friend to senseless murder, Felicia's mind is still dead set against any romantic chance for her and the luscious half-breed vampire clan leader, Knox Devereaux. Truth be told, there's many reasons why the two can't enter into a relationship and each one is more significant than the last. Most importantly, Felicia will not disabuse the memory of her friend by consummating the guilty love that she's felt for her husband. Two, Felicia's human and knowing Knox's deep desire to prove to his clan that he's nothing like his traitorous human father, he most certainly will marry another vampire as the vamp council demands. In vamp culture, few marry for love. Like a throw back to Victorian principles, marriages are arranged for the benefit of the clan and no one is more dedicated to duty than Knox and Felicia will be damned before she becomes his mistress. She wants marriage and a family and she'll settle for nothing less. But when Knox steps up his passionate pursuit, Felicia's hold on her principles are quickly slipping.

Knox has hungered desperately for Felicia from the very moment he laid eyes on her and he ceased to ever make a secret of his love, even with regards to his own wife. Having a higher set of morals than most of her human kind, Felicia has been steadfast in her denial of him and their love but that's going to end once and for all. Knox is done waiting and he's been offered the perfect opportunity to claim Felicia as well as save his clan from starvation. After being approached by the FBI to head a new Para-Ops team, Knox wastes little time debating his decision. His clan is dying and he'll do whatever is necessary to save them even if it means working with the very same people that developed the despicable vaccine that doomed vampires to begin with. In addition to his agreement to lead, Knox wants Felicia and the FBI will deliver on that demand but not in the way Knox anticipated. Instead of the FBI re-assigning her to the Dome, his clan's home where Knox can be certain of her safety, Felicia is assigned to Para-Ops.

Knowing that Knox is bound to marry again given his duty to his people and their need to re-populate, Felicia is done wasting more time without Knox when he'll soon be lost to her forever. Not buying Knox's attempt to install her as security detail at the already tightly secured Dome, Felicia asks to be assigned to Para-Ops. Her hostage negotiating skills are bound to be of use when a group of hostile and distrusting Otherborn operatives are thrust together and are asked to accomplish a team goal. But when she and Knox finally give in to their burning need, Felicia realizes that Knox has never truly known or trusted who she is. While it's true that he can't deny his soul's call to her own, it doesn't stop him from discriminating or distrusting Felicia's human DNA despite the fact that he himself is half human. The taint of his traitorous father delves deeper within Knox than either him or Felicia realized and if he doesn't take control of his wayward emotions, he won't just lose Felicia, he'll lose her forever.

The Heroine:

Loyal, brave, and steadfast, anyone would be lucky to call Felicia Locke friend. In addition, her quick thinking, fighting skills, and stellar verbal sparring make her perfect for the FBI and Para-Ops. Unlike most humans, Felicia was raised, has befriended, and fights for the Otherborn creatures. Given the chance to not only help Otherborn kind, but more to the point, to help her lost vampire friend by eradicating the scourge her own race has heaped onto vamps to assuage their fear is paramount. But even beyond that, Felicia is aching for Knox. When the one and only opportunity presents itself, that being Para-Ops, Felicia can't let it pass. Knox will uphold his duty and soon marry a vampire as his race demands, but right now, in this moment he's unattached. While there are still several barriers that may never be breached where their love is concerned, the immediate one holding Felicia back is the fear that she'll never get enough of Knox. That scratching the itch won't lesson its burn but forever inflame it.

The Hero:

A born leader through to his core, half-breed vampire Knox Devereaux will always go above and beyond his duty to his clan. But there is resentment that festers within his heart. Born half vampire and half human, Knox has had to work harder than a pure blooded vampire to gain the respect he deserves. To make his plight even worse, his human father is a convicted traitor having given humans the powerful secrets necessary to subdue, fight, and kill vampires. However, there are bittersweet benefits to his tainted DNA. Knox has not felt the horrific effects that the human vaccine has wrought upon his pure blooded brethren. Leading not by popularity but by his sheer physical strength amongst a starving population, Knox's de facto power generates friction within the vamp council. But all the angst he faces pales with the opportunity to find the antidote and and not only save his clan, but grant him the opportunity to claim Felicia.

Beyond just being a man, Knox's vampire culture doesn't understand the whole failing notion of having one's cake and eating it too. He will marry a vampire as his clan, and more importantly, as his race demands. Knox also loves Felicia and he wants her by his side for the entirety of her human life. From his perspective, he doesn't understand why Felicia can't handle the necessary evil of him mating with his vampire wife purely for the sake of re-population. Beyond that, his future wife would mean nothing and would in fact, know and understand the situation that she'll be wife in name only but his heart and his love would belong to Felicia. What prevents Knox from becoming a caveman however is that in all honestly, he wants to provide Felicia with her dream of marriage and a family. The question is, will Knox uphold his resentful duty or give in to the all consuming love he and Felicia share?

My Final Thoughts:

CHOSEN BY BLOOD is a rare find. Its a book that captured my attention from the moment I glimpsed its cover and it was a feeling of possible greatness soon strengthened by the promising summary. And I knew, the moment I dove into the first chapter that all my instincts were about to become proof of one hell of a thrilling romance.

Boasting one of the best opening chapters I've ever read, CHOSEN BY BLOOD opens with one of my favorite plot devices where the hero and heroine have a previous history. Even better is when that history involves love from afar so you can imagine my glee when the first pages immediately unveiled two yearning souls desperate to be together but uncontrollable forces have kept them apart. From the very start, the reader is skillfully enmeshed within the combustible chemistry of Knox Devereaux and Felicia Locke as well as the agony of circumstances that have thus far succeeded in keeping each other just out of reach. No sooner does this happen that you yourself become desperate for more.

In addition to the romance between Knox and Felicia, CHOSEN BY BLOOD hosts an eclectic group of secondary characters that hold the valuable promise of fantastic series installments to come. What do you get when you toss together a werebeast with a chip on his shoulder, a mage with a distinctly feline secret, a human psychic that defies the word beautiful, a wraith (ghost) that can't complete a single sentence without dropping the f-bomb, and a love feuding human and half-breed vampire? One hell of a storm tossed thrill ride! There's never a dull moment to be had when one or all of these unlikely team members are within the same vicinity. Outright hatred and acute distrust erupts almost immediately between some or all members but for better or for worse, this is Para-Ops. I've come to several conclusions regarding the writing strengths of authors. In my opinion, a mark of a good author is when each character can stand alone and be readily identifiable. But a mark of a great author is when one character can utter a single sentence and the reader will know without any additional information who that character is. The latter is Virna DePaul.

CHOSEN BY BLOOD is the very definition of high octane action with plotting that never lets up until the very end. Be prepared to hold tight while the book bucks and twists its way through ultimate fighting showdowns, shocking government cover ups, and a multitude of dirty little secrets. Finally, the Pièce de résistance: the passionate inferno that is the romance between Knox and Felicia. Never once, no matter how intense the scenes or how twisted the plot, the romance and all its conflicting and passionate emotions never takes a backseat but instead seeps heatedly throughout.

A paranormal "A-Team" with the added bonus of lush romance, CHOSEN BY BLOOD is one read this year that you don't want to miss. Enjoy!

[Netanella · Rating 4 out of 5]

First paragraph:VAMP DOME
PORTLAND, OREGON
One downside to being a vampire’s best friend was knowing she could read your mind.
Not that Noella ever would, at least not without good reason, but still . . . Something about the way Noella looked at her tonight put Felicia on edge. There was a certain knowledge in her eyes that hinted at questions to come. Questions that Felicia had to avoid at all costs.

"Chosen By Blood" is the first in a well-crafted urban fantasy series set in world where humans and Others live in an uneasy peace after a civil war between races - vampires, weres, mages, wraiths, humans, and I'm sure an assortment of other flavors. DePaul does an excellent job in world-building, and I was immediately sucked into her world where humans have 'poisoned' their own blood to make it unpalatable to humans, effectively starving a race. There are plots and plots within plots and subterfuges, but DePaul goes a good job in keeping all the threads tightly woven together.

At first I was a little overwhelmed by the amount of characters that were quickly introduced in the book, but that feeling was quickly laid to rest as each character was fleshed out and came to life. The six members of the Para-Ops are introduced here, as is the team's origin, and one can quickly deduce that some of these members will feature in the next two books of the series, for which I am very grateful. Because although I enjoyed this story of Felecia and Knox, I am very much looking forward to O'Flare and Wraith in the next book. Recommended for the genre.

[Lady Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

All I can say is WOW!!
This was such an amazing surprise.
I loved the author's writing, storyline, and characters.
The story takes place in a world where Vampires, Weres, Wraiths, Psychics, and Mages are know among the human race.
There is a lot of prejudice, and a vaccine has been developed against the Vampires, so that Vampires can't feed from humans anymore. As a result the Vampire race is starving to death.
The US Government has developed an antidote to counter the vaccine and make human blood pure.
..Unfortunately, the antidote has been stolen and the lead scientist working on the 'cure' has been murdered.
A team is formed by the directer of the F.B.I. (The Para-Ops Team) who's mission is to find the antidote and bring it back to the US Government.
The main characters in this story are Knox who is half vampire - half human, and Felecia an F.B.I agent, and also Knox's wife's best friend.
Without giving too much away, let me just say that the story gets intense rather quickly, and keeps the reader captivated right to the end.

I couldn't put this book down and thoroughly enjoyed reading it!
I look forward to reading more from Ms. DePaul.

[Tina Folsom · Rating 5 out of 5]

DePaul sets up an intriguing new world with creatures we think we know at first; then she puts her twists in and makes it all fresh. I loved that. Knox and Felicia are a hot pair, their relationship is sizzling. The supporting cast is diverse and makes me want to read the next one. Can't wait till the second book is available, because I'm sure it'll capture my imagination as much as this one. Great job!

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another new to me series that has me hooked!

I liked Felicia, I was really happy with the choices she made an the strength of her character. It took me awhile to warm up to Knox, though I think that was the idea. A lot of the team members have me really curious about their secrets.

This book had lots of action, plot twists, romance and some hot loving! Can't wait to see what's in store with the next installment :)

[Debra Johnson]

purchased this item on February 7, 2018 amz

[Suzanne (Under the Covers Book blog) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have such mixed feelings on this book. Some parts I thought were really good, others seemed a little confused and under developed and some bits just annoyed the bloody hell out of me.

Knox is one of the few healthy vampires around. During the civil war between humans and vampires the humans released a vaccine that renders human blood void inedible to vampires. But with Knox being a dhampire, half human half vampire, starvation doesn't effect him as quickly as his pure blood kin. Now the civil war is over and he is clan leader of his group of vampires and he will do anything to get an antidote for the anti-vamp vaccine which is slowly killing off his family, his race, even agree to head a new Para Ops team, a mixture of hand picked Others and humans. There first mission, find the antidote.

Agent Felicia Locke has been in love with Knox since she first saw him and he has felt the same way, however, he was married to her best friend. However, her friend has died and they are now working together on the Para Ops team, but Knox, as clan leader, still has the duty to marry a vampire bride so help repopulate his race, a duty he can not put aside even for Felicia

This was a brand new experience for me, I liked the general story, the world being created and even most the characters, but what I didn't like? The romance. Knox and Felicia's romance just managed to annoy me, I complete understood why Felicia wouldn't be with Knox, he was going to marry someone else for the express purpose of knocking her up, all in a very honorable and selfless way ofcourse, and then she would be his bit on the side. Clearly in the hundreds of years the Knox has been alive he hasn't gotten to know human women very well. Unfortunately this didn't endear me to him, and despite him obviously being crazy in love with Felicia and her with him, I just didn't feel any enthusiasm for their HEA.

However, I did like the other guys in the team, especially Wraith the wraith, I really can't wait to read more about her, she kick ass and invulnrable to death, yet the most vulnrable person on the team, I loved watching the sparks fly with her and O'Flare. This was another great aspect of the book, I loved seeing all the team together and fuse into a unit, I don't think they all entirely trust eachother yet and I can't wait to see what happens next with all of them.

The world building was also interesting and one of the things I liked about this book. Others are basically all paranormal creatures, so weres, vampires, wraiths and mages, and they have recently "come out" in America, and this has caused a few civil wars. The civil wars mentioned was one of the things I thought weren't explained very well, was the civil war between humans and vamps or humans and all Others, or was it every race against every race? This wasn't fully explained, or if it was I didn't catch it.

But, one part that was explained very well, and in juicy detail? The sex. It was hot! Ms DePaul writes some great erotic scecnes, Knox may have annoyed me, but I reckon he could screw that right outta me, the dhampire has skills! What did bug me was when they got all hot and bothered at such silly times! Picture it. You are sat in the freezing cold, on hostile terriotry, you hear an enemy vehicle approaching, what do you do? Do you make out like teenagers, or do you keep your eyes on the road looking out for the people with big guns? Well if you are Knox and Felicia, clearly it is option one and you have a quick tonsil tennis session. *rolls eyes*

Despite my seemingly endless complaints about this book, I did enjoy the story and the characters, even if the romance wasn't as good as I hoped it will be. I will definitely be reading the next book to see what happens with my favourite Para Ops team!

[Megan Riverina Romantics · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 Stars

I won this from Maya Banks

HOLY FREAKING GUACAMOLE! Chosen by Blood, the first book in Virna DePaul's Para-Ops series totally took me by surprise. I've been completely blown out of the water by this book!

Here's the 411. It's been five years since the US of A's Second Civil War came to an end. The president and all the Otherborn - beings that were born a different race from humans such as vamps and shifter's - leaders had signed the Humanity Treaty declaring peace. The Others were being integrated into society. Unfortunately, almost every human had taken the anti-vamp vaccine, changing their blood so that it was no longer nourishing to vampires. Now the vampires were starving. Though the Others were now citizens in the US, things were far from being all Kool and the Gang between the different races.

OK. So how cool is that? The world building in this book is intricate, exciting and unparalleled. I've never read anything like it before. It's truly amazing. Virna DePaul not only was able to portray the setting but also the political issues. When you can picture the scenes as clearly as you can in this book it enhances the reading experience tenfold.

I also really enjoyed the whole civil rights movement feel of the book. There's this small exchange that took place in the book that spoke volumes to me.

"Ten years ago we were hunting these fuckers down, and now we're supposed to fight next to them?"
"Not too long ago,"Mahone reminded him, "I wouldn't have been able to sit at the front of the bus with you, Walker. Now you answer to me. Times change."

Those few words alone made me understand the situation in a way that a ton of words couldn't. Bigotry and prejudice are hot topics for me and the underlying message in this book, the one that encourages open-mindedness and acceptance, is one that I totally dig.

Another awesome thing about this book was the characters. Though this was Knox's and Felicia's book there was a wealth of secondary characters to get to know too. DePaul was able to give each their own personality and traits. It made me fell as if I were part of the team. It was wonderful to witness both the team dynamic as well as the 1 on 1 relationships between the characters. I for one really enjoyed Hunt and can't wait to learn more about him. The same goes for Wraith and O'Flare. There's obviously something going on between the two.

As far as the intimacy in this book goes, I was really surprised by the intensity of it. When I mean intense I mean INTENSE. It was actually quite steamy. Seriously, I have no idea how Felicia was able to keep her hands off Knox. Still. that made it all the more better when they finally came together Then the heat between them became a raging inferno.

I have to say that Knox is definitely my type of man. I mean, there's a man who knows how to treat a woman. I simply loved how words of praise for Felicia just tumbled out of his mouth.

There were only a few things wrong with this book IMO. One thing that bothered me was that at the beginning of the book we were given a lot of info really fast. To me, it was a little overwhelming, however I caught on rather quickly. I think that might be part of Ms. DePaul's writing style sense I noticed the same thing in another book of hers. The other thing that brought this book down from a perfect 5 STARS was that I feel that it needs some sort of glossary telling the different races and their characteristics.

This book is full of action, adventure, and raw passion. I strongly encourage any PNR fan to read it. I want to kick my own butt for not reading it sooner!

[Stephine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Half-breed vampire Knox Devereaux's life belongs to his clan, that is dying slowly from an anti-vampire vaccine that was given to all human after the war. Knox has to step up to lead the clan and is expected to marry a vampire to have children and populate their community. The only problem is his heart belongs to a human female his clan would never accept.

When Knox is asked to lead a team of others to retrieve the antidote for the vaccine of course he says yes. This could be a win, win for him. This would give him the opportunity to save his people and claim the human who had hunted his heart since the moment he set eyes on her.

Felicia Locke is a strong willed level headed FBI hostage negotiator, but the moment Knox walks in a room all reasoning goes out the door. She must find a way to work with hum without allowing her heart to get in the way.
Felicia knows Knox is honor bound to marry a vampire, but she will not be the woman on the side; even if it is an arranged joining for the purpose of children. Felicia is unable to share Knox it would eventually kill her inside.

The team will have to learn to work together and learn who they can trust and who will eventually betray them, some lesson they will not learn till it is too late.

I loved Knox he's sexy honorable and strong. He wants Felicia so bad it hurts him but he's too worried about upholding the respect he's gained with his people to throw caution to the wind and take her and only her.

Felicia wants Knox with a heat that is equal to his but she is too smart to want to be second best. Even when he promises to be hers and hers alone only to stray for the purpose of making children with other vampires. She is too strong enough to say no that's not enough for me! I think she is strong willed and likable

This is a great debut novel. Once you meet Knox and Felicia you are drawn into their passion for each other, you can't help but yearn to know what will happen next. The team of others that is formed consist of, a wraith whom as lost her memories of herself before she died, a human who has visions and a bit of a cocky mouth, a were who is carrying a load of baggage inside, And a hard on for pushing Knox’ buttons, lastly a mage who has a super crush on the human who is too busy lusting after the wraith to notice her.

There are lots of likable characters In chosen By Blood this book will keep you on your toes. I thought they could have had a little more action since this is what they were brought together for but it was still good the way it was. I can't wait to see what will happen in the next installment and I wonder who will be in it, there are several good ones to pick from.

**Athenna**

[Danielle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chosen by Blood is the first book in the Para-ops series. This new world that Virna DePaul has created is very similar to the real world with a paranormal twist that will take you on a exciting roller coaster ride. Put on your seat belts because I couldn't get enough of this dark, different and hot read!

The story takes place 5 years after the war has ended. Humans and otherborn- humanlike are having a hard time finding peace. The FBI has been working on finding an antidote for the vampire population that just happens to be killing them off. Will they be able to find it in time or will the death toll continue to rise?

Knox Deveraux is not only the leader for his clan, but is now in charge of heading the para-ops to find the antidote and bring it back to the United States. Felicia Locke is a FBI agent who just so happens to be the only human working on this paranormal team.

Knox and Felicia have had a history for years. They also have been in love for years but do to other issues regarding Knox's clan they have never acted on any feelings. Hell, Felicia has tried to avoid him time and time again. Avoiding him isn't very easy to do especially now the tension will rise when they are set up on the same time. Will they finally give into there every desire?

Now I have tried to break away a bit from paranormal romance of late only because a few books I recently read have been lacking for me but Virna DePaul brought back all the fun with a whole new world that I had no problem getting lost in. This book has me more than intrigued but ready to follow the series to the end. But I hope that wont be anytime soon. To be completely honest putting this book down a serious problem for me. This fast paced debut did not only keep my attention but has me dying for more.

DePaul brings an awesome plot that captures you from the beginning. The characters aren't only interesting , but the way she brings them to life is phenomenal. They are witty, strong, and so well written. Everything flows so wonderfully together. Even the secondary characters will peak your interest. The romance was well written. The sex scenes were super hot! Knox and Felicia both had that " I don't give a shit" attitude ,but even when they were together they had there soft spots and DePaul brought that out perfectly.

I want to thank Virna DePaul for bringing me back to the paranormal romance world. Now I am super excited to get my hands on the second book in the series, Chosen by Fate, which is set to be released on October 4, 2011. This wait will not be a easy one, but I am sure it will be very well worth in the end. Welcome to my auto buy list Virna DePaul.

[Michelle Greathouse · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chosen By Blood is the first book in the Para-Ops series by Virna DePaul and a Paranormal Romance from Berkley Sensation.

Book Blurb:

Five years after the Second Civil War ends, humans and Otherborn - humanlike creatures with superhuman DNA - still struggle for peace. To ensure the continued rights of both, the FBI forms a para-Ops team with a unique set of skills...

Leader of an Otherborn clan, half-breed vampire Knox Devereaux would do anything to find a cure for the anti-vamp vaccine slowly starving his people into extinction. When the FBI contacts him about leading a team of hand-selected Others on a mission to reclaim the stolen antidote, Knox accepts. His new assignment places him in direct contact with Special Agent Felicia Locke, the beautiful human he’s craved since their very first meeting.

Felicia’s experience as a hostage negotiator makes her a natural asset to a team divided by suspicion and prejudice. While being in close contact with Knox makes the desire she feels for him difficult to deny, Knox must marry a vampire, and she’s not about to be his human lover on the side.

As the team embarks on its dangerous mission, Knox is determined to convince Felicia that the passion that connects them is enough to transcend both race and her human idea of morality. But Felicia is intent on teaching Knox that complete trust and love are the only forces strong enough to unite human and Other, once and forever.

My thoughts:

Felicia Locke is a human FBI agent who has struggled for years with the knowledge that she is in love with her best friends husband. She has hidden her feelings well - even from beings who are capable of reading ones mind.

Knox Devereaux is the leader of his clan - despite his half-breed blood line. It is because of his half-breed existence that enables him to survive for longer periods of time without the fresh blood a full-blooded vampire needs.

In Knox’s world, nothing comes before his clan - to that end, Knox has agreed to work with the FBI’s Para-Ops Division to retrieve an antidote to the vaccine given to humans years ago. The vaccine that prevents vampires from receiving the nourishment they need to survive. This antidote is the only thing that can prevent the already dwindling vampire race from complete extinction.

Chosen By Blood is the first book I have read by Virna DePaul and I completely enjoyed it.

I give Chosen By Blood 4 out of 5 stars.

[Sunny · Rating 5 out of 5]

A solid 4.5 stars.

Knox Devereaux
Felecia Locke

As far as paranormal adventures go, this book is at the top of the game.
It occupies the space where the Dirty Dozen meets the Superfriends with a Mission Impossible action-packed story. With a memorable cast of characters, Virna DePaul hits the sweet spot.

The FBI has a new specialized unit, the Para-Ops Team consisting of Otherborns and humans. This is the first time since the end of the civil war (between the Otherborns and humans) that there has been an attempt to create a multi-species law enforcement unit to handle specialized crime. To further complicate the situation, otherborns consisting of weres, vampires, mages, and wraiths are not necessary unified either. Each group possesses their own agenda.

During the civil war, the humans develop a vaccine that makes human blood unpalatable to vampires, thus, in effect severely cutting off their food supply. After the war, humans have come up with an antidote to the vaccine that will clean up human blood for vampire consumption. Thus far, vampires are slowly starving to death. Unfortunately, the antidote is stolen and the scientists who created the formula are all murdered. The Para-Ops team is recruited to retrieve the formula and save the vampire species. The Para-Ops team is created as a means for the government to prove that cross-species cooperation is not only possible, but desirable.

Interwoven into the suspense is the love story of vampire leader, Knox Devereaux and FBI agent, Felecia Locke. Although, their attraction is mutual, they are kept apart by honor, commitment, and prejudice.

My favorite part of this story, however, is the recruiting and building of the team. Each new teammember brings the their biases of other species and must overcome their prejudices in order to work together. They learn to do so by learning to trust and care for one another.

Virna DePaul accurately portrays a world that is attempting to reconcile after a protracted war where the Other is vilified. How does a country rehabilitate after years of painting the “other” as evil?

The story about the stolen formula is wrapped up nicely, but we are left with an open door hinting towards a greater conspiracy.... to be continued in the next Para-Ops book.

[Dren · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full review posted on Dren's B-Spot

DePaul takes the time to build a fantastic world where Vamps and "others" coexist (not under the best circumstances) with humans. I loved the different twist of "tainted blood" for the vampires and the complications that arise with locating the antidote.

In the beginning -- I didn't understand why Knox was sooooo insistent on marrying his own kind. I also didn't stand behind Felicia's issue of "monogamy or bust." But as I got deeper into the story - I learned more about Knox and Felicia's way of thinking -- their pain and why they held steadfast to their beliefs. The romance between them grew and it was at a pace that worked well with the story.

Two thumbs up and a snap for DePaul's mental gymnastics! There were plot twists and turns that literally had me sending status updates to Goodreads hourly. Shock and awe and "What the Hell?" was in full effect!! She also takes the time to set up the world and it's characters to give readers a full picture of the world she's created. Some readers find that a turn off - but I love it with Urban Fantasy books. If I have a better understanding for how the world operates, I can buy into pretty much any crazy thing the author throws at you.

[It's Me - Yvette · Rating 5 out of 5]

What can I say? I totally loved EVERYTHING in this book. It has many intriguing supporting characters (Wraith, Caleb, Lucy) who have their own secrets. I loved the interaction between the main characters, Felicia -- an FBI agent, and the dharmire, Knox. Loved the romance, loved the surprises that were thrown in, too. I may have to just sweep this entire series, because I have not had my "fill" yet. Up next will be the prequel (Wraith's story). I'm so glad I've stumbled on this very, very good author. I can't wait to see what will happen next! Well done!

[Hbeebti · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely loved this book! Cant wait for the next one.

[Wendy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely fantastic! Loved it, loved it and loved it some more!

[Erin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ok... this is attempt #2. I had gotten about 4/5 chapters in before and had to stop. I absolutely *loathed* Knox and he is the main character/love interest! If a woman actively says no for over *10* years and *runs away* from you, she probably means the *NO* that she is constantly telling you!!!!! And the fact that she was saying no b/c of her moral convictions and integrity b/c he *was married* made his actions so much more despicable to me. He crossed over from alpha male territory to bullying/stalkerish territory. If she had pulled out a gun and shot him, I'd have provide an alibi and helped her bury the body. And the fact that *no one* in her life or the F-freaking-BI, Law enforcement!, thought his behavior at all inappropriate made this so much more loathsome to me.

Ok... going to give this another shot b/c so many people have raved about this series. Plus, I think that book 2 may be a lot better so I'm going to do my best to get through this... fingers crossed....

******************************************

So... I just finished this book. However, I do feel like I forced myself to finish it. I do have to admit, I like the concept of this world. I began to like the supporting cast and become involved with their "mission". I enjoyed the setting up of the various group of "others" and how they play into this world.

But... I still didn't like the main couple. Here is where the "alpha male" type/troupe failed me. I could not and really would not like Knox. I admired his dedication and loyalty to his team, family and clan but in regards to Felicia, I still feel like he was an asshole, despite their HEA. To me, he constantly physically attacked her and the author explained it away by having Felicia become aroused. While reading these scenes, I was in a state of disbelief, b/c *the author* spent time explaining Knox's "powers" of mental and physical coercion/control. How could I believe that Felicia was truly aroused/wanted his overbearing and physical attacks when he could be manipulating/controlling her? I also couldn't believe the very convenient explanation of his behavior by his overwhelming desire and by being a vampire. His very late and convenient "revelation" of Felicia's point of view came too little to late for me and I was disgusted by how easily he flip flopped. This was a plot trope and I *hated* it.

Felicia on the other hand... I was hoping that the original set up of her being strong and resisting Knox would redeem their relationship. However, she became a pliant, "weak" female whenever Knox asserted his "alphaness" and I lost all respect for her. She had valid, believable reasons for not giving into Knox and at the first real "test" she gave in. There was no compromise... Felicia just caved.

So... it's obvious that this book really evoked some strong feelings of dislike for me. The Alpha male is such a fine line to juggle and I think for this couple, the author fell over the cliff. And I think b/c this book evoked such a strong feeling of dislike for me that *I stopped reading*, it really clouded the second and successful attempt at finishing it. This couple never really sold it for me and I really ended up not liking either of them. However, what saved this series for me was that I really liked the concept of this world and the supporting characters. I will be trying book 2 and I'm really, genuinely hoping that it is better. This author does write very well and other than my dislike for the main couple, I enjoyed this new world.

I'd really give this book more of a 2.5 but I'm rounding down because I really disliked the main couple!

[Kt · Rating 3 out of 5]

The war between Humans and the Otherborn may have been over for five years now, but that doesn't mean there is a real peace. There is plenty of distrust between the races, so the FBI forms a Para-Ops team with a blend of both humans and supernaturals. Heading this team is Dharmire (half-vampire/half-human) Knox. The rest of his team each has their own set of skills, but only one holds his heart, Felicia, the only human member of the team without any paranormal skills. Yet, she doesn't want him without a commitment, something he just cannot give. Things will be tricky for him to balance his duty to his team, his clan, and most of all, his heart.

I was really engrossed in Chosen by Blood for about the first half, to the point where I almost couldn't put it down, but then my enjoyment started to lessen dramatically. I'll get into what was so intriguing in a moment, but first I want to talk about why things went down hill for the second half, right up until almost the end. Knox was married to Felicia's best friend out of duty despite the fact that Felicia is his soul mate. So of course, Felicia avoids the pull to him in order to not betray her friend. Flash forward two years, and his wife is long gone having been murdered, but still Felicia resists as she knows he cannot give her what she needs, a full commitment. Knox hates his human half, to the point of extremity, so he tries to overcompensate by going above and beyond for duty. Felicia being human, is not good enough for his clan to accept as an exclusive mate. Yet he still burns for her with a thousand passions, and wants her. At first I enjoyed reading the inner struggle both of them were going though as they both fought for what they wanted while trying to hold onto their own beliefs. However, after a while the constant conflict became quite monotonous, and quite frustrating to be honest. I think a very large part of their struggles could have been condensed to keep things from dragging so much. At least things didn't move ridiculously fast, to look on the brighter side of things.

Now, onto why I was so engrossed in Chosen by Blood. The set up is quite unique with an open world that is recovering from a terrible war, but things are really no where near being resolved. The supernaturals are still very distrusted and there is plenty of hatred towards the humans for their actions to try and irradiate anything not like them. In fact, the vampires are greatly suffering due to a vaccine that has rendered almost all humans undrinkable, leaving the race literally wasting away due to starvation, leaving them quite weak, something you rarely see from vampires. Another interesting aspect of the book was the formation of the Para-ops team. I really liked seeing this hodge-podge of characters come together in order to work for a better cause. The friction between them was amusing at times, and it was fun to see them going through the growing pains.

In Chosen by Blood, almost as much time is spent on world building as well as the formation of the para-ops team as was the focus on the relationship, making for a good blend of genres. It definitely was a paranormal romance, but did lean towards urban fantasy at times, do to the very developed plot outside of the romance. I've always loved books that can blend those two genres together well, as it makes for a very enriching read. I am eager to read the next installment as the stage was set for the next couple, and I can't wait to see where things go.

[Christi Snow · Rating 5 out of 5]

My Review:
This book was seriously fabulous with an incredible group of characters. Humans and otherborn are still trying to figure out how to live in this world together after the otherborn have been outed and the resulting civil war has ended. As a result, the US government is developing a new Para-Ops team made up of 6 people.

1. At the lead is Knox Devereaux who is half vampire. The vampires are dying so he has a huge stake in this first mission for a vampire antidote. He has recognized Felicia as his soulmate for years, but she has never accepted that...mainly because she is married to one of her best friends and she would never be anything more than a mistress, although his wife has given them her blessing for such a union.

2. Caleb O'Flare is the team doc...he's a Shaman. He has the ability to heal and also has visions. He has the ability to read other people really well and tends to have insight into most the team members mentalities and issues.

3. Dex Hunt is a half werebeast. He comes off as a cocky, jerk who doesn't care for anyone, but that's really all an act.

4. Felicia Locke is the human FBI agent. She's in love with Knox, but refuses to act on it, because she knows that she will never win in a competition for Knox's loyalty between her and the vampire clan.

5. Wraith is a wraith. She has been dead for 10 years, and like all wraiths, she has no recollection of her life before she died. She feels pain whenever anyone touches her, so she lives a very solitary life and has built up barriers around her as a result. She is in-your-face brash and harsh and makes no apologies for that.

6. Lucy is a Mage. She's the quietest of the group, although she has the power to enchant people and hold them with her magic.

Everything about this story was highly entertaining. I loved the mix of characters and how they all interact as they are learning to work together. None of them are necessarily easy to get along with, but they do manage to grow as a team and that absolutely was the best part of this book...watching this team to develop as a team.

I also really enjoyed the romance between Felicia and Knox. There is a lot of history between them. Although they have never crossed that romantic line, it is always there between them anytime that they are together. It's an immediate reaction to each other and there is no ignoring it.

There is a lot going on in the background of this story... The vampires' urgent need for a vaccine; The politics within the vampire realm and within the government; The team learning to trust and count on each other. There is a ton of action, suspense, underlying emotions, and romance. If the story had just relied upon the romance, I don't think that I would have liked it as much, but the whole team dynamic of the Para-Ops team made this book for me. It was just a really fabulous read!! I cannot wait to read the second book with Wraith and O'Flare's romance...the chemistry was sizzling between the two of them in this book!

[Jessie Potts · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think that a lot of readers (myself included) tend to give human characteristics to paranormal creatures. And why shouldn't we? They look human, sometimes act human and often.... teehee... fornicate with humans. The problem is that these lead characters often aren't human. The perfect example of this is Knox. I can tell you through the first third of the book he ticked me off. Here is this immortal creature who has a beautiful wife (prologue only), runs a clan, and will live forever attempting to seduce his wife's best friend. Then the a** is chasing after Felicia after Noelle (wife) dies, even saying that Noelle wanted them to be together. I was so so pleased that Felicia kept him off despite her obvious desire. When I told my husband he asked me 'well are vampires in this book monogamous?' huh? Um no they weren't. In fact Noelle had lovers on the side before she died, and had indeed given Felecia and Knox her blessing. It seems that Knox met Noelle, who convinced him to marry her, even though he had said he didn't feel the 'soul mate' connection. He later met Felecia and knew right away that she was his. Then after Noelle dies it's his duty to sire vampire children, so he would have Felecia and then sleep with another vampiress only to procreate.

Suddenly Knox didn't look so bad, it seemed he was an excellent specimen of his own culture. The only thing that would have kept Knox from being 100% faithful to Felicia was the fact that he was clan leader and needed to have pure blood vampire children. Coming from a leadership role I even understood why he didn't throw everything away for Felicia, his clan was dying and as a half breed himself, he was one of the few strong males left. I also completely understood why Knox didn't leave her alone. If my husband spurned my advances and I felt inexplicably drawn to him, and I knew he desired me??? You bet your butt I would have kept after him until I made him mine. Throw in the fact that Knox is part of a species that is more primal than humans, and I understand even better. Which also in turn led to great steamy bedroom scenes that had my cheeks turning pink.

All in all the premise was fantastic, I loved all the secondary characters and hope they are featured in future books. I loved how you really didn't know who the bad guy was, and in the end still was left wondering what was true and what was subterfuge. There was also violence (my favorite!) and enough blood and body bits to satisfy the hard core trigger happy girl in me. The steamy scenes weren't overpowering either. I don't believe they even got together until a third of the way through the book. Even after they had tasted one another the plot and ultimate goal (finding a cure for the dying clan) never took a backseat. All in all I recommend this book and urge readers to look at Knox and all paranormals with a different mind set. They aren't human and won't always act it.

**also on amazon

[Samantha **ParaNormal Romance Party** · Rating 4 out of 5]

1st line in book---> One downside to being a vampire's best friend was knowing she could read your mind.

REVIEW:
Ok, so Chosen by Blood was a great intro to what I believe will be an awesome series. I had a few doubts when I first started reading but was pleasantly surprise.

[the following is not spoiler, it is explained in prologue. But if you don't want to know....then skip this part ;)]

We are first introduced to the main characters Felicia Locke and Knox Devereaux. It is in one of the most unexpected ways... Knox is celebrating his 9th wedding anniversary, and he is married to Felicia's best friend. This is why I doubtful on how the author was going to be able to get the reader past it, and make it believable.

[End on non-spoiler..;)]

Felicia Locke is an FBI hostage negotiator. She is strong, independent woman when we meet her. She knows her own morals and wants and sticks to them. No matter how tempted she is to break them, she continues to follow them. Then we have Knox Devereaux. Vamp leader of his coven and a dhampire(half vamp/half human). He is above all loyal to his clan. He is leader since his Mother, the Vamp Queen, is too ill to rule along many members of his clan. The reason being of an anti-vamp vaccine that was given to all humans after the war.

Felicia has very strong feelings for Knox, that he equally returns but she doesn't want to be second best. Although she understands that Knox has a duty to his clan and must marry another vampire for the only purpose of making children. She has a strong will. She won't settle for anything less, which causes some major tension when they are put into the team.

Enter the Para-Ops team!! It consists of a wraith, who has an F-you attitude but has no memories of who she is. A human who is a psychic and sexy ...and knows it ;). A werebeast who has many issues and lastly a Mage. The interesting thing is the mage has a big crush on the human, while he is lusting after the wraith and doesn't notice. What a team indeed!

This was a great debut novel and can't wait for the next. The only reason it didn't receive 5/5 is because I felt that Felicia kinda lost a little of her strong edge after she and Knox came together. I would have also like a little more depth into Knox's character because there were parts where he would decide something and all I could think of was WHY?!?!?. There are many twists that keep you on your toes!!

Overall I will defiantly be waiting for the next in the series!!

Rating: 4/5 Stars

[Heather Wiese · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kinda can't decide between 3.5/4.0 but whatever, I rounded up.

Interesting story line involving humans, vampires, weres, shape shifters and mages. It centers around a special ops team chosen from different species to work together to retrieve a cure for the vaccine against vampires (they are slowly starving to death from a vaccine developed to make human blood no longer nutritious to them).

This is clearly the first in a planned series, this one dealing with the relationship between the vampire (Knox) and one of the humans (Felicia).

There was an interesting back-story besides the standard romance. Basically Knox and Felicia realized they were soul-mates but he was already marrying her vampire best-friend (Noelle). Awkward. They were married and had children before Noelle dies and the whole time Knox is still trying to convince Felicia they are meant to be together. Oh, and Knox is still convinced he must marry and have more children with another vampire female to help populate their dwindling race...while still wanting Felicia as his one true love...so there's that whole MESS.

Personally, I think I would have as big a problem as Felicia did with this. But it does raise an interesting situation wherein what do you do if finding your soul-mate isn't all clean, neat and happily-ever-after?

Things are resolved, although not to my total satisfaction, but it's worth the read anyway.

[Donna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Chosen By Blood is a fast paced spy thriller set in a paranormal world, a bit of a roller coaster ride. It's a paranormal world were after a civil war between humans and "Otherborn," there is much political unrest and heavy prejudices between races. A world very similar to the real world but with heavy preternatural elements. I found the espionage aspects and the different twists found in this story very entertaining, some were a surprise while some not so much.

Where this story falls short for me was the romance. I found Knox Devereaux to be too arrogant for my tastes and Felicia Locke, his love interest, to be weak-willed and not possessing enough of backbone during to the times I felt she should have stayed strong in her resolve. I didn't feel comfortable with their romance from the beginning to the end. As I read, I keep hoping something would happen between these two to change my mind but it never panned out. I found myself more interested in the side stories, concerning the secondary characters, for that reason and the intriguing world setup for this series, I plan to read the next book Chosen by Fate.

[Kristina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Knox is a vampire, also the leader of his clan in his moms stead. He is totally in love with FBi agent Felicia...but she has been avoiding it since he married her Best friend. Knox finds himself asked by the FBi to lead a special team to find the vampire antidote. Now dont be thinking its a cure for the vampire because it isnt! i wont tell you what it is an antidote for because i'm not into spoilers but it's not what you think :)This team is a combination of a were, a vamp, a mage, a psychic, and a human. They all have a problem with at least one other individual on the team and that makes for a fast and sometimes laugh-out loud novel!

The characters in the story all have varing degrees of trust issues...I thought it was a nice addition to the story. I was drawn in from the get go and stayed with it through the end. i will definately be reading the next one in the series. With all the diverse characters..from vamps to wraiths it really kept my attention. I look forward to reading more about Knox and Felicia as well as the rest of the Para-ops team!

Do not miss this series! Funny,exciting and sometimes brought a tear to my eye! It has everything I look for in a book!