AUTHOR: Laura Daleo
PUBLISHER: World Castle Publishing
PUBLISHING DATE: February 15, 2015
FROM GOODREADS: Centuries ago ten powerful vampire gods first walked the earth; their blood thirst knew no boundaries. The destruction of mankind was inevitable. Recognizing their weakness, they selected twelve wise human beings to transform with their godly blood. These twelve, known as The Old Ones and The Council, govern The Ten. A blood lottery appeasing The Ten’s hunger was set forth into the human world and passed down every fifth generation, continuing into the present day.
All of Beth Ryan’s life a mysterious mist watched over her, a mist she believed to be a vampire. On a cold winter night, she comes face to face with Philippe Delon, a 700 year old vampire with a human soul. Beth is certain Philippe is the vampire behind the mist. She is drawn to him, accepting his immortality without question or fear.
Beth and Philippe cannot deny their love for each other, nor do they try to fight it. Within days of their encounter, Beth accepts Philippe’s invitation to move into his mansion. The mansion unlocks the door to the vampire world and exposes secrets from Beth’s past. Within its walls, she learns the true identity of the mist, her link to the blood lottery, and betrayal of her loved ones. Surrounded by lies, Beth stands before The Council begging for resolution.
MY THOUGHTS:
Let me start by saying I would actually prefer to give this book 3.5 rating, but since this is Goodreads and all that...I will go ahead and give it 4 there and a 3.5 here on the blog. I was also provided a copy of this book by the author in exchange for an honest review. I wasn't really sure what to expect when I began this book. I have always enjoyed vampires, even as a little kid, but "Twilight" kind of ruined them for me for a while. Now, all you "Twilight" lovers, don't blast me. I devoured the entire series when they came out and even though Bella drove me insane and I never really liked her, it actually took me years to become jaded (and a bad casting of Kristen Stewart but that's another story).
Ever since Beth was a young child, she has been visited at home by "The Mist." Now somehow, Beth comes to assume this mist is a vampire and over the years, with kind gestures such as love notes, flowers, etc., she falls in love. A few weeks before her 25th birthday, Beth's boyfriend/best friend, Danny, wants to get married so she demands the mist appear or she will leave him forever. Guess what, she was right and in floats Phillipe. The story unfolds from there.
There were a few things I didn't like about the book, but some resolved themselves. I don't like "insta-love" but since this is a vampire we are talking about, most have the ability to compel people to do whatever, so I think in this case it's allowed and it didn't bother me too much. There were a few typos, which irritated me a tad, but let's get real, they didn't interfere with the story. Also, the big one, Beth was super annoying during at least half of the book. In fact, on page 208, I made the comment "I want to strangle her." But the good outweighs the bad.
Daleo works the vampire history into mythology in a really refreshing way. There is also this uber-intimidating "Council of Ten" which governs all things vampiric. I loved learning more about them and the vampire history. Also, I adore Phillipe's friend and maker, Caleb. He is what I expect from vampires - no tolerance for mere humans and a mean side.
I am glad I gave this book a chance. There is a sequel coming and although unsure when it will be released, I will be keeping my eyes open for it. I need to find out what happens next and as mentioned, the last 1/4 of the book is so interesting and eventful, I want to believe the author has only bigger and better things in store for the readers.
RATING: 3.5 PAWS
Not heard of this one but it sounds interesting. :)
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