 | Title: Tempted by Blood Author: Laurie London Series: Sweetblood #3 Cover Art: N/A Genre: Paranormal Romance Excerpt: No Source: NetGalley Reviewed by: Abigail
  Sexual Content: Several graphic sex scenes Rating:   Good - A fun read with minor flaws. Maybe read an excerpt before buying. |
Deep within the forests of the Pacific Northwest, the battle for supremacy rages on between two Vampire coalitions:
Guardian enforcers sworn to protect humanity, and Darkbloods, rogues who kill like their ancient ancestors….
He might be known for his effortless charm, but Guardian Jackson Foss is hiding a terrible secret. For months, he has battled the emergence of his dark nature—deadly urges that threaten to consume him. And those cravings only intensify when he meets Arianna Wells, the human he's been assigned to protect. Smart and perceptive, Arianna doesn't seem like a dangerous temptress. Yet she awakens in Jackson an unstoppable need that, if left unchecked, will brand him a traitor…a crime punishable by death.
But soon their bond may be Arianna's only hope. For stalking her in the shadows is a merciless enemy—one who will stop at nothing to claim her completely….
What I love about the worldbuilding in Laurie London’s Sweetblood series is how accessible it is. It doesn’t matter which book you start this series with, you’ll be able to jump right in. And yet accessible doesn’t mean ordinary. The vampire mythology is classic with a fresh and modern twist: human blood is like a drug to vampires. Some are more commonplace and less addictive than others. The most rare and highly sought after are called Sweet Bloods. They are basically human heroin x 10. Even the vampire police known as Guardians have fight themselves for control when in the presence of a Sweet Blood. Which of course makes falling in love with one a dangerous game of desire.
There’s a reason vampires are the ultimate paranormal romance heroes. They don’t just want your body, they want your very life force. Hunger and desire are hopelessly tangled together and the result, at least in the Sweetblood series, is all the more satisfying for the blend. In TEMPTED BY BLOOD, the vampire hero is Jackson, a Guardian who is slowing slipping, his appetites becoming more and more insatiable like the Darkbloods he hunts. To hide his decent into darkness, Jackson has cultivated a reputation among the Guardian a serious manwhore. When he meets Arianna, a human with an obsession for the paranormal stemming from a childhood tragedy, his last thread of self-control snaps.
If you’ve read any of the previous Sweetblood books, you know how hot they are. Well TEMPTED BY BLOOD is scorching by comparison. Jackson is used to hiding his darker desires with sex, but with Arianna, he wants—and takes—both. Like I said, hot, hot, hot. While the solid writing and worldbuilding that first drew me to this series are consistently strong, I wasn’t as taken with the characters and plot this time. Jackson was a suitably tortured character, but Arianna didn’t come to life for me the way the previous heroines had. And the overall plot didn’t feel as perilous or even as dangerous this time, I think that’s due to the fact that I didn’t build a connection with one of the important characters. That being said, this is still a good read. Imaginative and sensual, the Sweetblood paranormal romance series is one I keep going back to, so I’m already looking forward to SEDUCED BY BLOOD when it releases in July.
#1.5 Hidden By Blood – 3/5 #2 Embraced By Blood – 4/5 #2.5 Enchanted By Blood (A Vampire For Christmas) |
|
I'm reading this one now and although I'm liking it, it hasn't drew me in as much as its two predecessors. My verdict is still out until I get to the ending but I have a feeling that my review will be similar to yours. Although this one is hotter than the ones that came before, the action is subdued and Arianna leaves me with a lukewarm feeling.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the honest review!
I really enjoy this series, and even though this one wasn't as strong for me, I'm a fan. I just think more attention should have been given to the sweetblood character so make me more invested in her fate.
Delete