April 5, 2011

Review: Bonded by Blood by Laurie London

Don't miss the author interview with Laurie London on April 7th!

Bonded by Blood (Hqn)Bonded by Blood (Sweetblood, book 1) by Laurie London


Genre: Paranormal Romance

Movie location scout Mackenzie Foster-Shaw has always known that she's cursed to die young. No one can protect her from the evil that has stalked her family for generations—vampires who crave her rare blood type. Until one afternoon in a wooded cemetery, she encounters an impossibly sexy stranger, a man she must trust with her life.

For Dominic, a man haunted by loss, Mackenzie satisfies a primal hunger that torments him—and the bond they share goes beyond heat, beyond love. She alone can supply the strength he needs to claim his revenge. But in doing so, he could destroy her . . .



Review:

Good paranormal romances are hard to find. Seems like for every heart stopping steamy addiction I find, four copycats pop up. Shoving my favorite stories down my throat with poor characters, a sad plot trying to pretend it's not a ripoff, and bedroom scenes that should be banned. So when a picky reader like me stumbles upon a good PNR I'm a happy camper. After the first couple of pages of Bonded by Blood I entered that much needed realm of happy camperness. Thirty pages later I was in PNR bliss. Pure bliss.

London proves she's no copy cat with this first installment of the Sweetblood series. These vampires have different traits from the over populated genre of blood suckers. Guessing what part of the myths we know are “true” in the realm of the Sweetblood universe and what London has tossed in to make her species even more off the hook is all part of the fun. The vampire eternal fight of good and evil is embodied through the Guardians and the Darkbloods.

The idea behind Sweetblood is chilling. The rare humans who have the blood are basically vamp crack on legs—even giving vampires amped up powers. Darkbloods believe humans are simply on the menu, who cares if food just goes up and missing off the streets. That kind of callus attitude leads to a “breeding program” that left me with chills.

Mackenzie is a fantastic leading lady she's a tough biker babe who appreciates Hello Kitty and can take care of herself. She's lived with a chip on her shoulder, as for generations members of her family tree have gone missing before they ever reach the age of 30—her father and cousin being some of the more recent. Dominic, or Dom, is one of the best portrayed male leads I have read in a PNR. Dom could have easily been one of those dark and emo guys that populate the genre, spending too much time brooding and avoiding their lady love. Instead the reader gets to go inside his head to find a man who has suffered terribly by the hands of the leader of the Darkbloods, and by his own brother whose betrayal cost him the life of his parents. Mackenzie and Dom actually court each other, of course a few racy things happen before they “officially” get together—it's still PNR.

Besides the amazing couple lead, London weaves in an amazing cast of side characters and equally amazing stories to accompany them. When the POV would shift from the two leads to the side characters I would find myself just as excited to read their parts as the main characters. Lily was such a fun sexed up vampire hottie that I just couldn't not like her. She was brash and loves to talk, but she's too fun to be annoying. Trying to figure out who her serious relationship is—who happens to be her Darkblood informant—was so fun. Plus the truth behind Alphones, Dom's brother, was a thrill ride!

Whether you want good leads for your hot couple fix, amazing side characters, unique plot, and chills to laugh out loud moments Bonded by Blood delivers. When I picked it up I came for the idea behind the Sweetbloods, what I found was pure PNR bliss. Trust me, I'll be back for the next book.

Sexual Content: Pretty steamy bedroom scenes and dirty talk. There are some pretty strong tones of sexual volition and people getting off on it.


Rating: 5/5- Fabulous, a beautiful obsession!


Add it:

Amazon:Bonded by Blood (Hqn)
goodreads: Bonded by Blood

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