Lord of the Vampires (Royal House of Shadows #1)
By: Gena Showalter
ISBN: 9780373618668
Published August 23, 2011 by Harlequin
Available Format: Hardcover, Paperback, ebook
My Rating: ★★★★★
Caution: This book contains adult themes, violence, and a little gore. For mature readers only!
When the Blood Sorcerer ravages the kingdom of Elden, the dying king and queen cast final spells for their children—the queen scatters them for safety while the king plants a need for vengeance in each heart. The siblings are connected only by a magical timepiece, and the time for vengeance is upon them.
Nicolai is a strong, capable, extremely sexy vampire who somehow becomes a sex slave in the kingdom of Delfina. The queen and her bratty witch daughters use and abuse Nicolai in unimaginable ways. In his attempt to finally gain freedom and recover his memory, he lures Jane Parker into his world. Summoned by Nicolai, Jane must obey, and she quickly finds herself mesmerized by Nicolai’s dark power. There is more to the story of Jane and Nicolai than even they realize, and as the pieces of the puzzle begin to fall into place, Jane realizes she might still lose the man she desires and loves above all others.
Wow, this book is sizzling! I received Lord of the Vampires from NetGalley, and this is my first dive into Gena Showalter’s writing (I have several of her books on my to-read list). She most certainly can write—deep, edgy characters, heart-thumping action, and lots of steamy sex scenes; it’s enough to get a girl all hot and bothered! What I really loved about this book, however, is that while there is a lot of passion involved, there is a solid underlying story as well. All the layers of the plot work perfectly together to accentuate rather than distract from the storyline.
There are fairy tale undertones to the story which I enjoyed very much. Alice in Wonderland, Cinderella… It was very interesting to discover those little bits and pieces as we moved along, but this book is very much its own story. Nicolai is one of the most interesting male characters I have read about, and I loved that Jane had this history with the supernatural even in the real world. Of course, we’re left with some unanswered questions and a dose of suspense, so I am anxious to see the next installment of the series to see where these two lovers go from here!
