Review: Sacrifice of Passion by Melissa Bourbon Ramirez
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 05 17, 2013
Twelve years ago, Delaney West and Vic Vargas planned to meet at the Chain Tree, at 3:45am, and elope. But he decided she deserved better than a runaway wedding and, without telling her why, didn't show up. By the time Vic got to the West's ranch, to formally ask for Delaney's hand, she was gone. For good.After waiting for 2 hours, Delaney gave up and went home. Somewhere in the early hours, a monster crept in through her window and changed her life forever. When she ran to Vic, needing the love and security he'd always provided, she found him in the arms of another woman. More than she could bear, after the trauma of the previous night, she fled San Julio. For good.Now, traumatized by nightmares of that night and plagued by episodes of sleepwalking, Delaney has come back, hoping that returning to the root of her demons will vanquish them. But if anything, things are worse: The man she loved now has a son, her nightmares and sleepwalking have escalated, and someone or something is killing local livestock. And draining all their blood.~*~*~Frankly, this book takes on a lot: unrequited love, imagined betrayal, post-traumatic stress, animal mutilations, a soothsaying old woman, and El Chupacabra. All great elements for a romantic suspense. Especially when you add in the lies and half-truths that continue to keep Vic and Delaney from understanding and forgiving each other.Some of tropes are more effective than others. Though Delaney's trauma and her terror over the sleepwalking was really believable, I just never felt the fear or threat of a chupacabra. And Vic was almost whiny, to me. He constantly complained about how hard parenting was, but every time he had time with his son, he wasted it by daydreaming about Delaney.Though I didn't get much from some of the secondary characters, I did enjoy watching Vic and Delaney drop their walls and learn how to trust each other again. The ending was great, despite the fact that I was so totally wrong about whodunit. All in all, a nice way to spend a few hours.~*~*~Disclosure of Material Connection: I won a copy of this book from the author. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.