Review: Review: A Vampire's Salvation-3.5 Stars, B+
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 05 7, 2013
My Rating: 3.5 stars: Liked it - recommend (B+)Originally Posted at That's What I'm Talking About.Francesca Stewart enjoys her position on staff with California's governor. She has an impeccable work ethic, and her support of green initiatives makes those she stands with very successful. But Frankie is lonely, and after suffering a bad relationship in her youth, she is reluctant to make any type of romantic connection in her adult life. However, Frankie lusts after Jake Rios, head of the governor's nighttime security and considers what it would be like to go out with him.Jake recognized Frankie as his mate within moments of joining the governor's team. Realizing he needs gain Frankie's friendship and trust, vampire Jake reigns in his alpha-nature and takes things slow. However, when he realizes Frankie's life is in danger, he can no longer sit on the sidelines.A Vampire's Salvation is an entertaining novella that kicks off Ms. DePaul's Beyond Human series which involves a group of vampires hoping to "come out" from hiding and join society. Jake Rios is optimistic that by working with a progressive governor with ambitions for the White House, he can reveal himself and his kind to the public someday. Although this novella doesn't touch much on this storyline, I liked the idea and hope that there will be future titles that progress the story forward.The heart of the novella revolves around the quickly developing love between Frankie and Jake. Due to the short nature of a novella, their relationship goes from zero to happily-ever-after in sixty seconds flat. Their initial encounters are fierce, filled with a hunger that is hot. I liked learning up front that Jake genuinely cares for Frankie and wants to take it slow. I adored reading Jake's POV as he headed to Frankie's door for their second date. It was sweet and romantic to learn how much he wants Frankie but is willing to let her call the shots. But what made the scene was his reaction about seeing Frankie all dressed up, subsequently losing all sense of control. Her reaction:"I've unleashed something wild, was Frankie's first thought when Jake moved toward her.Thank God, was her next one."Again, due to the shortness of the story, things progressed quickly, which left me feeling a bit cheated on the development of their relationship. After only two days together, they profess love, which rubbed me the wrong way a bit. In addition, Frankie adjusts rather quickly to the idea Jake is a vampire, and forgiveness came a bit too easily for my tastes. Unfortunately, when the author only has so many pages, things will move along rapidly at times.In the end, A Vampire's Salvation is a delightful novella. The story is sexy and fast paced, with a touch of suspense. The concept of the series is enjoyable and entertaining. I do think the story would have been a bit better with more length and development, and I'm not a fan of the immediate "I love you," so that brought it down a little for me. However, I am looking forward to reading a second story, knowing that there is much more to this political game than what was presented in this novella. The epilogue has me hooked for round two!