Review: A Great Read
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 12 22, 2013
Reviewed by Nadene R.Book provided by NetGalley for reviewReview originally posted at Romancing the BookI came across this title on NetGalley and was intrigued by the blurb so I immediately submitted a request for a copy of this book. I was fortunate enough to have my request granted in return for an honest review. While reading this book I was constantly being reminded of another widely read and watched vampire series. Some may consider this to be a bad thing but personally for me it did not detract from the story as I enjoyed every moment spent reading it. Bittersweet Blood is a paranormal/urban fantasy romance set in the United Kingdom, which has a bit of action and mystery entwined in the plot. This is a great start to what appears to be a new series.The story was told from the point of view of the lead male and female character. This allowed me to have a better understanding of what each character was feeling which in turn enabled me to better relate to each of them.We are introduced to Tara who recently lost her aunt. Tara led a sheltered life for twenty-two years and she was eager to go out into the world and discover what it had to offer. But little did she know that there would be a price attached to this knowledge. During her search she found out that her entire life has been a lie and she was now determined to discover who she really was. In order to do this she enlisted the services of Christian Roth a well know private investigator. Unbeknownst to Tara he was more than just your average private investigator. He was a vampire and a former demon hunter.Tara was determined to become independent as she was tired of persons who wanted to run her life and telling her it was in her best interest. Christian had become a detective on abandoning his former life of a demon hunter. He had become disillusioned by his past, hence his move into this new profession. However, he was unwittingly forced to face his past as someone whom he was acquainted with during this time was hell bent on revenge.From the moment Christian and Tara met there was a connection between them. They were both attracted to each other. Tara tried to fight this feeling especially after she found out what Christian really was. From the moment Christian met Tara he knew there was something different about her but he just couldn’t figure out what it was. After he started looking into her past to determine who she was he knew for sure that she was no ordinary being. Based on what he found out he knew that she was going to need his protection and he had no qualms offering it. The romance between these two was hot and sizzling. It did not happen suddenly. I loved the way the author built on it which helped in making very realistic.I was plunged into a world of demons, vampires, faes, shifters and werewolves. WOW! What a ride. The supporting cast was great, but I was especially drawn to Jaime who had befriended Tara when she had moved to London. His character was a total surprise. He was always looking out for Tara and would do anything to ensure her safety.The plot was not unique as I stated earlier, however I still enjoyed reading this book. This story made me laugh, it made me anxious and it made me eager to see what was going to happen next. It did not leave me hanging. I was drawn into the story from the very first page and it held my interest to the very end. The story flowed beautifully from beginning to end and it was an easy read. Ms. Croft’s descriptions were so vivid I felt I was actually watching from the sidelines. There were some twists and turns and a few surprises. This was my first time reading Ms. Croft’s work and I can’t wait to see what else she has is store as it relates to this series.Overall this was a great read and I would definitely recommend it to readers of paranormal/urban fantasy romance.