Review: Wonderful, escapist, paranormal romance
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 12 26, 2012
I had the pleasure of beta reading this story and so I am delighted to review the final product.Hope caught me with her story from the moment her roommate rudely woke her up one evening to start her working day. Only I had no real idea if Hope was happy and well, or on her deathbed -- I was kept on tenterhooks to the very end. Travis Luedke draws his characters so brilliantly. Hope has experienced so much in her twenty-two years. She is streetwise, a survivor, and has learned from bitter experience to make her telepathy work for and not against her. Until the night she meets a vampire bitch, Lia.Now she knows too much and Vampire Master Enrique decides the only way to control that knowledge is to turn Hope into a blood slave. A vampire's bite is addictive, and in Mr. Luedke's world, incredibly erotic. As an escort in the sex trade, Hope knows a lot of tricks. She turns Enrique on so much he can barely control his sexual urges and the result can be long and exhausting. Rough lust and passion puts Hope's life in danger more than once. But Hope's most endearing quality is her instinct for survival. She will fight, she will panic, she will run, she will distract, she will tempt, she will beg. She is a captive, a blood slave, addicted to vampire venom, and will do almost anything to survive, and she can never forget that Enrique's vampire servant, Lia, is forever present to turn her new world upside down.But it is when Hope's past life catches up with her that the story becomes truly horrific and powerful reading.Wow. When Hope runs for her life through New York City I ran with her. Her need was so powerful, so all-consuming, and this is when we find out exactly how much being a blood slave has changed her. I felt almost sorry for Enrique as the story reaches its wonderful conclusion -- retribution is extracted in full and three lives are changed forever.This is a wonderful, escapist, paranormal romance. It is erotic, full of sex, both gentle and rough, but overriding all this is a beautiful story of love and personal growth that will touch your heart.Don't miss out on a fantastic read.