Bonded by Blood by Laurie London
Mass Market: $7.99
Harlequin/HQA (January 2011)
ISBN: 978-0-373-77544-6
Favorite Line: “Ha. ‘Excuse me, but you’re my soul mate. Pardon me while I kill you.’ Riiiight.” (p. 56)
Movie location scout Mackenzie Foster-Shaw has always known that she’s cursed to die young. No one can protect her from the evil that has stalked her family for generations—vampires who crave her rare blood type. Until one afternoon in a wooded cemetery, she encounters an impossibly sexy stranger, a man she must trust with her life.
For Dominic, a man haunted by loss, Mackenzie satisfies a primal hunger that torments him—and the bond they share goes beyond heat, beyond love. She alone can supply the strength he needs to claim his revenge. But in doing so, he could destroy her….
Bonded by Blood is book one in the Sweetblood series written by Laurie London. It’s also London’s first book and I’ll admit to enjoying the jaunt through the paranormal world with her characters. The story is a romance between a human and a vampire, so expect strong alphas, humans who are blind to the paranormal community and love that leads to a happily ever after ending.
Right off the bat, one of the things that impressed me was London giving at least one of her characters a nontraditional job. The heroine hunts for places to shoot movie scenes. I can’t mention one other book that uses that job. Not one. And I appreciate the effort London put into making this romance a little bit different from others on the market.
The premise of the series is that there are people who carry an addictive blood type. These people are Sweetbloods. The bad vampires are called Darkbloods. The Darkbloods are all about pleasure and they don’t believe in restraining themselves. The guardians are the good vampires who try to stop the Darkbloods from destroying both humanity and vampires. This is the world where London’s characters find love.
Bonded by Blood is a quick, enjoyable read. I don’t know that I’ll be re-reading it, but I am looking forward to the second book in the series Embraced by Blood which will be released in July 2011.
Scooper Speaks 