Author: Amber Belldene
Series: Blood Vine #1
Publication: January 8th 2013 by Omnific Publishing
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Format: Paperback
Cover Rating: 5/5 (so pretty!)
Overall Rating: 5/5
Review copy provided by author in exchange for an honest review.
In Blood Vine, bites are an inconvenient bliss, exiled vampires are wasting away, and the fate of their kind depends on the perfect PR campaign.
When public relations pro Zoey Porter arrives at an enchanting California winery, she discovers her sexy new client is the almost one-night stand she can’t forget. After her husband’s suicide, Zoey has vowed never to risk her heart again. But can she walk away from the intriguing winemaker a second time?
Driven from Croatia by his ancient foes, vampire Andre Maras has finally made a blood-like wine to cure his fellow refugees. Now he needs Zoey’s PR expertise to reach them. After his wife’s death, Andre has a vow of his own—never to risk another painful blood bond. And one taste of the tempting Zoey would bind him to her eternally.
His secrets stall her PR plans. Her jealousy is stoked by the blissed-out beauties leaving his bedroom. At every turn, he utterly fails to resist her. When she discovers he is a vampire, will she be lost to the golden-eyed Hunters, or lose herself to the emptiness in her heart, before she can help him save his kind?
~My Thoughts:
I received this book a while back for review from the author and though it took me quite some time to actually get to it (you know, so many books, so little time...) —and trust me, I wish I had read it sooner now — I finally read it! I just want to thank to author again for being so nice to send the paperback version to me. This book was quite a ride for me and I really feel like I found a new favorite series to add to my shelves! <3
31-year-old Zoey Porter who works as a PR person. Every since her husband died, she puts up a wall trying to keep people, especially men, at a distance. She doesn't even let her boss, Ethan, who she's sleeping with, get close to her. When her firm sends her to the winery of a new client, Andre, she's startled to find out he's the one she had an almost one-night stand with him over a year ago. Surprisingly, Andre ignites feelings within her she thought died along with her husband. But Andre isn't an ordinary man and has secrets... Secrets that will change everything for Zoey and that will drag her into a world of blood, passion and possibly love.
Age-old Andre Maras is a vampire who has been driving from his homeland in Croatia a long time ago and suffers from the wasting disease but thinks to have finally found a cure in the wine he makes. He wants to not only cure himself but also his fellow refugees. When Zoey arrives at his estate to help them with the PR of the wine, he has to control his urges to bite her in fear of blood bonding with her. The one thing he vowed to never do again is bond with someone after the dead of his wife. But the thing about Zoey is, he can't stay away from her.
Zoey was an engaging main character to read about. I liked her from the start and all her reactions to Andre, also when she found out what he is was nicely done by the author. I also loved how she made friends with the women in Andre's household. I liked that she opened up a little to them too and not only Andre.
I must admit though as a character on his own Andre wasn't my favorite character from everyone in the book but it wasn't like I disliked him or anything. I did love him and Zoey together. They had so much chemistry and some very passionate romantic scenes. Gotta love that! And, damn, I loved the ending!
I haven't been this excited about a vampire book in quite a while, obviously. Lately all vampire books I read were mediocre to say the least. But Blood Vine? It was amazing! I was really surprised by how good it was and how fascinated I was by the story. Amber Belldene did such a great job making the book so interesting to read, not only about the vampires but also about all the other characters and the winery too. Blood Vine is definitely different compared to other vampire books. It's such an original story and it does not only feature Zoey and Andre. And though I love reading about both of them, I am also so intrigued and excited to learn more about the other characters like Andre's sons, Kos and Bel. I admit I was the tiniest but obsessed with them. *fans herself* I also loved Pedro (he's a riot!) and Lucas (who's Ethan's brother) so so so much. I can't even start to explain how much I hope they're going to end up together. With some unexpected events their whole relationship has become very intriguing.
Ethan is a whole different story. He's what we would call the bad guy in the book. And being a vampire hunter he has his own twisted reasons for wanted Andre, his sons and his whole household dead. Basically, he's a bastard. But damn it if I don't love reading about bad guys. I wonder what he's going to be up to next and how it will continue all!
There were a lot of facts about how a winery works that I never knew before. I loved the aspects about it and how it all fits together with vampires and what they discovered about that wine. Obviously the author knew a lot about stuff like this and did good research and that's what every author should do.
Amber Belldene's writing was flawless. Yes, it was. I have no negatives to say It was fast-paced, always entertaining and I loved the multiple points of view so we could learn more about the others too. Much love for that!
An imaginative, romantic and absorbing read, Blood Vine by Amber Belldene had me quickly hooked with its intriguing story about vampires and vine yards. In short; I loved it. I was captivated by the story and the characters the autor created. It was one of the best books I have read so far this year and can't wait to get my hands on the second book because I just need more. I would highly recommend Blood Vine to everyone!
About the author:
Amber Belldene grew up on the Florida panhandle, swimming with alligators, climbing oak trees and diving for scallops…when she could pull herself away from a book. As a child, she hid her Nancy Drew novels inside the church bulletin and read mysteries during sermons—an irony that is not lost on her when she preaches these days.
Amber is an Episcopal Priest and student of religion. She believes stories are the best way to explore human truths. Some people think it is strange for a minister to write romance, but it is perfectly natural to her, because the human desire for love is at the heart of every romance novel and God made people with that desire. She lives with her husband and two children in San Francisco.
Find Amber also on:
Purchase Blood Vine on:
All Romance | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | Fishpond
All Romance | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | Fishpond
