|
Simon, a loyal and skilled Irish knight, accompanies his liege lord into the Crusade wars where he finds something frighteningly terrible. Simon and all his fellow warriors are unexpectedly attacked by a local king and his followers who're all vampires. In the vicious bloodbath that follows, Simon somehow survives and even kills the head vampire, although unfortunately not before he himself is bitten and turned into a vampire. Orlando the dwarf wizard reveals to Simon that only the Holy Grail a.k.a the 'Chalice' can cure him as well as Orlando's beloved vampire protégée, Roxanne.
Years of futile searching finally leads Simon and Orlando to the rich Castle Charmot and its beautiful, spirited chatelaine Lady Isabel who're under constant siege by ambitious mercenaries. In return for protecting her land and people, Isabel allows them access to the catacombs of her druid ancestors. Gradually Isabel and Simon fall in love even as he despairs of ever telling her the truth. When it soon becomes clear that another vampire is stalking Simon and as a result Isabel and the others are in danger, Simon is faced with the most bitter choice of his cursed life - that between salvation and love.
New author Lucy Blue delivers a stellar story in "My Demon's Kiss", the first stunning book in the alluring new medieval series, 'Bound In Darkness'. From prologue onwards, Blue compellingly sucks readers into a bygone but thrilling world of knights and vampires, of romance and terror. While this combination of history and paranormal elements is not new, it's very slickly done and the overall effect is not only plausible but utterly captivating as well. Simon as the tortured knight-turned-vampire is the cornerstone of this narrative and the author very poignantly brings out the resultant interesting clash due to and between his dual opposing natures. Although she at first appears to be the typical colorless maiden in distress, readers will soon discover Isabel to be anything but. This druid descendant not only loves passionately but fights for it with equal fervor.
Simon's love for Isabel is both a strength and a curse and the sparks that fly between them are just too fiery for words. Even the larger than life villain provides plenty of food for thought as well for some action and a great deal of violence. What gore there is (and there's plenty of it) is more than justified by the central vampire theme. Overall, the amalgamation of romance, historical ambiance and vampirism together with a well-conceived plot and strong narrative makes this book an absolute must for fans of paranormal romance and others as well.
Reviewed by Rashmi Srinivas
for The Road to Romance
February 7, 2005
|
