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Raised as a slave, Mignon du Plessis’ whole life revolved around her children and her master. Yet when Charles Rabelais sold her two children to a brothel, to force her attention solely on him, Mignon did everything she could to protect her babies from afar. Even becoming a vampire. As she learns the ways in her new world, Mignon alternatively hides and hunts Charles. Now present day, over two hundred and fifty years old, Mignon was a Venator –a hunter of her people. For a few selected vampires, hunting rogue vampires and protecting humanity was a full time job. Charles, more determined than ever to claim her, stalks her more openly now. Even to the point of killing humans to draw her to him. But when he lets a few outsiders know vampires truly exist, Mignon and her friends were selected to hunt and kill him.
It was Detective Ryan Lattimore’s job to find out why the unwanted of the city were dying. And why, the next day, they are beheaded. To do his job, he has to stake out the morgue. And he meets the most beautiful woman he has ever seen. She couldn’t be his ‘vampire slayer’ as the press dubbed the killer. But when she wields a large axe, removing the first head, Ryan was shocked. But not so much as when the dead bodies started to rise on their own! He refused to believe she was the original killer, but instinct told him she was the key in catching the murderer. Not wanting to end up in a psych ward, Ryan kept the evenings revelations to himself.
Praetorium are considered the counselors of the vampires. According to the rules, Mignon should have killed Ryan. Yet something stayed her hand. When he showed up the next day, Mignon was not surprised. With the assistance of her friends, she helped train Ryan in how to hunt. Ryan doesn’t necessarily believe the wild tale Mignon weaved, but he does believe she will lead him to the killer, for somehow they are connected. Under attack, Ryan can no longer refute the truth. Wielding his blade, he dispatched his attacker. But when he learned Mignon was a vampire, he felt betrayed. Will Ryan turn his back on Mignon? Or will together, they overcome the evil that stalks them and save humanity? Because, without Mignon, he realized he was only a tasty snack.
The thing that draws me the most to this book is the characters. From Mignon to Ryan, each character adds a depth to this story that pulls a reader into their lives. To personal thoughts and details, each character seemed to jump, fully formed, from the pages. Some of the plot seemed a little forced, but not enough to detract from the overall book. J.M. Jeffries is a great writing team and I look forward to seeing if their next book can top Blood Lust.
Reviewed by Stacey Brutger
for The Road to Romance
December 20, 2005
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