First Blood is a paranormal anthology with four short stories featuring vampires.

Cave Canem by Susan Sizemore

Dan Conover is the protector of a litter of hellhounds and he must depend upon Tess Sirella for her assistance.  Cave Canem is a continuation of her Laws of the Blood novels.  I haven’t read any of her books in this series thus I had no idea of what it is about.  This story did not make me want to read her previous books.  I found it confusing at times and the characters really didn’t interest me at all. 

Russian Roulette by Erin McCarthy

Alistair Kirk, a British vampire saves Sasha Chechikov and romance ensues between them. This was a lovely story featuring a very likable couple.  It is two people finding love when they least expect it.  There is lots of action on all levels including the ominous presence of Alistair’s ex-wife. 

Double the Bite by Chris Marie Green

Ginny and Geneva are twin vampires and Ben Tyree is the man they both want.  Readers will empathize with these characters.  The emotional pull between the sisters as well as between Ben and Ginny is powerful.  The ending was bittersweet and unexpected. 

Thicker than Blood by Meljean Brook

Annie Gallagher is searching for Cricket, a human child and she meets up with Jack, the man she loved in her former human life.  Annie and Jack make for a fabulous couple.  She may be a vampire but she feels very human.  Jack is a great hero. My favorite of the four stories as there is a wealth of emotion woven into the story.  You will feel the pain that Annie and Jack experienced as well as the joy of finding love again.  This was the most complete story in this anthology. It should have readers searching for Ms. Brooks previous books.

First Blood gives the reader glimpses of each of the authors’ style.  It is a nice way to find a new author since I believe most have a backlist of books available.

October 5, 2008