Alexander’s Blood Bride
Lorelei Moone
Narrated by: Gethyn Edwards
Publication Date: October 21, 2016
Genres: Adult, Audiobook, Paranormal Romance, Vampires, Novella, Romance
Cat has never been a social butterfly. The only reason she even agreed to go to the stupid Halloween party was because her friend and room mate Shelly wanted to attend. When she gets spooked upon almost falling into bed with the host, she’s convinced it was all a big mistake. And what’s worse, now people are stalking her wherever she goes!Alexander Broderick has been hosting his annual Halloween parties for over a century. While his contemporaries use them as an excuse to engage in all kinds of debauchery, his own motives are more benign. He wants to converse, to get a feel for the times they live in through its people. But when Cat walks into his house, he forgets himself and is compelled to seduce her. There’s only one problem: she’s a so-called Blood Bride – a mortal woman whose blood smells so delicious that every vampire in town wants to drain her.
He knows he’s the only one wanting to keep her safe, but can’t act as long as she wants nothing to do with him. And then there’s his own growing hunger to contend with. Can he protect her from the rest of the vampire community, as well as his own lethal cravings?
It’s the ultimate forbidden romance; the love between a mortal and a vampire. What is it that makes flirting with death so utterly tempting? Read on and find out.
Alexander Broderick stood at the top of
the curving stairwell in the center of his Kensington residence, surveying his
domain. The party had started at eight sharp, with more guests arriving every
few minutes.
His Halloween parties were an age old
tradition, even if their grandeur and scale had evolved significantly since the
early days. A hundred years ago, he'd been content inviting a few friends and
acquaintances, all of them vampire like he was. Now, every year, the event had
grown bigger and better, featuring new faces from all walks of life.
Eternity was a very long time to spend
in isolation. He craved the change in routine, no matter how hard his maker had
tried to discourage him from going overboard in the past. Of course, ever since
Julius had taken over the Council leadership, he had other things on his mind
than to monitor Alexander's social life.
Alexander thrived on the attention these
parties afforded him. On a night such as tonight, he could step out of the
shadows and into normality. Even if some guests noticed strange things around
the house, they'd accept it as part of the magic of Halloween. It also helped
that he kept the alcohol flowing generously throughout the night.
Tonight was the one night per year that
the weird and wonderful became acceptable.
He took a deep breath and closed his
eyes. So many people. So many aromas.
His parties weren't an excuse to feed as
such; no, he could do that any time. But the sheer variety of humankind at his
feet was difficult to ignore.
Every vampire in attendance tonight
would feel the same way. Alexander smiled as he imagined the depravity that
would occur within these walls.
Sex,
blood, and rock 'n' roll. Alexander couldn't suppress a
chuckle.
They'd keep things clean enough, of course.
Everyone here was keen to stretch the rules but not break them. They wouldn't
take things so far as to attract suspicion.
They wouldn't kill.
Alexander himself would join in the
festivities as well. But first and foremost, he enjoyed playing host. He was
especially fond of striking up conversations with first-time guests. First he'd
figure out how they'd come by an invitation, then he'd guide the conversation
toward other topics that interested him.
He was a connoisseur of sorts; like some
immersed themselves in fine wines, politics, or even sports, Alexander
collected knowledge on the human psyche. Zeitgeist,
as some people called it; he loved to learn about that special set of
thoughts and ideas that made society tick. In gathering information about how
people lived their fleeting lives, he sought to find meaning for his own.
As he slowly started to walk down the
stairs, he focused on acting normal;
that meant being a lot more clunky and obvious in his movements than his
instincts dictated.
He was socializing, not stalking prey!
That was one of the first lessons he'd
learned once he started inviting humans to his get-togethers. If you approached
them in too stealthy a fashion, they easily got spooked.
Halfway down, his friend Michael nodded
a greeting as he passed him by. The much younger vampire wasn't one to waste
time; he'd already found himself two willing females to spend what he liked to
call 'quality time.' Everyone had certain talents; seduction was his.
Alexander was about to continue down the
steps when a presence caught him off guard. He wasn't sure what it was exactly.
A quick scan around the room revealed that all the guests were quite busy
entertaining themselves; nobody was looking in his direction.
He sprinted back up the stairs, faster
than a human eye could see, and gazed back down to figure out what had affected
him so.
The front door swung open and two women
entered. One was quite ordinary, and he could hardly tell her apart from the
two Michael had just led upstairs. The other, though...
A radiant sight of womanhood.
Her floor length gown was very different
from the skimpy outfits everyone else had chosen to wear. Blood red—which in
itself would have been enough to entice even the most reclusive vampire among
his company.
Raven hair halfway down her shoulder,
which swayed with every step she took.
A face flawless, like that of a
porcelain doll.
And curves. Her body exuded a richness
that made every fiber in his body ache for her.
The narration is good - I love listening to a male narrator and the British accent made it even better. The story is good even though it is more of a novella length story. It definitely left me wanting more, there were still many answers to be found in upcoming books.
I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this audio book. I was not compensated for this review, all conclusions are my own.
Lorelei Moone is an up-and-coming author of paranormal romance based in London. A lover of all things sweet, and caffeinated, when she’s not writing about sexy bear shifters and their strong-willed curvaceous love interests, Lorelei can be found baking cookies or cakes for her family.
Gethyn Edwards is an up and coming new British narrator, with a growing track record in top romance titles. Reviewers describe his work as “emotionally charged”, “compelling”, and “a pleasure to listen to”. Visit his Facebook Page for more information.
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