Some very dark sides to these vamps. Some very dark moments, this is an ongoing story that is going to span several books. Not my favorite type but lots going on.
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Even though I didn’t wow and wed myself to the first book, it’s pages still filled my mind with a unique, chilling alternate world full of villains on every street corner. The ending was an especially powerful push to continue the series with a secretive change coming over the devilishly dark Arturo.

Unfortunately this somewhat sanitized sequel dampened the original’s spark. There’s a lot of emotional drama and the sexual tension doesn’t strike me as believable. Think of historical romances where they accidentally touch each other and lightning strikes. There was a scene in the middle where this especially annoyed me (pre-drink) where she gets uncontrollably turned on just by touching his back slightly in a room full of people. All of this was during a dangerous time where they’re not supposed to show any interest in each other. I mean, seriously – are you a mindless animal? The saving grace of this soon is it soon actually gets twisted and hot.

Pacing is slightly lackluster since much time is spent discussing consequences of the ‘big bad’ catching them and a massive villain fight, but that doesn’t even happen in this book. Thankfully the book gets better within the last 60 pages or so, but reading up to that point wasn’t an enjoyable as it should have been. Cliffhangers should be handled delicately, and this one’s TV season finale form was a turn off. The abrupt cut off is just strange and frustrating.

Arturo was a sexy, flawed guy in the original. Now in order to redeem him and make him more classically likeable, the author has stripped him of his mysterious nature, making him more generic to the masses. Now he resembles about every Tom, Dick and Harry out there in Paranormal Romance. He spends most of the book trying to prove himself to Quinn. At least in the first book, where he was half hero but half villain, I was kept on the edge of my seat. Quinn is likeable, although her obsessive caring about her brother is a bit hollow. Watching her discover and develop her newfound abilities intrigued me. I did adore the newcomer vampire friend.

The clichéd Paranormal Romance elements have been upped, and the tone is less dark. The werewolf scene was particularly brutal, though – mean, nasty, nasty creatures. I do totally dig the author’s invented world and the differences between Emoras and the rippers. Awesome imagination.

Overall this book disappointed me. It’s still a chilling, dark tale, but it’s less so than before and the stakes aren’t set as high. Sensual scenes are hot enough but the hero lacks as much of a mysterious aura and doesn’t deliver as much excitement. Besides ending on a big cliffhanger, this second book doesn’t even really propel the main story.
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So if you read my last review, you will remember that A Blood Seduction made me ranty. While I liked the concept and the story, I hated both of the main characters. I refused to call them hero and heroine because I didn't feel like anything deserving of the name. But, I can officially say that I hate them much less now.

As much as I hated Arturo in the last book, I am kind of on Team Arturo now. He stopped being such a self-absorbed douche canoe and got some of his conscience back. Though now he is chasing Quinn, and she is running away, and it got to be tiresome. I am surprised that what finally broke her trust was him showing up to save her in the beginning of this book. Of all the things that should have turned her away, this seemed very minor in the overall scheme. Quinn is coming into some of her power... but she is still a pretty wimpy leading female. She continues to get her ass kicked, lose her weapon within 2 seconds, and run off on her own and get caught. And what finally turned me from Team Quinn to Team Arturo was the vamp delivering some brutal truths that I didn't really consider about Quinn in the first book. I won't mention them here because it was an eye opener for me and reading it before hand w/o the benefit of his speech would have lessened the impact.

The other vampires are still pretty much baddies, with a few exceptions. Cristoff and Fabian are both horrible extremes of their vice and way of feeding. Quinn has somewhat of an unnatural attachment to her brother - she is all he thinks about. Meanwhile, all Zach thinks about is Lily. And Lily is still out there alone in vamp city.

The story arc is continuing over the series, so while there is not a cliffhanger per se, the book ends before anything is resolved. I am hoping that the next book gives us a true hero and heroine to root for. 3 stars / 3 flames. ( )

Listened for Review (Tantor)
Overall Rating: 3.75
Story Rating: 3.50
Character Rating: 4.00

Audio Rating: 4.00 (not part of the overall rating)

First Thought when Finished: A Kiss of Blood by Pamela Palmer managed to make really get invested in the characters & world but the abrupt ending left me wanting.

Overall Thoughts: So I have to admit that part of me really loved (like a strong 4.5 kind of thing) A Kiss of Blood. I got really invested in the characters, the story, and the pacing was fantastic. I thought the methodical beginning leading to the intense center of the story worked really well. It was the last 1/3 of the book that kind of took me from that to it was a good read. LET ME BE CLEAR: That means I liked the book, would recommend the book, but just didn't like it as much at the end as I did in the middle. I am not a fan of abrupt endings and this had one heck of one. I get that it is UF but it also made this book feel incomplete.

That being said:
1: The writing was spectacular and the story flowed.
2: The characters finally made me care. Seriously I was rooting for Quinn and her brother. Arturo even somewhat grew on me though I still think he is a bit of an ass. The new characters broke my heart but also made me cheer (curse of listening to an audiobook--I am not even going to try to spell/list their names correctly). I felt this book was just very much more character driven and that worked so very well.
3: I really want to know what happens next. As much as I didn't like the abrupt ending, it did make me hungry for more.

This was slightly less dark than the first entry but not by much. So, if like me, you are a fan of dark UF then I think this series will work for you.

Audio Thoughts
Narrated By Rebecca Estrella / Length: 11 hrs and 30 mins

Rebecca is really spot on for Quinn! I thought her voice showed the growth that Quinn had experienced from the first time in Vamp City. I liked the slight change in tone that really sold the performance. Arturo's voice and character grew on me this time so I am sure now that is more how I feel about the character than her narration of him that shapes how I hear him. She does a solid job with the male voices and I really hope that the 3rd book comes out on audio. ( )

Review courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales

Quick & Dirty: A dark urban fantasy that toes the line towards paranormal romance. A Kiss of Blood has the feel of a filler novel and some readers may not like the complete 180 of a characters actions.

Opening Sentence: F our more days until Quinn Lennox’s life, as she knew it, was over.

The Review:

A Kiss of Blood is the sequel to Pamela Palmer’s A Blood Seduction and this novel felt almost completely opposite of its predecessor. There are two big reasons why. One is that Arturo, the main love interest to Quinn, was completely evil in the first novel. He had no problem tossing Quinn away even with his intense interest in her. He went from being almost the ultimate bad boy to a puppy dog, hanging on to Quinn’s every word and promising to make up for his past sins so he could be the man she loved in every way. The second is that Vamp City is a terrifying and cruel world and the vampires let you know it on almost every page. In A Kiss of Blood they let you know how bad it is all the time but the cruelty isn’t seen until closer to the end so the extreme peril that Quinn is in doesn’t feel materialized until then.

This series toes the line between urban fantasy and paranormal romance. The same main characters are involved in the storyline, switching between Quinn and Arturo’s points of view. Their romance and attraction for each other is very apparent but will these characters have a happy-ever-after in this world? Lily, another character stuck in Vamp City, shows up every once in a while to update readers on her progress through the terrible Vamp City world.

Absolutely do not pick up A Kiss of Blood unless you have read A Blood Seduction or you will be lost. Only a few weeks have passed since Quinn escaped Vamp City with her brother Zach after being trapped there. Quinn is trying to move on but she is having a hard time doing it when she keeps seeing people fall into the death trap that is Vamp City with no help or rescue coming. Then Zach is progressively getting worse with his illness and Quinn is pretty sure it is related to the fact that Vamp City is dying and the magic is somehow tied into her brother. Knowing that she has to go back and renew the magic to restore Vamp City, Quinn gives in and returns under the stipulation that she will be no one’s slave (and hopefully not be tortured).

Quinn grows up a lot in this novel. She still wants to rescue everyone but this time she is more careful about it, knowing she can’t get caught if she wants to save her brother’s life. She makes some bold decisions which in turn help her learn more about the magic she has inside of her. When Quinn is confronted with her true nature, she breaks down, but it gives her the resolve she needs in order to continue with her mission.

Arturo is a completely different character in thought and action. He is such a hard character to grasp. While I didn’t completely like him from the first novel since he seemed like such a heartless bastard, I wasn’t quite sure what to think when he kept following Quinn like a puppy dog and asking for her forgiveness and her love. His motives for not outing himself and saving Quinn are quite reasonable in this setting but I’m still not quite sure I like the complete 180 of his character.

I was so completely engrossed with the storyline to A Kiss of Blood that the abrupt ending startled me. I saw the page numbers coming to a close but I felt the real story/battle was coming but it didn’t. Sadly, I have to wait for the next novel to find out what’s next for Quinn, Arturo, Zach and the rest of the gang. After thinking about it, A Kiss of Blood really felt like a filler novel helping to bridge a gap to an inevitable terrible showdown. A few major details were revealed but the real questions will be answered (I hope!) when the next novel comes out.

Overall, I’m still a fan of Pamela Palmer’s writing style and this incredibly dark world that she has created. I will pick up a copy of the next book because if the way this one ended is any indication of the action we will see in the upcoming title, there will be a lot of craziness going on.

Notable Scene:

Suddenly, her back was up against the wall, her body pinned by that of a furious vampire.

“It is my business. You are my business.” Arturo’s enunciation was slow and cold and dangerously precise. “You are mine, Quinn Lennox. Mine.”

She gaped at him, speechless. “I’m not your slave. I’ve never been your slave, and I’m never going to be!”

“Not my slave.” At her words, at her vehemence, his anger seemed to ease. He gripped her jaw with long, cool fingers. She tried to jerk away, but he held her fast. His voice lowered, softened. “You are mine, cara. The sunshine that warms my flesh. My sunlight.” His hold on her jaw tightened, though not unduly so. His expression grew tormented. “Do you have any idea how much I want you? Yet I do not push you. You have lost your faith in me. You are angry with me for handing you over to Cristoff and, dio Quinn, you have a right to be.”

He released her suddenly, turning away, running a hand through his hair. “The things I saw today . . .” His voice was low with anguish. “I have watched his atrocities for months, years, and felt too little. Felt nothing.”

Quinn stared at him, her own anger slipping away as she realized how shaken he really was. This wasn’t about Neo. This was about Cristoff.

“What happened at Gonzaga Castle this morning, Arturo?” she asked quietly. Not that she really wanted to know. She didn’t.

When he didn’t answer, she reached for him, sliding her hand down his back. She felt him tense and shudder. Slowly, he turned back to face her, his expression revealing little, but his eyes burning.

He took her face in his hands. “He will never touch you again. I vow it.” His shoulders sank, his forehead tipping against hers. “Mio dio. You’ve changed me, cara. I cannot decide if I should thank you or hate you for it.”

FTC Advisory: Avon/HarperCollins provided me with a copy of A Kiss of Blood. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review. ( )