While the concept for the vampires in this story isn't unique some of the processes are a little different. It is also unusual for an author to have two different realities for a paranormal race. Finally I loved the Carnival background of this series. This is a world few of us know or will ever experience. I have read about the carnies and I have seen them on TV but it is hard to understand their vagabond life style. I guess, like the Old West, the carnivals are a place for people to hide from their problems or heartbreak. There are those of the human race that need to remake themselves for whatever reason and a group that doesn’t question but just accepts is a godsend.

This is the beginning of a new series, trilogy, for Ms. Strong. These are all shorter stories and as so don’t have the detail that some of her other stories do. Ms. Strong does put in enough background so you can follow what is going on but there were a few questions that I am hoping will be answered in future books.

Matteo Cabrelli is a vampire, but not in the sense of horror movies or Count Dracula. His race is alien to this world. Like most of the vampires that I have read about over the years he is dominant and just a little arrogant and overbearing. He has waited for a long time for a mate and having to hunt for her has tested his patience, not that he had much of that in the first place. He is caring for Sarael for the most part. He does make a few mistakes but he tries to do better when he realizes what he has done. I like Matteo and I would have liked to read more about him.

Sarael Castillo has live with the Carnival since her mother brought her there when she was a small child. Her mother deserted her. A fortune teller raised Sarael after her mother left. In many ways Sarael is quite naïve and innocent. She is still a virgin and she has known no other life than the carnival. Being a carnie has given Sarael some street smarts but she is definitely ill prepared to handle someone like Matteo. She gives it a good try though and in doing so almost gets herself in more trouble than she can handle. This story is the perfect illustration of too little knowledge being a bad thing.

There are some interesting secondary characters that I would like to learn more about and there is a villain that gets what he deserves in the end. This is a suspense story though there are bad guys that could have made things very tense. This is just two people trying to find their way through a relationship that was started before Sarael was born. Ms. Strong has some steamy hot love scenes throughout the story, more than might have been necessary, not that I am complaining. It would have been nice to have Sarael explain to Matteo her fear of being bound. I think that would have alleviated some of the misunderstandings that caused problems in the beginning. There is some bondage and a flogging in the story but that is about a far as things go. This is a quick fun read that most paranormal fans should enjoy. ( )