Soft porn Harlequin-style romance between a male vampire and a female human. In this world, the men are manly men, protecting women and children from the evil vampires. The heroine is smart, independent, able to hunt and shoot, and then is reduced to cream by the sexual prowess of Don Rafel Perez. Trust me, she creams a lot. ( )

Sexy, hot vampirio.. leader of the Texas and Oklahome area meets woman that may be conected to him in a past life. Somebody fights to take control of his area he has to fight to keep woman alive, while having lots of sex with self and each other. Can they out last this war ? Can they save each other and end the circle of pain ? Spanish and french words fill some of the pages it seems distracting at first but it really works in the story. ( )

I think I enjoyed this novel so much because, in contrast to a previous erotic novel I read, this one had an actual plot. The sex scenes were a plenty, but Bond of Blood also had a fairly decent plot about a vampire seeking revenge against his medieval nemesis, a unique take on the vampire myth, and a strong heroine I could actually admire. Definitely not for the faint of heart, but still a rewarding read for those who enjoy erotica. ( )

I usually try to give a book 100 pages before I give up. Life is too short to read awful books. Well, I didn't even make it to chapter two on this mish-mash of cardboard characters and stunning misogyny. I'm pretty forgiving--heaven knows I've read (and enjoyed!) some vapid crap. But that first chapter was unrelenting. Historical bits were run through like a textbook; women were utterly feeble; men were dry toast. Okay, I'll stop ranting now. This is just here to remind me if I forget: steer clear of Whiteside. ( )

This is, if I'm not mistaken, the first in a trilogy featuring the Texas vampires we met in The Hunter's Prey. And boy, did it make me homesick.

It has the same sensuality of the anthology, but this time there's a romance as well. Grania is a wildlife veterinarian at the Texas Hill Country Raptor Center, and Don Rafael Perez is a 700-year-old vampire who controls the Texas territory.

Rafael and his territory are being threatened by old enemies, so when Grania shows up in the woods when he's feeding, his initial response is suspicion. All too soon, though, it seems that they have a rare connection, and his suspicion is replaced by a desire to possess and protect her.

Grania is no less surprised, because Rafael is the man who's been in her dreams since she was a child.

I really enjoy this series (I'm including the erotica anthology here) because it's sensual and well-written, but also in large part because it's unusual. Most vampires in fiction come from northern or eastern Europe. Don Rafael and his oldest compatriots come from Spain. There are Spanish terms for all the positions in his territory--his military commander-in-chief, for example, is the alferez mayor, and a vampire sire is a creador. He also uses Spanish words sprinkled here and there. There's a glossary at the back of the book, but I only referred to it on occasion. It was interesting to get the exact translations, but the terms were easily understandable from the context.

The conflict with the old enemy was tense, and I appreciated the concept that Don Rafael had learned over the course of two centuries of torture at his hands, to lose to him. It added a nice psychological edge to the final battle.

The only quibble I have is that in the beginning of the book, an owl speaks to Grania, and that thread isn't followed up on.

I'm looking forward to more books in this series. ( )