• Mass Market Paperback: 288 pages
• List Price: $5.50
• Publisher: Harlequin (August 23, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0373618662
• ISBN-13: 978-0373618668
• Gena Showalter’s Website

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Once upon a time…the Blood Sorcerer vanquished the kingdom of Elden.

To save their children, the queen scattered them to safety and the king filled them with vengeance.

Only a magical timepiece connects the four royal heirs…and time is running out.…

Nicolai the Vampire was renowned for his virility, but in a twist of fate “The Dark Seducer” had become a sex slave in the kingdom of Delfina—stripped of his precious timepiece and his memory. All that remained was a primal need for freedom, revenge—and the only woman who could help him.

In her dreams, a wanton vampire called to Jane Parker, drawing her to his dark sexuality and his magical realm.

But for a human, all was not a fairy tale in Delfina. Jane was the key to Nicolai’s memory…but exploiting her meant dooming the only mortal he craved.

“Sticks and stones may break my bones, but I might be a vampire so I don’t give a shit.”

Pg. 249

Lord of the Vampires is the first in a four-part mini-series called the Royal House of Shadows, where each book is written by a different author giving a twist on a common fairytale. (Visit the series website for info on the series arc and how the authors worked together to form their ideas!) Gena has based her story (loosely) on Alice in Wonderland. The heroine, Jane, suddenly wakes up in hero Nicolai’s world with no clue how she got there or if she will ever return home.

Nicolai, the son of a vampire and a witch, actually summoned her to him with a magical incantation in a book. Most of his magic has been bound by the women who keep him as a slave (yes, that kind of a slave) and he needs Jane to help him escape.

That’s about where his plans for Jane end, but he finds himself admiring her courage and unable to leave her behind when he makes his bid for escape.

I admired Jane’s courage, as well. She was a strong heroine who has already been through a lot at the beginning of the book, but continues to tough through each new obstacle she meets. She is intelligent and never gives up hope or fighting.

Nicolai was just as determined, but he tended to turn to a violent rage when met with obstacles. There are some bloody scenes in this book. Nothing overly graphic, but Jane was always so happy and lovey with Nicolai right after he killed people. I think I’d be more like, “Yeah, um…go take a shower, get the blood off of you. I’m going to move to a room that doesn’t smell of death. Then we can cuddle and smooch.” But that’s just me.

One interesting turn in this book (without giving too much away) is that the heroine has been a victim of magic without realizing it. When the hero realizes what has been done to her, there is an interesting turn in their relationship. Throughout the book they both have to struggle with magic, both their own and the magic others use against them, and Gena did a good job of layering spells so they would interact and had more than one key to their undoing.

What I Liked:

The premise of the series is very interesting. I can’t wait to see what develops in the following books.

Jane was a smart and tough heroine. She was resourceful and didn’t just wait around for Nickolai to come save her ass.

There are some funny moments of misunderstanding because Jane has come from the human world into the magical world. My personal favorite is when Nicolai mistakenly thinks Vicodin is a magical sorcerer Jane had loved in the human world for his abilities to relieve pain.

What I Didn’t Like:

I wish the book was LONGER! I felt like I didn’t get enough story or history from the characters. Things didn’t feel rushed, I just wanted more.

I felt like Nickolai suddenly fell head over heels over Jane and was heart and soul devoted to her before their relationship had really grown that much. I think I just wanted more reasoning behind his feelings for her earlier on. At one point he’s planning on abandoning her, then he’s suddenly storming to her rescue. The change was too sudden and unreasoned for me.

Overall, a good book and I’m looking forward to seeing what happens in Nickolai’s siblings’ books. I give it 3 ½ out of 5 stars.

The four books in the Royal House of Shadows Series come out in four consecutive months. Books in the series are:

1. Lord of the Vampires by Gena Showalter
2. Lord of Rage by Jill Monroe
3. Lord of the Wolfyn by Jessica Anderson
4. Lord of the Abyss by Nalini Singh