Book Reviews

Book Blurb

Carson Locke is dangerous, even by vampire standards. A rare Tabula Rasa vampire, he can wipe the minds of those he bites—human or vampire. Because of this, he’s lived his entire life in isolation. When his family is murdered, Carson runs from those who want him dead. Injured, starving, and about to be executed, he meets Commander Lincoln Samuels, an officer in the New Vampire Justice police force.

Lincoln, a Sanatore vampire, possesses the gift of healing. The moment he encounters Carson, broken and terrified, trying to steal blood to survive, he is compelled to help the other man—despite the risk to himself. Their bond creates something the world has never seen, but others have plans for Carson, and his destiny was written long before he was born. He’ll either become a tool to control the vampire world, or, with Lincoln by his side, find the courage to fight and become its savior.

NOTE: This book was previously published by Amber Allure in June 2014.

Book Review

A new-to-me author, a chance at fascinating world building, and vampires. Honestly? What more could I want?

"What he equated to was a monster—a vampire who could wipe clean minds with one bite. Left behind was a programmable machine, mindless follower without conscience, without remorse, without fear. The perfect army, the perfect killing machines."

The world the author has created is an urban fantasy, an alternate reality, where vampires have been known for over a hundred years but they still get treated like third class citizens. In this world the vampires are essentially exactly like humans except they have elongated canine teeth that are always present, and they need to supplement their diet with blood. No special powers, no inhuman strength, no speedy healing. There are special kinds of vampires such as empaths, healers, etc., but they aren't the norm. New Vampire Justice, or NVJ, was created by the vampires as a way to police their own since the human cops tended to shoot first and ask questions later. Believe me when I say the author definitely didn't stick to the standard lore.

Carson and Lincoln meet when Carson is caught trying to steal synthetic blood from a Vampire Blood Maker. Carson's family has been destroyed, he hasn't fed in ten days which is deadly for a vampire, and he is miserable believing he caused this devastation. Because of Carson's severe malnutrition he can't be revived with synthetic blood, but human blood will help him. Except it doesn't, and the doctor at NVJ headquarters doesn't understand why. Lincoln knows he needs to save Carson because something is building between them, but no one could have predicted what would happen to Carson when he got Lincoln's blood. I'm not telling because it's a huge spoiler.

Lincoln is a Sanatore vampire, a healer through his blood but also the only type of vampire who can bond on a physical, emotional, and mental level with a vampire who has ingested his blood. To say that Lincoln is terrified of what Carson will do when he discovers that Lincoln bonded with him, is mild. Lincoln is the only Sanatore vampire who has ever bonded twice in a lifetime with another. Unfortunately for Lincoln the first time it happened, the other vampire rejected the bond and Lincoln, causing Lincoln to almost go crazy. Once Carson and Lincoln finally talk, however, and realize they were both afraid of the same rejection, their bond grows more powerful and deeper than anyone has ever seen.

There were a number of things that I really liked about this book. The intensity, the world building, the mystery, and the action had me hooked from the start. However, there were a couple of things that didn't work for me, namely the number of discrepancies, and the pace was at times the speed of lightning although more often than not, it dragged in a number of areas. Neither of these things prevented me from enjoying the book but I believe I would have loved it had they not been there.

'Dare to Love Forever' is an action-packed adventure that I read in one sitting. I look forward to the next installment and I hope it's even better than this novel. Thank you, Jake, you write an intriguing tale.

 

 

 

 

DISCLAIMER: Books reviewed on this site were usually provided at no cost by the publisher or author. This book has been provided by Dreamspinner Press for the purpose of a review.

Additional Information

Format	ebook and print
Length	Novel, 260 pages/81711 words
Heat Level
Publication Date	26-September-2016
Price	$6.99 ebook, $16.99 paperback, $16.99 bundle
Buy Link	https://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/books/dare-to-love-forever-by-jake-c-wallace-7560-b