Bloodlust by Michelle Rowen
With the deadly Nightshade still coursing through her blood, Jillian Conrad was a deadly temptation to all vampires. It had changed her eyes and hair to black and made her all but irresistible to vampires despite the deadly consequences if they drank her blood. The connection to her protector, Declan, was to be tested again and again before the Nightshade poison killed her, but not before another deadly threat was revealed that would change their lives forever.
Declan Reyes was a dhampyr, a vampire hunter, half vampire/half human and totally tall, dark and deadly. The serum in his system helped him deal with the desires his vampire blood stirred in him, especially where Jill was concerned. Violence, bloodlust and erratic behavior, including emotion, needed to be tamed and was something his desire for Jill was strongly pulling at. With the uprising of the old King, Declan has to deal with more than his lack of emotions—he has to face the fact that he is a danger to Jill that only his death can prevent because the only other option would be worse than death itself.
A deadly contest of wills between two Kings traps the duo in the middle of the war. Refusing to give in to her fate, Jill continues to fight to find out what can be done to save her life. Declan will do whatever it takes to save her, including leaving her in the arms of the former Vampire King. Matthais is not above doing whatever it takes to save his daughter and prevent his brother from controlling the crown ever again, including claiming the dying woman he craves, but his sacrifice might be useless when her heart cries for another who has already made his own decision…a decision she will do anything to change.
Bloodlust was a continuous emotional roller coaster ride that bound me to the characters’ plight throughout their story and kept me wrapped up in their turmoil. I love Declan; he is dark and dangerous, and despite his condition, his feelings for Jill come through with every look he gives her. Jill is beyond a strong and determined heroine; she is gritty, smart, sassy and brave beyond words. Dealing with this new reality of the vampire world and an impending death sentence for being caught in the crosshairs, she is a remarkable woman who deserves to find some happiness in the darkness that now surrounds her. I would be remiss if I didn’t say that I have developed more than a little bit of affection for Matthais along the way as well. He is much more devious and definitely darker, but none the less a man or rather vampire that I can’t help but love. If you have yet to pick up this series, I would highly recommend correcting that mistake as soon as possible. Ms. Rowan’s talent for creating captivating characters in a well-developed and creative plot will leave you wanting more especially with such a creatively delicious and twisted ending to this chapter in the series.
Book Stats:
- Reading level: Ages 18 and up
- Mass Market Paperback: 304 pages
- Publisher: Berkley; Original edition (July 5, 2011)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0425242137
- ISBN-13: 978-0425242131
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Books in the Nightshade series in the order they should be read:
Nightshade
Bloodlust
Great review. It seems to me that the love triangle is getting too used in alot of books. If the plot needs it great but my goodness it gets me very weary. Now that has nothing to do with this book and I did put it on my TBR
list.
I have to agree. I absolutely loved this book! When I picked up the first, Nightshade, I could not put it down and waited anxiously for the second. I only hope that at some point in the future we’ll get another book from this world.