It’s almost Christmas, but that’s not why Angelina (Angel) Truheart has come to the elegant emporium known as “A Christmas Night.” Someone has kidnapped her beloved little sister, Abby, threatening to kill her if Angel, an accomplished thief, does not steal the formula for a very special Christmas tree ornament from the proprietor, Dante Von Wolfe.

Angel and her sister have not celebrated Christmas since the year their parents were murdered by a car bomb arranged by Angel’s then-boyfriend. Shattered by both the loss and the betrayal, Angel has sworn off both the holiday and the company of men. It’s easier that way. It’s been years since she let a man into her heart, but Dante is not just any man; in fact, Dante is not a man at all.

This is part two of a story in three parts, but Dupree has done a nice job of making it a stand-alone. The mythos she’s created around the elixir is lovely, and the idea that Dante designs his ornaments with a little bit of magic in them to make people happy is a nice idea as well. There’s a prophecy connected to the elixir, something about the birth of a vampire queen, and it’s not hard to figure that the revelation of who that vampire queen might be will take up the third act of the story.

Dupree’s plotting is not exactly subtle—it’s all too easy to figure out who might be behind Abby’s kidnapping - but she handles the sensual content of the story very well without resorting to some of the cruder terms some writers use. This is adult content done with intelligence and style.

Angel tends to be a little too distracted and unfocused when it comes to stealing the formula. There’s a ticking clock that she virtually ignores, and then the kidnappers give her more time to get what they need. Later, one of the kidnappers tells Angel he’s going with her to the store and that begs the question why, exactly, they needed Angel in the first place.

Overall, the characters are a little over the top with their names and a bit overwrought in their desire for each other, but the telepathic link that develops between Angel and her lover is a nice twist to their relationship, as is Dante’s preternatural warmth. Angel is always so cold, you see, and so Dante’s warmth is something that makes her feel cherished and nurtured.

Mrs. Delight, Dante’s human companion, has a fair amount of potential that could have been developed—and might still be developed in the next installment. She has to be jealous of Dante’s choice of Angel and we do see a flash of…something… n her eyes, but that’s it.

There’s a larger story unfolding here, and Dupree has definitely made us want to know what happens next.

Book Stats:

e-book, digital format
Publisher: Resplendance Publishing
Book Length: Novella
Language: English
ISBN: 77-201-107-403-3

To purchase an electronic copy of Winter’s Blood click here.

Books in the The Hunt for the Elixir series in the order they should be read:

Blood Quest
Winter’s Blood
Blood Red Rose

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