Book Reviews

Book Blurb

What lurks in the dark is not always a monster. Sometimes it’s your deepest desire.

A thousand years ago, Alex captained an alien ship that crashed on Earth. Stranded, he has tried to keep his men together while forging a new life. He’s locked into a never-ending war with mutinous crewmembers that makes unsuspecting humans collateral damage. That humans mistake them as vampires is all to the good. Humans are still not ready to learn that aliens live among them. Alex has finally found some peace running a private club, but the memories of a human—loved and lost—keeps him alone.

 

Quinn Cooper was kicked out of his family when he came out as gay. Having traveled to Boston, he takes a job in Alex’s club. His boss and the men around him are large, scary and hard to ignore—as is his instant attraction to Alex. Becoming involved with the boss is always tricky. There’s something about Alex, however, that’s too sexy and compelling to ignore.

 

Knowing that seducing the vulnerable and virginal Quinn is a bad idea, Alex tries to keep his distance. He’s also trying to protect the boy and everyone else when the traitorous crew once more stirs up trouble. Alex’s and Quinn’s growing attraction leads Quinn closer to the frightening truth of whose bed he shares, while putting him in unfathomable harm’s way. Alex has to find a path forward to end the alien war for good or risk losing another love.

 

 

 

Reader advisory: This book contains scenes of non-consensual sex and torture.

Book Review

Now here’s an interesting concept – aliens who landed on Earth almost a thousand years ago, with no place to go, and ending up having to settle on a planet that is far more primitive than their stage of technology. But that is not the thing that fascinated me most – the aliens are exactly like vampires, except for the hint of living in a hive and an absent queen. They have the strength and speed of vampires, their arrogance (at least most of them), the ability to command humans, they have an extremely long lifespan, and they can and do live on blood of various kinds. Add the fact that the crew is split into those who believe they should blend in and treat humans like the sentient beings they are on the one hand, and those who believe it is their “right” to treat humans like food on the other, and you have a premade conflict that promises an interesting story.

Alex is the captain of the crashed spaceship and the leader of the “respect humans” part of the crew. He laid down the law that caused the rift in his crew, and now runs a private gay club that, much to my amusement, is decorated exactly like a vampire lair. Alex has already lost a human lover in the last major altercation between him and the “humans are food” part of the crew and he doesn’t want another huge fight. After being accused of a murder he did not commit and knowing someone in the other faction is guilty of, Alex has no choice but to deal with matters – both the problem within the group of evil aliens and his growing attraction to Quinn.

Quinn has been kicked out of his home because he is gay, has no money, and is close to starving when he applies for a job as a dancer in Alex’s club. He has no idea what he is in for – on more than one level – but the attraction he feels toward Alex cannot be denied. Quinn’s most urgent needs are regular meals, a roof over his head, and a safe job that doesn’t require selling his body. But once he has those covered, he begins to open his eyes and look at what is going around him and it turns out that he is anything but stupid. No matter how scared he is – and who wouldn’t be with superpowered aliens suddenly coming out of the woodwork – Quinn stands up for himself, supports Alex, and fights the evil villain as best he can.

The main thread through this story is the murder that turns into a series of killings, Alex’s attempt to find and kill the guilty man since he is sure the human detectives involved will not be able to, and the quickly emerging struggles for superiority among the two alien factions. Just as important as the battles and the whodunit is Quinn and Alex’s emerging relationship. Neither man gives in easily due to the boss/employee relationship for Quinn and the fear of retribution if his enemies find out how important Quinn is to him for Alex. But the fact that they are meant to be together is pretty clear from the beginning. The mix of both threads makes for a suspenseful yet entertaining story. A word of warning: these are brutal, vampire-like aliens so there is quite a bit of violence, all of it in line with the theme, but still.

There is also a whole set of secondary characters who deserve mention. From Alex’s friends and supporters to the evil villain, from the humans living and working in the club to the detectives and federal agents trying to solve the series of increasingly gruesome murders, they all have their own personalities and agendas. They made the story come alive and, from the look of things, will be around for the sequel that will hopefully give one or more of them their own story. Then there is the whole plotline that involves the aliens breeding with humans and, although this is not mentioned, the potential for someone from their homeplanet to come looking for them at some point. More than enough to keep this series going, I hope.

If you like intriguing aliens who mix with humans creating dangerous consequences, if you want to find out how a young human falls for an ancient alien captain of a crashed spaceship, and if you’re looking for a read that blends murder mystery, alien politics, and a scorching interspecies romance, then you will probably like this novel. I, for one, am looking forward to reading the sequel.

 

 

 

 

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

Additional Information

Format	ebook and print
Length	Novel, 209 pages/79777 words
Heat Level
Publication Date	13-February-2018
Price	$4.99 ebook, $11.99 paperback
Buy Link	https://www.pride-publishing.com/book/blood-dance