Book Reviews

Book Blurb

The second Frankie Reynold’s boyfriend takes a hand to him, he is out of there. Frankie isn’t hanging around to see if the man will do it again. Now, if only his ex-boyfriend will take the hint and disappear from his life. Needing a night out to forget his troubles, Frankie heads to Hot Encounters nightclub...only to come face-to-face with a master vampire who wants Frankie for his very own.

Merrick Winters is a five-hundred-year-old vampire bored with life and the monotony of the same men throwing themselves at him day after day. He needs a challenge, and the sexy little man dancing in his club turns out to be just that.

The mate-bond makes the strong attraction between Frankie and Merrick inevitable, but will outside forces tear them apart before they can really get started in a relationship?

NOTE: This story was previously released with Silver Publishing in may 2012. This reissued version of the story has been revised and reedited.

 

Book Review

Relatively short, fun, and very hot, this is the story of 500-year-old vampire coven leader Merrick who finally finds his mate. Only – Frankie hasn’t had a single successful relationship in his life and isn’t willing to risk being kicked aside or abused again. I enjoyed their banter, watching Merrick fight for every inch of ground between them as they look for a way to live together. While the topic of ‘fated mates’ is definitely prominent in this story, Toni Griffin lets her main characters struggle, fight, and battle it out before they finally manage to find their way. Not that this means Frankie falls totally under Merrick’s spell by any means, and that was part of the fun for me in this short novella.

Frankie is an architect, knows what he wants (not another abusive relationship, or being cheated), and has just decided never to have another man dictate what he does with his life when he runs into Merrick. The physical attraction is almost overwhelming and I admired Frankie for even trying to resist. I was as torn as he was: I wanted him to be able to be in control of his life, and yet, I also wanted him to be able to give in. My trust in Merrick not being an idiot, however, was higher than Frankie’s, so I didn’t ‘blame’ Frankie – well, not much. Who wouldn’t want a dedicated lover like Merrick?

Merrick could have easily been a domineering macho who bulldozes his way into Frankie’s life and dictates what his human lover does or doesn’t do for the rest of his life. It was interesting to see him be all strong and macho on one hand, on the other, never losing sight of what Frankie needed and wanted. It is a difficult balance to create, but I found Merrick to be one of the most successfully drawn characters in the group of ‘overpowering paranormal heroes’. It makes him likeable and drool-worthy at the same time. A winning combination just as much as Frankie’s courage to stand up for himself and what he wanted.

If you like your vampire stories with all the traditional ingredients (lust, hot sex, and strong wills clashing), but you don’t want a story filled with too many clichés, give this one a try. I thought it was cute and just different enough to be really enjoyable.

 

 

 

 

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

Additional Information

Format	ebook
Length	Novella, 105 pages/26000 words
Heat Level
Publication Date	04-January-2015
Price	$6.00 ebook
Buy Link	http://www.amberquill.com/store/p/2103-Frankie-s-Vamp.aspx