Book Reviews

Book Blurb

With a new species of vampire stalking the streets, the stakes are high. But that’s not the only reason hearts are on the line.

 

Danny Reynolds thought Kieran McCade was the one—true love and hot lust forever—until Danny found out Kier’s bloody secret and ran away screaming. Months later, Danny is facing his own paranormal crisis, and he needs Kieran’s help, but are there enough ways to apologize for breaking a vampire’s heart?

 

Nothing about Danny’s transformation is normal—not the attack that led to it, and not the symptoms Danny’s plagued with—but being in close proximity to Kieran is even worse than becoming a thing that goes bump in the night. Danny and Kieran aren’t the only things threatening to bump each other off, though. Secret organizations and clashing vigilante agendas want to get their hands on Danny. His only hope is to find a fix for his problem before he’s either captured or his abnormal transition starves him to death.

 

Danny and Kieran might have a real chance to repair their broken romance… but only if they keep Danny alive!

 

Book Review

Vampires are fascinating creatures to me, so the blurb for this book had me at “a new species of vampire” – after all, what could be more fun than exploring a new take on an ancient legend? Vampires are known in this contemporary world, but the main character, Danny, turns against his will only to then discover he is not at all what he expected. As it turns out, Rayna Vause has come up with a pretty unique concept, looking at vampirism as if it were a disease. It’s an absolutely fascinating look at vampires from a "medical" perspective. Danny goes through a partial transformation only, which is unheard of. The doctor who examines him first discovers something odd about the blood of his attacker, which seems to have caused the abnormal situation. The mystery around what is going on, Danny's struggles with his new nature and health issues, as well as his complicated relationship with Kier combine into a great tale.

Danny had my sympathy from the start – he never asked to be a vampire and struggles to accept his new status. To say that Danny doesn't like vampires is probably an understatement, but nobody in this world does. The one man Danny knows could help him is his previous boyfriend, Kier – the one Danny ran away from, screaming, when he found out he was "one of them". Now Kier is the only one who might be able to help him, but there are complications. Danny's symptoms are not what anyone expects when someone is turned, and he hates not even knowing what exactly he has turned into.

Kier is still hung up on Danny six months after Danny walked away, and since the only reason is that Kier is a vampire, this is even more difficult to accept for Kier. It’s not like he can do anything about what he is! It made me feel sorry for him, and I was rooting for them to get back together since they clearly still love each other. Granted, Kier is more honest about his feelings than Danny, who is trying really hard to forget, but the truth is that, deep down, both still want each other. Kier turns out to be a great guy who helps Danny figure out what is wrong with him despite everything, and that made me like him even more.

The fact that Danny and Kier have history makes this is an interesting variation on a romance. Their first attempt at a relationship may not have ended well, but there are more loose (emotional) ends than expected. Now Danny suddenly depends on Kier's help, has to change his perspective about the world and his place in it, and this opens the door to them having another go at a relationship. Kier is clearly still in love with Danny and Danny still has feelings for Kier (much-denied though they are), so their increasing emotions come with all sorts of drawbacks. The whole situation is very believable, and I really wanted them to figure it out!

If you like complex characters with complicated relationships, if you think you might enjoy a different take on vampires, and if you’re looking for an entertaining story with a large helping of mystery, then you will probably like this novel as much as I do. Recommended to lovers of vampires and things that go bump in the night who want more than “blood and gore”.

 

 

 

 

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, 200 pages/65126 words
Heat Level
Publication Date	17-July-2018
Price	$6.99 ebook, $14.99 paperback, $14.99 bundle
Buy Link	https://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/books/twice-bitten-by-rayna-vause-9731-b