Vampire's Seduction

Vampire's Seduction
Raven Hart
Del Rey
408 pgs















Amazon Blurb -

Suspenseful without being horrific and sexy without being romantic, this debut from Hart (a pseudonym for the writing team of Virginia Ellis and Susan Goggins) adds nothing to the growing pile of vampire fiction except the promise of more to come. Vampire William Cuyler Thorne is a 500-year-old socialite living in contemporary Savannah, Ga. Passing himself off as a new family scion each generation since the Revolutionary War, William has acquired substantial wealth, social stature and a co-conspirator in Eleanor, a high-class madam who supplies women to satiate his bloodlust. Despite his savagery and anger issues, William isn't such a bad guy: his victims are all willing, he sponsors charity events, and he's even got a good-ol'-boy buddy, Jack McShane, a former Confederate soldier whom William turned into a bloodsucker. Life is good for the trio until the sadistic Reedrek, William's vampiric sire, shows up to make William pay for centuries of defiance. Luckily, William has his friends and voodoo princess Melaphia on his side—but can he retain their loyalty when the powerful Reedrek seeks to turn their allegiance? 
*****

William Cuyler Thorne is a vamp living in Savannah Ga.  He's been there for over 200 years and is considered the upper echelon of society, holding his swanky fundraisers in his historic home with Savannah's other social uppers.  He's quiet, not a bad vamp, keeps to himself, only has one "child", Jack, who he made on the the bloodied Civil war ground as Jack lay dying.  His helpers are Melaphia a voodoo princess who's mother, great- grandmother and great-great- grandmother stood at William's side as well as twin brother and sister Deylaud and Reyah, who are human by night and Egyptian guard dogs by day, and his girlfriend Eleanor a madam for high-end prostitutes.

Trouble has never come to him till now, his maker Reedrek is in Savannah to wreak havoc on William and his friends in his quest to become even more powerful and just for his plain hate of William.  The problem is will all his friends stand by him to defeat Reedrek or will he be left to flounder on his own?

This was an ok story.  I liked Jack a lot more than William.  Somewhat on the tame side, I felt it didn't have quite enough tooth-pardon the pun.  William was a bit stuffy except while with Eleanor, whereas Jack was just too funny, what a great character he was.  I wish William let his hair down a bit more in the book, he has potential.  This is the first in the series so maybe the others get better.  I have #2 which I will read since it's in my tbr, but if it doesn't pick up, ciao ciao bambino.

A funny quote between Jack and William has William telling Jack he'll have to host the big soiree at the mansion and wear the special jacket that's whammied with voodoo magic -

"You expect me to go around Savannah looking like a fugitive from the gay pride parade?  No way is that happening - or in vampire speak, not on your immortal life!"

3 cannolis