Blood & Spirits by Dennis Sharpe
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
What do you get when you mix a vampire madam, wicked spirits, and a zombie with a lust for power? Blood & Spirits.
Veronica, better known as V to those closest to her, is a vampire, but not your ordinary vampire. This chick is tough as nails with a heart of gold for those she holds near and dear. Did I mention she runs a brothel?
The storyline is through V’s POV. It spins a tale of a woman who is meeting with her vampire maker after years of being apart from him. She’s dreading the reconnection but only because she has to reach out to him for help.
V’s a strong female character, who is self-reliant. Unfortunately, a series of events sends her life spinning out of control, and those she loves become endangered and for a few, worse things happen.
The vampire world doesn’t usually mix with the spirit world, but V befriends a spirit by the name of Lucy. This spirit eventually seeks V out to care for a younger spirit, Rachel, who V comes to adore and think of as her own child.
When unknown forces kidnap Rachel, V does everything in her power to find her, but ‘unquiet’ spirits refuse to make things easy. V must seek the help of those she would rather not count on, including a zombie who is not only perverse, but has a strange fetish with the local sewage drains.
Unfortunately, V cannot count on her own kind, as they seem to despise her. The vampire lineage basis for this story is pure bloods. Most vampires are family and they frown upon making another who is not family. The local vamp clan treats V like the plague and only tolerates her out of loyalty to her maker.
Luckily, V has a loyal staff that is not only her self-proclaimed family; they do whatever they can to help her through any crisis. She also meets another of her kind who isn’t like the local clan. In fact, sparks begin to fly.
Of course, nothing is ever what it seems. This new vampire has secrets of his own. Will his presence in town help or hinder V? Well, you’ll have to read the story to find out for yourself.
I can honestly say I enjoyed Blood & Spirits. Once I began reading this unique story, it became hard to put it down. Every free moment I found, my eyes were back on this book until I finished it. It is the first book in a series and I can’t wait to get my hands on the next one.
The romantic elements in this book do not go overboard. The author keeps it light. I’m all for the romance, so I hope the author will delve a little more in this direction with the next book.
If you enjoy vampire literature, be sure to check out Blood & Spirits.