4.5 Stars

The book started a little slow but DAYUM! once it got going it absolutely did! I really liked the characters: Kristair, the ancient vampire, emotionally coming alive just as he fears his body is being destroyed and Jake, the young, headstrong, football player who captures his eye and his heart.

Well written with a unique view of vampire lore. ( )

Each paranormal world has its own rules, and the one Marguerite Labbe has created for the ‘Triquetra’ series is sweeping, inventive, unusual, and fascinating. It took me a while to get into the characters and the story, maybe because it was subtly different from the “usual” vampire lore. While not everything is revealed in this first installment, it became clear to me that the history and back story are extensive and that I am likely to discover many more unique details as the series develops. But even in this first book, once I began to “get” what was going on, I already loved all the quirky details.

Kristair is an ancient vampire who is running out of time, threatened by deterioration, fading away, and mysterious voices he thinks he hears. More about this condition is revealed as the story develops, but I don’t want to say too much so I don’t spoil the surprise. Even though Kristair is arrogant and somewhat removed from reality as we know it, I couldn't help but feel for him. And, in the end, he is many centuries old and probably has seen it all, so a bit of superiority is entirely understandable.

Jacob, the man he picks to help him and instead falls in love with, is just the right man for Kristair, even if Kristair has occasional doubts. Jacob may be a young hothead, but he is fiercely loyal and will do anything to try to save Kristair. He is not a puppet to be manipulated by Kristair, but has his own ideas about how he can and should help Kristair. He is stubborn enough to make a few mistakes, just because he does not always listen, but his resilience and ability to think on his feet also become important in unexpected ways.

Needless to say, Marguerite doesn't present the solution to some of the vexing mysteries at the end of this first volume. Instead, I was presented with a breathtaking cliff-hanger. Despite all this, I look forward to "suffering" with the characters for the next two volumes.

If you like paranormal worlds with intricate rules and mysteries to be discovered as you read, if you want to find out more about two stubborn men who each think they know best and are fiercely protective of each other, and if you’re looking for a read that will carry you into an entirely unreal and somewhat scary world, then you will probably like this novel. ( )

Kristair is a very ancient vampire who needs to find a human vessel to survive, and since he lives in the United States, who is the perfect candidate? Who is young, strong and handsome more than a college football player? Jacob is the chosen one and from the meeting of an ancient warrior with a modern one, the result is a very balanced couple: where Kris is brooding and too much serious, Jake has all the energy and joy of life of a young college student whose primary purpose is to be a number one athlete and secondary to enjoy as much as possible the frat life.

When Kris picks Jake among the crowd, he decides to give to the young man a bit of space and a slowly but effective courtship starts, with Kris letting Jake know that he is there, ready for him when Jake will decide it’s time, and Jake who enjoys a little bit of teasing of the older man. Yes, even if Kris appears to be the same age or just a little older than Jake, it’s clear that he has a very much older soul, and Jake plays a bit the role of the twink with a sugar daddy; he likes to be wooed, to be cherished like a treasure, and he likes to tease Kris. But when in the end, Jake will welcome Kris in his bed, and body (and not only in the sexual meaning of the word), Jake will reveal a strong core, that is not easily commanded, not even by a powerful and ancient vampire; in bed, between them, it’s not easy to understand who is the Dominant and who is the submissive.

The mood of the story is really dark and gothic, a mood that I would dare to compare to the Anne Rice’s Vampire tales; Kris has a lot weighting on his shoulders, above all knowledge, dangerous knowledge that he has no way to share if not finding his true mate. The bond between Kris and Jake will allow the first to lighten his burden, but nevertheless the story will not loose its darken mood. Even when having sex, even considering Jake’s young age and his previous almost coquettish behaviour, there is always the feeling that something tragic will happen, that these two lovers will not have an easy life together… enough to say that in the end, I’m happy to know that this is only the first book in a series of three with the same characters.

Even if the story is set in Pittsburgh, there is a strange feeling, like a hot and bothered atmosphere, the same thing you experience during hot summer nights. The darkness I told before is not a cold one, as I said it’s like during a summer night, and probably this is due to the two main characters, way different from the usual lean and emaciated vampires: nor Kris or Jake are like that, they are more like football players, hunky and hot, tattoed and strong. So strong is their presence that they affect all the story, spreading their hotness around. And maybe it helps also Jake’s Southern origin, like the author describes him “drawl and quick temper, filled with boldness, strutting around like the cock of the morning”.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/1935192701/?tag=elimyrevandra-20