In the prologue, we are introduced to the Vampire Conrad. Many questions surround this mysterious man. The most pressing for me being why does he speak French all the time if he’s Italian? However, I digress. When we meet Conrad in 1969, he is rushing to the side of a dying female called Suzanne (AKA Desert Rose) who requests that he take care of her vampire twin babies. It seems that the babies were born Vampires, not made, which should mean an instant death sentence. Instantly I was hooked. A vampire as a foster Father? After reading a million and one twi-light-esque novels, this sounded exactly what I needed. Suddenly, the book shifts forward to “present day”. The twins are adults, and have become the gruff Mark and the bubbly Julie. They have been summoned to Conrad’s nest, for the first time, without an explanation. Upon arrival, it becomes very clear that all is not well in the nest. Damien, the vampire that Conrad trusted to help raise the twins, is running the show because Conrad has disappeared. The twins are sworn to secrecy, as the discovery that the head of the nest has gone would lead to trouble, but tasked with finding the whereabouts of their errant father. The twins have no idea about the Vampire world, having been raised in isolation for fear of their discovery, and the new scenes and sensations are exciting and over-whelming. Can they attempt to stay on track long enough to find Conrad? For that matter, how the heck did Conrad end up raising children? Don’t worry, all will be revealed!

I really did enjoy this book. The main story is not the hunt for Conrad; it is the twin’s arrival into their new and decadent world. The chapters alternate between present day and 1968/69 to explain the events that lead up to their birth alongside the events that they experience in vampire society. This could seem choppy and disjointed (if you’ve read time travellers wife, you would understand what I meant here), but the writing flows quite well due to the use of the past events to explain the present. It is really very well structured. It seems that Conrad fell for the twin’s mother and, after her death, ended up raising her children the best way he knew how; as humans with vampire urges. The twins had been taught a respect for human life and a discretion that the majority of their brethren in this novel seem to lack. He wanted them to be good, so he never introduced them to the nest. Julie and Mark react in very different ways to their new surroundings and I’m very interested to see how this tale continues; I feel that Mark may become a bit more comfortable with the Vampire lifestyle than his sister! Their relationship with Damien is car crash TV at its best, but he only has himself to blame. He has brought them up as a parent would, giving their opinions and objections the respect that they deserve. Watching him then try to act like their Sire was only going to end in tears for all involved.

I was warned before beginning this book, that I would become obsessed with Conrad. I can’t say that I did. Although I enjoyed his character, I could never feature him in my book boyfriend list. In the 1968/69 flash backs he is entertaining. His reaction to Suzanne (AKA desert Rose AKA the Vampire twins mom) is completely alien to him. He has cared for others, but her innocence and carefree attitude seem to call to him in a way that makes him fall inexplicably in love with her. I did question his feelings, I questioned that he could play around, and freely admit that he preferred male lovers to female, and be committed to her forever. I wondered if she had lived, whether it would all eventually fizzle out. It all became a null point when she was killed! I think he enjoyed that she didn’t know he was a head vampire and treated him like an ordinary man. However, the fact that she didn’t realise what was going on, even after he fed from her repeatedly, made me question her intelligence level. Then I remembered she had decided to call herself Desert Rose and stopped questioning. Although her character annoyed me, I loved her commitment to her children. Even before they were born, she was willing to sacrifice anything and everything for them and that alone made me adore her. The fact that Conrad took them in is a whole different tale, but the vampire that he became after he did, seems like a shell of his former self. We don’t see very much of him, but what is mentioned is very bleak, almost as if he had withdrawn from society to become a completely different person. Of course, everyone has to grow up when they have children, so maybe he isn’t boring and depressed, just responsible.

The love story, alongside the vampire coming of age story, makes this a very engaging story. The characters are very three dimensional, although I feel that we have only just began to surface of them. The side characters are fab; I especially liked Armand, but I feel he could have been a very bad man at points. This is an immensely interesting and unique look at the Vampire myth, which I honestly could not tear myself away from. Even if you don’t win, I suggest you read it. It’s seriously fab!
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