I could not get into this book. I wanted to love it. I love all of the other Michele Hauf books I have had the pleasure of reading but this one I just couldn't get into. I read about 3/4s of the way and just stopped having no desire to finish. I think the story is pretty neat, like the idea and the way she told it. I love the cover as well, it is gorgeous, like all her others. As I said, I wanted to love it, but this one wasn't for me. Give it a try for yourself though, it is a very interesting and fresh concept. Check out these other reviews too:

The Romanorum
Paranormal Haven
Night Owl Romance
My Need to Read ( )

Think Snow White meets vampires, werewolves, and France. Three of my favorite things and one of my favorite fairy tales growing up (I went through 3 copies of the Disney movie). Our fair princess is played by the blood born vampiress, Viviane LaMourette. Now blood born vampires are rare, and females even more so. So enter the evil queen (errr king in this case), Constantine de Salignac, the local vampire tribe leader who will have Viviane or else no one will! Prince Charming is played by quite an unusual character, a half werewolf half vampire named Rhys Hawkes, who just happens to be half-brother to Constantine. Now remove the 7 dwarfs, unless I totally missed something, and we have our main characters.

The story itself takes us back and forth between present time and the time of Marie Antoinette's court in France. We first meet Viviane on her way to visit her patron in France where she meets Rhys for the first time and Constantine presses her to become his. Fearing for her independence should she choose to be with Constantine, Viviane tries to delay giving him a decision and ends up falling for Rhys. When Constantine finds out, saying he is mad would be the understatement of the century. He sets out for revenge.

In the present time, Rhys hears a myth of a "Vampire Snow White" in the sewers of France. The timing and description of the fair vampire maiden reminds him of Viviane, thought lost to him for all this time. He immediately takes off to France to try and find her (Prince Charming to the rescue).

The story's jump between time periods was well written. There was never any confusion when you started a section as to which time you were in now. There was a lot of action, but it never got too overwhelming or confusing with too much going on all at once. This was a great read.

4/5 ( )

Hauf takes us between the eighteenth century to present day in this book. Rhys Hawkes is half vampire and half werewolf. He falls in love with a bloodborn vampire named Viviane LaMourette who has lost her patron Henrie Chevalier who was murdered. Viviane has to now find a new patron (because at that time it was believed that bloodborn vampiress must feed from a familiar bloodborn source to maintain their life essence) but she doesn't want to lose the freedom she had with Henri. Enter Rhys' half brother Constantine de Salignac, leader of the tribe Nava, who has been looking for a bloodborn vampire to sire his children. Viviane knows that if she accepts his proposal that she will just become part of his harem. Constantine and Rhys have had bad blood ever since he let Rhys' first love Emeline die. And so ensues the fight for Viviane's love. Eventually she chooses to be with Rhys even knowing that if they were to ever have children the first born must be handed over to a faery to pay Rhys' boon. This infuriates Constantine so he sets it up to have Viviane's house on fire with her in it.

Rhys in present day is the founder of Hawkes Associates which is a bank for the paranormal nations. They store treasures, house volatile objects of a magical nature and offer them a safe and lasting place to keep and exchange, for new currency, their money and valuables as they pass through the centuries. He has mourned the loss of Viviane for over 200 years but now has learned that she might still be alive. After overhearing an urban legend about the Vampire Snow White he figures out that she might have been spelled by a witch and placed in a glass coffin by Constantine instead of dying in the fire. Rhys hires a cat shifter to take him through the tunnels under Paris to look for his beloved.

Hauf has weaved a great story here! I was able to follow the transitions between past and present with no problem. This is a dark paranormal romance and it kept me turning the pages wanting to know more. The epilogue will definitely leave you hanging!! In this book you will find tons of fun characters from faeries, witches, vampires, werewolves and cat shifters! This book I would recommend to readers who love both the paranormal and historical books. ( )

Readers of paranormal/urban fantasy, romance or historical fiction will enjoy this new Snow White.

A retelling of the Snow White story with a vampire twist, "Seducing the Vampire" is a worthwhile first entry in a new series by Michele Hauf. The story opens outside of Paris just before the French Revolution with the vampiress Viviane's coach being attached by a wolf. With her driver dead, she is forced to put the wolf down herself, only to later discover that the wolf was a ware. She continues to her patron's (the male vampire a female vampire drinks from to remain alive) home in Paris. Her patron provides her shelter and the blood she needs while supporting a marriage proposal to her from the local tribe (vampire group) leader, Constantine. Viviane resists Constantine's advances even after her patron is killed and she is left without a patron (and source of life) because she knows that Constantine wants to possess her because she is a rare bloodborn vampiress who is likely to provide him blood-born sons. But, Rhys (a half werewolf and half vampire) sees Viviane and falls for her; at first for shallow and selfish reasons but his love blossoms with repeated encounters with her. The story reveals Vivane's struggle for the freedom to follow her heart, Rhys struggles with his dual nature and his feelings for Viviane and Constantine struggles to possess Viviane mind and body, if not soul. Of course, tragedy strikes and Rhys thinks Viviane lost to him forever.

The story also alternates to present day and Rhys hearing the urban legend of the vampire Snow White hidden in the labyrinth of tunnels beneath Paris and making the connection with some of the details of his life over 200 years ago with Viviane. Could she be the vampire Snow White? If she is, could she still be alive? If so, can her mind still be entact? Rhys spares no expense to answer these questions. Happily-ever-after is certainly not likely...

Overall, this book is an enjoyable read and an interesting spin on the Snow White tale. Readers of historical fiction with an interest in a paranormal twist would definitely find this a joy to read. The only thing that rankled me was the concept that female vampires need to drink from a male to live which servery subjugated them. Of course, this subjugation is not an alien concept for stories set in this time period, but as a reader of urban fantasy I am used to female heroines being liberated to a lethal degree. Sill, Viviane fights for her freedom and is a strong character who must deal with unpleasant circumstances.

It was an interesting read and I couldn't wait to find out what happens in the end. I liked the idea of "half-breeds" and of a paranormal council (which I hope to learn more about) . I am looking forward to reading the next book. ( )