As book 1 in the Bonded by Blood series, the book starts with a punch and I love the world building.
Broderick MacDougal became a vampire, a vamsyrian as they’re called in the book, thirty years ago to avenge the death of his brothers and their families from a rival clansman, Angus Campbell.
Davina Stewart-Russell is married to Ian, a horribly abusive man. She’s strong-willed, determined to survive, and she seeks her family for help. When her father refuses to end the marriage, she attempts to take her own life but decides against it at the last moment. Then she's attacked and ‘saved’ by Angus.
A year later, Ian is believed long-dead in battle and Davina is free from his torment, other than in her nightmares. She meets Broderick, whom she met years before as a child and has fantasized about ever since, but their relationship is rocky.
This is when I started to lose interest in the story. Broderick only cared about bedding Davina and learning about her connection to Angus. Davina refused to tell him about her dead husband, the abuse, her child from the marriage, or anything about herself because she’s terrified of men. I understand her timidity but she took it too far. Then again, all Broderick did was to try to seduce her so I understand why she didn't trust him. He and Davina argued for a good chunk of the book and I don’t see how they fell in love with their lack of communication. Once they finally started to talk and trust one another, around 70% or so percent of the book, the storyline started to pick up and I enjoyed it more.
I loved the side characters. Rosselyn, Nicabar and Amice were great. I felt sorry for Veronique and I hated Ian and Angus.
There were a few loose ends in the story and unanswered questions, but hopefully they’ll be answered in future installments. The book ends with a HFN, a happy for now, since he’s a vampire and she’s still a human and they have a prophecy to fulfill.
I’ve heard a lot of good things about this series and I’m anxious to read the other books, but the poor communication between the H/h in book 1 frustrated me. I just hope Broderick and Davina, and Davina in her new incarnations, will be more open and respectful of each other in the future books.
3 Stars


Disclaimer – I downloaded a copy of this book free from Amazon. I am not paid or compensated in any way, shape or form for this review. I will not change or alter this review for any reason unless at my discretion. ( )

Finished Reading August 27, 2013

PNR
2.75 Stars
Well, it took some doing and a bit or rereading the beginning of this, but finally I remember enough to leave a short review.

While it is an interesting plot & has my 'always needed' adult sex scenes, it is also confusing.
I remember there being scenes that left me scratching my head and not understanding what had happened.

Prch Amz August 26, 2013 ( )

I enjoyed reading this book. It started slow but once I got in to it I couldn't put it down. You kept wondering what Angus & Ian were going to do and if Davina who be able to accept Broderick for what he was. I just couldn't stop reading. Looking forward to the next book. ( )

Broderick ensnares a young Davina with silken words and dreams of a harsh life ahead. But years later, the young woman, still holding on to the dream of her gypsy lover, now widowed, comes to find that Broderick has returned but with a curse that also haunts him and follows closely in his wake. A curse that could very well hurt or even kill the woman he has grown to love. ( )

Goodread's Description:
Masked in a Gypsy guise, Broderick MacDougal hides his vampiric identity while seeking to destroy the man who slaughtered his family. When an old Clan rival ensnares Broderick in a trap using an enticing widow, he is compelled to discover if she is bait or an accomplice, and the cinnamon-haired beauty is his next conquest.

Widow of an abusive husband, Davina Stewart-Russell clings to the only image that gave her strength during those dark times--the Gypsy rogue who stole her heart as a youth. After nine years, she is finally face-to-face with him again, but reality clashes with fantasy as she is confronted with Broderick's passionate pursuit.

When Davina's past returns to haunt her, Broderick is forced to reveal a dark secret worse than anything Davina thought possible. The challenge before them has fatal risks and neither of them is prepared for the sacrifices expected for the sake of eternal love.

Reader Advisory: This story contains explicit love scenes, described using graphic and direct language. This story also contains explicit, nail-biting scenes of violence and domestic abuse. (Don't worry...the bad guys get it in the end!)

Opinions:
Midnight Conquest begins with how Broderick becomes a vampire. The reader is given a brief glimpse on why he consented to this path and who were involved. We also meet Davina as a young girl. When the gypsies come to town, she has her fortune read by Broderick. Although her future was not predicted to be a happy one, she becomes infatuated with the gypsy, and this gets her through the dark times ahead. Moving forward, Davina is older and in an abusive marriage. For those who are concerned about reading domestic violence (as I know some reader are), there really isn't much "live" action written. Rather, it is reflected upon – such as bruising. There is more of a psychological abuse in the beginning. (I will say, however, that there is violence in the book – especially at the end.) Eventually, her husband (and her father and brother) go to fight and die in battle. Within a year, they gypsies come through again, and this time Broderick is with them. Will Davina's young girlish fantasy break? Will she find out about his dark blood drinking secret? Will Broderick bring an old family feud to Davina's doorstep?

The story is written in third person mainly following Davina and Broderick. Davina, as mentioned above, has had an abusive marriage. Her trust in love is fragile, even after her husband's passing. She misses her brother and father, as well. No one seems to want to talk about them due to grief. Broderick had also lost his family but to a clan dispute. He now prepares and hunts the one man responsible for his family's death. On the other side of things, Broderick is straightforward with his intentions and seductions to Davina. Although he has the ability to read minds (especially while feeding), Davina's mind is harder to read – but not impossible. This was not explained why in the book. Perhaps it has to do with her trouble past and blocking things mentally? Broderick is an alpha male. There was an obvious attraction between the two, but I would have liked to see a little more development in the relationship beside sexual appeal. Besides looks/arousal and common deaths in the family, what else did they see in each other that would cement their relationship? This part was skimmed over, in my opinion. The husband was one-dimensional in the story, but the other "bad" guy turned out to be more dimensional. [I am vague due to spoilers.] I did like Amice, the old gypsy woman who also works as a fortune teller.

The story was interesting. I admit I was hesitant with the domestic violence, but I was fine as I read it. There were some twists along the way – two of which I did not see coming. The one secret revealed in the story seemed out of place, which made me wonder why it was put there. However, by the end of the book, I noticed the connection. The ending leaves off for another book to follow but does not stop in the middle of climax. Character histories are included throughout the book, but I would have liked to learn a little more about how the council (vampire, that is) works.

Overall, I liked the book. If you like vampires and paranormal historical fiction, then you might want to give this book a try. ( )