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A review by secretsofabooklover
Lord of the Vampires by Gena Showalter
4.0
See my full review here: Book Review: Lord of the Vampires
First, let me start out by saying that (*gasp!*) this is the first novel I have ever read by Gena Showalter. Go ahead. I'll wait while you pick your jaw up off the floor...
Better now? Okay.
This started out a little confusing for me. I was worried by a few pages in if I was even going to finish this book. But as I kept reading, the plot drew me in and there was no turning back. Let me explain.
Right off the bat, we're thrown into this story centering around Jane. She has a past that we don't know about but is hinted at. The very fist scene seems to interrupt her day and I kind of felt like a neighbor who happened to be walking by, saw Jane in the window and decided to keep watching. It felt clipped and I didn't understand what was going on or the point.
As I pushed through the first chapter, it started reading like a novel within a novel. Eventually I became so engrossed in what she was reading that I had to keep going. Then, of course, Nicolai enters the plot and I was done for!
Jane was a very "vanilla" character in the beginning. She could have been any one of us. She wasn't the drop dead gorgeous heroine, she was a real woman with real problems and no extraordinary attributes. By the end of the book, we come to see the real Jane that lies beneath the vanilla surface. She's strong, stubborn, defiant, passionate, loyal and she fights for her man. She's not easily won over, even by Nicolai, but once she give her heart, she's in it for good. I really came to admire her as a woman by the end of this book.
Nicolai was an interesting character. While I was sold on him as soon as he entered the story, he took some getting used to. His memory loss made it difficult to get to know his character, but it starts to come back in bits and pieces. The time-traveling threw me for a loop the first few times and I had a hard time trying to follow along. Once I figured out what was going on, it made more sense, but it also added a bit of frustration to the plot (which is probably a good thing).
I liked the relationship that builds between Jane and Nicolai. I'm always a fan of the alpha male and their possessive instincts when it comes to their women, and Nicolai is no exception. As soon as he lays eyes on Jane, he stakes his claim on her. "Mine" seemed to be his favorite word. Cavemanesque? Probably, but I don't care. Especially when he's willing to anyone kill for her. Even Vicodin, the killer of pain, who held her prisoner (When you read the book you will understand. It's a sweet moment, trust me. LOL!).
The storyline, as I said, was a bit hard to follow in some points. And sometimes it seemed like it was moving slow. Not in the "boring" sense (there was enough going on the keep my nose in the book and my ass on the edge of my seat), but in that there didn't seem like there were enough pages left to tie up all the loose ends. But alas, that's the benefit of a series. You can end a book and give a couple their HEA (or not!) but not be done with the story. So, where this all leads, we shall see in the next book, Lord of Rage.
First, let me start out by saying that (*gasp!*) this is the first novel I have ever read by Gena Showalter. Go ahead. I'll wait while you pick your jaw up off the floor...
Better now? Okay.
This started out a little confusing for me. I was worried by a few pages in if I was even going to finish this book. But as I kept reading, the plot drew me in and there was no turning back. Let me explain.
Right off the bat, we're thrown into this story centering around Jane. She has a past that we don't know about but is hinted at. The very fist scene seems to interrupt her day and I kind of felt like a neighbor who happened to be walking by, saw Jane in the window and decided to keep watching. It felt clipped and I didn't understand what was going on or the point.
As I pushed through the first chapter, it started reading like a novel within a novel. Eventually I became so engrossed in what she was reading that I had to keep going. Then, of course, Nicolai enters the plot and I was done for!
Jane was a very "vanilla" character in the beginning. She could have been any one of us. She wasn't the drop dead gorgeous heroine, she was a real woman with real problems and no extraordinary attributes. By the end of the book, we come to see the real Jane that lies beneath the vanilla surface. She's strong, stubborn, defiant, passionate, loyal and she fights for her man. She's not easily won over, even by Nicolai, but once she give her heart, she's in it for good. I really came to admire her as a woman by the end of this book.
Nicolai was an interesting character. While I was sold on him as soon as he entered the story, he took some getting used to. His memory loss made it difficult to get to know his character, but it starts to come back in bits and pieces. The time-traveling threw me for a loop the first few times and I had a hard time trying to follow along. Once I figured out what was going on, it made more sense, but it also added a bit of frustration to the plot (which is probably a good thing).
I liked the relationship that builds between Jane and Nicolai. I'm always a fan of the alpha male and their possessive instincts when it comes to their women, and Nicolai is no exception. As soon as he lays eyes on Jane, he stakes his claim on her. "Mine" seemed to be his favorite word. Cavemanesque? Probably, but I don't care. Especially when he's willing to anyone kill for her. Even Vicodin, the killer of pain, who held her prisoner (When you read the book you will understand. It's a sweet moment, trust me. LOL!).
The storyline, as I said, was a bit hard to follow in some points. And sometimes it seemed like it was moving slow. Not in the "boring" sense (there was enough going on the keep my nose in the book and my ass on the edge of my seat), but in that there didn't seem like there were enough pages left to tie up all the loose ends. But alas, that's the benefit of a series. You can end a book and give a couple their HEA (or not!) but not be done with the story. So, where this all leads, we shall see in the next book, Lord of Rage.