BLOOD TIES BOOK ONE: THE TURNING

Author: Jennifer Armintrout ISBN: 077832298X 6/2006 PARANORMAL Publisher: MIRA

I'm no coward. I want to make that perfectly clear. But after my life turned into a horror movie, I take fear a lot more seriously now. I finally became Dr. Carrie Ames just eight months ago. Then I was attacked in the hospital morgue by a vampire. Just my luck. So now I'm a vampire, and it turns out I have a blood tie to the monster who sired me. The tie works like an invisible leash and I'm bound to him no matter what I do. And of course he's one of the most evil vampires on earth. With my sire hell-bent on turning me into a soulless killer and his sworn enemy set to exterminate me, things couldn't get much worse—except I'm attracted to them both. Drinking blood, living as an immortal demon and being a pawn between two warring vampire factions isn't exactly how I'd imagined my future. But as my father used to say, the only way to conquer fear is to face it. So that's what I'll do. Fangs bared.

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

Jennifer Armintrout's debut novel, BLOOD TIES BOOK ONE: THE TURNING, was definitely an interesting read. I never knew there was so much to learn about vampires!

Our heroine, Carrie Ames, is very realistic. She is human and not, loving and not, tolerant and not. She has all of these conflicting emotions that make her one of the most realistic heroines I have ever read about. Wanting to hate Cyrus and yet feeling drawn to the monster that has turned her—I felt her agony. She has no idea how strong the blood tie with Cyrus will be and does everything in her power to quench her yearning for him. The only man in this world who is capable of even beginning to help Carrie is Nathan Grant.

Nathan has been a vampire for a century, so he knows the ins and outs of what Carrie is going through. He tries his hardest to help her understand what is happening. Carrie is unwittingly helping him to deal with some of his painful memories of the past, as well. Nathan is tortured and angry, and yet he is sensitive, caring and giving all at the same time. He has been a rock for Carrie and he literally becomes her saving grace; she, in turn, does the same for him a time or two.

BLOOD TIES is a good book—a little on the gory side, at times— but good nonetheless. Jennifer Armintrout knows her stuff about vampires and her love for this genre shows through in her writing.

Kristal Gorman