"Not your usual Vampire story"

Marriage in Moonlust by Kate Hill -- Historical

The Debrays have been good and kind rulers over the village for years, but they are also known vampires. For years, there had been unexplained deaths and illnesses in the village; the villagers have overlooked this since they feel that they are better off than other villages with cruel and greedy overlords.

Now that Lord Narcisse Debray is away, his younger brother Kornel is acting ruler and has been terrorizing and killing the villagers. Kornel has demanded that on the last eve of every month, human sacrifices to be made.

Leona awakens to the stench of animal droppings in a windowless stone room. The village has offered her as the required sacrifice to Kornel. Her family has poisoned her to lessen the horror of what she will have to endure at the hands of Kornel. As her tormentor closes in, Lord Narcisse arrives home just in time to save her. She's intrigued from the beginning when she sees his sapphire blue eyes and dark skin. As he carries her upstairs to a bedroom, he knows there is only one way he can save her.

Icarus by Sherri L. King -- Contemporary

Morrigan Mederos decided to get far away from the stress of her New York lifestyle as a popular poet and songwriter. Lately she's been having strange dreams that were starting to interfere with her life. She hoped to be able to relax once she's in her new home.

Her new house is located on the outskirts of the village of Meigle, the oldest village in Scotland. It is rumored that the village existed well before the time of Christ. She bought the house sight unseen but for the realtor's Polaroids. From the first time she saw the house, she fell in love with it.

Settled in her new home, Morrigan goes to sleep but soon after that she starts to have one of the dreams again. In her dream a breathtaking man comes to her. He kisses her and she tastes blood. Licking her lips he deepens the kiss and drinks her blood. Instead of being sickened she is aroused. When she awakens she begins to wonder if it really was a dream, especially since she has fang marks. As the nights pass, she continues to dream about him. She's afraid and wants to leave, but the man in her dreams seems to have other plans for her.

Both of these stories are about Vampires. These were enjoyable but not the usual Vampire stories -- the Vampires in these stories weren't cardboard figures but living beings with emotions. They weren't just your typical Vampires where they hate humans and just feed off of them. I enjoyed both stories and my only complaint (if I can call it that) is that the stories ended too soon.

Sexual Content: Hard R.

Reviewed by Emily Anne
Courtesy Sensual Romance
Posted November 22, 2002

Summary

Marriage in Moonlust by Kate Hill: Sacrificed to a family of vampires, Leona is rescued by handsome, powerful Narcisse Debray. In spite of her initial fear of blood drinkers, Leona is unable to control her attraction to the vampire lord. His lovemaking excites her beyond her wildest imaginings and he offers devotion such as she's never known. Unfortunately, their happiness is tainted by the wickedness of a jealous enemy. Narcisse's younger brother will stop at nothing to see the lovers destroyed.

Icarus by Sherri L. King: He comes to her in dreams, when she is most vulnerable to his stirring touches and burning kisses. He drinks her blood and binds her to him in ways no mortal lover ever could...but Morrigan doesn't want to believe that her water-dwelling blood drinker is anything more than a figment of her deprived imagination. Morrigan wants to be free of her addiction to the highly sexual creature she knows only as Az. But Az has other plans...and soon he hopes that Morrigan will be too deeply under his spell to care that he wants to take her back to his homeworld... to be his mate for all eternity.