Title: Kindred
Series: Kindred #1
Author: Nicola Claire
Published: May 2012
Tour: No
Format: Ebook provided by author for review
“You may not be aware, ma douce, but not all vampyre have a kindred, some will live out their existence without such beauty in their lives. I have waited five hundred years for you."
Vampires, shape shifters, ghouls and magic users abound in a world where the Norms, (those humans without paranormal abilities) are ignorant of the creatures of the night and the supernatural species that live alongside them.
Lucinda Monk is a bank teller by day and a vampire hunter by night, but she wasn’t always a part of this world. Thrown into a heady mix of powerful people and sensual beings, she’s had to find her way practically blindfolded in amongst the creatures of the night. But she’s a capable and realistic kind of girl. Her motto: never show fear. But, there's something different about Lucinda, something those creatures she hunts, want. In order to stay one step ahead of the enemy she has to let the enemy in. In all his compelling, seductive and delicious ways. Sleeping with the enemy has never meant so much before. But, can she trust him?
From the urban streets of the city, to the dark alleys and sinful bars that promise a wickedness a girl from the farm has never before been exposed to, Lucinda gets drawn irreversibly into the dark side of life. And if the Master of the City had his way, she would always be his. For eternity.
I have just one complaint about this book – the cover. It makes me think some romcom type fantasy will be inside. It doesn’t lend anything to the real story (which is awesome) within. With that said, every other single part of this book was terrific. When I go to cross post on the sites with ratings, its getting a 5 star review.
“Hunters have been preyed upon for centuries, my dear. It’s nothing new.”
In a world where vampires have power that is tangible, Lucinda (a name I love, btw) is a kickass vampire hunter in New Zealand. She’s got the kickass style, the attitude, the quick comebacks. And a Master Vampire in her corner, which she is only just realizing exactly what that means. She is tough and strong, both in body and mind. She is fighting for the greater good. With most characters their likeability factor with me can ebb and flow, but with Lucinda I was totally into her the entire way through.
The Master vampire in her corner is Michel, and yes, he’s hot and French. In the beginning he is very diplomatic to Luce, and I couldn’t quite figure out why. I mean here they were having meetings and speaking, and I couldn’t figure out why she wasn’t staking him. Sure, she had some buried attraction to him, and he is a level one master who’d probably clean the floor with her if she tried… but still. It wasn’t long before everything became clear. And Michel, well, he is all types of wonderful. I really loved his character. Again, the same with Luce, I never found a spot in this book when I wanted to say I didn’t like him.
And then there is something coming along to bring these two characters together in a way that will make them inseparable, and liable for eachother. I am not going to get too in depth on that because its not listed in the blurb. But it really is the main focus of the book. Nosferatu and Nosferatin. It was an amazing and unique twist, and its results were literally breathtaking when Michel and Luce would give in to their base needs. And good luck for us, it was often. The two of them together felt so right and magical, it was absolutely the biggest draw in the book for me, personally.
This book has a lot of action. I mean seriously, a lot. Some of it was chemistry, some was sexual heat, and a lot of it was good ol fashion battle action. A lot of things happened in these pages. There are several kidnappings, a friendship in danger, and a budding romance that is all consuming. I was excited through every page, no skimming or reading fast through this one. Every page had something new and exciting. Of course I adored the main characters, but the secondary characters that came and went, or stayed, were all fantastic and lively. The world Nicola Claire has created in Auckland, New Zealand is really wonderful. I definitely recommend this book, and I think you need to read it!! Looking on Goodreads, I can see this series is up to book eight, so I am very far behind. But I am definitely going to read every book in this series – its that good.
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