Unwrapping: Review of A BLOOD SEDUCTION: A Vamp City Novel by Pamela Palmer

I am a huge fan of Pamela Palmer's writing so when Avon sent me the ARC for the first novel in her new Vamp City Series, I was more than excited, I was ecstatic. Pamela's writing has always been amazing and her paranormal stories have always been filled with magic, larger than life heroes and passion, passion, passion.  I expected to find the same in this new series, so imagine my surprise when I read A BLOOD SEDUCTION by Pamela Palmer.

Blurb for A BLOOD SEDUCTION:

Vampires live only for lust and pleasure in the eternal twilight of Vamp City. But the city's magic is dying. The only person who can restore it? A beautiful woman from the mortal world ... one who knows nothing of the power she wields.

Quinn Lennox is searching for a missing friend when she stumbles into a dark otherworld that only she can see--and finds herself at the mercy of Arturo Mazza, a dangerously handsome vampire whose wicked kiss will save her, enslave her, bewitch her, and betray her. What Arturo can't do is forget about her--any more than Quinn can control her own feelings for him. Neither one can let desire get in the way of their mission--his to save his people, hers to save herself. But there is no escape from desire in a city built for seduction, where passion flows hot and blood-red. Welcome to Vamp City ...

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Quinn Lennox has always felt a little out of place so when her clothes and hair change color inexplicably and when she see Shimmers in Georgetown, she just pushes it from her mind. But when she begins to see another world overlaid on the real world, she begins to wonder if she's going mad. The last thing she expects is to find herself and her brother, Zack, pulled into this dangerous and dark netherworld called Washington, V.C. - V.C. for Vamp City. A copy of Washington, DC circa Civil War era that was magically created as a place where vampires can hunt, play, and exist without being hunted or condemned for their lifestyles. This dark nightmarish world exists alongside the real Washington, DC but the magic that holds it is beginning to fail. Bursts of sunlight are starting to break through and threaten the vampires' existence and their world.

Arturo Mazza is not a typical hero type. He's handsome, of course, he's even charming but he's also very dangerous and very manipulative. When he comes to Quinn's rescue, he's surprised to discover she might be just what he's been looking for to save Vamp City. He believes she may be the sorcerer who's needed to restore the magic that will save himself, his fellow vampires and Vamp City. As much as he knows that Quinn's only desire is to find her brother and their friend, Lily, then get their butts back to the real world, Arturo can't let her go, he can't assist her, and he must turn her over to the vicious and even more dangerous, Cristoff who plans to end her life as soon as the magic is restored.

Quinn is strong in nature, strong in conviction, and determined to free herself and her brother from this hell in which they've accidentally stumbled.  She knows Arturo has lied to her, she knows he will continue to lie to her for as he tells her often, he cannot help what he is. Despite her knowing that Arturo can't be trusted, it's him she's drawn to, it's him she continuously asks assistance from and it's him that continually plagues her dreams and thoughts. Quinn isn't the only one not immune to the growing relationship between this dark master and his prisoner. Arturo wants her to be his but even more than wanting her to be his, he desires her to want him and not to fear him. Even though he feeds on fear, he has no desire for Quinn's fear. It's this aspect of Arturo that keeps him from being a complete anti-hero.

A BLOOD SEDUCTION took me by surprise. I'm well acquainted with Pamela's ability to weave stories where worlds of magic coexist alongside our Human world and it's one of the things I love about her books but this world is darker and more dangerous than anything she's ever created before. From the minute that Quinn and Zack enter Vamp City, they are fighting for their lives. This nightmarish world is full of dangers, tortures and lacks even the minutest moment of softness or light. Humans are food and toys to the vampires. Humans are slaves to cruel and uncaring masters who not only feed on their blood but their emotions as well. Some, like Arturo, feed on the fear that they instill in their victims but others, like Arturo's creator/master, feed on the pain that they inflict on their victims. Torture is common place in Vamp City. Unspeakable tortures that inflict the greatest amount of pain possible so that these monster vampires can indulge themselves in the delights of feeding on this strongest of emotions. I have to say that I am quite shocked and amazed that Pamela even thought up some of the disturbing means of torture that were used by the vampires.

When I read FIFTY SHADES OF GREY, I snickered at the level of BDSM used in the book and thought the hoopla was all overrated - well, folks, A BLOOD SEDUCTION makes FIFTY SHADES OF GREY look like a fairy tale. But just as the first in the E.L. James series couldn't be called a true romance, the same holds true of A BLOOD SEDUCTION. We have to keep reading. We have to follow Quinn's journey back into the darkness and watch as her attraction for Arturo, and his for her, guides their relationship and their romance. I have no doubt that like a few other Bad Boy heroes, Arturo's heart will lead him down the path to acknowledging his conscience and his humanity. It's just going to take some time and probably be an uphill battle.

A BLOOD SEDUCTION by Pamela Palmer is not for everyone. I found this book extraordinary and unique. I also found it greatly disturbing at times. I found no respite from the dangers, the terror, the constant fear that the heroine finds herself living with and as far as romance goes ... well, I'm waiting for the rest of the series. There is no happily ever after for the story isn't over. At times, I found myself liking Arturo very much and other times, wishing he would go away and leave Quinn to her own methods. Like other Bad Boys, the goodness that exists in Arturo shows through enough to give you hope.

With A BLOOD SEDUCTION and as always, Pamela has proven herself the writer extraordinaire. She has created a world so dark, so terrifying, and so nightmarish that you may think twice about ever visiting Washington, DC again. I know that I will be reading on in this series now that I know what to expect. I need to know what happens. There are too many questions left unanswered at the end of this first book not to continue on. My curiosity has been piqued, I am totally hooked, and like any addict, I have a need for more.

I can only recommend A BLOOD SEDUCTION by Pamela Palmer to those who enjoy the darkest of dark stories, who are looking for a taste of the true vampire horror and are willing to continue on into the series for resolution. This is not a book for the faint of heart or for those who are looking for a passionate, true love romance that culminates in passionate embraces at the end of the book. A BLOOD SEDUCTION is a unique, extraordinary, and exquisitely mind twisting paranormal that will have you thinking about sleeping with the lights on - if you sleep at all.

Happy Reading Everyone and please come by on Monday, May 21st when the author, Pamela Palmer, will be here to talk about this fabulous new series and give away some Feral Warriors! Can it get better than that?

A BLOOD SEDUCTION, a Vamp City novel from Avon Romance, release date, May 29, 2012, available in print and ebook format.