Story:Very intriguing premise.
I liked the Capital, the little tidbits tossed in, like the ban on wood. (seriously, you'd think more vampires would figure that one out, right??)
The mosaics and the artwork, the difference between the propaganda depictions within the Capital, and the more frightening representations of the King elsewhere - nice touches that gave layers and flavors to the world.
The references to Ambi - another nice touch.
Characters:
I like Brie quite a bit. She was smart, proactive, exceptionally brave.
I wasn't really sold on how easily she seemed to let go of her children there at the end. I know she had a lot going on - I wondered if the blood bond might have something to do with that, or just the emotional intensity of the whole situation...?
(Then again...I have three kids and there are days I'd luuuuuuuv to run away LOL)
I was also a bit surprised at how easily she forgave Samuel, when she learned he was taking her in the opposite direction.
Now for Samuel...
"Hot Vampire Prince, party of one, your blood is ready..."
I liked him almost immediately. He had an edge to him, absolutely, and those muscles didn't hurt. *whew*
I adored his answer, when Brie asked him about the thunderstorms! And omg, I can't NOT mention this...
...what kind of grown man is terrified of storms? Are we in The Sound of Music, Ethan? LOL
Right then, at that very moment, I was on Team Samuel. I mean, I was already heading in that direction anyway but that sealed the deal for me. :)
I loved Samuel refusing to have sex with Brie while she was under the influence of his first bite. As much as he wanted her, he still tallied his resolve. That HAD to hurt and he scored major points for honor in the face of naked breasts and desperately wanton pleas. *Le Sigh*
About him taking her in the wrong direction - this troubled me a bit. I get why he did that, but until that moment, I believed he was more of a 'mind-over-heart' type of guy. The longer they are 'out there', the more chance danger will find them. And it did, of course. Fortunately that turned out okay.
And oh gawd - when she sliced the manhood in half, I cringed and had to look away from the page to regroup! LOL
Poetic justice, but...just...DAMN!
Sex:
Scorching. Hot without being crude. Definitely Paranormal Erotica in my opinion.
Conclusion:
I truly enjoyed this story, and will be continuing with the series as soon as time allows. I'm going with 4 stars - I dropped one because there were times I felt characters were a little inconsistent.
