Book Review: Vanilla Blood

I’m not generally a big reader of paranormal romance, or romance in general, but I picked up Vanilla Blood in a review trade with author S.L. Baron. I didn’t know what to expect, but ultimately I really enjoyed reading it.

Synopsis:

One night changes everything…

Tragedy leaves Livia Hart a broken shell of herself. Craving escape from her grief and guilt, she heads to Europe, taking the trip she’s dreamed about for years.

While in London, her prayers are answered when she meets Lucian Llewellyn. Lucian offers her more than just one night of bliss to forget her loss: the gift of immortality, to be reborn as a vampire.

Livia enters a world where vampires refuse to mourn their existence. They instead embrace their roles as powerful predators, hiding in plain sight and preying on those who won’t be missed.

But secrets from Lucian’s past threaten Livia’s newfound happiness. Can she survive in her new life knowing the truth? Or will the revelations condemn her to an eternity of regret?

What I Liked:

The main character Livia feels multidimensional and well developed. Baron achieves this through good use of flashbacks that don’t bog down the story, then weaving those memories into the plot going forward to help grow the character of Livia. Relationships between characters also feel complex and realistic, going through different phases as they get to know each other and as conflicts emerge. As someone who doesn’t typically read romance books, I didn’t know what to expect when it came to the romance scenes. However, they were sensuous and intimate without being over the top, and they served as important elements in developing the relationships between the characters.

What I Didn’t Like:

I don’t have many complaints about Vanilla Blood. I think the most significant one (and I’m going to be vague to avoid spoilers) is that Livia makes a major decision toward the end of the book that feels like it happens a little fast. Perhaps the book could have spent a bit more time developing what motivated her to take the action she did.

Overall, I really enjoyed Vanilla Blood and will look out for any new books by S.L. Baron!

You can find Vanilla Blood here on Amazon. I also interviewed S.L. Baron a while ago, and you can read that interview here.