I usually try to give a book 100 pages before I give up. Life is too short to read awful books. Well, I didn't even make it to chapter two on this mish-mash of cardboard characters and stunning misogyny. I'm pretty forgiving--heaven knows I've read (and enjoyed!) some vapid crap. But that first chapter was unrelenting. Historical bits were run through like a textbook; women were utterly feeble; men were dry toast. Okay, I'll stop ranting now. This is just here to remind me if I forget: steer clear of Whiteside. ( )

This is, if I'm not mistaken, the first in a trilogy featuring the Texas vampires we met in The Hunter's Prey. And boy, did it make me homesick.

It has the same sensuality of the anthology, but this time there's a romance as well. Grania is a wildlife veterinarian at the Texas Hill Country Raptor Center, and Don Rafael Perez is a 700-year-old vampire who controls the Texas territory.

Rafael and his territory are being threatened by old enemies, so when Grania shows up in the woods when he's feeding, his initial response is suspicion. All too soon, though, it seems that they have a rare connection, and his suspicion is replaced by a desire to possess and protect her.

Grania is no less surprised, because Rafael is the man who's been in her dreams since she was a child.

I really enjoy this series (I'm including the erotica anthology here) because it's sensual and well-written, but also in large part because it's unusual. Most vampires in fiction come from northern or eastern Europe. Don Rafael and his oldest compatriots come from Spain. There are Spanish terms for all the positions in his territory--his military commander-in-chief, for example, is the alferez mayor, and a vampire sire is a creador. He also uses Spanish words sprinkled here and there. There's a glossary at the back of the book, but I only referred to it on occasion. It was interesting to get the exact translations, but the terms were easily understandable from the context.

The conflict with the old enemy was tense, and I appreciated the concept that Don Rafael had learned over the course of two centuries of torture at his hands, to lose to him. It added a nice psychological edge to the final battle.

The only quibble I have is that in the beginning of the book, an owl speaks to Grania, and that thread isn't followed up on.

I'm looking forward to more books in this series. ( )

I found this to be better than the average for the vampire erotica genre. Characters were pretty well written.

Seven hundred years ago, Don Rafael Perez was brought across into the world of the vampire and in those long years has risen from slavery to control the largest territory in North America. Now, a man who has been his enemy for five centuries has risen to challenge him, in the process wrecking havoc among mortals. That is quite enough for any one vampire to have to deal with, but suddenly, Rafael has a distraction; Grania, a scientifically minded woman who finds herself drawn to him in a most unscientific way. Though he would like to take the time to enjoy her interest, there are larger concerns that could destroy her as well as him.
As we traverse between the present and Raphael's long a go past you see where Grania ties in. I hope we weren't supposed to be surprised when it finally comes out because it was obvious from the get go.

THis wasn't the best, but I did find it enjoyable and will look for more fromthis author. ( )