Bloodthirsty account of Dracula spawn and how young love is in trouble. Well drawn characters. Should be a good following for this; waiting for sequel.

John Shaw is sent to the front lines of World War One. He can’t help but awe at his Captain, Quincy Harker, but there is also something strange about him as well. When John is injured, he is sent back to England to recover. A nurse, Mary Seward, recognizes John and she nurses him back to health as well as befriends his sister who lives nearby, Lily. John suffers from a fever that causes delusions. Mary hoping to help calm his fears reads his diary to learn about what John has faced.John describes his fearless leader Captain Harker and his strange ways of war, but of also his rescuing John. Mary tells Lily of Harker’s heroic act and when Harker comes to England he stays at the Shaw’s mansion. In turn winning the love of John’s sister Lily.While John is away on business, he returns home to find Lily and Harker gone and a note that they are traveling to Transylvania where they are to be wed. John on learning the news, also learns the true identity of Captain Harker, he is a descendant of Dracula and a vampire himself. Fearing for his sister’s safety, John and Mary vow to rescue her from the clutches of Harker!This is supposed to be a continuation of sorts of Dracula. Although I’ve never read Dracula, I most likely will someday. If you know anything about Dracula, you know that is a horror story. So don’t expect these vampires to be vegetarians like the Cullen/Hale clan or a soy-based blood substitute drinker like Morning McCobb. These vamps are the bloodsucking monsters that started it all. Even so, I really liked the story! It is told in diary entries like the original Dracula. It was nice to be able to see which each character was feeling. It made the story much more compelling. It’s obvious that Harker is a vampire, but Cary leaves a big twist for the end, one that I know I didn’t see coming! This was an awesome reinterpretation of a classic! I only wished I’d read it so I could compare. I am really looking forward to the next book Reckoning! ( )

Squeamish readers beware. This book is a very well-written "sequel" to Bram Stokers "Dracula," and is true to it. I found it to be somewhat of an odd story, but that may just be my own personal preferences. ( )

An imaginative update to the familiar "Dracula" tale. When nineteen year old John Shaw returns tramautized from trench fighting during World War I, he is haunted by memories of his commanding officer, Quincey Harker, and his blootlust during fighting. As Shaw is nursed back to life by Mary Seward, their love grows - as does the love between Quincy and Shaw's sister, Lily. Like "Dracula", this story uses journal entries and letters to move the plot along, and sometimes the self-affected nature of these entries can be trite and tiring. OFans of "Dracula" will enjoy this imagined sequel. ( )

Merideth says: John Shaw, a 19 year old communications officer is both repulsed and fascinated by the barbaric behavior of his commander, Quincey Harker. A physically imposing man, Harker shows tremendous courage, and tremendous savagery. After being severely wounded, Shaw returns home to England, only to find his commander has followed him, and has taken an interest in John's sister, Lily.

This book did nothing for me. The diary format does little to freshen up a tired plot line that plays on every vampire cliche imaginable. Tying it to a WWI setting, with stiff dialogue and clunky descriptions only made things worse. In my opinion, the worst sin a vampire book can commit is to be both gory and boring, and this book certainly did both. I'm sure this book will find it's audience, however, I gave up after 50 pages. ( )