The story started with a bang. There is a war going on between good wizards and dark wizards - a war that threatens the very balance of nature. Cool. Unfortunately, the good guys are barely holding their own and need a new weapon to shift the tide in their favor. It's decided to approach the vampires as potential allies. But vampires have been discriminated against in the supernatural world; why should they fight for those that perpetuate that inequality? It is up to wizard Alain to meet with a vampire representative and persuade him or her to that it's in their best interest to intervene.

The premise of the story is strong, and Tachna offers some unique takes on the age-old vampire story. When Alain and Orlando meet, sparks fly almost literally. Vampires can taste truth in someone's blood. When Orlando bites Alain to see if he is lying about the alliance, he learns that wizard blood has some other very special benefits for vampires. Benefits that could go beyond incentives to join the alliance, but also help win the war. Yet, this is where the author falters. The plot suddenly falls to the wayside in favor of Alain and Orlando's love at first sight romance - in particular the sex between them. I agree with reviewer Jane on that point - suddenly the narrative becomes rushed, without being fleshed out, and so does the romance. Orlando has horrors in his past that make it difficult to trust, especially during sex. By glossing over the time the two lovers spend getting to know each other (exploring Paris) it makes their dedication to one another less believable. And, the other characters introduced are left wanting. Alain's best friend, and Orlando's mentor are both interesting and potentially dynamic characters and they become irrelevant until the very end. I expected this book to be more of an erotic romance when I bought it, but the opening tantalized with something more and that's what I want now.

Overall, I will say that I was caught up enough to want to read more and I do recommend it. This was a short novel, and ended quickly, but that is often the case with the first of a series. Fortunately, book two looks to be twice the size, and will hopefully dive back into the plot that was so enticing, and more of other characters. Alain and Orlando's bond is romantic, tender and steamy - it should enhance the story, and I think the author will follow through on that. ( )

In an urban romance setting, a Paris in which wizards and vampires are simple citizens with more or less power, the wizards need allies.

Renegade wizards who are searching to rule the world using the dark magic are becoming more and more bolder. Marcel, the general of the army of the good wizard seeks alliance with Jean, the master of Parisian vampires. Both men agree to a meeting between a wizard and a vampire in Pere Lachaise cemetery. Alain, a wizard who lost his wife and son to the hands of the dark wizards, volunteers; on the other side the chosen is Orlando, a more than two hundreds years vampire who was turned when he was 23 years old, and so now he has the face of a blond angel, but scars which are so deeply that still marks his behavior. The alliance should implies only that the vampires will help the wizards in their fight, but when Orlando samples Alain's blood, to test his sincerity, the bond between them runs deeply than a simple military agreement.

Even if Orlando is older in age than Alain, he is not emotionally grown. Orlando was raped and enslaved by his sire, and now, even if free by his captivity, he is shy and restrained, with his body and with his feelings. Alain, with his gentle touch and ability to comprehend and soothe, is the right man to ensure Orlando's trust. Alain accepts to deepen their relationship beyond a simple fighting bond, Orlando and Alain become a real life couple; in an alliance that is new and fragile, a so deep relationship is more an obstacle than anything else, since the other vampires and wizards have trouble to understand that it's not necessary to have a sexual bond to tighten a vampire/wizard pair.

Orlando is very "young"; his relationship with Alain is more like that between a master and a pupil than between two equal adults. It doesn't matter that Orlando has lived so long, he has spent two hundreds years hiding and avoiding human contacts. Alain instead has loved and lost his love; more than his wife, he regrets the lost of his son, and, in a way, he has also fatherly feeling for Orlando: he falls so fast for Orlando since the vampire arises in him also protective feelings other than sexual desires.

The story is a bit dark and gothic, but in some points it is almost funny: the scene in the Gare Lyon, when wizards and vampires meet to find the other match in the pair, reminds me one of those teens party, where boys and girls stay one on the other side of the room not having the courage to mingle, chat and dance.

Another thing that left me pretty impressed in the story, was how vampires are treated in this urban alternative reality: they are shunned and avoided as undesirables, but not as dangerous... a bit like gay in a conservative environment?

http://elisa-rolle.livejournal.com/42...