It's impossible not to love these dark and sexy Guardian vampires!In a world with feral vampires called Darkbloods who prey on humans (nicknamed Sweetbloods) there exists a league of Guardian vampires whose mission is to protect the innocent. Jackson Foss is one of those guardians but his dark urges have him walking a dangerous line that if crossed would change his life forever. When he rescues two young women from a Darkblood attack, his struggle with his personal demons and blood lust becomes unbearable. Jackson's mission is to keep Arianna and her cousin safe from the Darkbloods, but the temptation of having her soon takes over, making him the biggest threat to the woman he's sworn to protect.
Laurie London works her writing magic in Tempted by Blood. When we are first introduced to Jackson, he's portrayed as a sexy bad boy with a love for women...many women. We soon learn there's more than meets the eye with this tortured hero. He's conflicted, torn between his urges and beliefs, but underneath all those layers we see a man who is vulnerable and caring. In Arianna he finds a challenge. She's a strong willed blogger (which I love) who threatens to expose the truth of the paranormal and doesn't exactly fall at Jackson's feet, even with his incredible magnetism. Arianna isn't a stranger to the supernatural which explains how she handles the situation she's thrown into with little hysteria (the girl's pretty tough).
This romance isn't love at first sight and slowly develops which is a great element to the story. There's plenty of sass and chemistry between Arianna and Jackson which leads to some hot and heavy action when it finally happens. These two characters complement each other perfectly, he's an Alpha with a sarcastic tone and she's independent and not afraid to put him in his place!
Don't be fooled into thinking this is just another paranormal romance story...it's a little more. The world building is imaginative, new and there's plenty of suspense with the addition of a dark, female villain you'll love to hate. There's a great balance of elements in Tempted by Blood that blend effortlessly in delivering an engaging story. Ms. London's attention to detail makes it easy to jump into her vampire world even if you haven't followed the series. While there's a bit more action between the sheets than on the streets in this installment, you won't want to miss out on meeting the tempting vampire Guardian Jackson!
{ebook courtesy of NetGalley for an honest review.}
Original Romancing the Darkside Review:
http://romancingthedarkside.blogspot.com/2012/07/review-tempted-by-blood-by-laurie-london.html
