Review: The Vampire Who Loved Me by Teresa Medeiros
Publisher: Avon (September 26, 2006)
Blurb: Julian Kane is back in town.
Once, as a girl of seventeen, beautiful, headstrong Portia Cabot saved the cursed life of the dashing vampire Julian Kane—who marked her forever, then left to go in search of his soul. He returns five years later to find the enchanting young girl he left behind grown into a bewitching woman with a woman's heart . . . and a woman's desires.
Portia quickly discovers that Julian's seductive and forbidden kiss can still make her crave the night . . . and his touch. But the Julian who has returned to London is not the vampire she remembers. His fruitless pursuit of his stolen mortality has reduced him to drunken debauchery. And a recent spate of murders makes Portia fear that the man she has always adored may truly be a monster.
Julian knows he must drive Portia away—but his passion and hunger for her grow more irresistible every time they touch. For years he has fought the temptation to embrace his dark gifts, never realizing that Portia's love may give him the most dangerous gift of all . . . a reason to live.
Review: I heard a glowing review of this book from a fellow vampire novel fan so I got my hands on a copy and quickly finished it over a weekend. The author is a strong writer with wonderful descriptions that really put me in the moment. The dialogue, like in so many romances, did teeter on corny at times and some words were too flowery. Portia was a likable character, a bit impetuous, who has fawned over family friend Julian since she was a kid. I thought she needed some more development in parts. Julian was attacked and changed into a vampire in his teens and then his master kidnapped her and threw her into a crypt with the bloodthirsty newbie. Portia's faith in Julian was admirable though I would have liked some backstory or flashbacks in order to understand her fierce devotion to him. Julian was your typical male vampire--hot, humorous, talented, brooding, a good kisser and more--but some insight into his time with his maker/master would have filled the story in for me.
What I did have some trouble with was learning close to the ending what really happened to Portia the night she was in the crypt with Julian. Though this act was alluded to, I wasn't sure it had actually taken place until Portia admitted it. Julian may have been turning into a monster but his 'full' actions were washed over and romanticized (I don't want to spoil the story so I won't go into details), especially by Portia and this made her acceptance/forgiveness way too easy to find believable. Some older romance novels can still be enjoyed years after their publication dates. Even though I felt The Vampire Who Loved Me did not add anything new to the vampire mythology, despite some bumps it was a quick, enjoyable summer fix.
Rating: I liked it enough.
Cover comment: Too dark and too red. Not to my liking.
Rating: I liked it enough.
Cover comment: Too dark and too red. Not to my liking.
Book source: Swapped.
I read many books by Teresa Medeiros, and I liked this book, even if it is not one of my favorite by this author. I liked much more the previous book, "After Midnight", it tells the story of Portia's sister, Caroline, and her romance with Julian brother, Adrian. (Portia and Julian appear in the story too)
ReplyDeleteAlso by Teresa Medeiros I liked more "The Bride and the Beast", a different version (with many changes) of the traditional fairy tale...