Lord of the Vampires (Royal House of Shadows, #1)

by Gena Showalter

Nicolai: The Dark Seducer

Dangerously sexy vampire Nicolai was renowned for his virility, but now fate has turned against The Dark Seducer. Cast out from his home, Nicolai has been doomed to become a sex slave in the magical kingdom of Delfina. Stripped of his memory all that remains of Nicolai’s mind is the primal need for freedom, revenge – and the only woman who can help him.

The vampire calls to Jane Parker in her dreams, drawing her to his dark sensuality – and towards Delfina. Yet life is anything but a fairytale for humans in the mystical land. And while Jane may be the key to unlocking Nicolai’s memory, exploiting her means dooming the only mortal he craves.

• ISBN10: 0263883302
• ISBN13: 9780263883305
• Publish Date: 1 October 2011 (first published 30 August 2011)
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 17 October 2011
• Publish Country: GB
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
• Imprint: Mills & Boon
• Format: Paperback
• Pages: 288
• Language: English
• URL: https://millsandboon.co.uk

Reviews

[Linda]

This was an exceptional book! The story drew me right in - from the very first word, I was mesmerized with this strange world, and the paralell worlds excisting beside it.

Jane was a very strong and smart heroine, having been through hell and back, after a car accident killed her family, and left her shattered.

Nikolai was a vampire crown prince, and he'd been bespelled by an evil princess, to forget who he was, and then enslaved for her sexual pleasures.

Jane and Nikolai ended up saving each other, and it was very satisfying! The sensual scenes were written in true Gena Showalter style - hot, demanding and believable!

[kimbacaffeinate]

“Once upon a time…the Blood Sorcerer vanquished the kingdom of Elden. To save their children, the queen scattered them to safety and the king filled them with a need for vengeance. Only a magical timepiece connects the four royal heirs…and time is running out. “
Lord of the Vampires, is the first novel in a four book series. Each book is written by a different author. I enjoyed this book and think Showalter had as much fun writing it as I did reading it. This is the story of the king and queen’s oldest son, vampire Prince Nicolai. When the spell is cast, Nicolai ends up sold as a sex slave. His memory wiped by a witch and his timepiece taken. He is left with an overwhelming need for revenge and freedom. Using what little remaining magic he has, he calls across the universe for help. This tale is told from the point of view of heroine, Jane Parker. Jane is a tough cookie who has recently lost her family from a tragic accident. It has left her injured and reevaluating her life. Jane has dreams of a sexy enslaved vampire who needs her. She discovers a package left on her door step. When she opens the package it reveals an old book. Upon opening it, she hears him calling, telling her to come and the need to obey is overwhelming. What follows is a steamy affair, set with danger. Nicolai tries to regain his memory and Jane struggles to save the one man she has ever loved. I loved Nicolai and his barbaric, wanton ways. He is blood thirsty and violent, but with Jane, he is tender. His constant referral to her as “Mine” and “No touch, mine” and “Want You” gave me tingles. Elements of fantasy, magic and sex made this an exciting fast paced read. I am looking forward to the next installment Lord of Rage which will be written by Jill Monroe.
I want to thank, netGalley and Harlequin for this ARC in exchange for my unbiased review.

You can see this review and more on my blog: http://kimbathecaffeinatedbookreviewer.blogspot.com/

[EBookObsessed]

WOW – What a way to start a series!!

This is the first book in the Royal House of Shadow Series. Each of the four books in the series will be written by a different author. The books each feature the four children of the King and Queen of Elden who are murdered by the Blood Sorcerer and their kingdom stolen. Before they die, they bespell their children with one spell to protect them and one filling them with a lust for vengeance. Each child is also gift with a magic timepiece.

This first story is written by Gena Showalter and features the eldest child and heir to the throne of Elden, Nicolai. Nicolai is a vampire and a sorcerer, gifted with abilities from each of his parents. During the attack on the castle, Nicolai is magically sent away and ends up at a sex slave market (talk about out of the frying pan and into the fire). He is purchased by Princess Odette and Princess Laila, the ugly and evil daughters of the Queen of Hearts. Although they take his memories and most of his powers, Nicolai manages to “visit” a human, Jane Parker, in her dreams and sends her a magic book to bring her to Delfina to rescue him from his prison.

Although I am a fan of Gena Showalter’s Alien Huntress series, I was a little reluctant to pick this book up. Vampires with magic timepieces...really?? I finally picked this up and before I knew it I found myself 100 pages into the story. This story grabbed me and I couldn’t put it down. I was mesmerized by Jane and Nicolai’s immediate attraction to each other; intrigued by Nicolai’s unfolding memories; and breathlessly on the run with Nicolai and Jane. Although I knew there would be no completion at the end of this story (as it is the first of four of a series), I still wanted to see them storm the castle at the end. I will be marking my calendar for the rest of the books in this series.

Received advance copy from NetGalley, courtesy of the publisher. Thank you.

[Cocktails and Books]

Jane Parker has been living life the best she's could. Since regaining the use of her legs several months ago, she has religiously run 5 miles a day, read books, eaten when hungry and slept. The only time her life seems to have any meaning these days is when she's dreaming. The drunk driver a year ago took away her life, along with her family, when he smashed into the family car killing her father and sister instantly and leaving her to watch her mother take her last breath. But in dreams, she's with this mysterious man who's chained in a cell but who calls to her like nothing she's ever experienced before.

Nicolai, the Crown Prince of Elden is a man without memories. He doesn't know he's a crown prince or the fate of his parents and siblings. All he knows are the 4 walls of his cell, the chains the confine him, the princesses that torture him and the feeling of vengeance and rage that boils in his blood. That's until the human woman he magically summons comes his cell and he knows, without a doubt that he needs to possess this woman, that she is his.

I couldn't connect with either of the main characters and felt like I was racing to catch up with some part of the story that I missed. Jane studied vampires in the human world and had been cursed by one, but why was the government studying them. How did they know about vampires? How about the aftermath from the accident that killed her family and nearly her? Then we get to Nicolai, who doesn't have his memories when he initially meets Jane, but then when he gets them back...there's almost no aftermath. Wouldn't he be a tad bit upset? Wouldn't he show this to Jane if he needed her so?

The evil plot line with the Blood Sorcerer barely is a blip on the screen here. If Nicolai has been magically enchanted to seek vengeance against the Blood Sorcerer, wouldn't we have a tad bit more information about what happened and/or why it happened? I would think Nicolai would want to seek out that information. Then we have Nicolai sensing one brother, towards the end of the story, and trying to communicate with him. When he doesn't "answer", Nicolai brushes it off with "I'll try him later." What??? You just remembered you have siblings, once you can sense and possibly communicate with an you blow if off as if you'll just call him tomorrow?

This story had such potential, but it falls a little short.

3 Cocktails