A KISS OF BLOOD by Pamela Palmer

A Kiss of Blood
Pamela Palmer

Rating: B
Release Date: 06/25/13
Synopsis:
ONLY ONE WOMAN CAN SAVE VAMP CITY 

One of the few humans who managed to escape the deadly twilight world of Vamp City, Quinn Lennox vows to never return. But the vampires want her back, for only she has the power to renew the magic of their crumbling world--and free the vampires trapped within. 

When the handsome, dangerous, and all too seductive Arturo Mazza comes for her, Quinn knows she can never trust him after the betrayal she suffered at his hands. But with her beloved brother's fate hanging in the balance, and her own power beginning to emerge, she chooses to risk all on yet another perilous journey back to Vamp City. And though she tries to deny it, her heart begins to hold hope that even a ruthless vampire can learn the meaning of true love….

My thoughts on the book:
I have been not-so-patiently awaiting the release of A Kiss of Blood since the end of A Blood Seduction, and in many ways it did not disappoint. However, there were some things, mostly to do with the writing style (they may not be present in the finished copy), that made me rate this novel a B instead of an A. The storyline itself is interesting, and the characters grow at a natural and believable pace. Also, this book is action-packed and full of suspense. I could not put it down. 

Quinn changes quite a bit throughout the novel, and while she's stubborn, she isn't so rigid that she can't change her ways of thinking. I think that being in Vamp City this time is really opening up her mind to a lot of things, and I can't wait to see what she decides to do in the end. Arturo is another character who changes quite a bit in this installment, and I love him even more than I did in the last book. He's turning into a really fantastic and complex character. I can't wait to see more of him. The new additions, such as Micah and Amanda, are intriguing and well-developed. I hope we get to know them better in the next book. 

The plot is intense, and there is a sense of urgency throughout this novel that doesn't end with the cliffhanger ending. I hate cliffhangers, so I'm a little irritated right now. Regardless, I'm counting the days until the next release (even though a date hasn't been set yet, haha). The pacing is spot-on, and I didn't get bored at all during the parts that focused on Quinn. The narration is third person limited, and the changing POVs irritated me a bit because I don't really give a big crap about Lily. I know that she's an important part of the story, but I just didn't care what was happening with her. I get why we had to know what was going on with her, but it still bored me. I wish there had been another way for the readers to find out why she couldn't be found. Also, I don't understand why things randomly switched to Arturo's perspective. I enjoyed seeing how his mind worked, but I really don't understand why it happened. I felt like that was telling more than showing. For the most part the book focused on Quinn, though, so the changing perspectives were nothing more than a small annoyance for me. 

The thing that annoyed me the most was Palmer's overuse of the word "male." Sometimes the qualifying noun didn't even need to be written. It seemed like every sentence had the word "male" in it at least once. That annoyed and distracted me. "Man" would have worked interchangeably with "male," and about 90% of the time, no qualifier was even needed. This was my biggest pet peeve with this novel. I hope that most of those "male"s are eliminated before the book is released. 

Overall I'd recommend this book and this series to anyone who is looking for a unique and intriguing Urban Fantasy/Paranormal Romance. This is a dark series, so if you're squeamish, you may not want to give it a try. Otherwise, pick up the first installment at your local library or book store and read it. You won't be sorry. If you're like me and already a fan of the series, then you will more than likely love this book! It has all the good aspects from A Blood Seduction and more! This is one book and series that cannot be missed.

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