title: Immortal Obsession
author: Denise K. Rago
pages: 267
genre: paranormal romance
published: 2010
source: sent for review by author
first line: Thick, billowing smoke filled the Louise XVI apartment as flames climbed the brocade drapes, spreading from the valance to the ceiling.
rated:
4 out of 5 stars
Christian Du Mauré impulsively follows his best friend into the complex, warring underworld of Parisian vampires. Against the fiery backdrop of the French Revolution, Christian's life is changed forever following an affair with a mortal artistocrat—for when he promises to watch over her daughter, she reveals the child is his.
More than 200 years later, in modern-day Manhattan, only two descendants of the star-crossed union remain. After one of them witnesses a savage murder in Central Park, she becomes determined to find the ethereal stranger who saved her life.
When their worlds inevitably collide, Christian finds he cannot prevent Amanda, his unwitting descendant, from becoming a pawn in a centuries-old struggle for power.
As a confrontation between ancient enemies comes to a head, Christian must finally face an unspeakable betrayal from his past—for himself, and the woman he loves.
When author Denise K. Rago contacted me about a possible book review I happily accepted. I enjoy both romance and vampires and was curious to read this book especially since it has both Paris and New York as settings within the plot.
The vampire Christian Du Mauré loses his married mortal artistocrat lover Josette during the French Revolution. Before she dies, she reveals to Christian that her daughter, Solange, is really his child and makes him swear to care for her always.
Fast forward two centuries later, in modern day New York, where Christian lives with his best friend Michel. When they were mortals, Christian and Michel were inseparable. When Michel was turned vampire by his lover, he bit Christian soon after.
The two vampires now own a club in the city called the Grey Wolf. Christian gave Solange up as a child to be raised in London. She has always resented him for that and felt he abandoned her. This resentment has fueled a rage inside her. She too was turned vampire.
Siblings Amanda Perretti and her brother Ryan are descendants of Solange's line.
Ryan is a drug addict that sells his blood to vampires in return for money to buy his next fix. Word has it that his blood is special, the vampire who drinks it will be able to walk in broad daylight.
Amanda has always been fascinated by the French Revolution, and works in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. When she witnesses her brother killed before her very eyes, she also sees Christian for the first time when he steps in and saves her life from the vampire that killed her brother. Though heartbroken and mortified, she cannot get the image of Christian out of her mind. When she runs into him six months later, she is drawn to him.
In a strange way, her brother's murder had taken control of her life. It was as horrific as it was beguiling, and now she had met one of the cast of characters: Christian. Although he seemed staid and polite, he was dark and alluring as well. She felt drawn to him like a magnet.
p.94
Christian knows Amanda is a descendant of Solange's, and he feels he must protect her. However, when he begins to put pieces of the puzzle together, he wonders whether his mortal lover Josette was hiding something from him all those years ago.
He finds himself unable to resist Amanda. Since her blood is so unique, her life is now in danger.
As soon as I began reading Immortal Obsession I was easily swept into the storyline.
I really liked the modern day New York setting, this being one of my favorite places I could easily visualize the sights and sounds of the city.
I like Denise K. Rago's vampires, they remind me of Anne Rice's immortals, with their beauty and seductiveness. The love story within the book was interesting and I kept wondering when and if Christian and Amanda would get together. I liked Christian and how he still kept a shred of humanity within himself.
There is also a very strong bond between Christian and Michel, and the two are like soulmates.
Amanda painfully reminded him of being young and vulnerable. She seemed angry at the world, which he understood, and constantly denied her need for people. She reminded him that human suffering was timeless, something that hundreds of years and immortal powers could not abate. The feeling of an eternal emptiness, of knowing he was only temporarily sating a need that could never be satisfied by sex or blood alone. The instincts of being immortal ruled him, but a nameless, faceless emptiness filled him up and twisted his stomach into knots.
p.178
If you're in the mood for a good romance with paranormal aspects, I recommend Immortal Obsession. This is Denise K. Rago's debut novel, and I hope to read more of her work someday. She leaves the ending wide open for a sequel.
Special thanks to Denise for sending me a copy of her book, she's a really sweet lady. She did a guest post at my blog this past February where she discussed the Subtle Art of Romance Writing.
Visit her website here: http://www.denisekrago.com/
*photo credit*
the picture above is taken from the authors website.
