REVIEW: A Vampire’s Hunger by Carla Susan Smith

In A Vampire’s Hunger by Carla Susan Smith, Rowan has given her blood to her vampire friend, Aleksei, to keep him alive, breaking the rule that a Promise doesn’t feed another vampire. Her vampire, Gabriel, is more concerned about the fact that a demon is after Rowan. The pair, with the help of their vampire friends, need to find a way to break Rowan’s connection with the demon before it’s too late.

I liked the book but I didn’t love it, and I think the problem is that I haven’t read any of the previous books. I didn’t really understand Rowan and Gabriel’s relationship. I also didn’t understand some of the vampire/demon politics, including the deal Rowan made with the demon to protect her best friend’s baby. The author does a good job of trying to fill in some of the blanks for those who haven’t read the previous books, but I still felt enough backstory was missing to leave me feeling a little confused at times. For example, why did Rowan feel it was necessary to make the deal with the demon in the first place? And why would she agree to a deal where her lover would eventually have to become the lover of the child once she grows up?

I enjoyed Rowan. She didn’t sit back and let the vampires handle everything; instead, she outgoing, determined, and willing to throw herself into the middle of the action. She could be a little impulsive, which got her in trouble with the demon to begin with. She also had a lot of conversations with her inner voice, who she referred to as her inner bitch.

You’d never be able to fight him off, my inner bitch declared in a horrified tone. Hell, you couldn’t even hold him up when he fell through your doorway!
Thanking my inner bitch for the reminder, I told her to stow it or get locked in a box. If she was going to make comments, they needed to be constructive and useful. Tell me what I could do, not point out what I couldn’t. She snorted disdainfully. Motivational Coach wasn’t in her job description.

A Vampire’s Hunger has romance, action, humor, and drama. If you enjoy paranormal novels about vampires I would recommend giving this one a read, but only after reading the previous books.

Book Info:

Publication: October 25, 2016 | Lyrical Press | ire’s Promise #4

Rowan Harper sacrificed her blood and her soul to keep her friend, Aleksei, alive—and in the process, broke a bond of sacred trust with her lover, Gabriel.

But her act of heroism wasn’t enough to stop the evil bent on tearing the world asunder.
Newly turned vampires are slaughtering innocents, and those lurking in the darkness are threatening the people Rowan loves.

She may be Gabriel’s Promise, but it’s looking more and more like Rowan will belong to the demon of the Dark Realm instead. Time is of the essence and with her soul already tainted, will Rowan be forced to break the ties she’s forged with Gabriel? Which of the two rivals will stand beside her as she faces the end of the world?…