THIS book took the vampire trope to a whole new level. Seriously. If you love a cinnamon roll hero but ALSO want the vampire aspect, Hot Blooded by Heather Guerre will be right up your alley.
The Plot:
In order to help her mom and get out of the medical debt incurred while her father was dying, Tessa, the eldest daughter of an Italian-American mother and a Mexican-American father, is working herself to the bone. As a hospice nurse, she lives with her overbearing mother, but it’s still not enough. To boost her income, she signs up to become the blood supply of a vampire.
Vampire Amos hasn’t received blood from a human being in 100 years, so he arranges for a human donor to come to his home. Surprise, surprise: that human happens to be Tessa.
While he stays out of the shady politics of the vampire council and most of the others in Chicago, he’s close to his dam (sire) and her human blood mate who seem like really nice people. But once he meets Tessa, he becomes protective of her right as the city is experiencing an uptick in supernatural problems. We get to see werewolves as well as illegal thralls created by the villain in book #1. specifically, werewolves and the illegal thralls that Alex created (the problem vampire from book #1!).
The Good Stuff:
Okay, so I’m not usually a huge fan of the cinnamon roll hero, but even I loved this book. The “falling in love” is just so natural! Guerre did a wonderful job of sharing the MCs’ backstories and based on what we learn about them, it really makes sense that they fall in love.
Paranormal romances don’t get any better than this. Vampire society, physiology, and instincts were elaborately described.
Characterization was excellent, particularly the portrayal of the heroine’s subtly abusive family situation and how it has affected her. The hero was a combination of the proper and buttoned-up on the streets and the dominating monster in the sheets. Primal Play scenes were HOT AF. The plotting was tight, sparse, and well done, which I always appreciate in a romance novel. It was hot but still sweet – my cup of tea!
I will say that there were a few hanging threads towards the end. Like, why did that happen kind of thing. But I have faith that Guerre will connect the dots in her next installment, which I am anxiously waiting for!
