Series: Royal House of Shadows #1
Author: Gena Showalter
Age Group: Adult
Genres: Romance, Paranormal, Fantasy, Urban Fantasy
Elements: Vampires, Witches, Ogres
Publisher: Harlequin
Format: Mass Market Paperback
ISBN-13: 978-0373618668
Published: August 23rd, 2011
Source: Library
Rating: ★★★★.5
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.
Nicolai the Vampire is renowned for his virility, but in a cruel twist of fate “The Dark Seducer” has become a sex slave in the kingdom of Delfina—stripped of his precious timepiece and his memory. All that remains is a primal need for freedom, revenge—and the only woman who can help him.
When the wanton vampire summons Jane Parker, she is helpless to obey. She's drawn to his dark sexuality and into his magical realm. But for this human, all is not a fairy tale. For saving Nicolai could mean losing the only man she's ever craved...
Nicolai is the eldest son of King Aelfric and Queen Alvina; and the crown prince of the kingdom of Elden. Having lost his memory and freedom after the fall of Elden, Nicolai has become a sex slave in the kingdom of Delfina. Knowing only that he must leave Delfina and go to Elden to kill the Blood Sorcerer, Nicolai enlists the help of Jane Parker.
Jane Parker recently regained the use of her legs after a terrible car accident that took the lives of her family and left her scarred. She's been dreaming of a vampire named Nicolai who oozes sexuality. After reading a book about him and his captivity, Jane wakes up in a place she doesn't recognize and Nicolai is very real.
Theme
One theme in this book is Nicolai (and to a point, Jane's) memory loss. Nicolai's memory is wiped clean by the evil princesses sexually abusing him. Jane suspects that she's met Nicolai before since some things in his world look familiar, but she can't remember meeting him before she ended up in Delfina. We find out later about who erased their memories and why.
Another theme is Nicolai's burning need to kill the Blood Sorcerer. Before dying, his father cast a spell filling all four of the royal heirs with the need for vengeance. I'm sure they would all feel the need to avenge their parents and kingdom even without the spell, but the spell ensures it. The timepiece Nicolai has tells him how much time he has left to kill the Blood Sorcerer, but having been in the palace of the kingdom of Delfina where time moves slower, twenty years have passed and time is running out.
Plot
The plot is told from the alternating perspectives of Nicolai and Jane.
Their memory loss adds the element of mystery to the story. Past events, first meetings, and other memories are slowly revealed as Nicolai starts remembering everything. His powers also start resurfacing as Jane's blood undoes the magic spell concealing his memory and powers. We also learn a little tidbit about Jane that even she doesn't remember. So we're along for the ride as events come to a head. There's even a few surprises to look forward to.
Setting
Delfina is ruled by the Queen of Hearts and her vile daughters, Odette and Laila. Nicolai is held captive as a sex slave and repeatedly abused by the princesses. I'm sure if Nicolai wasn't being driven to return to Elden, he would destroy the entire kingdom instead of just it's rulers. The place fills him with so much hate and rage that the only thing keeping him from a full blown rampage is Jane and the need to escape and protect her.
And Delfina is definitely not a friendly place for humans. They are used and abused almost as badly as the servants and sex slaves, if not worse.
My Final Thoughts:
The story and character relationships seem to move pretty fast, but actually started way before the first line and meeting. We just don't know it because the characters themselves don't know it yet. I love how everything just fits together. Some people might think that Nicolai's possessiveness is a major turn off, but it's really not. It seems that with vampire and werewolf/shapeshifter characters that their possessiveness is so not a turn off at all. I think it makes the story and relationship between Nicolai and Jane more intense. I also thought it was cool how Jane slowly (**SPOILER, SPOILER**) turns into a vampire after that first time drinking Nicolai's blood. A lot of other cool things happen because of Nicolai's blood. I just really loved this book. It's a great start to the Royal House of Shadows series.
Gena Showalter sold her first book at the age of 27 and now, four years later, is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of thirteen books, with eleven more on the way in a thrilling blend of genres: breathtaking paranormal and contemporary romances, cutting edge young adult novels, and stunning urban fantasy.
Her novels have appeared in Cosmopolitan Magazine, MTV, Seventeen Magazine, and have been translated in French, Italian and Korean. The critics have called her books "sizzling page-turners" and "utterly spellbinding stories", while Showalter herself has been called “a star on the rise”.
Disclaimer: This review was originally posted in 2011 to my book review blog, Zodiac Book Reviews.
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