Author: J.K. Beck
Publisher: Bantam
Publication Date: August, 2010
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Rating: 9/10
Description: Attorney Sara Constantine is thrilled with her promotion—until she finds out that she must now prosecute vampires and werewolves. The first defendant she’ll be trying to put away? Lucius Dragos, the sexy stranger with whom she recently shared an explosive night of ecstasy.
When Lucius kisses a beautiful woman sitting next to him at the bar, he’s hoping only to avoid the perceptive gaze of the man he’s planning to kill. But what starts as a simple kiss ignites into an all-consuming passion. Charged with murder, Luke knows that Sara is determined to see him locked away—unless he can convince her that he’s not a monster. And that might mean making the ultimate sacrifice.
My Thoughts: When Blood Calls is the first book in The Shadow Keepers series. This is a little bit darker than what fans of Julie Kenner have come to expect, but writing as J.K. Beck introduces us not only to a more dark side of one of my favorite authors, but also a start to a paranormal series that is more sinister than what I've read before.
I loved the world J.K. Beck creates that Sara Constantine finds herself a part of with her promotion. She will continue to prosecute villains but now those villains are of the paranormal variety. Her first case involves a man she had a one night stand with and with whom she can't stop thinking about. She had no idea he was a vampire who is facing a death sentence for brutally murdering a judge. I thought it was interesting how quickly Sara adjusted to her surroundings, which include not only vampires, but werewolves, trolls, goblins and demons. She is in an unusual predicament when she comes face to face with her first defendant and realizes she already knows him intimately. She quickly decides that she will remain true to herself and seek justice no matter her feelings and even when things get pretty intense between Sara and Lucius, she still wants to fight for justice.
I found Lucius to be a very compelling character. I enjoy reading a book where the hero and heroine are not perfect or are flawed in some way. Lucius is as flawed as a soul can get. He's a vampire and he has murdered and he makes no apologies for it. He's grieving the loss of his daughter centuries ago and is very protective of his ward, Tasha. He finds himself feeling connected to Sara, experiencing emotions he hasn't allowed himself to feel for a very long time.
There are several secondary characters that were introduced that I'm highly curious about and hoping to see in the rest of the series. The best thing about this book for me was that this story isn't predictable in the slightest. I thought I had a pretty good idea what was going on and felt confident with what I believed would happen next and as quick as I turned a page, the story shifts and knocks me over!
Overall, this is a very good start to a series that brings a different twist on the paranormal world. Interesting characters combined with some pretty hot romance and an intriguing story will fit the bill for most any reading preference. I am looking forward to the rest of the series.
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