Alexander’s
Blood Bride
A Steamy, BBW Vampire Romance
Vampires of London,
#1
by Lorelei
Moone
Narrated by: Gethyn Edwards
Publication Date: October
21st 2016
Genres: Adult,
Paranormal Romance, Vampires, Novella, Romance, Audiobook
Audio Narration of Alexander's Blood Bride (Vampires of London, #1) . . .
Brought the words off the page and put a vivid picture of the things as they happened. I was a bit put off by the slight differences in the male and female voices. They were too close to make a clear distinction without the author words of her and him. The accents of the English was clear and understandable.
From
The Book Junkie Reads . . . Alexander's Blood Bride (Vampires of London, #1) . . .
Alluring, intriguing, yet evasive at the same time. She walks in and every immortal eye seems to be drawn to her. Beautiful, sexy, curvy Cat has her heart set on a night at home and things change when Shelley gets an invitation. Cat never thinking that this one invitation would change her life forever.
This was a sexy, quick read that introduced the lore of the blood bride and the meaning to this supernatural culture. We are intrigued by a rather interesting set of characters and seeing where they all go has garnered my attention.
BLURB
Cat has never been a social butterfly. The only
reason she even agreed to go to the stupid Halloween party was because her
friend and room mate Shelly wanted to attend. When she gets spooked upon almost
falling into bed with the host, she’s convinced it was all a big mistake. And
what’s worse, now people are stalking her wherever she goes!
Alexander Broderick has been hosting his annual
Halloween parties for over a century. While his contemporaries use them as an
excuse to engage in all kinds of debauchery, his own motives are more benign.
He wants to converse, to get a feel for the times they live in through its
people. But when Cat walks into his house, he forgets himself and is compelled
to seduce her. There’s only one problem: she’s a so-called Blood Bride - a
mortal woman whose blood smells so delicious that every vampire in town wants
to drain her.
He knows he’s the only one wanting to keep her
safe, but can’t act as long as she wants nothing to do with him. And then
there’s his own growing hunger to contend with. Can he protect her from the rest
of the vampire community, as well as his own lethal cravings?
It’s the ultimate forbidden romance; the love
between a mortal and a vampire. What is it that makes flirting with death so
utterly tempting? Read on and find out.
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EXCERPT
EXCERPT: Alexander’s Blood Bride by Lorelei Moone
Alexander
Broderick stood at the top of the curving stairwell in the center of his Kensington
residence, surveying his domain. The party had started at eight sharp, with
more guests arriving every few minutes.
His
Halloween parties were an age old tradition, even if their grandeur and scale
had evolved significantly since the early days. A hundred years ago, he'd been
content inviting a few friends and acquaintances, all of them vampire like he
was. Now, every year, the event had grown bigger and better, featuring new
faces from all walks of life.
Eternity
was a very long time to spend in isolation. He craved the change in routine, no
matter how hard his maker had tried to discourage him from going overboard in
the past. Of course, ever since Julius had taken over the Council leadership,
he had other things on his mind
than to
monitor Alexander's social life.
Alexander
thrived on the attention these parties afforded him. On a night such as tonight,
he could step out of the shadows and into normality. Even if some guests
noticed strange things around the house, they'd accept it as part of the magic
of Halloween. It also helped that he kept the alcohol flowing generously
throughout the night.
Tonight
was the one night per year that the weird and wonderful became acceptable.
He
took a deep breath and closed his eyes. So many people. So many aromas.
His
parties weren't an excuse to feed as such; no, he could do that any time. But
the sheer variety of humankind at his feet was difficult to ignore.
Every
vampire in attendance tonight would feel the same way. Alexander smiled as he imagined
the depravity that would occur within these walls.
Sex, blood, and rock
'n' roll.
Alexander couldn't suppress a chuckle.
They'd
keep things clean enough, of course. Everyone here was keen to stretch the
rules but not break them. They wouldn't take things so far as to attract
suspicion.
They
wouldn't kill.
Alexander
himself would join in the festivities as well. But first and foremost, he
enjoyed playing host.
He
was especially fond of striking up conversations with first-time guests. First
he'd figure out how they'd come by an invitation, then he'd guide the
conversation toward other topics that interested him.
He
was a connoisseur of sorts; like some immersed themselves in fine wines,
politics, or even sports, Alexander collected knowledge on the human psyche.
Zeitgeist, as some people called it; he loved to learn about that special set
of thoughts and ideas that made society tick. In gathering information about
how people lived their fleeting lives, he sought to
find
meaning for his own.
As
he slowly started to walk down the stairs, he focused on acting normal; that
meant being a lot more clunky and obvious in his movements than his instincts
dictated.
He
was socializing, not stalking prey!
That
was one of the first lessons he'd learned once he started inviting humans to
his get-togethers. If you approached them in too stealthy a fashion, they
easily got spooked.
Halfway
down, his friend Michael nodded a greeting as he passed him by. The much younger
vampire wasn't one to waste time; he'd already found himself two willing
females to spend what he liked to call 'quality time.' Everyone had certain
talents; seduction was his.
Alexander
was about to continue down the steps when a presence caught him off guard. He
wasn't sure what it was exactly. A quick scan around the room revealed that all
the guests were quite busy entertaining themselves; nobody was looking in his
direction.
He
sprinted back up the stairs, faster than a human eye could see, and gazed back
down to figure out what had affected him so.
The
front door swung open and two women entered. One was quite ordinary, and he could
hardly tell her apart from the two Michael had just led upstairs. The other,
though...
A
radiant sight of womanhood.
Her
floor length gown was very different from the skimpy outfits everyone else had chosen
to wear. Blood red—which in itself would have been enough to entice even the
most reclusive vampire among his company.
Raven
hair halfway down her shoulder, which swayed with every step she took.
A
face flawless, like that of a porcelain doll.
And
curves. Her body exuded a richness that made every fiber in his body ache for her.
As
different as they were, the two new guests couldn't have been a day older than
25, much younger than his usual choice of conversation partner.
He
held on to the banister with both hands, then had to force himself to let go
when the wood groaned under his tight grip. A lot could be forgiven on All
Hallows' Eve, but destroying the furnishing with his super-human strength would
raise a few eyebrows.
Alexander
focused his hearing on the two women who still stood indecisively in the hall. One
of his staff immediately approached them with a welcome drink.
"Thank
you," the dark haired beauty said. The voice of an angel.
The
blond didn't speak; instead, she just chugged the champagne and placed her
empty glass back onto the waiter's tray. Alexander recognized her type. She
gave the impression of a hunter among humans; she knew what she was after, and
was scouting the place for the right
mark.
Alexander
stood frozen in place, waiting for the woman in the red gown to make a move.
The
blonde had taken a few steps forward and spotted the dance floor in the
reception room.
She
waved at her companion to join her, who refused.
"You
go ahead. I'll hang back and get a feel for the place first," the medieval
angel said, then took a small sip of champagne to make her point.
Alexander
smiled and closed his eyes. Perhaps his senses were deceiving him tonight, but
he could swear that he could catch her scent all the way up here.
A
hungry vampire could smell his prey from nearly a mile away. But Alexander
wasn't hungry.
At
least not for nourishment.
From
the moment she'd entered, the quality of the air seemed to have changed.
He
knew he had to have her before anyone else. He would get to know this young woman,
learn all he could about her. Take her to his chambers and bed her. He would
taste her very essence. He had to. His instincts gave him no choice.
Before
he opened his eyes, he knew she still stood in the same place; he could sense
it. When he looked down at her, he noticed that it wasn't just him who had noticed
her.
A
half dozen sets of eyes had shifted in her direction.
Could
they smell her too? Alexander rushed down the stairs again, almost forgetting
to follow the usual tricks to appear more human. So far so good: the other
vampires had spotted her, but stayed back for now. He
would
reach her first. If her arrival had made this much of an impact, he would have
to take it upon himself to ensure her safety here.
This
was his house after all. His party.
He'd
never been one to lose his tongue in company, but the closer he got to the
woman, the more uncertain he grew. She wasn't just any other human to him; she
was a whole lot more special than that.
"I
hope you're enjoying yourself?" he said as he reached her side.
She
looked up at him, her eyebrows pulled together in surprise. Who, me?"
"Yes,
Miss..."
"Uh...
my name's Cat."
"Short
for Catherine?" Alexander asked, mesmerized by her pale green eyes as she
continued to look up at him.
She
looked so vulnerable. He could hear her heartbeat, and the rush of her blood as
it was pumped through her body. Being so
near to her tested his patience like nothing ever had. If he'd been starving
and faced with a first meal in weeks, he would have found it easier to walk away
than he did now. There was something very different about this woman, though he
had no idea what it was.
"I
suppose, yes. Short for Catherine," she stammered.
He
wasn't trying to hypnotize her, at least not on purpose. Was she under his
control already?
How
was that even possible?
"I
said I hope you're enjoying yourself," he said, repeating his first
question.
"Oh,
yes." Catherine raised her glass and smiled briefly.
"And
what a beautiful house this is. I've never seen anything like it."
That
gave Alexander his opening, a chance to get her away from all the hungry stares
from every vampire in the room.
"Perhaps
you'd like to see more of it?" he asked, smiling subtly to avoid exposing
his sharp canines.
Catherine
didn't answer straight away, instead continuing to stare at him. Hopefully, she
wasn't actually hypnotized. Alexander was looking forward to having a natural
conversation with this woman. Not a forced interrogation while she was under
his influence.
"Don't
tell me this is your place?" she asked at last.
Was
she just nervous? Could that be?
Alexander
winked at her in an attempt to break the tension and gain her trust.
"Okay, I won't tell you that it is."
"Holy
shit." Catherine immediately covered her mouth with her hand as she looked
around the entrance hall again. "I'm sorry."
"You
have nothing to be sorry about. My offer still stands by the way. If you want a
tour..." Alexander said.
She
looked into his eyes and there it was again, that strange feeling that had
overcome him from the moment she'd entered his home. He had to have her, discover
all there was to learn about her. Intellectually, physically, even spiritually,
if that even made sense.
"I'm
sorry, I just didn't expect to end up here chatting with the host of the party straightaway.
Yes.
I'd love a tour," Cat said while straightening her shoulders.
So
she had just been nervous.
He
wasn't sure why, but that pleased him. Probably because he'd been a little
nervous at first too.
It
was silly. He'd walked this earth for centuries and seduced plenty of beautiful
ladies in his day. As delicious as this woman smelled, what did he have to be
nervous about? He offered her his arm, which she reluctantly accepted. Her
touch seemed to burn through his tuxedo right into
his
skin, almost painfully.
"We'll
start with the downstairs," he said.
As
Alexander led her past some of his immortal guests into the reception room, he
felt their eyes on the two of them. There was no emotion as powerful to the
senses as jealousy. Perhaps his nerves had been trying to tell him something.
This party wasn't like every previous one. This time, he was playing with fire.
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Author Info
Lorelei Moone is an up-and-coming author of paranormal romance
based in London. A lover of all things sweet, and caffeinated, when she’s not
writing about sexy bear shifters and their strong-willed curvaceous love
interests, Lorelei can be found baking cookies or cakes for her family.
Author Links:
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