Review--The Monster and The Last Blood Match by K.A. Linde

 

Before Wren in the Holly Library, there was The Monster and the Last Blood Match―the enthralling beginning to a world of passion, power, and secrets. When a human ventures into the world of vampires, she discovers that not all is what it seems.

For Reyna Carpenter, giving up her body isn’t a choice―it’s survival.
In a world where humans are currency and vampires rule from the shadows, Reyna accepts a high-paying position among the wealthy and ruthless elite. Her new job: a live-in blood escort for the enigmatic and dangerously powerful Beckham Anderson. She expects cruelty. She expects hunger. She expects to become his next meal.

But Beckham won’t drink from her.

He keeps his distance, his unreadable gaze shadowed by something far more dangerous than just desire. As the nights pass, Reyna begins to sense it―an invisible war being waged around her, secrets that twist through the corridors of Visage, and whispers of something far more valuable than power.

Because Reyna isn’t just rare―she’s the key to something bigger than she ever imagined. And the reason Beckham refuses to taste her blood?

It might not just change them―it might destroy everything.

K.A. Linde's The Monster and the Last Blood Match was a delightful and rather quick read! It's vampire romance at its finest! I've since learned that this was an older series of hers that has been revitalized with this new era of--a genre we've had for many years now--romantasy. Which I don't think this really fits the tone as it's more Urban Fantasy than anything else! To me "romantasy" has to have a more fantasy like setting, if it's in a modern setting than we're looking at Urban Fantasy or Paranormal Romance. 

Set in some futuristic like setting, we are now in a world that is mostly ruled by vampires. They are in charge and society hasn't been thriving all that well, at least for the humans. When it becomes harder to be financially secure or even fed properly, Reyna decides it is time for her to find a job to help her older brothers out. Since she wasn't able to go to school, she gets the only job she's qualified for and that's being a vampire's blood donor. After taking her blood tests and being deemed "usable" she learns of a new program where instead of hopping from different vampire to different vampire, she would just live with one permanently as their personal blood donor.

In this particular world, vampires thrive best when their blood source shares the same blood type as they did when they were "alive." This makes for interesting storytelling I thought and sets Linde's vampires apart from others. At least that I have read! So Reyna is paired with none other than Beckham Anderson, a very high corporate player in Visage--the vampire run company that supplies blood donors to vampires everywhere.

But the strangest thing happens when Reyna goes home with Beckham, he doesn't feed from her. For days and days. She's not quite sure what is happening with him or how he remains in control since he's not feeding from her, but that is the only the start of the puzzling mysteries.

It's odd that this story is really only seven years old. I know sometimes books are ahead of their time and don't do as well, so occasionally they get a second chance and I am glad for that with this series because it was truly fun! It's not an overly complex storyline either. For the most part things run along a little on the slow side what with Reyna falling for the "enemy" and having all these tentative kisses or passion filled looks. They don't fall in love at first sight, that's for sure!

Big things are brewing around in the background of this story and Reyna is at the center of it. She just doesn't know it yet. When all gets revealed in the end it makes for a jaw-dropping conclusion and a heck of a cliffhanger! I am anxious to see where this series will go! Yes, I could in theory try tracking down the original copies, but I won't be doing that! Lol.

If you're a fan of the classic vampire romance stories than this is definitely the read for you! We are getting back to the good ol days of reading paranormal infused romance and I am all for it!

Overall Rating 4/5 stars