Review: Bound by Night by Larissa Ione

From the Back Cover:

A WOMAN OUT FOR BLOOD

Nicole Martin was only eight years old when the vampire slaves rose up in rebellion and killed her family. Now she devotes her life to finding a vaccine against vampirism, hoping to wipe out her memories—along with every bloodsucker on the planet. But there’s one thing she cannot destroy: her searing, undeniable attraction for the one man she should hate and fear the most . . .

A VAMPIRE OUT FOR REVENGE

A member of the renegade vampire MoonBound Clan, Riker is haunted by demons of his own. When he recognizes Nicole and remembers how her family enslaved his loved ones, his heart burns for vengeance. But when he kidnaps Nicole and holds her in a secret lair, his mortal enemy becomes his soul obsession, his greatest temptation, and, perhaps, his only salvation—a hot-blooded lover who could heal him with her touch . . . or bury him forever.

My Thoughts:

I thought I was done with vampire books (except for the BDB, of course), but it turns out I'm not. I didn't think there was anything new under the sun in vampire fiction, but Larissa Ione has proven me wrong. I love the story world she's created for this series, where vampires are hunted, persecuted, and enslaved, and those that manage to elude humans are forced to live on the fringes of civilization, hiding, running, surviving by forming tight-knit clans. There is also some interesting Native American folklore entwined in their culture and it looks to be expanded and explored in more detail in upcoming books. Another thing that's really cool about this world is that since Nicole has spent her life in research and development, there's a lot of plausible scientific detail that really helps to make Ione's vision of vampirism feel authentic and realistic.

And the characters are great too. Throwing together a woman bent on eradicating vampires and a vampire bent on eradicating her family was a brilliant way to kick off this new series. It allowed a lot of the background and history to come out very naturally, and it made for a really angsty, emotional love story. There are no TSTL moments or big misunderstandings. It's gritty and serious. Hot sex too. And there are some really intriguing supporting characters that I know I'm going to enjoy reading about in future books. I couldn't put Bound by Night down, and I can't wait to get my hands on book two.

My Rating:  4 Stars out of 5

**Please Note: This review references a review copy received from the publisher. These are my honest and unbiased opinions, and I was not compensated in any other way for reviewing this book.