Thicker Than Blood: Book 2 of Angel's Gu...

This is the second book in the Angel’s Guardian series.  I’d been waiting for this installment with much anticipation, and I wasn’t disappointed.  I loved Angel and Max in the first book.  Who doesn’t love a good Beauty and the Beast story?  But this one went above and beyond.

At the end of book one, Max was being forced to return home and reclaim his role as King of the Vamps.  A role he has run from for decades.  With Angel and her children at his side, he goes to face his family.  Part of his family loves him and want him to take his rightful place. The other half want him dead so his Uncle, the Regent, can pass the throne onto his own son, Toma.  But Toma has plans of his own which ends up endangering everyone he loves.

Two minor human characters from the first book, Jonathan the lawyer and Devian Harris the Mercenary, return for bigger roles. I adore what Zeece did with their characters. Every vamp book I’ve ever read was about humans falling for vamps. What if it was the other way around? Devian may be ugly as sin, but he is a man’s man.  *swoon*

Once again, Zeece shows us how talented she is at developing her characters.  They spring off the pages, full of life and emotions.  Her books are never a dull read.  At least not for me.

This story is chock full of action, intrigue, treachery, and heartbreak. And I can’t wait for the next one. If you’re looking for a different vampire book, look no further. I give it 5 vampires.

I read Edge of the World by Zeece Lugo and enjoyed the story and the characters. I decided to check out more of the story by reading Daniel’s Fork: A Mystery Set in the Daniel’s Fork Universe. Good choice on my part! Please note the disclaimer about the strong sexual content.

Synopsis (from the author): A vicious killer lurks in the dark woods of Daniel’s Fork. Cunning, daring, unrelenting, driven by a powerful obsession, he has killed with impunity for years, evading capture and justice. But now, a new adversary has come to town, and the hunt is on!

In a world without forensics, technology, science, with only the help of the village “witch” and his trusted companions, can William Evers, the new lord of Daniel’s Fork, catch the serial killer that has plagued the village for seven years and save the lovely Susanna from a fate worse than death?

Begin a journey to the future past, to a place 200 years in the future where humanity thrives as it starts over again. Meet Will Evers, the daring, arrogant, handsome new lord of Daniel’s Fork as he endeavors to catch an elusive killer and prove himself a worthy leader. Join his loyal companions and lovers whose only religion is their love for each another. Watch Setiyah, the wise healer, as she endeavors to resist and at the same time, accept, the roguish new lord.

At Daniel’s Fork, you’ll find no zombies, no post-apocalyptic terror, no technology, no religion, no monsters other than the human kind. Earth the way it should be. Mankind still driven by passion!

THIS NOVEL CONTAINS SOME STRONG SEXUAL CONTENT NOT SUITABLE FOR YOUNGER READERS AND OTHERS WHO OBJECT TO SUCH CONTENT. THERE ARE TWO CHAPTERS THAT CONTAIN EXPLICIT SEXUAL CONTENT THAT MAY BE OFFENSIVE TO SOME READERS.

What I liked: Zeece Lugo has created a great post-apocalyptic world where technology doesn’t exist. The characters are certainly memorable, and the passion of the characters - and the author are evident throughout the book. The story itself has plenty of twists and turns, intrigue abounds, and the ending very nicely ties up any loose ends. Daniel’s Fork was a very enjoyable read!

What I didn’t like: I don’t have any objections to strong content, and the scenes that contain it in this book are well done, but, at least for me, they didn’t seem to fit with the rest of the book. The graphic description seemed over the top and didn’t add to the story overall.

Overall impression: Daniel’s Fork was an excellent read. Despite my comments above about the sexual content, the book was well-paced, well-written, and filled with the action, intrigue, and romance that keep me interested. I would recommend the book to anyone who enjoys steamy post-apocalyptic books! Well done Zeece Lugo!

My Rating: 4.5 Stars (rounded to 5 Stars)

Description from the back of the book, it differs from what is offered online:

It is the middle of the 22nd century, and North America is once again a verdant paradise where giant herds of bison roam freely, and wild mustangs run wild in the plains. The once powerful megacities lie crumbling under their own weight, stark ruins slowly being swallowed by the encroaching vegetation.

In this world, the survivors of the pandemic that swept over the planet decades earlier are flourishing. Man has embraced an almost feudal way of life. Children swim in the rivers, lovers watch the stars, people till the fields, and lords rule the lands.

Lord Victor Strongheart to Choctaw land to meet the young lady who, by written accord, is destined to be his bride. Annasai, the chief's daughter, is everything a man could want, and Strongheart couldn't be happier. Her cousin, Setiyah, is all nettles and strings; the lord is glad not to be marrying her. But when Setiyah dances in the moonlight, Lord Strongheart, his beautiful bride at his side, watches as one bewitched. He knows the heart is a treacherous thing, and his has just betrayed him!

My Thoughts:

Wow! Zeecé Lugo can make a story come alive. I have never encountered a author more talented at making her words seem like lyrics from a beautiful song. I am amazed at how well this book turned out to be.

This is set in the future where the world has drastically changed from what we know it to be today. It seems more like the past, and this story reminded me of a historical bodice ripper, and boy did I want to be right in the story and have my bodice ripped. I really did not think this story was going to be able to work, but amazingly it did.

This is meant for adults. The sex is steamy, no, let me correct that, wholly shit this had some scorching, TAKE ME NOW sex!

The characters are great and I fell in love with each and every one of them, especially Setiyah. She is very independent and headstrong, and has no intentions of ever saying a nice word in Lord Stongheart's favor. Boy do her feelings change.

I am very curious to see how the rest of the books about Daniel's Fork stand in comparison to this one.

I recommend this to fans of romance with adult situations and descriptive sexual relations.

Excerpt I enjoyed:

The dancer stood near the fire, hands held gracefully to her heart, head slightly inclined to the side, a shimmering gossamer-thin mantle covering her from head to foot. The beat of the hand-driven percussion rhythm began, and the male dancer emerged from the shadows. He began, and a male dancer emerged from the shadows. He began a measured, rhythmic stepping dance around the shrouded female, each turn bringing him closer to her until their bodies stood barely an inch apart. He began unwrapping the gossamer film from her, inch by inch, revealing the woman beneath the veil.

Mysterious and exotic, she joined her lover in a series of swirling turns that carried them into a passionate embrace. Her flowing crimson skirt moved around her as he turned under his arm...

I won this book on Goodreads.

I read this in an interview with author Zeecé Lugo here:

https://authorsinterviews.wordpress.com

Her answer to the specific writing style question is exactly how I would describe her writing.

Do you have a specific writing style?

 
Yes. Someone recently reviewed one of my books, and he said that my writing is “tight, action-packed prose.” I aim for as much as 80-90 % dialogue. My descriptions are specific, vivid, and in key places. My language is more formal than everyday English, fewer contractions, but also more musical, rhythmic.

Do you have any advice for other writers?

 I hear authors tell others not to use adverbs, never repeat a word in a page, don’t use semicolons, write every day, bla, bla, bla. Go grab the latest best seller and see if the author followed those rules. He or she probably didn’t. Our advice is colored by our opinions, and we always think those are right. We forget that writing is an art. My only advice: write. Do it your way, and you’ll end up with something unique. Then get an editor who understands your voice. If you want generic, cookie-cutter writing, then by all means, chuck the adverbs, semicolons, and sit at the computer everyday at 8 am.

This is unique. Set in the future, but reads like a historical bodice ripper. I didn't think the author would be able to pull this off, but I was wrong.