The Illustrated Romance

“Regency London – a dizzying whirl of balls and young ladies pursued by charming men.

But the Woodmore sisters are hunted by a more sinister breed: Lucifer’s own.

Voss, also known as Viscount Dewhurst, relishes the sensual pleasures immortality affords. A member the Dracule – a cabal of powerful, secretive noblemen marked with a talisman that reveals their bartered souls – the mercenary Voss has remained carefully neutral … until Angelica.

Angelica Woodmore possess the Sight, an ability invaluable to both sides of a looming war among the Dracule. Her very scent envelops Voss in a scarlet fog of hunger – for her body and her blood. But he is utterly unprepared for the new desire that overcomes him – to protect her.

Now Voss must battle his very nature to be with Angelica … but this vampire never backs down from a fight.”

-Goodreads Blurb

I really liked this book. It didn’t fall into the typical I am a vampire here me roar tropes that so many books I’ve read do. We know you are a vampire, we’ve got it, KTHKSBYE. This book retells the vampires as minions of Lucifer, or Luce as his minions lovingly refer to him (can you call that cute? It’s a cute nickname but the dude is evil, I mean THE evil, so cute is kinda odd here) Anywhoo…loved the retell. Loved how she added pieces to the traditional vampires without completely rewriting hundreds of years of foretold history and reference (which annoys the sparkle out of me-kidding!)
This book was interesting, it held my attention, the love story was difficult and impassioned, she didn’t skirt around the very real issue that he was a terrifying murderous beast, but she showed us, she didn’t tell us in the vein of ‘he is a vampire ’nuff said’ she also didn’t beat us about the head with that fact, it simply was. There was a bit of info dump at the beginning, but kind of necessary for the world building, it’s just that it was reiterated a bit too much at times. Pain, got it, need, got it, take take take, got it. It was almost too much…ALMOST. She walked a very fine line but I didn’t roll my eyes.
The redemption themes went very well with the devil’s minon ideas. It was very well played, and took these vampires where many would only dream to go, but I can’t go on for fear of spoilage. The characters were well developed, and each stayed true to his own beliefs. A difficult thing in a vampire love story.
Because I am a cover junkie can I say I hate the cover? Because I do, I really hate it. I would never pick it up off a shelf. I don’t like him on this cover AT ALL. She’s fine, though a bit wimpy, but he is just ick. So there is that. I would hate to think that that cover would have kept me from buying this book in the store, I am sure lots of you will look at the cover and totally think I’m insane. That’s the great part about books and art, I hate-you love. It is what it is. The design (as an aside) is beautiful. I just don’t like him, and his glowy (in the wrong color) eyeballs.
SO Voss, and I love that he loves when she says his name, it’s all the little things about falling in love that come forth in their story, the sounds of words the feel of bare skin, the handwriting, she does detail well, and she does it in spades. I want to say I loved this book, but I’m not sure. Ultimately I think I will reread it and then maybe I will be able to fall deeper into the story, but quite honestly, I went into it with that cover in my head (silly right? but I am a visual person) and I couldn’t get past it.
Angelica was a wonderful personality, I wanted to smack her sister every time she showed up, but that happens with sisters, I want to smack my own every time she shows up too (kidding, not really, totally kidding)
So where does this all leave us? A beautiful love story, with very dark and twisted lines. I actually love the idea of the vampires in Regency London, I will probably look for the fuftre books (as this is #1 in the Regency Draculia series)
It did not keep me up late at night, I wasn’t eager to get to bed just to read it, though I did take my iPad with me to dinner once, which I don’t usually do. There was no WTFckery, I never rolled my eyes and I didn’t want to throw the book across the room. WAIT! There was one thing that popped up two or three times. SIDEWISE is not a word. It just isn’t. The word is sideways. That pulled me out of the story every time she said it, but other than that, nada.

I received this copy of The Vampire Voss from NetGalley for review.