In two centuries of living death, vampire Eric Marquand had learned to live with the cruel fate that had condemned him to walk forever in shadow, forever alone. Then he found the woman he knew was meant for him—and understood that to possess her was to destroy her.
Against all reason, Tamara Dey saw clearly that her destiny was eternally entwined with Eric’s and that she must not only accept but welcome the terror and splendor of the vampire’s kiss. She trembled at the thought of spending eternity in his arms, but was her trembling born of desire…or fear?
This book was originally published in 1993 so I was ready to give it all kids of leeway. In the first 60% the heroine lacks agency but other lovely things are going on. The vampire hero is the protective sort and is looking out for her. His best vampire friend is an interesting character in his own right. There’s an “I knew you before I met you” thing. I’m in need of a comfort read, I was able to forgive.
But then my brain got scrambled. Tamara gets a flat while driving home and the car doesn’t have a spare. She is assaulted while walking to the nearest gas station, but Eric arrives in time to save her. He then piles her into the car and drives home.
…on three tires?! I reread the scene to make sure I wasn’t missing anything and I have no idea how it worked. Ditto her being able to put on a fancy vintage dress that laces up the back all by herself even though she needed help the first time. Brain. Broken.
Then there’s general wtf-ery. Tamara is 26 years old, a grown ass woman, and still lives her legal guardian. She even says it like that. “I can appreciate why you’re so angry with my guardian… he may be an ass, Marquand, but I love him dearly.” Oh, and trigger warnings for assault, attempted rape, and heaps of gaslighting. Gaaaaah.
I’m obviously not a fan… but would try another book by the author, no problem. The first half of the book was enjoyable, even with the Old Skool issues, and I’d like to see if her more recent stuff is less objectionable. Have you read any Maggie Shayne? Are all of her books like this?
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