Elise ✘ a.k.a Ryder's Pet ✘'s Reviews > Blood Slave

⋰⋱⋰⋱⋰⋱*Might Contain Spoilers*⋰⋱⋰⋱⋰⋱

In the third book in the series Juliana ‘Jules’ Norris (27), a Realm Walker for the Agency, who tracks deadly paranormal quarry using her unique ability to see magical signatures, is going undercover to find who is killing and dumping blood slaves. However, in order to do that she has to lie to her her mate, Thomas Kendrick (nearly a 1000 years ), a master vampire. Overall, I hated how Juliana refuses to trust in her United bond with Thomas, that she keeps fighting their relationship. I understand her wanting to stand on her own feet, but to lie to her mate, the one she is bound to forever, is pathetic and immature. She choose to mate with him, so why is she so hard on wanting to be separated from him?

As for Thomas.... well for a guy who is supposed to be almost a thousand years old, he doesn't act like it. He's supposed to be all powerful, yet not once have I felt his power. I keep comparing him to Raphael and he fall so damn short that he isn't even in the same category. That said, I'm not connecting with Juliana, I can barely feel any chemistry between Thomas and Juliana as Juliana rarely shows affection - sometimes I even wonder if she loves him, and I'm struggling with liking the story. I will read the last one in the series just to get the series over and done.

Other characters:
→ Nathaniel West, a 150-year-old werewolf with an immunity to silver and Juliana's mentor at the Agency.
→ Michael Bishop, the only one Thomas trust with his life and, more importantly, Juliana’s. He's also friend. Michael was Thomas’s second, the one that would take over his territory should anything happen to him.
→ Sara Piper (several 100 years younger than Thomas), Thomas's sister. Her husband, James Piper, Thomas’s brother-in-law, was also an inkmage and the leader of the Gathering. The Gathering was the mage equivalent of the vampire Council, only much larger and more structured. Rachel Juliana Piper, Sara and James's daughter. Sara was killed by Taft in book two.
→ Jeremiah Grace (looks 30), Juliana’s screener with the Agency and a fire elemental Anna, his wife for seventy years, a Celtic demigoddess of love who retired from the responsibilities after meeting Jeremiah. And their boys, twins, Simon and Seamus, were in their fifties.
→ Ben Nichols, vampire and Juliana's boss.
→ Raoul DeSoto, a vampire who was a black mage before turning. When Thomas left seven years ago, he left Raoul as the leader of the local coven. Raoul then tortured, raped and left Juliana for dead. Thomas has him captured and tortured for what he's done to Juliana.
→ Aeron Rowantree, Juliana's father who was one of the higher gods of the dark fae; god of death.
→ Detective Warren Taft, was the head detective of the case of missing kids. A witch. Was the Theif; killer of the children in book two.
→ Phipps, the police commissioner,
→ Warden Hamilton Clayton, a mage; a powerful one. Leader of the Wardens.
→ Warden Deke, an ogre.
→ Warden Joshua ‘Rebel’, a djinn.
→ Charles Morgan, a vampire, and master of the Kansas City area. He has the ability of compulsion, his was stronger than most. He has the ability to literally bend people to his will, particularly if they’d had his blood - his ability didn’t extend to vampires. (view spoiler)[Morgan and Bobby was the ones who made blood slaves and killed them. (hide spoiler)]
→ Peter Blake, a vampire that may not be Charles Morgan but he wields his own kind of power in these parts (a Kansas City area). (view spoiler)[Blake is one of the Wardens. They put him here to keep an eye on Morgan. (hide spoiler)]
→ Bobby, a regular at Morgan's strip club Lust. (view spoiler)[Is Robert Guilletti, one of Morgan’s associates from his mafia days. He turned him just before the rending. He’s not a good man (hide spoiler)].

Quick basic facts:
Genre: - (Adult) Urban Fantasy (M/F)
Series: - Series, Book Three.
Love triangle? - (view spoiler)[No. (hide spoiler)]
Cheating? - (view spoiler)[No. (hide spoiler)]
HEA? - (view spoiler)[HFN. (hide spoiler)]
Favorite character? - Thomas Kendrick.
Would I read more by this author/or of series? - Sure.
Would I recommend this book/series? - Unsure.
Will I read this again in the future? - Probably not.
Rating - 2 stars.