SWEETER THAN WINE

Review

SWEETER THAN WINE - Bianca D'Arc

ISBN: 1-59998-682-5

December 2007

Erotic Paranormal Romance

Present Day

Christy Kinsey is a victim of spousal abuse so severe that she will not survive his latest attack on her unless Sebastian changes her into what he is --- a vampire. Christy’s friends, Kelly and Lissa, have also been turned by their new husbands, Marc and Atticus. After convincing Jena, another friend and Christy’s doctor that Christy can indeed be saved, Sebastian brings Christy into his world.

Sebastian has been attracted to Christy for a long time, but he respected her marital status. Jeff Kinsey’s brutality has taken away any reticence Sebastian had at claiming Christy. Because he loves her very much and never wants her ever be a victim again, Sebastian asks Matt Redstone, a werecougar, to give Christy her first blood feeding. The were blood will speed up the process of Christy coming into her full powers and abilities. Part of that process also includes sense-boggling sex with Matt. Sebastian is there for Christy, calming her fears and encouraging her to take all that Matt is offering. He has been holding back his own desires and watching Matt is difficult…too difficult to resist when Christy begs him to join her and Matt. It is with that act that Sebastian knows that Christy is his ONE. Matt is caught up in the backlash of all the emotions and finds himself joined with them telepathically at short distances.

Benjamin Steel is an agent for the Alto Custodis, a group that has watched and recorded Paranormals for a very long time. But Paranormals of all species have been savagely murdered and it is suspected that members of Alto Custodis may be in league with the Vernificus, a particularly virulent evil group that would like to see every sentient being on earth destroyed. Because he was seeking information about Christy, Steel is captured and brought to Sebastian so he can be interrogated.

Marc La Tour is the master vampire of his territory and Sebastian’s friend. Although cross-species cooperation is the stuff of legend, no Paranormal---Were, Raptor, Fey, or Vampire---is safe. Matt’s brother, Grif, is the Alpha of his clan, but he is out town leaving Matt with the power to speak for the Cougars. Marc sends out messages to other lords and masters and an historic meeting takes place. Much cunning and courage will be needed to stop the mage, Mario Gonzales, who has a kind of magic that can cause great harm.

This is a fantastic story, complicated, well-written, and totally absorbing. I really like Bianca D’Arc’s take on paranormal species. She has created a society that walks and lives among humans and does no harm. Fey Cameron; Raptor P.I. Collin Hastings; Vampire Ian Holt, Werepanther lawyer Morgan Chase; and Vampire martial arts expert, Hiro Yamamoto, add to the army that sets out to stop the slaughter of innocents and take out Gonzales. Tension and danger are tangibles that grab the reader by the scruff and don’t let go until the evil is contained. There are many characters, each has a distinctive personality, and each plays his or her part to perfection. Anyone who likes adventure and romance spiced with the paranormal will love SWEETER THAN WINE. It is a keeper.

Maggie Anderson