I admit, I enjoyed this one much more than its predecessor, The Vampire Voss. It still had everything love about romance novels, with a much more likable hero.

What worked for me:
* As with the first book in the series, I was enthralled by the world of the Dracule, and the history and mythology surrounding the group. It was nice to see a world where vampires really were the result of a bargain with Lucifer, and where good ol' Luc was forever unseen in the background prodding his children to indulge in selfishness and evil.

* I love the circumstances surrounding Dimitri's original deal with Lucifer, and the reason that Lucifer chose him.

* I adored Maia. Staid and ever-so-proper, she hides a much more passionate side that she desperately tries to hide with strict adherence to what is considered to be "proper"

* I admit, I didn't like Narcise in The Vampire Voss, and was not happy to discover that she would be the heroine of the next novel in the series. After reading this book, however, I must say I'm actually interested in reading what comes next.

* The love scenes were quite well done, with the delicious earthiness that I love when it comes to vampire stories, but without an overabundance or unnecessary embellishment that so many stories fall victim to.

What didn't work for me:
* I don't care for love triangles in my romance novels

Overall, however, I truly enjoyed this story. While I do think that the series is probably best read in order, I think that Ms. Gleason did a good job of explaining things without a lot of infodump, and therefore it could be read as a standalone.

5 Stars.