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Companion #1
The Companion
England, 1815: Ian Rufford was captured, enslaved, and then abandoned in the lonely dunes of Egypt's desert. His tormentor was a woman of magnificent beauty...and the blackest of souls. Now, Ian prays for a death that will not come. Only after his rescue does he begin to realize how he has changed. But he understands very little. Just that he is carrying something strange in his blood known only as "The Companion."
Elizabeth Rochewell's home was Egypt. After her father's death, however, she is being sent home to live a conventional life in London. On board ship, she finds herself drawn to her mysterious traveling companion, Ian Rufford. He awakens feelings in her that disturb and tantalize her senses. But he hides a shocking secret that Beth can only begin to unravel.
Now, journey with two linked souls who are determined to stop one woman's evil quest. A journey that will take them to the heights of desire and the depths of depravity. THE COMPANION is an unforgettable, sensual, and erotic novel that take you places you've never gone before...and it will make you believe in the power of true love.
Elizabeth Rochewell's home was Egypt. After her father's death, however, she is being sent home to live a conventional life in London. On board ship, she finds herself drawn to her mysterious traveling companion, Ian Rufford. He awakens feelings in her that disturb and tantalize her senses. But he hides a shocking secret that Beth can only begin to unravel.
Now, journey with two linked souls who are determined to stop one woman's evil quest. A journey that will take them to the heights of desire and the depths of depravity. THE COMPANION is an unforgettable, sensual, and erotic novel that take you places you've never gone before...and it will make you believe in the power of true love.
368 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 2002
12 people are currently reading
1102 people want to read
About the author
Susan Squires
41 books203 followersSusan Squires is a NYT bestselling author known for breaking the rules of romance. Whatever her time period or subject, some element of the paranormal creeps in. She has won multiple contests for published novels and reviewer's choice awards. Publisher's Weekly named Body Electric one of the ten most influential mass market books and One with the Shadows a Best Book. Time for Eternity received a starred review.
Susan has a Masters in English literature from UCLA and once toiled as an executive for a Fortune 500 company. Now she lives at the beach with her husband, Harry, a writer of supernatural thrillers, and three Belgian Sheepdogs, who like to help her write by putting their chins on the keyboardddddddddddd.
Susan has a Masters in English literature from UCLA and once toiled as an executive for a Fortune 500 company. Now she lives at the beach with her husband, Harry, a writer of supernatural thrillers, and three Belgian Sheepdogs, who like to help her write by putting their chins on the keyboardddddddddddd.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 60 reviews
February 24, 2021
¡Una joyita! De esas que se encuentran por pura casualidad y que no tiene nada que ver con lo que se esperaba.
Nada, ni la sinopsis, ni la portada, harían dudar que es otra típica novela de romance paranormal. Pero nada más lejos de la realidad; es una novela que, al menos en su primera mitad, tiene un registro muy sombrío y triste, que inmediatamente recuerda el estilo de los clásicos del terror. Por lo mismo, no es de lectura rápida, hay que darle su tiempo para disfrutarla plenamente.
La ambientación es magnífica, tanto de época (1818) como de los distintos escenarios: el barco en que los personajes principales vuelven a Inglaterra, Inglaterra misma, así como las ciudades y parajes del norte de África, donde deben volver a resolver lo que dejaron pendiente. Esta segunda mitad es más ágil, casi de aventuras, con escenarios exóticos que me recordaron mucho algunas novelas de William Dietrich.
Por último y tan importante como lo demás, encontré muy original la explicación del origen del vampirismo y de lo que significa “el acompañante”, con tintes de ciencia ficción a través una mítica figura a la que se conoce como El Que Espera.
Recomedadísimo.
Reto #4 PopSugar 2021: Un libro de un autor que comparte tu signo del zodíaco
Nada, ni la sinopsis, ni la portada, harían dudar que es otra típica novela de romance paranormal. Pero nada más lejos de la realidad; es una novela que, al menos en su primera mitad, tiene un registro muy sombrío y triste, que inmediatamente recuerda el estilo de los clásicos del terror. Por lo mismo, no es de lectura rápida, hay que darle su tiempo para disfrutarla plenamente.
La ambientación es magnífica, tanto de época (1818) como de los distintos escenarios: el barco en que los personajes principales vuelven a Inglaterra, Inglaterra misma, así como las ciudades y parajes del norte de África, donde deben volver a resolver lo que dejaron pendiente. Esta segunda mitad es más ágil, casi de aventuras, con escenarios exóticos que me recordaron mucho algunas novelas de William Dietrich.
Por último y tan importante como lo demás, encontré muy original la explicación del origen del vampirismo y de lo que significa “el acompañante”, con tintes de ciencia ficción a través una mítica figura a la que se conoce como El Que Espera.
Recomedadísimo.
Reto #4 PopSugar 2021: Un libro de un autor que comparte tu signo del zodíaco
did-not-finish
April 1, 2023DNF at 73/368
Just not in the mood—I started reading this back in October of 2021 (!!!), but just never feel like picking it back up again. I need to stop hogging the library copy (renewed SO many times, as I got rid off of my physical copy during a move). Maybe I'll give it another go in the future.
Just not in the mood—I started reading this back in October of 2021 (!!!), but just never feel like picking it back up again. I need to stop hogging the library copy (renewed SO many times, as I got rid off of my physical copy during a move). Maybe I'll give it another go in the future.
August 23, 2021
RTC!
~
I've been sitting on this review, trying to collect my thoughts. Susan Squires' The Companion brought up a lot of pop culture references for me so that it became hard for me to see the book on its own merit.
I read Anne Rice's Queen of the Damned like 100x when I was in high school, and I had also read H. Rider Haggard's She. Both Akasha and Ayesha reminded me a lot of the vamp villain here. The H+h meeting on the boat and talking about a legendary archaeological site was evocative of Rick O'Connell and Evie talking about Hamunaptra, and The Mummy also being something that I've watched dozens of the times.
I liked the familiarity, but I also felt like Ian and Elizabeth didn't have that chemistry factor between each other.
And while I liked that Elizabeth is attracted to Ian and is more forward with him, such as telling him she's never been kissed right before their boat is about to be invaded, she was colourless next to the vamp villain.
I mean, the flashbacks between the vamp villain and Ian were *so* much hotter than the love story between Ian and Elizabeth, which felt tepid in contrast. The emotion is more restrained, in that sense. We get glimpses of Ian and Elizabeth's attractions but I can't stand how Ian was moping all the time about being a vampire, wanting to kill himself and all this blabbity blah. GET A GRIP, FOR GOD'S SAKE.
I also think that I am over sexy female characters being the dangerous character or the villain. I spent the past few days thinking about books featuring sexy, strong, powerful women and how much I hated that they all had to die or had some flaw i.e. Queen of the Damned or Emile Zola's Nana. Is it too much to ask for a female character, proud of her sensuality who is also three-dimensional?
Anyways, that whole ramble was clouding my reading, but overall I do think that The Companion is worth reading if you are in the mood for a slower burn, more serious leads, and a more lush historical romance. There are racy scenes, just not with the H+h.
~
I've been sitting on this review, trying to collect my thoughts. Susan Squires' The Companion brought up a lot of pop culture references for me so that it became hard for me to see the book on its own merit.
I read Anne Rice's Queen of the Damned like 100x when I was in high school, and I had also read H. Rider Haggard's She. Both Akasha and Ayesha reminded me a lot of the vamp villain here. The H+h meeting on the boat and talking about a legendary archaeological site was evocative of Rick O'Connell and Evie talking about Hamunaptra, and The Mummy also being something that I've watched dozens of the times.
I liked the familiarity, but I also felt like Ian and Elizabeth didn't have that chemistry factor between each other.
And while I liked that Elizabeth is attracted to Ian and is more forward with him, such as telling him she's never been kissed right before their boat is about to be invaded, she was colourless next to the vamp villain.
I mean, the flashbacks between the vamp villain and Ian were *so* much hotter than the love story between Ian and Elizabeth, which felt tepid in contrast. The emotion is more restrained, in that sense. We get glimpses of Ian and Elizabeth's attractions but I can't stand how Ian was moping all the time about being a vampire, wanting to kill himself and all this blabbity blah. GET A GRIP, FOR GOD'S SAKE.
I also think that I am over sexy female characters being the dangerous character or the villain. I spent the past few days thinking about books featuring sexy, strong, powerful women and how much I hated that they all had to die or had some flaw i.e. Queen of the Damned or Emile Zola's Nana. Is it too much to ask for a female character, proud of her sensuality who is also three-dimensional?
Anyways, that whole ramble was clouding my reading, but overall I do think that The Companion is worth reading if you are in the mood for a slower burn, more serious leads, and a more lush historical romance. There are racy scenes, just not with the H+h.
February 21, 2008
I tried valiantly to read this book, but I absolutely could not get into it. I couldn't relate to the characters, the vampirism was odd, and the historical inaccuracies about Egyptology nearly made me break out in hives. I've been ranting about this to anyone who'll listen for the past couple of days, but unless the heroine was standing 20 feet underground, she couldn't have touched the Sphinx of Giza's paws in 1818, as it wasn't completely excavated until the 1920s. Hell, they didn't uncover its chest until the 1840s or 1850s. And the heroine's theory about water eroding the Sphinx? Was great when it was proposed in the 1950s and expanded upon by a geologist in the 1990s. I just couldn't suspend my disbelief enough to get into this.
April 11, 2013
A Regency romance meets Gothic horror, a.k.a. not your mother's Regency's romance...
Our hero, Ian Rufford, is a diplomat who was captured by Barbary pirates and sold as a slave to an evil vampire queen, who tortured him in every possible way for two years (here is where I insert warning about some pretty explicit noncon). He had finally managed to escape her clutches only to find out that he's been made into a vampire himself. It is when he desperately tries to get to England, in the hope of finding a cure or at least a semblance of sanity, that his paths cross with Beth Rochewell, a daughter of an archeologist (and a capable archeologist herself), who is sailing back to England after the death of her father. Smart, blunt, outsider Beth is drawn to her mysterious fellow passenger and the story goes from there...
I concede that this is not going into the annals of great literature, but this was a ridiculous degree of fun and I certainly plan to reread at some point. There is adventure and danger and truly appalling villains, plus this is certainly an unusual take on both the Regency world and vampirism but, let's face it, we read romance novels mainly for the romance and for the hero and heroine and this is where Susan Squires really got me straight in the heart. The hero is (justifiably) a suicidal mess and the heroine blindingly sane and pragmatic - this is a trope I can never get enough of (even though the reverse leaves me cold), but even if you are less fond of the 'tormented yet masculine woobies whose sole connection to a possibility of happiness is a strong, functional woman' trope than I am, this is still a gorgeous, angsty, simmering, healing, satisfying romance between two incredibly good and capable people (while what happened to Ian is horrific, he does not become the usual 'mean to the Universe' alpha but is, on the contrary, extra gentle with the world, and Beth is remarkably sane and caring without coming across as saintly).
So yes, a very solid read and I will check out the rest of the books in the series.
Our hero, Ian Rufford, is a diplomat who was captured by Barbary pirates and sold as a slave to an evil vampire queen, who tortured him in every possible way for two years (here is where I insert warning about some pretty explicit noncon). He had finally managed to escape her clutches only to find out that he's been made into a vampire himself. It is when he desperately tries to get to England, in the hope of finding a cure or at least a semblance of sanity, that his paths cross with Beth Rochewell, a daughter of an archeologist (and a capable archeologist herself), who is sailing back to England after the death of her father. Smart, blunt, outsider Beth is drawn to her mysterious fellow passenger and the story goes from there...
I concede that this is not going into the annals of great literature, but this was a ridiculous degree of fun and I certainly plan to reread at some point. There is adventure and danger and truly appalling villains, plus this is certainly an unusual take on both the Regency world and vampirism but, let's face it, we read romance novels mainly for the romance and for the hero and heroine and this is where Susan Squires really got me straight in the heart. The hero is (justifiably) a suicidal mess and the heroine blindingly sane and pragmatic - this is a trope I can never get enough of (even though the reverse leaves me cold), but even if you are less fond of the 'tormented yet masculine woobies whose sole connection to a possibility of happiness is a strong, functional woman' trope than I am, this is still a gorgeous, angsty, simmering, healing, satisfying romance between two incredibly good and capable people (while what happened to Ian is horrific, he does not become the usual 'mean to the Universe' alpha but is, on the contrary, extra gentle with the world, and Beth is remarkably sane and caring without coming across as saintly).
So yes, a very solid read and I will check out the rest of the books in the series.
February 26, 2013
Reviewed for THC Reviews
Since I hadn't heard much about Susan Squire's Companion series, I started out by reading The Gift, one of the short stories from an anthology, out of order. I enjoyed it very much, so I decided to start from the beginning. Between The Gift and now The Companion, I am very impressed with this new-to-me series. Not only is this my first historical vampire series, it also has some unique mythology and other elements. I loved the exotic North African settings, primarily the Sahara Desert and Atlas Mountain range in Algeria. I've never read any other romances set in this area, so it was a nice change of pace. The mythology was also a bit different than most vampire stories I've read, and it was fun to go back and learn how this race of vampires came to be. While the vampires in this series do exhibit many of the stereotypical characteristics of vampires (eg. super-strength, rapid healing, sensitivity to sunlight, compulsion, etc.), the way in which they are made and their origins are a little more unusual. A human cannot be changed when bitten. Instead, they must ingest the blood of a vampire to become one. Even then, they are essentially still human, but “infected” with the companion, a parasite-like creature, which lives symbiotically in their blood and upon which they can call to increase their powers. The companion came from an ancient race of beings who resemble aliens. All in all a very intriguing backstory.
I also enjoyed the fact that the vampire hero doesn't really know what he is. Ian spent two years as a slave to Asharti, an evil vampire queen. Ian knew that she drank human blood, compelled victims and such, but he never put a name to what kind of creature she was. Therefore, when he was accidentally turned by Asharti, he thought that perhaps he had been given a disease for which he could find a cure. Asharti abandoned him in the middle of the desert, and if it hadn't been for her servant, Fedeyah's kindness, Ian would have died. With Asharti being the only example of a vampire Ian knew, he despised what he had become and whole-heartedly did not want to be whatever that was. He spends a large part of the story looking for that elusive cure, while learning how to use his powers through trial and error, until he meets another vampire toward the end of the story who mentors him.
Ian is one of the most deeply tortured romance heroes I've ever read (we're talking shades of the Black Dagger Brotherhood here). On his way to North Africa to serve in the diplomatic corps, his ship was set upon by pirates. He and the other survivors were sold into slavery. During his two years as Asharti's slave, he was beaten, tortured, and repeatedly raped via compulsion in ways that were particularly cruel and sadistic, and he bears numerous scars because of it. His flashbacks to this time are heartbreaking and definitely not for the faint of heart. Between what this evil woman put him through and most of the women he knew back in England being shallow and manipulative, he doesn't really trust women at all anymore, but in Beth, he sees someone different. He is attracted to her genuineness, but it still takes a long time for him to learn to trust her. I thought his confusion over this was very beautifully rendered. Ian is also incredibly sympathetic, because he hates being a vampire. He tried to commit suicide multiple times and feels extreme guilt and shame every time he has to feed from a human to survive. I thought it was very sweet that he always compelled them to forget what he'd done and gave them happy memories afterward. I also loved the way he took tender care of Beth after accidentally feeding from her. Ian is a true gentleman in every sense of the word, even though he believes himself to be a monster. I thought this just served to highlight his humanity, which is something that Asharti wasn't able to take from him despite her cruelty. When Ian tells Beth of his ordeal, I could feel how agonizing it was for him to relive it and how ashamed he felt to tell another person about the things that happened to him. Of course, he only goes so far, sparing Beth some of the more gory details, but it was still an intense moment. Ian is now one of my all-time favorite heroes. I just wanted to wrap him up in my arms and give him lots of love like Beth did.
Elizabeth is a wonderful heroine. She is a very unusual woman for her time, something of a bluestocking I'd say. She's described as being a tiny slip of a woman, who is very short, plain of face, and has her Egyptian mother's coloring. North Africa is where she feels most at home, but the people there consider her too white, and the people in England consider her too brown. As a result, she doesn't fit well in either world. On top of that, she is essentially a scientist who spent most of her life on archaeological expeditions with her eccentric father. Beth has an adventurous spirit and a practical, organized nature. She is also incredibly intelligent and not afraid to show it. She doesn't want to marry anyone without love and most definitely desires a partner who will respect her brilliant mind and treat her as his equal. When Beth witnesses Ian's rapid healing she experienced a moment of fear of the unknown, but quickly recovered and started thinking about it logically and scientifically. He scared her more deeply when he drank her blood, but she was open-minded enough to listen to his side of the story and forgiving and kind-hearted enough to want to comfort him even though she knew he wouldn't take kindly to it at that point in their relationship. Overall, she was very intuitive of his needs throughout the story, and after she'd heard him out and knew what he was facing, she wanted nothing more than to help him in any way that she could. Beth turned out to be a brave and wonderful match for Ian.
Ian and Beth are like two peas in a pod. They're both very unusual people who don't quite feel like they have a place to belong in the world. They begin their relationship by bonding over a shared love of books (Gotta love a man who reads Jane Austen.:-)) and chess. When Ian unintentionally feeds off Beth, it's an exquisitely sensual experience for both of them. Between this and the sexual tension created by each of them seeing the other in a state of undress when trying to be of assistance after injuries, they start to develop a deeper attraction, but it still takes time for them to realize the extent of those feelings. In the meantime, the author builds a beautiful friendship between them which believably blossoms into love. When Ian finally proposes, he offers a marriage in name only, not wanting to “force” his “monstrous” self on her. I thought it was really cute the way Beth went about letting him know she'd like more on their wedding night, and the ensuing love scene was sweetly sensual, even though Ian had difficulties due to his experience with Asharti. As a result, there isn't a full consummation until the final pages, but all the character and relationship development in between and the tender, loving nature of the scene made it worth the wait.
I liked very much that the focus remained on Ian and Beth throughout the story, but there are a few key secondary players introduced. Beatrix Lisse is a centuries old vampire who becomes Ian's mentor late in the story. Aside from Beth, she is the primary person who helps him believe that being a vampire doesn't mean he's evil. She becomes the heroine of the next book of the series, The Hunger. Major Vernon Davis “Davie” Ware found Ian half-dead after he escaped his enslavement to Asharti and kept him at the military outpost where he was stationed. He knows to some extent what Ian is, and although he's rather wary, he does give Ian a chance. We find out later in the story that Davie also had an encounter with Asharti when he brings Ian a message from her and tries to get him to go back to Africa and fight her. The only person to really befriend Beth when she returns to England is Emma Fairfield who also stands up for Beth at her wedding. Davie and Emma become the hero and heroine of The Gift, the novella I previously read and enjoyed.
I have to admit to being a bit baffled by the so-so, GoodReads ratings for this book and some of the others in the Companion series. I totally fell in love with Ian and think he rivaled some of the best tortured heroes the romance genre has to offer. I adored Beth. She reminded me a lot of myself, and I would love to be her. The story offered a lot of intriguing, unique elements for the paranormal sub-genre that entranced and enticed me as a reader. The only possible detractor I came up with is that Susan Squires' writing style is rather narrative-heavy at times with lots of descriptive prose and introspection, which might not be for everyone. However, it didn't really bother me, as I like to get inside the heads of the characters and know what's going on around them. She also writes with some authentic period vernacular which might confuse some readers, but again, I thought it added to the sense of time and place and gave it flavor. For me, The Companion was a thoroughly engaging story that I was sad to see come to an end. Susan Squires has acquired a new fan, and I'm greatly looking forward to continuing with this enthralling new series.
Since I hadn't heard much about Susan Squire's Companion series, I started out by reading The Gift, one of the short stories from an anthology, out of order. I enjoyed it very much, so I decided to start from the beginning. Between The Gift and now The Companion, I am very impressed with this new-to-me series. Not only is this my first historical vampire series, it also has some unique mythology and other elements. I loved the exotic North African settings, primarily the Sahara Desert and Atlas Mountain range in Algeria. I've never read any other romances set in this area, so it was a nice change of pace. The mythology was also a bit different than most vampire stories I've read, and it was fun to go back and learn how this race of vampires came to be. While the vampires in this series do exhibit many of the stereotypical characteristics of vampires (eg. super-strength, rapid healing, sensitivity to sunlight, compulsion, etc.), the way in which they are made and their origins are a little more unusual. A human cannot be changed when bitten. Instead, they must ingest the blood of a vampire to become one. Even then, they are essentially still human, but “infected” with the companion, a parasite-like creature, which lives symbiotically in their blood and upon which they can call to increase their powers. The companion came from an ancient race of beings who resemble aliens. All in all a very intriguing backstory.
I also enjoyed the fact that the vampire hero doesn't really know what he is. Ian spent two years as a slave to Asharti, an evil vampire queen. Ian knew that she drank human blood, compelled victims and such, but he never put a name to what kind of creature she was. Therefore, when he was accidentally turned by Asharti, he thought that perhaps he had been given a disease for which he could find a cure. Asharti abandoned him in the middle of the desert, and if it hadn't been for her servant, Fedeyah's kindness, Ian would have died. With Asharti being the only example of a vampire Ian knew, he despised what he had become and whole-heartedly did not want to be whatever that was. He spends a large part of the story looking for that elusive cure, while learning how to use his powers through trial and error, until he meets another vampire toward the end of the story who mentors him.
Ian is one of the most deeply tortured romance heroes I've ever read (we're talking shades of the Black Dagger Brotherhood here). On his way to North Africa to serve in the diplomatic corps, his ship was set upon by pirates. He and the other survivors were sold into slavery. During his two years as Asharti's slave, he was beaten, tortured, and repeatedly raped via compulsion in ways that were particularly cruel and sadistic, and he bears numerous scars because of it. His flashbacks to this time are heartbreaking and definitely not for the faint of heart. Between what this evil woman put him through and most of the women he knew back in England being shallow and manipulative, he doesn't really trust women at all anymore, but in Beth, he sees someone different. He is attracted to her genuineness, but it still takes a long time for him to learn to trust her. I thought his confusion over this was very beautifully rendered. Ian is also incredibly sympathetic, because he hates being a vampire. He tried to commit suicide multiple times and feels extreme guilt and shame every time he has to feed from a human to survive. I thought it was very sweet that he always compelled them to forget what he'd done and gave them happy memories afterward. I also loved the way he took tender care of Beth after accidentally feeding from her. Ian is a true gentleman in every sense of the word, even though he believes himself to be a monster. I thought this just served to highlight his humanity, which is something that Asharti wasn't able to take from him despite her cruelty. When Ian tells Beth of his ordeal, I could feel how agonizing it was for him to relive it and how ashamed he felt to tell another person about the things that happened to him. Of course, he only goes so far, sparing Beth some of the more gory details, but it was still an intense moment. Ian is now one of my all-time favorite heroes. I just wanted to wrap him up in my arms and give him lots of love like Beth did.
Elizabeth is a wonderful heroine. She is a very unusual woman for her time, something of a bluestocking I'd say. She's described as being a tiny slip of a woman, who is very short, plain of face, and has her Egyptian mother's coloring. North Africa is where she feels most at home, but the people there consider her too white, and the people in England consider her too brown. As a result, she doesn't fit well in either world. On top of that, she is essentially a scientist who spent most of her life on archaeological expeditions with her eccentric father. Beth has an adventurous spirit and a practical, organized nature. She is also incredibly intelligent and not afraid to show it. She doesn't want to marry anyone without love and most definitely desires a partner who will respect her brilliant mind and treat her as his equal. When Beth witnesses Ian's rapid healing she experienced a moment of fear of the unknown, but quickly recovered and started thinking about it logically and scientifically. He scared her more deeply when he drank her blood, but she was open-minded enough to listen to his side of the story and forgiving and kind-hearted enough to want to comfort him even though she knew he wouldn't take kindly to it at that point in their relationship. Overall, she was very intuitive of his needs throughout the story, and after she'd heard him out and knew what he was facing, she wanted nothing more than to help him in any way that she could. Beth turned out to be a brave and wonderful match for Ian.
Ian and Beth are like two peas in a pod. They're both very unusual people who don't quite feel like they have a place to belong in the world. They begin their relationship by bonding over a shared love of books (Gotta love a man who reads Jane Austen.:-)) and chess. When Ian unintentionally feeds off Beth, it's an exquisitely sensual experience for both of them. Between this and the sexual tension created by each of them seeing the other in a state of undress when trying to be of assistance after injuries, they start to develop a deeper attraction, but it still takes time for them to realize the extent of those feelings. In the meantime, the author builds a beautiful friendship between them which believably blossoms into love. When Ian finally proposes, he offers a marriage in name only, not wanting to “force” his “monstrous” self on her. I thought it was really cute the way Beth went about letting him know she'd like more on their wedding night, and the ensuing love scene was sweetly sensual, even though Ian had difficulties due to his experience with Asharti. As a result, there isn't a full consummation until the final pages, but all the character and relationship development in between and the tender, loving nature of the scene made it worth the wait.
I liked very much that the focus remained on Ian and Beth throughout the story, but there are a few key secondary players introduced. Beatrix Lisse is a centuries old vampire who becomes Ian's mentor late in the story. Aside from Beth, she is the primary person who helps him believe that being a vampire doesn't mean he's evil. She becomes the heroine of the next book of the series, The Hunger. Major Vernon Davis “Davie” Ware found Ian half-dead after he escaped his enslavement to Asharti and kept him at the military outpost where he was stationed. He knows to some extent what Ian is, and although he's rather wary, he does give Ian a chance. We find out later in the story that Davie also had an encounter with Asharti when he brings Ian a message from her and tries to get him to go back to Africa and fight her. The only person to really befriend Beth when she returns to England is Emma Fairfield who also stands up for Beth at her wedding. Davie and Emma become the hero and heroine of The Gift, the novella I previously read and enjoyed.
I have to admit to being a bit baffled by the so-so, GoodReads ratings for this book and some of the others in the Companion series. I totally fell in love with Ian and think he rivaled some of the best tortured heroes the romance genre has to offer. I adored Beth. She reminded me a lot of myself, and I would love to be her. The story offered a lot of intriguing, unique elements for the paranormal sub-genre that entranced and enticed me as a reader. The only possible detractor I came up with is that Susan Squires' writing style is rather narrative-heavy at times with lots of descriptive prose and introspection, which might not be for everyone. However, it didn't really bother me, as I like to get inside the heads of the characters and know what's going on around them. She also writes with some authentic period vernacular which might confuse some readers, but again, I thought it added to the sense of time and place and gave it flavor. For me, The Companion was a thoroughly engaging story that I was sad to see come to an end. Susan Squires has acquired a new fan, and I'm greatly looking forward to continuing with this enthralling new series.
March 21, 2017
A really good original vampire story. I loved it. I felt transported to the time and place of the story. It was very engrossing and I couldn't put it down.
February 6, 2024
Ian Rufford fue capturado y vendido como esclavo en la caravana de Asharti una mujer de gran belleza pero un corazón corrompido por el odio y la venganza hacia sus congéneres ya que la desterrados al desierto de Egipto por sus costumbres sangrientas.
Viaja en la carabana de esta por dos años siendo su esclavo de placer por más de un año ya que su cuerpo esta lleno de cicatrices por las mordeduras de esta.
Su baje llega a su fin cuando encuentran la cámara secreta en done espera el Antiguo un ser de otro mundo el cual fue el que les dio al acompañante que corre por sus venas y al cual abandonaron sus compañeros y ahora tiene que esperar hasta que su castigo termine y regresen por el. Asi que Asharti llega a la cámara con 20 esclavos y se los ofrece al Antiguo para que beba su sangre y a cambio el le dará una gota de la suya a ella.
Después de salir de la cámara del Antiguo y de que Ian sobreviviría ya que el Antiguo no lo quiso como regalo ya que vio el sufrimiento en los ojos de este Asharti lo ests besando pero Fedeyah la jala y esto hace que Ian acidentalmente la muerda y la aga sangrar y una gota entre a su boca, esto la pone furiosa pero no lo mata, le ordena al árabe Fedeyah que lo avandone en el desierto ya que morira por causa del acompañante, si no tiene sangre de vampiro pero como Fedeyah hablaba con Ian de Inglaterra en los años que fue esclavo se compadece de el y el le deja sangre para que pueda sobrevivir.
Ian es encontrado en el desierto y vuelve a Inglaterra pero en el barco en el que va encuentra de compañía a la joven Beth que también regresa ya que su padre que era un arqueogo murió y como ella no tine más familia tiene que regresar, pero desde el perimer momento le llama la atención Ian ya que sus ojos son tan tristes y esta dispuesta a averiguar cual es el secreto que esconde.
Así que cuando el barco en el que viajan es atacado por piratas y todos temen caer en manos de estos ya que saben que serán vendidos como esclavos, así que Ian pelea como un loco y junto con la tripulación vencen a los piratas e incendian el varco enemigo, pero Ian esta muy mal erido y Beth querer cuidarlo pero es grande su sorpresa cuando ve como sus eridad se están curando a una velocidad increíble.
Así que lo sigue cuando desenvarcan en el muelle para pasar un día y por la noche descubre que se alimenta de la sangre de una prostituta y después la descubre y también bebe de ella pero como ella es tan bajita toma sangre de más y esto la ase estar muy devil, así que cuando regresan al banco Ian se encarga de cuidarla apesar de hablarle dicho que dejaría el barco y continuaría su viaje por tierra ya que no había nadie que la cuidara.
Beth comienza a pasar tiempo con Ian y esto hace que deje de tenerle miedo, cuando llegan a Inglaterra se despiden y pasan más de dos meses para que se vuelvan a ver, Beth llega a casa de su tía pero esta la quiere casar inmediatamente pero sabe que será difícil ya que Beth no a sido criada para ser una joven de la alta sociedad y se aburre ya que ella sueña con volver al desierto, mientas tanto Ian va con un medico de la sangre ya que quiere que lo cure, pero el doctor le dice que no puede hacerlo y es cuando Ian se da cuenta que es un vampiro ya que todo el tiempo el se creyó enfermo y pensaba que podría curarce.
Ian recibe la visita de la condesa Beatrix una vampira que le dice que esta prohibido que dos vampiro estén en el mismo lugar y que además sabe que Asharti lo creo, y quiere saber que hace en Londres, pero el le cuenta que fue creado por accidente además le cuenta todo sobre el Antiguo y ella le dice que tiene que ayudarlos a destruir a Asharti ya que un comandante que viene de Egipto le dijo que esta esta creando vampiros y que mucha gente la sigue como si fuera una diosa.
Ian deside ayudarlos pero para eso necesita la ayuda de Beth ya que ella conoce la lengua antigua y sabe leer los jeroglíficos, así que para que pueda viajar con el le pide que se case con el ya que la reparación de ella quedaría arruinada. Beth hacepta ya que quiere regresar al desierto y además esta enamorada de Ian.
Después de la boda se embarcan para Egipto para encontrar la cámara secreta del Antiguo y así poder derrotar el mal que representa Asharti, Beth logra encontrar el lugar Ian entra en la cámara y le pide al Antiguo que le de su sangre para vencer a Asharti y el le promete que no le llevaran más sangre y el Antiguo acepta en eso llega Asharti y esta furiosa porque ve como Ian esta bebiendo del este.
El Antiguo les deja pelear y les dice que el no interferir así que Ian y Asharti se ponen a pelear aunque al principio ella es más fuerte Ian poco a poco se hace más poderoso así que Asharti tine miedo y ataca a Beth que se encontraba también allí y queda muy malerida.
Asharti quiere escapar de la cámara pero el Antiguo no la deja y la mata ya que sabe que mientas ella viva seguirá llevándole sangre y cada ves se hace más difícil seguir esperando el regreso se sus compañeros, deja de Ian, Beth y Fedeyah se vallan y sella la cámara para que nadie más logre encontrarlo en espera de que regresen por el.
Viaja en la carabana de esta por dos años siendo su esclavo de placer por más de un año ya que su cuerpo esta lleno de cicatrices por las mordeduras de esta.
Su baje llega a su fin cuando encuentran la cámara secreta en done espera el Antiguo un ser de otro mundo el cual fue el que les dio al acompañante que corre por sus venas y al cual abandonaron sus compañeros y ahora tiene que esperar hasta que su castigo termine y regresen por el. Asi que Asharti llega a la cámara con 20 esclavos y se los ofrece al Antiguo para que beba su sangre y a cambio el le dará una gota de la suya a ella.
Después de salir de la cámara del Antiguo y de que Ian sobreviviría ya que el Antiguo no lo quiso como regalo ya que vio el sufrimiento en los ojos de este Asharti lo ests besando pero Fedeyah la jala y esto hace que Ian acidentalmente la muerda y la aga sangrar y una gota entre a su boca, esto la pone furiosa pero no lo mata, le ordena al árabe Fedeyah que lo avandone en el desierto ya que morira por causa del acompañante, si no tiene sangre de vampiro pero como Fedeyah hablaba con Ian de Inglaterra en los años que fue esclavo se compadece de el y el le deja sangre para que pueda sobrevivir.
Ian es encontrado en el desierto y vuelve a Inglaterra pero en el barco en el que va encuentra de compañía a la joven Beth que también regresa ya que su padre que era un arqueogo murió y como ella no tine más familia tiene que regresar, pero desde el perimer momento le llama la atención Ian ya que sus ojos son tan tristes y esta dispuesta a averiguar cual es el secreto que esconde.
Así que cuando el barco en el que viajan es atacado por piratas y todos temen caer en manos de estos ya que saben que serán vendidos como esclavos, así que Ian pelea como un loco y junto con la tripulación vencen a los piratas e incendian el varco enemigo, pero Ian esta muy mal erido y Beth querer cuidarlo pero es grande su sorpresa cuando ve como sus eridad se están curando a una velocidad increíble.
Así que lo sigue cuando desenvarcan en el muelle para pasar un día y por la noche descubre que se alimenta de la sangre de una prostituta y después la descubre y también bebe de ella pero como ella es tan bajita toma sangre de más y esto la ase estar muy devil, así que cuando regresan al banco Ian se encarga de cuidarla apesar de hablarle dicho que dejaría el barco y continuaría su viaje por tierra ya que no había nadie que la cuidara.
Beth comienza a pasar tiempo con Ian y esto hace que deje de tenerle miedo, cuando llegan a Inglaterra se despiden y pasan más de dos meses para que se vuelvan a ver, Beth llega a casa de su tía pero esta la quiere casar inmediatamente pero sabe que será difícil ya que Beth no a sido criada para ser una joven de la alta sociedad y se aburre ya que ella sueña con volver al desierto, mientas tanto Ian va con un medico de la sangre ya que quiere que lo cure, pero el doctor le dice que no puede hacerlo y es cuando Ian se da cuenta que es un vampiro ya que todo el tiempo el se creyó enfermo y pensaba que podría curarce.
Ian recibe la visita de la condesa Beatrix una vampira que le dice que esta prohibido que dos vampiro estén en el mismo lugar y que además sabe que Asharti lo creo, y quiere saber que hace en Londres, pero el le cuenta que fue creado por accidente además le cuenta todo sobre el Antiguo y ella le dice que tiene que ayudarlos a destruir a Asharti ya que un comandante que viene de Egipto le dijo que esta esta creando vampiros y que mucha gente la sigue como si fuera una diosa.
Ian deside ayudarlos pero para eso necesita la ayuda de Beth ya que ella conoce la lengua antigua y sabe leer los jeroglíficos, así que para que pueda viajar con el le pide que se case con el ya que la reparación de ella quedaría arruinada. Beth hacepta ya que quiere regresar al desierto y además esta enamorada de Ian.
Después de la boda se embarcan para Egipto para encontrar la cámara secreta del Antiguo y así poder derrotar el mal que representa Asharti, Beth logra encontrar el lugar Ian entra en la cámara y le pide al Antiguo que le de su sangre para vencer a Asharti y el le promete que no le llevaran más sangre y el Antiguo acepta en eso llega Asharti y esta furiosa porque ve como Ian esta bebiendo del este.
El Antiguo les deja pelear y les dice que el no interferir así que Ian y Asharti se ponen a pelear aunque al principio ella es más fuerte Ian poco a poco se hace más poderoso así que Asharti tine miedo y ataca a Beth que se encontraba también allí y queda muy malerida.
Asharti quiere escapar de la cámara pero el Antiguo no la deja y la mata ya que sabe que mientas ella viva seguirá llevándole sangre y cada ves se hace más difícil seguir esperando el regreso se sus compañeros, deja de Ian, Beth y Fedeyah se vallan y sella la cámara para que nadie más logre encontrarlo en espera de que regresen por el.
July 26, 2017
Five stars to Susan Squires for an excellent paranormal/regency read. The story was well written, and she captured me by telling the backstory through flashbacks... doling out just the right amount of information at the right time. This story is the beginning of a series, but the book stands on its own. As this is a paranormal (vampires), she had considerable world building, and it was delightful that she did not do a "data" dump at the beginning of the book, again weaving the information into the story at the right time and not giving you too much. Be warned - this book is explicit - or as I would say ... hot & spicy! I loved the heroine ... SASSY ... just the way I like 'em, and the hero? He had sufficient angst to keep me happy too. I look forward to the rest of the series.
May 9, 2013
SPOILERS
It was a nice adventure story, but not much of a romance. I had the feeling that Beth and Ian fell in love, because it was convenient. It pissed me off that Beth was treated so poorly by everybody, because of her brown skin and short statue. Even Ian never told her that she was beautiful, never made her feel special. The romance between them was pretty boring and I couldn't feel love between them at all. Affection, maybe, but not strong love. The flashbacks were annoying and most of the sex was between Ian and the evil vampire, and honestly, I didn't want to read so many times how Ian was practically raped.
I felt like Beth and Ian never really felt comfortable with each other. One would think that after weeks on a ship, after so many revealed secrets, after some pretty personal moments they will start at least talking to each other by first names. But noooo, they separated and even barely thought about each other, but later it was mentioned that they were already in love at that time.
I think that Ian needed more time to forget his time as a slave before he found Beth. Also for a man who survived hell he was quite naive. He thought that if he went to England, the evil vampire will never find him. Stupid. I mean, England is not exactly another planet that he was so sure that he couldn't be reached there.
Beth never, even once, stood up for herself. She was supposed to be a strong character, but she let her aunt and the society walk all over her. In the beginning I could understand why she didn't say a think to the aunt-she was dependable on her. But after Ian promised to marry her? Both of them were silent while there were people who were talking behind their backs, literally.
I barely finished the book.
It was a nice adventure story, but not much of a romance. I had the feeling that Beth and Ian fell in love, because it was convenient. It pissed me off that Beth was treated so poorly by everybody, because of her brown skin and short statue. Even Ian never told her that she was beautiful, never made her feel special. The romance between them was pretty boring and I couldn't feel love between them at all. Affection, maybe, but not strong love. The flashbacks were annoying and most of the sex was between Ian and the evil vampire, and honestly, I didn't want to read so many times how Ian was practically raped.
I felt like Beth and Ian never really felt comfortable with each other. One would think that after weeks on a ship, after so many revealed secrets, after some pretty personal moments they will start at least talking to each other by first names. But noooo, they separated and even barely thought about each other, but later it was mentioned that they were already in love at that time.
I think that Ian needed more time to forget his time as a slave before he found Beth. Also for a man who survived hell he was quite naive. He thought that if he went to England, the evil vampire will never find him. Stupid. I mean, England is not exactly another planet that he was so sure that he couldn't be reached there.
Beth never, even once, stood up for herself. She was supposed to be a strong character, but she let her aunt and the society walk all over her. In the beginning I could understand why she didn't say a think to the aunt-she was dependable on her. But after Ian promised to marry her? Both of them were silent while there were people who were talking behind their backs, literally.
I barely finished the book.
May 30, 2019
after coming across nenia's review on this book, i decided to pick it up and give a try.
it's a heartbreaking book about overcoming abuse and struggling with ptsd. but also about forgiving yourself and learning to be kind to yourself. moreover, it just so happens that it's the hero who's violated and he's ...a vampire. it's a historical/paranormal romance. because the author obviously tries to stay true to the era, occasionally the expressions and writing do come across as stilted. still, it's really worth dipping into.
it's a heartbreaking book about overcoming abuse and struggling with ptsd. but also about forgiving yourself and learning to be kind to yourself. moreover, it just so happens that it's the hero who's violated and he's ...a vampire. it's a historical/paranormal romance. because the author obviously tries to stay true to the era, occasionally the expressions and writing do come across as stilted. still, it's really worth dipping into.
October 19, 2011
Ian was captured by pirates and sold to a depraved and evil monster who tortured, abused him and then turned him into a creature of the night. Now he is a monster and decides to go and hide out in the streets of London. On the boat he meets Beth, who was following her dream tracking ancient cities and artifacts with her father in Africa until his sudden death meant she was being sent back to a dreary life in England. Their worlds collide placing them on a dangerous path.
I found this to be the typical slow, over-descriptive, forbidden love gradually building kind of paranormal romance that I don't enjoy. I don't like this historical type of book with the snotty colonial Brits and caveman male attitudes so this one was never likely to be a winner with me!
I found this to be the typical slow, over-descriptive, forbidden love gradually building kind of paranormal romance that I don't enjoy. I don't like this historical type of book with the snotty colonial Brits and caveman male attitudes so this one was never likely to be a winner with me!
June 15, 2016
Leer reseña completa aquí
En conclusión, tenemos aquí una novela que engancha moderadamente, que aunque le faltó ser más explosiva y un poquito más romántica, está muy muy bien porque es diferente, original y muy muy atractiva. Con una mezcla entre romance vampírico e histórico llama la atención y no decepciona como muchas del género, definitivamente tengo ganas de leer más de la autora, y ahora que me doy cuenta de que hace parte de una serie, estoy muy contenta de poder disfrutar de ella. Tengo unas grandes expectativas para las demás si los consigo en e-book, por supuesto, pues no he visto más de la autora en las librerías.
En conclusión, tenemos aquí una novela que engancha moderadamente, que aunque le faltó ser más explosiva y un poquito más romántica, está muy muy bien porque es diferente, original y muy muy atractiva. Con una mezcla entre romance vampírico e histórico llama la atención y no decepciona como muchas del género, definitivamente tengo ganas de leer más de la autora, y ahora que me doy cuenta de que hace parte de una serie, estoy muy contenta de poder disfrutar de ella. Tengo unas grandes expectativas para las demás si los consigo en e-book, por supuesto, pues no he visto más de la autora en las librerías.
July 15, 2010
The first of Susan's books that I read and the one that made me a fan. I love her take on the vampire world.
October 8, 2019
OKAY, THIS HAD ITS UPS AND ALSO ITS DOWNS. THE IDEA OF IT WAS A CLASSIC ORIGINAL, NOT THE VAMPIRE PART BUT THE FACT THAT WE'VE READ AND HAVE VAMPIRE BOOKS SATURATING THE MARKET YET LESS THAN 1/4 OF IT TALKS ABOUT CHARACTERS EXPERIENCING THE VAMPIRE BITE AND CHANGE. THIS ONE WAS IT.
HERO is the younger son of an aristocratic family whom I assume worked on a Navy ship before they were accosted by pirates and he was sold into slavery. Due to his brawny size, he's often used for labour. That wasn't the hard part. The traumatic part for him was being slave to a vampiress who raped him repeatedly and tortured him sexually, drinking his blood and forcing him to pleasure her. Basically, she conditioned his body for months to please her. What we can learn here about vampires is pretty much the classic syptoms and etc. What I loved best is that it's actually set in old age London. You barely find that anymore when PR are always modernised into 21st century. We get to follow Rufford's pain, his fears and the transitioning of a human into vampirism. He doesn't even know what he's experiencing, only knowing that he's stronger, faster, sensitive to the sun and needs to feed on blood. Left for dead by Asharti, he miraculously made it through the desert and found his way back to civilisation and on board a ship to London. There, he meets our brave heroine who happens to be the only one who will befriend him through it all.
HEROINE was beautiful to me. Mainly because I'm biased and think all Egyptians look beautiful and cool. She's half Egyptian, lending her a pair of exotic green eyes. She may not be classically beautiful with her brown skin, but I can just imagine what a knockout she actually looks like if you compare them to standard day Victoria's Secret model exotic sans make up. Okay, anyway, heroing has embarked on an archealogical life most of her 24 years and when her father dies, she's sent back to London since it ain't proper. She's dying to uncover the secrets of the Kivala, to achieve her father's dream. Fate allows her to meet a man who was infected by The Companion, a parasite that turns humans into vampires and while she's fearful, she comes to befriend him and also fall in love with him.
OVERALL the story was engaging simply because it keeps you on suspense of what's going to happen. It started off with a simple plot of Rufford having vampirism ways and then meeting our heroine, allowing them time to fall in love and then comes the bad guy and introduction of new vampire characters that will kickstart this entire series.
WHAT I DISLIKED about the story? The romance wasn't the highlight of the book. Why? I can't believe I'm saying this but while I enjoyed it, and it was important, the whole vampire world building took away the intensity and essence of a good ol' romance. Most of the time we read about Rufford's sex life with the evil vampiress MORE than he actually had sex (twice) with the heroine. I get that he was a sex & blood slave, and while it did weigh heavily upon me the consequence of his traumatic experience, I didn't wish to read so much heavy sex scenes about him and another female. And I hate to point this out but the heroine sort of loved him more and first than Rufford ever did. Guess I can't blame the guy for he's the one who turned vampire.
AGAIN OVERALL....yes, I'd recommend it but don't even think to compare it to modern day PR. Just accept it in the eyes of a classical vampire non-fiction literature.
HERO is the younger son of an aristocratic family whom I assume worked on a Navy ship before they were accosted by pirates and he was sold into slavery. Due to his brawny size, he's often used for labour. That wasn't the hard part. The traumatic part for him was being slave to a vampiress who raped him repeatedly and tortured him sexually, drinking his blood and forcing him to pleasure her. Basically, she conditioned his body for months to please her. What we can learn here about vampires is pretty much the classic syptoms and etc. What I loved best is that it's actually set in old age London. You barely find that anymore when PR are always modernised into 21st century. We get to follow Rufford's pain, his fears and the transitioning of a human into vampirism. He doesn't even know what he's experiencing, only knowing that he's stronger, faster, sensitive to the sun and needs to feed on blood. Left for dead by Asharti, he miraculously made it through the desert and found his way back to civilisation and on board a ship to London. There, he meets our brave heroine who happens to be the only one who will befriend him through it all.
HEROINE was beautiful to me. Mainly because I'm biased and think all Egyptians look beautiful and cool. She's half Egyptian, lending her a pair of exotic green eyes. She may not be classically beautiful with her brown skin, but I can just imagine what a knockout she actually looks like if you compare them to standard day Victoria's Secret model exotic sans make up. Okay, anyway, heroing has embarked on an archealogical life most of her 24 years and when her father dies, she's sent back to London since it ain't proper. She's dying to uncover the secrets of the Kivala, to achieve her father's dream. Fate allows her to meet a man who was infected by The Companion, a parasite that turns humans into vampires and while she's fearful, she comes to befriend him and also fall in love with him.
OVERALL the story was engaging simply because it keeps you on suspense of what's going to happen. It started off with a simple plot of Rufford having vampirism ways and then meeting our heroine, allowing them time to fall in love and then comes the bad guy and introduction of new vampire characters that will kickstart this entire series.
WHAT I DISLIKED about the story? The romance wasn't the highlight of the book. Why? I can't believe I'm saying this but while I enjoyed it, and it was important, the whole vampire world building took away the intensity and essence of a good ol' romance. Most of the time we read about Rufford's sex life with the evil vampiress MORE than he actually had sex (twice) with the heroine. I get that he was a sex & blood slave, and while it did weigh heavily upon me the consequence of his traumatic experience, I didn't wish to read so much heavy sex scenes about him and another female. And I hate to point this out but the heroine sort of loved him more and first than Rufford ever did. Guess I can't blame the guy for he's the one who turned vampire.
AGAIN OVERALL....yes, I'd recommend it but don't even think to compare it to modern day PR. Just accept it in the eyes of a classical vampire non-fiction literature.
July 13, 2020
Un Dark davvero poco Harmony?
Nuova serie, nuova autrice ma protagonisti soliti d’eccezione: i vampiri.
Non avevo letto fino ad ora niente della Squires e come primo impatto non è stato male. All’inizio la storia non ti prende particolarmente perché sembra, strano ma vero per la classificazione di un romanzo da edicola, troppo dark per essere un harmony. Spero quindi sinceramente che questa nuova collana della Mondadori, che va a rimpiazzare quella Mystere poco appetibile e soddisfacente precedentemente chiusa, rimanga su questo filone, presentando non proprio autrici nuove ma anche trame non troppo liquefatte su se stesse.
Particolarità della trama è che potrebbe essere un buon preludio o tassello temporale mancante per un’altra serie e un’altra scrittrice con cui ho recentemente avuto a che fare, la Adrian e la sua serie che al momento si è rivelata un certo stallo colossale. Perché rapportarla alla Adrian? Bhè perché preludio di questi vampiri non morti morti è una discendenza aliena, di creature millenarie provenienti da chissà dove e che con un piccolo loro insediamento iniziale hanno portato la civiltà qui sulla terra a partire dai Carpazi per arrivare fino all’Egitto.
Cosa ancor più piacevole, se già non risultava tale dopo questo preludio molto soddisfacente, è la questione storiologica della sfinge e delle piramidi che solo recentemente sta emergendo nel nostro panorama culturale quotidiano, e ritrovare gli stessi argomenti interessanti e sconcertanti in un romanzo pubblicato nel 2005! Come al solito qui da noi sappiamo le ultime congetture per terza mano o in modo ritardato.
Inoltre l’ambientazione, i protagonisti e la loro caratterizzazione, la storia, lo stile sono di un piacevole e di un interessante. All’inizio non prende molto, anche perché sembrerebbe altro, ma poi, dopo il bacio oscuro iniziale il tutto prende vita in un crescendo di interesse da ambe le parti.
Ian, contrariamente ai normali protagonisti, ha un passato davvero difficile e crudele per la propria recente schiavitù infertagli e non si abbandona ad una normale infatuazione per la protagonista, Beth, che con la propria bellezza personale non cerca un marito se non per amore, ma solo la possibilità di continuare la propria passione sovra ogni cosa.
Beth e Ian, nella loro specialità qualitativa emergono e si legano l’uno all’altro con estremo disinteresse ma con un profondo senso del mistero e dell’amore che non vanno in conflitto o rendono il tutto irreale ma che invece avvalora entrambi.
Piacevole tanto da voler proseguire con gli altri e da meritarsi quattro stelle tonde tonde.
Nuova serie, nuova autrice ma protagonisti soliti d’eccezione: i vampiri.
Non avevo letto fino ad ora niente della Squires e come primo impatto non è stato male. All’inizio la storia non ti prende particolarmente perché sembra, strano ma vero per la classificazione di un romanzo da edicola, troppo dark per essere un harmony. Spero quindi sinceramente che questa nuova collana della Mondadori, che va a rimpiazzare quella Mystere poco appetibile e soddisfacente precedentemente chiusa, rimanga su questo filone, presentando non proprio autrici nuove ma anche trame non troppo liquefatte su se stesse.
Particolarità della trama è che potrebbe essere un buon preludio o tassello temporale mancante per un’altra serie e un’altra scrittrice con cui ho recentemente avuto a che fare, la Adrian e la sua serie che al momento si è rivelata un certo stallo colossale. Perché rapportarla alla Adrian? Bhè perché preludio di questi vampiri non morti morti è una discendenza aliena, di creature millenarie provenienti da chissà dove e che con un piccolo loro insediamento iniziale hanno portato la civiltà qui sulla terra a partire dai Carpazi per arrivare fino all’Egitto.
Cosa ancor più piacevole, se già non risultava tale dopo questo preludio molto soddisfacente, è la questione storiologica della sfinge e delle piramidi che solo recentemente sta emergendo nel nostro panorama culturale quotidiano, e ritrovare gli stessi argomenti interessanti e sconcertanti in un romanzo pubblicato nel 2005! Come al solito qui da noi sappiamo le ultime congetture per terza mano o in modo ritardato.
Inoltre l’ambientazione, i protagonisti e la loro caratterizzazione, la storia, lo stile sono di un piacevole e di un interessante. All’inizio non prende molto, anche perché sembrerebbe altro, ma poi, dopo il bacio oscuro iniziale il tutto prende vita in un crescendo di interesse da ambe le parti.
Ian, contrariamente ai normali protagonisti, ha un passato davvero difficile e crudele per la propria recente schiavitù infertagli e non si abbandona ad una normale infatuazione per la protagonista, Beth, che con la propria bellezza personale non cerca un marito se non per amore, ma solo la possibilità di continuare la propria passione sovra ogni cosa.
Beth e Ian, nella loro specialità qualitativa emergono e si legano l’uno all’altro con estremo disinteresse ma con un profondo senso del mistero e dell’amore che non vanno in conflitto o rendono il tutto irreale ma che invece avvalora entrambi.
Piacevole tanto da voler proseguire con gli altri e da meritarsi quattro stelle tonde tonde.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 13, 2023
Trigger Warnings!!
SO MUCH RAPE! The main male character is raped repeatedly throughout the book, both sexually and orally, he's forced to perform against his will, and tools are used on him (it is graphic). The MMC rightfully has PTSD from it and fears all women. Torture; the MMC is a slave (there are lots of others as well) that are barely fed, barely watered, and forced to do things against their will. There are also graphic fight scenes, people being forced to do things against their will and then having memories implanted, and vampire feedings. There is no cheating, violence against children or pregnant women.
One star because I have a low tolerance for rape, especially when it is used continually to build a character.
The story is about a man, Ian, who is taken hostage by pirates, sold as a slave, and handed over to a female vampire monster who continually rapes him and does other sexual and physical acts of violence to him while mind-controlling him. It's a backstory that is shown through memories repeatedly throughout the book. The writing style was similar to "Dracula." I understand the author was showing why he doesn't trust women and how he hates the female vampire, and loathes his own being (since he was turned into a vampire). But when this is a romance novel and almost every sex scene is a rape scene against a character...not a good book.
The book would have been great otherwise. I didn't mind that it was slow. It was a little irritating how both characters were filled with so much self-loathing, but as long as every book doesn't have it I can deal every once in a while. I was very interested in the archaeological aspect of it all and found some of the story really cool. But then there would be more backstory of rape, more self-loathing and it got sickening. Truthfully one rape scene is usually enough to make me throw a book across the room but I'm running out of romances to read so I thought I'd see this one through.
SO MUCH RAPE! The main male character is raped repeatedly throughout the book, both sexually and orally, he's forced to perform against his will, and tools are used on him (it is graphic). The MMC rightfully has PTSD from it and fears all women. Torture; the MMC is a slave (there are lots of others as well) that are barely fed, barely watered, and forced to do things against their will. There are also graphic fight scenes, people being forced to do things against their will and then having memories implanted, and vampire feedings. There is no cheating, violence against children or pregnant women.
One star because I have a low tolerance for rape, especially when it is used continually to build a character.
The story is about a man, Ian, who is taken hostage by pirates, sold as a slave, and handed over to a female vampire monster who continually rapes him and does other sexual and physical acts of violence to him while mind-controlling him. It's a backstory that is shown through memories repeatedly throughout the book. The writing style was similar to "Dracula." I understand the author was showing why he doesn't trust women and how he hates the female vampire, and loathes his own being (since he was turned into a vampire). But when this is a romance novel and almost every sex scene is a rape scene against a character...not a good book.
The book would have been great otherwise. I didn't mind that it was slow. It was a little irritating how both characters were filled with so much self-loathing, but as long as every book doesn't have it I can deal every once in a while. I was very interested in the archaeological aspect of it all and found some of the story really cool. But then there would be more backstory of rape, more self-loathing and it got sickening. Truthfully one rape scene is usually enough to make me throw a book across the room but I'm running out of romances to read so I thought I'd see this one through.
May 16, 2018
I wanted to like this book. I tried really hard to like this book. Overall, I would probably give it 2.5 stars. I think I will attempt to read the next in the series in the hope that it is better. I’m keeping my fingers crossed.
Why the low rating?
Okay, so I fell in love with the synopsis and it set my expectations way too high. As far as an adventure book, this one actually has a detailed plot. As far as a romance book, it fell flat. That was the problem for me! I was 100 pages in and the main characters had pecked on the lips. I was 200 pages in and they’d kissed all of twice with zero flirtation. For about 50 pages halfway through the book, they don’t even interact with each other.
When they do interact in the first 250 pages, it’s very little romance. The heroine admits she likes the hero and feels an attraction to him. But they don’t even flirt with one another. It’s all very business like when they are together. The chemistry is just not there! There are some vivid sex scenes, but most of them are between the hero and the evil vampire where it’s more like he’s getting raped than enjoying himself.
Yeah, soooooo....the romance part of this historical paranormal romance was just missing. *shrugs* It was hard to finish and I found myself skimming a lot during the middle/end of the book. It drags.
Why the low rating?
Okay, so I fell in love with the synopsis and it set my expectations way too high. As far as an adventure book, this one actually has a detailed plot. As far as a romance book, it fell flat. That was the problem for me! I was 100 pages in and the main characters had pecked on the lips. I was 200 pages in and they’d kissed all of twice with zero flirtation. For about 50 pages halfway through the book, they don’t even interact with each other.
When they do interact in the first 250 pages, it’s very little romance. The heroine admits she likes the hero and feels an attraction to him. But they don’t even flirt with one another. It’s all very business like when they are together. The chemistry is just not there! There are some vivid sex scenes, but most of them are between the hero and the evil vampire where it’s more like he’s getting raped than enjoying himself.
Yeah, soooooo....the romance part of this historical paranormal romance was just missing. *shrugs* It was hard to finish and I found myself skimming a lot during the middle/end of the book. It drags.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 10, 2021
L'amante delle tenebre è il primo di una serie di romanzi con protagonisti vampiri. Contrariamente a tutto quello che è stato pubblicato, in questo volume, la componente vampiresca è più dominante rispetto al romanticismo. Per cui, atmosfere più inquietanti e scene più violente e crude.
Il romanzo è ambientato nel 1818 tra Tripoli e Londra (le descrizioni sono molto suggestive soprattutto per quel che riguarda la parte dedicata al deserto) e i punti di vista sono due (Elizabeth e Ian). Quest'ultimo aspetto l'ho molto apprezzato perché di solito è soprattutto quello femminile ad avere più spazio.
Il romanzo è incentrato principalmente sui tumulti interiori del protagonista maschile (realistici senza dubbio) ma l'autrice cura poco il risvolto romantico tra i due protagonisti (un rapporto che mi è sembrato troppo tiepido nonostante alla fine si siano innamorati e abbiano scoperto la passione).
Il mondo vampiresco creato dall'autrice è interessante, curato e intrigante ed anche la caratterizzazione dei due protagonisti è ben fatta. Beth è intelligente, forte, brillante e con una gran voglia di scoprire misteri mentre Ian ha una personalità molto complessa a causa di quello che è stato costretto a subire per due anni.
Per il resto, trovo sia un romanzo diverso ma se siete alla ricerca di una storia con un vampiro che accetta di buon grado la sua condizione, meglio cambiare libro.
Il romanzo è ambientato nel 1818 tra Tripoli e Londra (le descrizioni sono molto suggestive soprattutto per quel che riguarda la parte dedicata al deserto) e i punti di vista sono due (Elizabeth e Ian). Quest'ultimo aspetto l'ho molto apprezzato perché di solito è soprattutto quello femminile ad avere più spazio.
Il romanzo è incentrato principalmente sui tumulti interiori del protagonista maschile (realistici senza dubbio) ma l'autrice cura poco il risvolto romantico tra i due protagonisti (un rapporto che mi è sembrato troppo tiepido nonostante alla fine si siano innamorati e abbiano scoperto la passione).
Il mondo vampiresco creato dall'autrice è interessante, curato e intrigante ed anche la caratterizzazione dei due protagonisti è ben fatta. Beth è intelligente, forte, brillante e con una gran voglia di scoprire misteri mentre Ian ha una personalità molto complessa a causa di quello che è stato costretto a subire per due anni.
Per il resto, trovo sia un romanzo diverso ma se siete alla ricerca di una storia con un vampiro che accetta di buon grado la sua condizione, meglio cambiare libro.
July 21, 2021
4.5 stars - Such a fresh read.
Super interesting take on vampires & amazing beta hero with a likable heroine
We have Ian a 3rd son drafted into the military and captured and sold into slavery which right away is extremely unique for a historical/paranormal romance. He is a proud hero but extremely vulnerable due to the circumstances of his imprisonment.
Next we have Beth a headstrong and intelligent heroine. She is extremely forthright and speaks her mind in a way that was extremely refreshing.
Paired together these two worked perfectly.
I loved it - it did slow a bit around 60-75% while building to the climax (a good bit of traveling) and I would have like a bit more angst put into the resolution of Ian’s *coughs* issues with Beth in the boudoir however overall this is an excellent first book in a new to me series.
I would also like to add that I had this booked shelved for YEARS without picking it up. I will be checking my backlist so many great authors hidden in there.
Super interesting take on vampires & amazing beta hero with a likable heroine
We have Ian a 3rd son drafted into the military and captured and sold into slavery which right away is extremely unique for a historical/paranormal romance. He is a proud hero but extremely vulnerable due to the circumstances of his imprisonment.
Next we have Beth a headstrong and intelligent heroine. She is extremely forthright and speaks her mind in a way that was extremely refreshing.
Paired together these two worked perfectly.
I loved it - it did slow a bit around 60-75% while building to the climax (a good bit of traveling) and I would have like a bit more angst put into the resolution of Ian’s *coughs* issues with Beth in the boudoir however overall this is an excellent first book in a new to me series.
I would also like to add that I had this booked shelved for YEARS without picking it up. I will be checking my backlist so many great authors hidden in there.
May 28, 2021
Mas bien un 3,5☆ Porque sufri 😔😔 es una historia dura, no es una historia romántica ni corriente y menos alegre. Me ha gustado mucho, la trama es sobrecogedora y llena de incógnitas sobre el pasado de Ian, que se va develando muy lentamente (se intuye) y lo sufrimos con él. Su lucha por lo que ha vivido y en que lo convirtieron.
El enfoque de "una enfermedad sanguínea desconocida" o "El Acompañante " me pareció un enfoque muy interesante y no decir simplemente vampariro, si no contarnos, muy lentamente, lo sufrido por Ian. Lo que lo hace un personaje lleno de cicatrices, que lo marcaron tanto por dentro como por fuera.
Elizabeth es una mezcla ingenuidad, práctica y romántica a la vez, ve el lado bueno de todo, lo que la hace perfecta para él.
El enfoque de "una enfermedad sanguínea desconocida" o "El Acompañante " me pareció un enfoque muy interesante y no decir simplemente vampariro, si no contarnos, muy lentamente, lo sufrido por Ian. Lo que lo hace un personaje lleno de cicatrices, que lo marcaron tanto por dentro como por fuera.
Elizabeth es una mezcla ingenuidad, práctica y romántica a la vez, ve el lado bueno de todo, lo que la hace perfecta para él.
February 15, 2024
There wasn't anything bad about this book per se, it was just kind of boring and I didn't really feel the chemistry between Ian and Beth, and I don't really know why.
The Companion is a fairly unique HR in the sense that a majority of it takes place in North Africa and it features a vampire hero. Beth is an academic and historian who lives in Egypt with her father helping him with his research. However when her father passes away suddenly, she's forced to go back to England. On the voyage back she meets Ian who's got a weird broody thing going on. She's intrigued and eventually finds out that he's a vampire.
Ian is a pretty tortured hero who had an ~extremely~ traumatic experience enslaved to some vampire queen or something. He's reeling from that and thinks that the vampiric affliction that's infected him is the work of the Devil or something.
Idk there was something about this book that I couldn't quite latch onto. The plot was a bit on the slow side and the romance just wasn't that interesting to me. A lot of the book is learning about Ian's past enslaved to said vampire queen and it felt like the story spent more time with the plot side than the romance. Tough thing is the plot wasn't THAT amazing so I'm just left feeling meh.
Beth's and Ian's romance felt very... reserved. You read romance for the passion and emotion but here everything was kept bubbling below the surface. Even though Asharti, said vampire queen was totally evil, her psychotic enslavement of Ian was more interesting than when Beth and Ian were on page.
I'd recommend it though if you want to try a historical vampire thing with a tortured, but honorable hero.
CW:
The Companion is a fairly unique HR in the sense that a majority of it takes place in North Africa and it features a vampire hero. Beth is an academic and historian who lives in Egypt with her father helping him with his research. However when her father passes away suddenly, she's forced to go back to England. On the voyage back she meets Ian who's got a weird broody thing going on. She's intrigued and eventually finds out that he's a vampire.
Ian is a pretty tortured hero who had an ~extremely~ traumatic experience enslaved to some vampire queen or something. He's reeling from that and thinks that the vampiric affliction that's infected him is the work of the Devil or something.
Idk there was something about this book that I couldn't quite latch onto. The plot was a bit on the slow side and the romance just wasn't that interesting to me. A lot of the book is learning about Ian's past enslaved to said vampire queen and it felt like the story spent more time with the plot side than the romance. Tough thing is the plot wasn't THAT amazing so I'm just left feeling meh.
Beth's and Ian's romance felt very... reserved. You read romance for the passion and emotion but here everything was kept bubbling below the surface. Even though Asharti, said vampire queen was totally evil, her psychotic enslavement of Ian was more interesting than when Beth and Ian were on page.
I'd recommend it though if you want to try a historical vampire thing with a tortured, but honorable hero.
CW:
October 10, 2021
Look, I know this is a bodice ripper with vampires, but no research was done- and it shows! Why is it set in regency era? Makes far more sense being set in 1900s, not 1800s. For a start, the Sphinx was still under sand when this book was set.
Yeah yeah, I know people don’t read these for accuracy, but georgette hayers was a fiend for research, and she still wrote her romance leads occasionally ripping a bodice.
Yeah yeah, I know people don’t read these for accuracy, but georgette hayers was a fiend for research, and she still wrote her romance leads occasionally ripping a bodice.
July 17, 2019
Rated 4.5 Stars
This is one of the most unique Vampire books I've ever read. I found it at my library years ago. This is my second time reading it. It's not for everyone, that's for sure. But it was for me! It's mostly a historical PNR and some strange & cruel stuff goes on here. Read at your own risk.
This is one of the most unique Vampire books I've ever read. I found it at my library years ago. This is my second time reading it. It's not for everyone, that's for sure. But it was for me! It's mostly a historical PNR and some strange & cruel stuff goes on here. Read at your own risk.
August 4, 2021
Ok this is… a weird rating. It’s batshit. It’s historical. It’s vampires. It’s our half Egyptian heroine being smart and competent af. It’s somehow the second book I’ve read in two weeks insinuating vampires were behind Napoleon.
It’s also a LOT of time recounting all of the varieties of Ian’s sexual abuse at the hands of his maker in a way that felt gratuitous and unnecessary.
It’s also a LOT of time recounting all of the varieties of Ian’s sexual abuse at the hands of his maker in a way that felt gratuitous and unnecessary.
August 30, 2024
Very meh...boring and the romance left a lot to be desired. I kept on reading and hoping it would get better. The sex between the hero and the villain vampiress was hotter and more lengthy than the very minimal sexual content we get with the heroine (at the VERY END). I would honestly say this is more a book of fiction with a romance subplot rather than a romance...
July 21, 2020
Not my jam... DNF
October 20, 2020
A story that highlights the more realistic tragedy if one were to ever become a vampire.
November 11, 2021
ok
It was a good story. Original idea on vampires. Elk written past scenes but very slow moving. Low steam. Just seemed to lag a bit at times.
It was a good story. Original idea on vampires. Elk written past scenes but very slow moving. Low steam. Just seemed to lag a bit at times.
August 12, 2023
I read this series of books last year, it’s an historical vampire series! So good, although very graphic and explicit with torture, abuse and explicit sex scenes.
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