Embrace by Megan Derr

[reviews_and_ramblings]

What surprised me of Embrace is that, despite the theme, Vampire retro-fantasy about alternative Master and pet relationship, it was strangely sweet, sometime even pretty, and very romantic. The blurb presents the story of nobleman Aubrey and his vampire pet Ruthven, but it’s also the story of Gille and Stregoni, respectively cousin and best friend of Aubrey, and probably this second love story is the one I like the best.

Aubrey is not the typical nobleman hero, i.e. he is not strong and aloof, with a trouble soul which needs to expiate some past sins, and above all he is not the typical hero you would see in the role of a Master; on the other hand, Ruthven is far from being submissive, and, while the story presents a different type of vampire, men and women who are submissive to their owner, Ruthven is exactly how you would imagine an ancient vampire, self-assured, quick in mind and actions, but with a light touch, a penchant for sweetness, that makes him more near to Aubrey.

As I said, I loved Stregoni and Gille; Gille is the villain, or at least this is like the author presents him, the aloof man who was not able to tight a bond of friendship with Aubrey, the one who stole the love of Aubrey’s father, the substitute son, someone Aubrey considers better than himself, at least in being the son his father wants. Plus Gille has stolen Stregoni’s heart, and he is now treating him no better than a whore, using him for sex without never giving him sweet words or some kind actions. But Gille is also very possessive, and when he has the little doubt that Stregoni can find in someone else the love he is not able to find in Gille, he becomes jealous, and almost violent in proving Stregoni he is Gille’s property and no one else.

As in the previous novel by Megan Derr I read, this is a fantasy tale in a regency setting. It’s not historical, the regency setting is good but this is for sure a fantasy, the paranormal elements are intertwined in the story like they were absolutely ordinary elements, the vampires are part of the society like they were simply people from another part of the world, they are “strangers” but no “strange” creatures.

http://www.lessthanthreepress.com/books/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=92&products_id=184

Amazon: Embrace
Amazon Kindle: Embrace
Paperback: 222 pages
Publisher: Less Than Three Press (October 10, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1936202034
ISBN-13: 978-1936202034

Reading List: http://www.librarything.com/catalog_bottom.php?tag=reading list&view=elisa.rolle