Monday, April 9, 2018

Review: Blood Veil (Mission #2) by Megan Erickson

Blood Veil by Megan Erickson

My rating: star star star star Half

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Blood Veil by Megan Erickson blurb

Blood Veil is the stunning continuation of the Mission series. Loyalties become divided as Idris seeks vengeance and decides to use Celia as a pawn in this deadly game. Only, he wasn't counting on the fact that Celia would find her way into his heart and change his plans entirely.

I didn't think I would love Idris as much as I loved Athan because Idris was angry, impulsive and bent on revenge. He was one pissed off vampires. But he was also kind and noble and protective. I loved that Celia confused him and divided his loyalties. That she opened him up to more in life than duty and vengeance. When something happens to Celia, watching Idris' grief broke my heart. That and subsequent scenes had me in tears but then, I'm also a sucker for situations like what happened to Celia. That sort of stuff is like my romance catnip. It gets me in the heart every time. And I grew to love Idris. Underneath all the pissed off, vengeance seeking vampire, he was really a sweet guy. Well done, Ms Erickson.

"“Idris,” Athan’s voice rumbled in my ear. “You didn’t call today.” Right. I was supposed to check in, because he still didn’t trust me not to fuck this up. He was mostly right not to trust me, so I didn’t fault him. I had a penchant for acting before thinking. Also, I wasn’t going to do what he said. He didn’t know that, though."

Celia is an innocent in many ways. Abandoned as a baby, not knowing who her parents are, she's truly a pawn in the chess game of power between two warring vampire clans. And she doesn't know what's going on. Not until she gets kidnapped by a surly, brooding, sexy vampire. Despite her innocence, Celia is a survivor, and she's brave and strong. I admired her tremendously for her calm under pressure and her willingness to sacrifice herself for those she loved. All in all, she was a great heroine. I also loved that she brought out a softer side in Idris. He so needed that in his life. Celia was good for him.

"...we were still going to Charlie’s because Idris knew how much I wanted to go. Why did that make my stomach clench with want? I knew the reason—it was because Idris didn’t have to do this. He didn’t have to keep me happy. He only had to keep me alive. This? Going to see Charlie? It wasn’t necessary and it was dangerous. Yet Idris was making it happen. And no one had ever done that for me before. No one in my life had ever been there for me, helped me, and Idris doing so meant a lot."

In many ways, Celia and Idris are kindred spirits. They are both loners and both feel isolated from the people around them. It made me happy to see them find themselves as they discovered each other, and the fact that they completed each other. For Celia and Idris, living for one another became their purpose in life. That made me so happy for them.

"I was used to feeling lost. I’d felt lost all my life, but it was nothing compared to how I felt now. Like I had no anchor, no sense of self. Everything that I thought I had been was washed away in a downpour of Idris’s words and his hands. So I floated. I squeezed my eyes shut as they burned with tears. The mattress was my boat and I was without a life preserver in this strange new world. My face was wet as the tears fell from my eyes. Then I felt arms around me, a warm body pressed to my own. “Celia,” Idris whispered. “Don’t cry.” “I don’t understand what’s going on!” I cried. “I don’t know who I am, or how I’m supposed to feel..."

"“I have a lot on my mind. I needed some time away because I was worried if I stayed, I’d take out my anger on you. It’s what I do. One of my flaws.” “Well, we all have them.” “Flaws?” “Yeah.” He looked me square in the eye, dark eyes like telescopes viewing my soul. “And what are yours, Celia Valerie?” I had so many. Where did I start? “I don’t get close to people. Emotionally or physically. It’s like I don’t know how to. I grew up perfecting how to blend into the background, not draw attention to myself. I fear all I’ve done is make myself invisible. And if someone does show me attention—like Landon—I don’t want it.” “For some of us, even if we grow up surrounded by family, we can still feel like a very lonely outcast.”"

I loved the fact that Blood Guard and Blood Veil both have their premise set against vampire legend and myth. This made the story seem a bit more mystical and magical to me. I like seeing legend come of life in stories that I read and Ms Erickson did great with these.

The blurb for Blood Veil says that it can be read as a standalone story. That's probably true. Ms Erickson provides excellent back story to Athan, why he's king, the vampire life and the reason for the animosity between the Valarian and Gregorian clans. But Blood Guard still provides a lot of the world building for the vampire world that the Mission series is set in. I enjoyed reading Blood Guard first because I got to know Athan and everything that happened to him, and loved seeing him reappear frequently in this story along with Tendra. However, that said, you don't need to read Blood Guard first. You just might want to because I think you'd enjoy both stories more for it.

I don't know if there's going to be more books in the series but I hope so. I'm enjoying these books tremendously.

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2 comments:

  1. Fabulous review for a book in a series I do love a good series :)

    Have Fun

    Helen

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    Replies
    1. I was happily surprised how good this series turned out to be.

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