Drew Ruthin and The Blood of Changes Volume Two of The Ruthin Trilogy [Kindle Edition]

The book picks up where Devon Ruthin stops and immediately recaptures the drama. I found myself fascinated by the changes Drew was going through. Ms Stokes writes so cleverly that it started to make me think outside the box. Are vampires evil humans or a completely different species - predators following their natural instincts. Can a vampire be evil, any more than a tiger or a shark? Is the definition of evil something that preys on humans, or is that simply our perception of it because we're the prey? What if we hadn't happened to evolve at the top of the food chain? Do the animals we eat think we're evil? (And that isn't a plug for vegetarianism. I like a good steak as much as anyone).

Anyway, not to digress from the story, the scenes where Drew struggles with an awakening human conscience, while still trapped in the physical needs of his vampire's body, were incredible. I began to empathise with Drew, even when he was ripping apart innocent young women, because you could feel his growing anguish so strongly.

But above all, of course, this series is a beautiful romance. And so it's only natural that love will provide the solution to Drew's dilemma, and those who care about him will help him through.

Unfortunately for Drew, some still judge him by his past and refuse to believe he can have reformed. The ancients debate what to do about him, leaving us with a nail biting finish.

The romantic threads from the previous book also continue. Devon and Bliss are still together, but Devon worries about Bliss's mortality. Has he found his soul mate only to lose her in what for him is a few brief years? And some new couples come into the story, providing some wonderfully steamy scenes (which you might not want to read with your granny in the room).
This is a fantastic book in a magical series. If you're looking for a paranormal romance to curl up and get lost in, then you can't go wrong with the Ruthin series.

Tessa Stokes' prose weaves an elegant web in "Drew Ruthin and the Blood of Changes." This is a great, imaginative series with terrific characters. In the first book, we meet Drew, a ruthlessly manipulative and selfish vampire who goes hunting for humans, along with his better brother, Devon, and Devon's human love, Bliss. The first book ends with Drew's death--and yet he doesn't die. Somebody saves him, and now he awakens a very changed vampire in this second installment of the paranormal romance series.

After centuries of peace between the vampires and ancients, Drew now poses a terrible threat. Unknown to Elise, a vampire named Greta brought him back to life. Drew remembers nothing but soon realizes he's rich and delights at finding plenty of blood in the fridge.

Meanwhile, Balthazar Crane, a mysterious ancient with an obscure history, knows all about Drew's past and is obsessed with Greta, the tall, striking female vampire who reminds him of someone he used to love a long time ago. And yet he knows they are hunters and chides himself for not killing them, and fears they will only wreak more havoc.

Stokes understands the complexity of love, the messy tangle of fear and resentment and tenderness and patience and regret that fuels most relationships. How these intriguing characters' fates are intertwined keeps you turning pages until the very end. But it's Stokes' lyricism and keen observations that carry you away. "She always signed her name with two kisses no matter who the note was for." Seagulls are described as "clouds of diamonds in the sky as they surged around."

Highly recommended!

Drew Ruthin and The Blood of Changes picks up right where we left off at the end of Volume One and takes us on a continuing paranormal romantic journey. Drew Ruthin has awakened from death more than a little changed. He has no memory of his former life as the ruthless vampire he was and because of his former manipulative, selfish ways he has very few people willing to help him recover. As the beautifully intricate scenes unfold, Drew finds himself more than just a little altered in his re-vamped state and feels compelled to understand why.

Ms. Stokes expands her cast of engaging characters as we follow the paths of several couples, some new, some carried over from Volume One. Each of them adds depth and intrigue to the fascinating storyline. The transitions between scenes and events felt absolutely fluid, never disrupting but only adding to the stream-of-consciousness feel of this expert writer.

Ms. Stokes writes in a lovely, hypnotic style that draws the reader into the world she so masterfully paints. I couldn't help but turn page after page, so immersedin the dream-like trance her writing creates. The end has me very anxious to find out what will happen as we are very definitely heading toward a huge event that could mean war between the vampires and ancients! Highly Recommended!