The Vampire Who Loved Me [Mass Market Paperback]

Courtesy of CK2S Kwips and Kritiques

In this sequel to After Midnight, we meet up with Portia Cabot five years later and after she has embraced her new job as vampire hunter, assisting her brother-in-law, Adrian Kane.

Portia loved Julian Kane with all the innocence of her young heart, even risking her soul to save him that night in a crypt five years ago. No one knows what really happened in there but she and Julian, though she now wears the tell tale bite marks on her throat. He abandoned her then, with his only intent to go find his soul and to escape the feelings for Portia that still haunt him.

Now Julian has returned to London, at the same time dead bodies of women begin showing up. Portia decides it is up to her to find Julian and bring him home. When she finds him, she discovers he is not the same man as he once was, for he has embraced his dark gift and seems unwilling to give it up. Little does she know that the real reason he disappeared was to forget about the forbidden love he had for her. Reunited, albeit reluctantly, Portia discovers her love for Julian is as strong as it ever was. But she can't forget the nagging possibility that he may very well be a murderer.

At last we have the resolution to the love story of Portia and Julian in The Vampire Who Loved Me. After seeing how much they struggled with their feelings in After Midnight, it is wonderful to see what has become of them. However, keep in mind that though this book does have its own story, it really feeds off of the buildup from the preceding novel. As such, if you have not read the prequel, you could be very confused at many times throughout the story.

Portia is a young woman torn between her desires for a man she cannot have and her duty to her family. She lives with the memory of her last meeting with Julian, one that she must keep secret to save his life. If Adrian knew everything that happened in the crypt, he would be hard-pressed not to hunt Julian down and drive the stake through his brother's heart himself. While Portia can not quite bring herself to believe Julian would have fallen so far as to become a murderer, she can't help the feeling that he is not the same man he once was.

The tone in this story is quite dark, possibly more so than its preceding title, due to the nature of Julian's spirit and mind. He agonizes over the choices he has made bringing him to his current state, but he will do absolutely anything to protect Portia, even if he must make a deal with a devil to do so. He is tortured by the beast that holds his soul and his love for Portia is all that keeps him from falling into the dark void of his baser vampiric needs.

If anyone deserves a happy-ever-after, it's Portia and Julian. After everything they've been through together and alone, they find that their love has the power to move mountains, and bring them back from the very brink of hell. I was happy to see that their journey to happiness was every bit as strong and unique as they are. Readers will rejoice in finally seeing them reach what they so desperately long for... each other.

© Kelley A. Hartsell, January 2007. All rights reserved.

This is the sequel to "After Midnight" which introduced the sisters Caroline, Vivienne and Portia Cabot. In the first book Caroline married Adrian Kane, Viscount Trevelyan and Vampire Hunter and her sister Vivienne married Constable Larkin, a friend of Adrian's. Poor Portia drew the short straw in the plot of this book - she's two young to get married and ended up locked up in a crypt with a hungry vampire. They both survived but she now has puncture wounds on her neck from Adrian's brother Julian's fangs - yep, the vampire hunter has a vampire for a brother.

"The Vampire Who Loved Me" action takes place four years after "After Midnight". Julian the vampire has been roaming the world trying to find the vampire that sired his sire in order to get back his soul (rather a lot of intangible concepts here). He returns to London and immediately women are being killed, drained of blood, in London. His brother Adrian is worried Julian is to blame. Portia is convinced he isn't as she's had a tendre for Julian since she met him.

This book has much more information about vampires and that's fun - the author has Portia pretending to be a vampire and attending a ball with Julian - but still the opportunities are squandered by resorting to traditional romance stereotypes. Once again there are annoying things in the writing (points of view changing unexpectedly, etc) and the grand finale felt way too contrived to me. Characterisation is OK, especially in the relationship between the brothers - what do you do when you fear your much-loved brother is evil? - but overall I found myself disappointed with the book. I felt there were wasted opportunities in what was a good story and I don't feel inspired to read any more of Ms Medeiros' books as a result.

At the age of seventeen, lovely Portia Cabot saved the life of the dashing and newly turned vampire Julian Kane. Unable to stop himself, Julian marked her neck forever. However, he was able to refrain from stealing her soul and adding her to the undead realm. Only by killing the vampire who currently has claim of his soul can Julian ever hope to reclaim his humanity. Almost six full years pass ...

There has always been something between Portia and Julian. When Julian left her years ago, Portia could only pray for him. During that time, Portia has kept busy. She resides in Adrian Kane's home, Julian's brother, who is married to her older sister, Caroline. It may be a secret from the rest of London, but within this household, all know that Adrian is a vampire-hunter. His partner, the former constable Larkin (who is married to another sister of Portia's), has helped Adrian drive out almost all the vampires in London. Portia spent all her time learning to hunt and kill vampires, fully expecting to become a third partner.

When four women are found dead, drained of all blood and all within a short time span, Adrian realizes that there is another vampire to hunt in the area. No one expected Julian to be nearby. Worse, all four deaths were during Julian's short time in town. It does not take long for a family reunion to occur. Julian's news is worse than anyone could possibly have imagined. Portia's life hangs in the balance as an unmerciful vampire plans to devour her. Julian and her odd family are the only hope Portia has to keep breathing.

***** Absolutely fantastic! It is obvious that Portia's sisters had their own stories told prior to this novel. I have not had the pleasure of reading them; therefore, I can honestly say that you do not HAVE to read the previous stories in order to fully understand and totally enjoy this one. And what an outstanding tale this one is! The author did such a good job that I came to actually care of Portia and her unusual family. Author Teresa Medeiros is fast becoming one of the best writers in the undead genre. *****

Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews.