2019-03-18
When a young boy makes a 911 call, saying he's afraid his neighbor is in danger from someone who might be a vampire, it draws the attention of the powerful Notte family, putting his aunt on a path to love with her fated mate.
Petronella "Pet" Stone is watching her nephew, Parker, when she meets the Nottes, taking special notice of tall, dark, and handsome Santo. Pet doesn't know the Nottes have been drawn to the neighborhood by an emergency call Parker made out of worry for his neighbor Mr. Purdy. She only knows that she's seen the Notte's "glowing eyes" before, in China, when she was 6 and her mother and stepfather, an Enforcer, were viciously killed by a group of immortal criminals. Pet distrusts the Nottes until they rescue Parker from a break-in and he explains the 911 call and that they believe Mr. Purdy is in danger from his murderous cousin. Pet also acts on a ridiculous attraction to Santo, and while she's deciding whether or not to become his immortal match, she and Santo share details from their tragic pasts that help them bond. Meanwhile, attacks against her family escalate. Sands continues her popular Argeneau series with a Chinese heroine who mates with a Notte and opens the door to yet another band of heroes and villains readers might anticipate in future titles. The romance between Santo and Pet is compelling, but their individual backstories are horrifying. The rest is the usual combination of Argeneau vampire mythology, incendiary sex, touches of humor, and generally interesting storytelling.
Typical fare for Sands' Argeneau series.
