Author: Vivian Murdoch
Synopsis: Evangeline: Two rules of The Family: 1. Pray without ceasing. 2. Guard your heart. The moment I stepped foot into Club Toxic, I knew I would be put to the test. What I didn’t know was that I would have my own personal tormentor sent straight from the depths of hell. I try to run from him. I try to hide who I really am. Every step I take, he’s right there with me. How can I escape him and fulfill my mission? My mind and heart are split into two, and there’s no one here to help me gather the pieces. Forgive me, Father, for I’m about to sin.
Adrian: She's immune to my charms--the lovely mortal with hair like spun sunshine and blue eyes that pierce what’s left of my soul. She takes my breath away, so unlike any human I’ve encountered before. There’s a wall there that I can’t push through. She’s hiding something--I feel it in my entire being. No matter, she’ll soon succumb to my will. It’s just a matter of time before I show her who’s boss. Once she’s in my clutches, she’ll have no choice but to submit to me.
I went into this having not read the Midnight Doms anthology, so I had no real idea what the story was going to be about (except a vampire and his prey!). I found myself sucked into the story right away. Vivian's tale reads like Laurell K. Hamilton meets Nora Roberts. The backstory of a woman abused by religion really creates Evangeline's character- and it's believable. She is young, naive, and emotionally damaged. Meeting a man who can read and heal her is a fight between all she's been groomed and inundated with against what her heart begs her to believe. For his part, Adrian understands that there is something (even if he doesn't know what it is) that his life as a Dom can help save his unwitting sub from. Rather than read as DCon, CNC, or NonCon, it actually comes across as a hidden understanding between the two characters.
If you haven't read Vivian's work before, I suggest you start! Before she and I began working together with two parts of the Naughty Triplets, this was my introduction to her writing- it's made me want to read more!
