Elements: Vampires, prostitution
Rating:
- Characters - 4 - The characters are well-chosen for the story Kerry tells, though they're a bit archetypal. I would have liked to have seen more interactions with other characters. However, for a short story of this type, they work quite well.
- Setting - 4 - Good, though a bit vague on the details. I did like the choice of locale, but I would have loved to hear more about the place and time the characters were in.
- Plot - 4 - A little confusing, but enjoyable in the end.
- Genre Elements - 4 - Good, but again, not enough detail. I would have liked some more specific detail about Maikel's needs as a vampire. Is he a generic vampire, or is there something unusual about his sort?
- Voice - 5 - Both characters are very distinct, and easy to tell apart.
- Romance Elements - 4 - The boys' feelings for each other develop well, but their pig-headedness at not being willing to admit to it makes me want to smack both their heads.
- Overall - 4 - A lovely little story that I enjoyed quite a bit. Mostly, I wanted more detail.
Unlike the others in the House Arjen works in, he has no interest in having a vampire for a client. Too bad that he's the only one Maikel's interested in.
My thoughts -
I really wasn't sure what to expect when I started reading this story, but the characters quickly drew me in. Enough so that their stubbornness got annoying pretty quickly, but in the way that makes you want to keep reading to find out if they get past it.
Amsterdam is a place I've not read nor studied much about, so I was interesting to see it as a setting. I was a little let down that there wasn't more detail about it in the story. But really, in the greater scope of the story, it wasn't needed. It just would have been nice and would have added flavor to the world.
Arjen and Maikel feel like real, fully realized people with pasts, even those details we don't hear about. We don't hear much about how they got where they are. What is important to the story is why they both agree to the deal that they make. And it works. Never once do you question those details, or their reasons for them, even when they're lying to themselves.
I very much enjoyed this story, and I'll almost definitely read it again at some point. I'll have to look and see what else Kerry has done, because she's got a lovely hand for character.
Warnings -
Vampire blood need, a bit of violence, but nothing graphic.
Overall Recommendation -
Definitely worth a read if you like vampires.
Link to the story - Blood and Roses (on Goodreads)
Author Link - Aislinn Kerry (on Goodreads)
If you liked this story, try -
- Soulless by T Baggins (on Goodreads) (read my review here)
- Undesirable by Velvet Mace (LJ)
- From Afar by Ava March (on Goodreads) (read my review here)
- Club Trinity by Minxie (AO3) (read my review here)
- The Adorned by John Tristan (Goodreads) (read my review here)
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