Book Review: OUT FOR BLOOD by Alyxandra Harvey

OUT FOR BLOOD
by Alyxandra Harvey
pub: Nov 2010/Bloomsbury
Website / Amazon

Hunter Wild is the youngest in a long line of elite vampire hunters, a legacy that is both a blessing and a curse at the secret Helios-Ra Academy, where she excels at just about everything. Thanks to her friendship with Kieran Black, Hunter receives a special invitation to attend the coronation of Helena Drake, and for the first time, she sees the difference between vampires that must be hunted and vampires that can become friends—or even more. When students at the academy fall victim to a mysterious illness, Hunter suspects they are under attack from within. She will need someone she can trust to help her save the future of Helios-Ra . . . help that shockingly comes in the form of Quinn Drake, a drop-dead gorgeous vampire. Who said senior year would be easy?

CHARACTERS: I loved Quinn, the latest drool-worthy Drake brother in this cast of sibling hotties He’s the playboy of the bunch, enjoying his flock of human and vampire girls falling at his feet, or in this case, his fangs. But this time it’s his turn to fall. Hunter, the last in a long line of famous vampire hunters, is a strong, spunky female lead who struggles with her family’s prejudice as she crushes on a vampire.

PLOT: Races along as the mystery unfolds through heart-pounding action and drama into a complex tangle of horrific nastiness. The romance is flirty - Quinn’s cocky arrogance and bold self-assurance a seductive presence every time he’s on the page…which isn’t enough.

BEST PART: The playful dialogue and ratcheting sexual tension, so I adored the second half of the book where they’re solving the mystery and falling hard for each other. Quinn steals the show as the dashing rogue and commitment-phobe finally getting a taste – literally and figuratively – of love. I missed whenever he wasn’t on the page flexing his sultry sexuality.

SEXUAL CONTENT/LANGUAGE:  The steamy factor is tame enough for younger teens – no sex just making out. While I noticed a slight increase in language compared to the first two books, the swearing remains mild.

BOTTOMLINE: Fans of the series will enjoy this latest installment. You have to wait a bit longer for the romance to kick-in to high gear, but once it does, it adds to a highly entertaining mix of drama and deceit, fierce fighting, stakes flying, Hel-Bar snarling, and another Drake brother to swoon over.

BLEEDING HEARTS is the next in the series. No cover yet but here's the blurb.

The Drakes and friends will be tested when an infestation of deadly vampires threatens Violet Hill Lucy’s cousin Christabel has come to live in Violet Hill, and adjusting to the difference between life in a small mountain town and her home in the city is difficult enough. The strict curfew that Lucy’s parents enforce is the worst part. Something really dangerous couldn’t possibly happen in this tiny town. But Christabel has noticed some mysterious happenings, and it seems like Lucy, her boyfriend Nicholas and his brother Connor are all in on a secret that Christabel doesn’t understand—one that seems deadly serious. Although she won’t admit it, Christabel would love to be in on any secret with Connor Drake. But when she is kidnapped by tthe ruthless Hel-Blar vampires, Christabel must cause more and more trouble in Violet Hill, Lucy and Connor finally fill Christabel in on all the undead drama. Together, they must find a way to stamp out the Hel-Blar for good.