THE TUDOR VAMPIRE CHRONICLES BOOK 1: KISS OF THE ROSE
Kate Pearce
ISBN: 978-0451230942
August 3, 2010
Penguin Putnam/Signet
Historical Romance
Paranormal Romance/Vampire
Mass Market Paperback

Close to losing the battle in a desperate attempt to defeat King Richard III and gain the crown for himself, Henry Tudor made a bargain with the Druids which bound him and his heirs to the Druids’ struggle against vampires.  Ever since that moment, the Llewellyns, a vampire- slaying family, have been in the Tudor king’s employ.  Now during the reign of Henry VIII, his father’s bargain has been almost forgotten-until bloodless corpses start to turn up in the king’s bedchamber. In order to save the king, Vampire slayer Rosalind Llewellyn must form an uneasy alliance with Druid slayer Sir Christopher Ellis. However, Rosalind soon faces an unimaginable truth: her sworn enemy may just  be her soulmate…

*** In the first book of this sexy new series Kate Pearce takes a bite out of the court of King Henry VIII, right on the heels of the conclusion of  the highly popular and (IMO fabulous)  HBO Tudor series.  In doing so it helped to put faces on a lot of the historical figures mentioned.   Admittedly, I wasn’t sure how I would like to have vampires added into such a highly noted period of historical significance, but I found myself extremely entertained.  The historical aspects were definitely there, no literary license was taken in messing around with the facts, but the author presented an entirely plausible story in fictionalizing what could be happening in the background of the lusty and outrageous happenings of Henry VIII’s court.

Rosalind Llewellyn is a Druid vampire slayer, who was born with the mark of Awen making her a very ‘powerful’ slayer and having other talents that not all slayers have.  Along with her trainer and friend Rhys, Rosalind had to convince Henry VIII  and make him aware of the dangers which were threatening  his intimate court.  The author brought home the smugness and arrogance of the king who hesitated to believe that vampires existed, let alone think that one small beautiful little female could protect Him.  Whether convinced or not, Henry was honor bound by the pact made by his father and would go along with the plan as long as his life and pleasures would not be disturbed! 

Sir Christopher Ellis was a Druid slayer sworn to protect Vampires and he was also sent to Court at the same time as Rosalind so as protagonists go, this was quite a match-up.  What they discovered through a Vampire intermediary was that even the Vampire council wanted this “rogue” vampire brought down, consequently Christopher and Rosalind (naturally physically attracted to one another) would have to play nice and rely on each other’s expertise to slay the vampire.

The author keeps the suspense and the action going in this very fast-paced novel with sights and sounds of the era described with a deft hand while in keeping with historical accuracy and the build-up for future episodes involving our two protagonists.   Ms. Pearce’s creativity is amazing and KISS OF THE ROSE delivers excitement, suspense, and a heavy dose of sensuality most will find quite appealing leaving the reader itching for more to come!

Reviewed By:

I started reviewing books many years ago - but my love of reading began as soon as I could read and that’s a long time! From my very first library card, I would spend my summers at the local library rather than outside playing. My tastes ran from every horse book I could find, to dog books, then gothic romances, and now historical romances with the Regency period having a very close spot in my heart. [Many of my friends, who really know me, say I was born in the wrong era - they’re probably right.] Now that I am retired, and busier than ever, I read almost all genres with the exception of hard core erotica, horror and anything involving more than one sex partner! I am loyal to my tried and true favorite auto-buy authors but love discovering the newer authors as well. I was once a very impatient person, but now retired, and with a book, an audio, or my Kindle by my side - I am the epitome of infinite patience to sit and wait for whatever comes next be it for the light to change, a doctor’s appointment, or a commercial break on the television!

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