Blood Secret [Paperback]

I hate certain surprises in book. This is partially my own fault, but I did look for this information before I accepted this book and the back cover blurb didn't give me enough info on this. This is the 5th book in a series and it is a historical.

Being the 5th book in the series was not a problem. Blood Secret works excellently as a stand-alone. I looked at the previous four books and as far as I could tell the main characters from those books did not have a role in this book. That was a shocking surprise. Most series books have to be followed in order.

I am not a big fan of historical romances. There are several aspects within that genre that really drain a book for me. I think the fact that Blood Secret is an erotic book prevented some of those annoying aspects from rearing their ugly heads. I know that Lucy not being human also made the pages flow for me.

Lady Lucy Drake is offering her innocence to the Duke that her brother has become indebted to. Her brother Jack has gambled, drank, and whored away her family's monies. As a proper lady Lucy has no source of income and she is still unwed, thus her innocence is all she has to offer. The Duke intends to thoroughly debauch her, for an entire fortnight.

The Duke of Greystone (Sinjin) had his own calculated reasons to keep Jack indebted to him. Sinjin has been looking for his nephew that has been kipnapped from him. He believes that Jack not only knows where the child is but that he was also involved in the taking of the child. Sinjin is willing to do anything to get his nephew back. He is even willing to take all that Lucy is offering and more in hopes that she knows where his nephew is.

This book is titled very appropriately. Everyone has secrets. Lucy is hoping that the secret of her being a dragon is never discovered. Sinjin hopes that Lucy does not find out about him being a vampire and exactly how he uses his vampire skills. Lucy's brother Jack is in far more trouble with more people than she realizes. Many of the revelations at the end of the book are jaw dropping shocking.

I recommend Blood Secret to fans of historical romance who like their books filled with numerous paranormal elements, scorching hot sex scenes, and plenty of action.

received book from publisher for the purpose of an honest review

Since their father's death, Lady Lucy Drake's brother, the new Earl of Wrenshire, seems determined to leave this family in ruin. When Lucy learns that her brother's gambling has gotten himself into debt to the notorious rake, the Duke of Greystone, she does the only this she can to save her younger sister for being married off to a lecherous, old man, she goes to the Duke and offers her innocence to the Duke in exchange for her brother's debts. But when she learns that the debts are much larger than her brother indicated and the Duke wants more than just her innocence in exchange for the small fortune owed to him, he wants Lucy to be his sexual plaything for two weeks. She has no choice. She can't turn him down. The question is--is her heart pounding in dread over her downfall or with excitement over the gorgeous and seductive Duke.

Sinjin knows that Lucy's family has been holding his nephew hostage for the last year. He has been trying to ruin her brother, amounting his debts to force the Earl to return the boy to his family. When Lucy shows up at his door, the proposition of seducing the information from the beautiful Lucy is a much more enjoyable way to get the information he needs. Although Sinjin is aware that Lucy is a dragon-shifter, she is not aware that he is a vampire and a dragon slayer. It is his duty to slay Lucy and her family after he retrieves his nephew, a small fact that he is planning to hide from her until he has finished with her.

But Sinjin never anticipated Lucy's kind heart and once she learns of the hurt that her family has put Sinjin through, she will do everything to help him retrieve the boy and bring him home where he belongs. Can Lucy's kindness and gentleness teach Sinjin that not all dragons and evil and need to die? Will the dragon-slayer become her protector and if he tries, will they all be sentenced to die for betraying the Slayers' Code?

I have read a few erotica stories where the "plot" was just a jumble of words between sexual scenes. And YES there are many, many steamy scenes here, but in addition the characters were wonderful, the story was well written and absorbing, and I couldn't wait to see how the story ended.

There was a natural development of the affections and mutual respect of the main characters and there were several antagonists that kept you guessing the mysteries in the plot.

Unless you truly have an issue with the more erotic fiction, I would definitely recommend this story to you. I enjoyed watching the developing relationship between Sinjin and Lucy and I was so sorry to get to the end of their story.

Now as you read this, keep in mind that I love Historical romances, as well as paranormal ones, so to have those two genres TOGETHER is very nearly a perfect book for me.

This book is a bit steamier than I'm used to of late, but considering there is a WARNING on the back, that's to be expected....and anticipated? Yes, I had that in mind when I asked for this one.

We start out with Lucy Drake; her brother has managed to get himself into pretty deep trouble, the least of which may be his gambling debt to a certain Duke of Greystone.

Irate, Lucy knows someone must pay her siblings debt, but without money, she offers the one thing she has left to her- her virginity.

But Lucy has a secret, and she isn't the only one.

The Duke of Greystone is a man on a mission, he's intentionally allowed Lucy's brother to stay in his debt, but only because he believes he may have knowledge of his nephews ware bouts. But the Duke isn't only out to find his missing nephew, he has another mission as well; one that could mean the end of Lucy.

I abhor spoilers, and try not to give them away too often, so I'm not going to give away any now, but I loved the way Sharon Page seems to bring the book to life through beautiful descriptions, and realistic thoughts/speech.

I enjoyed `Blood Secret' and I'm not sure if it's because I wasn't very interested in the last two books I reviewed, or if it was truly a great book. Either way, `Blood Secret' is a keeper, and it's staying on my shelves for a long while. I hope you check out, and enjoy it as much as I did. -Be on the lookout for more from Sharon Page.