Arel is a vampire, desperately seeking a way to escape the curse that he lives with at any cost. Michael is his friend and the Angel who lets Arel feed from him in the belief it can free him. But the side effects of the act are myriad and both Arel and Michael have to contend with what they have allowed to happen. Things take a turn for the interesting when Arel finds himself talking to a woman, Carol, online and despite his desire to stay hidden finds himself meeting her and her friend, Peggy. Following the meeting Peggy is involved in a car crash and Arel is drawn unwillingly into their lives, while still being cared for by Michael due to the effects of the blood. But underlying this, Arel realises that he has some connection to them from sometime in the past and finds himself having to cope with his own fears, and theirs, as the effects of the blood grow ever stronger and he begins to change.

This is a different kind of book than your average angel and vampire paranormal book. If you’re expecting the usual battles with fights and buckets of gore, then this will not be the book for you. This is a far more subtle look at someone trying to understand their path to redemption and the fears that lie behind it of someone who has lived for too long. It certainly a more interesting take on the premise and the author does a good job in slowly revealing what is happening without giving too much away. There is a backstory behind the main characters, but only a few pieces of it are revealed and it’s this slow burn through the book which will keep people reading. At some points, perhaps, it is a little too slow and winding and you wish for things to speed up but the payoff as things to do unwind is worth it.

The characters are well sketched out although most of it is from what you see the characters doing with only a little bit of backstory for each them. A little bit more would have not gone amiss to give a little more understanding to the reactions they have especially as this is very much a character based piece. However all the characters, Human, Vampire and Angel are easily identifiable and their motivations and personality stay consistent throughout.

Overall, it’s a much more interesting take on the mythology and I’d be interested to see where it leads.