The Blood Collector
Jade Christy
Occult Magic
She thought the glass was just beautiful. She had no idea it was a cursed weapon.
Aria Holt is days away from the launch of her life. Her luxury perfume line is exquisite, her branding is perfect, and the rare antique glass bottles she sourced from France is unlike anything the industry has ever seen. But when strange, menacing figures begin appearing in the shadows outside her Brooklyn studio — and one of her buyers turns feral at the mere scent of her collection — Aria realizes she hasn’t just stumbled onto a business opportunity. She’s stumbled onto something dangerous, and very much alive.
Enter Gabriel de Clermont. Centuries old, devastatingly guarded, and furious that the cursed glass he spent decades concealing has resurfaced in the hands of an unsuspecting human.
Gabriel knows exactly what’s coming for Aria — and exactly how brutal it will be. He pulls her into the hidden world beneath New York City, into a fortified safe house watched over by Loki, a shifter cat with amber eyes and an uncanny instinct for danger.
Gabriel promises Aria protection. What he doesn’t promise is that the glass will behave, that the vampires hunting her will stop, or that the electric tension building between them won’t ignite into something neither of them can outrun.
Because the glass has its own agenda. The vampire syndicate that once wielded it is closing in. And Gabriel de Clermont, who has survived wars and centuries and the worst of human nature, is discovering something far more terrifying than any enemy he’s ever faced — the desperate, bone-deep need to keep one mortal woman breathing. He would burn the entire world to ash to protect her. The only question is whether he can.
Uncaged Review: Perfumer Aria Holt has designed her first scent and, with her best friend Wyatt, she knows it’s going to be well-loved. Aria has to find the perfect bottles to put the perfume in, and when a longtime friend and her professor send her some unique bottles, Aria can’t turn them down, especially when she receives a full bottle with a ruby stopper. This bottle mysteriously calls to her, and it is Aria’s favorite. When someone named G.D.C. or Gabriel de Clermont, buys Aria’s perfume in the bottle, she does question it because he wants to buy it at midnight. She is also excited. As Aria’s perfume business takes off, she realizes that she is in danger and another vampire wants her too. Can Aria trust Gabriel enough to give up her perfume or will her perfume end up calling all vampires to her instead?
I am enjoying all of Ms. Jade Christy’s vampire romances and, of course, I had to read this newest one too. Luckily, all of her vampire love stories are different and well worth the read! The hero in this story is Gabriel de Clermont, sexy, hot and totally devoted to Aria. Both of them are similar in that they love perfume and the attraction might have been instant, yet it really works. Ms. Christy’s books have just gotten better with successive stories that she writes, and all the characters seem similar yet can still hold their own. They are, especially this one quick read, but Gabriel might be another dreamy guy that is scary but someone I can’t help but fall for and have added him to my book boyfriend list. There is also Loki, who I like too. Maybe Aria should go for them both. I do plan to read the next one because I am curious to see what will happen, and it does end in a cliffhanger too. Reviewed by Roslynn Ernst
4.5 Stars
