Salvation by Blood by Marisette Burgess

Salvation by Blood originally started as a Kindle Vella novella.

Skylar by no means had the perfect life- but she was free. Until the night vampires broke into her apartment and kidnapped her. Now, she finds herself in a real life hell, the kind horror movies are made of. She’s gifted to a vampire lord to serve as his pet. Three certainties exist. He will take her blood, take her body, then take her life.

Demarkus Osei, Lord of his clan, is obliged to attend the 20th Vampiric Centennial Conclave. A task he loathes. For one week, he’s given a human to fulfill his duty to his family. But this year there is something different about his slave. Aside from the fact that he and every vampire at the Conclave find her blood mouthwatering, she’s unique. There’s an inescapable pull. He can’t quite put his finger on it. The urge to protect her, to spare her from pain, is overwhelming. But he’s a vampire. His thirst and hunger must be sated.

As Skylar and Demarkus navigate through his basic vampiric cravings, they can’t ignore the cruel reality of their situation, his inner monster, or the looming end of their time together. This once rational, put-together lord, now finds himself making rash illicit decisions. Will he choose to follow what is demanded, resulting in her demise, or will he defy every vampiric decree?

Dive into a new twist on vampiric folklore. A beautifully woven vampire love story for the heart. Demarkus and Skylar’s enemies-to-lovers journey will leave you craving for more as she desperately tries to control his vampiric desires while he struggles against falling in love.

TW- Salvation by Blood is intended for mature audiences due to adult situations and graphic depictions.

Genres: Fantasy, Paranormal, Dark Romance, Erotic
Pages: 405
ISBN: 9798321058978
ASIN: B0CVZJ525X
Format: ARC, eBook
Source: Author
on 24/04/2024
Buy on Amazon

My Thoughts

When I initially started reading, I was immediately thrown off balance by the differences in comparison to all the other vampire novels I’ve previously read.

It enthralled me, and I just kept devouring the pages.
The story here is complex and wonderful in its own right, you feel for the FMC and the MMC.

I found myself with a burning, seething pit of empathetic hatred in my stomach at some parts, like a mirror effect from the sheer horror of the FMCs life.
I smiled with the good parts and got so wrapped up in the story I found myself passing out slumped over my kobo from lack of sleep..
Thank goodness KOBOs are tough little things.

This book is a story of lost trust, death and finding strength again amongst monsters and depraved situations.

I enjoyed Marisettes twisted imagination with her world building. I’m a sucker for an intense, decadently built up atmosphere. You either have that way with words or you don’t.
She does.

I wouldn’t wish the first major location on any living soul. Marisette has managed to create an absolute pleasuredome for the ‘supernatural villains’ of the piece, while also achieving the feat of flipping that perspective on its head and creating the worst possible situation a human could find themselves in.

A truly toxic environment for the depraved beings of the world.
That being said, I completely got both sides of the view while reading it.
The vampire community follows a basic set of rules for year on end, until this one occasion where they essentially let their fangs out.

One casualty each to last a long human lifespan.
Taken without consent in all ways.

It’s a bloody vampire extravaganza.

I saw it all clearly in my head and although there were some lovely scenes where the vampires weren’t complete monsters, the intense chaotic free for all environment would not be on my to visit list. 

I’m incredibly happy to recommend this one, to anyone wants a book that bites back at the ‘typical’ vampire novels.