Lord of the Vampires (Royal House of Shadows #1) by Gena Showalter

“Once upon a time…the Blood Sorcerer vanquished the kingdom of Elden. To save their children, the queen scattered them to safety and the king filled them with a need for vengeance. Only a magical timepiece connects the four royal heirs…and time is running out. “

Lord of the Vampires, is the first novel in a four book series. Each book is written by a different author. I enjoyed this book and think Showalter had as much fun writing it as I did reading it. This is the story of the king and queen’s oldest son, vampire Prince Nicolai. When the spell is cast, Nicolai ends up sold as a sex slave. His memory wiped by a witch and his timepiece taken.  He is left with an overwhelming need for revenge and freedom. Using what little remaining magic he has, he calls across the universe for help. This tale is told from the point of view of heroine, Jane Parker. Jane is a tough cookie who has recently lost her family from a tragic accident. It has left her injured and reevaluating her life.  Jane has dreams of a sexy enslaved vampire who needs her. She discovers a package left on her door step. When she opens the package it reveals an old book. Upon opening it, she hears him calling, telling her to come and the need to obey is overwhelming. What follows is a steamy affair, set with danger.   Nicolai tries to regain his memory and Jane struggles to save the one man she has ever loved. I loved Nicolai and his barbaric, wanton ways. He is blood thirsty and violent, but with Jane, he is tender. His constant referral to her as “Mine” and “No touch, mine” and “Want You” gave me tingles. Elements of fantasy, magic and sex made this an exciting fast paced read. I am looking forward to the next installment Lord of Rage which will be written by Jill Monroe.

A special thank you to netGalley and Harlequin for the ARC in exchange for my unbiased review.

I gave this book 3 coffee cups out of 5.