Review: Caressed By Moonlight by Amanda J. Greene

Caressed By Moonlight

Amanda J. Greene

Self-Published

Feb. 1, 2012

Dorian Vlakhos is no ordinary aristocrat. He is a vampire king, who will do anything to save his clan from complete annihilation, before an ancient curse can claim his immortal life.

Penniless and orphaned, Victoria Kingston has nothing to bring to a marriage, yet she must shackle an unsuspecting gentleman into marriage by the end of the month or forfeit her rights as guardian of her younger sister. With the help of her dearest friend, Victoria begins her hunt, and vows to stay far away from the dark, mysterious, Prince Vlakhos.

After meeting the beautifully innocent Miss Kingston, Dorian had to have her. He would do absolutely anything to make Victoria his. One sweet stolen kiss would bring them together while a force, more powerful than any vampire would bind them for all eternity. But treachery, war, and death rule Dorian’s dark world and Victoria would be fortunate to survive.

                Victoria Kingston and her little sister Margaret are penniless and alone after their father dies of a broken heart.  Selling the house they grew up in, Victoria and Margaret have no choice but to move into town with a reluctant aunt who hated their mother for taking her beloved brother away from his first family.

                Their Aunt takes in Margaret but grudgingly gives Victoria a condition for staying under the same roof as her-her aunt cannot stand the sight of Victoria because she looks so much like her mother-one month in her house.  One month to find a husband, or else she leaves Margaret behind when she is forced to leave the household.  With nowhere else to turn, Victoria takes solace with her best friend Lana and together they devise a list of eligible suitors.   That very night they both attend a ball; it is there that Victoria meets Prince Dorian Vlakhos.  But Dorian is no prince; he is actually a vampire king.

                Dorian is in London only to lead his enemy, the witches away from his clan.  And his plan is working until he sets sights on Victoria Kingston.  He has no intention of falling in love.  But one look at Victoria, and he is captivated by her beauty.  But Vampire King’s have been cursed with love for centuries, so it is with surprise that he finds himself wedded to a human within a fortnight of them meeting.

                It is inevitable that Victoria learns who her husband really is; can she learn to live with her new husband knowing that he will live forever?  And will Dorian’s enemies tear them apart after they have just found each other?

                Caressed by Moonlight was a hit and miss for me.  I loved the paranormal aspect mixed in with the historical setting, but I thought Victoria accepted Dorian’s true nature too readily.  I try to picture myself back in the 1800’s.  When confronted by a man with fangs, would I not freak out and run the other direction?  Victoria seems to take it in stride after only freaking out a little; of course she is love with him at that point but wouldn’t you still faint at least?

                Victoria, to me seemed to just go with the flow in a way. I believed she really loved Dorian but I didn’t really get an overwhelming passion coming off the page from Victoria towards Dorian.  This is really okay.  Not all romance books in the world are going to have grand sweeping passion; they’re just not.

                I really enjoyed reading Caressed by Moonlight and I cannot wait to read the second in this series Caressed by Night even though the historical/paranormal is a new twist for me.