Author: S.J. Frost
Publisher: MLR Press
Pages/Word Count: 236 Pages
At a Glance: Ah, S.J. Frost set us up good with this one!
Reviewed By: Carrie
Blurb: Vampire prince, Valentin, wants the beautiful blood slave, Sebastian for himself, but when he frees him, danger comes from those who don’t want to let Sebastian go…
Three years ago, Sebastian Beaumont, was starving and struggling on the streets. An offer for safety and shelter was nothing but the lies of a vampire. Since then, he’s been trapped, surrendering his blood and body as a blood slave to vampires, all for the hope of gaining one more day of life and maybe, someday, his freedom.
Having crossed more than three hundred years of life, Valentin Wyndham, is a prince among vampires. Memories of betrayal still haunt him and love isn’t something he seeks. When his need for blood becomes too strong, he breaks his usual habits and visits a blood house. Though he tries to resist, he can’t help but be captivated by the beautiful Sebastian. Unable to deny the intensity between them, Valentin frees Sebastian from the blood house, but danger follows them both from those who don’t want to let Sebastian go.
Review: S.J. Frost introduces us to a universe of vampires and other paranormals with this first book in her new series, Paranormal Nobles. This book has everything: great romance, believable staging, angst, humor and characters you really enjoy getting to know. After reading this first book, I am invested in the series and cannot wait for the next book.
In Vampire Prince, we meet not only Valentin and Sebastian but Basil, Sal and an adorable pet demon crocodile named Beezle. These introductions are not brief, and meeting these other men is an integral part of the story arc the author is trying to lie down—and basically these characters steal every scene they are in. And, can I say, YEAH! Love them! Now, I have to admit, I didn’t want to read this book at first. Another vampire romance? Bite, then orgasm. blah, blah, blah… It just kinda felt like been there, done that, even though as a rule I love paranormal romances. I kept pulling this up and reading the blurb and passing it by, until I read the excerpt from the book on the MLR Press website, and I WAS HOOKED! Who can resist a vampire born on February 14, 1688, and named Valentin?
For three years Sebastian Beaumont has been in hell. Taken off the streets and forced into slavery in a world he didn’t even know existed, Sebastian is a survivor.
Sebastian wouldn’t cry. He wouldn’t let those bloodsucking bastards see his tears. If he cried, it would show them he had weaknesses, vulnerabilities. He wouldn’t give them those parts of himself. They were his and some of the few things he’d been able to hold onto in this hell. The vampires had taken everything from him. Not that he has much to begin with, but he wouldn’t let them have his emotions, his mind, his heart.
Sebastian needs a knight in shining armor, and he never expects it to come in the shape of another vampire. We are invested in Sebastian from the first paragraph, and Frost gives him that knight in Valentin. Frost creates her universe here with the blood houses and the slaves held within, some being reputable where the slaves are more donors, and then the other end of the spectrum, with houses like where Sebastian is held—prisons, seedy and run down, smelling of death. She also lets us in on the hierarchy of the vampire class systems and other salient points to the laws and landscape for this new reality.
Valentin has been alive (or dead) for three hundred years. A prince among vampires, he normally has to feed twice a week. But, he’s been busy and so is forced to go to a blood house to meet his needs. He is an odd mix of old world sensibilities, in the way he dresses, and keen intelligence. He tends to have to rescue Sebastian more than once, but he never tires of doing it or convincing Sebastian he is worthy of being saved.
This book could have gone very dark, but Frost keeps it a romance, with wit and quirky characters and fast paced writing. The chemistry is wonderful between the characters, all the characters, and the loving is sexy. Instead of darkness, we find friendship, integrity, loyalty and humor. Now that Valentin has found his HEA, it’s time for Basil and Sal to find theirs, and I cannot wait. Check reality at the door—this book is about vampires after all—drink the Valentin Kool-Aid and enjoy.
You can buy Vampire Prince here:
The Novel Approach Reviews 
Leave a Reply