(Early) Review: SHADOW OF THE VAMPIRE

"Even vampires should never sleep with the enemy."

An ancient prophecy spoke of a mysterious crystal with the power to rule all or destroy one.  For hundreds of years, vampires and dragon-shifters have engaged in a bloody war, and they are both desperate to possess the Draco Crystal.  The Dragon King and Queen have been murdered by the vampires, and their son Declan, the new king, finds the crystal in the vampires' catacombs, but before he can escape, he is taken prisoner by the Vampire Queen's daughter.  Alexia is ordered to torture and kill Declan in an effort to find where he has hidden the crystal.  But each encounter with him stirs a passion inside her that she thought was long dead.  Though Declan should hate her for being the Vampire Queen's heir, he, too, feels the undeniable attraction between them.  They soon discover a common foe has taken possession of the crystal to overthrow the Vampire Queen and destroy the dragons.  Can Alexia and Declan  put aside hundreds of years of hate and mistrust to defeat their enemy and find peace, or is their desire for power and revenge too strong?

This was a fantastic book.  Meagan Hatfield has created a dark and perilous world filled with non-stop action and intense emotion.  From the first page I was drawn in and this fast paced story of vampires, dragons, and ancient prophecies would not let me go!  The choice of dragon-shifters as the vampires' enemy was original.  Declan is even able to half-shift, a human body with dragon wings and tail, which Alexia enjoys during their hot love scenes!  This story is definitely a DARK paranormal romance.  The descriptive scenes of torture and battles were intense.  The characters were well written and I could feel their emotions - anguish, fear, love and joy.  I enjoyed the secondary characters too.  I can see the possibility of at least three future stories based on Declan's sister Tallon, Alexia's mysterious cousin, and others.  I am looking forward to reading more from this talented author.

Review copy courtesy of NetGalley.