There are two kind of vampires in the world: those who accept the new ways and those who wish to bring back the ways of old. The Darkbloods are vampires who believe human lives and blood are theirs for the taking. Especially those known as "sweetbloods." Humans with that special quality in their blood are especially sought after, so much so that Darkbloods sell vials of the stuff on the street like it's a drug.

Dominic is one of the vampires who embraces a life lived side -it's never to kill. He works for a group known as the Agency. They are vampires who police the rest of their kind and fight the Darkbloods.

It's just after he is gravely injured, that Mac stumbles across Dom's path. She is a sweetblood --and though he tries to resist her, the pull is too strong and he takes her blood. He takes so much, in fact, that he must give her some of his own to save her life. The exchange activates a blood bond between the two, a rare and binding tie, which allows them to sense each others emotions and even share thoughts.

The story was easy to get into. The world-building easy to follow. And perhaps most importantly, the building sexual tension between the two main characters was played to perfection. However, there was a bit of predictability as the story arc played out. I think some of the foreshadowing was a little heavy handed and I would have liked to be surprised a little more. Also, I found some of the scenes cut off a bit more abruptly than I'd like --and we'd see days or weeks gone as we went into another scene without seeing immediate repurcussions of what happened immediately before.

All that being said, I did enjoy it. It was an easy read, not too complex, with some hot sex. Almost 4 stars.

BONDED bottom:0.5em;">

Review courtesy of All Things Urban Fantasy

If TWILIGHT was written for girls, BONDED ish.

While I had a few minor issues with Mackenzie, Dominic was the man. He's a Guardian (basically a vampire cop) who protects humans by tracking Darkbloods, vampires who act outside the law. I loved that Dom wasn't over the top alpha initially. He is all man, but he has doubts and fears and doesn't always make the right call. He's plagued by guilt and truly terrified that he'll lose control and kill Mackenzie. I think that dichotomy is what makes a vampire love interest so compelling for me, the constant struggle between control and desire.

The chase between these two was as hot as you'd want it to be. Mackenzie is attracted to Dom, drawn to his chivalry, but leery of the mood swings she can't help but notice. He's trying to conceal his obsession after one impulsive taste but determined to keep his distance, struggling with control every second he's with her, all the while protecting her from a threat he's responsible for exposing her to. See what I mean about the TWILIGHT parallels?

BONDED BY BLOOD has deadly hot vampires, a centuries old battle between good and evil, and the constant battle between control and desire. Paranormal romance fans will love this new series, and like me, eagerly await the next Sweetblood installment, EMBRACED BY BLOOD, in July 2011. I'm already trying to imagine a cover that can top this one.

Sexual Content: Several moderately graphic sex scenes