Runes, The Immortal Series, Book 1 by Em Petrova

Publisher:  Red Sage Publications
Pages:  171

From the Cover:

When immortals Will Cochran and Evangeline Mayer are thrown together by a phenomenon known as The Calling, they breech the barriers of a conventional relationship. By sharing their blood and bodies, their minds and souls are also entwined. But Evangeline has been yanked from the arms of her mortal love, Sean Livingston, and the echo of his touch never leaves her.

When she’s kidnapped by a sadistic immortal seeking revenge for the loss of his own mate, Sean is summoned as a means to torture her. Their reunion both titillates and torments her new mate, Will. He and Sean make a pact to share the woman they both love, and find new desires arising in the arms of each other.

Evangeline Mayer has had a hard life, she's been abused mentally, physically, and sexually by her father for years.  Her sister, Jessa, is the golden child, too perfect.  When she can't take the abuse anymore, she tries to commit suicide, but her sister's boyfriend, Will Cochran stumbles across her, and can't let her die.  He revives her with his blood, but at the same time makes her an immortal being.

When Evangeline awakes, it's with the picture of Will stuck in her mind.  She focuses on him, 'Calling' him, but he refuses her.  Soon though, Will can't get Evangeline out of his head, when he finally decides to answer her 'Call', it's too late, she already found Sean Livingston.  Now, she thinks she's going mad, needing both Sean and Will.

When she can't take the probing of her mind by Will any longer, she rushes to him, bonded and claimed, but she can't forget Sean.  Then she's kidnapped and it will take both of her men to save her.

Runes by Em Petrova is a different kind of vampire paranormal romance.  These vampire exist in the sun, aren't incredibly powerful, don't have fangs, and bleed easy.  They are pretty indestructible, only another immortal can kill an immortal.  They have bonded mates, which is kind of like extreme marriage but no divorce, to live without your bonded mate is a death sentence.  When a mortal becomes immortal, they gain tattoos of significance to their mortal life.  Will's tattoos are numbers, Evangeline's runes and stars, it's what was important to the mortal existence.  I liked this different take on the vampire virus and the bonded mates sounded interesting as well, one unable to exist without the other.  It was the last part of the book I had problems with, when the guys were fighting over Evangeline, but it wasn't the fighting, it was when they chose to fight.  She's been thrown into a hole dug into the ground, possibly with a head injury, tormented by her kidnapper, and the guys were having fist-a-cuffs and coming to blows, this I didn't understand.  The confrontation could have come later in the story.  When the guys finally quit struggling with each other, they come to an understanding, and decide to 'share' Evangeline.

Runes is hot little erotic story ending with the formation of menage a trois that develops into a permanent threesome.  Though at first it's not a pleasant combination, the men come accept one another, and it's a love story between the men and with Evangeline, and it ends on a happy note.  Evangeline is a troubled soul, and Will saves her only to realize, he can't live without her or she without him.  This book is really three stories contain in one book, a love story between Evangeline and Sean, a love story between Evangeline and Will, and finally with the guys compromise because neither can stand to hurt her and neither can stand the thought of being without her, it's a love story between Will, Evangeline, and Sean.  There's more than a little explicit language, so if that's a turn off, try something else.  Lovers of menage a trois with a different sort of twist, may like to give this one a try, as well as paranormal romance that conclude in a mortal/immortal union.  This was an enjoyable read, despite the few minor problems I had with the story events, once everyone accepted what was necessary for these lovers to unite.

Warning:  Menage a trois, explicit language all exist in this rapidly building story.


I received this ebook from Net Galley and Red Sage Publications for review.  All opinions expressed are my own.