REVIEWED BY "TRISH MARTIN" http://www.horrornews.net/
Unholy Embrace by Neil Benson is the story of a romantic and
dangerous love affair between a beautiful, ages-old vampire and a mortal man.
This story is enchanting and sexy with an edge of excitement. Not only do we
read about vampires but of werewolves and demons. The New York night life and
seedy underbelly do well to create a dangerous atmosphere. I enjoyed reading
about the main character’s blossoming relationship but also the horrific demons
and monsters that lurk about in the night. Nessa Harcanu is the sexy vampire
born in 1597 in a small town near Budapest.
Though
Nessa is voluptuous and sultry, she posses a power beyond mortal imagination.
She becomes involved with a mortal man named Frank Thornton who is an attractive
architect that is skeptical about the existence of vampires and demons. Also
joining the story are members of the Meyer family of which Nessa becomes close
with early on in her life as a vampire; they come to serve her and assist her
with her needs throughout the ages. We also come across a weaker vampire named
Narice whom, after her master is killed by Nessa, begins following Nessa waiting
to exact her revenge. There are a few other characters we run across in the
story who serve as a backdrop in the evolvement of the two main characters. The
interaction with these other characters gives us insight to the character’s
lives and personalities.
Nessa’s
tale of how she became a vampire and her life up until present day is one of
intrigue and even sadness. Frank listens to Nessa’s story and becomes even more
enchanted with her and begins to understand her a little better. Their
relationship is really one of master and subservient, Nessa the master and Frank
the subservient. Even with the uneven balance of power the relationship between
the two becomes stronger and the need to protect one another grows. The
appearance of a demon creates more drama and trouble for the two and they
realize in order to save humanity they must defeat this demon in any way
possible.
I
would classify this story as less horror and more romantic suspense but it is
still a wonderful and exciting tale. As I delved deeper into the book I found it
hard to put down. It is definitely an easy read and isn’t cluttered with
unnecessary plot and lag time. There were times of some light eroticism mixed in
with story to give it an edge above the teeny-bopper vampire love stories. Also
we examine great power within Nessa making her almost super-heroine like in her
conquests. Frank’s mind is torn between his deep love of Nessa and his wish for
normalcy in his life. My only complaint as far as this novel was concerned was
that I felt that the ending was a tad rushed; I felt that maybe the writer was a
little unsure of how to resolve the conflict without creating more trouble for
the characters.
Neil
Benson has a rare talent for creating a story where you can identify and truly
care about what happens to the characters. Giving life to character’s like Nessa
and Frank enables the reader to walk in the footsteps of the characters, getting
more in-depth in the story and almost being able to see the world through their
eyes. I would also have to give Neil Benson props on creating a dueling
perspective between the characters; by doing this we can see the story from the
perspective of both Nessa and Frank. I would highly recommend this book to all
vampire lovers out there and especially those who enjoy romantic flights of
fancy.
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