Action-packed, sexy and an overall great read. Definitely something you can sink you're teeth into. Great storyline and characters. Would recommend. I voluntarily reviewed an advanced copy of this book.

3.5 stars

I’m really only familiar with Megan Erickson’s co written cyber love series, this was my first book by her as a solo writer. I enjoyed it, but I am not eager to read the rest of the series.

Blood Guard is about a young woman named Tendra who discovers she’s meant to be a king vampire’s bride because of her bloodline. Her blood guard Athan, brother of the king, retrieves her from her normal life and tries to whisk her off to safety, but a rival vampire clan seeks to kill Tendra.

We got ourselves a breakdown review folks! What I liked and didn’t like about this book:


Liked:
-Tendra as a heroine, she was kick ass and was able to handle almost everything thrown her way. She processed things in her own way and was able to survive when most women in her situation wouldn’t be able to handle much of what was going on.

-Worldbuilding: Megan Erickson accomplished the difficult task of creating a believable urban fantasy setting with a hidden world of vampires and other creatures. She stuck to the basics but also made it distinctly her own.

-Brex: I am allergic to cats and I still wanted Brex by my side. Honestly after being tossed around in a duffel bag in this book, he reminded me of the Hurricane Harvey angry cat.



Didn’t like:

-The big one people. I didn’t care for the romance. I wasn’t sold on Tendra and Athan’s love. I don’t feel it was developed well and that it was rushed. It felt like the majority of the book they were just surviving and then BOOM sexy times. And that’s where the book kind of lost me because I wasn’t really rooting for the main couple (at least not at appropriate fangirl levels) so I began to not really care about the story. So the last 25-30% of the book was meh for me.

Anyways, this is a sexy and steamy vampire romance readers will love! While it wasn’t my favorite, I can appreciate that this book is better than a lot of PNR romance out there.

ARC provided by the publisher via netgalley. All/any quotes in this review came from an advance unedited copy and may be subject to change in the final product.

I'm incredibly sorry to say this one was just not my cup of tea. I liked the story of rather the concept but otherwise I felt no connection at all to the characters. I kept putting the book down to start household chores and would forget to get back to it. So, to be fair I restarted the book and I'm sorry to say after finishing it my opinion did not change.

I went in to this with really high hopes. I enjoy this author's shifter series. It's a really unique world and contains plot elements I haven't seen before. I chose this expecting to see more of the same but with vampires.

What I got was a mediocre plot that was no different than a million other vampire paranormal romances I've read before. Heroine was moved around a lot by her secretive mother. She learns to fight because secretive mother says she should. Vampires show up and uproot her life as there is a prophecy about her (because of course there is). Heroine isn't really freaked out and goes with the flow. Heroine then doesn't listen to good vampire and does something that endangers her life and she has to be saved (because what would a pnr be without a too stupid to live heroine?)

The first half of this was painfully slow. I almost dnf'd it. It picked up around 50% and I was able to finish it but I never enjoyed it. As I said, I've read this same basic plotline a million times before. And the bad news for this book is I've read it done MUCH better at least half of those times.

Huge disappointment for me and not a book I'd recommend unfortunately.

**ARC received through Netgalley in exchange for an honest opinion.**

I am absolutely ecstatic to have found a new paranormal series! A series that, judging by this first book, promises to be not only exciting but also very sensual and hot. We not only have sexy alpha vampires but also a vampire clan who is being ruled by a king and two very sexy princes. In this first book we meet the younger of the brothers who is on a mission to protect the Sanguivita. Of course, the Sanguivita has no idea what she is or the prophecy that ties her to the Gregorie clan. All she knows is that one day she was a bartender and the next she finds out that she comes from a long line of women and she is destined to be the one whose blood will turn the future king into a vampire the likes of which has never been seen.

Tendra "Ten" Parrish has lost her mother and now has no one else except her cat Brex and her best friend Rosie. She is a bartender in Mission. Her whole life has been about going from one place to another, always on the move and never trusting anyone. So after her mother dies, she decides to stay in Mission. And then one night she meets a man, unlike any man she has ever seen. He is huge and breathtakingly handsome. And when he tells her that evil vampires are out to get her and that she needs to leave everything behind and follow him she finds it a little difficult to believe. He also tells her that his clan has been watching over her and waiting for her to come and make their future king invincible. Ten finds herself in the middle of a chase where she is the target, but running away from her fate will only get her killed and thus also bring down humanity. So with her cat in tow she follows the Blood Guard in order to meet her future husband.

Athan Gregorie has been raised to be the Blood Guard. As the second son his duty is to protect the Sanguivita with his life and make sure that she is delivered safe and soundly to his older brother. She may be sassy and the most opinionated female he has ever laid eyes on, but she is also brave, determined and stunning. And even though he knows that it is the absolute wrong thing to do, he can't help but be drawn to her and for once in his life, wish that he was the heir to the throne. With assassins hot on their trail, they need to quickly make their way to the clan. But with an attraction this big, will they be able to ignore it and soldier on?

Athan and Tendra will leave you breathless! But this story isn't just about the attraction and lust that they feel for one another. There is also constant excitement and tension as they fight the deadly assassins that are out to get Tendra and make sure that she doesn't make it to the Gregorie clan alive. Kept me on the edge of my seat, loved every second of it! Can't wait for Celia and Idris' story!!!

Very run-of-the-mill paranormal romance.

While I haven't read much by Megan Erickson, most of my friends adore her and I'm a HUGE paranormal romance fan, so picking up this book was a no-brainer for me. Alas, it wasn't quite what I was hoping it would be.

I really, really wanted this to be amazing. I'm always looking for a new PNR series as urban fantasy and PNR have been my obsession for many years. However, the fact that paranormal romance is a genre with tons of stand-out series makes it tough to stand up to scrutiny. And I scrutinize the heeeeellll out of every book that I read.

Almost from the start, this book didn't grab me. In fact, I didn't like it until the last 40% or so, where I became more invested in the plot.

I really, REALLY hated the female MC's too stupid to live (TSTL) moment at ~40%, and I almost threw the book down then. One of my biggest, absolute biggest pet peeves is a female MC who is made out to be smart and strong but then acts like a brainless idiot the first chance she gets. Ugh.

The ending was predictable, but I was a little more into it by then. I still didn't feel the love between the two MCs (it was very insta, for my tastes), and I thought the plot was full of holes, but I finished the story and I didn't hate it.

I guess that's something.

*Copy provided in exchange for an honest review*

Vampires are a hot topic in stories, but on the other hand the market is full of stories with them, so you have to be in the mood of them. Of course I wanted to read this book by Megan Erickson after I heard what she had planned. I had my experiences with paranormal stories written by Megan Erickson, I already read Daring Fate and Chasing Destiny, two books in her wolf-shifter M/M series.
Seeing Megan writing a M/F story, coming back to her "roots" was pretty intriguing. I am not a reader who neglect or avoid M/F stories by M/M authors, so I was as excited as always when I got more information about the book.

And with Blood Guard Megan Erickson created a really great story.
Tendra, her heroine, is fierce, witty, and isn't a damsel in distress. Refreshing energetic but also vulnerable. I love also how Athan treated her. Never was he condescending but he protects her right from the start and shows off his power.

The fact that Athan is a vampire isn't a secret for a long time and the way how Megan present the reader her idea of how her vampires are is also a refreshing change from other books in this (sub)genre. She mixes a few well-known facts with her own, creates a solid story around her character, with twist and turns, pretty surprising. I admit my jaw dropped when I read the last third of the book, the revealings were really surprising and unexpected. But the way how Megan created the tension, the suspense was awesome as always.

You can really see Megan is an advanced writer, she has a solid way of displaying her characters, make them interesting but keep a few secrets. Also all of the minor character, like Athan's brother Idris or Zeb, a really good friend of him, were so interesting you wish they get their stories too. (small hint: the next pairing is already set, so, yay. :3 But look it up by yourself on Goodreads :3)

When you are in search of hot sex scenes, you also see how well Megan Erickson is delivering them. Without being crass or crude, but with great explicity, the scenes are displayed. And they are super hot and smoking sexy. :3 <3

Without having the over-used tales of vampires and their strengh included, Megan Erickson takes a well-known topic, creates her own universe and fade it into a thrilling story, full of hot sex, deep emotions and so many unexpected turns at the end. 5 out of 5 stars for this. :3

Review originally posted on my blog with added content on Mikku-chan / A world full of words

Megan Erickson is better known for her contemporary romances but she recently dived into the paranormal world with a self published LGBTQ wolf shifter series (Silver Tip Pack), and is now giving us a bloody taste of the world of vampires in this first steamy romance in the Mission series. It's an exciting and action packed tale with a kickass heroine and a hero whose fate is in her hands.

Tendra's life has never been an easy one. As a bartender in Mission City, she's finally found what feels like a home to her. Her mother, dead in a car accident, taught her how to fend for herself as they moved from place to place during her childhood. But her life changes in an instant when she's kidnapped by a mysterious man who claims that she's the savior of his people.

Athan is a blood guard, right hand man to his brother, soon to be King of the Gregorie vampire clan. The prophecies say the king will receive life giving powers from the 'Sanguivita', a special human who will be his sole provider of human blood. Athan's job is to bring her to their fortress, but first he has to convince Tendra that he's not crazy and that she's the one he's been looking for. For ten generations, Tendra's blood has become distilled down to the essence needed to protect the Gregorie and the human race from two factions; the Valarians ,who wish to enslave humans and the Quellan, a shadowy group of vampiric assassins. Athan's duty is to bring Tendra safely to his brother. What he doesn't count on is that the spirited human female will get under his skin and make him struggle to remind himself that she's off limits. Can they ignore the flames of desire flickering between them or will they risk their peoples' destinies to be together?

I was sucked into this story right from the start! It's a gritty world that Tendra lives in, a woman who knows self defense and isn't afraid to fight to protect herself. Though she's physically overwhelmed by Athan when they first meet, she gets in enough decent blows to make Athan treat her with wary respect and admiration. He has the proof that she is the Sanguivita and Tendra takes the news in stride, determined to fulfill her duty just as Athan plans to fulfill his. I loved Tendra's character though early on she makes some foolish decisions that come to haunt them later. She has a cat, Brex, who comes along with her every step of the way and clearly has some extra sixth sense when danger is in the air.

Athan comes across as a very protective and loyal vampire, once a human/vampire hybrid until he was fully turned. The author does a great job of creating the world where vampires live below the streets of Mission and have their own dual society unknown to the humans above. The world is well described and interesting without being too overwhelming. There's a fair amount of information imparted to the reader, but this is to pave the way for future books in the series (of which we get a teaser in the epilogue chapter of this story). Athan has a close friend, Zeb, who provides some of the fun banter in the story. (Yes, bromances exist between vampires too!).

Athan and Tendra have definite chemistry, and it's not long before they succumb to it, with some unexpected consequences. One point of interest is a visit that Athan and Tendra make to a vampire dance club that turns out to be more of a sex club giving the reader an eyeful, so to speak. It definitely ups the heat level of this story into the more erotic category though the sex scenes between the couple themselves are steamy but not kinky. There is plenty of action throughout, and the story moves at a swift pace to its exciting conclusion. Blood Guard is a sexy, intense, blood-sucking good time!

Review has been posted at Amazon, BN and Kobo.. It has been posted at Straight Shootin' Book Reviews and feedback updated with the link.

Tendra was running late and with all the time she had missed at her job she was in danger of being fired. Tendra worked at a bar called The Rose is a not so great part of town. Brex was Tendra’s cat and the closest thing Tendra now had to family now. Brex and tendra understood each other somehow. Like how Brex had never left Tendra’s side when her mom died. Tendra had lived in the apartment now for five years even though it was rundown. Tendra hated feeling vulnerable and had felt nothing but that for weeks. Maybe it was time for tendra and brex to leave Mission City to start over. Tendra knew how to start over as Tendra had been doing that all her life. Tendra felt like she was allergic to laying down roots, to allow herself to be beholding to anyone else. Five years had been the longest tendra had lived anywhere. It was great working at The Rose in that not only did Tendra make money but it also took her mind off everything. Moving so much Tendra was always the outsider but she did have a couple of friends she trusted especially Ruby. Tendra wasn’t sure what it would be like to be fully accepted. Tendra’s mom said her dad had left when Tendra was a baby and later on her mom had heard her father had been in a car accident and died. So after her mother had passed tendra had no living relatives. Also tendra hadn’t found someone she wanted to have a child with. Tendra knew she was being followed when she walked home after work and readied her switchblade that she always carried with her. But he was too fast and big and neither her switchblade or her stiletto made contact on the man. Then he put Tendra to sleep. Then when Tendra came to Brex was next to her and the man told her the cat there with some of her clothes. The man also told kendra he was a vampire and her blood guard as she was to be delivered to his older brother to make their clan stronger. Then the man said his clan was of Vampires and his name was Athan. Tendra believed vampires weren’t real but then Athan proved to her and she started to believe him. Then Athan commented on how Tendra knew self defense and she told him when she was still in school she and a couple of friends had been on a field trip and had been kidnapped. The girls were told they would be held until after dark. But a classmate had followed and got the license number of the car and they were rescued before dark. Neither Tendra or her friends knew why they had been kidnapped. She remembered every time her and her mom had moved when Athan brought up they had moved around a lot. There had always been real fear in her mom's eyes when they moved and the had moved quickly every time. Athan told Tendra her mother’s duty had been to prepare Tendra to take her place as Sanquivita of the Gregorie vampire clan. Which meant Tendra was the sole human provider of blood for Athan’s brother the future king. Athan said her mom would have told her soon about everything but the Valyrians had killed her mom first. The Valyrians were a rival vampire clan and they wanted to enslave all humans as blood banks for the vampires. The Valyrians had been trying to kill Tendra since they had learned of her existence. Tendra’s blood will make Idris - Athan’s brother- strong enough to beat the Valyrians. Tendra was the first in ten generations as it had taken ten generations to make this power in Tendra’s blood. Athan said his brother idris was a good man and would treat her well. The Valyrians had hired vampire assassins to find and kill tendra before she could fulfill her destiny. The whole Gregorio clan would have to help to get Tendra to Idris.
I loved this story and could find nothing bad to say about it or I didn’t like about the book. I loved that. I loved how Athan was with Tendra after he explained things to her and as time went on. I loved the plot and pace of this book. It was a unique take on a vampire paranormal story and I loved it. I loved Athan and Idris but the names were a mouthful. I loved the action,suspense, betrayal, lies. greed, and all that went into this story. I loved Athan and Tendra together and was very happy how things turned out. This was a great fun read and i never had a problem with the story keeping my attention. I loved the characters and the ins and outs of this story and i highly recommend.

3.75 stars. This was a pretty good book. This is Tendra and Athan's story. Tendra works in a bar in Mission City. Her single mother recently died and she doesn't have many friends, so she leads a lonely life. One night, Athan shows up at the bar she works at and then follows her home. He tells her a crazy story that he proves to her is true, by showing her a letter her mother left her. Athan is a vampire, the second son of the Gregorie vampire clan's king. Tendra is fated to be the Sanguavita, the blood queen, that prophecy fortells will save the clan and the future of the human race. She is a human with very strong blood passed down through her family. She is meant to marry Idris, Athan's brother and heir to the throne, and feed him with her blood, which will make him strong enough to defeat the rival vampire clan, the Valerians. Athan is meant to be her blood guard, to protect her with his life, and to bring her to his brother at the castle. Tendra is skeptical at first, but she believes soon believes him. Together, the begin a journey through underground tunnels to take her to Idris. Along the way though, they become close and fall in love. It is heartbreaking to them that they cannot be together, but they soon discover that everything is not it appears. There are some exciting times, adventure, suspense, sexiness and love for them along the way but they get their HEA.

I really liked the book. It took me awhile to get used to the writing style. The writing felt a little young feeling. It came off as almost YA, but there were sexy times. Some things were cheesy and sometimes I didn't feel the emotions that I was supposed to. But the story was interesting and original. I liked Athan and Tendra. Athan was strong, silent, but protective and very sweet. Tendra was supposed to be badass and funny. I liked her but I wasn't blown away by her personality. Still, I believed in their love and they felt like they were meant to be together. The way the vampire world is built here is interesting. I like the possibilities for more books in this series in the future too.

Overall, I enjoyed this book and will definitely continue this series in the future!

2.5
Sooo, I was not impressed. I swear I’ve read this book before. I’m not throwing out the big P word or anything. Good lord, nothing like that! But it just felt like a common plot, with a pretty common heroine and a fairly common hero and noting about it felt particularly new or fleshed out. When you really boil it down, this was a bog standard paranormal romance with nothing (good or bad) to make it stand out in any way.

What’s more it was about as subtle as a sledge hammer. Nothing had enough time to develop or for me to become invested in it. The book isn’t bad. It’s just not overly good either. But for a quick, you’ll-know-exactly-what-to-expect kind of read it’ll fill the bill.

4.5 Stars

‘Mission was not a city where dreams were made. At least, not for people like me.’

It’s no secret how much we love our paranormal reads! It’s our go to when we’re in a book funk and our pleasurable indulgence. We immediately got sucked into…pun intended…Blood Guard by Megan Erickson and loved the initial world building and introduction of a Vampire world living under the streets upon which humans walk unbeknownst to them what lurks beneath.

‘Maybe we weren’t all meant to belong somewhere.’

This was a slow build romance which perfectly set up a forthcoming series full of vampires, turf war and ultimately love. We have to mention that reading Blood Guard took us back to how we used to feel when reading paranormal books. For want of a better description, the way in which this story was written and how it made us feel was like proper old school PNR which is why we loved it so much. We were filled with nostalgia for the time, back when we first became addicted to this romance genre.

First we meet Tendra, who works as a bartender and comes across as a bit of a loner and orphan to boot; having been shifted from pillar to post by her deceased single mother. She feels unlucky in every aspect of her life yet keeps a sassy attitude with an inner quiet strength that stands her in good stead when her whole world is turned upside down. Along with her cat she finds herself in a situation that shocks her to her core. It all begins when she notices a somewhat intimidating man watching her in the bar where she works who then follows her into the night.

‘The sun on my face was like life. I’d spent all of my life looking at the sun as my killer, and now I saw it as my savior.’

Athan is the sexy warrior brother of the future Vampire king, Idris, and has one mission. To retrieve and bring home the woman whose blood is prophesised to give his brother the ability and strength to fight and overcome a clan of vampires set to destroy the human race and make them blood slaves. There’s a revolt happening and it needs to be stopped. But just who is pulling the strings for a change that will affect not only humans but the vampire race too?

‘I’d never abandon her, and if my father forced my hand, he’d see just how strong his youngest son had become.’

Athan and Tendra’s journey was jam packed with action, humour and sexual tension. We loved every minute we spent with them wishing we had more! Their story set up a series we just know we’re going to love. Whilst Blood Guard can be read as a standalone in the sense that each book will feature a different couple, the overall storyline does continue from one book to the next.

Enter a world of immortal danger and desire—and discover an incredible fate borne of blood.

Tendra: One minute, I’m a bartender in gritty Mission City; the next, I’m whisked away by a vampire named Athan who tells me that I’m the lifeblood of his clan. It sounds unbelievable, but he’s got evidence I can’t deny. Turns out, Athan belongs to an underground society of vampires who feed only on humans with their consent. Their enemies have no such qualms, and they want me dead. The only thing standing in their way is strong, sexy Athan. And the closer we get, the more tempted I am to let Athan feed. . . .

Athan: How could I have known when I snatched this snarky, beautiful human off the streets that she would change my destiny? As a loyal soldier, I must deliver Tendra to our future king—my brother. Empowered with the blood of ten generations of the Gregorie breed, she is fated to rule as our queen. But there’s something between us that’s so intoxicating, so carnal, I can’t help wanting Tendra for myself . . . even if it’s treason.

Review:

Vampire books are a dime a dozen, but this one had a unique twist on this one to make it stand out.

I have read one other book by this Author and knew I liked her writing, but the one I read was contemporary so was not sure how I would like this genre by her. I loved it! It was full of action, intrigue and sexiness. I liked that both Tendra and Athan can kick butt and take names. Besides that their chemistry is off the charts besides adding in all that forbidden fruit tension between them. I have to ask, what is the deal with Brex, Tendra's cat? There has to be more to him than meets the eye. I won't give away the whole story, I think the blurb gives a good gist as to the premise of the book. I will end with it was totally engrossing and I did not want to put it down. Now, to wait for the second book.

4.5Stars
*I voluntarily read an advance reader copy of this book provided by the publisher.*

3.5 Stars!

While I am quite familiar with her work in the MM genre, this was my first MF Megan Erickson book. When I got approved for the ARC, I literally squealed for joy! THATS how much I was psyched for this book.

To my immense satisfaction, though I had a few niggles here and there,I really really enjoyed reading this book.

Tendra was funny(always a plus), spunky, tenacious and as far from TSTL as you can think of. Yes, she made some silly decisions in the book that might have cost her life but someway somehow I'm happy she did. This is because she recognized what she did what silly, owned up to it , apologized and learnt from it. It made her more relatable to me.

Athan was your typical book Vampire: as tall as Everest, ripped to all hell and handsome with a broody countenance . However, what made him stand out was his heart. He was a kind , thoughtful & caring man when he needed to be and a completely ruthless badass also when needed. Not a single asshole trait was in sight. He was great.

As a unit, I truly loved them together. However, I believe the progression of their relationship was quite rushed. It was not insta-love per se , but it didn't grow as organically as it could have.

Also, I found the world building to be just okay. It had the potential to be explored further and extrapolated on better, which I think is always a good trait for a PNR. I'm hoping the subsequent books in the series do it more justice.

Aside from that, I really liked the writing, the storyline , the secondary characters and the overall feel of the book.

I'm sure Idris' book is next in line. I'm curious to get into his head and know how he'll deal with his responsibilities now that they have completely changed.

Needless to say, I'm definitely getting it.

Great start to a new series i really enjoy a good vampire read and this one did not disappoint.Tendra was a great characters she was such a bad-ass i just loved her and then there's Athan omg what a guy just loved that he had a softer side with Tendra these two had so much chemistry cannot wait for the next book.

‘Mission was not a city where dreams were made. At least, not for people like me.’

It’s no secret how much we love our paranormal reads! It’s our go to when we’re in a book funk and our pleasurable indulgence. We immediately got sucked into…pun intended…Blood Guard by Megan Erickson and loved the initial world building and introduction of a Vampire world living under the streets upon which humans walk unbeknownst to them what lurks beneath.

‘Maybe we weren’t all meant to belong somewhere.’

This was a slow build romance which perfectly set up a forthcoming series full of vampires, turf war and ultimately love. We have to mention that reading Blood Guard took us back to how we used to feel when reading paranormal books. For want of a better description, the way in which this story was written and how it made us feel was like proper old school PNR which is why we loved it so much. We were filled with nostalgia for the time, back when we first became addicted to this romance genre.

First we meet Tendra, who works as a bartender and comes across as a bit of a loner and orphan to boot; having been shifted from pillar to post by her deceased single mother. She feels unlucky in every aspect of her life yet keeps a sassy attitude with an inner quiet strength that stands her in good stead when her whole world is turned upside down. Along with her cat she finds herself in a situation that shocks her to her core. It all begins when she notices a somewhat intimidating man watching her in the bar where she works who then follows her into the night.

‘The sun on my face was like life. I’d spent all of my life looking at the sun as my killer, and now I saw it as my savior.’

Athan is the sexy warrior brother of the future Vampire king, Idris, and has one mission. To retrieve and bring home the woman whose blood is prophesised to give his brother the ability and strength to fight and overcome a clan of vampires set to destroy the human race and make them blood slaves. There’s a revolt happening and it needs to be stopped. But just who is pulling the strings for a change that will affect not only humans but the vampire race too?

‘I’d never abandon her, and if my father forced my hand, he’d see just how strong his youngest son had become.’

Athan and Tendra’s journey was jam packed with action, humour and sexual tension. We loved every minute we spent with them wishing we had more! Their story set up a series we just know we’re going to love. Whilst Blood Guard can be read as a standalone in the sense that each book will feature a different couple, the overall storyline does continue from one book to the next.

I read this one because I loved the synopsis. I'm so glad I did it was a lovely story. Any paranormal book lover would probably agree with me after reading. It was everything a great book should be. Looking forward to more in the series.

Although its far fetched as fantasies tend to be, Blood guard was entertaining and engaging..I would recommend to my fellow fantasy lovers

This was a quick read that I ended up really enjoying. The world created here was interesting and I loved most of the characters. While I am not a fan of insta-love, with this couple I could almost go with it. It took them only a week, but they had been thru a lot together during that time so it created a bond there. There's also Tendra's cat, that just has to be more than a mere cat, that makes me curious.

Tendra hasn't really had a typical childhood and with the death of her mother she's at a loss as to what she wants to do now. What she doesn't expect is to be kidnapped one night after work by a guy that terrifies her while intriguing her at the same time. Now she finds herself thrown into the world of vampires and at the center of a prophecy. Aethan is a prince of his people, but it's his brother that has been groomed to be the next king. It's Aethan's duty to bring the girl meant to be queen to his brother, and he takes his duty very seriously. But the more time he spends with Tendra, the more he wants to keep her for himself. As the two of them try to stay ahead of vicious killers, Tendra learns more about Aethan's people and his way of life. Given the situation, it was only a matter of time before she finds herself falling for her protector. When something happens to Aethan, Tendra has a choice to make. One that will change more than just her life and will also reveal that almost Aethan's whole life has been a lie.

I really liked the ending and was even surprised by a couple things. Now Aethan finds himself in a position he never expected, but he's not alone. There's a fight to come, and I'm curious to see how things go.

I guess I haven't read anything from Megan Erickson, but I have a ton of friends who have read her and love her. So, I decided to take a chance on Blood Guard. Actually, she had me with vampires. If that wasn't enough, the cover for Blood Guard was clincher. Seriously, this cover is yummy. Vampires and hot cover got me to read the story, but it was pretty good. I can't wait for book 2, because that should be good.

Anyway, we have Tendra who is basically living day to day. She's trying to decide if it's time to uproot herself and leave, because she has a feeling she should. However, she gets taken by this guy Athan. Athan isn't a typical guy, I mean he's a vampire. She's trying not freakout, and while given information that she's suppose to help save the human and the vampires. We have one sect that wants to enslave humans since they are inferior to vampires, and we have another group that wants to live with the humans. As the story continues we see that war is upon us.

I liked Blood Guard. I like how it's setting up the series. We have Tendra and Athan who are trying to do their duty to save everyone. However, key information is being with held, and we don't realize it until towards the end. That's when all chaos starts to ensue. Tendra and Athan's relationship a complicated one. Tendra is intended for Athan's brother, but he's lusting after her hard. Yet, Athan is duty bound to do what needs to be done even if it would cost him his life. Anyway, I actually like these two together once most of the information is laid out, again I said some stuff is missing. Overall, a pretty good start to a beginning of a new series. I like how things were getting laid out in this and I can't wait to see what Athan's brother does. He seems like a hot head and that should be interesting.

Copy provided by LoveSwept via NetGalley