I was originally intrigued by this book, and requested the ARC, mostly because the blurb offers a fresh take on vampirism: instead of blood, vampires usually feed off the sun, and only will drink blood in desperate circumstances, or if they go rogue for one reason or another.

Unfortunately, the actual worldbuilding doesn't really deliver what the blurb promises

This book was published in 2017, and as it is a genre romance with a cop heroine, the copaganda is essentially built-in and should be expected, though there are some parts that hit me harder today than they would have then; I also struggled a lot with the emphasis on "healthy food" and purity.

Beware: copaganda; fixation on 'healthy' food and fitness; equating addiction with lack of morality/strength; explicit sex; swearing.

As this is the first in a trilogy, there is quite a bit of worldbuilding infodumping, which is not always well incorporated into the narrative. So while it makes sense to have the human protagonist ask basic questions and the vampire protagonist answer them once his true nature is revealed, it's instead awkward and repetitive, given that of those questions have already been answered for the reader via exposition.

And because this book is, at its heart, romantic suspense, there is an external conflict that gets a lot of page space--including a scene where Rafe explains to the vampire queen why the cooperation treaty they (the queen and upper echelons of the vampires) have been working on for a solid year is so important, and why she must "hold firm" with potentially recalcitrant vampire factions.

But then, despite the lip service given to women's strength, from the vampire queen to Renee, the homicide detective, it just so happens that all the secretaries and assistants are women, and the vampire police-equivalent and security forces are all men.

The writing itself is very heteronormative, to the point that the description of Rafe from Renee's point of view includes the phrase, "He had well-defined cheekbones, but not so sharp that he looked girlish." (chapter 2) There is so much to unpack here about the arbitrary lines between femininity and masculinity, but that's beyond the scope of a book review, so. Moving on.

The writing is competent enough to keep me reading, but not engaging enough to keep me from picking up on the inconsistencies and contradictions of the worldbuilding.

So even though it's handwaved away as part of the worldbuilding--the vampires in this universe are 'allergic' to pesticides, preservatives, and so on--there is a lot of moralizing about organic produce and food sourcing. And look, it would be better for everyone in the U.S. if we had stricter regulation and more effective enforcement on food production, from pesticides to growth hormones, as well as good consumer protections so that everyone could afford fresh food, but judging people as "pure" depending on what they eat feels problematic on many levels; it just gets worse when it's presented as a matter of choice to feed of "impure" humans, while at the same time emphasizing how scarce "clean" humans are.

You just can't have a society where some people have abundant resources while others starve, and expect them all to be good, aka "law-abiding".

Which brings me to the policing aspect of the worldbuilding.

"Outsiders had preconceived notions of what it meant to be a cop. Only those on the inside really knew what the policing world was really like. Soldiers came close. They knew what it was like to police a country full of hostiles that hated you. That was what policing in the city was like. Only they had to do it within the letter and restrictions of the law. They had to account for every time they discharged their weapon, and it hung over them all every time one of them made a mistake or abused their position." (Renee, chapter 7)

The quote above is very telling; from the assumption that soldiers do not have to abide by any rules (Geneva Conventions, anyone?), to the attitude that regular citizens are "hostiles". More telling still is the choice to call the vampire police, "authoritarians".

Again, so much to unpack; and I'll remind you, this was likely written sometime in 2016.

But what about the romance, the relationship, the characterization?

There is an effort to show Renee's competence as a detective, but it's mostly telling. I did appreciate that when Rafe picks her up--at her neighborhood supermarket, well done there--she has the sense to send her friend a photo of him, to not get into his car, to not give him her address or phone number, even as she agrees to meet him nearby later for dinner. Because of course, since he's very attractive, and this is a genre romance.

"Great. She kept vacillating between thinking he was Ward Cleaver and Ted Bundy. She had to pick one. And she was only going to figure out which if she finished putting away her groceries and got her ass down to that cafe." (Renee, chapter 2)

And the internal awkwardness of "what is he wants to kiss me now? what if he *doesn't* want to kiss me?" at the end of their first date is well done, but the treatment of consent is very iffy beyond that: they start kissing and at some point he "can't help himself" (because she's so pure and so careful about what she eats), so he feeds off her and then hypnotizes her to forget about that part of their "date".

Because it turns out that vampires consider humans food--sentient food, yes, but food nonetheless. Just like we don't ask rice for permission to eat it, vampires don't ask humans for consent. There's more handwaving about how vampires have no choice if they want to survive, because if humans were given a choice, why, they might choose not to be milked for energy at the whim of the vampires.

(I must note here that at no point does it occur to any of the vampires that perhaps they could offer to compensate the humans they feed from, which would go a long way to motivate said humans to let vampires feed; instead, it's all about what vampires need, with a strong implication that of course they deserve to have that need satisfied.)

Of course Rafe is different, and he sees Renee as his equal, and...

No, not really.

He does want her sexually, and he does enjoy her company, but he still mostly thinks of her as food for a good oh, forty percent of the book.

And while Renee eventually proves her worth in the eyes of the vampires, risking her life to help them, there's a "not like other girls" twist at the end that diminishes the value of her efforts.

The events of the novel take place over the course of three or four days, and I was far too busy dissecting (and getting angry at) the worldbuilding to be convinced that the relationship between Rafe and Renee has lasting power; aside everything else, as a genre romance, the book failed for me.

Thirst gets a 5.00 out of 10.

Didn't finish. Started ok, it's been a while since I read some vampire romance. While I liked the heroine I found the whole only eat organic food and healthy healthy healthy spew from both her and the love interest preachy. How that sort of stuff makes the human taste much better felt condescending and irritating and was an immediate nope from me.

This was my first book by this author, I received it for a honest review. I found myself getting bored reading this book,turning the pages was a struggle for me. This is only my opinion others may need to read it for themselves.

This is a story between Rafe an energy vampire and Renee the woman he calls his own.
I enjoyed reading it and I liked the plot, but I felt that something was missing from the relationship, it felt unnatural to me. I love vampire stories and this one is different.

Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this title. Unfortunately I was not able to finish this book and will not be able to complete a review.

I used to read this author a lot but with all the ones out there there seems to not be enough time. This was a beginning which promises to be a good series. This one introduces us to Rafe whom is a energy vampire. I know a couple of people like him too but they do it not as nice.We also have a police detective which amps up the interest in this. Detective Renee has a case that is different which she will find out exactly what it all means. As this unravels we get raveled in it. The excitement of the paranormal is woven into this one with the heat of romance mixed with danger.

This isn’t your “normal” vampire story. Renee is a police detective and is investigating a homicide, where the eyewitness swears she saw a vampire. Rafe is an energy vampire and right hand to the Queen. He knows this was not done by one of his vampires. He draws closer to Renee to uncover what she has found out about the investigation, then realizes he must keep her closer due to the danger in his world. Not a bad start to a new series

Oh yes! Another great vampire story with a twist to what we thought we knew about vampires. I love this twist in the vampiric historic and would love to read more from this author. I highly recommend to vampire romance readers!

Unfortunately the book didn't hold my attention, I found myself getting bored with the long winded explanations of the processes of the energy vampires way of life. I also got bored with push to get people to organic food, it was just too much.

I really liked this book a lot. They storyline was exciting and the now concept of vampire interesting. I can't wait to see their next adventures and I love he lead characters charm and grit. Thanks for the strong female character she has not fear

I really enjoyed this book. It took a new approach on the life of a vampire and the story was a great light read with some steamy scenes. The story revolves around a vampire and a detective who fall for each other after a first unexpected date. The story continues to take some twist and turns as they solve a series of murders via vampires, bridging the two worlds. If you like vampire books and want a different take then I would pick this up, it is not your Anne Rice vampires that is for sure.

I really enjoyed this! I enjoy the different take on vampires. I've heard of energy vampires before, but haven't read many books featuring them. I like Frank's writing, the POV's do go back and forth within the same paragraphs, but that doesn't bother me. Renee is a police detective, who comes across a victim with weird bite marks on the back of their neck. Rafe is an energy vampire that decides to get closer to Renee to see how much information Renee is gathering. Rafe doesn't count on the attraction and connection he feels with Renee. Renee is very intelligent and capable, but how she feels about Rafe makes her step outside her comfort zone. These two are too cute together! Rafe is a good guy vampire, and he's a sweetie. Renee has a hard time being vulnerable and she's used to being self sufficient. She does a great job of it too! She's a tough cookie. The connection between Rafe and Renee definitely has those steamy elements. These two have some hot times! There's some suspense elements with a murdering vampire on the loose, and other bad vampires on the loose. I enjoyed all the action scenes, and loved the romance. I read the 2nd book first, and loved it, so I'm really looking forward to more in this series!

Thirst is the first book in the Energy Vampires series by Jacquelyn Frank. Vampires are my favorite type of paranormal being, so I'm always looking for an amazing vampire romance. When the cover for this book caught my eye, and the blurb intrigued me further, I decided to give it a try.

Renee Holden is a homicide detective that finds herself being pulled into the vampire world after she's assigned a strange new case in which the victim has two puncture wounds on the neck. Rafe Da Silva, a vampire that works for the queen, is tasked with finding out exactly what Renee has learned during her investigation. Everything starts to become a little complicated once Renee and Rafe meet and begin to fall for one another. 

Thirst is a refreshingly unique paranormal romance with brand new take on vampires. If there is anything I love in my paranormal reads, it's originality! The author deserves a round of applause for her creativity alone. I had a few issues with the book that hindered my enjoyment, but not enough to put me off from reading the next installment. If you're looking for something new in the paranormal genre, this might be the book for you!

Really good book! I love the crime aspect because the detective is very clever. I also enjoy a good vampire book, so I loved that this one wasn't a cheesy vampire romance. It had just enough elements of everything I enjoy to keep me interested. Would recommend!

Thank you for allowing me to read and review this book. I am just not interested in this book anymore. Sorry for the inconvenience.

I liked that there are daywalking vampires featured in this story, and their society was interesting. But the insta love was ridiculous even for this genre of story and way they feed doesn’t really make sense in the modern world. Rafe approaches Renee in a supermarket and boom they’re hot for each other. These two people aren’t teenagers. Rafe is over 300 years old. I have a hard time believing he would be so fascinated by an intelligent strong woman. Renee is a NYC detective,even though she acknowledged it it’s still weird how quickly she let a complete stranger into her life. And that upon learning such crazy information she didn’t take any time to process it, but instead decided to join up in a fight against beings that could squash her like a bug.

One thing that really bothered me was what picky eaters EVamps are. They only can feed from people who eat totally organically and don’t touch alcohol or drugs or they go “bad”. First of all the only people who can afford to eat that way at all times in major cities with no slip ups are few and far between and have money. Which makes them difficult prey. And even then there is always some expose lurking around the corner about how not so organic any given organic labeled brand is. Unless they keep people locked up and only fed food from their own farms I just don’t see how they haven’t starved to death or all gone phant. Basically this book was a very flawed start to a potentially great series.

Another all new world from the amazing imagination of Jackie Frank has arrived and taken me into an alternative view of the world around me and given me another way to escape. I have been a fan of Ms. Frank’s ever since either stumbled onto her Nightwalkers series and only very rarely have I even felt let down by one of her stories, and this was definitely not one of those times. While I am generally wary of beginning a new series (mainly since I already have so many going as is) I knew there was no way I’d miss anything Jackie released. Rafe and his fellow enemy vamps are an all new take on the traditional view of the paranormal and I was fascinated as I learned more and more. That being said, while I certainly enjoyed the story, it is fair to say that like all first stories in a series like this, there were a few times that it seemed to drag just the slightest bit. Once you overcome those parts though the story is wonderful. Rafe was an odd duck to be sure but I enjoyed seeing him and Renee interact with one another. He is obviously enamored with her, even though he initially resists the draw. Renee is like an human suddenly pulled into a fantastical world with no compass for surviving that world. Renee clings to Rafe as much as an independent woman would, but she is also a strong female lead character and able to stand on her own. Once things heat up between them it becomes obvious they are meant to be together, but Rafe knows there relationship is destined to have an end date…unless Renee turns out to be even more special than he originally thought. Renee and Rafe are certainly explosive and the heat between them is easily felt by anyone they cross paths with. I enjoyed this story and can see my self really enjoying the series, as long as those lull times are few and far between –which is usually the case once the series gets fully underway. I am looking forward to the next in the series and whatever stories Ms. Frank might send our way.

On this occasion no review as it unfortunately didn't work for me.

A new spin on an old mystic tale of forbidden love… Jacquelyn Frank has created a new species of vampires that feeds on life energy and not on blood. Just as deadly if too much of it is taken, these vampires have yet another challenge to their survival, their sources of food must be clean. Preferably, their humans must feed on organic foods and not consume alcohol or drugs. Then there is the question of keeping their existence a secret… Rafe DaSilva draws his sustenance from the sun and pure humans. As the right hand of the queen, he is working diligently to seal a historic peace treaty between all e-vampire clans. Its objective to unite e-vamps against a common threat: the sycophants - ex-vampires who feed from unclean sources and loose their moral compass. Traitors. When a human is murdered by a sycophant in broad day light, in front of witnesses, it becomes Rafe's job to uncover and punish the culprit. Detective Renee Holden has never worked a homicide like this. The victim was bitten to death and the eye witness swears the gorgeous murderer was a vampire. It is her job to solve the case, but when a sexy man enters her life and seduces her within just a few hours, she realizes her life will never be the same. Between murders, bites, unprecedented sexual tension, racism and the need to secrecy, Rafe and Renee will discover lust, loyalty and love can transcend species when it comes to humans and e-vampires…

Renee Holden is a young NYC homicide detective. When her newest case centres on an affluent murder victim with suspicious bites on his neck, Renee is both puzzled and determined. Rafe DaSilva, a high-ranking member of the vampire queen’s inner circle, is intrigued by Renee’s doggedness but also concerned her investigation is leading her too close to the secret society he is charged to protect. When Rafe places himself in Renee’s path to discover crucial information regarding her investigation, he finds himself unable to resist the allure of the young detective and suddenly she is drawn into his dangerous world.
Frank’s vampires are vamps with a sci-fi twist. Quite possibly the only vampires in existence, “e-vamps” extract energy by biting human donors at the top of the spine and drawing electricity generated by the brain. Vampire purists may not enjoy the change, however, I appreciated Frank’s fresh take on a standard paranormal type. There’s a lot of good stuff here. I enjoyed Rafe as a suave sophisticate with a quiet, simmering strength and class to spare. Renee is a strong female lead with a brain, confidence, and curves. Frank goes a long way to mimic ‘reality’ within such fantastic subject matter. Rafe and Renee’s romance unfolds more organically than is typical to the genre. Also, the vampire political structure reminded me of a perennial vampire favourite, the Sookie Stackhouse series. This leaves room for a full cast of colourful characters to flesh out the series to come.
In mimicking reality, however, there were aspects of the book that were too mundane. For example, a lot of information is revealed through dialogue. As such, conversations between characters seem to drag. Characters often mull over boring detail, and even spend a lot of time plotting and planning events that never come to fruition. There were some definite pacing issues. This is common in series starters, so I get it. I just found poor placement of crucial details and complete expansion of the ordinary.
Overall, the book was entertaining and I’m intrigued for sure. I’ll be looking for book two.