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.

‘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.

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

I really enjoyed Blood Guard by Megan Erickson. I haven't read a vampire book in awhile and I felt the plot of this book was a bit of a departure from your traditional vampire story.

Athan is a Blood Guard. His primary objective is to protect the Sanguivita until she can be delivered to his brother, Idris. Athan and Idris are elite vampires, basically princes of the Gregorie Clan. But Tendra is human and knows nothing about this! Tendra's thoughts must be, "Wait!! I'm supposed to be a blood bank for a bunch of vampires??!!" She is the Sanguivita, a special, tenth generation blood donor who will make Idris, the new king, extraordinarily strong. Athan and Tendra develop quite a connection on their journey. The main antagonist of this book is a rival vampire clan that has a rather vicious agenda. Will Athan and Tendra reach Idris intact?

This is an exciting read that has some plot surprises and a good amount of sexy heat. I give Blood Guard 4 stars. It's well worth the read!

Synospsis:

What happens if you spend your life moving around constantly not because your mom likes changing locations constantly? If you are moving to escape something you didn’t even know was a problem? That’s what Tendra finds out after meeting Athan. They have to journey through Mission City and avoid the rival vampires out to kill Tendra.

Review:

I enjoyed this one a lot. I’m a sucker for vampire romances (yes I did it on purpose I’m full of good puns). This one is great we follow a rather headstrong heroine Tendra (Ten) who is not going to take shit from nobody even Athan who is your typical Alpha male. The story unfolds over a series of days on their path back to the Gregories compound.
We follow them as they slowly figure out how to get along and survive together. Of course this doesn’t mean it’s all smooth sailing. There are some dumb mistakes made by Ten, but she recovers okay from them. Seeming to grow and learn her lesson as we move forward. We see her develop a good bit throughout the story. I liked that she was not going to take shit or let Athan make a bad decision in the end. Erickson manages to give us some really interesting glimpses into the world as they travel through underground Mission City.
I was impressed at how a seemingly predictable plot unfolded and still surprised me. I enjoyed reading the story and how the characters fell in love with each other. There was enough happening to keep me very interested and engaged.


Final Thoughts:

Will I read the rest of the series: Yes

Cliffhanger Ending: No

Rating: 3 ½ out of 5

It has been a while since I have read a PNR book and with a slightly new spin on the vampire world Blood Guard didn’t disappoint. I won't bore you with a recap because the synopsis explains the story well.

I think Blood Guard is a great start to a new series. I found Athan to be extremely protective and honorable. He was a refreshing take on a vampire. Usually they take without concern for the consequences but Athan was loyal to the bone. Even though he wanted Tendra for himself he stood his ground and wouldn’t let himself have her. Tendra was a fun heroine. She had to quickly accept her new reality but the author did a good job here of not dancing around the subject. Athan had to show himself to Tendra and even though it seemed crazy, seeing is believing. Blood Guard is rounded out nicely with some interesting side characters including Tendra’s intuitive cat Brex. If you are looking for a new PNR world to step into I definitely think Blood Guard is worth your time. I particularly loved the ending and can’t wait to see what the next couple has in store for us in book two. Well Done!

3.75 stars--BLOOD GUARD is the first installment in Megan Erickson’s contemporary, adult MISSION paranormal, erotic, romance series. This is vampire Blood Guard Athan and human waitress Tendra’s story line.

Told from dual first person perspectives (Athan and Tendra) BLOOD GUARD introduces the world of the Gregorie vampire-their enemies, a rival vampire clan, known as the Valarians who want to enslave all of humanity as blood banks, and the Quellens (assassins for hire). With the impending arrival of the King-to-be’s Sanguivita, the Gregorie clan prepares for a future awash in unmentionable powers.

Our heroine Tendra is a strong female character; the Sanguivita of the Gregorie clan-the sole human provider of blood to the king-a position she is ill prepared for, and a position of which, she knew nothing about. Athan is Gregorie vampire royalty but a royal designated as the Blood Guard to his brother’s future bride-a spare to the heir, so to speak but a spare whose position within the royal elite will soon come to light. Athan has been tasked to safely escort his brother’s future bride to her new home at the Gregorie compound but the compound has been compromised, and the royal family struggles to stay one step ahead of an unknown threat. What ensues is the building relationship between Athan and Tendra, and the potential fall out when the truth about the royal legacy and the Sanguivita prophecy is fulfilled.

BLOOD GUARD is a story of insta-love; of forbidden romance between soul mates; two people pulled together by love and fate; and the unmistakable allure of what should have been. The $ex scenes are intimate and seductive without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text. There is a palpable, sexual attraction between our leading couple-an attraction that does not go unnoticed by the man in charge. Fair warning, there are some M/M, F/F sexual situations between non-relevant characters but situations that explain the attraction and desires during vampire feedings.

We are introduced to Athan’s brother Idris; his best friend Zeb, and Tendra’s co-worker and friend Ruby. There is a large assortment of secondary and supporting characters who come and go throughout the story including Athan and Idris’s father King Connell. Idris’s story line is next BLOOD VEIL November 2017. Here’s hoping the author has plans for Zeb’s HEA.

The world building reveals some of the backstory and touches briefly on the history of the Sanguivita-her role as the sole human blood provider of the Gregorie king including the potential power her blood can gift to the rightful heir. Athan’s earlier years, including his relationship with his brother, struggled in the face of their father’s power and control- a control that will dissipate as the Sanguivita takes her place on the throne. I was hoping for some more information as to the reasons why the Gregorie vampires chose the town of Mission-perhaps it was the availability of the old, underground subway system that allows for a secret city beneath the town.

BLOOD GUARD is a fast paced and intriguing story line. The premise is sexy and energetic- there was nothing earth shattering or new but the story line kept me entertained and interested in the fate of the leading characters; the romance is intense; the characters are colorful and charismatic. Megan Erickson’s BLOOD GUARD is a great start to a new series. I hope you give it a try.

Copy supplied by the publisher through Netgalley

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3.5 stars~

I am a reader that you would consider as being "very picky" when it comes to paranormal books. I want them to have romance in them but I always want them to have a really solid story to it that doesn't revolve around the romance. I love the world building and the thrill of it all. While Blood Guard is a book I enjoyed, it isn't going to be rated very high for a PNR for me. I liked it but it revolved around romance and didn't have the story line that would have carried the book outside of the romance aspect. If you like them and don't need more than the romance then this would be a book for you.

3.5 “Sexy Vampires” Stars

ARC via NetGalley.

Thank you, Loveswept!

I've been saying this a lot for the past couple of months, but yeah I'm more than ready for paranormal romance to make a comeback. And it's happening, guys. It's happening!!! So, hello all the paranormal romance books I'm seeing out there! *waves*

Now, of the adult PNR romance I've read this year, Blood Guard is definitely my favorite.

I'm relatively new to this author, but I can already tell Megan Erickson has no trouble writing chemistry and sexy romance. And likable heroines.

Tendra was strong, independent and loyal. She knew how to take care of herself, but she also knew when to accept help. I liked that she didn't act like those heroines who are so stuck on being independent that they end up getting themselves in trouble because they can't accept anyone's help. Aside from some silly decisions (everyone's entitled to one or two of those), she came across as really mature for a young woman. The fact that she treated her cat as if he was a person also won her some points with me.

Athan, the sexy vampire who was in charge of keeping Tendra safe and escorting her to his clan so she could sort of marry/bond/serve as blood bag to his soon-to-be-king brother, was also a great character. I liked how he struggled between his sense of loyalty and duty, and his feelings for Tendra. Most of all, I liked how he balanced the fact that he was raised to be a badass killer with his good heart. I'm all for alpha heroes, especially in PNR, but I can get behind a almost-beta male when he's as sexy as Athan.

Speaking of sexy... The chemistry between Athan and Tendra was spot on. I enjoyed how the romance developed and how hot they were together. Some of those sex scenes made me blush, and I read a lot of romance, so that isn't an easy task. I guess the whole feeding while doing other stuff got to me.

The mythology (for a lack of better world) and the plot didn't impress me, to be honest. I had problems with what I saw as plot holes (or inconsistencies) when it came to the war between the vampires clans, and the villain's motivation. I'd also hoped for more of a spin on the vampire mythology, but the main elements were the same as most of the stories out there.

Having said that, Blood Guard gave me sexy vampires, so it's pretty safe to say I enjoyed this book quite a lot.

In this new series from Megan Erickson, there's a secret society of vampires living in the shadows of gritty urban underground. The Gregorie clan has been at war with the Valerian clan over how they treat humans. The Gregorie clan wants to protect the humans, but the Valerians do not. It's taken ten years to develop the Sanguivita, a special human who will provide the blood to feed the Gregorie clan and keep them in prominence.

Tendra has no idea about the vampires that exist in her neighborhood until the day she is taken by one of them. Athan is committed to protecting Tendra but first he has to tell her how important she is to their clan. After everything that she's gone through with her mother in the past, it doesn't take a lot for her to put the pieces together and believe Athan. Now they just need to get back to their clan headquarters, which isn't an easy task considering they have assassins after them.

Blood Guard is an action packed paranormal with a great romance between Athan and Tendra. I could feel their growing passion as I read the book and I worried about the fact that Athan was supposed to deliver Tendra to his brother Idris who is supposed to take the throne with the Sanguivita as his wife. The action and romance come in equal amounts and I loved that about this book.

Blood Guard had everything I want in a paranormal romance. The world building was nicely meshed into the scenes between strong characters that I cared about from the start. It was the romantic elements that really had me with this book too. There's plenty of intrigue too in an action filled conclusion.

If you like paranormal romance, you should definitely pick this one up.

An ARC was provided for review.

I like where this is going. I am a huge fan of Paranormal Romance and vamps are definitely one of my favorite to read about. I have read my fair share (a lot) and I like when an author can weave the standard “what we know” in this case, about vamps, with something original and refreshing. I feel like Megan has totally done that with this new series and I can’t wait to see where it goes next. The world building in this one is interesting, the monarchy so to speak and who doesn’t love a good ol’ prophecy? Just this new take on vamps is something I want to read more about.

With only a few minor issues while reading, some the book and some personal, that were not a deterrent to the overall story, I for sure think fans of Paranormal Romance and Megan Erickson this will be a winner.