What a wonderful beginning to this new Mission series!

Give me a Vampire story and I’m sure to be hooked, and Blood Guard definitely fits the bill. A fast, easy read that takes readers into Erikson’s unique world with its fascinating characters and distinct vampire elements; the story captivates the reader from the very first page.

The relationship between Tendra and Athan is breathtaking; Athan is protective, caring and typically brooding in his Vampire nature, while Tendra may start out delicate and precious, but she develops into a strong and formidable companion as the story progresses.

There are some unanswered questions, but I think this is leading to what readers will encounter in the next book of the series; so all in all, I would definitely recommend this story to readers who love their Vamps and all that they encompass.

**I received Blood Guard from Net Galley and Loveswept in exchange for a voluntary and honest review**

Blood Guard-Mission #1 by Megan Erickson is the first book in what I know will be a hit for the author. This is the first book that I've read by the author and I will look forward to the next book anxiously. I was a bit hesitant to try this book but after reading the other reviews on Goodreads I decided to give it a try and am I glad that I did because its wonderful.

Tendra is a waitress who know how to defend herself in gritty Mission city. But she's still grieving the loss of her mother but one night she sees a dark handsome stranger in the bar who intrigues her. Imagine her surprise when he follows her home and the next thing she knows she's being told that she is a Sanguivita of the Gregorie vampire clan. Now we all know that vampires don't exist or do we? Soon they are on the run with Athan and Brex the guard cat underground Mission City and Ten is trying to understand why she'll be the sole source of human blood for the King.

Athan has been sent to retrieve Tendra and bring her to his brother Idris so that he can take the throne of the Gregorie Clan. But there's a rival clan and Quellen who are assassins for hire. But there is a traitor amongst their own who will do anything even kill to convince everyone that the myth of a Sanguivita will save them. But when he's attacked with a new weapon by the Quellen, Tendra will have to make a decision that will effect both of their lives. Will they arrive the compound in time? Can Tendra and Athan fight their growing attraction to each other?

I loved this book and would love to have a cat just like Brex who was super protective. I can't wait for the next book which hopefully will be Idris's story.

4.5 stars!!!
I'm always looking for the next paranormal book that will leave me satisfied and Blood Guard was it for me. This was a great read that I finished within a few hours. Once you start this book it is absolutely hard to put down. I loved the character, Tendra and Athan were perfect together and I enjoyed watching them develop a closeness over their journey. Their chemistry was off the charts and I rooted for them knowing she was promised to another. This is a great paranormal read that has action, betrayal, death, revenge, suspense, twists and turns and a love that can't be denied. The war is just beginning and I can't wait to see what happens next. I loved Zeb's characters so I hope we get more of him and I'm definitely wanting to know more about Idris. So, I'm excitingly waiting for the next book in this series. The only thing that I could have be mentioned less in this book was how much training Tendra's mother put her through because it seems as if it was mentioned on every page in the beginning of the story. However, that did not take away from this great read.

Superb intro book from Megan Erickson for her new paranormal world of vampires and other strange creatures. It's rare I will deliberately pick up an MF book, it takes a special author for me to do so, and I had that faith rewarded. There are no simpering heroines and ridiculously over the top alpha heroes here.
Athan and Tendra's relationship is full of equal skills and efforts and each brings something to the other which they need.

Thank you to NetGalley and Loveswept for providing me with an e-ARC to read and review. Blood Guard by Megan Erickson is set to be released September 12, 2017.

Warning: This book contains explicit romantic scenes and language. For mature readers only. Reader discretion advised.

Blood Guard by Megan Erickson is a new series involving vampires that I immediately fell in love with.

At this point, I'll read anything about vampires as long as the plot and makeup of the vampires is different and unique Blood Guard definitely set itself apart. I was intrigued by the concept the author developed and I think it was executed well.

Tendra is a protagonist to love. She's bold and brave but knows her weaknesses. She has a great sense of humor and I love it when she makes references that Athan doesn't understand - it's adorable. I like her not-going-down-without-a-fight attitude.

Athan I really liked though there where times I had mixed feelings about his character and wasn't quite sure why. He's clearly a natural born leader. His path in life has always been focus on his duty as blood guard to the Gregorie Sanguivtia (Tendra). Yet sometimes his interactions with others wasn't always consistent with what I believed his character to be. He has a dynamic personality but I couldn't help but wonder at times "Is this the same guy you're initially led to be believe?" But towards the end everything began to make sense. His emotions are so pure and raw; he is without a doubt a very likable and loveable character.

Themes of loyalty, duty, and self-sacrificing for the sake/good of others are heavily woven in this book. Each compliments the other and what Tendra and Athan go through, creating much tension and conflict that I liked.

I was worried that the majority of the book would be spent going from Point A to Point B. So happy that wasn't the case but we could have gotten to Point B much sooner. There was also one moment a little more than halfway through that made me hesitate. I'm glad with what the author decided to create in that moment. It took me a moment to get used to this new idea present. But once I did, I was all on board and really liked how it played out. I think it will provide great action and plot in the next book.

And then there's Brex, Tendra's cat. I loved him the most. He was so adorable and every scene he was in was just too cute for words.

Blood Guard was perhaps too short for me but still enjoyable. I'm very much invested in this story and am definitely going to be reading book 2, Blood Veil.

It has been awhile since I went with a paranormal romance so, I jumped at the opportunity to review this one when I saw this on NetGalley.
Blood Guard is the first in a new series.It is a good versus evil vampire story with a chosen one, so to speak, names Tendra, also known as Ten. She is kidnapped by Athan, a blood guard and a member of the Gregorie Clan. His duty is to bring Ten back to his brother as a wife.
As Athan and Ten set out on their journey. They meet many fellow clansmen along the way and Ten learns more and more about the world she about to enter.
The character development was pretty good. It was a little off that Ten was so easily willing to take her place in the Gregorie clan so quickly buy other than that I appreciated that she was not a punk. Her mother made sure she was able to defend herself. Athan was a wonderful character, he was loyal to a fault even when some were not loyal to him.
My favorite part of the story is the plot twist, which I will not give away. It was a great climax to the story and had me excited for the next installment in this series.

It’s tough to come up with anything new in the supernova-hot genre of vampire romance, but Erickson manages.

Tendra is an endearing mix of toughness and naiveté. Her reactions to situations don’t always feel completely genuine - I mean really, who accepts a kidnapping by a clan vampire THAT fast, or for that matter, the existence of vampires in general – but in spite of glossing over many situations that feel like they should have been fleshed out more, it was a good story. Also, I freaking loved Brex. Ya gotta love a cat who’s with the heroine only because he “snuck into the bag when [Athan] packed it” and draws blood on the big, bad vampire dude every chance he gets.

One last positive comment: the editing was really good, for those who care about such things (I do).

As for negatives, the insta-lust detracted from the story. Both Tendra and Athan were raging with possessive jealousy less than 24 hours after first meeting. Within a couple of days, she’s already decided that she “loves him.” Sure she does. And I hated Tendra’s name; it made me think of grass.

All in all, not a bad way to spend a rainy day, although I don’t expect to search out the sequel, if there is one.

I was dying to delve into this book being a fan of the author’s other works. There was a little trepidation though as the vampire/paranormal genre is not something I usually choose to read. As soon I was a few pages in I was hooked. I liked and felt invested in the 2 MC’s, Tendra and the vampire Athan. The idea of vampires living alongside humans and how they integrated in our world was told in a way that you could believe, it was well thought out and succinct. I think some authors become overly descriptive and the more they try to describe something and validate it, it seems to become superfluous to the story and becomes a little unbelievable, definitely not the case in this instance. This was, in essence a love story and the sex scenes came about very naturally and were super hot. I was willing the MC’s on all the way through their journey and I was totally surprised with the ending, it was perfect! Really looking forward to reading about Idris and Zeb in future books. It was a veritable treat with everything you could wish for, hot vamp sex, suspense, a love affair and just a really great story and I would wholeheartedly recommend it.

I enjoyed this first book in a new paranormal series and cannot wait to see where the author takes us next. It was a wild, sexy ride and I can't wait to read the next book in the series.

Blood Guard is a promising start to the Mission series. A quick, sexy paranormal romance, Tendra is smart but has her flaws and Athan is a strong but not indestructible. The plot was predicable in part but overall this was a great Sunday read.

Tendra's life is about to change when she is knocked out and wakes up tied to a chair. Athan's whole life has been in preparation to guard her, and get her to his brother to fulfill a prophesy. Trailed by assassins, betrayed, political intrigue, and forbidden love made this paranormal just a little bit different than all the others. I really liked it. Wonderful prophesy realization, great worldbuilding, bad ass protagonist, creepy villains. I voluntarily reviewed an ARC from Netgalley.

I've never read a book by Megan Erickson, actually... I don't think before coming across Blood Guard I had ever heard of her. What a shame!

As I pursued Netgalley looking for something that would hold my interest I stumbled across Blood Guard and was instantly intrigued.

Going in with an open mind I was prepared for anything.

Tendra is a woman alone in Mission City, her mother has passed away and she has no family or roots to call her own after a life spent moving from place to place. Just as she starts to get the itch to move on she's taken and her life becomes something from a movie.
She's strong, and not just because her mother made sure she could take care of herself but because she has will and determination. But her life and everything she knows to be true is about to be challenged.

Athan is the second son of the Gregorie Vampire King. His mission is to bring the Sanguivita safely to his brother so that his people may be saved from a future as slaves to a enemy vampire clan.

The attraction is pretty instant and intense but, both Athan and Tendra are set on following through with this mission despite rogue vampires, and stinky bad guys. Until finally a choice has to be made. And lives will be forever changes because of lies that were told and deals that have been made.

I loved every moment spent with in these pages. I will admit that the first little bit of just Tendra interacting with customers at the bar was slow for me but, once she finished her shift things picked up. So really... maybe the first 5%; not enough if a slow start to stop me from reading though. I had questions and the needed answers.

I enjoyed watching the dance between the H/h and trying to figure out how this was going to play out and if Athan and Tendra were going to put me in the position of a possible cliffhanger (they didn't). They did answer my questions and lead me through a wonderful beginning to a new series that I can't wait to continue.

I do wish that the last 20% seemed a little rushed. Maybe I just needed more from Athan once they made it back to the Gregorie holding. I'm not sure. Either way a fantastic read, a new "world" that I'm excited to explore and characters (secondary as well because Zeb NEEDS a book) that were well thought out and developed.

Fantastic book for lovers of paranormal romance. Great worldbuilding, imaginative storyline. A great hero and heroine that I can Definately cheer for!

I loved this novel. This novel grabbed me and sucked me in from the very first chapter. I loved the main characters. I loved Tendra, she rocked. She was so strong and fearless. I loved her attitude. She was a badass. Athan was awesome. I loved how he was protective and kind to Tendra. I absolutely loved him. I loved them together. I loved the dialogue and banter. I loved how they were so honest with each other and told each other how they were feeling. I loved the novel. It was a great paranormal but it also was also a great MC novel too. I can't wait to see what is coming next. I was an awesome read.

I loved Megan Erickson's new vampire series. It’s been a while since these mystical creatures were featured in such a sexy, powerful, intriguing and enthralling way. Athan is the Blood Guard of his kind. From a vampire clan that have long awaited for a special human who would according to the prophecy, strengthen their people against their enemies. He is protective, sexy, intense, loyal, kind and not meant for her. Tendra is terrified of the hulking man clearly after her. His tales of vampires, sanguivitas, fates and wars are both intriguing and terrifying. But the more he talks, the more her life makes sense. Now he is bound to protect her from enemies that want her dead. Protect. That's all Athan was meant to do. Not have feelings. Not fall in love. But fate had other plans. Human or not, Tendra was his. King or Guard, Athan would be hers. And damned the consequences. Blood Guard is a page turner, where vampires and humans will battle and forge alliances in order to stay alive, fulfill the prophecy and have their HEA. I can't wait for Blood Vail and read all about the King's brother and his mate…

I am a big sucker for vampires, so when I saw this baby on Netgalley, I knew I had to read it.

Tendra is a waitress, who one day after her shift, gets snatched off the street and kidnapped. She is thrown into a world, where all of a sudden vampires are real and she herself is supposed to be "Sanguivita" ( mealticket) for the clans king, because of her "special" blood.

Of course Tendra was quite shocked at first, but evidence suggest, her kidnapper Athen, is not talking out of his ass :P

Apparently there are different kinds of vampires. Those that only feed with consent, and those that don't give a damn about the human envolved. Those are the dangerous kind and they are now after Tendra....This is where Athen comes in.

He is her Blood Guard and he is supposed to keep her safe and deliver her to the clan's king, who is also his brother.

The two of them go on the run...but being chased by bad vampires isn't the only problem they are facing.... There is also the little fact of them falling for each other.

I really enjoyed reading this one and I think it was a promissing start to a new series. I also got a few laughs in, which is always a plus for me. It was definitely inst-lovey, but for some reason, with PNR books, I don't care so much. I also really liked the MC's. Kendra was pretty badass, though Athen was a bit softer then I expected him to be.

I am very curious about book 2.

An ARC was kindly provided to me via Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

This review has been posted on Dirty Books Obsession

Dear Blood Guard,

Oh, how you made me suffer. I wanted to like you - heck, I wanted to fall deeply, madly and irrevocably in love with you. You drained me of all of my hope and joy of this being the case within the first 15 minutes. I must go burn an effigy in your honor to represent how you went up in flames without a fight.

Sincerely,

Cursed Reader

I received a copy of this e-book and am voluntarily leaving an honest opinion.

Tendra is a bartender in the city of Mission. One night she is basically kidnapped by Athan. Athan tells her as little as possible but she finds out that she has this special blood and he is bringing her home to his brother, the king to be. She will become the queen.

Tendra learns there is a whole other world out there! The clan that Athan comes from only take blood from humans who consent but there is another clan who doesn't feel that way. They want the humans to be nothing more than feed for them and they want to dominate. They will not make Tendra and Athan's journey easy.

Will they make it to Athan's home alive?

Another complication, of course, is the attraction Tendra and Athan feel toward one another. Athan is feeling plenty of guilt over his feelings and Tendra is quickly wanting to give into the attraction.

I really enjoyed this story. Athan has never really spent much time around humans so he is quite surprised by Tendra. Tendra is an 'in your face" kind of girl and says what she feels so Athan got more than he bargained for when he went to get the human, lol.

I found the "network" that the vampires had was amazing. Some basically existed beside the humans and they never knew, well...few knew.

I like this couple, both are strong and want to do right. I did like the twist in the story, it made it quite interesting. We were also introduced to other characters who could be in upcoming Mission books?

I look forward to more of this series and more from this author!

A bit outlandish, but I enjoyed nonetheless. :) I'll be on the lookout for the others in the series.

Thank you Loveswept and NetGalley for the ARC!