Book Review and GIVEAWAY: Vampires of Manhattan, by Melissa de la Cruz, ends 10/20 {2 winners!}

"Whoever did this is going to burn," Oliver promised. The Code of the Vampires protected mortal as well as immortal life now; it was one of the first changes he had made as regent. Vampires who ran afoul of this law were in danger of losing their immortal lives.

There were no more second chances, not in his coven.

Vampires of Manhattan is the newest Blue Bloods novel from Melissa de la Cruz, but it's very different from the older books: it takes place ten years after the last book, so the former Gossip Girl-esque vampires are now in their late 20s/early 30s. It's also a NA book (New Adult), so it's a bit more PG-13 than the previous books.

Official synopsis:
Vampires of Manhattan is "hipster horror" - the memorable characters from her Blue Bloods series are older and cooler than before, trying to build "Millennial" lives in the bustle of Manhattan while battling forces of evil and, of course, each other.

Hero of this sexy, paranormal action tale is Oliver Hazard-Perry, former human conduit, and Manhattan's only human-turned-vampire, now the head of the Blue Bloods Coven. When his all-too-human lover is found murdered on the eve of the coven's annual Four Hundred Ball - a celebration meant to usher in a new era in vampire society, and to mark the re-unification of the Coven after decades of unrest and decay - Oliver is devastated.

Now, not only is he trying to create a new world order for the immortal elite, he's the prime suspect and is stalked by the newly installed head of the vampire secret police. Because according to the new rules, vampires who take human life can now be executed. Burned.

How can an immortal sentenced to die fight back? He has to find the killer - and the answers lie deep in vampire lore.

I didn't entirely like this book at first, but then I found myself warming to it. It was fun to "reconnect" with the Blue Bloods characters - the last book in the series, Gates of Paradise, was released last year, in February 2013.

In this edition, Oliver Hazard-Perry (I feel like I have to say his full name every time, ha, and not just "Oliver") is no longer a human, but a vampire and the head of the Coven. His former crush, Schuyler Van Alen, now lives in wine country (California) with Jack Force, her husband. Jack's twin, Mimi Force (now Mimi Martin), is recently separated from her husband, Kingsley, and has moved out of Hell back to NYC.

(literally, the bowels of Hell - Kingsley had been guarding the gates there)

Meanwhile, there have been human murders all over the city, and the Venators (like the vampire police) have to figure out who, or what, is the killer, and how to stop them.

I did overall enjoy this installment of Blue Bloods. Melissa de la Cruz has said that in the next novel, the Blue Bloods will be going to Stockholm, too, which should be interesting; this book had a finite ending, but also seemed to be left open for another few books in the series, too.

I'd recommend this book for anyone who likes sci-fi, vampire stories (without the gore, for the most part), or de la Cruz's previous Blue Bloods novels.

3.5 stars out of 5.
{You can purchase this book here}

*Disclosure: I received a copy of this novel for reviewing purposes. The opinions expressed here, however, are my own.

GIVEAWAY:
Enter via the Rafflecopter form below. Giveaway will end on Monday, October 20th, at 11:59pm EST, and winners will be notified via email on October 21st and have **24 hours** to respond; if not, an alternate winner(s) will be chosen.
Two winners, and U.S. residents only, please.
Good luck!
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