{Review} ETERNAL SERVICE (The Colony, Book 1) by Regina Morris

ASIN #: B00B7KGXH6

File Size: 605 KB

Page Count: 439

Copyright: January 25, 2014

Publisher: Silkhaven Publishing, LLC; 6th Edition

Book Summary:

(Taken from Amazon)

Vampires exist among us. They can be our neighbor, best friend, our child's teacher ...

They alter their aged appearance based upon the amount of blood they consume. They move to a new area, drink a lot of blood, and appear young. Slowly they limit their intake of blood and age, right in front of our unsuspecting eyes. After decades, they fake their death, move, and do it over and over again.

Most live quiet lives in an effort to blend in.

Some however want power and control.

The Colony is an elite group of vampires sworn to protect the President of the United States from these rogue vampires.

When Raymond Metcalf, vampire coven master of the Colony, teams up with a federal operative of the human female persuasion-who has no idea that vampires even exist-will his mission or his heart be compromised first?

Career military woman, Alex Brennan, is being offered the promotion of a lifetime and with it a romance that she has desperately been seeking. Does she dare accept the position as Director of the Colony, an elite group of deadly creatures of the night and risk a dangerous romance with a man who isn't even human?

Together, can they save the President?

Mandy's Review:

Raymond is a widowed vampire who had a baby with a human woman back in the 1800s. The birthing of the baby is what killed his wife. Since her death, Raymond hasn't found another woman that he's willing to open his heart up to and trust. His guilt over his wife's death doesn't help. When he meets Alex, though, the thoughts of trust and guilt are put more into perspective and he's considering opening his heart up to her.

Alex is ex-military so she knows how to be tough when needed, which she has to be being in a predominately male profession. She's not so tough that she doesn't need therapy. Alex had a night a few year before where she was attacked and almost raped. She has been going to therapy ever since to learn how to put the past behind her and trust men again. When she meets Raymond, her pheromones take over and her issues with trust are quickly going by the wayside.

Can Raymond successfully let go of his past to have a future with another human female? Can Alex let go of her past and trust another tall, mysterious man? Can the two work out their differences and bridge the gap between human and vampire?

As you can see, I believe this novel has a strong premise and could make for a strong series. I was a little concerned that the romance aspect would take on the Harlequin "no fail" pattern. Thank God it didn't. I do get tired of the Harlequin romances.

The supporting characters in Eternal Service are cohesive within the story. I did have an issue with Brandon's role ... and this may be a slight spoiler ... Brandon had been compelled so many times that he was no longer able to be compelled. Yet, during the dinner, it seemed as if he had been compelled by an evil vampire. The slight contradiction bothered me because, the majority of the time this happened to a human, the Colony decided to transfer the human to another department or area in order to be rid of them. They didn't do that with Brandon ... and I understand why after reading the ending, I just wish there weren't so many instances in the novel where it was written that Brandon was becoming an issue and something would have to be done about him. It led me to believe that Brandon was on the verge of becoming transferred so often that he would no longer be playing a role in the story.

Something else I need to mention: The novel seemed to take a really long time to get to the climax of the story. Then, the ending seemed a bit rushed. It was a little disconcerting. Almost as if the author was ready to be done with it and found the quickest way possible to end everything. Maybe remove all but one or two of the times we read that it had been so long since Raymond had been with another woman. Or all the times it was mentioned that Brandon was going to be an issue. Those by themselves would've shortened the trip to the climax ... oh, and the scene with the mosquitoes. I understand the need for it. I just think it could've been done differently.

Despite my criticisms above, I do think this series is starting off with enough originality that those tired of Harlequin romances should give this a try. It's not orgasmic, but it is satisfying.


*An ecopy of this novel was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.