ARC Review: Blood Knot

Blood Knot
Tracy Cooper-Posey
Erotic Urban Fantasy Romance (M/M/F)
Stories Rule Productions/March 7, 2011

From Goodreads ~

Winter, a professional thief who can manipulate others' biologies by touch, accidentally "healed" her former partner-and former vampire-Sebastian, whom she secretly loves. Her healing created a symbiotic pairing between them that neither of them wants.

Nathanial, a sexy thousand-year-old vampire and Sebastian's ex-lover, talks Sebastian and Winter into stealing evidence that will expose all vampires to the world. But Nathanial is a puppet-master who doesn't believe in falling in love with humans, leaving Winter unsure of his real feelings for her once he seduces her, or how he feels about Sebastian, the former vampire-now-human whose life he has turned upside down once more.

But the evidence they steal is hot property. The future of all vampires is on the line and others will stop at nothing to get it, leaving Sebastian, Winter and Nathanial with no allies but each other. They must trust each other to survive. Only...can they?

Blood Knot starts off quickly, from Nathanial (Nial) and Winter's first explosive encounter to their mutual attraction. Their connection to Sebastian is what brings them together and finding him gives them a common goal. Once the three of them are together, old feelings surface taking them in a new direction.

Winter is a retired thief, or so she thought. Then Nial comes into her life and turns it upside down. First off, love Winter's ability. So unique. She's a strong heroine with equally strong opinions about who and what she is. She doesn't want to get pulled back into the dangerous life of a thief but at the same time, the excitement tugs at her. Then there's her love for Sebastian and the possibility to see him again. But Nial and her attraction to him complicates things. She wants them both and doesn't want to choose.

Nial is under a lot of pressure and needs Winter and Sebastian's help. He's an intriguing character who uses his abilities to manipulate people and situations to his liking. I couldn't blame him for using those abilities and he's honest about his abilities when dealing with Winter. He's also honest in his feeling for her and for Sebastian. That worked well in getting Winter and Sebastian to open up about their feelings.

Sebastian has shut himself off from Winter and Nial. He doesn't want to join in with them on the mission. He has a painful history with both of them and doesn't want to suffer a repeat. But with conflicted feelings, he agrees to help. You would think Sebastian was the weak link but I think he was the strongest - he was what pulled and held the three together.

A ménage that is more than just sex, that involves feeling of love from all three participants isn't easy to make believable. This is true with Winter, Nial and Sebastian. Sometimes it felt like Winter should be with Nial since Sebastian acted like he wanted nothing to do with her. Then other times it felt like Winter loved Sebastian but only lusted for Nial. Either separate or together, these three deliver some emotional and erotic scenes. But in the end, I'm not sure I fully believed that all three held equal parts in the the relationship.

The political aspect of the story is focused on the vampires and their ability to remain hidden from humans. Nial is caught in the thick of it and pulls Winter and Sebastian in with him. They are up against some serious enemies and when they do decide to join forces, they make for a formidable team. The action scenes were interesting with the three working out the details of their mission and using each others' assets to get the job done. It did feel

Overall, an appealing story with three very different characters who, with their imperfections and their strengths, overcome past hurts and learn to rely on each other and love each other.

Rating: B