Passionate Thirst (Candace Steele, Vampire Killer, Book 1)

This was an awesome book! I read it in a single day because I could not help myself, I am on the third of the Candace Steele Vampire Killer books! I am a lover of vampires and the way she kills them but is eternally linked to her lover vampire is so amazing I wasn't sure at first if I would like it, but I LOVE it!

Really enjoyed this book.It was very interesting and was exciting to read.Great vampire book if you love storys like that .Alot of juicy details that kept me all in the book and made it hard to put the book down.

So, I've never read a vampire romance before this pulsating novel from Dean. I didn't even know the genre existed and still can't believe it is a "genre". Whatever. It worked for me. Vampires, and I'm making the assumption here that readers of the genre regard the actuality of vampires as they would the tooth fairy (hey, you never know, most people don't understand basic science), conjure up all manner of strongly opposite metaphor, withdrawn and passionate, secretive and driven, invulnerable and vulnerable. The ambiguity appeals to sensuality. The fact that Dean treats the blood suckers matter-of-factly draws one in all the more. And, maybe the obvious dangers make the scenes of lusty sexuality read with a greater maturity and knowingness. They seem both a part of the feeling and action and a treat to be savored. The main character, Candace Steele, is a fully formed heroine who delights in the smell of sweet peas, has a smart mouth and a secret lair, and works on both instinct and method. Multiple climaxes in the action kept me riveted.

I had to hunt down this book. I figured it would be in horror or at least science fiction. After all, that's where you find it's predecessors in the first person, female urban fantasy. Unfortunately, it is being marketed as romance. Yes, there is sex in this novel - very well written, steamy if unprotected sex. However, at its core, Passionate Thirst and it's sequels are mysteries. Candace Steel, the lover and victim of sexy, charismatic vampire Ash, has fled him after a horrifying, near fatal encounter. Escaping from the damp and chilly world of San Fransisco, she ends up in the polar opposite city Las Vegas! There she works as a cocktail waitress ... or does she? She has made herself into a self-trained vampire killer in order to wipe the feelings for Ash from her heart. It didn't work. When vampires begin to die at someone else's hand, Candace must solve the mystery before she ends up as collateral damage. To do this she needs Ash. Which may be even more dangerous. Like the early Anita Blakes and Merry Gentry novels, sex is part of the story but not the only part. Candace is witty, strong and damaged. But it doesn't take her 15 books to work out her personal issues - or at least some of them. Bibi, her Jewish showgirl friend is a kick in the tutu as are many of the side characters. Ash is sexy and distant. The writing is fresh, clean and fast paced. I hope to see more than just these three and I hope they stay the same caliber.

Candace Steele and Ash met in a San Francisco pub a year and half ago; for both it was lust at first sight. As time passed, she realizes their relationship is very odd as they never see each other during daylight. She decides to surprise her lover so she goes to his office to offer him a picnic lunch, but is turned away to her chagrin. That night she confronts Ash; he leaves her, but soon returns to explain everything. Ash stuns her with his revelation that he is a vampire. Soon afterward during love making, he loses control and bites her neck. Candace nearly dies from blood loss, but recovers. She wears a tattoo cross to cover her scar and moves to Las Vegas where she joins the security team at the Star Hotel. One side benefit from Ash's bite is that Candace can uncover vampires, which enables her to kill those who drink human blood. Candace is a bodyguard to singer Temptation McCoy, but her senses tell her that Dru, the entertainer's manager, is a human-blood drinking vampire. Ash suddenly arrives wanting time with her. However, though she desires him, a vampire's wife is not the life for her. When Candace's life is endangered, Ash tries to keep her safe in the hopes they will have a chance to be together forever. Most paranormal romances focus on the love story line, but THE PASSIONATE THIRST centers more on the action. This enables the audience to understand the heroine's ethics as a vampire slayer loving a vampire but changing over is repugnant to her even though Ash is her soulmate. The story line is fast-paced as Candace kicks butt, but it is her human morality that makes this tale several bites above the norm. Cameron Dean is a wonderful storyteller who will appeal to readers of many genres. Harriet Klausner