Kindle Edition Amazon Embrace the Shadows Category:  Romance Publisher: Crimson Romance ISBN-10:  1440560285 Type: Fiction Pages: 132 Copyright: November 5, 2012 ISBN-13: 9781440560286 The Gettysburg Vampire is a tale of love and war, of parasols and cannon balls. Alternating between 1863 and 2011, it introduces a modern-day heroine to a Civil War legend. Students at Gettysburg College know the legend of the Stonewall Jackson, a Civil War ghost train. For this year’s winter holiday play, Theatre Professor Abby Potter has dramatized the popular tale using a little artistic license. She’s added a vampire. But she has one big problem—finding a decent thespian for the leading role. She bristles at the suggestion that Malcolm McClellan, a history professor at the college and a renowned Civil War re-enactor, would be ideal for the part. She’s avoided the brooding, mysterious man for years. But it may be perfect casting.       Excerpt Malcolm leaned back in his chair. His heartbeat thrummed, which was odd. It typically beat so slowly that any doctor would have declared him dead. Of course, dead he was. Feeling the beat of his heart was disquieting, yet exciting. He stared at the door Abby had just closed and listened to her footsteps fade down the hall. Humans wouldn’t have heard the soft pad of her boots on carpet, but he had no problem detecting each step. Her stomping helped. He pinched the bridge of his nose. Had he remembered her? How could he forget? She’d always sat in the front row of his class, glued to him with those soulful hazel eyes. Other coeds regarded him lustfully, but she hung on his words. She seemed genuinely interested in what he was trying to convey, not simply entranced by his veneer. He knew she was special, which is why he’d avoided her. The last thing he needed was human entanglement. Once she left the college after her graduation, he thought he was safe from her allure. He could still see her blowing those golden blonde bangs out of her eyes as she labored over a quiz. He’d repressed the image of her pert nose, peachy skin, and bouncy breasts. But damn if she didn’t come back to Gettysburg to teach, and inadvertently, to haunt him. And now he had no choice; he had to rescue her. He’d been unable to save Sarah those many years ago, when duty to country trumped family, but he could keep Abby out of harm’s way. She’d probably go to that Goth club decked out like a fang-banger with no idea of the danger she was in. So, there’d be no compartmentalizing this time. He’d have to see her again. And then what? Act in her play? He could feel his resolve melting like the November snow. For the first time since Sarah died, he considered the prospect of companionship…and passion.

Romance Junkies
A wonderfully intriguing blend of Civil War legend and lore, the world of the strange and different via vampires, well-fleshed out characters and a real Southern charm lace this entire nicely paced plot. THE GETTYSBURG VAMPIRE is my favorite novel yet from author Susan Blexrud. Confident, not-so-little-woman Abby bursts from the page as one independent gal. She not only takes responsibility for rewriting a page from history about Stonewall Jackson's Civil War ghost train but tackles crazy goons as well. Ms. Blexrud does a brilliant job of fashioning a heroine who is not only inspiring but completely credible. Ms. Blexrud's novel tells an atmospherically tragic tale of the effects of the Civil War by combining a rare perspective of war life while melding together modern day adages. I was magnetically drawn into the emotions of the men and the emotional battle scars they faced. Malcolm McClellan is a powerful man with many hidden facets. I loved when he made overtures to Abby and her reaction to them. Shock and disbelief quickly replaced by tingling awareness of her hormones. Susan Blexrud nailed human emotions down pat! Malcolm sure is one intriguing, handsome man! Look no further; this story is rousing, serious and at moments, lighthearted, mingling Civil War life and trials, intimidating vampires and a shy romance that's heady and appealing. THE GETTYSBURG VAMPIRE is delicious. Like a scrumptious chocolate bar with a gooey caramel center, take one bite and it drips down into your soul.