Kindle Edition Download to your Nook (eBook) Download from Apple iTunes (eBook) Amazon Barnes & Noble.com Stephanie Collier's Author Website Amazon Barnes & Noble Category:  Romance Publisher: Dark Rose Publishing ISBN-10:  0615956017 Type: Fiction Pages: 409 Copyright: 1/31/2014 ISBN-13: 9780615956015 Price: $2.99 (eBook) When a Nazi concentration camp murders Alhena, The Blood Countess damns Demyan to immortality, but his soul already belongs to the one who had died - bound by a Gypsy curse - and the promise of her rebirth is the only thing that can save him from an eternity of darkness. "I would recommend this to anyone and I will warn that once you pick this book up, you will not only want to keep reading, but you will find yourself wanting more..even once it is done." "The Blood of the Black Rose is a powerful and well written story." "This style of writing is what sparked my love for reading and the author does not disappoint." When a Nazi concentration camp murders Alhena, The Blood Countess damns Demyan to immortality, but his soul already belongs to the one who had died - bound by a Gypsy curse - and the promise of her rebirth is the only thing that can save him from an eternity of darkness. "Beautifully dark and romantic" ~ Erin A "Powerful and Poignant Story" ~ LB "50 Shades Meets Interview with a Vampire! Love it!" ~ Angela Langdon         Excerpt The day wore on as a countless number of people were marked, all the men being the first to be branded. And as the sun’s light diminished it took every ounce of its warmth, the chill air returning with a vengeance, ruthlessly freezing us in our nakedness. The fire’s brightly glowing embers viciously licked at the blackened sky with its flaming tongue, its ominous sparks floating to the ground, destroying the grass beneath it and fueling the fear that was already there. A wild look of hysteria clouded her eyes as they moved on to the women and I shifted my hand closer, my pinky finger gently entwining and hooking around hers. I hoped the tenderness of the gesture would offer the comfort that words could not. Another soldier approached and her body reacted in rolling quakes of nervousness. My fingers softly traced and caressed the back of her smooth hand soothingly. She squeezed the extremity with a frightening force then relinquished it. With a deep breath, a look of determination crossed over her features and she followed him to the blistering inferno. I called out to her, a wordless cry of despair, but my voice was lost among the sea of screaming sobs. I watched as her body went stiff at the sight of the flaming rod, watched every muscle contort in unbearable pain, but it was her voice rising above the noise of the crowd that wound its way into my soul, tugging at my heartstrings. My jaw tightened, my hands closing into fists as my body lurched forward instinctively. Feminine yet like a band of hard steel, an unusually strong arm silently darted in front of my bare chest, barring my way and keeping me from acting on the roiling emotions that kept churning, blinding me to all logic. “You don’t want to be doing that, my darling,” a captivatingly sultry whisper at my ear demanded, halting me at once. I turned my head to the side and amber-colored eyes, with all the answers to the world’s questions betraying the youthfulness of her face, intensely stared into mine in the dim light. The mysterious woman’s arm dropped, setting me free and my attention immediately snapped back to the fire. The skin above her left breast was red and swollen as she toddled back to me, the numbers deeply imprinted into her flesh. Numbers that matched my own. Tears flowed down her beautiful face. The salty drops trickled onto the damaged skin, causing her to shudder against its stinging pain. As she turned to stand next to me, I remembered the woman who had kept me from my retribution. My eyes scanned the crowd for her, but she had inexplicably disappeared, all trace of her existence vanishing into the night.

A fresh new take!
I found myself unable to wait for the next sentence as the vivid descriptions pulled me in as if I were actually experiencing the story through Demyan's eyes as opposed to only reading it! This style of writing is what sparked my love for reading and the author does not disappoint. The author wipes clean the slate and resurrects the vampire of old. Paired with a rarely touched subject of the holocaust, gypsies and just enough romance to soften the darkness, the author brings a story that leaves you wanting for more. Praise to the author for restoring my interest in the writings of the immortal soul and delivering a tale that keeps you from putting the book down in anticipation of what will come next! I can hardly wait to once again lose myself in Demyan's mind when his story continues.

50 Shades Meets Interview With a Vampire! Love it!
I couldn't put it down. The author uses impeccable writing to portray these characters so clearly it is as if you are right there with them living through this novel. I like the fact that the author utilized some guts to root the story in fact, such as the backdrop of the Holocaust ( a controversial subject). It is the PERFECT blend of fact and fiction. The romance and sexual content is just enough without going overboard. Intertwine that with the old style vampire element (which is refreshing compared to the teen vamp genre btw); well...you have the best novel I have read in a LONG time. I would suggest this novel to any adult looking to step out of their everyday life and enjoy a bit of passion, excitement, darkness, romance, and a refreshing take on the legend of the vampire. VERY IMPRESSIVE!!!

WoW!!
I can honestly say, I've never read a book like this. Not all the way through, anyway. I love the fast-pace of it -- enough to keep my interest, but also included enough detail to make you really enjoy the characters, and feel for them. You really want Demyan to finally find Alhena, to finally have a chance at a life with her -- but Erzsebet has him so trapped in her darkness that she seemingly makes it impossible to do. The sexual scenes between them were quite detailed -- not so much that it was too much for a guy like me to handle, but just enough to even make me squirm with excitement!! The detailed descriptions of the concentration camps, the dark castle, and the Alte Oper really put you there, made it really feel like you were there, that you knew exactly what the place would look like. I loved the bit of historical aspect to this, and actually was forced to Google The Blood Countess and the Alte Oper because it made me want to learn more about them!! And the ending... don't get me started!! A real "WTF" ending, by the way!!

I would recommend this to anyone that likes a bit of romance, but not the Fabio-covered smutty kind!! It has some darkness, but not so much that you can't feel for the characters, not so much that you can't get enveloped into the story, and not so much that you will want to hide in a dark, dank corner & start wearing black fingernail polish!!