Blood Bound by author R. J. Blain is an installment in the Lowrance Vampires series, a work of fiction in the paranormal genre, aimed at readers from teens upwards. The book follows a freshly conceived vampire named Penelope who is on the hunt for the one who transformed her into a vampire against her will. Focusing her energy on stalking her fellow vampire rather than feeding on innocent people, she takes the opportunity to join the Lowrance brood in order to get her chance at revenge. But helping the Lowrance vampires risks the very future of humanity. What results is an edge of your seat thriller adventure with plenty of drama along the way.

Author R. J. Blain is a seasoned writer who knows how to captivate an audience, and these skills are put on display most vehemently from cover to cover of this epic vampiric drama. Penelope Francis is an unusual heroine, thrown into the vampire world against her will and out for vengeance and answers from the off. The close narrative style keeps us in on the action and involved with Penelope’s emotional and mental state, whilst the wider lexical choices paint a highly descriptive world of night for us to explore through her eyes. One of the things which really impressed me was the social culture and structure of the Lowrance Vampires themselves, which sets up a wonderful precedent for the series to come. Overall, I would certainly recommend Blood Bound to readers who enjoy fantasy drama, vampiric hijinks, and really good writing.

Blood Bound: A Lowrance Vampires Novel by R.J. Blain is the story of revenge. Penelope Francis was a corporate lawyer, but all that seems like a lifetime ago. Now she is a vampire thirsting for blood, but she refuses to drain innocent people. So she preys on vampires and seeks revenge on her maker. Her maker left her in a grave and now she has to fend for herself. The only thing she knows about her maker is that it is a man and he is evil. She was miserably on her way to killing vampires and looking for her “Master” when the gorgeous Emerick Lowrance held her at stake and demanded she revealed who turned her. Emerick agrees to help her seek her revenge; all she has to do is agree to join the Lowrance brood. He is an irresistible charmer, but Penelope has a bigger plan. So she becomes Pepper Lowrance and she is out for blood. Can she find her maker and get her revenge?

Boy, oh boy, was this fun! Author R.J. Blain opens Blood Bound with a bang and takes readers on an entertaining, dark and witty journey where Penelope/Pepper is seeking revenge on the vampire who turned her and then left her to fend for herself. Penelope is such a cool woman; she is smart, loyal, and incredibly intelligent. If I were in her situation, I would have snapped at Emerick and not given him a chance at all, but she is a bigger woman! I will be honest, I thought Emerick was mean and arrogant, but he grew on me as the story progressed. He proved his worth and I enjoyed how he and Penelope/Pepper started to learn to live with each other. The mystery behind the rogue vampire was intense; I wanted to know who was causing all this chaos and why he was leaving people behind. The pace was perfect, the dialogues were incredible and the characters developed really well. This is a brilliant novel to start a series and I cannot wait for the next one.