Forget everything you have ever read or thought you knew about vampires because it was all misleading non-truths told to keep the secret of the vampires’ existence. For that matter, forget everything you thought you knew about history and what occurred when and to whom. Nothing is what you thought it was. The truth is delivered to Angelina one night when she finally confronts the mysterious man that has been following her. Angelina is an archeologist; she deals in truth and facts, but one gorgeous man is about to upend her world. A History of Vampires by author Amanda Lewis is the story of Angelina and Jude, a classic love story, but one that transcends time. Jude is a vampire, although he doesn’t use that term for himself, and he doesn’t drink blood, except for the first transformation. He can walk in the sunlight, and just about every other myth about vampires is untrue, just part of a carefully crafted story to keep the existence of vampires hidden from the world. Jude’s purpose is to make the world a better place, and he surrounds himself with people that have done enough good in their human life that they are worthy of becoming vampires to continue that work.

While A History of Vampires is the story of how they came to be, their purpose, how they exist in the world, and what they try to accomplish, as you continue on in the story, you find that there is also much more. Author Amanda Lewis starts what looks to be a series with this first book that lays the groundwork for everything to come. It builds the backstory of how the characters came to be and what things they might have done in their lives to warrant the future events yet to come. You don’t have to like vampires to enjoy this story. In fact, other than the noteworthy identities of some of the characters in the book, you can almost completely forget about them being vampires because they are nothing like you have ever read about before. This is the start of an epic tale of love, life, and good vs. evil, with a sprinkling of history re-written thrown in. This book will appeal to all readers of all ages and genres.

A New Queen is a work of fiction in the paranormal romance genre and serves as the opening installment of the A History of Vampires series. It is aimed at mature readers and was penned by Amanda Lewis. The book follows Angelina Arbonne, an archaeologist who becomes the object of affection for a stunning two-thousand-year-old stranger who claims to be king of the vampires. As he leads her into the world of immortals, Angelina becomes more and more enamored with him and the life he offers. But with danger brewing on the horizon, is this world really one she wants to join as queen?

It’s a fascinating concept for vampire romance to have a heroine who is a dedicated student of history be approached by a paramour who has lived through most of it. It results in the sort of dynamic that must make other vampire romance authors kick themselves for not thinking of it earlier. Amanda Lewis has not only beaten them to the punch but she’s also mastered the delivery of the idea with detailed character work and gorgeous prose teasing out the relationship between Angelina and her new vampire community. The world of A New Queen is vibrant and well-considered, with the role of the immortals and their effect on history carefully plotted by the author. It is consistent with itself and with world history as we know it. A well-devised and exciting take on paranormal romance, I’d recommend this book to all.