Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #84903 in Books
• Published on: 1999-10-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 384 pages

Customer Reviews

Entertaining, but definitely needed a better editor
Shannon Drake's BENEATH A BLOOD RED MOON is a compelling paranormal romantic adventure. It is set in the fascinating city of New Orleans, and begins at the scene of a brutal murder. Lieutenant Sean Canady, veteran homicide cop extraordinaire, and his greenhorn partner Jack Delaney, find droplets of blood leading from the practically bloodless corpse to a side entrance of Montgomery Enterprises, the haute couture shop owned by Maggie Montgomery. This grisly murder is only one of a rash of killings that have been plaguing New Orleans recently; it appears that a Jack the Ripper copycat is lurking, determined to make a name for himself.

Or does the killer want revenge? After all, Maggie is a vampire who's been around since before the Civil War. She's met a lot of people in her "lifetime," some of them enemies. Most compelling of all these encounters in her past was another Sean Canady, Civil War hero and love of Maggie's life. Maggie finds herself drawn to present-day Sean. Is he a reincarnation of her beloved, and if so, can she keep him safe from her enemies? Not to mention tell him the truth about herself and live some form of happily ever after?

Drake's straightforward tone and concise style make Sean and Maggie's tale a gripping one; a reader can almost see and feel - and possibly even live - the events that take place. The characters are realistic and likable. Sean is one of those guys you'd like on your side when things go wrong. Maggie, despite (or perhaps because of) being a vampire, is an extremely down-to-earth person. The combination of these two leads is very appealing. The evil stalking them is very pervasive and demented, and its inevitable defeat is quite satisfying. Lucian is great as the enigmatic and cynical leader of the vampires. There is just enough violence and gore to make this a good horror novel, just enough emotion to make it a good romance. There are few too many loose ends for my satisfaction, but then, this is a part of a trilogy, so perhaps my questions will be answered later.

The only major complaint I have about this book is the innumerable typos. Sean's family plantation is alternately referred to as Oakville and Ashville. Present-day Sean also gets referred to as both Captain and Lieutenant. There are also so many misspellings that I was tempted to take a red pencil to the pages myself. Ms. Drake is a major writer in this genre under several names; you would think this would entitle her to a better editing staff.

In spite of these irritating errors, BENEATH A BLOOD RED MOON is still a good read for people who like paranormal plots in their romance novels. Even though I enjoyed this book "in spite of" a lot of things, I look forward to reading the next installment in the series.

A Great Vampire Novel!!!!!
I must admit that I am new to the sub genre of the vampire romance novel. I love the concept but I have just not found many authors that have thrilled me. Ms. Drake has sold me totally on the idea of a sexy, sensual vampire. I automatically pick up Ms. Drake's historic romance books, now I will pick up her Vampire novels as well!

Maggie Montgomery is owns a clothing boutique in the heart of the French Quarter. This is a special store since it has been in her family for generations. There has been a horrid murder in the French Quarter and there are blood drops found outside her backdoor literally. This leads NOPD detective Sean Canady to her doorstep investigating to investigate this beauty in connection to the blood drops found outside. Maggie is stunned and agrees to help in any way possible. Sean is totally drawn to Maggie in a way that he can't understand and begins to pursue the reluctant lady despite the misgivings he has that she is holding something back.

Maggie has secrets that she is not willing to share, she is a vampire. Needless to say Maggie is away of a past that she and Sean (Sean is an old soul as well) share, as well as the return of an enemy that means to destroy all that she has managed to create. She finds herself drawn to Sean and eventually falls in love with him. She still feels bad about keeping a part of her past from the sexy Sean, and her past may have a connection to the murders that are now plaguing the French Quarter. She may know who is performing the frightening "Jack The Ripper" type murders but is unable to prevent them. See the murder may be another vampire. Eventually Maggie must confront not only her past, but love and trust Sean enough to tell him the truth about her in order to help him catch a killer.

This was an incredibly fast paced book, set in one of my favorite places. Ms. Drake created a wonderful set of characters (both main and secondary characters) that really tell their own story. The chemistry between Maggie and Sean is wonderful, and I love Lucian....I can hardly wait until he get to his story! This book held me spell bound and totally changed my outlook on how good a vampire book can be! Do yourself a favor and get this book, full of suspense, and romance!

Very Suspenseful
I'm not a big fan of vampire novels, but I truly enjoyed this one from start to finish. Trust me, I read romance novels daily - far too many really! - and I can honestly say that this is worth the money it goes for. The writing was suspenseful and sexy - two qualities that are a must for me to read more than one book by an author. I will DEFINATELY be reading this author again.END