Desperate to defeat King Richard III and gain the crown, Henry Tudor made a pact with the Druids binding him and his heirs to the Druids’ struggle against the Vampire race. Ever since, the Llewellyns, a Vampire-slaying family, have been in the king’s employ. Now Henry VIII reigns, and his father’s bargain has been almost forgotten-until bloodless corpses turn up in the king’s bedchamber. To save … save the king, Vampire hunter Rosalind Llewellyn must form an uneasy alliance with Druid slayer Sir Christopher Ellis. But soon, Rosalind must face an unthinkable truth: that her sworn enemy may be her soulmate…
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The first time I read this story a few years back it wasn’t my preferred genre or even a time period I found that interesting. With this re-read however, having read more paranormal and even been watching more TV shows of this time period, I found myself much more engaged and enjoyed this story immensely. It’s amazing how your tastes change over the years!
I’ve read just about everything Kate Pearce has had to offer over the years and there’s only a small handful of her backlist I’m still working through. She has a great writing style that is able to successfully cross a multitude of genres and time periods. I am so glad I went back and read this one again.
KISS OF THE ROSE by Kate Pearce is book One in the Tudor Vampire Chronicles series.
Rosalind and her mentor Rhys have come to assist at Court with a dangerous threat. There Rosalind encounters her enemy Christopher but they end up having to work together defeat a rogue Vampire threatening Henry VIII. This bring out new feelings of passion toward each other. This is a vampire….paranormal story that continues into another book called Blood of the Rose which I can’t wait to read. This is the second release of this book with an updated cover.
Desperate to defeat King Richard III and gain the crown, Henry Tudor made a pact with the Druids binding him and his heirs to the Druids’ struggle against the Vampire race. Ever since, the Llewellyns, a Vampire-slaying family, have been in the king’s employ. Now Henry VIII reigns, and his father’s bargain has been almost forgotten that is until bloodless corpses turn up in the king’s bedchamber.
To save the king, Vampire hunter Rosalind Llewellyn must form an uneasy alliance with Druid slayer Sir Christopher Ellis. But soon, Rosalind must face an unthinkable truth: that her sworn enemy may be her soulmate
This book is re released. I love the author’s Regency books & her Morgan ranch series but felt a little out of my comfort zone with this book, Druids & vampires aren’t my favourites but I love the author’s writing. Whilst the book didn’t wow me it did capture my interest & held it practically all the way through. I think it was because quite a bit of the book concentrated on the love triangle. The characterisation was good & the story flowed well. Whilst not a five star read from me, I would read the rest of the series.
My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read
I really wanted to like this book, but I didn’t. It was just Ok. Struggling through the Rhys, Rose, Christopher triangle was a struggle.
The vampire and druid part I could handle. The whole king, queen, maiden, castle, Tudor, etc. was not my cup of tea. The story seemed to drag in places which would cause me to lose focus.
After making in through to the end, I found myself left with somewhat of a cliffhanger. I don’t like cliffhangers. I don’t know how this will turn out, and I don’t really care enough to follow up with the next book.
If you like this genre of book, you should definitely read it and judge for yourself. It was ok. I really tried it because I enjoy the author’s Morgan Ranch series so much.
I voluntarily read and reviewed the Reader Copy.
~3.5 stars rounded to 4 ~
This book reminded me how much I love and miss reading about vampires and legends of old.
Christopher is a man that disguises his family shame with an over the top charming personality and being the best at what he does. Rosalind is a clever woman but is getting tired of having to prove herself as a vampire hunter. These two star-crossed lovers will have to unite forces in order to bring down a common enemy at the same time that a prophecy seems to be taking place and their feelings for each other seem to be more than just unbridled passion.
I loved the world building. I remember reading this story when it first came out and while I remember liking it then I have to say I liked it even more now. The Druids as a historical backdrop was something I hadn’t read before and I liked how it was weaved within the Tudors era. Vampires as Machiavellian beings and not necessarily heroes provided that extra darkness that I like in my PNR.
The thing I didn’t like much was the love triangle that took place in much of the story. I always think it unfair when one of the characters is left as an afterthought just because the object of their affections couldn’t make up their mind and kept dragging the poor guy along. I know it happens IRL but I prefer it wouldn’t happen in my romances. I also thought the prophesy aspect needed more fleshed out. It took me a while to understand it and assimilate how the whole thing tied up in the end. But I think that was a personal problem that I tend to have where prophecies are concerned.
All in all it definitely was a very enjoyable read and I recommend it to anyone that loves paranormal mixed with their historical reads.
*I received this book at no cost to me and I volunteered to read it; this is my honest opinion and given without any influence by the author or publisher**