Title: Blood Debt
Touched Series
Author: Nancy Straight
Self-Published
Buy Link: Amazon (Paperback)| Amazon (Kindle)
Source: Free copy for helping name the book on Goodreads.
Blurb:
Her whole life, it had just been the two of them. Before her mother’s last breath, she gave Camille the information she had craved her entire life: the identity of her father. Daring to contact him, Camille was welcomed by an entire family she never knew existed. But nothing comes without a price, as she discovers when her family claims a legendary heritage tracing back to a Centaur touched by Zeus.
As she learns the secrets of her Centaur bloodline, she is drawn into a forbidden love with Drake. Her family acknowledges her life may be the blood debt required to pay for her mother’s transgressions. The same person who once held her mother captive, and forced her into decades of hiding, now controls Camille. Her only chance is to seek a piece of her mother’s past that will win her freedom and the life she desperately desires.
Review
OH. MY. GOOD CENTAUR. This book left me SPEECHLESS and begging at times. I haven't read an incredibly moving book in a while until I read this book. It was absolutely a masterpiece!
The book opened up with Camille mourning her mother's death and her struggle within herself on whether to contact her long lost father or to just move on with her life. Her loneliness won causing her to finally calling her father, and the next thing she knew, she was in a plane to meet him.
When she first arrived, she had a nice surprise - five half brothers, and all very attractive. I was wishing I was with her at the time to meet her brothers. I probably would have been so uncomfortable and drooling inside. They were very welcoming and warm to her. She also found that they were incredibly wealthy.
When she finally met her father, she didn't know what to say or do. It was awkward at first. And then, she met his real wife; even more awkwardness. Weirdly enough, Gretchen was very warm and kept reassuring Camille that she was welcome in their house and that they were very happy to have her.
The next day, the bomb dropped on Camille. She found out about her heritage and she was thrown into all the traditions and rules, if you may, of their race. She didn't like it one bit. She had her first taste on her oldest brother's wedding. Let's just say she got herself in a lot of trouble. A lot more if not for a handsome Centaur named Drake.
Mr. Richardson stepped directly in front of me, his hands tight behind his back. I didn't know what it was about him, but he gave me one final threat, "If you dishonor our agreement, I will not hesitate to take my payment."
"My eyes narrowed. I didn't need this added reminder. "Mr. Richardson, I am fully aware of the consequences. If at any time in the next five years you threaten my life or the life of someone in my family without justification, I won't hesitate to take yours. Just so we're clear.
Betrothal to a Centauride (female Centaur) was sacred, and therefore cannot be broken. They had a rule that a betrothed Centaur can't look, speak to, or touch another Centauride. Drake was betrothed. Camille kissed him. Cue the chaos.
I will stop summarizing the story here. Just trust me that the book is absolutely amazing and needs to be devoured immediately. One thing that didn't quite sit well with me was Camille's defiance against her own race. It felt weird to me somehow, like it was maybe a bit too much? I'm not sure, but that was just a minor setback and can be overlooked. One thing I did like that stood out was some of the Greek Mythology. I like it in general, but reading it in this book was a very nice touch indeed.
My favorite part, and also the saddest part, is the climax of the book. I was literally saying to myself over and over, "No, please, it's not true. It can't be true. Noooo." I was about to just finish the book in a hurry and write a somewhat angry review to the author, but then, something hit me. Maybe it wasn't true! Maybe there was hope. I mean, really, it just can't be true. I repeated this belief in my head over and over as well. Seriously, can anyone say I'm quite delirious at this point? The author just took my heart, broke it into little pieces, and left it there (this comment also mean something if you read the book *wink*)
OVERALL, Nancy Straight had a rare talent of literally reaching into your heart and making you feel what her character felt in the book. Absolutely magnificent work. I rarely rate my reviews unless I have to, but this book gets a whopping 5/5!
Check out this little enjoyable excerpt :)
He whispered, "I'll be waiting for you in your closet tonight. Gage will keep you downstairs long enough for me to get into position."
"You're going to hide in my closet?"
"Unless you have a better idea. Gage can't come up with a distraction every night; it would cause too much suspicion."
"So, Gage, he doesn't mind?"
"Are you nuts? Gage knows how I feel about you. So does Bianca."
I could hear my heart pounding in my chest, scared that I might ruin the moment, but more fearful of not knowing the answer, "How do you feel about me?"
[He] gave me the strangest look. Sarcasm oozed from his voice when he said, "I'm fascinated by your threshold for pain. How do you think I feel about you?" His lips found mine in an aggressive and needy way. His hands clung to my flesh as if it would be the last time he would hold me for a lifetime. I didn't know what would happen the rest of the day, and in that moment, the earth could have stopped spinning and I wouldn't have given it a second thought.
Convinced yet? Go and get this book before you regret it!
About the Author:
Amazon | Blog | Twitter | Goodreads
P.S.
Nancy scheduled a tour with Romantic Maidens Book Tours for next month. Click here and sign up before you miss out on this amazing book!