cover image A Vampire’s Soul

A Vampire’s Soul

Carla Susan Smith. Kensington/eKensington, $3.99 e-book (254p) ISBN 978-1-60183-291-7

Smith’s underwhelming second paranormal picks up where A Vampire’s Promise left off: with Rowan Harper reeling from the discovery that her new boyfriend, Gabriel, is a vampire, and that she’s mysteriously bound to him in ways she doesn’t understand. As she comes to terms with Gabriel’s nature, she must also fend off the attacks of another vampire who wants Gabriel for her own. Finally, she has to unlock memories that explain what it means to be his Promise. While the story starts off with great potential, with Rowan in realistic denial over the existence of vampires, it soon devolves into a convoluted mess involving fallen angels, lost souls, and deals with demons. Rowan is given to extensive internal monologues, Gabriel doesn’t appear until 80 pages in, and while the sex is hot, the chemistry is lacking. The potential is there, but Smith has yet to find her true voice. (July)