We've all had bad days or, in the case of this story, a bad night(s); days where we hate our job, we can't stand being around our family, and nothing seems to go right. I'm Irish, but I think the trademark luck has skipped a generation. Reading Ms. Mara Lee's Blood Passion, I can most assuredly relate to the main character's conundrum.

Katherine Ernshaw has, in her opinion, a crappy existence at best. Her mother is remarrying for the 7th time, and her half sister is flunking out of college. Katherine can't stand her job, and her boss is a jerk. Just when she thinks it can't get any worse, while running an errand for work, she is slammed smack in the middle of a situation that forces her to review the strength of her sanity. She is cornered in the dark by what appears to be a vampire. Just as she passes out, she realizes that there is a handsome stranger there to save her.

When she regains consciousness, Katherine is at the darkly handsome stranger's house. To make matters worse, he's one of the most handsome men that she's ever seen. There's one little problem; he's a vampire, and Katherine learns that she has now joined those ranks. Lex, as he introduces himself, tells her that she's been saved from a nightwalker, and she is now Lex's by blood. He has turned her to save her life because the nightwalker had cut her, causing her to pass out. Lex also tells Katherine that he has been searching for her for two thousand years. Katherine can't believe what she's hearing. Not only is she a vampire, but she's also acquired a “mate” that she knew nothing about. How will she ever explain all of this to her family? Once she is feeling better, she angrily heads for her apartment to gather her wits.

Lexarius Maxim has been a vampire for well over two thousand years. He's been searching for the Hybriantu, or a hybrid vampire, and has found her in the perfect form of Katherine Ernshaw. He saves her from a chance encounter with a night- walker, and turns her into a beautiful vampire. Unfortunately, when Lex informs his new mate of this, she refuses to believe him. She leaves his house, but Lex is confidant that she'll call for him.

Katherine's night becomes worse when she enters her apartment only to find her sister “entertaining" a guest. One big problem for Katherine: her sister does not live with her. She has had a bad night, and the last thing that she wants to deal with is her little sister, entertaining a male guest in her bedroom. After kicking her sister out, she showers, and discovers that she is hungry, but it's not for food. She finds herself outside a nightclub, waiting to feed. Her new instincts take over, and she's soon had her first taste of blood. Lex is by her side to teach his fledgling vamp all there is to know.

Their budding romance is complicated with news from the Council of Vampires. They've also been searching for Katherine, aware of her hybrid blood, and now that Lex has mated with her, their plans are foiled. They are not to be taken lightly, and now there is a large price on their heads. The Council will stop at nothing less than a very permanent death for Lex and Katherine. Now, Lex must pull out all the stops, mending old hurts along the way, to keep his new mate safely by his side for all eternity.

Blood Passion is a great read from beginning to end. I found the attempts at humor a little forced, but the lively plot and larger than life characters more than made up for it. The action is non-stop, and the sex scenes had me starting cold showers at every turn. It's books like Blood Passion that make my trademark bad days turn into good ones. Thanks for the good read, Ms. Lee.

Reviewed By: Sue F.
©September 2005