Gillian Key and all the female members of her troops have
been miraculously healed, make that virginity restored, by
the power of the man who is the Phantom of the Opera.
Perrin has returned to his life in Paris after dealing with
his psychological issues with Gillian's expertise.
Her next patient is Csangal, a vampire who is haunted by the
memories of what he has done. With her relationship with
Aleksei in a difficult stage, Gillian throws herself heart
and soul into helping Csangal deal with his past. What she
doesn't know is that Csangal is really a pseudonym used by
Dracula and his intent isn't healing but revenge on those
who made him what he is.
Gillian finds herself abducted by Dracula to be a sacrifice
to the beings who made him and all the other Vampire Lords.
However, his plans take an unexpected turn when the other
Vampire Lords pull together to avert his plans.
Instead, they will face another Vampire Lord who wants to
use religion to bring the world into his power. They will
find the world is more danger than they could have dreamed
and it will take all of them to save it.
This is the fourth in the series of Gillian Key and once
again I found myself wishing for fewer creatures and a less
complicated plot. Ms. Gryphon has thrown every mythical
being into her books and each novel gets more complicated.
It's enough to make the reader dizzy trying to keep them all
straight. While I enjoy the writing style, the sheer number
of creatures and the loosely connected subplots are enough
to send this reader screaming for a nice uncomplicated
romance to alleviate the feelings of confusion which arise
whenever I enter this world.
Gillian Key is a pradoc, an expert in treating the
psychological difficulties of the Paramortal community. But
before she became a healer, she was a highly skilled Marine
with a Special Ops unit, trained to handle situations beyond
the ordinary...
Despite her success at helping others solve their problems,
Gillian can't find a way to bridge the distance that's
growing between her and her lover, Aleksei Rachlav. Though
the Vampire is completely devoted to her, a real commitment
between them is something that both are reluctant to
consider. So to avoid dealing with Aleksei, Gillian buries
herself in her work, turning her skill and her energy to
helping the Vampire who calls himself Csangal, a creature
tormented by his past cruelties.
But Csangal's problems are only an act calculated to bring
Gillian under his spell, a dangerous and treacherous act
that hides his true motives-- and his true identity...