Touch, considered the most sensual of the senses, is often times the most gentle. However, for Ann Van Helsing, touch is a deathly overpowering siren and one she must ignore. Yet, who cannot long to be touched even when insanity is the certain outcome? Cursed with the psychic ability to instantly know everything about anyone she meets through touch, she lives in terror of her out-of-control sense. Even items are her enemies, for the psyches imbued from those who've created, or in any way touched them, leave heavy footprints in her mind and soul.

Only the forests and caves outside seem to give her any kind of peace, so she searches for somewhere, anywhere she can find solace away from humanity. In 1822, such an ability is feared even more so, for who wants a witch wandering loose who can reveal the nasty hidden secrets of one's soul? With only her ailing uncle Thaddeus to watch over her at The Maitlands in Wiltshire, it's a matter of time before insanity or death rears its ugly head. Especially with greedy cousin Erich seeking her familial legacy. When Ann meets up with the injured quasi-paladin Stephen Sincai, will she fall into the arms of insanity, or will her soul find a new way?

Stephen Sincai has come to Wiltshire at the behest of Rubius and the Elders at the Mirso Monastery. His mission is to destroy the evil Scottish vampire Kilkenny and his brood, who threaten the very lives of humanity. Kilkenny is making the same mistake Stephen once made, which almost caused the destruction of all humanity. Kilkenny believes that vampires made are as capable as those who are born to it. A vampiric knight forged in the sexually torturing heat of the steely embraces of three all-powerful sisters, Stephen has allowed himself to be hammered into a powerful instrument of justice. His Companion has been made stronger and more powerful by his tutelage in "The Hidden Ways."

Encountering Ann when going after Kilkenny, Stephen finds the pale, beautiful girl a distracting if enchanting enigma. When she touches him to try and heal his wounds and falls into a coma, Stephen finds he's bitten off more than he can chew. Can a tortured soul, who made terrible mistakes in the past, open himself up to love and learn to defeat the evil in which he's caught?

Squires has captured the essence of that which makes a vampire story sing like the dark, erotic thriller such tales are meant to be. Stephen is a vampire character you can sink your teeth into, as brooding as Whedon's Angel, with a touch of intelligent nobility like Yarbro's Saint- Germain, yet as mesmerizing and darkly sensual as Dracula himself. Ann, though handicapped by both her curse and her femininity in a world of men, is by no means the boring wilting flower she could be. Together these two characters ignite and become synergistically more satisfying, with characterizations uniquely their own. This is a deeply satisfying, sensual read to be savored like a fine wine (or should I say blood) with all the subtle nuances and richly ripened details even the most refined mental palate will revel in. A truly touching tale destined to become a classic of vampire lovers everywhere.