thicker than waterRating: 4.5 stars
Buy Links: 
 Amazon | All Romance
Length: Novella


Ladomer has hated vampires since he was a child and one killed his older brother. Hell bent on revenge, Ladomer has spent his life trying to exterminate the race that terrorizes the night, destroying villages and killing senselessly. Traveling alongside the love of his life and born vampire hunter, Zor, Ladomer hopes to one day take down the vampire that ruined his and his family’s lives.

On course to confront and hopefully destroy a nest of vampires in an abandoned airport, Ladomer and Zor are faced with several encounters with vampires hunting them until one particularly strange fight ends in a way that gives Zor doubt of their safety. When they make it to the nest, Ladomer walks in alongside his partner, even against Zor’s wishes.

Walking into the airport is walking into a trap. Split up from Zor, Ladomer has no idea where his partner is, or if he’s even alive. Coming face to face with the vampire that ruined his childhood and changed his life is both redeeming and terrifying. Facing death at the hands of the very vampire that killed his brother, Ladomer learns true evilness in the face of his nightmares, but he also learns the meaning of true love.

When I read new authors and automatically fall in love with their writing, I’m still skeptical of their other work. Was it beginner’s luck? Was it just an easy subject/story? This is the third book I’ve read from this author, so now I’m beginning to realize it’s not beginners luck. It’s talent. And here’s the thing, I’ve read paranormal, contemporary, and historical fantasy by A.F. Henley and now I’m convinced that if this author puts pen to paper, Henley can do no wrong.

So, the book, yeah? I have to start off with telling you about the world that Henley has created. It’s a post-apocalyptic world, except this world wasn’t destroyed by zombies, but by vampires. It’s a very primitive world in the year of 2219. Electricity is a luxury that not really anybody has. Automobiles, planes, and trains are obsolete. The means of transportation is walking, horses, and boats. Survival of the fittest is the name of the game. Vampires roam the shadows and the night. It’s a scary, uncertain world, and I loved it.

Ladomer is a man of purpose, a man trying to slay his demons. He’s a man attempting to right what he perceives are the wrongs of a child. He’s determined and strong. I love his growth, how his past shaped the man he became and brought him to the man who loves him. This is Ladomer’s story, so we don’t get Zor’s side of things, which is unfortunate because I loved what I saw of Zor. The protector and grounding force for Ladomer, Zor is someone to reckoned with.

The only reason I didn’t give this story a five-star rating is because, as much as I loved it, it seemed like a sequence of events in a much larger story. It feels like the beginning of a novel that is not quite finished. It’s a wonderful love story complete with action, mystery, and a number of surprises. And while there is some depth to the romance, there isn’t really a conclusion to the rest of the story. There are so many questions left unanswered that I am dying to have some closure for Ladomer and Zor, and for myself as well.

In the end, Thicker than Water is seriously a great story. The world is imaginative and interesting. I love the characters and the story. But I just can’t help but want more. I wish that each storyline and question would have had a conclusion. I’m hoping for more in the end. Regardless of the ending, this story is definitely worth reading. I recommend Thicker than Water by A.F. Henley.

Thicker than Water is part of Less than Three Press’ Proud to be a Vampire collection and can either be purchased separately or as part of a bundle of vampire stories.

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