O Dare to Love ForeverRating: 4 stars
Buy Link:
Amazon | All Romance | Amazon UK
Length: Novel


Lincoln Samuels is in the business of serving justice to vampires, not falling in love with them. Yet when he meets Carson Locke, he can’t ignore the incredible power that exists between them. Broken and starving, Carson brings out all of Lincoln’s protective instincts despite a painful past that warns him away from getting too close.

Carson is dangerous to all those around him. As a Tabula Rosa vampire, he can wipe someone’s mind with a single bite. He has lived his entire life isolated, protected from those who would use his powers for exploitation. Now his family is dead and he is adrift until he meets Lincoln. But the past is relentless and Carson’s knows that he and Lincoln will never be safe until they confront their enemies. And if they do so together, they might just survive.

I have to admit a certain level of exhaustion when it comes to the vampire genre. It seems overly trodden in recent years and it’s been a long time since I’ve read a vampire book that I actually enjoyed. Which made Dare to Love Forever all the more surprising. There isn’t a lot of new ground covered here and most of the themes and plot points have been seen before. But Dare to Love Forever is wonderfully written and gives the readers such an engaging cast of characters that the idea of vampires is somehow made fresh.

Carson and Lincoln are both incredibly intense and it was impossible not to connect with both of them right away. Their bonding, while predictable, reads as riveting action and from page one, you know these men belong to one another. Their passion is epic in scale and so too is their devotion to their friends and family. I appreciated that there was something of a role reversal between Lincoln and Carson. Initially Lincoln appears to be the dominant in their relationship, but this quickly changes and while there is a balance between them, Carson is the one with greater power, both in and out of the bedroom.

As this appears to be the start of a series, we’re introduced to a wider array of secondary characters than normal and all of them are given the same care and attention as the main characters. I give the author huge credit for creating a background cast that really jumps off the page. The interactions between Doc and Tommy are a bit rushed and didn’t seem to flow quite as well as the others, but this was really a minor blip.

Dare to Love Forever takes some rather worn out vampire themes and revitalizes them with fresh characters and strong writing. There are plenty of predictable moments in the plot, but you won’t find yourself caring too much about that. Dare to Love Forever promises to be a strong start to a new series and enjoyable to anyone who likes vampires and wonderful characters.

A review copy of this book was provided by Dreamspinner Press.

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