In recent years vampires have taken the spotlight as icons of sensuality. Inspired more by lust than horror, this collection covers many aspects of vampire lore, while describing any number of sexy scenes. While some vampires are cast as evil bloodsuckers looking to torture their victims, others are innocent men who are pulled into vampirism against their will ― all of which provide opportunities for highly charged scenes of lust and sexual abandon.
“Centuries of Longing†offers one of the collection’s sweeter love stories, telling the tale of a vampire who has been waiting hundreds of years for love. “Out of Light and Into the Night†gives a more sadistic look at vampires involved in ritual killing. The vampires of “Three†find themselves entwined with a different sort of demon, while “Kells†shows that teenage crushes can be misplaced, especially if your crush becomes someone you hate once he drinks your blood.
A collection of stories from different authors always runs the risk of being uneven, but on the whole Blood Sacraments succeeds in bringing together vastly different perspectives to create an enjoyable read. Although vampires and erotica aren’t my usual topics of interest, I was surprised to find that I could not put this book down. I would recommend Blood Sacraments to any library looking to expand its genre collections.
Reviewed by, Emily Faulkner
Adult Services Librarian
Chicago Public Library
