Reviewed by Jen B.
TITLE: Thicker Than Water
SERIES: Proud to be a Vampire
AUTHOR: A.F. Henley
PUBLISHER: Less Than Three Press
LENGTH: 21,000 words
BLURB: Ladomer’s first experience with vampires instilled a deep hatred–an emotion he gladly uses to bring destruction to the beasts that can’t be purged from his memory. Hunting alongside the compelling man who saved his village, Ladomer and Zor are ruthless in their quest to stop the growing threat. When a new call pulls them deep into Eastern Europe, Ladomer learns anew just how cruel vampires can be–and how much deeper love can go.
REVIEW:
This story takes place a bit in the future where people are no longer safe when the sun goes down. They have gone back to basics with no electricity, etc. One night, Ladomer stays out a bit too late and runs into one of the vampires. His brother tries to save him and is killed in the process. Lad harbors a lot of guilt over this as he grows up. Eventually, he hooks up with Zor, a vampire slayer, and the two take out as many vampires as they can as their own relationship grows.
In their vampire slaying travels, they end up running into that original vampire, Arius, who turns out to be a Master creator. There isn’t much fluff and definitely not any sparkles with these vamps. The Masters create others to do their bidding, making them into exactly what they want, but basically, they are the workers and the masters are the queen bees.
This is an almost poetic, beautifully written story. It picks up pace once they cross paths with Arius, and things get a little hairy. There are a few twists and turns, and an ending I wasn’t quite expecting. I definitely enjoyed this short, somewhat darker vampire story and look forward to seeing what else this author has to offer.
RATING: 
BUY LINKS: LTTP Store
Thank you so much for the review. I’m thrilled you enjoyed it. 😀
Your review makes me want to buy this book right now and I probably will. One question – will the author be writing novel length books in this vein? I sure would love to read them.
If I can be so bold as to reply to that question directly, I do in fact have a novel-length sequel for all the characters in mind for this novella, as well as a prequel involving Arius’ back story. That being said, neither are anywhere near complete at the moment so I make no promises as to releases. I’ve been hovering over the ideas, waiting to see how the novella is received.
Thank you so much for your interest. 🙂
AFH <3