Reviewed by Carissa
TITLE: Bulls and Blood
SERIES: The Blood & Thorn Ranch #1
AUTHOR: T.A. Chase
PUBLISHER: Pride Publishing
LENGTH: 96 pages
BLURB:
Breaking the rules has never been Wesley’s way…until he meets Mino.
Rule Number Two that the Thorn brothers live by is that employees of the ranch are off-limits. Wesley has always followed that rule, never stepping out of his comfort zone to do more than talk to one of the cowhands that help run his family’s ranch. Being a vampire makes it easier, since he doesn’t go out during the day.
Mino’s been interested in the youngest Thorn brother since he began working at The Blood & Thorn Ranch. It’s those stupid rules that hold him back from making the first move. Well, those and the fact that Wesley could kill him in a blink of his eye. Being human in a world of supernatural creatures makes living difficult, since he’s considered prey.
These two males, from different species and societies, must find a way to meet in the middle of their worlds if they have a chance at love.
REVIEW:
Several decades have passed since the supernatural world crawled out of the closet. Society and the power structures were shaken, but life continued on–just with a few changes. At the top of the food chain now stood the vampires.
On the Blood and Thorn Ranch, the five Thorn brothers are the law. They make it, they keep it, and if you break it they will be the ones to break you. Permanently. Which is a really good reason why Mino should not be lusting after Wesley. Especially since Mino is human, and humans and vampires do not mix.
I’ve reviewed my thru several series by T.A. Chase, and since the wrap up of the last one I have been unsure what I wanted to read next. She has plenty of series out there that I’ve not yet got to…so I had plenty of options. Then I saw this book–the first in a new series involving vampires, demons, shifters, and much much more. I’m not a huge fan of vampires, but it has been a while since I have read anything with a vamp MC so I thought I would give it a go.
Which, yeah…good decision, that.
I love that the vampires in this story are by no means the cute and cuddly kind. Nor are they all that emo about their existence, their souls, or their role in life. They are the top dogs and they know and revel in it. While I have several ethical issues with what they are doing on their ranch, I like that they are this…amoral. Nothing is good, nothing is bad–there is nothing except what they want and what they say.
Throughout the course of this story we are introduced to all of the Thorn brothers–some more than others–and who I presume are going to be their romantic interests in later books. But in Bulls & Blood we have Mino and Wesley. Wesley runs the administrative side of the ranch–though don’t let that fool you as to how blood-thirsty he can get. Mino is a human ranch hand. The rules of the ranch say that anything between them is a big no-no, but after Mino makes a (rather dangerous) move, Wesley can’t seem to fight the attraction any longer.
I like that Mino was the one to make the first move. He might be low man on the species totem pole, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t have the guts to go after what he wants. And because he takes the option of pursuing one of the dangerous Thorn brothers, it kinda evens-up the power dynamics between the two.
While parts of this book felt like it was just there to set up the rest of this series, I did enjoy the story. The ending was a bit abrupt, but I’m hoping that Mino and Wesley’s HFN will grow into something larger as the series goes on and we get to know more about the owners and workers of the Blood and Thorn Ranch.
RATING:
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