REVIEWED by Jen B.

TITLE: Wounded Soul

SERIES: N/A

AUTHOR: Annabelle Jacobs

PUBLISHER: Annabelle Jacobs

LENGTH: 245 Pages

RELEASE DATE: April 28, 2019

BLURB:  One night can change everything…

Jesse Sykes has lived far longer than his youthful appearance suggests. Becoming a vampire after tragedy struck seemed the only option when his soul was shattered, after all he’s no stranger to having to hide what he is from the rest of the world. But eternal life isn’t without problems or heartache.

With a good job and great friends, Ian Moreton’s life would be almost perfect—if only he wasn’t in love with his best friend. His feelings are unrequited, and in an effort to move on, he takes a chance on a one-night stand with the handsome stranger he meets in a bar.

Jesse knows the risks of becoming attached to a human, but with neither of them looking for anything serious, where’s the harm? At least, that’s what Jesse thinks until his chemistry with Ian proves off the charts.

A second hook-up solidifies their connection…and brings Jesse to his senses. He scrambles to protect Ian from danger, but it’s already too late. With Ian unwittingly drawn into a world he knows nothing about, events are set in motion that will change both of their lives forever, and it’s up to Jesse to steer them safely through it.

REVIEW:

This is a fun, old-school vampire story. There isn’t anything overly original as vampire stories go, but it was quite enjoyable nonetheless. In this story, the vampires have an agreement with the Vampire Police Force – in return for not feeding on live humans, they will in turn not be hunted down. This has worked for a while, but not all vampires are happy about having had to give up on their own hunting and thrill of feeding that way. One such vampire happens to be Jesse’s sire, Peter, who has clearly not ever truly gotten over the fact that Jesse turned away from him. He seems to be on a mission to go back to the old rules, and unfortunately, he uses Jesse as a pawn to get what he wants.

Ian is trying to get over the unrequited love of his bff, who just happens to now be a trainee member of the Vampire Police Force. At the urging of his other bff, Claire, Ian opens himself up to other possibilities, one of which is a hookup with Jesse. Even though they share some amazing chemistry, it is that very reason that Jesse pulls a disappearing act. Jesse is super sexy, sweet and easily likable as vamps go. He feels the pull to Ian, but knowing it isn’t a good idea, he pulls himself away. Unfortunately, it hasn’t gone unnoticed by Peter, who sets in motion events that shape the rest of the story. Can’t say much more about that without giving too much away.

Suffice to say, this was just a really enjoyable easy read that I found to be quite entertaining. I enjoyed the writing style, the humor and characters involved. There were a few things that I felt could have been written slightly differently, such as Peter who seemed just a bit too much at times, as well as the way everything wrapped up rather quickly. Although, I enjoyed how the story didn’t end there but jumped ahead slightly to show the HEA. This was my first read by this author, but I’ve heard good things about her other series as well. Based on how much I enjoyed the writing style here, I am definitely going to be checking them out.

RATING: