Loyalty means nothing unless it's forever.

The honor of being the first book that I review on my blog goes to Nadine Collins, author of Eternal Loyalty.

When I first read the blurb for this vampire romance - STAY WITH ME NOW - I was actually intrigued, which is saying a lot. Having put down the final book in the Twilight series almost four years ago, I swore off anything that even hinted of vampirism.

But the protagonist, Ruby, and her best friend, Poppy, are exactly like we are. Ruby kicks off the story by waking up late, being repeatedly pelted with snowballs, and arriving tardy at school with Poppy in tow. She uses contractions and curse words, and isn't afraid to fight someone. Ruby is a well-shaped protagonist: one with a good heart and sympathetic mind, but not content to sway when the breeze blows.

In addition, the two discover their vampirism not through a dramatic guessing game, but through their school principal and parents, who intend to send them off to an all-vampire boarding school. Collins even creates a scene of the two of them laughing so hard at their parents' announcement that Poppy starts snorting like a pig and Ruby stops making noise altogether.

With a new vampiric boarding school comes new classes, and I am thrilled to see here that Collins has interworked real vampiric mythology into this piece, with Romanian studies and other mentions of vampires' origins. There is obvious effort in this piece to remain realistic and suspend disbelief while letting this flight of fancy soar high. If you love a good mystery or British vampires, I recommend Eternal Loyalty, found here. Come on, people. British vampires.

Eternal Loyalty

All the better to eat you with, my dear...