Title: His Turn
Author: Elsa Aarden
Genre: Paranormal, Vampires
Length: Novella (89pgs)
ISBN: 978-1-64243-975-5
Publisher: Siren Publishing (5th September 2019)
Heat Level: Moderate
Heart Rating: đź’–đź’–đź’–đź’– 3.5 Hearts
Reviewer: Prime
Blurb: To certain humans, the city is a place riddled with vampires. Cameron Jameson, a lover of art, ventures out of his rural hometown to see the work of his favorite painter in person. There, he meets Duncan Marlow, a persistent vampire. During their spark, an enemy throws Cameron into a new vampire world unknown to him with Duncan.
Duncan Marlow is new to dating a human. Is the vampire world too much for his human partner? A family secret takes Cameron by surprise and Duncan has to find a way to help him adapt. His intentions to keep Cameron away from danger are to no avail.
A fatal accident turns Cameron’s life around. While all expected it to be that simple, it turns out to be much more than ever imagined for them. His new-found existence creates surprise and fear in others during the test-run of his abilities.
Purchase Link: Siren-BookStrand | Amazon US | Amazon UK
Review: His Turn is a standalone paranormal romance by Elsa Aarden. Aarden is not an author that I’m super familiar with – I’ve come across her name a number of times while perusing the Siren website, and I’ve a couple of books in the past. However, this is not an author that I am invested in, to the point that I must read every book. That’s not to saying anything bad about the author or the writing style, I have enjoyed each book I’ve read by Aarden, but there are just so many book and authors that this did not tip to become on my very long must read authors list.
The story starts with Cameron Jameson. He’s a fairly ordinary human who lives with his very human family in a rural town. There seems to be a lot of fear and distrust when it comes to vampires from his people. The big, bad vampires all seem to populate the big, bad city. But being that Cameron loves art, there isn’t much he can do in his small town or farm, so when his favourite artist makes an appearance at an art gallery in the city, Cameron makes the drive. It is at the gallery, that not only does Cameron get to meet his idol, but he also meets Duncan Marlow, a vampire.
Duncan seems to be everything fearful that Cameron has heard about vampire, yet at the same time there is some inexplicable link between the two of them. However, Cameron is uncertain, and rather than push and become too aggressive, Duncan is ready to take things slow. However, there is as much darkness in the world of vampires that Cameron fears. Duncan will do anything to help and protect Cameron.
Cameron and Duncan have a great connection. There is sexual tension from the moment they meet, and while there is kindness and romance, there is also harshness and danger when Cameron must see and become a part of Duncan world, ultimately facing his fears. What I really like the most about Duncan is that while he can be a “brutal vampire” and is partly why he has survived for so long and has become so successful. While the story didn’t grab me and enchant me as much as I would have liked it was these elements that allowed me to enjoy the book.
His Turn is a pretty good, solid romance that wonderfully captures the danger and uncertainty that comes with the world of vampires along with the hot attraction between the main characters. If you’re into paranormal or vampire romances, I reckon it’s worth giving it a go.