Title: Intercession
Author: Pepper Espinoza
Genre: Paranormal, Angels, Vampires
Length: Novel (206pgs)
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press (8th March 2013)
Heat: Explicit
Heart: ♥♥♥♥4Hearts
Reviewer: Pixie
Blurb: After fifty years of searching for his lost brother, vampire David Derringer attempts the unimaginable: he bends his knee in prayer. While he doesn’t believe, his mother’s faith was strong, and her final request—a request made the night she and David died—keeps David on the path to his younger brother, Danny, despite the many obstacles.
David doesn’t expect his prayer to be answered. He certainly doesn’t expect an angel to intercede on his behalf.
Jophiel is tasked not only with helping David find his brother but with saving David’s soul. It seems like an impossible assignment meant to punish him, especially when they must face the Brotherhood of St. Rocco, an organization dedicated to eradicating vampires.
But David has a chance to prove he’s not like other vampires when he meets Arthur, a young man with a secret and a death wish. Following a very steamy encounter, Arthur expects to be bitten. David never even drops his fangs. Which is a good thing, since Arthur might be the key to finding Danny before it’s too late.
Purchase Link: http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=3641
Review: David has been searching for his little brother, Danny, for fifty years; ever since the day he was turned into a vampire. Following even the smallest lead, he is determined to keep his promise to his mother. One night in a fit of desperation, David prays to God for aid in his quest. Jophiel is given the task of aiding David in looking for his brother, but he has also given hints that the vampire’s soul could be saved… but vampires don’t have souls? Jophiel has a hard task before him, especially with the monks of St. Rocco hunting David down. Arthur is dancing with death and decides to welcome it with open arms by bedding a vampire. But, things don’t go as planned and it is discovered that Arthur might be the only way to find Danny.
Oh my God, there had better be a sequel to this book, otherwise I am going to hunt down Pepper Espinoza and force her to write the sequel just for me. David is a vampire with a difference, he hasn’t given in to the mindless monster that is Lucifer, because of a promise he made to his mother on her death-bed. Jophiel feels guilt over something that happened thousands of years before. He sees his task with David as more punishment, but he begins to see that there is something special about David. Arthur learns that he doesn’t want death as much as he thought he did, but death might just seek him anyway when his past wants something from him.
This is a story where the vampires are evil, they aren’t pretty and they love nothing better than draining their prey. The Angels are as uptight as you’d imagine, holier than thou and judgmental. And the humans, well they know to stay inside after dark. This is a world where there is a fight between good and evil, but sometimes the lines get blurred and something unique happens. David is a character that defies the vampire world. Jophiel is torn by his duty and the feelings he develops for David, and Arthur is the human who makes it all work. Each character brings a punch to the story, and you never quite know what will happen or which way the storyline is going. In fact, at one point it leaves you floundering and wondering what had just happened, but leaving you grasping at hope in the next scene.
Jophiel, David and Arthur make this a great story, but there isn’t a miraculous happily ever after. In fact, the ending is left wide open and you sit there scratching you head wondering at the implications (after you stop growling that is). There are many twists in this story, fitting hand in hand with the surprises. We learn quite a bit about the Brotherhood of St. Rocco and not all of it is nice. We are given a great back story for the vampires’ creation and, honestly, we get a brilliant reason for all of humanity. One of my favorite lines in this book happens during a conversation between David and God ‘God “Of all the infinite worlds and planets I’ve created, Earth is the only one I’ve populated with humans. Do you know why?” David “Because you only made that mistake once?”’
This isn’t a story to read if you want a sex filled ‘nice’ vampire story. It’s a story to read because you want a darker ‘humans are food’ vampire story, monks using modern technology to hunt vampires and using any means necessary to get them. God intervening because he has plans, interfering Archangels and a human who makes a vampire pause.
I have to recommend this story for those who love vampires, Angels, humans, blurred lines, sacrifice, hot sex, a great storyline, sacrifice, death, threats, developing relationships and an ending that makes you want more.