Title: Technically Dead
Author: Tia Fielding
Genre: Paranormal, Vampire
Length: Novel (196pgs)
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press (20th July 2012)
Heat Level: Explicit
Heart Rating: ♥♥♥2 ½ – 3Hearts
Reviewer: Pixie
Blurb: When Brandon Roland’s parents kicked him out for being gay, he turned to prostitution to get by—something that almost cost him his life when he was attacked by strangers. Bran was saved by a vampire named Heath, and during their year together, Bran’s life was good—but then Heath sent him packing for reasons unknown.
That was twelve years ago, and Bran’s come a long way since then. He has an education, a job as a social worker at a vampire/human youth shelter, friends, and a tattoo he adds to annually to commemorate another year without the love of his life.
The trouble with being a very old vampire is that the older you are, the less you feel. Heath is over nine hundred—he was sure he’d never experience emotion again, but he never counted on Bran. When Heath accidentally stumbles back into Bran’s life, it changes more than either man thought possible—and then history literally catches up with them and turns their lives inside out.
Purchase Link: http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=3092
Review: Bran has come a long way since his ex-lover, Heath, kicked him out. He now works as a social worker at a vampire/human youth shelter, but he still harbors bitterness towards Heath. When Heath walks back into his life he has a lot of thinking to do. Can he forgive the vampire that tossed him out on the street? Heath might have made a mistake twelve years ago when he thought that he would never love, but meeting Bran again invokes all those emotions and he wants another chance.
This is quite a good story about humans and vampires that intermingle. Not always brilliantly, but for the most part they get along. Bran has had a lot of ups and downs since he last saw Heath, but he still blames Heath for kicking him out and for no other vampire being willing to bite him. Heath has felt guilt over kicking Bran out, but felt it was for the best. Now, after twelve years he has run into Bran again and he wants another chance. But, Bran has made no bones to his friends over what Heath did to him, and it isn’t an easy reunion.
Bran is an awkward character to really get to know, because yes, he is kind and nice and everyone seems to love him, but he also has no qualms about using his friends for sex and solely blaming Heath for what has happened to him. But, when Heath turns up again, Bran seems to take great pains in making the vampire squirm. Which disgusted me, and it isn’t until Heath nearly dies that Bran pulls his head out of his arse. Am I being harsh about Bran? Maybe. But, from where I was sitting he was using Heath in the first place, living in his house, eating his food, living a life of luxury, not doing anything but taking advantage of Heath and is then all angsty when Heath kicks him out. And Bran makes sure that anyone he became friends with in the future knew how much Heath had betrayed and abandoned him. Seriously grow the hell up.
Heath is a character that I really liked and I thought that he had a lot going for him. But, I cringed when he seemed to become a whipped dog for Bran, Heath never did anything wrong! How is Heath kicking him out much worse than Bran’s parents kicking him out? Bran actually seemed more bothered that he couldn’t get a vampire to bite him! *sigh ~climbing down from soapbox~* Don’t get me wrong Heath and Bran are well suited and Bran is a nice character, but he laid the blame all on Heath and he shouldn’t have.
The storyline for this one is a bit up and down, and I really wasn’t sure where it was going. I mean there was a plot when someone from the past turns up who is vaguely connected to Heath, but the plot fizzles out in unsatisfying fashion and you are left with a puzzled expectation of what is to come. I really like the everyday shelter stuff that we saw with the young vampires and humans, and would have liked a deeper storyline there. I was surprised with the direction that the story turned in, and I enjoyed watching Heath and Bran together towards the end, I also liked the fact that it showed how hard it was for newly turned vampires.
So, I am going to recommend this to those who love vampires, a human who has had a hard life, forgiveness, hot sex and a happy ending.