The Beast Without by Christian Baines

Title: The Beast Without     

Author: Christian Baines                 

Genre: Paranormal, Thriller     

Length: Novel (234pgs)    

Publisher: Glass House Books/ Interaction Publications (23^rd May 2013)     

Heat Level: Low     

Heart Rating:  ♥♥♥♥4 Hearts   

Reviewer: Pixie     

Blurb: Reylan is everything a Sydney vampire aspires to be: wealthy, handsome and independent, carefully feeding off companions plucked from the gay bars of Oxford Street.

When one of those companions is killed by Jorgas, a hotheaded young werewolf prowling his streets, Reylan reluctantly puts his cherished lifestyle of blood and boys on hold to help a mysterious alliance of supernatural beings track down the beast. It can’t be that hard … not when Jorgas keeps coming after him.

But there’s more to this werewolf than a body count and a bad attitude. As their relationship grows deeper and more twisted, Reylan tastes Jorgas’ blood, reawakening desires the vampire had thought long dead. And what evolves between them may be far more dangerous than some rival predator in the dark…    

Purchase Link: US: http://www.amazon.com/The-Beast-Without-ebook/dp/B00CYXWFCM 

UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Beast-Without-ebook/dp/B00CYXWFCM    

Review: Reylan is a Blood Shade, he is not a vampire and is likely to rip out the throat of the person who calls him one, and he lives his life in the shadows visiting nightclubs to pluck his meals. Reylan is picky about those he chooses and when one is attacked by an uncontrollable werewolf, Jorgas, Reylan decides to do what he must to get the werewolf off his tail. But Reylan discovers that Jorgas’ blood reawakens something he thought long-lost and he finds it difficult to do what he must. With the Arcadia Trust, wanting the werewolf Reylan comes to an agreement with them, but he still doesn’t trust them. With his relationship with Jorgas becoming more complicated with every meeting, Reylan has hard choices to make. 

This is a nicely dark and puzzling paranormal, that’s refreshing with its beastly werewolves and unapologetic Blood Shades (vampires). Reylan comes across as quite a vain man, he is very picky about the blood he consumes and is easily offended. Jorgas is a young man who is struggling with a monster inside him, the vampi…. er Blood Shade might be the only one who can help him, but losing control constantly doesn’t help his case. With Reylan’s friends trying to persuade him to help the Arcadia Trust and Reylan’s own reservations, Reylan doesn’t know what to do. But he discovers many hidden connections that seem to have the Trust’s fingerprints on them.

I found this to be a very interesting read; I thought there were many connections that could lead to further books because of the questions left unanswered. While I found it to be brutal in places, it also seemed to have a slight thread of humor to it that lightened it in places. The descriptions of the werewolves and Blood Shades was great, there was no magical shifts but brutal painful changing, there was no incredible speed and sparkles for the vampire and he certainly isn’t that charming. The storyline is very interesting and you get pulled in as you try to understand how things are connected, the Arcadia Trust, the church, and the strange experience Reylan has with the book. The storyline surrounding Jorgas is vague except his strange attraction to Reylan but it becomes very clear in the last few pages. 

I recommend this to those who love the good old-fashioned brutal werewolves, vampires without a care in the world, a very interesting storyline with many threads and a thoroughly enjoyable read.