Vampires are attempting to integrate into human society. When Alec MacCarthy first meets a ‘haemophile’ in the flesh, it’s not the obvious dangers that frighten him.

Alec MacCarthy, Lord of Aviemore and largely-forgotten descendent of a once-proud family line, keeps the wolf from the door of the crumbling family mansion by restoring classic cars.

He leaves the real world alone and wishes nothing more than for it to return the favor. But in a reality where haemophiles—still colloquially known as vampires, despite the publicity campaigns—have come out of hiding and are attempting to integrate into human society, the real world is rapidly becoming a disrupted and conflicted mess that threatens to trouble even Alec in his remote Scottish hideaway.

When he unwittingly attends a Blood Party to please a friend, he has his first meeting with one of these mysterious and dangerous beings. Terje is like nothing he has ever encountered before…literally. His reactions are as troublesome as they are undeniable.

Alec’s snap decision to help the haemophile rather than sample his sense-heightening and addictive blood sets them both on a path that will lead them into a tangled web of intrigue with consequences that will change their lives—and the world—forever.

Purchase: Amazon

Goodreads: Blood Winter by S.J. Coles

Review

*I received a copy of this novel for free in exchange for an honest review*

Rating: 5 stars

Reclusive Alec MacCarthy, the Lord of Aviemore and last of his family line has no interest in the world outside his father’s mansion home. He passes the time by restoring classic cars in a distant kind of existence rather than actually living a life, and Alec likes it that way. Outside his Scottish highland home haemophiles – vampires – are now known to the world and are doing their best to co-exist in human society. However resistance on both sides inevitably leads to bloodshed. When Alec is tricked into attending a blood party, he finds himself inexplicably drawn to captive haemophile Terje. In a moment Alec’s well-intended actions set in motion a sequence of events that no one could have predicted and will have consequences that will effect and change the entire world.

Blood Winter is one of the best vampire novels that I have read in a long time. It is everything that a novel in its genre should be. Dark. Gritty. Bloody.

Alec’s character is brooding and lonely and he has all but given up on living a real life. Then he meets Terje and slowly you see him come alive through the pages as his initial fear both of what Terje is and their connection morphs into true feelings and a romance that is both dark and touching at the same time. On the surface, Terje is mysterious and dangerous, but underneath there is a tenderness to him and an ability to feel just as deeply as any human. Together the two characters complement their individual personalities and the connection between them is undeniable.

The world-building has been carefully crafted and planned, adding in a balance between detail and mystery that leaves me hoping for the possibility of a sequel. Both sides, human and haemophile, clash constantly and are both to some degree at fault, but the conclusion leaves hope for a positive future outcome.

If you like dark, realistic vampire-human romances then I cannot recommend Blood Winter enough!