October days were hot, but when the sun set, autumn announced itself with a nip in the air, its smell piney and crisp with the promise of change.
I was expecting a horror novel, but this is a romance novel. Not only was I taken aback by this fact, the romance relied on my biggest pet peeve of the genre–almost all of the romantic tension was due to a lack of communication. If the characters had one simple conversation, the first entire half of this story would not have been necessary. And then once they finally have that conversation, there is another miscommunication to keep it going. The other portion of romantic tension is introduced by the fact that he and she are from different classes and parents would never approve of them being together.
The supernatural vampires account for maybe 20% of this story. Additionally, it uses the comparison of foreigners greedy to suck people dry of their land and cattle to another kind of vampire. Part of Tejas has joined the U.S., but the Anglos want more, and the Mexican government isn’t standing by its people, so the rancheros have to defend themselves against this threat.
What this novel does well is develop a strong sense of setting. The reader feels immersed in the chaparral, hears the night creatures come alive after dusk, smells the rosemary used by the curanderos in their folk healing. The author does a good job bringing 19th century Mexico to life for us. And I did really like what she did with her beastlike vampires. But beyond that, I just felt very annoyed with all of the totally avoidable romantic angst.
I enjoyed The Hacienda by this author much more, but while that was a horror novel featuring a romance, this is a romance novel featuring a horror element, and not what I thought it would be. It’s still very possible I would be willing to read more from this author, though, depending on what she brings next.
Jessica Crawford 