Title: Palmetto Moon: Born of Blood

Author: Sherry D. Ficklin

Publisher: Tell-Tale Publishing Group

Buy Link: Buy Palmetto Moon: Born of Blood Here!

Rating: You Need To Read

Reviewed By: Kellie

Blurb:

Sophie D’Angelo reluctantly takes over the Palmetto Moon Detective Agency in Charleston. Though she’s the third generation proprietor she had different plans until her father passed away and left her the family business. And it seems like all Sophie’s plans fail lately. Her fiance, Caleb Brooks, is turned into a vampire on the eve of their wedding. She now has a business partner rather than a life partner–or so she thinks.

Their current case seems like the act of some random arson, but as usual Sophie lands in a tough spot–bound with duct tape in the closet of a burning building. Will she escape and manage to save Caleb who is slumped beside her, drugged and vulnerable to little else but fire? Will she maintain a strictly business relationship with her former love, and what part in this ongoing horror story will Rayne, leader of the vampires, play in her case? What part might he play in her personal life? Read Born of Blood, the premier book in the edgy Palmetto Moon horror series to find out.

Review:

Born of Blood by Sherry D. Ficklin is the first book in the Palmetto Moon Series.  Sophie is the series’ heroine.  Life has been a bit difficult for Sherry in recent years. Her father passed away a few years ago, leaving her his Private Investigator business, she had to drop out of college, she’s responsible for her youngest sister’s college tuition and to top it all off, her ex-fiancé (Caleb) is now a vampire, who lives in her attic. Sophie’s trying to make the most out of her situation, but at times, it gets complicated.  Caleb also, works as her partner in the PI business, so despite old wounds, they still manage to work well together, even if they can no longer be a couple.  When an older gentleman reaches out to Sophie for help, regarding his missing daughter, she takes the case, assuming that it will be a nice change up from the usual supernatural cases which she has been landing recently.  Unfortunately for Sophie, her wish fails to be granted when she discovers the case weaves within the supernatural as well as religious community. What are the chances of that happening?

Sophie’s character is strong, efficient, but also a bit scarred from heartache. Although she is in a supernatural world, her emotions are realistic. She doesn’t automatically accept Vampires, Werewolves and whatever creatures could possibly be out there with open arms. She is hesitant; in fact, she calls them “monsters”, even if her ex-fiancé, now current partner is also a vampire.  It would be difficult for anyone to wrap his/her head around such a recent revelation. Therefore, I am appreciative of the stance which Sophie takes. Certainly “monster” is a harsh word, but her feelings are understandable.  The supporting characters are also likeable. Caleb is searching for a place in the world, after being turned against his will by a vampire and losing everything, including the love of his life, Sophie.  He believes that he has discovered a place where he belongs, the Vampire covenant in town, being accepted by them, would give him a place in the world. Even though Sophie’s character failed to pick up on the hints, it is quite evident that Caleb still loves her, as she loves him.  It will be interesting to discover where their relationship ends, especially since the leader of the Vampire covenant, Rayne, wishes to “woo” her. He is pretty irresistible, but Sophie is reluctant, especially since he has fangs.

Born of Blood moved at an impressive pace, with non-stop action and enchanting characters. There were however some obvious mistakes.  Sophie is continuously referred to as short and petite, however, given Sophie’s description of herself in the second chapter, short is not the word to describe her.  She claims that she his 5’7’. Perhaps for a man, 5’7’ is short, but the average height of a woman is around 5’4’.  Also, there are a couple of scenes in the book in which Caleb is eating real food. Ficklin does not explain if vampires are capable of eating food or not, but since the other vampire’s just drink blood, I must assume that it was a mistake.  There are a few other editing mishaps, but I still overall, enjoyed the book. With the fun characters and the story’s effortless flow, those mistakes are easy to overlook.  I hope to delve deeper into the world of Sophie and her friends in the Palmetto Moon Series.