Dark
Wine at Dusk, the third book in the Hill Vampire series,
features an exclusive community of winemaking vampires and their mortal mates.
They live on vineyard estates in the Sierra Escondida foothills.
The series begins with Dark Wine
at Midnight, in which research scientist Cerissa Patel must find a way to
save humanity from a vampire conspiracy without revealing what’s hidden beneath
her skin. But her cover story isn’t enough to fool vampire Henry Bautista—he’s
dark, dangerous, and will do anything to protect his town, including stopping
her.
The series follows the romantic relationship of Cerissa and Henry,
who, along with other members of their community, try to stop the vampire
dominance movement (VDM), a covert group of vampires who are trying to kill the
leaders of Sierra Escondida and take over. The VDM plans a political coup, and once
the path is cleared, will turn mortals into blood slaves.
Dark Wine at Dusk digs deeper into the VDM conspiracy, but it’s also
Henry’s story. The secret he’s kept buried for over a century is revealed, and
Cerissa has an agonizing choice to make.
Blurb:
A seductive spy. An alpha vampire. A hidden
threat to their love...
When a rogue vampire group attacks again, Dr. Cerissa Patel's happily
ever after with the man of her dreams must take a back seat to her mission.
Her lover, vampire Henry Bautista, is quick to pick up the gauntlet.
He'll do anything to help his beautiful spy capture the conspirators who are
determined to enslave mortals.
But as Henry's secret past rears its ugly head, it not only threatens
their mission, but risks their love--and their very lives.
"Passionate, breathtaking and beautifully written."
~InD'tale Magazine
Excerpt:
Henry accepted the shiny silver pouch Cerissa handed him. Usually, she
used a blue bag to package blood from her human clones and a red one when she
drew a higher concentration of red blood cells. What did the silver bag
contain?
“If you don’t mind being my guinea pig,” Cerissa added.
“Guinea pig?” He started a pan of water heating on the stove. The
pouch wasn’t wrapped in a self-warming bag. “What is different about this
blood?”
“While I was away, I figured out how to induce the clones to produce a
higher concentration of stress hormones—adrenaline, as well as cortisol and
norepinephrine, if you want to be technical—to create the blood Rolf craves.”
“You think this will satisfy him?”
“We’ll have to experiment to find out. I don’t know what the cause is.
It could be a substance addiction he can be weaned off, with support. If his
problem is akin to a deficiency, more like a diabetic who needs insulin to
survive, then I’ll have to determine the proper dosage. Just because the blood
produces a mental high doesn’t mean it’s bad for him.”
Henry turned off the flame under the pot and slid the bag into the
warm water, swishing it around so the contents would heat evenly without
cooking. Cooked blood was disgusting.
“There is an exhilaration that comes from drinking adrenaline-spiked
blood—”
“I’m calling it ‘adrenaline-enhanced’ for now,” she said. “The other
term has baggage.”
“You could be right.” He fished the bag out of the water, cut the
corner with scissors, and poured it into an insulated coffee mug. A quick sniff
told him it smelled like the blood of a victim who’d been hunted.
Is this
a good idea?
He sniffed again, and a thread of apprehension brushed his skin. He
took a sip and closed his eyes. The sudden rush pounded through his veins,
followed by an ice-cold chill. He dropped the mug on the kitchen island. It toppled,
and the blood spread across the granite counter.
Cerissa rushed to his side. “Henry, are you all right?”
He stumbled back, fighting the surge, the power, the desire for more.
“Y-you made it too s-strong,” he stammered, and clutched the edge of
the island’s granite top. The spilled blood flowed between his fingers,
invoking images he’d rather forget.
“I’m sorry,” she said, clinging to his arm.
Her scent beckoned to him. He gripped the counter harder and fought
the driving desire to plunge his fangs into her. “Please, cariña, step back.”
“Henry—”
“Step back. I don’t need new
sins to repent for.”
Dark Wine at Dusk [https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07RY6N38W/]is
book three in the Hill Vampire series. It will enhance the reader’s experience
to read Dark Wine at Midnight [https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06XTKJRHZ/]
and Dark Wine at Sunrise [https://www.amazon.com/Dark-Wine-Sunrise-Vampire-Novel-ebook/dp/B079YF43VT/],
before reading Dusk.
Goodreads Author: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16632097.Jenna_Barwin
