I need to confess two things: First, vampires in the Tudor court are a hard sell for me and, second, I was surprised by how much I enjoyed the first book in this series. I don’t have problems with historical romances that contain vampires or other supernatural creatures, but, as a history buff, I don’t like to see the historical record tampered with too much.

In the first Tudor Vampire Chronicles book, Kiss of the Rose, Pearce inserted a vampire threat into the court of Henry VIII. While there were historical figures involved, they weren’t the focus. Blood of the Rose, which picks up approximately one year after the previous book, is a little different.

Vampire slayer Rosalind Llewellyn has returned to the court of Henry VIII after a brief absence. There are new threats at the court, threats that only Rosalind, the most powerful in a family of Druid vampire slayers, can handle. That threat? Anne Boleyn, who has seduced the king into abandoning his wife, Katherine of Aragon. Anne wants to become queen, ruling England on behalf of the vampires. Surprisingly, the vampires aren’t too happy about this, and this leads to a strange alliance between the vampires and the Druids, since they both want to see Anne destroyed.

Meanwhile, Rosalind’s forbidden relationship with Christopher continues. Christopher is a member of the Cult of Mithras, an organization dedicated to protecting vampires and advancing their interests. As a Druid who has spent her life training as a vampire slayer, the idea of protecting vampires is anathema to Rosalind, and she’s shocked at her passion for Christopher. Complicating matters, the king has insisted on Rosalind and Christopher’s betrothal—something that it seems that they both secretly want, but are having a good deal of difficulty accepting. Their relationship is physically passionate—the frequent love scenes are red-hot—but coming to terms with the emotional aspects of their relationship has been difficult.

Anne’s growing influence in the Tudor court could be just the thing to bring Rosalind and Christopher together. Unfortunately, it looks like Christopher’s uncle, head of the Cult of Mithras, has grown power-hungry and turned against the Vampire Council to support Anne’s grasp for the throne. Christopher is forced to choose between the organization he was seemingly raised to join, and the gut feeling that Anne’s grab for power could destroy the kingdom. Rosalind knows what side she’s on, but will Christopher join her? And if not, can Rosalind defeat Anne on her own?

While Blood of the Rose could stand alone, it’s a much richer story if you’re familiar with the previous book. Pearce does a good job bringing new readers up to speed with the mythology and the characters’ pasts without boring readers who are familiar with everything that has already happened. Rosalind and Christopher have a few important breakthroughs in their relationship, mostly due to a major misunderstanding. They’ve almost made it to happily ever after, as much as two people raised to such different ends could be. The love triangle between Rosalind, Christopher, and Rosalind’s childhood friend Rhys has toned down significantly. Rhys even finds a love interest, forcing Rosalind to deal with a little bit of jealousy. There’s plenty of fast-paced vampire-slaying action, and an exciting climactic scene that takes place at a meeting of the Cult of Mithras.

While I didn’t enjoy Blood of the Rose as much as I enjoyed Kiss of the Rose, it was still a fun read. While I have an inkling of what’s coming next (how convenient that Anne Boleyn loses her head—the best way to kill a vampire in this world), I look forward to seeing how Rosalind and Christopher continue their relationship, and exactly how Anne Boleyn’s downfall will fit into the Tudor world that Pearce has created.