Soul to Keep
Grade : F

Soul To Keep is book 3 in Rebekah Weatherspoon's Vampire Sorority Sisters series. I was initially intrigued by the premise, but very quickly determined that, for a few critical reasons, the story simply didn't work for me. Things might have gone a bit better if I had started at the beginning of the series so, if, after reading this review, you decide you want to give Ms. Weatherspoon's work a try, I recommend starting with book one, Better Off Red. This will ensure you have a better understanding of the characters and their world.

Jill Babineux is a college junior, working her butt off to carry a full course load, do countless hours of community service, and feed a very demanding vampire. She's a member of the prestigious Alpha Beta Omega sorority which serves as a feeding pool for a group of vampires who, for reasons that were never very clear to me, hang around the university campus. Jill feels a great amount of loyalty to the sorority in general, and to Ginger, the vamp she feeds in particular, but sisterhood is as far as her feelings go. She knows exactly what her priorities are, and love simply isn't among them. It's not something she discounts altogether, but it's not on the cards right now. At least, that's what she thinks.

Miyoko Hayashi (called Tokyo by those closest to her) is too busy enjoying life as one of the undead to stop and think about matters of the heart. Sure, she takes a lot of women to her bed, but they all know the score. Tokyo isn't looking for anything too serious. Fun and kink are the names of Tokyo's game, and, even if by some miracle things changed for her, there would never be room in her life for someone like Jill. She wants someone light-hearted and clever, someone who wants to enjoy life or the lack thereof, and Jill just doesn't fit the bill.

But, as all romance readers know, things change for our leads, bringing them together and forcing them to realize that, despite the odds, they are indeed right for each other. Something evil is stalking the campus, something that has set its sights on Jill. Suddenly, after only a few brief encounters, Tokyo finds herself cast in the role of protectress to the studious young human, and Jill is quickly swept away by Tokyo's charms.

Normally, I really enjoy watching two very different souls finding harmony together. I love seeing love blossom in the face of adversity, but, in the case of Jill and Tokyo, I ended up feeling overwhelmed. This is a very short book, and it is filled to overflowing with action, drama, and lots and lots of steamy sex. These things aren't usually turn-offs for me, but Soul To Keep ends up being entirely too much of everything. It’s as though the author wanted to write an erotic lesbian love story with elements of the paranormal and mystery thrown in for good measure. Given enough time to fully develop plot and characters, this could have been a good thing, but there simply wasn't enough time for anything worthwhile to happen. The romance is rushed, the characters are two-dimensional at best, and the danger threatening Jill is poorly explained. There were times when I felt like I had picked up the author's outline for the novel, rather than the novel itself.

If I can't connect with at least one of the leads, I often have difficulty sticking with a book, and this was no exception. Both Jill and Tokyo are unlikeable from the very beginning. Jill is just plain boring, and Tokyo drove me crazy with her constant complaining about every facet of her existence. It's obvious these two don't like each other, and honestly, I couldn't buy into the romance between them because Ms. Weatherspoon doesn't create compelling enough chemistry to make this possible. I was told, rather than shown, that their feelings toward one another had changed. Their interactions always struck me as incredibly superficial and definitely not the stuff of great romance.

I'm certainly a fan of lesbians, vampires, romances, and mysteries, but throwing them together into an incredibly chaotic mix of a book doesn't appeal to me at all. Therefore, I must urge readers to pass this book by and look for something with more depth. I doubt I'll be giving Ms. Weatherspoon's work a second chance.

Reviewed by Shannon Dyer
Grade : F

Sensuality: Hot

Review Date : March 24, 2016

Publication Date: 2016/03

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Shannon Dyer

I'm Shannon from Michigan. I've been an avid reader all my life. I adore romance, psychological fiction, science fiction, fantasy, and the occasional memoir. I share my home with my life partner, two dogs, and a very feisty feline.
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