Review: Scarlet Heat

by Evangeline Anderson
Rating: 4/5

Taylor is a vampire but she doesn’t want to be. Turned against her will by her sadistic mistress, Celeste, she has been living a miserable life of bondage and abuse for the past six years. Finally, through the help of her best friend Addison, Taylor is rescued but she can’t relax for long. In order to save her from an even worse fate, she is married off to Victor a very reluctant groom who just happens to be a werewolf. Victor doesn’t want to be responsible for the fledgling vampire, no matter how beautiful she is. Especially when he finds out he is the only one he can drink from. But aside from the strange arousal that overtakes him every time she sinks her dainty fangs into his throat, he has other problems to deal with…and a very big secret to hide. Their marriage of convenience is only supposed to last for three months but Victor and Taylor finds themselves drawn together by more than the vows they took. But as their attraction grows, so does something else. Inside Taylor, something is changing. She begins to have physical cravings she has never had before, insatiable appetites that only Victor can satisfy. Will she succumb to the madness growing within her or can Victor save her from the Scarlet Heat?

This is book two in Evangeline Anderson’s Born to Darkness series. This is the second book by Evangeline Anderson I have read, not being interested myself in her Brides of Kindred series. At the end of book 1, Crimson Debt. Taylor’s best friend has arranged to get her away from the horrid and abusive Celeste, in the company of Victor, a werewolf.

I loved the explanation that we got for this world’s weres vs vamps mentality, being a smell thing instead of a vague aggression thing that we get so often. Also, in this world going into heat for werewolves is more of a biologically honeymoon after they blood-bond. I like this way more, than most explanations as it manages to straddle the line of sexy without falling over into a horrifying thing that would absolutely suck in reality. It makes you really respect Anderson very minimalistic world-building approach. I’m left with some questions but in the scheme of things everything I learnt makes me sure I know all about the world. There was a lot that Crimson Debt didn’t really tell us that I didn’t notice was missing, so kudos.

Taylor and Victor are not as good a couple as Addison and Corbin. The conflict in this book is much more easily solved, in that the werewolf/vampire thing is almost immediately swept under the carpet by Taylor drinking Victor’s blood and becoming more werewolf-like. Comparatively Addison and Corbin’s clash of culture was very divisive and a really barrier to their relationship.

Taylor is “appropriately” traumatised by her time under Celeste. I have that in air quotes because I mean she does have massive issues because of her time with Celeste but it doesn’t interfere with the romance, and the romance doesn’t interfere with the healing. Taylor makes a concerted effort to begin as she means to go on. She refuses to allow herself to be abused, physically, emotionally or otherwise. She also is both surprised to find she has desire for a man so soon and hesitant to be involved. The werewolf-likeness from drinking Victor’s blood including symptoms of going into heat.

Taylor’s heat can only be relieved by Victor. His fluids (saliva counts) and touch, beginning with him sucking on her fingers and eventually ending with their relationship being consummated. I liked this as it forced Taylor to deal with her trauma and face a relationship, without making it happen before she was ready.

Now, Victor. Victor is complex, he has been rejected from the world of werewolves for good reason, this leaves him both missing and loathing it. In some respects he misses pack life, but he likes how much simpler his life is without the rules he was subject to before. In the face of his growing feelings for Taylor, he is very glad not to be in a pack.

Unfortunately we do have a pair of Idiot Balls to be juggled. After Taylor and Victor do the deed, they wake up both thinking that they were too rough and the other must hate them now. This is not redeemable, even by the acknowledgement that female-on-male rape is a thing.

Because the final part of the book is both set-up for the third Ruby Shadows in the form of giving Gwendolyn the witch page time and character development. And, an excuse for Taylor to be captured. Turns out Taylor and Victor’s relationship was prophesied and their consummation left her a super-vampire. Then because Taylor and Victor are TSTL, because neither does the rational thing and say, “I was so rough last night I’m so sorry.” So the other could say “Last night was awesome, let’s never fight.”

Taylor has Gwen break their blood bond, which the pain of reinforces their belief that the other hates them. Without the protection of the blood bond Celeste capture Taylor on Gwen’s doorstep. I kid you not it happens so fast you can’t even say "I told you so”. Victor, Corbin, Addison and Gwen save the day and Taylor and Victor will live HEA.

I didn’t like that so much of the book was dedicated to setting Gwen up as a heroine for the next book. I really hated the way Taylor and Victor TSTL-ed it up, but because they both did it it’s not so bad.

In summary, there were some things I didn’t like, but the characters were interesting and I cared even when I thought they were stupid. And my main complaint about how out of place Gwen was is because, I would have believed her as a heroine for Ruby Shadows, without it, making it superfluous. Seriously, read this and suffer the impatience I do waiting for book three.

Currently Listening: Dark Side – Kelly Clarkson