Blood Bride / Deep Thrall (Immortal Empire 1 & 2) by CD Reiss-review tour

BLOOD BRIDE
Immortal Empire 1
by CD Reiss
Genre: adult, contemporary, paranormal, romance

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date October 24, 2024

When a mysterious letter promised me an inheritance courtesy of a long-lost family in Italy, I probably should have asked more questions. Bur all I had in the California desert was an institutionalized mother and a load of bad memories. I couldn’t run away from that dead-end life fast enough.

Instead, I danced straight into the bloody arms of Carmine Montefiore. He’s the monster mothers warn their children about. The capo other families kneel to. A vampire in danger of losing his immortality and his throne. He needs three things to reclaim his power.

The knife that will cut and heal him.
The bride who will restore his authority.
The blood of a Strega that will renew his immortality.

Apparently, I’m the answer to all three…except for one thing.

He can’t come inside me without an invitation.

•••••••••

REVIEW: Blood Bride is the first book in the Immortal Empire Duet by the ever lovely CD Reiss. This is a paranormal, mafia romance, and be warned now, this book is bulky, but oh so worth the long read.

In the hope of a fresh start and a better life, Luna Beneforte takes that chance on a mysterious letter from a so-called long lost family member residing in Italy. Little does she know, she is in for much more than the hope of inheritance and family.

Carmine Montefiore vampire mafia king, cruel and ruthless, leader to his people and a walking sex God. Luna is the answer to his problems, but she isn’t afraid of him, or anything really. She takes to her new life like a fish to water, surprising not only him but everyone else as well. She wants to know what is happening and isn’t willing to take no for an answer, Carmine is drawn to her and nothing seems to be able to stop it.

Blood Bride was a little hard to get through in parts simply because it has a lot of world building, which was interesting to read. However what really gets the blood pumping is the sexy vampire spicy scenes, and the banter between Luna and Carmine. These two can truly argue with the best of them. Digging more into the story as the book progresses was worth the wait for sure, and the ending? Talk about a freaking twist!!! The book ends on a killer cliff hanger, so for those that can’t stand those, best wait until the second part comes out. -Wink-

Own a copy

reviewed by Sarah

___________

Deep Thrall
Immortal Empire 2
by CD Reiss
Genre: adult, contemporary paranormal, romance

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / B&N / KOBO / Google Play /

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date June 24, 2025

When I was claimed by a monster who said my Strega witch blood was powerful, I didn’t believe him – because nothing shows you how powerless you are like a forced marriage to a vampire. Girls like me are cautionary tales, not the heroine of the story.

Then my mother walked out of the shadows and into Italy on a ray of light.

This time, her lessons lead to power instead of pain. All the vagueness of my sixth sense suddenly has a shape… and I can sculpt it into a weapon.

Carmine Montefiore is not my husband by choice. He’s a vampire who scented me. He’s a mafioso who kidnapped me. But like a girl with nothing to lose, I fell in love with the dark.

He put me in thrall when he took my blood.
I rewrote his heart when I found it waiting for me.
We need each other as much as we want each other.

To earn my freedom, I could master my magic and end the monster who made me fall for him, or defeat the most powerful monster of all.

•••••

REVIEW: Hot Freaking Diggity!

If you thought book one was good, well get ready, book two; Deep Thrall is gonna throw you for a loop. Deep Thrall is the second installment in the Immortal Empire series and it picks up right where book one ends. Kudos to the author for the recap of book one before launching right back into the story. Book one (Blood Bride) is a required read before consuming this book, there is far, far too much that happens in that book, you will not understand most of DT if you have not read book one.

As we jump back into Luna and Carmine’s story we get pieces of Carmine’s past. How he was sired and why he is the way he is. At the same time we see Luna develop more and more with her powers, learning more about them and controlling them. She is slowly becoming a force of nature. There is so much to this book, action, gut wrenching drama, character growth and understanding, magical power boots and decisions that make no dang darn sense. Carmine is determined to find a magical knife, but also keep Luna safe, this proves difficult as Luna wants to make her own choices and have more freedom over herself.

While these two have developed true feelings for one another there is still the fact that Carmine forced her into their marriage. Their chemistry and passion remain fierce, but their relationship will be put to the test. Can Carmine allow Luna the freedom she needs to grow or will their relationship crash and burn? Will they find the knife they need so badly?

Just wow. Every time I thought I had a grasp on what was going to happen there was a twist, a secret being revealed for more questions to pop up. Ms. Author sure has made her career on keeping her readers guessing. Carmine and Luna have such a unique relationship, one where they clearly need one another, but also want to be with each other. They are on this quest of Carmine’s and the more that I read the more I want to know. And the ending? Goodness, I thought this was going to be a two book duet, but I am happy to see that the story has more to come. Deep Thrall is a deeply suspense filled, emotional story that leaves the reader with a deep need for more. I can’t wait to find out how this series ends.

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sarah

 

CD Reiss is a New York Times bestselling author. She still has to chop wood and carry water, which was buried in the fine print. Her lawyer is working it out with God but in the meantime, if you call and she doesn’t pick up she’s at the well hauling buckets.

Born in New York City, she moved to Hollywood, California to get her master’s degree in screenwriting from USC. In case you want to know, that went nowhere but it did give her a big enough ego to write novels.

She’s frequently referred to as the Shakespeare of Smut which is flattering but hasn’t ever gotten her out of chopping a single cord of wood.

If you meet her in person, you should call her Christine.

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