Bane’s Choice (Vampire Motorcycle Club #1) by Alyssa Day – Dual Review

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Description:
When a centuries-old vampire in search of redemption meets a doctor who’s on a mission of her own, a searing, world-destroying passion is the last thing on either of their minds.

Minds can be changed.

A doctor with secrets of her own is drawn to a dangerous predator in this pulse-pounding paranormal romance from New York Times bestselling author Alyssa Day.

What better way to hide the existence of vampires from humans than in plain sight? Thus, the Vampire Motorcycle Club was born. Bane, the 300-year-old vampire who leads the club, has fought for years to protect his kind. But the truth about vampires is not only that they exist, it is that they are creatures of pure desire. Conscience and restraint has been burned out of them by the process of Turning. Any woman Bane meets is either prey—or food.

Dr. Ryan St. Cloud finds out that vampires exist when one steals her patient out of the hospital right beneath her nose, leading her to question her own sanity. But when the dangerous man whose touch inflames her senses and whose gaze enthralls her comes to her for help, she is unable to refuse. Bane is a dangerous predator, but somewhere beneath his arrogance and power, she can see his heart—and she knows it could belong to her if she is strong enough to claim it. She is bound to a vampire, but loving her would be … Bane’s Choice.

Barb’s Review:

Bane’s Choice by Alyssa Day is the first book in her new Vampire Motorcycle Club series.  I have been a huge fan of Alyssa’s Atlantis series, and I did not know what to expect from this new series. I am happy to say I absolutely loved Bane’s Choice.

Bane, our hero, is a 300-hundred-year-old vampire, who runs Savannah, as well as the Vampire Motorcycle Club; the Club is mostly humans and vampires (though the humans do not know what they are), who help those in need of medicine.  Bane and his sister run the fund raisers to spend money to purchase the medicines for the poor.  When Bane’s human firefighter friend is near death from being seriously burned, Bane kidnaps him from the hospital and to save his life begins the transformation to a vampire.  Before Bane leaves the hospital, he is accosted by a beautiful woman, who threatens him to leave the man alone, as she is a doctor.  When he tries to compel her, he sees that it is not working, and also notices she is glowing a bit.  Who is this woman he cannot control?

Dr. Ryan St. Cloud, our heroine, doesn’t understand when she asks everyone in the hospital to find the patient, only to discover no one has ever heard of this patient (vampires can erase memory). In a short time, Ryan herself is kidnapped and brought to Bane, who cannot get this woman out of his mind; as he begins to feel things for her, especially those he has not had for all these years.

While this is going on, there are evil warlocks and sorcerers who try to do mind control on a group of werewolves to kill and destroy Bane and his team and take over Savannah and all of Georgia.  Bane manages to meet with the werewolf leader to work together to stop the warlocks, as war is on the horizon. Ryan did not understand why she was in this house with Bane, Meara, and their team; to her utmost surprise, they tell her they are vampires, which she laughs off.  But learns quickly that vampires do exist, as do werewolves, warlocks, necromancers and many other paranormal beings.  This was pretty funny when she begins to believe them, and ends up trying to help Bane’s friends, as well as begin to fall hard for Bane, who is already unable to let her go.  The chemistry between them was sizzling, and so much fun to watch them together.  I loved Bane’s team, especially his sister, as Day has created a wonderful group of secondary characters.

Bane was a wonderful hero, who at first was rough and unbending, willing to kill anyone who stands in his way; but once Ryan comes into his life, he is determined to keep the woman who has opened his heart.  Ryan was a very good heroine, independent, smart, savvy and feisty, willing to stand up and fight on her own.  We will learn why she does glow. 

Bane’s Choice was a fun, exciting, action filled romantic adventure, with a great couple, and wonderful secondary characters; as well as evil villains.  I look forward to seeing what Alyssa Day has in store for us in the future books.  If you enjoy paranormal romance thrillers, I suggest you read Bane’s Choice.

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Sandy’s Review: BANE’S CHOICE is the first instalment in Alyssa Day’s contemporary, adult VAMPIRE MOTORCYCLE CLUB paranormal, romance series. This is three hundred year old vampire, and VMC president Bane, and physician Dr. Ryan St. Cloud’s story line.

Told from several third person perspectives including Bane and Ryan BANE’S CHOICE follows the building romance between three hundred year old vampire, and VMC president Bane, and physician Dr. Ryan St. Cloud. Bane’s friend Hunter Evans was burned so badly he would never survive but a quick trip to the hospital to bring home his friend, is anything but when Bane comes face to face with Dr. Ryan St. Cloud, and finds himself in a stand off with a feisty woman who may or may not be completely human. Unable to control her mind, Bane quickly realizes that there is much more to Ryan than he could have imagined. Hoping to see Dr. St. Cloud again, Bane sets out to locate the woman that stirs something deep within our story line hero but all is not well in Bane’s territory when warlocks, necromancers, and a group that call themselves the Chamber enter into a battle to take over Bane’s territory. What ensues is the building romance and relationship between Bane and Ryan, and the potential fall-out as the fight for Bane’s territory pulls Ryan in as collateral damage.

Ryan St. Cloud is a physician but has no idea that she is something more. Quickly accepting the existence of vampires and werewolves, Ryan’s jump into the supernatural quickly turns onto herself when she defends the man and the family with whom she is falling in love. Bane is the President of the Vampire Motorcycle Club, a biker club hiding in plain sight although a number of their members are only human. Never having fallen in love, Bane is caught off-guard when he meets Dr. Ryan St. Cloud, a woman who is more than she appears to be. Believing Ryan is his fated mate, Bane goes all alpha and over protective but it is Ryan’s power that will that will draw trouble to their front door.

The relationship between Ryan and Bane is one of immediate attraction but Ryan struggled with Bane’s ‘kidnapping’ of her severely injured patient. Unable to explain their palpable sexual attraction, Ryan moves into Bane’s mansion in an effort to stay close to the injured man. As Ryan and Bane’s attraction builds, threats from an outside source release Ryan’s power, and with it the realization about who and what our heroine might be. The Sex scenes are intimate and passionate without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text.

We are introduced to Bane’s family: vampires Meara, Edge and Luke as well as their human housekeepers Mr. and Mrs. C. There is a large assortment of werewolves including alpha Carter Reynolds of the Wolf Pack MC. The requisite evil has many faces including warlocks, necromancer and members of the group known as The Chamber.

BANE’S CHOICE is a story of betrayal and revenge; secrets, magic, power and control. The premise is engaging but struggles between sluggish and energetic; the romance is intimate; the characters are energetic and dynamic-Ryan’s need to call it she sees is often fun and snarky.

I would like to add that the ‘motorcycle club’ aspect of the story line is limited, and definitely not akin to the usual MC story lines. The motorcycle club plot point is negligible, and more of a background element than anything else.