Gwen’s review of The Vampire Queen’s Servant (Vampire Queen, Book 1) by Joey W. Hill
Contemporary paranormal romance published 3 Jul 07 by Berkley Trade

This paranormal romance is set in modern day Atlanta. The hero, Jacob Green, is a drifter and brother of a vampire killer. He is found by the vampire queen’s former servant and is trained to become his replacement. The heroine, Lady Lyssa, is the vampire queen – the oldest of all the “born” vampires. This novel tells how these two people come to know each other, come to terms with each other, and fall in love with each other. But, it isn’t your normal work-a-day romance. No siree. (Side note: isn’t this cover gruesomely attractive?)

There is some freedom for authors when writing a paranormal novel. They can use “magical realism” to introduce magical elements into an otherwise normal reality. In addition, the physical and emotional parameters are stretched to extremes, social taboos are often centerpieces, and villains are often deliciously bad (love a good villain). This novel was no exception.

Servant is heavy on storytelling and narrative, and light on dialogue (though it has enough dialogue to move the story). Books without a lot of dialogue risk losing my attention – this one did not. In fact, Isabel Allende is one of the few authors who’s narrative storytelling style is tolerable to me, with Laurell K. Hamilton’s Merry Gentry novels a distant third. Joey Hill now occupies the coveted second position in Gwen’s Book o’ Authors She Really Likes.

The novel opens with a scene where Lyssa becomes fascinated by Jacob and his irrepressible disobedience. She agrees to take him on, despite serious misgivings. In order for both of them to survive in her world of vampire politics and back-stabbing “friends” she has to teach this alpha male how to submit, how to surrender himself to her will. The push/pull of this predicament is fascinating.

The story of how Lady Lyssa and Jacob come to love each other is not conventional. It’s edgy and sensual and has a vampire-version of HEA. Ms Hill does an exceptional job helping us to understand where everyone is coming from throughout the book – the reader is never left behind.

This novel combines magical realism and storytelling in a way that is irresistible. I read, and read, and read some more until it was all gone. It was very difficult to put down.

Grade: A-

Here’s the book blurb:

      His blood. His soul. His body. Hers for the asking¦

     Lady Elyssa Yamato Amaterasu Wentworth is a centuries-old vampire who’s been given a new servant, Jacob, a total alpha male unaccustomed to submitting to any woman’s wishes. What really binds Jacob to her are not her sensual midnight hungers, but something far more provocative. It stirs her blood, renews her life and awakens her soul like only true love can. The passion between Lyssa and Jacob yields something else unexpected – a shared history that reaches back through the centuries and is fated to challenge their destiny like nothing ever will again.

     Read an excerpt.