To be absolutely fair to D.B. Reynolds, I am going to say upfront that I am not a fan of paranormal romance. In terms of the Vampires in America Series, we have reviewed,
Raphael and
Jabril. In
Rajmond, the protagonist changes from Cynthia to her friend Sarah. I wish I could tell you that this improved the already disastrous series.
Sarah is haunted by her past. As a young girl, when she began dreaming about women being abused and trying to help the police, her parents thought that she was crazy, and so they had her institutionalized. After reaching the age of 18, she created a new identity, and worked two jobs to get an education to put her past behind her. When she finally achieves her dream and becomes a professor Cuny in Buffalo, the dreams return, turning her peaceful life into a nightmare. Sensing that something is not quite right with her friend, Cyn invites Sarah to meet in her in Manhattan for a weekend of fun and shopping, after getting Raphael's permission, 'cause of course, grown women property cannot travel without supervision.
"I too have a place," he chided her gently. "With far more suitable accommodations than your father's.
where Sarah meets the vampire Rajmond, or Raj as he likes to be called. But it is not a simple matter for me or my mate to travel to another's territory." He drew a long breath, thinking about Cyn's request and how it might serve a purpose of his own. "One weekend, lubimaya, no more." (pg 17 -18)
Aww isn't Raphael sweet? Of course this controlling shit is justified, because he is a master vampire after all. I suppose we should be thankful, because without his permission, there would have been no way to create a situation in which Cyn, introduces her friend Sarah to Raj.
While the trip to New York, is social for Cyn, for Raphael it's business, and so he sends the little women away so that he can confer with Raj. They come straight to the point, and Raj tells Raphael that his master, who just happens to reside in Buffalo (nope, not contrived its supposedly happenstance), no longer has the strength to take care of the vampires in his territory, and that he is considering challenging him for leadership. When their business is concluded, Raj and Sarah hit the dance floor, where she gets lost in the pheromones and begins fantasizing about sex right on the spot. We learn later that Sarah is highly susceptible to vamp pheromones. This fact alone should make Sarah question her ongoing attraction to Raj, given that he is patronizing from the moment that he meets her, referring to her as "little one" and is arrogant beyond belief, but that would have invested Sarah with agency, and we simply cannot have that unless she is setting herself up to be saved or planning a beautiful night time wedding.
