Eternal Hunger by Denise K. Rago

source: free review copy from the author
title: Eternal Hunger
author: Denise K. Rago
published: CreateSpace Independent Publishing (August 24, 2018)
genre: paranormal romance/suspense
pages: 235
first line: Somewhere in France.
rated: 3 1/2 out of 5 stars

blurb:
And the romance continues with Book Three in The Enchanted Bloodline Series…..Nothing will stop Amanda Perretti from protecting her son. She hides away with him, protected by her lover, the vampire Michel Baptiste, as they both await the return of vampire Christian Du Mauré, once Amanda’s lover and Michel’s best friend, now a fugitive somewhere in Europe. Convinced Christian is being held prisoner and in desperate need of her help, Amanda works to hatch a scheme that will get her and Michel to France to find Christian, and still keep her beloved son safe. But they are not the only ones who seek Christian. There are some among the vampire order who believe that his rightful place is as the king of the vampires, with a strong queen beside him, and who will use any means necessary to entrap him into a heritage he has fought against for centuries. Though Michel and Christian both carry secrets that could destroy both their friendship and their relationship with Amanda, they are only the first of many who harbor knowledge that could either see the vampire order rise to power once more in the mortal world, or destroy it completely …

my thoughts:
Eternal Hunger is book 3 in Denise K Rago’s vampire series. I have read both Immortal Obsession and Blood Tears.
This third book in the series continues the story of Christian Du Mauré, Michel Baptiste and Amanda Perretti. These three have been in a love triangle as Amanda is mortal but the descendant of a powerful vampire Josette Delacore. Amanda’s blood is irresistible to immortals.

This book starts off where the last one left off, with a pregnant Amanda and Michel leaving NYC and now living in Venice Beach, not knowing if Christian is still alive but hoping he will come to them.

“It was such a confusing lonely time for the two of us. We were adrift, trying to piece together some semblance of a life, to make order from the chaos of having lost Christian, out home and our sense of purpose.”

-p. 199, Eternal Hunger by Denise K. Rago

Josette is wicked, Christian has always loved her, Michel loves her as well and these three have been involved for centuries but Josette wants to kill Amanda. There is plenty of drama and mystery here as the chapters alternate from 1700’s past to present then back to the past again. Secrets are also revealed. I found I wasn’t too keen on the changes in the time line only because it would be for example 2010 then 2014 then back to 2010. The story is alternately narrated by a few of the characters, Josette, Christian, Michel, Amanda and even her son Julien. As I mentioned this is book 3 in this series and although the past is explained throughout I feel you should still read the first two books before jumping in.

What I enjoy about these books is that author Denise K Rago has a passion for art and the French Revolution and her descriptive passages about France and its museums are nice to read about. Versailles is on my bucket list. Amanda’s character worked at the Met in the previous installments which is a favorite places in NYC. It is nice to see art and history woven into the storyline.

I also like that the plot has many layers that are revealed bit by bit and the writing is dramatic.

“When he told me his name-Christian Du Mauré-his voice curled around me like my favorite silk scarf, and although I did not know it then, I had fallen into a chasm I had no hope of escaping.”-p.107

She’d been so perfect, so poised and beautiful. The modern world would have swallowed her up, and her uniqueness would have been lost, like tendrils of fog dissipating in the morning sun.”-p 76

The first book in this series remains the best one in my opinion. I felt like with this one there was a little but too much of explaining of past events. We don’t get to see Julien’s birth, which I wanted to, instead it is referred back to later. At one point Julien finds out something that happened to Christian from someone else, I’d rather have been reading that from Christian’s POV as it happened to him. I’d rather see it all unfold, not be told about it in hindsight. Much of the book is also about these vampires bloodlines and the order of things and who fathered who etc.

I find the love triangle between Amanda, Christian and Michel to be interesting. It changes and evolves. This is not your usual love story here.

“Doesn’t love change you beyond recognition, leave you with a longing never to be truly fulfilled?” -p. 184

There are twists and turns and surprises throughout and this third installment leaves it wide open for the next one. I met author and fellow Jersey girl  Denise K. Rago online several years ago through book blogging and it has been really nice reading her books through the years. If you enjoy paranormal sagas with dramatic vampires and a dash of art history you might enjoy these.

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About the author:
Denise K. Rago is a longtime blogger, avid reader and art history buff who earned her Masters’ Degree in Museum Professions in her home state of New Jersey. She also interned at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, one of several settings for Immortal Obsession. She resides in New Jersey with her family.

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disclaimer: This review is my honest opinion. I did not receive any kind of compensation for reading and reviewing this book. I am under no obligation to write a positive review. I received a free review copy of Eternal Hunger via the author. Some of the links in this post are affiliate links. The last book photo is my own.