My Love Lies Bleeding by Alyxandra Harvey

Goodreads
Authors Website
Alternate title: Hearts at Stake (US)
Series: Drake Chronicles book #1
Copy obtained: gift (thanks Sis!)
Rating: 4/5

"They're close," she murmured. "Watching."
"Run?" I suggested. "Like right now?"
She shook her head
"If we act like prey, they'll act like predators."


Solange has always known she is a vampire. And as the only female vampire ever born, not initiated, she is surrounded by danger on all sides - from other vampire tribes who want to take her blood into their lineage, and from the bounty hunters who are set on destroying her and her family.
When she is kidnapped, it's up to her elder brother Nicholas, and best friend, Lucy, to save her.
But can Lucy save herself from Nicholas, who temps her with every look - what will be her own fate if she surrenders her heart to a vampire.

I wasn't actually too sure what to expect from this book before I read it. I only knew that a few bookish peeps I chat with really enjoy the series and it's about vampires so I figured it was worth a try. I ended up really loving My Love Lies Bleeding! It's told in first person, from alternating points of view from Lucy and Solange which made for a great way to tell the story and show more of what was going on.

Solange is a vampire, or will be when she completes the 'bloodchange' on her 16th birthday (which is just a few days away at the start of the book). Lucy is human. They've been best friends virtually their whole lives and there aren't any real secrets between the two. Solange is the youngest Drake sibling, she's got 7 older brothers all of whom are over protective of her. But she's determined to fight whether they want her to or not, and she'll do whatever it takes to protect them. Lucy won't sit on the sidelines either, human and vulnerable or not.

Lucy is so full of sass she had me laughing out loud within pages. Her and Nicholas, the youngest Drake brother, have a very antagonistic relationship which is very entertaining. And while Lucy and Solange (and the boys at times) are prone to daft teenage moments and hormone induced craziness, it's of the very entertaining variety, not irritating at all. And while there are several laugh out loud moments, there is still a very serious side to the story as well. My heart was racing with the tension and danger at times. And a little at the romance as well I have to say! I love that the romance is a side plot though. It gets plenty of page time, but never takes over the story and nor does it feel like the book looses focus because of it either.

It's a pretty fast paced book with some great twists along the way. For the most part I found it a really good, very enjoyable, fun read. It's a very lively, vibrant book. The different personalities of the Drake family and Lucy seriously jump off the page at you and there is some great mythology thrown in as well. I did find I got confused about the various 'groups' that existed, with the different types of vampires and hunters. But I found that actually, it didn't matter too much to keep it all straight because you could easily see who was for/against the Drakes and that was what really mattered. Loved it and really looking forward to reading the rest of the series now!