Review - Afterlight by Elle Jasper

Savannah's most unconventional tattoo artist, Riley Poe, lives on the edge. Now she's put over the edge when her younger brother is taken by a sinister cult led by vampires. Her only ally is the hot-tempered vampire Eli Dupre, attracted to Riley's beauty and rare blood type. To save her brother from certain un-death, Riley faces dangers she's never dreamed of, ruthless bloodthirsty enemies, and an evil of endless hunger that wants to devour it all...

Riley Poe (I love this name) used to be a bad girl, now she has her own business, is out of drugs, and she looks after her little brother after her mother passed away.

The first few chapters I found very repetitive: Yes, I already know she's tough. Yes, I know she's walking straight now. Yes, I already got the impression something doesn't feel right. Yes, I know she feels someone watching her cause she said it many times. But then, the book kicks off.

Vampires strigoi (does it ring a bell?) are loose in the city, and she goes in a mission to save her brother. She is assigned a "good" vampire, Eli, to bodyguard her. Unfortunately  she has a special blood that appeals to Vampires (*hint, hint*), but her step-grandfather gives her a special tea to mask it. Even so she is still a big temptation to Eli (badass, totally handsome).

After the first chapter I thought this was going to be a darker imitation of Twilight. That was a very similar line to Twilight, and you'll know what I mean when you see it.  The hero of that story is also very protective of Riley, to the point he watches her sleeping at night without her knowing.

I liked the tatoo and artistic flair of it. I liked the romance, and the world building. I was a bit bored with some of slang used in it.

It took me a while to get into it, I hope that this book has setup for a better story line on the next one, and that the similarities to other series finishes there. I have higher expectations for the next book, hopfully Elle Jasper would have sorted out the issues from this book and we can just enjoy the story.

Sexual content: Lots. Not for the little ones.

My Rating: 3 Stars.