Monique's Guest Review ~ The Vampire's Protector by Michele Hauf ~

Summer Santiago is a vampire, and a Retriever for Acquisitions in the division of the Greater Council for paranormal nations. Her job is to track down and bring magical objects that could be dangerous to humans. She’s in Italy to retrieve a violin that was once owned by virtuoso extraordinaire, the great Nicolo Paganini. Summer has strict orders not to touch the black violin as it will unleash the greatest evil imaginable; she does not, but fate has it that the bow touches ever so slightly the strings, and Paganini who has been dead for 175 years awakens. 

I thought THE VAMPIRE’S PROTECTOR had one of the greatest premises I had ever read: a paranormal romance featuring Paganini, and Michele Hauf definitely knew what she was doing! The author’s love and knowledge of her subject is obvious; the story is based upon historical facts as well as rumours regarding the violin virtuoso, which is a delight for classical music lovers as well as heavy metal fans. Summer also suffers from a very interesting affliction I had never encountered before in a vampire. Summer is a wonderful character: she’s a very modern woman, and I loved her from the moment we meet her. It was very entertaining to watch Paganini utterly befuddled at first by the twenty first century, while Summer tried to make him comfortable, and I thought it was extremely well done. That first part of the book is very light, and sunny, leading to very funny banter between Summer and Nicolo, the latter who is also quite the flirt. But events take a turn for the darker when a most undesirable character surfaces and literally threaten Nicolo and Summer’s very existences. 

Michele Hauf’s writing is as usual flawless, smooth and lively; the pace is perfect all throughout the book, and the shift from light to dark is seamless. The author has, in my eyes, accomplished an extraordinary feat in introducing a famous historical character in a paranormal romance and making the whole thing totally convincing; I never flinched, and I think it was a first for me. The chemistry between Paganini and Summer is blistering and entirely believable; the sex scenes are beautifully done: loving, tender, and steamy; and the romance starts from a lively little romp to a tragic tale of timeless and unconditional love. THE VAMPIRE’S PROTECTOR has many twists and turns, some that had me seriously worrying for the characters. THE VAMPIRE’S PROTECTOR is a brilliant, innovative, and unforgettable book. Brava!

I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

~MONIQUE~