Book Review: Unchained Vow by Lucille J. Knight

 

Book Description

A serial killer in Anchorage is bleeding clergy dry. It's Maggie's job to stop him and Father Anatoly's duty to keep her from harm.

Emotionally guarded police detective, Maggie Boone, has given up on the concept of love. She lives for the job, barricading her heart behind a fortress of her own making. Until Father Anatoly is assigned as a consultant to help her catch a serial killer.

Maggie doesn't want a tagalong getting in the way. She doesn't know that the supernatural exists or that she's pursuing a real-life vampire. All she sees is Anatoly's gentle nature and handsome features and she dismisses him as a liability; to the case and her heart.

Through Anatoly's tender counsel and quiet strength, Maggie's walls begin to crumble. Until she comes face-to-face with the priest's true nature as a vampire and the horrible realization that monsters truly exist.

Can Father Anatoly convince Maggie he isn't the killer or will he lose her forever in the aftermath of her discovery?

My Review

Detective Maggie Boone is on a case where a serial killer is killing priests. Father Anatoly comes out when another dead priest is being loaded into the coroner's van. Maggie doesn't want him trapsing all over her crime scene so she's a bit abrupt with him. Anatoly was drawn to Maggie for some reason, so before he could stop himself, he tells her that this murder is in part a church matter and he would like to help with the investigation, to which Maggie disagrees. 

Anatoly was more than just a priest though, he's also a vampire and he knew a blood crazed vampire who was killing the priests had to be stopped and he knew he had to be the one to help do it. The police were not equipped to hunt down and kill a vampire, but he was. 

After Anatoly joins her in the investigation, they get off to a rocky start because Maggie likes to work alone, but then the killer reveals he knows who Maggie is and how she's hunting him. Now Maggie is in danger and killer leaves her a note telling her he's coming after her. Anatoly feels protective of Maggie and knows he can't leave her to go after the serial killer alone. 

During the investigation Maggie and Anatoly run into a werewolf kingpin. Not that Maggie knows some of those who she is associating herself with are supernaturals. Anatoly had to think fast to get them out of that situation before the werewolf got angry and shifted and maybe killed them both. It doesn't take long for Anatoly's secret life to be revealed to Maggie though and she handled it better than most people would have.

Watching a vampire priest and a human detective find love as they search for a serial killer was a story premise that was unique and quite new to me. I really liked the romance part of this book more than the hunting for a serial killer part. Once we find out who the serial killer is, it wasn't as big a reveal as I thought it might be. But what came next for Maggie was something I had a feeling was coming right around the corner. I just knew that's where this story was going. There was a good ending, but it was very predictable. 

I give this book 3 out of 5 stars. 

Disclosure: I was given an e-ARC of this book via NetGalley but all thoughts and opinions are my own.

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