Book four in Anya Bast's Embraced series - and admittedly my favorite. The hero is Niccolo - an ancient vampire who has been imprisoned for 200 years [this entry in the saga takes place AFTER World War III and the rebuilding of the planet so I guess it qualifies as a futuristic as well] for a crime he did not commit. This was partly his own decision, he had spent almost 2000 years killing, first as Roman soldier, then a gladiator, and eventually as a Council Enforcer who was sent to remove rogue vampires and he's afraid he might cross the line and harm innocents. He has appeared in all three previous books. The leads from the other books appear here also - with Adam playing his usual strong supporting role. The heroine is Jade, a half-OtherKin Sidhe and a Priestess of the Morrigan. The victim of a horrific gang torture, rape, and attempted murder - she has strong issues that Niccolo has to deal with...
This is another well written action oriented vampire paranormal. The Dominion has gotten extremely strong and has manifested a presence in this plane, soon to be used to open a gateway for the Dominion inhabitants to pass through to destroy the earth. The Council agrees to let Niccolo out [permanently] as he's probably the only person who has a hope of dealing with it.
Bast does her usual outstanding job of introducing multiple fascinating characters with their own plots and then weaving them into the main plot. Sex is [relatively] conservative - one menage scene but it's more about the relationship between Jade and Niccolo.
Order is important with this series and especially this book. Although if you read it as a standalone you'd be OK - but you wouldn't know a lot of important background about Niccolo, his friends, and the Dominion. It's worth it to read the whole series in order.
In my opinion - this series really cries out for a fifth book. Adam really needs to find his soul mate.
Embraced
1. Blood Of The Rose (2004)
2. Blood of the Raven (2005)
3. Blood of an Angel (2005)
4. Blood of the Damned (2006)
