Vampire Empire: The Rift Walker by Clay Griffith and Susan Griffith
Princess Adele has returned to life as a dutiful daughter to the Emperor, yet dreads her upcoming, politically-fueled nuptials to Senator Clark. So when Greyfriar arrives to rescue Adele from a planned vampire attack, she gladly flees with him. Yet while Adele is away, vampire Prince Cesare sets multiple plots in to play in Equatoria with the help of human traitors. Meanwhile, Adele is learning more about her ability to harness the Earth’s power to fight against the vampires. But still unable to fully control her ability, she may inadvertently kill the person she loves most.
Following the adventures in The Greyfriar, this sequel picks up not long after. Adele hopes to keep putting off her wedding to the brutish Clark. Especially when she learns his plans for attacking the British vampires, by wiping out their “food” supply of innocent humans. I’m not sure why anyone thought this was a good idea, since vampires can fly and it would just force them further south to their own human nations. But it certainly worked in enraging Adele and causing her to flee her fate. Adele and Gareth/Greyfriar still have fantastic chemistry, though they never seem to have enough time alone together where one of them isn’t hurt or in danger.
As before, the adventure, suspense and romance make for exciting, fast-paced reading. With several twists and surprises, The Rift Walker is a solid sequel that doesn’t disappoint. Action-packed, this is another that was impossible to put down and hated for it to end. And I’m eagerly awaiting the next installment this fall. This is a unique alternative reality / vampire / steampunk trilogy that no fantasy fan should miss.