Kiss of Steel by Bec McMaster (London Steampunk #1)

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Most people avoid the dreaded Whitechapel district. For Honoria Todd, it's the last safe haven. But at what price?

Blade is known as the master of the rookeries—no one dares cross him. It's been said he faced down the Echelon's army single-handedly, that ever since being infected by the blood-craving he's been quicker, stronger, and almost immortal.

When Honoria shows up at his door, his tenuous control comes close to snapping. She's so...innocent. He doesn't see her backbone of steel—or that she could be the very salvation he's been seeking.

Honoria Todd is a young woman who is just trying to care of her younger brother and sister after their father's death. After she loses her job, however, she is left having to ask the blue-blood, Blade, for help. But there are strange things occurring in Whitechapel, and soon it is discovered that a full-fledged vampire is on the lose, blood-thirsty, murderous and hiding in the darkest corners of the district - and it seems to be drawn to Honoria. As if that weren't the least their problems, it seems that the Duke of Vickers, who infected Blade with the blood-craving virus in the first place, is after both Blade AND Honoria. Does Blade have what it takes to keep Honoria safe? And just what ties does she have to Vickers and the vampire in the first place?

I picked up a copy of this for my kindle because it happened to fit the requirements for a reading challenge I've been participating in & sounded intriguing, but I must say, I did not anticipate that I would love this as much as I did! The writing was absolutely brilliant - I was expecting this to take a while to get through, but I found myself breezing through it. The plot was gripping, the romance was actually steamy and not cheesy, and the characters were very likable.

Honoria may have been a bit daft in that she was too proud to admit when things were no longer in her control, but her heart was always in the right place, and she worked hard to hold her family together on her own. I enjoyed seeing how her relationship with Blade developed - she grew up with prejudices towards those infected with the blood-craving, but soon found herself having to rely on Blade despite her misgivings towards him. It was interesting to see how her trust in him began to strengthen, and I loved their quarreling and bantering throughout the novel. They were great together, and Blade was definitely hot!

In my minds eye, Blade looked a lot like Hook from Once Upon A Time...

The vampire lore in the novel was also a lot of fun to read about, and was different than anything I've come across so far in other vampire novels. Apparently, when one is infected with the blood-crave virus by ingesting the blood of another infected, they gain heightened senses, healing abilities, strength, and a hankering for blood, but they aren't considered vampires, they're considered blue-bloods. Vampires are what blue-bloods later turn into, once the "fade" starts to kick in and they begin mentally and physically deteriorating, until the human part of them has completely vanished and all that's left is a monster. This eventually happens to all blue-bloods, and sounds terrifying.

At any rate, what I'm really excited for is reading more about Honoria's sister, Lena, and the verwulfen, Will (one of Blade's best friends). I just found out that book two is going to focus on them, and I can't wait to get started on reading their story! Will was abandoned as a child when his mother discovered he was a werewolf, so he harbors animosity and a strong distrust towards the fairer sex - I'm curious to see how Lena ends up cracking through that shell. If you're a fan of paranormal romances I highly recommend that you check out this series - it's already become a favorite of mine! 5 out of 5 stars.