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Blood Bathory: Absence of the Sun

by Ari McKay

Blood Bathory: Absence of the Sun - Ari McKay - Guardians of Gaia
Part of the The Guardians of Gaia series:
Editions:Kindle - second edition
ISBN: B07DD5F3RH
Pages: 278

Tyger tyger, burning bright…

As theriomorphs in the service of Gaia, Tyr Gustavson and his lover Aaron fought against the vampires aiding the Third Reich during WWII. But even the fierceness of Tyr’s tiger form couldn’t save Aaron from being torn apart when a mission went horribly wrong. Lost in his pain, Tyr remained feral until he was unwillingly recalled to Gaia’s service seventy years later.

In the forests of the night...

When fighter pilot Adam Carson’s plane was shot down, he thought the worst that could happen was being sent to a Nazi prison camp. Little did he know there were other monsters in the shadows, and one of them wanted to claim him. But refusing Elizabeth Bathory had a price. Adam was turned against his will and trapped in a coffin as punishment for his resistance.

What immortal hand or eye…

While hunting ghouls, Tyr and his colleagues discover Adam’s prison. Believing he could be an asset, Marielle Du Lac frees him. Adam joins the team and is drawn to Tyr, despite Tyr’s hatred of vampires. When Tyr rejects Adam out of fear, Adam accepts a suicidal mission to find Thrace, the original nosferatu. If their desperate plan works, the theriomorphs could destroy not only Elizabeth, but the sire of all vampires as well. But if it fails, they could unleash a force leading to the destruction of them all… and perhaps of Gaia herself.

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Reviews: Kindle Customer on Amazon wrote:

Gaia's Guardians are still looking for Elizabeth. Although severely injured, she's not dead yet and now is the time to strike. However, Elizabeth's gouls are running amok across Europe, searching out any vampire blood they can. But they are starting to be noticed by the humans too. A team is put together to entice the ghouls so they can be destroyed. But they need all the large predators they can. Which means it is time for Tyr, a tiger, to come back from his animal to help in the fight. And as long as he can kill all the vampires, he can do that.

Except, he has to work with Evan, which he can, for the greater good. But when on a hunt, Evan senses another Vampire. One that has been entombed since the 1940's. Adam doesn't want to be restored, he wants to turn to nothing and die. He didn't choose to be a vampire, and was turned against his will. But Adam and Tyr have a shared past, and is it enough to over come Tyr's grief and hatred of vampires?

This was a really good continuation of the story and the Guardians fights against the vampires. We get to see that the Guardians have been fighting for a long time. And that not every Guardian deals with the pain of the past very well. Not to mention the pains of being away from the world for nearly 70 years. A lot has changed. But then there is this vampire, who didn't want to be, and fights against that nature. And is having the same problems adjusting to the times. If you liked book one, you get to continue the story and learn about some new characters, while checking in with Will and Evan as well.


About the Author

Ari McKay is the professional pseudonym for Arionrhod and McKay, who have been writing together for over a decade. Their collaborations encompass a wide variety of romance genres, including contemporary, fantasy, science fiction, gothic, and action/adventure. Their work includes the Blood Bathory series of paranormal novels, the Herc’s Mercs series, as well as two historical Westerns: Heart of Stone and Finding Forgiveness. When not writing, they can often be found scheming over costume designs or binge watching TV shows together.

Arionrhod is a systems engineer by day who is eagerly looking forward to (hopefully) becoming a full time writer in the not-too-distant future. Now that she is an empty-nester, she has turned her attentions to finding the perfect piece of land to build a fortress in preparation for the zombie apocalypse, and baking (and eating) far too many cakes.

McKay is an English teacher who has been writing for one reason or another most of her life. She also enjoys knitting, reading, cooking, and playing video games. She has been known to knit in public. Given she has the survival skills of a gnat, she’s relying on Arionrhod to help her survive the zombie apocalypse.