Breathless (Blue Fire Saga # 1) by Scott Prussing

Growing up listening to her mother's claims to have been bitten by a one-fanged vampire, Leesa has been fascinated by vampires her whole life. Raised by her older brother in the face of their mother's inability, Leesa Nyland is devastated by his last message. Now eighteen, Leesa has followed her brother to Westland College to learn why he disappeared two years ago. She may have found a friend and ally in the person of her vampire sciences professor.

Leesa has a lot to learn and her most important lessons won't be found in a classroom. There is more to the world around her than she could have imagined. Vampires are real, her mother really was bitten by a one-fanged vampire and the two boys interested in her aren't human. Stefan de Kula, a member of the local vampire council, wants her for his consort. Rave Maston is a volkaane, a race of vampire hunters who live for centuries. Destiratu, the magical energy that causes both vampires and volkaanes to become more reckless and vicious is growing. If the energy becomes strong enough, the delicate balance that exists between vampires and volkaanes will be upset.

Rumors of blue fire, a strange community on the edge of town and the possibility of a cure for her mother turn Leesa's world upside down. When she learns her brother is still alive and a captive of one of the local vampires, Leesa has to decide whether she is willing to pay the ultimate price for his freedom.

There was a lot to like about this book, not the least of which is a new twist on the well-known genre of vampire and vampire hunter. The author brought a fresh idea to the old idea of vampire hunters which created a lot of room for the plot to go in different directions. Introducing a magical energy, the destiratu, that causes both vampires and volkaanes to lose control and become much more aggressive was wonderful.

There were enough new ideas throughout the book to hold my interest all the way through. There were some problems that should have been caught either in beta reading or editing, but nothing severe enough to put me off the book or the series. Had this book received better editing, I would have gladly given four stars. Overall, I enjoyed the book enough to pick up the next one in the series. 3 stars.

I was gifted this book in exchange for an honest review. You can pick up your copy from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Smashwords. The Amazon link is a worldwide link that will automatically redirect you to your local Amazon.