MY REVIEW:
Christian “vampire” novels seem to be showing up more frequently – no doubt a result of the overwhelming success of the Twilight series. Having read and reviewed a couple of them during the past year, I was not too excited about another one. I am happy to say that Thirsty is not another typical vampire tale.
The primary plot of Thirsty revolves around Nina Parker who is once again trying to live her life sober after another session in alcohol rehab. Her many failures have cost her pretty much everything – her marriage, a once close relationship with her teen daughter, her veterinary practice and her self-respect. When she returns to her home town to try to get her life back together, she is confronted with the past she ran from and someone she doesn’t remember who remembers her to the point of obsession. That person just happens to be a vampire who wants to be loved in spite of what he is.
The vampires in Thirsty serve to add some danger and suspense to the story that could have been done with a normal serial killer, etc. However, the author has chosen to use the contrast of Nina’s thirst for alcohol with the vampire’s thirst for blood.
Thirsty is an easy to read story once the reader figures out the differing points of view. It tells Nina’s story in first person through journal entries and second person for current events, and her husband Hunt’s point of view is told in first person. The vampire’s story is related to Nina by Markus as he tells her the local legends. Good points throughout which include reaping what you sow, forgiveness, restoration, and dependence on the Lord. Would recommend this book in spite of the vampires.
There’s no place like home, they say.
“Hello, I’m Nina Parker…and I’m an alcoholic.” For Nina, it’s not the weighty admission but the first steps toward recovery that prove most difficult. She must face her ex-husband, Hunt, with little hope of making amends, and try to rebuild a relationship with her angry teenage daughter, Meagan. Hardest of all, she is forced to return to Abbey Hills, Missouri, the hometown she abruptly abandoned nearly two decades earlier–and her unexpected arrival in the sleepy Ozark town catches the attention of someone–or something–igniting a two-hundred-fifty-year-old desire that rages like a wildfire. Unaware of the darkness stalking her, Nina is confronted with a series of events that threaten to unhinge her sobriety. Her daughter wants to spend time with the parents Nina left behind. A terrifying event that has haunted Nina for almost twenty years begins to surface. And an alluring neighbor initiates an unusual friendship with Nina, but is Markus truly a kindred spirit or a man guarding dangerous secrets? As everything she loves hangs in the balance, will Nina’s feeble grasp on her demons be broken, leaving her powerless against the thirst? The battle between redemption and obsession unfold to its startling, unforgettable end.
