The Cardinal Code

by

Avery Sterling

Exciting and sexy new vampire romantasy!

The Cardinal Code is a suspenseful and sexy new vampire romantasy by author Avery Sterling that presents a fresh and intriguing perspective of vampire lore. With its irresistible main characters, slow-burn romance, and fascinating vampire social order, I was hooked until the very final page. 

Michael Chamberlain is the cool, collected, wealthy scion of his elite Sicilian cardinalis family now residing on Long Island. He’s preparing to take over ownership of his father’s successful New York City nightclub, Allusion, when he becomes enamored of a new waitress at the club. 

Paislee Sullivan is a college student just trying to pick up the pieces of her interrupted life after a terrible accident two years earlier had almost ended it. With huge medical bills hanging over her head, she takes a job as a waitress at the exclusive Allusion nightclub. One night, the unwanted attentions of a persistent and obnoxious customer lead her to grab the first man she sees, pretending he’s the boyfriend she’s waiting on, in hopes his presence will discourage her pest once and for all. Her surprised rescuer turns out to be none other than Michael Chamberlain, the club’s new owner, and the pest is his estranged brother, Esben. 

The couple’s attraction to one another is undeniable, and so begins their slow-burning romance, which starts as a contracted business arrangement. They experience several rocky moments as they learn about each other, and Esben continues to target Paislee as a means of getting back at Michael. The back and forth between the two before convincing Paislee to agree to the contract and then what their relationship was going to look like went a little long for me as they rehashed their motives, emotions, and intentions. Their relationship includes some sexy, erotic scenes as well as darker incidents of anger and violence. Readers sensitive to these kinds of depictions should consider this and proceed accordingly, taking into account their tolerance for such scenarios. An author’s note at the beginning of the book accurately and clearly details this. 

The concept of the Codex and an all-powerful order to enforce it was intriguing to me as a reader and intimidating to many characters in the book. There are some surprising twists in the plot, not only regarding past events involving the brothers but also the current action. The story concludes with a cliffhanger ending, which absolutely begs for a quick sequel. 

I recommend THE CARDINAL CODE to readers of darker, more adult paranormal romance. 

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advance Review Copy from the author through Goddess Fish Promotions Book Tours.