Lagniappe Literature

One day while I was on Twitter, tweeting with another author, I got a tweet from the creative and talented Jo Bissell. She sent me a digital copy review of Beyond the Reach of Judgement. I shrugged as I looked at the title but I had promised I would give it a go. Unfortunately, I had just come down with the flu/pneumonia and my reading fell behind, otherwise I would have raced through this vampiric adventure. Feeling better, I started reading at 21% this morning and COULD NOT put this book down. Let me also mention that I do not normally dive into a vampire story of any kind but something caught my attention whilst reading the synopsis and I was compelled to venture on. I cannot stress how appreciative I am that I was generously sent a copy because I would have most likely missed this one and that would have been a shame. Don't get me wrong. I am a major fan of Rice's Interview with the Vampire but that's about as far as I'd ever explored the vampire world. I feel that Twilight was a bit tweeny for my generation and although I watched the Twilight movies with my little sister, I would never read the series. Twilight is NOT for me. And then along came Jo Bissell and Beyond the Reach of Judgement!! Can I just say...WOW!

Written with depth and maturity, I was instantly SUCKED into the story of a European priest, turned vampire some 400 years earlier when Iroquois warriors of New France, now Ontario, Canada, captured, tortured, and staked him to the ground as a sacrifice to the Devil in the woods. This devil was the priest's vampire maker and her name was Tawiskala. Together, he and Tawiskala savagely hunted the Iroquois. Tawiskala had no mercy and enjoyed killing but the priest also killed for vengeance. Eventually, the vampires part ways and the priest, Julien Durant, wanders the earth for centuries, living with remorse and guilt, despising the monster he knows himself to be. Then came Ruth, the beautiful prostitute Julien intends to feed on. Nothing will ever be the same again. The hunter will become the hunted and the consequences will be forever.

I screamed in agony when I read the last chapter. I did!! I wanted the story to continue. I wasn't ready for it to end. However, Bissell has assured me that she is currently working on the sequel. Well, do hurry!! Like a vampire craves blood, I crave more of Beyond the Reach of Judgement. Who knew that I would be TURNED into a vampire lover! I LOVED this delicious read right down to it's very last drop of blood!!