The emotional connection came too quickly for me too as the men only know each other a few hours and they are making a commitment. I felt that Denis’ choice of partner was only really a sketch of a character and I wanted to know more about him. The part which worked less well for me was probably because I was coming into this series at a late point. He’s a determined young chap who was surprising in how readily he adapts to his vampirism and I couldn’t help be taken with his sensible nature and will to conquer his baser blood urges. The part of this story which worked best for me was in the character of Denis and his pragmatic approach to his new vampire state. At 19, Denis chooses the life of a vampire over an early death and Noël is happy to oblige. Soldier Denis lies dying and as his blood seeps out into the mud, he is approached by a vampire who asks him whether he would like to be turned. The story begins on a battlefield in WW1 France. Having said that, this story is perfectly understandable even without any knowledge of that series. I then remembered that Ariel Tachna has several ‘In Blood’ novels at DSP and the penny dropped that this was maybe linked to that series. This was one of those stories where I was certain that somehow I was missing something whilst I was reading. Which will Noël prove to be: a temporary succor or the companion of a lifetime?

Now newly turned, the hunger for blood grows insistent, but an instinct Denis doesn’t understand presses him to make the right choice for feeding, not the most expedient one. Shot and left for dead, he didn’t expect to open his eyes to a vampire offering him a chance at a different existence. Facing the Germans outside Amiens, Denis was prepared for the possibility he wouldn’t survive the battle.

Crossroads in Blood by Ariel Tachna