Immanuel's Veins by Ted Dekker

Product Description

This story is for everyone--but not everyone is for this story.
It is a dangerous tale of times past. A torrid love story full of deep seduction. A story of terrible longing and bold sacrifice.
Then as now, evil begins its courtship cloaked in light. And the heart embraces what it should flee. Forgetting it once had a truer lover.
With a kiss, evil will ravage body, soul, and mind. Yet there remains hope, because the heart knows no bounds.
Love will prove greater than lust. Sacrifice will overcome seduction. And blood will flow.
Because the battle for the heart is always violently opposed. For those desperate to drink deep from this fountain of life, enter.
But remember, not everyone is for this story.

My take on this book: The year is 1772, and Toma Nicolescu and his friend Alec Cardei have seen their fair share of battles while serving the empress of Russia, Catherine the Great. So when they are dispatched to Moldavia to protect the Cantemir family, a very influential family in Moldavia, until the empress could appoint a ruler for that country who would be loyal to Catherine the Great, they think it will be an easy job.
The Cantemir family consisted of Kesia and her twin daughters Lucine and Natasha. Both girls had been taught by their mothers to live as free spirits and basically do whatever felt good, but an unplanned pregnancy and the loss of a baby when Lucine was seventeen had sort of tempered her ways, but not Natasha, she basically is always looking for a good time. Alec known as a ladies man was immediately lusting after Natasha, and while Toma was warned by the empress not to become romantically involved,becomes drawn to Lucine, but keeps his feelings at bay until he feels that Lucine is being threatened by Vlad Van Valerik.
When Toma  realizes  that Vlad and his entourage aren't what they seem, he knows he will do whatever it takes to save the woman he loves, no matter the cost.
I found this book to be very thought provoking, where the characters feelings are so real that you can feel the anguish that Toma felt as well as the evil emitting from Vlad. I really enjoyed how Mr. Dekker tied Vlad's history to the book of Genesis, I only wish he would have traced his history to Lilith instead of the Nephilim.
This isn't a clear cut christian novel but instead has so many more elements, it has that horror story element of blood drinking vampires, but it also reminds us of God's unconditional love for us, and how it took the blood of our Savior to save us all!

An amazing read, that I won't soon forget.

This is my first opportunity to read anything written by Mr. Dekker and I am now his newest fan!