Review: Blood Debt by Nancy Straight

Blood Debt
(Touched, #1)
By: Nancy Straight
Publisher: Self-published
Published: July 15, 2012
Genre: New Adult/Paranormal Romance
Rating:


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Her whole life, it had just been the two of them. Before her mother’s last breath, she gave Camille the information she had craved her entire life: the identity of her father. Daring to contact him, Camille was welcomed by an entire family she never knew existed. But nothing comes without a price, as she discovers when her family claims a legendary heritage tracing back to a centaur touched by Zeus.

As she learns the secrets of her Centaur bloodline, she is drawn into a forbidden love with Drake. Her life may be the blood debt required to pay for her mother’s transgressions. The same person who once held her mother captive, and forced her into decades of hiding, now controls Camille. Her only chance is to seek a piece of her mother’s past that will win her freedom and the life she desperately wants.

My thoughts...
I don't often come across books that revolve around centaurs. In fact, if I'm being honest, I've only read one book that had a centaur in it. I honestly don't know why more authors don't approach the other mythical beings that are out there as apposed to writing about the holy trinity of supernatural beings... you know what I'm talking about... vampires, werewolves and angels. I loved the take that the author had about centaurs. They are not the mythical creatures that I grew up knowing. They don't have four legs or a horse body. In fact they have a humans body but with super speed, strength and special powers.

Camille is (in my opinion) a great protagonist. She is strong willed and very loyal. When she goes to see her father, she is met with five bothers that she didn't know existed. All of them embrace her with open arms and welcome her to the family. In fact the entire family welcomes her, including the wife/mother who was cheated on when Camille's mother and father had the affair. Even though she's immediately accepted into the family, there is still a lot she needs to learn about being a centaur. Sure she has some blunders in the beginning but she is quick to pick up on it.

I must say that the love interest in this story was interesting. The whole concept of a female choosing a male and their bond being inseparable unless by death was interesting. Except it posed a huge mystery on how Camille came about. Apparently centaurs are not able to conceive out of wedlock. Not only that but then there is this whole fiance shuffle when Camille is betrothed to a centaur that she doesn't want to marry but the centaur she does like is betrothed to her best friend. It definitely made the story interesting. Either way I need to know what happens next. There is something going on with Camille's best friend, Daniel, from California but no one says what it is. Other than he knows that he can't be with Camille and that she's a centaur but all I can yell is "WHY?!". He is warned away from Camille both by his father and by Camille's family. Not to mention the ending that you are left with makes me want to pick up the next book in the story to figure out what happens next.

Favorite quote...
"You know, I saw that on the news last week. People walking down the street, minding their own business, and BAM their lips turn elastic and wrap themselves around a friend's man. Happens all the time. It's a side-effect from the 'Stupid Pill'. Must have refilled your prescription before you left town." -Daniel