Double Cross by Brandon Hill is an intriguing vampire romance novel following the adventures of its major protagonist, Elisa. She a vampiress charged with an assignment by her father Talante, the leader of a powerful vampire clan. Her mission is to investigate a vagabond clan whose existence on the fringes of human society endanger the secrecy of the vampire universe. Eventually she comes across Derek, a leader of the vagabond clan who finds a kindred spirit in Elisa. Only one of the most powerful figures in the vampire realm, Lothos, hovers in the shadows and threatens to doom the budding relationship. Elisa decides to investigate Lothos, and the secrets in her father’s ancient diary bring her face-to-face with a horrific truth binding her to Lothos forevermore.

Hill’s story works an imaginative angle from Interview With The Vampire as Elisa is cursed unto eternal childhood, having ‘turned’ as a pre-pubescent where she will remain unto the end of time. The genius of this are the unspoken implications: although the author never expounds upon it, Elisa will never see her fully-developed adult female body, cherish the experiences of crossing from adolescence into womanhood, or numerous other psychological transformations. As a vampiress she is unable to find love with either a human or another vampire. Derek’s appearance gives her new hope, but the conflict with the all-powerful Lothos threatens to crush that dream forever.

For vampire fans, gothic romance readers and those looking for a well-crafted fantasy drama, Double Cross by Brandon Hill is one not to be missed.

oved this story. I love how I could not predict which direction the author would take things in, yet in hindsight everything was reasonable and made sense. The romance in this book worked very well, too, though I am not generally looking for romance in the books I typically buy. Fantasy is my second-favorite genre after science fiction, and today we have some blending of the two genres. Which brings up another point: I generally do not like or care for mixing those two genres together, and to some extent that occurs here in this book, and yet this author is someone who can make this work and work well, in my opinion. Of course it is fantasy-based due to the vampire theme, but I really liked the way he interwove technology into the story as well in a non-obtrusive way. Part of the reason why I think this works here is because he does not get mired in the details yet also avoids too much ambiguity in his descriptions of things. And I do not think I am going too far out on a limb to say that one of the most interesting characters in the series is the arch-villain Lothos. So I do recommend this book for anyone who loves a good vampire story by an author who clearly loves the subject matter as well.

I bought this book soon after reading the first one. It was just as good and I love that it wasn't predictable. A lot of characters were described more in depth and given their own story. I won't give any spoilers, but theres a matter in the book that (if written differently) could have made any reader uncomfortable. Still, the author skillfully approaches the topic in a way that makes you want to keep reading without ever becoming hesitant. I found that pretty cool, because I didn't know what direction he would take it in. If theres a third book in the future, I'm buying it for sure! I definitely recommend this series!