Book two of the Order of the Sanguines series finds Dr. Erin Granger attempting to instruct students at Stanford University in Palo Alto, CA but after her experiences in The Blood Gospel, finds it difficult to teach what she no longer believes. Consumed with guilt over the death of all but one of her graduate students while on a dig in Israel, Erin has been having strange visions.
An attack by a terrifying blasphemare cat rockets Erin back into the shadowy and extremely dangerous world of the Sanguines aided by love interest Jordan Stone and assorted Sanguines pledged to serving the Pope.
A complex plot pitting the Sanguines against the bloodthirsty strigoi, good against evil, is in place to bring about the end of days. Towards that end, Judas Iscariot seeks to destroy the triumvirate that holds the potential to stymie his plans thus putting Erin, Jordan and Sanguine Rhun Korza in the crosshairs as they search for the elusive First Angel. Meanwhile the dangerous Blood Countess Elizabeth Bathory has been loosed from her prison and is looking for some serious payback. In a high stakes battle of wills, evil takes many guises and few players are what they seem.
Nonstop action and a host of characters plucked from history and the Bible make for a strong second installment to the Order of the Sanguines series that combines good and evil vampires with the Vatican. Characters first introduced in The Blood Gospel gain considerable depth with the sense of history created by throwing in old associates. Rasputin is a surprising character as he pits Elizabeth against Erin in an attempt to discover which is the real Woman of Learning, a question that continues to plague both sides in the battle.
Sweeping readers along for the ride from California to Europe and on to the Egyptian desert, the story provides a solid conclusion while setting the stage for the next good vs. evil showdown and is a great addition to the series.