Reviewed by Katie L.
August 10, 2005
"... their love must truly conquer all..."
Candy Nicks' Can I Keep You? is a journey through the mind of a vampire and his daily struggle between what he misses from his earlier life and the life he now has to embrace.
Alone, the vampire Kane waits patiently at a bar for his nightly nourishment. At the docks a ship unloads and the bar fills with sailors looking for sport. A group of prostitutes enter and each girl is willing to provide anything the sailors want for a price. Among this group a young woman draws Kane's attention. She is not one of the regulars, but an innocence and by the looks of her a very scared innocent. A sailor approaches her and offers her money. She nods and they leave. Concerned and intrigued, Kane follows.
The sailor is rough and the young woman is scared. Kane intervenes and kills the sailor offering the young lady, named Laura, a chance to make a lot of money. Standing before him is a hungry soul who is without shelter and needs the money. Kane's demon demands her blood and death, Harry, Kane's former self, begs to care for Laura and provide with a memorable first encounter.
The vampire-man compromises and entreats the courageous Laura to come home with him where he can properly love her. In reality Kane decides he will once again attempt to keep a human. Something he hasn't done in a long time because humans are frail and die easy. They tend to become evil and leave when he turns them.
Kane introduces Laura to the sensual pleasures between a man and a woman and she teaches him what it feels like to love and be loved in return. But the past and its secrets flare its ugly head and their love and lives become threatened. Kane/Harry is torn between taking a chance that she will become evil and leave once she is turned and allowing her to remain human with all its frailty and death. He wants forever.
Can I Keep You?, delves deep into one's inner turmoil. I found Nicks' insight into the mind of the vampire interesting. Her characters are well-defined but at times the war within Kane/Harry borders on psychotic boredom. There were times it took great effort to read through many of the passages during Kane's internal war with his demon, though his inner thoughts had to be explained. Laura's character is well-developed. You feel her fear of the past, her indecision about the future, and her struggle to understand her feelings for a man with a "sunlight sickness." For Kane and Laura, their love must truly conquer all. The story is a dark tale filled with questions and indecision about the future and the past. It is not a light read but one that will take time and understanding to enjoy.
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Book Description for Can I Keep You?
When Kane picks up a runaway on the streets of Victorian England, his only thought is to have a few days of amusement, and a decent meal. He is a vampire, after all - it's what he does. But Laura has to be the most unconvincing whore he's ever met. She soon finds out that there are ways other than brute force and strength to bring a vampire to his knees. As they fall in love, she becomes the catalyst for his astonishing journey of redemption, bringing back all-too-painful memories of Harry, the gentle man he once was. But it's not an easy road.
Along the way they encouter forces of evil that have other plans for Laura and Kane. And the question neither of them really wants to answer hovers always in the background. Does he make her like him and risk losing her? Or will a lifetime together be enough?
Rated Very Erotic by the publisher: Linden Bay Romance
