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xLenorex

Lenore

I'm a hopeful cynic.

Ink - Isabelle Rowan Ink is the story of Dominic, an ancient vampire who has been on this Earth since the era of the Roman emperor Hadrian. He's lonely but he keeps to himself by choice and is constantly tormented by his very same nature. He strives to keep a shred of his lost humanity in him but is tired of his existence, of having to shun the company of others because of the harm he can inflict upon them. He craves a companion's touch but it's been centuries since he last felt something remotely similar to lust or desire, let alone love.Yet Dominic finds himself fascinated by a young and handsome and very lively tattoo artist, Michael. Every night he enters the tattoo parlor where Michael works, "Ink", and gets himself a tattoo he knows will fade until morning but he can't resist the attraction he feels for the young man. Michael isn't supposed to remember any of their encounters—Dominic takes care of that—but it seems that Michael shares the same feelings because he feels equally drawn to Dominic, he can "hear" Dominic thinking about him, he feels the urge to go to him.So Dominic gives in to his rapidly growing feelings, turns Michael into a vampire and starts hoping again. But just about he starts thinking that his existence will finally take on meaning, Galen, his past lover and maker, a creature even more ancient than Dominic, appears and he's determined to not let Dominic enjoy his newfound life with Michael.In more ways than one, Dominic reminded me of Louis, the tormented hero of Ann Rice's Interview with the Vampire. The self-loathing, the brooding, the constant questioning of his existence, the desperate clinging to what he considers his last traces of humanity. So it was fairly easy for me to empathize with him. It didn't get far beyond that, I found him pretty one dimensional and at times tiring but I liked him alright.Michael on the other hand, came across more or less as an enthusiastic and impulsive but also kind of emotionally immature character. And maybe that's why I wasn't very convinced by his romance with Dominic. Don't get me wrong, I liked Michael more than Dominic, but I kept picturing him as a love-struck teenager and I'm not sure that was exactly the author's intention.Galen was the most intriguing character for me, mostly because of his past and his history with Dominic but I'm a sucker for villains so maybe I'm not the best judge on that.All in all, I enjoyed the story and maybe I would have given it a higher rating had it not been for the constant POV shifts, which confused me and didn't allow me to engage more with the characters.Dreamspinner Press kindly provided me with an electronic copy of this book through NetGalley.com in exchange for an honest review