Bane's Choice

betrayal, revenge, secrets, magic, power

3.75 stars--BANE’S CHOICE is the first instalment in Alyssa Day’s contemporary, adult VAMPIRE MOTORCYCLE CLUB paranormal, romance series. This is three hundred year old vampire, and VMC president Bane, and physician Dr. Ryan St. Cloud’s story line.

Told from several third person perspectives Bane and Ryan BANE’S CHOICE follows the building romance between three hundred year old vampire, and VMC president Bane, and physician Dr. Ryan St. Cloud. Bane’s friend Hunter Evans was burned so badly he would never survive but a quick trip to the hospital to bring home his friend, is anything but when Bane comes face to face with Dr. Ryan St. Cloud, and finds himself in a stand off with a feisty woman who may or may not be completely human. Unable to control her mind, Bane quickly realizes that there is much more to Ryan than he could have imagined. Hoping to see Dr. St. Cloud again, Bane sets out to locate the woman that stirs something deep within our story line hero but all is not well in Bane’s territory when warlocks, necromancers, and a group who all themselves the Chamber enter into a battle to take over Bane’s territory. What ensues is the building romance and relationship between Bane and Ryan, and the potential fall-out as the fight for Bane’s territory pulls Ryan in as collateral damage.

Ryan St. Cloud is a physician but has no idea that she is something more. Quickly accepting the existence of vampires and werewolves, Ryan’s jump into the supernatural quickly turns onto herself when she defends the man and the family with whom she is falling in love. Bane is the President of the Vampire Motorcycle Club, a biker club hiding in plain sight although a number of their members are only human. Never having fallen in love, Bane is caught off-guard when he meets Dr. Ryan St. Cloud, a woman who is more than she appears to be. Believing Ryan is his fated mate, Bane goes all alpha and over protective but it is Ryan’s power that will that will draw trouble to their front door.

The relationship between Ryan and Bane is one of immediate attraction but Ryan struggled with Bane’s ‘kidnapping’ of her severely injured patient. Unable to explain their palpable sexual attraction, Ryan moves into Bane’s mansion in an effort to stay close to the injured man. As Ryan and Bane’s attraction builds, threats from an outside source release Ryan’s power, and with it the realization about who and what our heroine might be. The Sex scenes are intimate and passionate without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text.

We are introduced to Bane’s family: vampires Meara, Edge and Luke as well as their human housekeepers Mr. and Mrs. C. There is a large assortment of werewolves including alpha Carter Reynolds of the Wolf Pack MC. The requisite evil has many faces including warlocks, necromancer and members of the group known as The Chamber.

BANE’S CHOICE is a story of betrayal and revenge; secrets, magic, power and control. The premise is engaging but struggles between sluggish and energetic; the romance is intimate; the characters are energetic and dynamic-Ryan’s need to call it she sees is often fun and snarky.

I would like to add that the ‘motorcycle club’ aspect of the story line is limited, and definitely not akin to the usual MC story lines. The motorcycle club plot point is negligible, and more of a background element than anything else.