Review: Lineage by Angela Fiddler

Reviewed by SinChan
Lineage (Master of the Lines #1) by Angela Fiddler
Self-Published
Novella: 157pgs
4 Pants Off

Blurb:
Love didn’t just kick you when it were down; it staked you out and turned you into a vampire. Not that Vision was bitter. His ex-lover taught him nothing lasts forever, while his ex-master taught him to submit and the fine art of not resisting silk restraints. In exchange, Vision let both of them keep their heads. He considered it a fair trade-off.

Now Vision is a master, but still finds himself wanting to be on his knees.

Enter Hanz. He’s just a driver, but he knows what Vision wants and how to make it sting the way Vision likes most.

Vision won’t be fooled again. Sure, Hanz is sweet. The respect feels genuine, and, what’s worse, he honestly seems to love Vision. Older, wiser masters counsel Vision against Hanz. And, of course, they’re right. Hanz does have something to hide.And, as if on cue, along comes Vision’s ex-lover, the cause of and solution to being kicked, staked, and vamped. Vision is caught again, and this time not with ropes and silk. Now if he can only keep his neck and his heart intact…

Review
Steven (Seraph) and Vic (Vision) lived on the streets together as prostitutes when Gabriel found them and turned them into vampires. Now Gabriel is low on power and influence, he uses Seraph to force Vision to submit. However, Vision is now a leader in the vampire world, having control of two ley lines. He has status, prestige, and extra power from the ley lines. He just needs to cement Hanz's position in the vampire world and by his side and prevent other vampires from stealing his lines.

The story is told by alternating the present time with Vision and Hanz and the past before he came to power. There is so many years difference between the past and present that Vic and Vision are like two different people. It's a little disorienting when the perspective switched after each short passage.

 

Vision's relationship with Hanz is unclear at first but Hanz is a critical player later in the story. Vision wants to be dominated by Hanz even though he is the superior one. This juxtaposition is intriguing and adds more problems for Vision. He is also the youngest vampire in the council but inherited two elder ley lines. He has a lot to prove and it's fascinating to see how he became so powerful.

This story is filled with fascinating vampire politics and world building. Men and women seems to use the ley lines differently and this causes a difference in how power is divided between the sexes. The story keeps me on my toes with shows of Vision's power in public, his submissive side in private with Hanz, and his past. Vision is a fascinating character and he keeps me turning the pages to figure out who he is.


Overall, this story has a good set of intriguing characters in a fascinating world. Even though the shifting time frames could be tiresome, it was a fast read for me. I would recommend this story for vampire fans.

4 Pants Off