Tainted Heart

The lively second installment in Graves's "Mi Corazón Sangrante" series picks up with vampire Kyle and human Brian battling to do their part for the vampire-human relations movement, while maintaining the love that rendered them inseparable in Bleeding Heart. Back in school, Kyle finds himself a supportive group of young vampires, but new friend Max tempts him in a way that is definitely not platonic. Meanwhile, Brian is forced to ponder the inherent long-term complications of dating a vampire, all the while contesting the cold disapproval of his well-to-do father. As the two men work to make their relationship stronger, a mysterious virus surfaces that manifests unforeseen illness in the local vampire population. When the virus hits close to home, the men's love might end up a matter of life and death. Steamy sex scenes are enhanced with the added element of a supernatural connection (Kyle's vampirism allows for supersenses and a telepathic link), and a well-rounded cast of diverse characters add emotional depth as the couple's "found family."