Crusade

Vampires—the Cursed Ones—have declared war on humanity. Most people are too afraid or unwilling to take a stand, but eighteen-year-old Jenn Leitner trains to become a vampire hunter, risking everything in the process. When Jenn falls for Antonio, a vampire fighting on the side of humanity, she discovers a love that transcends attraction and physical consummation. But the closer Jenn and Antonio become, the greater the danger. Together, they must fight for their love—and to bring light into the darkness the vampires have drawn over the face of the planet.

For the past two years, Jenn has lived and trained at Spain’s Sacred Heart Academy Against the Cursed Ones. She is among the few who have pledged to defend humanity or die trying. But the vampires are gaining power, and the battle has only just begun.

Forced to return home after death takes a member of her family, Jenn discovers that San Francisco is now a vampire strong-hold. As a lone hunter apart from her team, Jenn is isolated — and at risk. She craves the company of her fighting partner, Antonio: his protection, his reassurance, his touch. But a relationship with Antonio comes with its own dangers, and the more they share of themselves, the more Jenn stands to lose.

Then Jenn is betrayed by one who was once bound to protect her, causing her to doubt all she had held as true. To survive, Jenn must find the courage to trust herself — and her heart.

Publishers Weekly

In the first of a trilogy, the authors of the Wicked series serve up a mishmash of X-Men and Buffy, layered with Christian symbolism. In a near future in which vampires and humans are in a stalemate over world control, vampire hunter Jenn is insecure, despite being trained as part of a legendary team--a motley assortment of human and supernatural creatures--at the University of Salamanca. In love with Antonio, a self-loathing Catholic vampire and fellow hunter, she is also tormented by reminders of his intrinsic nature. When Jenn is called home to California for a funeral, where she faces parental betrayal and her sister is kidnapped, the other Salamancans go on the trail of an experimental vampire virus, leaving Jenn as a lone hunter while San Francisco is under siege. The authors effectively convey the cross-species tension burgeoning among the other Salamancans, which include a witch, werewolf, priest, and girl with elixir-granted powers. While the book isn't free of clichés, including sophomoric poetry initiating chapters "Though our flesh is pale and cold/ We are beautiful to behold"), the cinematic writing and apocalyptic scenario should find a ready audience. Ages 14 up.(Sept.)

Bestselling author Nancy Holder has published sixty books and more than two hundred short stories. She has received four Bram Stoker awards for fiction from the Horror Writers Association, and her books have been translated into more than two dozen languages. She has written or cowritten twenty Buffy and Angel projects. A graduate of the University of California at San Diego, Nancy is currently a writing teacher at the school. She lives in San Diego with her daughter, Belle, and their growing assortment of pets.
Debbie Viguie - holds a degree in creative writing from UC Davis. Her Simon Pulse books include the Wicked series, co-authored with Nancy Holder, and the Once upon a Time novels SCARLET MOON and MIDNIGHT PEARLS. She currently lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband Scott.