One of the top things a paranormal/fantasy author does when world building is decide what to keep and what to change about the magical beings that exist in their world. When I came across Julia Laque’s Tortured series, I felt like I was relearning what makes a vampire, a werewolf, and a witch. It was really fun to be surprised by my favorite paranormal creatures. 

The first thing that jumps out is that vampires and werewolves are not in hiding. They openly live and work among humans. However, because of cultural and biological differences between the species, vampires and werewolves are not fully beholden to the U.S. Government. They have their own court system and doctors. Humans can become lawyers for these paranormal courts and doctors who perform house visits.  

Vampires cannot be exposed to the sun. There is no spell, potion, or special jewelry that can prevent them from burning up in the sun’s rays. They also cannot biologically procreate, they can only be turned through the exchange of blood. Vampires are completely loyal to their sire, because they share blood, there is an innate need to prioritize them. Their sire can call to them and they have to listen. For example, one newly turned vampire learns of a threat coming to their community. She abandons her mortal family to warn her sire first, then returns home to make preparations to protect everyone else. This loyalty also plays into the tension between her sire and her mortal lover.

Werewolves can shift at any time, but they must always shift during the full moon. They also have a monthly “heat” cycle – both males and females – that coincides with the phases of the moon as well. During this cycle, they become very horny and essentially can’t stop themselves from having sex with the first willing participant they come across. (This becomes a problem when married werewolves are not near their spouse during the heat, which we see in one of the stories.) Their doctors developed a pill that can cool the effects if one doesn’t feel like taking a partner that month – some characters have been taking these pills for years while they wait to meet the right person. Regardless of marital status and the consummation of a relationship, what really seals a partnership is procreation. It doesn’t matter what was going on before, a pregnancy creates a family relationship, and no other male can attempt to court or claim the female (another important plot point in one of the books).  

Witches are born, but not every offspring is guaranteed to inherit their parent’s powers. With the main family in the books, it appears to be mostly the oldest inheriting powers. Also, depending on what those powers are, too much use drains your powers and life; and neither can be replenished. Becoming pregnant and giving birth also depletes a female witch’s powers and life, so most don’t have very many children. In the series, the witches are the villains, forcing the vampires and werewolves to set aside their differences and team up to defeat them.

There are three books in this series:

Tortured Soul  – Evangeline Wolcott is being blackmailed into marrying the Vampire King of North America. To the rest of the world, this is a consensual engagement, which leads to Adam Perez, alpha to the local werewolf pack, kidnapping Evangeline. He believes the Vampire King kidnapped his sister, so he wants to do a prisoner swap. While waiting for the Vampire King to make his move, Adam and Evangeline have quite a time together hiding out in Adam’s cabin. Difficult decisions will need to be made when Adam has to hand Evangeline back over to the king. 

Tortured Embrace – Serena, Adam’s sister, is still missing. Jason, Adam’s best friend, is determined to find her. Serena escapes her captors, bringing with her the trauma of her time in captivity, and her desire to control her own life. When Adam commands Jason to stay away from Serena, the two must decide which is more important: obeying their alpha or following their heart; all while preparing for Serena’s captors to attack. 

Tortured Kiss – Long before Adam kidnapped Evangeline, Ramo Perez married Elizabeth in order to form an alliance between their packs. To him, it was a paper marriage only, and he left her untouched on their wedding night. Ten years later, the witches are attacking Elizabeth’s pack, and Ramo is called in to help. The eighteen year old bride he abandoned is now a woman. A woman who has moved on with her life. In the midst of protecting not only the pack, but the entire state from these evil witches, Ramo is also determined to prove to Elizabeth that he has changed and is ready for commitment and worthy of trust. 

If you are ready for something different for (what some call) the unholy trio (witches, vampires, and werewolves, oh my!), check out the Tortured series.