Vlad the Last Confession by C.C Humphreys. {4 stars}

All was still in the forest. The last snowflakes of the sudden storm had just fallen. Everything paused.

In the crook of a copper beech sat a man. His arms were crossed, gloved hands folded into his lap, the right beneath to support the weight of the goshawk on his left. They had been there for a long time, as long as the blizzard lasted. Man and bird - part of the stillness, part of the silence. Both had their eyes closed. Neither were asleep.

A rip-roaring adventure packed with action, drama and passion.

C.C Humphreys has combined fiction with enough historical background that you can't put it down until you know how it finishes. While it can be quite blood thirsty and violent, it also shows how Vlad came to be known as Dracula. You are transported back in time and reliving everything that happens.

Thoroughly enjoyed it, but it's not a book for the faint-hearted.

4 stars