OK, a couple disclosures first:
A: I know the Author, she's a friend on FaceBook. And I don't friend people that I wouldn't actually want to hang out with, so my opinion might be biased.
B: This is offset by the fact that I'm not, in general, a huge fan of the Vampire genre. My idea of the basic vampire story: Boy meets girl, boy bites girl, boy and girl have stakes driven through their hearts. The end! That said...
I picked up the first installment of the Blood and Light series, entitled "Blood and Light". I was enthralled. The main character, Rue Volley (yes, named and patterned after the author). A 17 year old girl going through the normal issues of raging hormones, boys, school, & etc. Unfortunately, on top of that she's going through the changes that a Vampire goes through, which happen at a certain time of life, and has a whole other set if issues that go with it. She has on human and several new Vampire friends helping her through this. And the characters are all well written, and multi-dimensional, like real people are.
I mentioned my thoughts on the basic Vampire story plot above. Not so with Rue's books! There is actually a whole civilization of Vampires, with their own city and the whole nine yards. They also have, in addition to the usual extraordinary strength, many other perceptions as well. All that said, humans for once (and in a nod to reality) don't stand a chance against these guys. A lot of these books have to do with a civil war in their society and Rue's place in it.
If you're expecting nice, smooth read with predictable outcomes and an nicely wrapped up ending, forget about it. This is more like a literary roller-coaster ride. And the end of the first book (in fact, all three) is a cliffhanger of epic proportions. In fact, if you like "Blood and Light", then I would suggest ordering "Smoke and Mirrors", the second book, immediately so you're not tortured while waiting for it to arrive.
All in all, I LOVE these books. I've been reading them every chance I have. The third book ends in a cliffhanger that is even more epic than the one in the first book! There are 6 books I all, all fully written, but only 3 have been published. I highly recommend this series. It's part vampire story, love story (but NOT sappy), action & even SciFi all rolled into one.
Thanks for taking the time or read this, and I hope you enjoy these books as much as I have!