Kristair is an Ancient, a vampire who has lived for a very long time and has immense power.  Unfortunately, being an Ancient also means a slow descent into madness, or so it seems to Kristair.  Tormented by voices and strange occurrences, he wants to find a young man to be his “vessel”, to carry his heart and keep him tethered to the present.  On top of that, a group of younger vampires called the Syndicate keeps bothering him, wanting Ancient secrets he isn’t willing to share.

Jacob Corvin is a normal college student, concerned mostly with playing football and passing his classes.  Then he begins to get the feeling he’s being watched.  Worse, the man stalking him fascinates him as much as scares him…

My Heart is Within You is a dark tale of love and loss.  It’s told in alternating first-person chapters, which I usually find annoying.  The point of view choice didn’t bother me as much in this book as it normally would, and I soon got used to it and didn’t notice it much at all.  Kristair is an interesting character.  He’s an extremely powerful vampire, able to hold his own against younger vampires or any other paranormal creature.  At the same time, he’s plagued by voices and he’s really very lonely.  Jacob is a typical college kid, with typical college issues—at least until Kristair shows up.  Jacob’s fire and impetuous nature meshes well with Kristair’s more reasoned approach to things.  Their connection is explosive and hot.  There are quite a few secondary characters, and some interesting mythology about vampires and ancient cultures.  My Heart is Within You contains a lot of action, violence, and some pretty disturbing scenes, so sensitive viewers beware.  The plot is complex and interesting.  It also has an ending that is a downer, to put it mildly.  Fortunately, the next book in the series is a bit more hopeful, so patient readers who don’t mind delayed gratification and violence with their romance will be sure to enjoy the fascinating world of My Heart is Within You.