Although I don’t think it would be fair for me to give a rated review of this book for the significant reason stated below, I don’t think it’s unfair to let readers know that I certainly can’t call it a fresh or original take on vampires either, as some reviewers have, and this is why:This (September 2011 published) story of a conflicted and self-despising French (in this case French-American, since born in New Orleans) vampire who has difficulty achieving his “second death” (what at least one author might call “full death”) in which his soul passes on to heaven, who doesn’t desire sexual relationships with mortals but who is tantalized by a mysterious human girl who turns out to be his celestially-made (not angelic per se, but close) soulmate (here, Agápe) who makes him feel more human than he did when human, who inspires in him very unfamiliar physical feelings, and with whom he apparently shares a relationship deeper than that of a wife sounds frightfully similar to a (May 2010 published) novel I’m very, very familiar (one might even suggest personally acquainted) with, although, despite some lines that seem not terribly far short of verbatim in their resemblance to said familiar novel, this version comes across like it could have been written by someone who read, but didn’t really understand (or maybe didn’t agree with), the original. The author’s assertion that the soulmate’s relationship with the vampire is like Christ’s (sacrificial) love for man is not the only seemingly telling allusion besides those above and, though its strange mix of Judeo-Christian ideas with polytheistic religion/mythology gives it an unusual and difficult to comprehend slant, there are still a disturbing number of similarities between this novel and the earlier published one: the vampire’s unusual feelings for the human girl/soulmate, the girl having dreamed of him as a child and her ability to sense his presence, her family dying in a car accident, a vampire brother (only vampirically, rather than literally so, in the other book of which I speak) who is a possible threat to the soulmate, scenes of one person sharing memories with another through touch, etc.While it’s certainly not impossible that two authors might have a similar overall idea, the specific nature of a number of different similarities, combined with some of the wording, makes this type of coincidental resemblance between two books a little harder to imagine, especially when there are a couple of story elements that also seem to have been closely inspired by yet another, much more famous, vampire book, namely Twilight. Amazing coincidence or not, I have no way of knowing, but it is certainly interesting to note that reviewers of another of this author's books, Going Under, said it was "just like" a 2008 novel called Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles. So, though they say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, it doesn’t really seem that way when a novel is presented as having a whole new concept about vampires, yet sounds strikingly similar to a novel you wrote 15 years ago and had published a year and a half before this one, especially when another book by the same author coincidentally resembles a previously published book.Because I don’t want this to come across as one writer trying to do any kind of underhanded, stealth self-promo for her own books or for it to seem that I may be being overly-sensitive on what is already the hazy line between somewhat similar ideas in fiction and what are called “substantial similarities,” I haven’t mentioned the name of my own books, but I will include those, as well as some examples of where the similarities, for me, seem either too close or there are too many of them for coincidence, but will put these things under a “spoiler” warning, so readers can choose or choose not to see the name of the other book, compare the similarities and decide for themselves on the subject of coincidence.Examples of some more major and minor similarities between this book and my own, besides the very essential similarity of a vampire who discovers he’s been sent his divinely-created soulmate, a human girl (but not only) who has sensed she’s been waiting for him her whole life, who doesn’t see him as a monster because she loves him and in which the relationship between the two is compared to Christ’s love for man, in addition to the ones metioned above:Blood of Anteros: Written in first person from the point of view of a conflicted vampire who hates what he is and didn’t choose to become it. He’s originally from New Orleans and indications are he spoke French.On the Soul of a Vampire: Written in first person from the point of view of a conflicted vampire who hates what he is and didn’t choose to become it. He’s originally from the Provence region of France and speaks French and ancient Occitan.Blood of Anteros: main young woman/soulmate character named Chansey Leclaire; characters in the novel named Sebastian and Julian; one of the vampire characters had a girlfriend named Lisette.On the Soul of a Vampire/Pro Luce Habere (prequel to On the Soul of Vampire published in July 2011): main young woman/“soulmate” character named Angelina Lacroix; characters in the novel named Sebastian and Jules; Angelina’s middle name is Lisette.Blood of Anteros: girl’s family dies in car accident; girl is in collegeOn the Soul of a Vampire: girl’s parents die in a car accident; girl is in collegeBlood of Anteros: The vampire doesn’t desire sexual relations with humans, but feels an unusual physical attraction to the human girl/soulmate. (quote from book) ‘Until I had arrived here, it had been decades since I had felt a human touch. The Emersons’ touch didn’t feel like hers and I couldn’t recall ever experiencing a sensation such as this. The brush of her skin against mine was enchanting and I was overcome by the oddest sensation. I would almost swear I could feel her creeping underneath my skin…’On the Soul of a Vampire: The vampire doesn’t desire sexual relations with humans, but feels an unusual physical attraction to the human girl/soulmate. (quote from book) ‘It aroused me and frightened me, how her touch made my body tingle in a way familiar, but not really known…’Blood of Anteros: Though the vampire says he normally (quote from book) ‘didn’t desire romantic relationships with humans,’ there was no doubt in his mind about his desire for Chansey beyond his “leech’s” desire, and he thinks (quote from book) ‘I wanted her with all of my heart, body and soul…’On the Soul of a Vampire: Though the vampire doesn’t desire humans sexually because (quote from book) ‘though my lust was as strong as any man’s, physical charms such as hers still could not inspire that quintessential male desire,’ he senses his feelings for Angelina are different and thinks (quote from book) ‘…because I knew somehow that, despite the demon vampire’s desire, I wanted more than the ecstasy of her blood and her life. Despite the corporeal act of love my bloodthirst so intensely imitated, I wanted more than her body. I wanted everything. I wanted all of her.’Blood of Anteros: Vampire stands before mirror staring at himself, with a description of how he looks – (quote from book) ‘I leaned closer to the reflection, attempting to see a glimpse of myself within the monster standing in front of me, and searched my eyes…’On the Soul of a Vampire: Vampire stands before mirror, with a description of how he looks – (quote from book) ‘I let my gaze fall and I studied this man’s body as well… A monster, perhaps, I thought as I stared at my reflection in a bit of awe, but one disguised as a rather strikingly beautiful human man, it would seem…’Blood of Anteros: While the vampire is looking at a painting of a child who later turns out to be his divinely created soulmate (now 21), he hears words (quote from book) “as clear as a bell and recognized them. They were words I used twenty-one years before.”On the Soul of a Vampire: After hearing the words spoken by a little girl who turns out to be his God-sent “soulmate,” (now 19) the vampire asks (quote from book) “Those were her exact words?” But, of course, I knew that they were. I had heard the words before, you see.’Blood of Anteros: The vampire is told that the painting mentioned above is from the girl’s repetitive dream.On the Soul of a Vampire: The vampire finds out the girl has been dreaming of him her whole life.Blood of Anteros: Vampire is appalled when his maker kills a pregnant womanPro Luce Habere Volume 1 (prequel to On the Soul of a Vampire, published July 2011): Vampire refuses to take the life a woman who had his cousin imprisoned for heresy when he discovers she’s pregnantBlood of Anteros: Vampire’s mentor who teaches him about himself was made a vampire at 25. Vampire’s mentor says, (quote from book) “You will learn all you need to know, but it will take time.”Pro Luce Habere Volume 1: Vampire’s maker who teaches him about himself was made a vampire at 25. Vampire’s maker says, (quote from book) “It will be there for you when you’re ready for the knowledge.”Blood of Anteros: Vampire didn’t choose to become a vampire and hates what he is, to the point he won’t call himself a vampire.On the Soul of a Vampire: Vampire didn’t choose to become a vampire and hates what he is. His “soulmate” Angelina says: (quote from book) “I think a vampire, if that is what you must call yourself…”Blood of Anteros: Vampire is charmed to hear soulmate singing and playing guitarOn the Soul of a Vampire: Vampire is charmed to find “soulmate” dancing on the bed and singing along to a song on the radioBlood of Anteros: After the vampire’s “spying” on the girl, he thinks to himself (quote from book) ‘This game had lost its fun factor and I didn’t want to play anymore.’On the Soul of a Vampire: After the vampire’s “spying” on the girl, he thinks to himself (quote from book) ‘Nonetheless, I recognized soon enough that it was a game dangerously intriguing and emotionally exhausting both, and that it was one that couldn’t go on for very much longer.’Blood of Anteros: The vampire’s mentor thinks he’s been drinking of the girl/soulmate, though he hasn’t been.On the Soul of a Vampire: Another vampire friend thinks the vampire’s been drinking of the girl/soulmate, though he hasn’t been.Blood of Anteros: Believing he can’t have a relationship with the human girl, the vampire thinks, (quote from book) ‘…before I would be forced to resume a life void of her. It was foolish to allow myself to become so deeply involved with her because she represented life and I represented death.’On the Soul of a Vampire: Believing he can’t have a relationship with a mortal girl, the vampire thinks, (quote from book) ‘Oh, but I was an idiot. Wanting to be whatever magic she waited for, when I had no magic – only darkness or death to give’ and he later thinks, (quote from book) ‘Why then did I push her away? For fear of the day I must let her go, give her up to the grave, leaving me more alone and empty than I’d been before?’Blood of Anteros: In the novel it’s said that an Agape (soulmate) doesn’t start as a (quote from book) ‘mere human being, she is a supernatural occurrence,’ she and her vampire share a (quote from book) ‘divine, unconditional, self-sacrificing love,’ that she is named Agape because their love and relationship is (quote from book) ‘patterned after Christ’s love for man’ and their relationship is described as ‘different from that of humans’ because they are joined before they were conceived on a level ‘much deeper than a husband and wife, so marriage would really only be a show for the world of humans.’On the Soul of a Vampire: Angelina, the “soulmate” in the book, is not simply a human being and the vampire notes at one point in the book about his relationship with her, (quote from book) ‘Dreams too much like memories, shared qualities, exhibited differently. Too much like Catholic marriage theology… too much like Christian Incarnation theology – one Man of a dual nature, a being both human and divine. (Referring to Jesus Christ, of course.) When the vampire asks his “soulmate” if she would be his wife if he was mortal, she answers, (quote from book) ‘…you already know that I love you like no other, you know that my only wish is to be one with you in eternity, and that I have longed since your creation and mine to be the full union of souls… Don’t you know that it doesn’t matter that you are not a mortal man… I choose you… I choose you today… to be the only one I will ever love like this… And because of it, we are already married. I am your wife.’