Octavia Voss is an up and coming operatic soprano; with an ethereal voice, poise, and talent that belies her young age. The young woman, however, has a secret – she is a vampire and she is over 200 years old. To protect that secret, Octavia relies on her friend Ugo, her friend and assistant who goes out every night to procure the precious ‘elixir’ she needs.

When Octavia is cast in La Scala, she and Ugo look forward to returning to Rome. When Ugo disappears not long after their arrival, Octavia finds herself in a bind. She has not had to hunt in years and to do so now could risk exposure. Yet with Ugo gone, Octavia knows the show must go on – both on and off stage – even at the risk of her friend’s life as well as her own.

I will admit, dear readers, to being a bit disappointed with Mozart’s Blood. Listed under ‘historical fiction’, it unfortunately isn’t one. The majority of the story takes place in modern day Rome with only the occasional flashback to either Octavia’s or Ugo’s younger days.

The portray of vampires is interesting, Marley’s vampires are able to walk in the daylight and are able to go several days without blood. For all intents and purposes they appear human, even being able to eat and drink without suffering any ill effects. This is reminiscent of the original Dracula who was able to do some of these things.

The pacing of the story is also reminiscent of Stoker’s classic; being rather slow in some parts with the occasional flurry of action. The Italian sprinkled throughout is probably meant to add authenticity to the tale but I found it somewhat irritating.

Mozart and his opera La Scala play a large part in the story and it’s evident Marley did her research. She also did a good deal of research on Italy and Rome itself as her descriptions of the areas evoke a sense of being there.

As someone who enjoys classical music and the opera, I enjoyed Mozart’s Blood. I wouldn’t recommend this to every one, but those who are like me might give this book a try. I found it to be a fairly quick and enjoyable read.