Sophia Nelson has, after coming out of a long term relationship finally landed a job with accommodation. Moving back from London to be with her dad as they both struggle to accept her mother's dementia, Sophia is looking for a new start. Months of either sleeping on her dad's sofa or staying with her best friend Michelle have meant that Sophia is now ready to grab life with both hands. 

After landing a job as a tour guide at Heaton Abbey House she has a rather abrupt meeting with the young Lord Heaton who despite his rudeness, Sophia finds very attractive! Very quickly stumbling across a family secret immediately, Sophia must struggle with the battles raging within her. Too many people stand to get hurt, her included. 

New Blood starts off at a relatively slow pace but when it does take off, the story flies along. And, be prepared for some hot love scenes. My first impression of Thomas Heaton is that he was a hot headed pig and it took a lot for me to change my opinion of him. He is desperately unhappy with his title and the responsibility it brings and being able to understand his frustration at what he views as a wasted life trying to run the estate did make me mellow a bit towards him. Although, I did feel throughout the book that he was a little too quick tempered for me to be comfortable with, particularly when his sister is caught in a violent relationship. But, the reader does get to see a more gentle side of Thomas eventually.

Despite their differences, both being complete polar opposites in terms of social status, Sophia and Thomas form an unlikely friendship, albeit one that is riddled with sexual tension. Despite turning weak at the knees every time Thomas is around her, Sophia is not afraid to say exactly what she thinks to him and Lord Heaton is not used to this! He is not a well liked man and is seen as a bit of recluse. The reality is, he works too hard and has no time for anything else.

Both Sophia and Thomas must bear the burden of an explosive family secret that has the potential to ruin the Heaton family and destroy Sophia's relationship with her best friend. Throw into the mix a drug dealer, domestic violence and a decent helping of passion and New Blood is an enjoyable read. The love scenes are a bit raunchy but not distastefully so and I had to reconcile the fact that this was not the stuffy, emotionally stunted Lord Heaton anymore but now a man in love and full of passion! This book had a bit of a slow burn in terms of the love story side of it but when it did take off it hurtled along. A few interesting secondary characters such as Lady Heaton and Lord Heaton's sister Stephanie added a further dimension to the story. Lady Heaton in particular interested me and despite doing the wrong thing continually, I could understand her reasons for doing the things she did and did feel a little sorry for her at times.  This story almost reminded me of an old Victorian saga but with a modern twist and I enjoyed it.