Tag Archives: Vampires

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Rise of the Fallen

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I have to say that as soon as I started reading I was pulled directly into the world of Micah Black. Though I did not know who he was at first I knew that this was going to be someone I could like based on how dark and tortured he appeared because you know that he feels deep. The plot of this book is very straight forward and keeps moving at a good pace which allows you to follow the action without getting bogged down. There are no slow spots of weird changes to deal with, no shifts in time or tense to keep track of, you know what is going on every step of the way.

When you consider that most of the main characters are vampires, you can still relate to them and what they are dealing with as people. I could imagine knowing someone like Trace, a nice guy who is quiet and keeps to himself but is looking to make a friend of the guy everyone else avoids. I know sometimes the dialogue in these books can seem kind of stilted or forced, but that is not the case here. The dialogue seems to be very true to who each of the characters are, keeping in mind that some of them are quite old. 😉

Our main character is Micah Black who works at AKM (All the Kings Men) as an enforcer, he keeps the peace between the drecks (lower vampires) and upper level vampires. Micah has fallen into a dark place because of the lose of his mate and is looking for a way to continue living as he is or to die. Samantha Garrett is working as a stripper after leaving her abusive husband and simply wants to make enough money to get a new identity so she can feel free. They have nothing in common but when they cross paths it is salvation them both.

My favorite quote from Micah, “If they made a move on Sam, he’d fuck up their world so righteously the galaxy would shift from the gravitational pull of his wrath.”

Micah is not a man you want to get in the way of, he is fierce, passionate, and loyal. Who wouldn’t want a man to feel like that about them. You see these traits in all the characters, they are a group I cannot wait to find out more about! In this first of the series we get to meet Micah but in subsequent novels we will get more on the other enforcers at AKM. Each should be just as exciting and hot as this one. I will be reading them as fast as I can get them.

There is some talk of BDSM but it is fairly mild though some of the scenes are good and hot even without it. Also if M/M action makes you squeamish you may want to skip.

**I listened to this for my second time around and it was just as good or even better than my reading it. The narrator, Mikela Drew, does a fantastic job of bring this story to life. While the second book is available, and I plan to listen to it also, I can only hope that they soon bring the rest of the series to audio too.

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

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They Thirst

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I remember reading this for the first time and finding myself totally involved in the story. It was a vampire story that I could understand with people who did predictable and sometimes stupid things but the human thing to do. The vampires that are created are in a lot of instances the worst kind of people who can be found to begin. I like that time is taken to develop each of the main characters and it even gives a nice accounting for the side characters. This was even better for me because I lived/live in Los Angeles, though the earlier reading had me not knowing some of the areas mentioned because I had a limited knowledge of the city.

Andy Palatazin was a boy in Krajeck Hungary when the nightmare began for him and his mother. They fled into the night and snow to save their lives and found themselves in California where he grew to manhood. Andy has become a Captain with the Los Angeles police and is hunting a serial killer when things start to become familiar. Andy sees the same signs that befell his old village before it fell to the dark forces.

Prince Conrad Vulkan has come to Los Angeles to create an army of vampires in his quest to destroy the human race and become the ultimate ruler. His death in 1342 was only the beginning for this child of privilege who has visions of grandeur running through his head.

How do you save people who will not believe in the boogie man?

While I still enjoyed the story because it still packs a bit of a punch, I found myself wanting it to move a little faster. I never noticed until now that it seems to drag as we get toward the end, like he did not want to stop writing. But no matter I still recommend this because it is one of the good vampire novels that does not have any sparkling, sexy, love starved vampires. This is dark and evil from the old school way. This is also the audio version which is well done.

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

“We?” Vulkan shook free of the Headmaster’s grip. “We? Didn’t you hear them shouting? Whose name did they call? Mine! Prince Conrad Vulkan, King of the Vampires! They call me Master. They recognize me as the highest power!” “I have given you and your kind life. I have taught you the secrets of power, the sorcery of Aba-aner, Nectanebus, and Solomon. I have taught you what it means to be a king. But you’re not invincible, Conrad.…”

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Vampire for Christmas

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Vampire for Christmas

by Felicity Heaton

I liked this book a lot more by the end of it because it did not really start off very strongly. The characters started off doing a lot of internal monologues even though they were together and you really did not get a sense of who they were. The story moves fairly well though there is not a lot of action involved. I was really happy with the fact that Christmas was a fairly important part of the story and not just in the title.

Shannon is a demon hunter who wants to be transferred away from her current partner, who happens to be a vampire. Rafe is a vampire doing time with the agency for misdeeds in his past. He and Shannon have been partnered for two years and are going on their last mission before they are to be split up. Rafe wants to convince her that they should stay together.

When a demon threatens Christmas, the season of peace and goodwill, its the chance Rafe needs to show Shannon what is real.

Rafe is a little bit of a stalker, Shannon is a bit of a bi**h a good deal of the time, but they have a serious chemistry. This is a nice read for the holiday.

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

“The demon began to bubble and melt into a big pile of ooze. Rafe looked confused, but he was staring at her, not the demon. “I saw you stick your fingers in its eye,” she said and ran her hands down her chest and legs, squeezing some of the slime out of her clothes. “That was disgusting.” He smiled and shrugged. “It was the only weapon at my disposal, and it weakened it enough for you to kill it.” Shannon frowned. “What do you mean by that? That I couldn’t kill it without your help?” He shrugged easily again. “I could have killed it… although, your distracting it by letting it play with you like a ragdoll was appreciated.” She smiled and then it fell away when she caught a flashback of how violently the demon had tossed Rafe around. “You okay?” He”

― Felicity Heaton, Vampire for Christmas

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All the King’s Men: The Beginning

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All the King’s Men: The Beginning
(All The King’s Men #6)
by Donya Lynne

This started from the beginning, though not from the very beginning with the Dacians, but after they had been ousted. It gave a background for all the things that are alluded to by other characters. It also gives a fuller more thorough background on what caused the hostilities between the Drecks and Vampires. It flowed perfectly and having read the previous books in the series it gave some good insight into what was happening outside of the pages we read earlier.King Bain is of course featured as the person who has most of the truth of things in his hands. We also get to meet his wife who understands how to handle him.

This is a novella which answers most if not all of the questions you may have after the first 5 books. It actually leads directly into the first book, The Rise of the Fallen. This series is really great and I think anyone who enjoys vampires and action will enjoy this.

My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

“I’m not stupid, Malek,” he said softly. “I know I’m in trouble. Big trouble. Jackson…” He closed his eyes and took a heavy breath before continuing. “Mating Jackson has awakened everything I felt for Kat after she died. It’s like I’m feeling it all over again.” He slowly swirled his drink, making the ice clink the sides of the glass. “And he doesn’t love me. He never did. I can hear his thoughts and know there’s someone else. I see what they do with one another, but there’s nothing I can do to stop him, and yet I can’t walk away.” He lifted his gaze to Malek’s and saw complete and total understanding reflected back at him. Like any other male of their species, Malek knew Micah was between the proverbial rock and a hard place. Micah looked back down into his glass. “It’s just a matter of time, Malek.” A matter of time before his mental faculties short-circuited and tossed him like a rag doll into suffering so intense he’d be lucky to remember his own name when the end came. Malek’s”
― Donya Lynne, All the King’s Men: The Beginning

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Return of the Assassin

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Return of the Assassin
(All The King’s Men #5)
by Donya Lynne

This is the story of Malek and Gina.
This was one of the more densely packed books of the series, with the introduction of new characters and new plot lines. I was immediately pulled into the story partially because I had liked the characters from earlier books and partially because the story was a little darker than usual. The characters are so compelling and real for me as I read that I cannot stop even when I should because I need to follow where they are going.

Malek did not expect or want to ever find another mate after the death of Carmen centuries ago, but in walks Gina and he is immediately bonded to her. Gina was also mated once before and her mate Armand was a sadistic male who abused and broke her down so that she no longer fully trusts there are good males out there. The fates bring together these two lost and broken souls to heal each other, but first they have to get past all the baggage from their respective pasts.

Gina has tried to stay away from Malek and Chicago but when she blows an assassination of Dacian vampires it becomes a matter of survival. She and Trevor are being hunted and she decides to head to Chicago to stop Micah from emailing her and hopefully throw off the Dacian’s for a while. Bishop is still plotting even after losing his lab and best lab rat. The Dacian vampires decide to kill two birds with one stone since they are in Chicago and make a run on King Bain and the throne, and get Gina and Trevor.

There are a lot of emotional moments while reading this book and while a lot center around Malek and Gina, there are other characters who bring on a big emotional feeling. I will say that I actually cried at a few points, which made my son uncomfortable, but I told him that this is what you want from a good book. Something that makes you such a part of it that you cannot help but participate in whatever is happening. This can be read as a standalone, but I would recommend you start from the top and get here. Recommended to everyone!

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

“That’s Trevor. And he was about to tell us how it is he hitched a ride back here with Gina.” Micah settled into his chair, leaned back, and steepled his fingers in front of his chest. “And I’m practically creaming myself to hear this story.” “Look, it’s my—” Gina’s voice cut off when Micah’s hand jutted out, palm toward her. “No, I want to hear from Trevor,” Micah said, keeping his eyes on the strange male. “What brings you to my world, Trev. You don’t mind if I call you Trev, do you?” “What if I do?” “I’d tell you to get over it.” “Are you always like this?” “Only to my friends.” The two locked gazes for several seconds until Trevor chuckled and looked away. “I’m not sure whether I like you or hate your guts.” Micah grinned. “I get that a lot.”
― Donya Lynne, Return of the Assassin

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Vampire Sunrise

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Vampire Sunrise

by Tori Drake

This is a short story but it did not pull me in right away, I was not happy with the characters and the story itself was not very coherent to me. There were a lot of grammatical issues that made me stumble as I was reading and so took away some from the action. When I say action I do not mean anything very exciting but it is the vampire feeding. The concept was kind of interesting which is why I got the book, but the execution just left me less than enthusiastic, not to mention the fact that the blurb was different from what actually was going on.

Derek is not really a people person though he goes out to a bar regularly so he is not alone, then goes into a corner. He basically watches people and spots a woman that he finds fascinating one night and decides to follow her. When he discovers something sinister about her he brings his girlfriend into it and tries to distance himself. But it is to late for that and he finds out the hard way that stalking has consequences.

Not really my cuppa but someone else may like it.

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

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Midnight Rising

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Midnight Rising
(Midnight Breed #4)
by Lara Adrian (Goodreads Author)

This is finally Rio’s story. Rio was betrayed by the one person he would never see it coming from and it left him completely devastated. I was feeling so much for Rio from the time he got injured and all through his rehab that I was so happy to see him seeming to come out of his funk.

This is another great entry in the saga of the Breed Warriors and the mates who find them when they need them most. The story takes up a short time after the end of Midnight Awakening and continues in a way that makes it perfectly clear what is happening. The language is just what is expected from the varied characters as they have been introduced. The story is told from multiple points of view allowing you to get the full picture without wondering how the information came to be. Most of the characters are already well established with personalities that let you know who they are right away. The new characters also come out of the gate with full blown personalities which make it easy to see who they are and what they will be to the overall story line.

Rio stays in Prague after the other Breed Warriors return to Boston telling them he will destroy the cave which had been used as a stasis chamber. But months later and it still stands and he has become to weak to do anything. Dylan is on vacation with friends of her mother when she sees the ghost of a woman who leads her to Rio and asks for her help to save him. A new villain rises to take the place of the one thwarted and he has plans that will devastate not only the world of the Breed but that of the humans who have no idea what lies just outside their safe world.

There is some good action scenes along with a romance that is hard fought to exist.

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

He had let Eva down and he knew it. But she had paid him back in spades. Her betrayal had rattled him on a soul-deep level. It had made him question everything, including why the hell he should be taking up precious space in this world.

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Midnight Awakening

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Midnight Awakening
(Midnight Breed #3)
by Lara Adrian





I do have a thing for the tortured soul warrior/alpha male. They make me feel so much more for them because they have endured so much and keep going on whatever mission they have to keep them sane. Tegan is the warrior who is being highlighted here and he has had a half life for a very long time. I knew there was something tragic in his past but finding out made me like him even more. He was completely true to what you would expect from someone who had been hurt so badly.

The characters are perfectly drawn and easily related to. The story while extreme in many ways could be about anyone who had a tragedy in their past that defined how they reacted to others in the future. I liked everything about this because I really felt for both Tegan and Elise who were two people who were doing their best to cope with a bad situation which had been thrust upon them. There was no lag in this but a steady buildup to a finale that was both anticipated and surprising.

When Elise lost her husband she was devastated but able to go on because she had her son, but with the loss of her son she feels there is nothing left to truly live for. Elise leaves the Darkhaven she has always called home and moves out into the world to take revenge on those who helped take her son from her. Tegan lost his mate over 500 years ago and has not allowed himself to feel for another female since that time. He is dedicated to protecting the Breed from the Rogue threat but does not believe he deserves to have a mate because he was not able to protect his first one. When he finds out what Elise is doing he wants to keep her safe even though she seems fully capable of taking care of herself.

This had some great action along with some very tender scenes between two very different and yet similar people. Breed warriors make great mates! I would highly recommend this!

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I want to hold you while you drink from me. I want to feel you bite into me.” Touching her, he felt her uncertainty. “I’ve never done it that way before.” “Good,” he said, entirely too pleased to hear it. “I’ve never asked anyone to do it that way before. So, will you, Elise?” She frowned, but her eyes were rooted on his throat. “I don’t want to hurt you…” He chuckled, adoring her all the more for her concern. “Come here,” he said, wrapping his hand around her nape and guiding her down to the exposed column of his neck. “Sink your teeth into me, Elise. Take your fill.”

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Moon Child

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Moon Child
(Vampire for Hire #4)
by J.R. Rain





Samantha Moon and her family and friends just continue to keep my attention no matter what they are doing. The story continues from the point it ended in the last book seamlessly.The characters are continuing to grow and become more well defined as to who they are and where they stand within this world. The locations are familiar and allow you to feel like you are truly a part of things as they happen.

Samantha has a hard decision to make and is not sure how she should move forward. Her seven year old son is dying and there is nothing the doctors can do, but she may be able to save him. If she does she is able to she may be giving up her own chance at becoming mortal again. What she finds out soon is that someone else wants her artifact in order to end their own immortality and he will do anything to get it.

Definitely recommend to fans of Samantha Moon series and anyone looking for something a little light with bite.



My rating: 4 of 5 stars



Danny was there, sleeping. He was sitting in one of the wooden chairs at the foot of the bed. His head had flopped back and he was snoring loudly up at the heavens. Probably irritating the hell out of God. One thing I didn’t miss from living with the man was all his damn snoring. Well, that and the cheating.


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Kiss Across Chains

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kiss across chains Kiss Across Chains
(Kiss Across Time #3)
by Tracy Cooper-Posey

 

The story is good and the characters are outstanding. This is another adventure for the threesome who have come together and found that with a simple kiss they can be transported across time, but only within their own personal timeline. The history is always well researched and gives you the feeling that you too have stepped back right along with them. The languages jump back and forth between English, Celtic, and old Norse with the old ones being accurate or not, I am going with they are accurate. There are some spelling and grammatical issues but nothing to serious.

The Queen, Tira, goes to Brody, Veris and Taylor demanding that they give her the secret to time travel. She not only threatens them but their daughter as well. When Brody stands up to her and refuses she makes life very difficult for the death metal rocker by setting him up to be arrested for drug possession. But things get even more intense as he is reminded of a time in his life when he was a slave and not able to live as he wished.

While attempting to get evidence that Brody was set up by jumping into their recent past things go a bit wrong. Brody had thought he had put the horror behind him and he could get them home with no problem, but surprise. They find themselves in Constantinople with Brody in chains, Taylor the wife of a patrician, and Veris across the country. Things could not have gone any worse.

I am totally drawn to the eroticism of the books. The stories are always compelling and keep my interest more than the sex. This is a great way to get a history lesson. I think anyone would like this and I recommend highly.

 

My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

 

In Sixth Century Constantinople, the chariot races held such power over the city and its citizens, it influenced the military, politics and religion. The Emperor himself was drawn into the eternal question of whether the Greens (Prásinoi) or Blues (Vénetoi) would win. Chariot races became the source of cheating, bribes, curses, mechanical tampering, gang warfare, street violence and murder until they finally culminated in 532 AD in five days of riots and burning, known as the Nika riots, when the Blues and the Greens worked together in a failed attempt to usurp the emperor himself. Chariot racing fell into decline after the riots, never again to achieve the huge popularity and influence it had held for the centuries since Greece and Rome had pushed it to the fore. But the Nika riots don’t take place until forty-three years after the events in this book.