Tag Archives: Vampires

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The Den

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17207004

The Den (Vampire’s Witch Saga #1)

My rating: 2.5 of 5 stars
This was almost like a stream of consciousness type of thing. The story seemed to proceed from point to point without any real feeling about anything. It was a ramble that had me trying to figure out what was going on for the first 5 (five) chapters with no idea what it was about. The characters were never really fleshed out and did not make me care about them but I felt they might do something interesting at some point, but they didn’t. The dialogue seemed awkward and not thought out, and the descriptions of locations could have been crisper and more visual. Not awful but not what I had expected it to be.

Skyla Jane Judge is a girl who has drifted through life with no real goals, feeling different from all those around her. She has always had strange abilities that she used sparingly because she was told that they were a curse by her mother. They said she was a witch. Just before graduating from college a psychic tells her something that could change her life forever and she is not surprised. When she and her friend move to New York she is still drifting, then she meets Alex and starts on an adventure which will find her in a new city, with new people who claim to know her and seem to want more than she may be willing to give.

Skyla was a character who I wanted to like but she was so drab and seemed to allow life to happen to her instead of really living. She finally grows a backbone at the end, or so it seems, but it is a bit late to really redeem her. Alex is mysterious but still transparent to the reader, you know exactly what he is about from the moment they meet and remains so. The rest of the characters are just background noise with no substance at this point.

I am debating with myself whether to try the next book and see if things start to pick up since it was left on a cliff hanger. I wouldn’t say don’t read this but go in knowing that the action is weak, the heat is lukewarm, and the characters are a bit annoying.

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A Bit of Bite

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17726877

A Bit of Bite

My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This was a quick and great read! I have never read anything by Cynthia Eden before and if this is an example of what I can expect from future reads then I am very happy to have found her. Though this was a short novella it was tight and gave me the benefit of getting the characters known quickly and easily. The story was fast paced but left me with the feeling of knowing what was going on and why these things were happening. I thoroughly enjoyed my time with this book and these characters.

Sheriff Ava Dushaine was assigned to Crossroads, Mississippi as the paranormal liaison in the area. When the paranormal community made themselves known 10 years ago they were assigned areas within the states that they could reside in, this usually had both werewolves and vampires living in close proximity to each other. The people of the towns close to them are wary and feel that they are in danger from the having the supernatural so close to them, and someone is stoking that fear even higher.

With three murders of humans in a short period and the bodies being found on the land between the paranormal land Ava has to solve this quickly. When the Alpha, Julian Kasey, shows up at the murder scene she has no choice but to take him in for questioning. What she doesn’t realize is that things are more complicated than she would have ever thought and her life may hang in the balance.

This was an exciting story about what a person will do in order to gain what they want and who they will sacrifice for that goal. It is also about gaining love even in the midst of bad things. Definitely worth reading and giving you a taste of what you can look forward to in the future.

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Nice Girls Don’t Have Fangs

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Nice Girls Don’t Have Fangs (Jane Jameson #1)

by Molly Harper (Goodreads Author), Amanda Ronconi (Narrator)
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This was one of those rare laugh out loud, make people stare at you books. I can say without a doubt that I have fallen in love with Jane Jameson and Gabriel Nightingale. The story progressed rapidly from beginning to end with no slow points to make you pause, it was just such fun to follow as it unfolded. The language was perfect and did not make me wonder about what was being talked about and seemed perfectly natural for the characters. The characters themselves are so natural they remind you of people you may have met in your life, that includes the vampires who just seem like anyone else. This is what I think a small town would be like, though I have never lived in one.

Jane Jameson is a librarian who has always loved her job and done it well, then for no reason she no longer is employed. Depressed she heads out to drown her sorrows at a bar and while doing this runs into an interesting man, Gabriel, who actually can talk books and proceeds to drink the hurt away. When she leaves the bar Gabriel walks her to her car and she leaves for home, but unfortunately never makes it there. Three days later she wakes to find that everything in her life has changed and she is in a strange house. Now not only is she unemployed she is a vampire, and lucky for her they have come out of the closet. She is also lucky that her sire is one sexy man.

For Jane however nothing ever goes smoothly. All she wants to do is get on with her new existence but someone seems to have other plans for her. Jane finds herself the target of gossip in the community and the target of a murder investigation only days after being born into the life. She is being stalked by someone who wants her out-of-the-way and she does not know who would want to harm her or those she loves.

I really liked this and Jane in particular, she was sarcastic, pushy, sympathetic and a world of things in between. I listened to this and think it lent more to the story because of the narration of Amanda Ronconi who gave life to the characters in such a wonderful way. If you are looking for a good story, with lively and fun characters then this is the place to go.

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Tristan’s Lyceum Wolves

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Tristan's Lyceum Wolves (Immortals of New Orleans #3)

Tristan’s Lyceum Wolves (Immortals of New Orleans #3)

My rating 5 of 5 stars
Once again a story I could fall into and enjoy without any major distraction other than my own stops to absorb here and there. The characters are as vivid as ever and makes knowing them a pleasant prospect in every book. They have rich and varied lives that could fit in anywhere and with any other people. I can follow and know that where it takes me will always be vastly interesting even with the violence which comes in their world.

Tristan is like any other man wolf or not. He values his freedom and thinks that settling down with one woman will take that from him, he does not give any thought to the fact that a woman might feel the same way. That is what it means to be Alpha, to be adored and obeyed, but not to always look at all sides of things. He and his Beta, Logan, have shared everything for years like their attitudes about finding a mate and on many occasions women.

Tristan wants to find out who fire-bombed his club and is trying to start a territory war. There are a lot of possibilities but he will need to narrow them down and he has only one clue which might help him with that. After getting a new club up and running within a week he hopes that he can now concentrate on that. He is given a lead that does not seem to be going anywhere at first but leads him to more than just the arsonists, but to his true mate as well.

Violence, sex, revenge, abuse, jealousy, betrayal stand right along side loyalty, love, and forgiveness. This is a great installment and I am in love with Tristan and Logan both. If I had to have an Alpha I would take Tristan any day of the week, he is strong and powerful yet tender and sweet. As a second no one can compare to Logan who loves his Alpha and would do anything to protect him. These characters speak to me and make my days a little less dreary when I am immersed in their world.

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Kiss Across Time

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Kiss Across Time (Kiss Across Time #1)

Kiss Across Time (Kiss Across Time #1)

My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I love vampires and I love time travel and to have them combined is fantastic. I actually was pulled into this story after the first page and would have read it straight through if I had not had to work and sleep. There is nothing ambiguous about the story or the characters, it flows naturally from plot point to plot point and fully engages. The characters are true to life and you can imagine either knowing them or having seen their type around at some. The conversations are believable as far as language and tone which makes it easy to follow.

Everything begins because of Taylor Yates, a history professor who has been researching her thesis on a man who does not seem to have ever existed. When she is fired from her position because of this research she is less than happy but is astonished to hear the lyrics of a poem written in 5th century England blaring from the apartment of her neighbor. Upon finding out that it is being performed by a death metal band she insists on meeting them by any means necessary. At the concert for Nocturnal Rain she does make it backstage and meets with Brody Gallagher, lead singer, and his partner Veris, two very handsome and virile Vampires. What starts out as an academic search soon turns into much more for all three of them as a kiss transports them back in time.

There is a story of history in the dark ages, a quest to bring a lost poet’s contributions back into the light of history, there is guilt, pain, love, and lust. All the elements which make a story worth reading. There are also some very hot sex scenes! If mm play does not appeal to you I would say avoid this, also if  a threesome are objectionable I would give the same warning.

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Blood Slave

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Blood Slave (The Nightlife)

Blood Slave (The Nightlife)

My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars
This was a great read and took me away within the the first few sentences. The characters are fleshed out and vivid giving you a feeling for who they are and what you can expect from them. The language is straight forward and descriptive allowing you to visualize each situation and location. I could relate to all the characters, even those who were not necessarily human because they had personalities like people I had known at one time or another.

The book is about a woman named Esperanza Salvación or as she prefers to be called Hope. Her life in Bogotá Colombia was not an easy one and did not get any better after her arrival in New York. She is also telepathic which can make her useful to anyone who needs information. She is an escort who is tied to the Colombian cartel and unable to get out because of a debt she has with the representative there. Things are not so bad until a client, who is more than human realizes that there is something about Hope that could be dangerous for them. This places her in a world she had no idea existed and she soon finds herself a blood slave, addicted to the bite of a vampire and unable to get away because of it. Her life becomes both a blessing and curse, just another thing she will have to survive.

I liked Hope because she was a survivor and even after years of abuse she still has dreams for the future. She comes across as hard and capable but she has a soft side that she keeps hidden. Enrique de la Riguera is a Spaniard who does not wish to kill Hope and so instead brings her into his family much to the chagrin of his servant Lia, a woman he once loved and turned. While Enrique is a benevolent sort he is blind to many things. Lia on the other hand is a psycho and wants nothing more than to rid herself of Hope. How things play out makes for a fun ride.

This story is SEXY, sad, brutal, and heart breaking in equal measures. But if you are squeamish when it comes to battery of women or menage then you should maybe take a pass. Otherwise enjoy this tale of the Blood Slave, it is well worth the time!

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Affliction

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Affliction (Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter, #22)

Affliction

(Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter #22)

My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I have been reading about Anita Blake since the first book “Guilty Pleasures” and have always been happy where they took me. This is no
exception, I was not disappointed in the least. Anita is a kick-ass woman who may have some issues and may sometimes be unsure about her
status as human, she still always does what needs doing, and that usually involves a lot of killing.
The exploration of Micah‘s background and family made this a story that held my interest from the beginning. While we have had glimpses of what his life was like before he met Anita never anything personal. From the phone call that initiated the story to the arrival home, this story flowed effortlessly from scene to scene and kept me awake well past bed time. The characters are so rich and diversified, you have people from all walks of life and whether they are vampires, were-animals, men, women, black, white or something in between they each have their own flavor.

The world Anita inhabits is so much like the world we live in with all the same problems but amplified to fit the existence of the supernatural creatures who live there too. You have envy, betrayal by friends, love, hate, and varying degrees of violence. But you have a group of people who have found a way to live that suits them and allows them to function within the chaos. That’s what everyone wants. Anita has evolved from a one note character to a well rounded one who can see all sides, but she maintains her core values even though they now include “the monsters”.

The story itself takes us to Colorado where Micah’s father has contracted a rotting disease from a zombie bite. Anita and Nathaniel accompany him for the sad reunion with his estranged family. Even though Anita is not there in an official capacity she soon finds herself sucked into the investigation due to her expertise with zombie raising. What ensues is a fight to save not only Micah’s father but all of humanity from a threat she thought had been neutralized when they killed Marmee Noir.

Edward/Ted comes to her aid as well as Jean-Claude and many of the best who reside and protect them from the Circus of the Damned. There is a lot of violence, a little sex, and a lot of heart on display. One of the best novels in this series and there have been many.

If you have not tried out the Anita Blake series I would suggest you give it a try! I Love Anita and her Men!!

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Trail of Dead

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Trail of Dead (Scarlett Bernard, #2)

Trail of Dead (Scarlett Bernard #2)

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
There is something about these books that just make me like them. It partly has to do with the characters but it is also the fact that you have very little down time. The action is almost continuous with them running from one thing to the next without very much rest. There is always introspection or planning but things flow along and keep you pondering the next move that will be made. The characters seem very real, probably because they seem to be grappling with the same things we do every day, thoughts of morality, keeping family safe, whether they are loved, and who can be trusted. When you cannot put a book down you know that you have found a winner.When we last saw Scarlett she had just been released from the hospital. Her friend and mentor Olivia, who as a null was supposed to have died, shows up as a vampire and lets her know she is still hers. Scarlett goes to New York to see another null and try to get information on why and how they can negate the magic within others,but the trip is a bust. Upon her arrival home she is met at the airport by Detective Jesse Cruz who does not let her get a breath before he whisks her off to a crime scene, which appears to be related to the Old World. What ensues is a race against time to find a killer and save Scarlett from a woman who has killed to possess her and will not let her go, even if it means killing her.

You have your vampire king, Dashiell, who runs things in Los Angeles but shares governance with two other groups. The witches, who are lead by Kirsten, very powerful and a nice woman who likes Scarlett. Then there are the werewolves who are led by Will, their Alpha, who owns a bar called Hair of the Dog. each of them are powerful in their own right but band together to keep the peace. They all have a stake in what Olivia is ding and want to stop her before its to late.

The writing style here is very straight forward and keeps you guessing what is going to happen next. Scarlett is a troubled person who has lost so much that she can seem self-destructive at times, but she is likable in spite of that, mainly because you can see her love for the people around her. The first entry Dead Spot was good, this one was even better and I can only see it going up from here.

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Rise of the Fallen

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Rise of the Fallen by Donya Lynne   Rise of the Fallen (AKM, #1)
by Donya Lynne

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

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.

 

 

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Blood and Sand

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Blood and Sand by Elizabeth Hunter      Blood and Sand (Elemental World, #2)
by Elizabeth Hunter

My Rating: 5 of 5 stars

While I have loved all the books in this series, this one has to be my favorite. The reason is that we get a chance to really get to know a character who has been in the background for a while. Baojia was first introduced in the Elemental Mysteries series as a member of the family of Don Ernesto as well as his head of security. The character is well fleshed out and the writing is impeccable. The tone and pace and just right for the story which is being told.

Baojia has been exiled from Los Angeles and is currently residing in San Diego, he expected to be there only a short time but it has been over 2 years and he is bored. When one night Natalie Ellis, a reporter walks into his club and turns his world upside down. Natalie got his name from a mutual friend, who did not inform her what he was, but she is investigating a story which has ramifications she could not possibly fathom. All she knows is that women are dying in large numbers and she wants to find out who is doing it and bring them to justice.

For his part, Baojia is glad to have something to do besides look at numbers. He does want the human out the way though and that could get sticky. This installment also brings together many of the characters we have met before in past novels. Beatrice and Giovanni, Ben, Tenzin, Carwyn and Brigid, as well as Desiree and Matt all become involved in this situation and are willing to help even though they do not all get along with Baojia. If you know about the Elixir, then you know it is still a major part of the story and why.

These books are well written, entertaining, and hot! The action is great too!!