Tag Archives: Vampires

Evolve edited by Nancy Kilpatrick

Book Review, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Overview
Evolve

Title: Evolve
Author: Nancy Kilpatrick, Sandra Kasturi, Kelley Armstrong, Ronald Hore, Jennifer Greylyn, Mary E. Choo, Rebecca Bradley, Michael Skeet, Victoria Fisher, Kevin Cockle, Heather Clitheroe, Colleen Anderson, Sandra Wickham, Claude Bolduc, Claude Lalumiere, Rhea Rose, Gemma Files, Bev Vincent, Steve Vernon, Rio Youers, Bradley Somer, Natasha Beaulieu, Jerome Stueart, Kevin Nunn & Tanya Huff
In: Evolve (Nancy Kilpatrick)
Rating Out of 5: 3 (On the fence about this one)
My Bookshelves: Dark fantasy, Short story collections, Vampires
Dates read: 6th November 2018 – 1st April 2019
Pace: Slow
Format: Anthology
Publisher: Edge
Year: 2010
5th sentence, 74th page: You are never in a hurry.

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Synopsis

New Vampires have evolved, and they are coming for you! Kelly Armstrong, Tanya Huff and twenty-two other dark fantasy and horror writers come together to re-imagine the future of vampires in this new collection of all-original short fiction – one of the most unusual and original vampire anthologies ever assembled.

Thoughts

This wasn’t my favourite collection of short stories. Maybe I’m not all that much into vampire stories, maybe because these are just the type of vampire stories that I really love. The only two tales I really loved in this were by Kelley Armstrong and Tanya Huff. They weren’t necessarily bad tales, just not ones that I was completely enthralled by.

If you like the more traditional and darker aspect of vampires, I think that this is for you. Some of the stories were a little contemporary, but they weren’t that romanticised, humanised version that we all know and love in modern literature. Maybe if I had have read some of the vampire classics such as Dracula before this, I would have been a little more intently interested. But as things stand, I found this collection quite… meh. Not bad, not great. Definitely worth reading, but not one I’ll be rushing to reread anytime soon.

 <- The Slowing of the World ReviewLet the Night In Review ->
Image source: Goodreads

Into the Mist For Ever by Rosemary Laurey

Book Review, , ,
Overview
Image result for the mammoth book of vampire romance 2 book cover

Title: Into the Mist For Ever
Author: Rosemary Laurey
In: The Mammoth Book of Vampire Romance 2 (Trisha Telep)
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Historical fiction, Vampires
Dates read: 17th April 2019
Pace: Slow
Format: Short story
Publisher: Robinson
Year: 2009
5th sentence, 74th page: Seemed she was prepared to stare him down and fight over the kill.

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Synopsis

He’s a Roman, and she’s a Brit. Both are fighting on different sides, but unable to pull away from each other. When he’s struck down, will her secret be able to save them both for all eternity?

Thoughts

Although this short story is in a collection of vampire romance stories, I didn’t really find it all that romantic. Alright, the man and woman get together, she saves him, and then they run off into the mist together to live happily ever after. But it really just didn’t feel that… romancey. In that aspect it was quite bland. But, overall, I liked the take on historical fiction and the storyline.

I seem to be reading a lot of stories that involve a great deal of Roman, Greek and Celtic inspired mythologies. Or at least the local histories of this time. So reading a short story that features the Romans and the Britons as they fight to control their land fit perfectly into what seems to be my theme of reading lately. The added flavour of a bit of romance and the knowledge that at least one of these characters is immortal worked incredibly well. And thoroughly enjoyably.

This isn’t one of those tales that I think I’ll be remembering for years to come. But it is one that was an enjoyable, relaxing break from my daily life for a short time. One that I definitely recommend others sink their teeth into.

<- Blood and Thyme ReviewBlood Feud Review ->
Image source: Bookdepository

High Stakes by Erin McCarthy

Book Review, , , ,
Overview
Image result for book cover high stakes erin mccarthy

Title: High Stakes
Author: Erin McCarthy
Series: Vegas Vampires #1
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Paranormal romance, Romance, Vampires
Dates read: 9th April 2019
Pace: Fast
Format: Novel
Publisher: Berkley Sensation
Year: 2006
5th sentence, 74th page: Did you have a pleasant flight to Nevada?

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Synopsis

From the USA Today bestselling author of Bled Dry comes a vampire-meets-girl story about lust and love in the city that never sleeps – except during daylight: Las Vegas…

He’s a bloodsucking freak of nature. But, unlike other politicians, Ethan Carrick is a nice guy – and a hot, casino-owning vampire. It’s election year for vamps, which means he’ll first have to escape his opponent’s hit men and then find a First Lady, like the smart and sweet Brittany Baldizzi. But when her protective sister, Alexis, steps in with a message for Ethan – Bite me – he realizes it’s no-nonsense Alexis who raises his stake. And as much as she denies it, she wouldn’t mind a romp in a coffin with him. But can a mere mortal make a centuries-old womanizer feel something new?

Thoughts

I have had a bad month. I needed something fun and happy to read. So I picked up High Stakes. And it was just amazing! I couldn’t put it down. I couldn’t get my mind off of the story. I can’t wait to open the pages of Bit the Jackpot. It was all just so cute and easy. A great, fun read to sink my teeth into (pun intended) when the world around me just isn’t quite working the way I want it to.

I’m not the kind of woman that most people would consider “traditionally beautiful and appealing”. I have average good looks and my personality is full of stubborn, difficult ticks. Especially when I’ve decided that I don’t want to do something. Which meant that I related very, very well to Alexis. The fact that she has a leggy, outgoing and social sister who tends to attract attention frequently just makes me relate all the more strongly to the lead female. The fact that Ethan decides to choose the difficult, non-traditional woman over the more outwardly suitable one… I thought it was just sweet. It shows that we don’t always need what we think we want in life. And that those little surprises that get you are the ones that make life fun and perfect.

Las Vegas features in so many TV shows and stories about America. It seems to be one of those destinations that everyone has been to or wants to go to on a messy weekend. Yet, this is the first story or series that I have read which is based in this town. It brings a whole less seedy side to light and makes it a lot more understandable why people like to travel here for a bit of fun. At least, for me. The use of romance to sit against the flashiness of L.A. works beautifully and helps to highlight the intensity and fun of each storyline.

If you’re single and alone, this is maybe not the best book to read. It’s just so damn cute and coupley… I was home alone the night that I read this and it definitely made me miss my partner. I may have started ringing him to hurry home, just so I could get an affectionate cuddle and kiss.

 <- Undead Man’s Hand ReviewBit the Jackpot Review ->
Image source: Amazon

Quid Pro Quo by Tanya Huff

Book Review, ,
Overview
Evolve

Title: Quid Pro Quo
Author: Tanya Huff
Series: Henry Fitzroy #8.7
In: Evolve (Nancy Kilpatrick)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Dark fantasy, Vampires
Dates read: 1st April 2019
Pace: Slow
Format: Short story
Publisher: Edge
Year: 2010
5th sentence, 74th page: Scent would have allowed her to pick them out of a crowd regardless of how good a look she’d got at them.

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Synopsis

Vicki is disturbed from her day-time rest one day by goons breaking into her house to find her. Later, she finds out that her cop lover and partner has been taken to blackmail her… is all hell about to break loose?

Thoughts

I struggled a little to get into many of the short stories in the Evolve collection. But, this, as a final ending to the anthology was just amazing. This was exactly the kind of short story that I love, and my biggest complaint is that it ended too soon. I want to find out more about Vicki and Mike and the ways in which they have each other’s backs. I also want to find out why Vicki seems to be different from other vampires…

This was a little bit sweet and romantic, but more so in the fact that the relationship described in Quid Pro Quo was far more realistic. Mike and Vicki sacrifice a lot for each other, and although the realisation at the end is that their relationship puts each other in jeopardy, it also highlights that they will do anything for each other. And that although the relationship could endanger them, it also makes them more human and in touch with the world around them. Something that we all need, vampire or not.

 <- The Sun Also Shines on the Wicked ReviewEvolve II Review ->
Image source: Goodreads

Blood and Thyme by Camille Bacon-Smith

Book Review, , , ,
Overview
Image result for the mammoth book of vampire romance 2 book cover

Title: Blood and Thyme
Author: Camille Bacon-Smith
In: The Mammoth Book of Vampire Romance 2 (Trisha Telep)
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Food, Paranormal romance, Vampires
Dates read: 10th April 2019
Pace: Slow
Format: Short story
Publisher: Robinson
Year: 2009
5th sentence, 74th page: It turned out she liked working here.

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Synopsis

She’s the chef that could help him save his business. But, when he realises just how much she means to him, he’s not sure if he should risk his life or his livelihood first.

Thoughts

This was kind of cute. It’s not the first time that I’ve come across a story about a genetic vampire (rather than one that has been unwillingly changed), but it is probably the first one that featured entertainment and food so strongly. Actually, weirdly enough, it made me want to do a bit of cooking when I finished this story. After all, the lead female is a chef and the lead male almost gives up his life to make sure that he does have a great chef in his damn kitchen…

The sexuality in this short story was seriously damped down in comparison to some of the other paranormal romance stories that I’ve been reading lately. Which was kind of nice. It still had that component to it, but it was the first moments of courtship that really took centre stage. Those moments when there is almost no touching, but a lot of glances and curiosity about one another. Considering this is found in a whole collection of vampire romances, it was nice to have one romance that was a lot more cute, and a lot less sexual to balance out the intensity of some of the other tales.

 <- Deliver Us From Evil ReviewInto the Mist For Ever Review ->
Image source: Bookdepository

The Sun Also Shines On the Wicked by Kevin Nunn

Book Review, ,
Overview
Evolve

Title: The Sun Also Shines on the Wicked
Author: Kevin Nunn
In: Evolve (Nancy Kilpatrick)
Rating Out of 5: 3.5 (Liked this)
My Bookshelves: Vampires
Dates read: 1st April 2019
Pace: Slow
Format: Short story
Publisher: Edge
Year: 2010
5th sentence, 74th page: Perhaps he was drawn towards the gate with a thrill, excited by what lay ahead.

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Synopsis

Is the draw of sunlight worth the risk of death? Someone thinks so… and he’s about to risk it all just to get a little more tanned…

Thoughts

This was a cute, easy little read. Two vampires catching up, remembering the sunlight. One has found a way to enjoy it… but it’s an experiment, one that he needs help with.

Alright, so there isn’t a happy ending for the first vampire (that would open WAY too many stories to the idea of vampires who could handle a little sunlight). But it did remind me of issues of addiction, highlighted how the loss of something such as sunlight is kind of horrific, and no matter what you claim, it is difficult to fully let go of its power in your life.

Really, this story reminded me of just how much I love sunlight. And I sit here writing this review, with the morning sun streaming through my window and freshening up my house and my soul.

 <- How Magnificent is the Universal Donor ReviewQuid Pro Quo Review ->
Image source: Goodreads

Deliver Us From Evil by Dina James

Book Review, , ,
Overview
Image result for the mammoth book of vampire romance 2 book cover

Title: Deliver Us From Evil
Author: Dina James
In: The Mammoth Book of Vampire Romance 2 (Trisha Telep)
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Paranormal romance, Vampires
Dates read: 1st April 2019
Pace: Medium
Format: Short story
Publisher: Robinson
Year: 2009
5th sentence, 74th page: How had he found her, and how had he gotten in here?

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Synopsis

He lost his soul generations ago, but a chance encounter with a symbol in a psychics shop could turn everything around for him. Help him find his way back home to his family.

Thoughts

This play on a soulless vampire was quite good. Normally when stories focus on the lack of soul in a vampire, it is either to excuse his evil, or to set him on a journey to find that which he has lost. And isn’t it funny that it normally features a male in these stories…? This tale took a slightly different take on the idea. The vampire was still soulless and searching for something that he couldn’t remember searching for. But, when he found it, it wasn’t his soul, it was a whole other mythos which helped him find his peace and salvation. And more, importantly, to find his way back to his family.

I like Mary in this story (she goes by a few different variations of the name throughout, but I like the name Mary the most). She is forced into situations that she doesn’t really like. And there is a level of complex vulnerability to her. Yet, she still manages to show her back bone throughout the tale. Every time she is backed into a corner and feels so obviously uncomfortable, she digs deep, sticks her feet in and pushes right back. Something that I admire more than a woman who can actually fight her way out of every situation in some circumstances… after all, it’s a little bit more relatable and tough to be fierce when you can’t actually defend yourself.

 <- Perdition ReviewBlood and Thyme Review ->
Image source: Bookdepository

How Magnificent is the Universal Donor by Jerome Stueart

Book Review, ,
Overview
Evolve

Title: How Magnificent is the Universal Donor
Author: Jerome Stueart
In: Evolve (Nancy Kilpatrick)
Rating Out of 5: 3 (On the fence about this one)
My Bookshelves: Vampires
Dates read: 1st April 2019
Pace: Slow
Format: Short story
Publisher: Edge
Year: 2010
5th sentence, 74th page: I would like to tell you about this donor; I’m going to need his records.

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Synopsis

His husband was hospitalised. Next thing he knows, he’s neck deep in a conspiracy that involves blood diseases and vampires…

Thoughts

Organic eating and healthy living is a huge fad lately. It is definitely something that my generation is obsessed with. So mixing this with another obsession of this generation was a really novel idea. And something that I kind of enjoyed. Conspiracy theories and all. There were just a few not-quite plot holes in this story that made me not enjoy it as much as the idea would have drawn me in.

Mixing medicine and vampires to stop a future plague and rescue a mass of peoples is a fun idea. Especially when those vampires are used as a filter… trying to rationalise their existence as something good and healthy. When, as the story closes, you realises that they are still the villains of the tale…

 <- Evolving ReviewThe Sun Also Shines on the Wicked Review ->
Image source: Goodreads

Perdition by Caitlin Kittredge

Book Review, , ,
Overview
Image result for the mammoth book of vampire romance 2 book cover

Title: Perdition
Author: Caitlin Kittredge
In: The Mammoth Book of Vampire Romance 2 (Trisha Telep)
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Vampires, Westerns
Dates read: 1st April 2019
Pace: Slow
Format: Short story
Publisher: Robinson
Year: 2009
5th sentence, 74th page: She wore breeches, like a man, with a man’s jacket over a woman’s shirt.

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Synopsis

Kate is on the trail of Doc, an old lover and the man who introduced her to the realm of vampires. But, when she finds him, will she able to do what she has to for a happily ever after?

Thoughts

I’ve never read a vampire western. And I found that it was something that I thoroughly enjoyed and would like to see a lot more of. To be honest, I haven’t really read or been exposed to many westerns, so they hold a fascination for me regardless. You add in a taste of the paranormal and a strong woman intent on upholding a promise… it’s the kind of story that is going to just suck me in.

Sometimes I struggle with flashbacks and jumps in the timeline. This wasn’t one of those times. By adding the date before each of the flashbacks and changing the formatting, I was able to follow more of what was happening. It helped to fill in all of the backstory, whilst continuing forwards with the rest of the narrative and it was done brilliantly. Actually, it kind of felt like each flashback was Kate reminiscing as she drew closer and closer to the end of her long journey. Closer and closer to the moment when she would truly have to face up to the past.

 <- Le Cirque de la Nuit ReviewDeliver Us From Evil Review ->
Image source: Bookdepository

The Wedding Knight by Kathryn Smith

Book Review, , , ,
Overview
Image result for weddings from hell book cover

Title: The Wedding Knight
Author: Kathryn Smith
Series: Brotherhood of Blood #3.5
In: Weddings From Hell (Maggie Shayne, Jeaniene Frost, Terri Garey & Kathryn Smith)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Historical romance, Paranormal romance, Vampires
Dates read: 27th March 2019
Pace: Fast
Format: Novella
Publisher: Harper Fiction
Year: 2008
5th sentence, 74th page: Neither Eliza nor I want to see anything happen to either of us.

Synopsis

Payen Carr has reappeared at a most inconvenient time: on the eve of Violet’s wedding. But Payen desperately needs her help, for his immortal life is suddenly at stake… and Violet’s mortal one as well.

Thoughts

This was a bit slow to start with. A little too typical and vampire-y. A theme that I don’t completely love, and one that I do tend to take quite a while to warm to. Luckily for me, this does heat up pretty quickly and it sucked me right into the storyline and pages.

I really enjoyed the Victorian era setting in which this story takes place. The fact that it acts as a backdrop for a strong, independent woman who is quite determined to get what she wants (once she figures out just what that is) makes it an even better timeframe to place it in.

I’ve been a little obsessed with historical romances lately, and more than a little fascinated by secret orders. Both of these play heavily on the storyline, and now I can’t wait to find the rest of the books in this series and find them a nice, snug place on my overflowing bookshelf.

<- Ghouls Night OutWeddings From Hell ->

Image source: Harper Collins