Title: Late Bloomer Author: Suzy McKee Charnas In: Teeth: Vampire Tales (Ellen Datlow & Terri Windling) Rating Out of 5: 3 (On the fence about this one) My Bookshelves:Paranormal fantasy, Vampires Dates read: 26th July 2021 Pace: Slow Format: Short story Publisher: Harper Year: 2011 5th sentence, 74th page: Writing verses (what was he thinking? Now he was really going to be killed in the boys’ bathroom) – with Freaky Frye!
Josh is from a family of artists and creators. He’s spent his whole seventeen years trying to figure out what his “talent” is. The moment he finally discovers it… well, it might just be too late.
I found Josh to be a bit of a whiney fool throughout this. So wrapped up in his ideas of being “great” that he didn’t stop and smell the roses. But, he kind of got his poetic justice / karmic justice in the end. That made me happy.
I did enjoy the idea of brain chemistry being unchanging when turned into a vampire. Particularly the fact that as a teenager, the brain is not fully formed. And being turned as a teenager? It means that you’ll be forever not fully formed. It’s a bit disturbing when you truly think about the consequences… but it was a very cool and dark idea. One I seriously enjoyed.
All in all, I pleasantly enjoyed this story. It may not have been a ground-shaking, earth-quaking tale that I’ll necessarily read again. But it was fun and unique. Which, honestly is all I want in a short story some days.
Title: The Master of Rampling Gate Author: Anne Rice In: By Blood We Live (John Joseph Adams) Rating Out of 5: 3.5 (Liked this) My Bookshelves:Gothic, Horror, Vampires Dates read: 30th June 2021 Pace: Slow, Medium, Fast Format: Short story Publisher: Night Shade Books Year: 2008 5th sentence, 74th page: “What have they done to me?” he whispered.
Two siblings were left with strict instructions of their father’s death – destroy Rampling Gate. But a visit to find out what they are to destroy has them questioning everything.
This had a very gothic / Dracula feel to it. But just not quite as horrifying and twisted. Actually, it had kind of surreal sort of happy ending. Not one that I necessarily went head over heels for. But one that I enjoyed nevertheless.
I like that there was a mystery and a feeling of family traditions and horrors throughout this tale. It wasn’t overly dark in and of itself, but that potential lingered throughout the tale. And it left me feeling very happily intrigued as I flicked through the pages.
I’ve heard of Anne Rice many times. I mean, who hasn’t when you like anything paranormal? So it was fun to know what her writing is actually like. I’d definitely be intrigued to buy one of her novels now…
Siblings Claudia and Gerry are fangborn, and when one of Claudia’s patients rings her with an odd experience… they realise that things are starting to enter the mythological realms of prophecy and ruin.
I know I’ve read a fangborn short story before. And I know that I enjoyed it enough to add the series to my wish list. And I remember that I loved the idea of Gerry and Claudia… werewolf and vampire siblings. This story was just as enjoyable and surprising.
I wasn’t quite surprised to find a story like this in the Murder and Mayhem in Muskego book. I wasn’t really expecting a paranormal story in here. I’m not really sure what I was expecting expecting be fair as this is only my second story of the collection… but still. I like that there is a paranormal tale in here. Its incredibly fun and left a huge smile on my face.
I really liked the mayhem throughout this story. It didn’t quite touch on murder as much as I expected. But I really enjoyed all of the mayhem. And the blood. And the fact that there was impaling of the bad guys… I’m not bloodthirsty at all!
Title: Flying Author: Delia Sherman In: Teeth: Vampire Tales (Ellen Datlow & Terri Windling) Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect) My Bookshelves:Circus, Vampires Dates read: 30th June 2021 Pace: Slow, Medium, Fast Format: Short story Publisher: Harper Year: 2011 5th sentence, 74th page: I’m making an egg for your father.
Lena’s parents gave up everything to help support her through cancer. But now all she wants to do is fly… what will the cost be?
I really loved this mix of circus performers and vampires. It was fun and exciting. And you constantly hoped for the best where Lena was concerned. Her battle for health and happiness was beautiful, and for me, this story became less about vampires and more about finding your happily ever after.
It was kind of sad that Lena’s happily ever after really, really didn’t involve her parents. After all, they are beautifully kind and supportive. Although, I suppose that we all find a happily ever after that really doesn’t involve our parents…
I always love stories by Delia Sherman. This one was no exception and I absolutely adored this tale. I love the imagery of the circus and a trapeze artist. The cats and the bats. Everything worked so beautifully and seamlessly together. Leaving me with a huge, happy grin on my face.
Title: Be Mine Tonight Author: Kathryn Smith Series: Brotherhood of Blood #1 Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!) My Bookshelves:Historical romance, Paranormal romance, Vampires Dates read: 27th – 28th June 2021 Pace: Slow, Medium, Fast Format: Novel Publisher: Avon Year: 2006 5th sentence, 74th page: Oddly enough, that realization wasn’t annoying so much as it was warming.
I am called Chapel…
For nearly six centuries I have roamed the night, a mortal man no longer. Would that I could undo the past – when I entered the sanctuary of the Knights Templar to wrest from them the Holy Grail, only to discover the chalice I raised to my lips was not the sacred relic but a hellish cup of damnation. Now I shun the day and all things human, driven by an ungodly thirst. And yet…
Never have I known a maiden the like of Prudence Ryland, whose beauty and spirit awaken a heart I feared long cold and dead. But her young life is slipping away, and she also seeks the deliverance of the Grail – unaware that the cost of her search could be her soul. I must help Prudence, for in six hundred years, no other woman has stirred my passions so. But dare I tender to my beloved that which she most desires – the sensuous “gift” of forever that is both rapture and a curse: my immortal kiss?
This was one of those books that I was like “eh, eh, eh, WOW.” It took quite a while for me to warm up to the storyline. But, once I got there… wow was I happy. It happened about a third / half the way in. Then, I really, really wanted to know what was going on. I also cried at one point.
I bought this book because I read a novella in this series which intrigued me. But, honestly? I had no idea what to expect or even what time period this would be in. I was pleasantly surprised that this read like a regency romance. Just with a much more intense paranormal spin.
Chapel is kind of a fool and a little bit too whiney for my taste in lead men. Plus, the constant need for retribution was just… seriously dude? You’re 600 years old!!! Grow the hell up! Luckily, Pru agreed and kicked his butt multiple times with her frustration at his stupidity. It made him more likeable since Pru found a reason to like him in spite of his stupidity…
All in all, this was a fun start to a series. Yes, there was this beautiful part towards the end that had me crying. But, mostly it was a good, easy read. I particularly liked how the story ended… leaving plenty of opening and intrigue for the next tale in the series.
In Angel’s Wolf a vampire becomes fascinated with the seductive angel who rules Louisiana. But all is not what it appears to be in her court.
In Angels’ Judgment a hunter must track one of her own gone bad, while surviving the deadly tests placed in her way by the archangels themselves. Unexpected backup comes from a stranger who might just be the most lethal threat of all…
Plus FIRST TIME IN PRINT
In Angels’ Pawn a vampire hunter faces off against two rival factions and the angel manipulating them both, and a vampire whose help is not entirely selfless…
And NEVER BEFORE PUBLISHED
In Angels’ Dance an angel trapped in the mountain stronghold of the Refuge finds herself under siege by a warrior angel from a martial court.
I absolutely adored this collection. It took me forever and a day to get through because I wanted to read each of the novellas in the order that they take place in the Guild Hunter series. And, honestly, since I’m a bit of a series slut, I kept picking up other series in between books. Trying to work on that habit this year…
This is definitely a collection that I’ll pick up again and again to fill my happy place in reading. It is fun and wonderful and filled with very fun romances that will make you want to pick up more and more of Singh’s books. Or at least, that’s how it all feels for me.
Many of the cute couples in this story may have a happily ever after, but the part that I love the most about their connections… it’s all about acceptance. Every relationship in this collection is about accepting one another and finding a way to create their own future. It makes the romances feel far more realistic in this story…
I love that I finally got to finish this collection! But I was also kind of sad. After all, it’s a bit of a pity that it’s all over. Now I’ll just have to dive headfirst into Archangel’s Blade…
Title: Bloody Sunrise Author: Neil Gaiman In: Teeth: Vampire Tales (Ellen Datlow & Terri Windling) Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again) My Bookshelves:Poetry, Vampires Dates read: 16th April 2021 Pace: Fast Format: Poem Publisher: Harper Year: 2011 5th sentence, 74th page: something else that I can blame on
A great poem about the pitfalls and sunrises of vampirehood.
At the beginning, this poem felt a little bit humorous. A little bit quirky and seriously cute. And then it started to take a darker turn. Darker and darker and darker with each line. Which, honestly, is kind of what I think a good vampire poem should be about.
Even though this story took a bit of a darker turn, I definitely had the song Girls Just Want to Have Fun playing through my head. Although this version was Vamps Just Want to Have Fun. I never said that my brain was a normal or safe place to be…
The bloody sunrise ruins the magic of the dark. And this poem just shows how much it can ruin if you really think about it…
Alec isn’t quite what you would think a werewolf should be. He’s skinny, nerdy and gay. But he’s got more than one secret in his closet. And a fishman is about to help him bring them all to light.
I really didn’t expect… any of this story. Like. Any of this. The title just… gives you nothing to work on and I’ve never read anything by Carriger before, so I was all pleasantly surprised at reading this. I loved the fact that I was surprised time after time in this story. And just constantly found enjoyment in the whole tale.
The idea of a gay, closet alpha werewolf… it was funny. And a lot of descriptives really. It had me giggling right throughout this story and grinning like somewhat of a fool. Then, the guy that he falls for… a wonderful mix of characters.
Alec has got to be one of my favourite short story characters that I’ve been introduced to in a while. I kind of wish that he had more of a longer storyline… I wasn’t quite ready to leave him behind. But then, when am I ever?
In Angel’s Wolf a vampire becomes fascinated with the seductive angel who rules Louisiana. But all is not what it appears to be in her court.
The vampire that was tortured in Archangel’s Kiss had a pretty hard run of things. And he is briefly mentioned in Archangel’s Consort. So I love that there is a novella that is just about him finding a happily ever after. It helps to tie up a few loose ends and brings a whole new angels court to the forefront.
Both Noel’s assignment and Nimra’s court and terrifying-ness are mentioned in Archangel’s Consort and it completely intrigued me and pulled me in. What a fantastic way for me to finish out the Angels’ Flight collection (it may not be the final novella in the book, but it was the final one that I read).
Noel and Nimra gave me that warming of the cockleshell heart feeling. Something about their ability to love one another warmed me up and made me smile. The fact that it’s alongside the race to find out who is trying to kill Nimra… well, that just made me happier and happier.
I may not be a cat person, but there is a total love of cats and pets in this story. They are incredibly important, and the love of pets is something I can completely understand. This whole story made me want to pick up my puppy and give them a huge hug.
Title: Archangel’s Consort Author: Nalini Singh Series: Guild Hunter #3 Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again) My Bookshelves:Angels, Paranormal romance, Strong women, Vampires Dates read: 14th – 16th April 2021 Pace: Fast Format: Novel Publisher: Berkley Sensation Year: 2011 5th sentence, 74th page: It was locked.
Nalini Singh steps back into the shadows of her “heartbreakingly original” world where angels rule, vampires serve, and the innocent can pay the greatest price of all…
Vampire hunter Elena Deveraux and her lover, the lethally beautiful archangel Raphael, have returned home to New York only to face an uncompromising new evil…
A vampire has attacked a girls’ school – the assault one of sheer, vicious madness – and it is only the first act. Rampant bloodlust takes vampire after vampire, threatening to make the streets run with blood. Then Raphael himself begins to show signs of an uncontrolled rage, as inexplicable storms darken the city skyline and the earth itself shudders.
The omens are suddenly terrifyingly clear.
An ancient and malevolent immortal is rising. The violent winds whisper her name: Caliane. She has returned to reclaim her son, Raphael. Only one thing stands in her way: Elena, the consort who must be destroyed.
I was wondering how terrifying Raphael’s mother was going to be. I mean, she’s mentioned constantly and she’s definitely somewhat terrifying. But, a bit less than I was expecting. Having said that, I’m pretty sure she’s going to become more and more terrifying as this series unfolds… there is just so much potential there. I can’t wait to see how Elena confronts and deals with her!
This Guild Hunter novel really explores the past beautifully. Both Raphael and Elena have a lot of past issues that they have to deal with. And these seriously begin to come to light in this story. Everyone has a past, and everyone has to battle with that in their current relationships – but Elena and Raphael have a particularly bad set of issues that they have to deal with. As do the Seven. So now I want to know more about the past and the tribulations of Raphael’s Seven.
The first two books in this series are the beginning of Elena ad Raphael’s relationship. Particularly Elena finding her place in Raphael’s life and holding her own against his seriously dominant personality. But, in this novel she is really beginning to find her feet and sense of self. Her drive to be able to stand on her own two feet and fight her own battles is beautifully impressive. And impossible to forget and put down. It’s just… gorgeous and glorious. Most definitely the kind of woman character that I love – finding out who you are and where you fit in a decidedly dangerous society.
One of my favourite things about Singh as an author is that her stories aren’t sappy. They’re all romances and they most definitely make your toes curl. But they aren’t sappy. Even the times when there is that love at first sight zing, they still aren’t sappy. And, ultimately, they are about truly accepting one another. And finding a way to work together to achieve your happily ever after.
I honestly could not put this novel down. It was fantastic and wonderful and everything that I love in a paranormal story. Now I can’t wait to dig through my TBR pile (it’s ginormous) and read Archangel’s Blade.
Earth and Skye 