Red Wine and Vampires

Moon Called (Mercy Thompson Series, Book 1) by Patricia Briggs

2010-01-03T23:07:00.003-06:00

Moon Called (Mercy Thompson Series, Book 1) by Patricia Briggs. This was not my favorite paranormal romance book, but it is only the first book in the series and I am hopeful that Mercy Thompson will win me over. I am in favor of my female protagonists being kick ass fighters and I feel that this book relayed poorly developed fight sequences. They lacked structure and were hard to follow in the fast paced scenes. I also think there was a lack of character development which left me unable to relate to or form a bond with the characters. However I did find towards the end I was reading the book at a faster pace trying to unfold the resolution to the conflict in the story. By the conclusion of the book I was intrigued enough to immediately start the second book in the series, Blood Bound. Through this book I feel that the characters are finally developing and I am beginning to fall into Mercy Thompson's world.

Here is the wiki breakdown. Moon Called is the beginning of the story of Mercedes Thompson. Mercy's life is not exactly normal. Her next-door neighbor is a werewolf, her former boss is a gremlin, and she's fixing a VW bus for a vampire. But then, Mercy isn't exactly normal herself.

She's a walker, not only capable of shifting into coyote shape at will but also possessed of a sharp nose for scenting other creatures and an ability to sense magic when it is at work. So when a teenaged werewolf approaches Mercy asking for work, she knows what he is immediately. She also knows it would be more prudent to refuse him, but he looks so desperate that she hires him anyway.

Turns out the werewolf, who goes by Mac, has escaped from a laboratory where he was being experimented on. When bad guys show up looking for him and Mercy kills one of them, also a werewolf, she realizes it's time to turn the matter over to the local Alpha werewolf, who also happens to be her next-door divorced neighbor Adam.

Before you can say “from the frying pan into the fire,” things go awry and Mercy finds and just barely saves a wounded Adam, whose fifteen year old daughter Jesse has been kidnapped by the same people who came after Mac. To help Adam heal, Mercy must take him to Montana, and the clan of the werewolves who raised her. There we meet Bran, leader of all the North American werewolves, whose son Samuel is the man, er, wolf, whom Mercy once loved and lost.

Eventually, Adam, Samuel and Mercy return to the Tri-Cities to search for Adam's missing daughter. In the process they have encounters with fae, vampires, other werewolves, and a witch or two. Mercy must contend not only with all these creatures but with Adam and Samuel's interest in her and the territorial contentiousness that results from it.

Flirt (Anita Blake Vampire Hunter Book 17) By Laurell K Hamilton

2010-01-03T13:34:00.007-06:00

Here is a link to Laurell K. Hamilton's website that contains a sneak peak of her new book due out February 2, 2010. I cant wait, I need my Anita Blake Fix!

http://www.laurellkhamilton.org/flirt.html

Paranormal Romance Book Suggestions Needed

2010-01-02T21:11:00.003-06:00

Please leave me your book suggestions. I'm always on the lookout for a new series to read!

Black Dagger Brotherhood by J.R. Ward

2009-11-07T19:51:00.007-06:00

New Favorite Vampire Romance Series! I really like the style that these books are written in, you never get bored or lose interest. This is a different take on the Vampire world. There is the Black Dagger Brotherhood that protects all of the Vampire race from their enemy the Lessors. The Brotherhood is made up of a handful of Chosen Vampires that are supreme warriors and legends in the Vampire World. The Scribe Virgin is the cause of vampires existence and is their ruling council. The Lessoning Society is ruled by the Omega and their sole purpose is to rid the world of Vampires. Lessors are de-souled humans that are ageless but can be killed by a stab to the chest.

The Books take place in Caldwell, NY and have a modern approach to the to the typical vampire world. The vampires live lavishly, frequent clubs, and enjoy loud rap music. They also make sure their existence is unknown to humans. The books introduce many characters in a subplots that will eventually have their whole story in their own book, which keeps you intrigued.

Spoiler Alert!!!

Dark Lover

Here is the Review on all 7 books from WIKI

Dark Lover book 1

Dark Lover is the first book in the Black Dagger Brotherhood series. It tells the story of Wrath - the last purebred vampire left on the planet. The un-ascended king of the vampire species, Wrath lives only to fight in an endless war with the soulless vampire slayers, Lessers, who brutally murdered his parents centuries ago. As leader of the Brotherhood, his only solace is in fighting, not looking to the past or future, shunning his duties as King.

Within the vampire world, Wrath is known as the Blind King, due to his extremely poor eyesight, though this does not affect his powers on the battlefield nor his ability to sense the feelings of others around him.

Blaming himself for not intervening when his parents were slain, Wrath has wrapped himself in a cocoon of self-hatred and emotional distance, but Dark Lover tells of his enlivening. When the Lessers kill one of his best fighters, Darius, Wrath is left with the responsibility to help the warrior’s half-human daughter, Beth, through her transition. It is through Beth that Wrath learns to feel and look toward the future of his life and of the species as a whole.

Lover Eternal book 2

Lover Eternal is second book in the Black Dagger Brotherhood series. It tells the story of Rhage who is considered to be the most attractive of all the Brothers. His beauty has earned him the nickname 'Hollywood'.

Rhage was cursed in the early eighteen hundreds for angering The Scribe Virgin. Due to his continued recklessness and uncontrollable lust after his transition, The Scribe Virgin gave him The Beast. Fearsome in its beauty the Beast resembles a huge dragon with massive claws and a jaw filled with sharp fangs. It was a punishment designed to regulate Rhage's energy and moods. Whenever he gets out of control, the Beast comes out. When this occurs Rhage's eyes turn a brilliant white and his body mutates in a grisly display of tearing and ruptures - letting the Beast emerge. When it is out, Rhage is totally suppressed and he is in no way able to control the Beast, who knows neither friend nor foe. Because of this, Rhage has to keepthe Beast from coming out, subduing it through the satiation of a good fight or sex.

Rhage's sexual exploits are the stuff of legend in the Vampire society. It is said that fathers tell their sons the story of Rhage when the time is right. But Rhage does not relish this reputation and is, in fact, eager to cast it off.

In Lover Eternal Rhage meets Mary, a human female who he is inexplicably drawn to. Mary is unwittingly thrown into the vampire world and reliant on Rhage's protection. However with a life-threatening curse of her own she is not looking for love and lost her faith in miracles long ago. But when Rhage's attraction turns to something more emotional he has to fight to make Mary his alone.

Lover Awakened book 3

Lover Awakened is the third book in the Black Dagger Brotherhood series. It tells the story of Zsadist, a former blood slave, who is the most sinister and terrifying of the brothers. He rescues the beautiful aristocrat, Bella, from the hands of the evil Lessening Society. Their desire for each other is overwhelming, but in order for any hope of a future together, it is Bella who must "rescue" Zsadist from the suffering and humiliation of his tortured past.

Lover Revealed book 4

Lover Revealed is the fourth book in the Black Dagger Brotherhood series. Butch O'Neal is a fighter by nature. A hard living, ex-homicide cop, he's the only human ever to be allowed in the inner circle of the Black Dagger Brotherhood. And he wants to go even deeper into the vampire world- to engage in the bolster war with the Lessers. He's got nothing to lose. His heart belongs to a female vampire, an aristocratic beauty who's way out of his league. If he can't have her, then at least he can fight side by side with the Brothers...

Fate curses him with the very thing he wants. When Butch sacrifices himself to save a civilian vampire from the slayers, he falls prey to the darkest force in the war. Left for dead, found by a miracle, the Brotherhood calls on Marissa to bring him back, though even her love might not be enough to save him...

Lover Unbound book 5

Lover Unbound is the fifth book in the Black Dagger Brotherhood series. Ruthless and brilliant, Vishous son of the Bloodletter possesses a destructive curse and a frightening ability to see the future. As a pre-tran growing up in his father's war camp, he was tormented and abused. As a member of the Brotherhood, he has no interest in love or emotion, only the battle with the Lessening Society. But when a mortal injury puts him in the care of a human surgeon, Dr. Jane Whitcomb compels him to reveal his inner pain and taste true pleasure for the first time- until a destiny he didn't choose takes him into a future that cannot include her.

Lover Enshrined book 6

Lover Enshrined is the sixth book in the Black Dagger Brotherhood series. Fiercely loyal to the Brotherhood, Phury has sacrificed himself for the good of the race, becoming the male responsible for keeping the Brotherhood's bloodlines alive. As Primale of the Chosen, he is to father the sons and daughters who will ensure that the traditions of the race survive and that there are warriors to fight those who want all vampires extinguished.

As his first mate, the Chosen Cormia wants to win not only his body but his heart for herself- she sees the emotionally scarred male behind all his noble responsibility. But while the war with the Lessening Society grows more grim, and tragedy looms over the Brotherhood's mansion, Phury must decide between duty and love.

Lover Avenged book 7

Lover Avenged is the seventh book in the Black Dagger Brotherhood series. Caldwell, NY, has long been the battleground for the vampires and their enemies, the Lessening Society. It’s also where Rehvenge has staked out his turf as a drug lord and owner of a notorious nightclub (ZeroSum) that caters to the rich and heavily armed. His shadowy reputation is exactly why he’s approached to kill Wrath, the Blind King, and leader of the Brotherhood. Rehvenge has always kept his distance from the Brotherhood, even though his sister is married to a Brother. Because he’s a symphath, his identity is a deadly secret- the revelation of which will result in his banishment to a colony for sociopaths. And as plots within and outside the Brotherhood take their toll against Rehvenge, he turns to the only source of light in a darkening world- Ehlena, a vampire untouched by the corruption that has its hold on him- and the only thing standing between him and eternal destruction

Destined for an Early Grave (Night Huntress, Book 4) by Jeaniene Frost

2009-09-05T22:32:00.015-05:00

SPOILER ALERT!!! This is the fourth installment in the Cat and Bones series. I liked the different twist that it takes on the vampire world. Here is the cut from the back of the book. Her deadly dreams leave her in grave danger. Since half-vampire Cat Crawfield and her undead lover Bones met six years ago, they've fought against the rogue undead, battled a vengeful Master vampire, and pledged their devotion with a blood bond. Now its time for a vacation. But their hopes for a perfect Paris holiday are dashed when Cat awakes one night in terror. She's having visions of a vampire named Gregor who's more powerful than Bones and has ties to her past that even Cat herself didn't know about. Gregor believes Cat is his and he won't stop until he has her. As the battle begins between the vamp who haunts her nightmares and the one who holds her heart, only Cat can break Gregor's hold over her. She'll need all the power she can summon in order to bring down the baddest bloodsucker she's ever faced . . . even if getting that power will result in an early grave.

Here is the real skinny. You start the book on a nice vacation with Cat and Bones and then things get really strange as they always do in the paranormal world. Cat is having dreams of a vampire she has never met but he claims her as his own. This vampire Gregor, is known as the Dreamsnatcher because he can steal people out of their dreams.

It is revealed that he has met Cat years go and apparently they are married and bound to each other. Cat has no memories of this because Mencheres has erased them and then imprisoned Gregor for his own benefit (He wanted Cat to bond with Bones to strengthen his own line). Gregor escapes and states that he and Cat are married and wants to reclaim her but no one can confirm one way or the other if their bond is true (Mencheres hid Cats memories so deep that he cannot even replenish them) If Cat is truly bound to Gregor then her bond to Bones is void. Gregor needs to die but he is a powerful vampire and Bones is concerned of his strength. Many vampires will not side with Bones if Cat is bond to Gregor because by vampire law Cat then belongs to Gregor.

They seek out the partnership of Marie Laveau to gain her on their side incase a battle erupts with Gregor. They fail in gaining her partnership but Cat learns from her that Gregor has the power to return Cat's memories of their time together. This puts a great strain on Cat and Bones relationship because she wants to go to Gregor and get her memories restored so she can know if there was a marriage. Gregor snatches Cat from her dreams and she ends up getting her memories restored by him and it is revealed that they were bound to each other by vampire marriage. Cat stabs Gregor with a silver knife and he allows her to call Vlad to come and get her and bring her back to Bones. This angers Bones to know that she had her memories restored and she does in fact belong to Gregor. Cat and Bones are constantly arguing and they eventually split up, Bones returns to New Orleans and Cat goes to stay with Vlad.

Cat is taking sleeping pills that were supplied from her Uncle that would allow her to have dreamless sleep. When it was revealed that the pills side effects included a short temper and were the result of a majority of her and Bones fights she stops taking the pills. This makes her susceptible to Gregor snatching her from her dreams again. The only way he cannot invade them is if she a full vampire. Vlad offers to make the change but she only wants Bones to change her. After a series of misunderstandings Bones agrees to change her into a full vampire and their bond is as strong as ever.

When Cat transforms into a vampire there is an odd twist, she only drinks dead blood from vampires, and she does form Bones and Vlad. When Gregor finds out she has become a vampire he is angry because he cant get to Cat in her dreams so he kidnaps her mother and transforms her into a vampire against her will. Cat, Bones and the crew break into Gregors place to take back her mother. In the ambush things were not going as planed and Cat managed to burn the house down with pyrokinetics that she did not know she possessed. They retrieved her mother but Rodney the Ghoul was killed in the process.

Bones challenges Gregor to a fight to the death. Law Guardians along with several Master Vampires are there to observe and make sure rules are followed. Each vampire only had 3 knives to aid in the fight. They fought down to their last knives and Gregor used his last knife in Bones back, it was not a killing strike but Bones was dying from the injury and Cat could sense this but did not understand why. When Gregor went in for the killing he turned to smile at Cat and his almost victory over Bones. All of a sudden Gregor burst into flames and instantly was killed by Cats anger. The Law Guardian states that Cat dies for interfering with the fight. Bones then recover enough to reveal that hidden in Gregors weapons was an injection device that pumped liquid silver into him for a faster kill. This meant that Gregor was guilty of cheating and Cat was free. It is revealed that when Cat drinks from another vampire she acquires and special powers that they may posses like Vlad and his pyrokinetics. Cat and Bones are finally able to get back to their vacation. The End!

Frost's next book is a sin off about Cat's Friend Denise, First Drop of Crimson due out in Feb 2010.

Midnight Sun (Twilight Series, Edwards Version) by Stephenie Meyer

2009-07-07T22:26:00.000-05:00

So Midnight Sun is Twilight form Edwards point of view. As you may know Stephenie Meyer was in the process of writing this book when it was illigally posted on the internet. She was so upset by this that she has stopped writing the book but has put the partial daft on her website.

I liked this installment better than Bella's version of the story. However that may only be because I have read the story from Bella's point of view and this fills in all of the blanks. And I really like that we get to hear everyones thoughts as Edward hears them. The incomplete draft has left me wanting more, I really hope Myers finishes the book,

Here is the link to Midnight Sun on Stephenie Myers website. Have Fun!

http://www.stepheniemeyer.com/pdf/midnightsun_partial_draft4.pdf

One Foot in the Grave (Night Huntress Book 2) by Jeaniene Frost

2009-05-30T14:01:00.000-05:00

I really liked this book. I also finished it in like no time at all. Here is the description from the back of the book.

Half-vampire Cat Crawfield is now Special Agent Cat Crawfield, working for the government to rid the world of the rogue undead. She's still using everything Bones, her sexy and dangerous ex, taught her, but when Cat is targeted for assassination, the only man who can help her is the vampire she left behind.

Being around him awakens all her emotions, from the adrenaline kick of slaying vamps side by side to the reckless passion that consumed them. But a price on her head—wanted: dead or half-alive—means her survival depends on teaming up with Bones. And no matter how hard she tries to keep things professional between them, she'll find that desire lasts forever . . . and that Bones won't let her get away again.

Halfway to the Grave (Night Huntress Book 1) by Jeaniene Frost

2009-05-24T22:23:00.000-05:00

SPOILER ALERT!!! So I just finished Halfway to the Grave by Jeaniene Frost. This book was a super fast read I finished it in one day, its action packed, has a nice little romance story and its keeps you wanting more. Its also fun because it is set in todays world and vampires are still in hiding. Here is the Blurb from the back of the book.

Half-vampire Catherine Crawfield is going after the undead with a vengeance, hoping that one of these deadbeats is her father—the one responsible for ruining her mother's life. Then she's captured by Bones, a vampire bounty hunter, and is forced into an unholy partnership.

In exchange for finding her father, Cat agrees to train with the sexy night stalker until her battle reflexes are as sharp as his fangs. She's amazed she doesn't end up as his dinner—are there actually good vampires? Pretty soon Bones will have her convinced that being half-dead doesn't have to be all bad. But before she can enjoy her newfound status as kick-ass demon hunter, Cat and Bones are pursued by a group of killers. Now Cat will have to choose a side . . . and Bones is turning out to be as tempting as any man with a heartbeat.

Ok so Cat is a half vampire because her mother was raped by a newly made vampire and becomes pregnant with her. As a result of this her mother has a hatred to vampires and insist that Cat kill as many as she can find because they are all murderous monsters. Cat goes out to clubs and lets vampires hit on her and leaves the bar with them, when they make their move to drain her she kills them.

This leads to her meeting Bones, a master vampire hit man, who notices Cat and her little mission. He kidnaps her because he thinks she it working for the man that he has been tracking to kill. When he discovers that she is something different and realizes her potential gives her a choice of death or partnership in his mission. Cat accepts because she knows that it is her only chance to live.

Bones trains cat for weeks and they set out with Cat as bait to catch bad vampires with Bones waiting to question them before they kill them. Bones is trying to get to Hennessy a vampire who is selling young human girls to vampires for considerable amounts of money. He has been searching for him for 11 years and intends to track him with information form the vampires they hunt down.

In this process Cat falls for Bones, who is already in love with her, but is fighting her feelings because she was brought up believing that all vampires are evil. Cat is also still scarred from her first serious relationship with a boy who left her as soon as she had sex with him. As Cat struggles with her feelings Bones tricks her into going out on a date with him and just as they are about to kiss Hennessy walks into the club. Cat lures Hennessy out of the club and her and Bones attempts to kill him but they fail.

They continue hunting vampires to get to Hennessy. In the process Cat decided she loves Bones and they start dating, but she lies to her mother and tells her that she is dating her human neighbor.

Hennessy's vampires find where Cat's family lives and they kill her grandparents and kidnap her mother in order to get Cat. Bones is busy killing Hennessy and Cat discovers that his partner is the governor, she goes straight to his house and kills him. The police show up and arrest her and the FBI comes in to take her into custody.

On the way there the FBI agent Don tells her they are in a new devision in paranormal investigation and wants to hire Cat to hunt rogue vampires because she is the only of her kind. She is offered a job new identity and a home for her and her mother each, for 10 years in the FBI and no contact with vampires. She agrees knowing that this is the only way she will not go to prison and the only way to save them form killing Bones. Bones shows up just after Cat agreed to their terms and is unaware of her plans. He stops the car that has Cat in it and gets Cat and her mother. They go to a place to hide so he can make arrangements for them to leave the country.

Cat has no intention on leaving with him because she knows the FBI will track them down and kill them, but she doesn't want to tell Bones because she knows he will talk her out of it. Bones leaves to take care of a few last minute plans and Cat leaves Bones a note breaking up with him.

Cat and her and her mother leave and go meet Don and his crew where she starts her new job and is in command of a new crew she must train. She doesn't stop thinking about Bones but she knows this is the only way he will be safe.

Dead and Gone (Sookie Stackhouse Book 9) by Charlaine Harris

2009-05-17T22:20:00.000-05:00

SPOILER ALERT!!! I read this book in only one day! I had forgotten how just how intense Sookie Stackhouse's world was. This book was non stop action from the start. Here is the description from the back of the book.

Except for Sookie Stackhouse, folks in Bon Temps, Louisiana, know little about vamps—and nothing about weres.

Until now. The weres and shifters have finally decided to reveal their existence to the ordinary world. At first all goes well. Then the mutilated body of a were-panther is found near the bar where Sookie works—and she feels compelled to discover who, human or otherwise, did it.

But there’s a far greater danger threatening Bon Temps. A race of unhuman beings—older, more powerful, and more secretive than vampires or werewolves—is preparing for war. And Sookie finds herself an all-too human pawn in their battle.

Here is the real deal. The book starts with the Weres coming out to the world. Sam shifted in the bar to show everyone that he was really a shapeshifter. Not everyone took the news so well and Sam's stepfather shot his mother when she told him her secret. Sam had to immediately leave to be by her side in Texas and he left Sookie in charge of the bar.

Sookie was approached by Eric's daytime guy with a request for Sookie to meet with Eric at Fangtasia. He also gave her something wrapped in velvet and said that Eric requested that she gives it to him in front of his guest, which happened to be the new Vampire King of Louisiana. When Sookie arrives at the bar and hands Eric the wrapped gift he opens it and it is the small knife that was used in vampire weddings. This meant that Sookie belonged to Eric and they were married in the vampire community. This protected Sookie because the King of Louisiana was there to request Sookies presence with him to gather information, and because Quinn requested to see Sookie. Sookie was outraged by Eric's trick but their blood tie made it her for her to stay mad.

Sookie Returns to Bon Temps the next morning the FBI at her door questioning her about the explosion and wanted to know how she was able to find the survivors and who was the boy that assisted her. During their questioning Sookie receives a call that Crystal, Jason's pregnant wife was crucified outside of Merlots Bar. The FBI agents thought it might be a hate crime and they tagged along with Sookie to the bar.

Sookie is also visited by her great grandfather Niall the Fairy. He tells Sookie that she may be in danger because of a fray war that was forming and his enemy was trying to kill and his bloodline. Sure enough a Fairy shown up to kill Sookie but she is gardening and happened to have an iron tool in her hands and killed the Fairy.

Sookie also has another surprise visitor that was Quinn. Bill sees Sookie and Quinn arguing outside and comes over to protect Sookie. I turns in to a fight and ends with Sookie getting knocked out. When she wakes up Eric is in bed with her and she knows he gave her his blood to help her recover. Sookie gets the courage to ask Eric if he really remembers the time they spent together when he was under a spell and he tells her that he remembers every second. He also told her that part of the spell was that he would be close to his hearts desire, and that was why he was running down Sookie's road. And he offers for Sookie to quit her job and move into his house, but she refuses.

Arlene makes an attempt on Sookie's life and she is arrested along with her boyfriend. Sookie spots another fairy in the woods and is worried about her safety. She calls in a favor with the vampires and the werewolves she is sent Trey from the weres and Bubba from the vampires. Trey is poisoned Bubba is weakened, and Sookie is kidnapped by fairies. Sookie learns that Niall is from the Air fairies and Brendan is of the water fairies and they were responsible for the death of her parents.

She is tortured and knew she was going to die, but she wakes up in a hospital with Claudine. Eric arrives shortly and he said Brendan is on his way to destroy everyone. He gives Sookie a lot of his blood to get her strong enough for the fight. He then bring her into the room where Bill is receiving blood from Clancey in preparation for the fight. Bill tells Sookie that he will die fighting for her. Brendan and the Frey bust into the room and the fight begins. Of corse the vampires win the fight. Pam comes and picks up everyone and returns them home.

Niall the only remanding prince decides to close the off the fray world and remove all contact with the humans for the humans safety. He goes to tell Sookie bye and when he is leaving he says that the vampire really loves her but he leaves before she could think to ask which vampire.

Deadly Desire (Riley Jenson Guardian Book 7) by Keri Arthur

2009-05-05T22:18:00.000-05:00

SPOILER ALERT!!! Ok I have finally finished Deadly Desire the seventh installment in the Riley Jenson Guardian Series. I found this book slow until the end, then when it got really good and I could not put it down until it ended and then I only wanted...needed more. I can not wait until the next installment in the series. Here is the excerpt from the back of the book.

Guardian Riley Jenson always seems to face the worst villains. And this time’s no different. For it’s no ordinary sorceress who can raise the dead to do her killing. But that’s exactly what Riley expects to find at the end of a trail of female corpses used—and discarded—in a bizarre ritual of evil. With pressure mounting to catch one fiend, another series of brutal slayings shocks the vampire world of her lover, Quinn. So the last thing Riley needs is the heat of the upcoming full moon bringing her werewolf hormones to a boil—or the reappearance of a sexy bounty hunter, the rogue wolf Kye Murphy.

Riley has threatened Murphy with arrest if he doesn’t back off the investigation, but it’s Riley who feels handcuffed by Kye’s lupine charm. Torn between her vamp and wolf natures, between her love for Quinn and her hots for Kye, Riley knows she’s courting danger and indulging the deadliest desires. For her hunt through the supernatural underworld will bring her face-to-face with what lurks in a darkness where even monsters fear to tread.

Here is the real rundown. Riley is on the hunt for a vampire murderer using zombies to do their dirty work and comes across Kye's path (he was the guy that did some previous work for Anita's pack leader Blake) And at every crime scene he just keeps turning up and they both have to resist their desire towards one another. The case turns towards to two women who own a strip club. Riley has to go under cover as a stripper and get a job in the club where she can keep an eye on the two suspects and get a closer look at the club.

In the meantime Riley tells Quinn that he should take on other partners for blood because she has been feeling weak from al of the blood loss. Surprisingly this does not lead to an expected fight, he just says that he does not want to discuss it and that Riley is the only one for him.

Back at the strip club Riley runs across Kye again and they team up to get more info while resisting the increasing urge to be with one another. Riley and Kye sneak into an underground room where they find the place that the women conduct their sorcery and destroy their alter. They are immediately confronted by a half dozen zombies and the woman behind it all. Riley kills the woman but not before she shoots Kye. Riley was trying to get him to shift but he would not wake and then the second killer comes in and shoots Riley with a silver bullet. She wakens and is bound to a table with silver chains. She asks about Kye and discovers that he has bled to death and she suddenly wants to just curl up and die herself, which is shocking to her because she does not even like Kye. After a failed attack on the woman the door burst in an Kye shoots the woman dead. She is sooo relieved to see he is alive. The silver bullet in Riley's shoulder needs to be removed so Kye knocks her out to do the job.

When she wakes up she see Kye sitting in the comer of the room and tells him to go because she is calling in the Doctorate and he should not be there when they arrive because he is a hit man. He refuses to leave and tells Riley that before she calls it in they need to take care of some business. She knows that he wants to have sex and her urge so strong that she cant resist. Instantly they realize that they are soul mates. Riley does not know that to do because this is not what she wants so she just cries. Kye says that he does not want this either and that they should just go their separate ways. Anita agrees and they leave but she knows that it is not the end of Kye.

Anita has to go and tell Quinn that she found her soul mate and is afraid she will no longer want him anymore now that her wolf has found Kye. She hopes that her wolf half can have a soulmate and that her vampire half can have another. She does not tell Quinn right away because she wants to test the theory of two soul mates. As it turns out she is still attracted to Quinn and believes that she can have two soul mates if he is okay with her having another. She tells Quinn and he says that he has fought for her this long he had no intentions on stopping now, he just did not want to know who it was because he would kill him.

Blood Noir (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter Book 16) by Laurell K Hamilton

2009-05-03T20:15:00.000-05:00

SPOILER ALERT!!! Ok so I finished the book. I thought it was too short, but I guess I just cant get enough of this series and will always want more. Out of the entire series this installment was my least favorite, however I still could not put it down. In my opinion, the flaw with this book was that there was not an actual villain, but it looks like Jason will be moving to the list of main characters.

Here is the blurb from the back of the book. Now the Old Bastard's Dying and I Won't Have Time to Forgive Him Before He Goes......Jason Schuyler is a werewolf. He's also one of Anita Blake's best friends, and sometimes her lover. And right now he needs her--not to be a vampire hunter, or a federal marshal, or a necromancer, or even for her rank in the werewolf pack, but because his father is dying. He needs Anita because she's a pretty woman who loves him, who can make him look like an everyday guy, who agrees to go home with him and help him say good-bye to the abusive father he never loved. The fact that Jason is about as much an everyday guy as Anita is a pretty woman is something they figure they can keep under wraps for a couple of days in small town. How hard can it be? Marmee Noir, ancient mother of all vampires, picks this weekend to make a move. Somehow she has cut the connection that binds Anita and Jean-Claude unable to sense what is happening. Dangerous even as she sleeps, buried in darkness for a thousand years somewhere beneath the old country of Europe, Marmee Noir reaches out toward power. She has attacked Anita before, but never like this. In Anita she senses what she needs to make her enemies tremble.

Here is the breakdown of what happened. Nathaniel talks Anita into going with Jason to see his terminally ill father in North Carolina, and to convince him that Anita is his girlfriend and Jason is not gay. It starts out with the usual Anita hang-ups about her relationships with the men in her life and now finding herself alone with Jason. She discovered that she is having more feelings for Jason than their normal friends with benefits relationship, even without the ardur into play.

Jason is mistaken for a distant cousin Keith, who happened to be the governors troublemaking son, who is back in town to get married. This causes a little conflict because Keith has run off with the master of the city's wife, and there are vampires out to kill him, and of course they think Jason is him.

In the meantime Marmee Noir decides to try and make Anita her human servant and raises the ardur to a level that it has never been before. This causes Anita to almost change into a tiger, Marmee Noir's animal to call. She also managed to put out a call to all of the waretigers across the country. She then wakes up in the hotel room two days later with Jason and two strange waretigers and doesn't remember much. As it turns out Anita rolled Crispin one of the tigers from Vegas and he becomes addicted to the ardur.

Jean Claude sends Richard to check on Anita when he could not feel her through the marks because their connection was temporarily cut by Marmee Noir's attempts to mark Anita. Apparently Anita broke Marmee Noir's hold on her by making Jason her Wolf to call and Marmee's cat was scared away. Anita doesn't realize that she did it until Richard comes and can tell because Jason's smell changed, and they are now aware of each others thoughts and feelings. Somehow the ardur is transfered to Richard and he tries to use it on Anita but is stopped by Jason. As always he gets angry with Anita because she will not solely commit to him and he leaves. Anita and Jason return to St Louis where I'm sure the next book will try and sort out all of the new drama with the addition of Jason as Anita's animal to call. Also Jean Claude said that per vampire etiquette Anita has to meet with all of the tigers that will respond to her call.

I only touched on the parts of the book that I think are essential to the Anita Blake story line.

Sookie Stackhouse, Anita Blake, Riley Jensen

2009-04-16T21:48:00.000-05:00

I have read what I consider some of the top three Vampire Romance/Mystery book series that are out there. My Vampire interest was acquired through the Twilight series by Stephanie Meyer, however I searched for a more adult approach on the subject matter and this is what I recommend...

Sookie Stackhouse (The Southern Vampire Mysteries) by Charlaine Harris. There are currently 8 books in the series with the next book due out in May. I read these books before HBO picked up the series True Blood which is based on them. I find the show to be slow, but that is probably because I am years down the road in Sookie Stackhouse's life. (and you can never really fully adapt a book to the screen you just miss all of the characters thoughts and feelings)

The series takes place in Louisiana and is about Sookie who is telepathic, works in a bar, lives with her grandmother, and does not have luck with men. Through recent laws passed vampires are now legal citizens. This has changed life in the small town of Bon Temps. The town is very racist to the newly revealed vampires. Bill the vampire moves in next door to her and she discovers that she cant hear his thoughts or the thoughts of any other vampire. Bill becomes her boyfriend and with that relationship she goes deep into the vampire community and catches the eye of many other vampires.

The series includes Shape Shifters, Ware Animals, Witches, Fairies and few other magical creatures that make this world very interesting and unpredictable. There is a string of different love interest throughout the series that will have you wanting more. There is also always someone who is trying to get Sookie killed or put in danger the ones she loves. I recommend this series as an introduction to the Vampire Romance/Mystery category.

The next series I recommend is Riley Jensen (Guardian Series) by Keri Arthur. I have read 6 of the 7 books in the series and I intend to complete the 7th in the next few days. The next installment in the series is due out in October. This series is about Riley Jenson half Vampire half Werewolf. This series dives more into the

werewolf side of things that is lacking from the other series. It follow her and her job which starts off as an office worker it the Directorate of Other Races but it evolves into the Guardian job that her boss keeps steering her towards.

Riley's twin brother is kidnapped and with a naked Vampire who has amnesia that is on her doorstep she sets out to find her brother. These books have a lot of fight scenes that are very visual, it is real easy to hold your breath through a few pages before you realize you are even doing it.

Riley goes through a string of conflicted lovers and relationships that leaves you as a reader unable to decide who to pull for. The nonstop action makes these books a very fast read. This series takes you deep into an unknown world that you could never imagine existed. I recommend this book if you are looking for a good Vampire Romance/Mystery with a window into the world or Werewolves.

The final and my favorite of the three series is the Anita Blake (Vampire Hunter) by Laurell K Hamilton. I have read 15 of the 16 books in the series (I cant seem to find a copy of Blood Noir anywhere and had to place a special order that is taking forever to come in) The 17th in the series is due out in June.

This series is about Anita Blake who is a necromancer (someone who raises zombies) by day and a legal vampire hunter by night. She is known in the vampire world as The Executioner because of her high kill count. Anita also a part of the Regional Preternatural Investigation Team RPIT which is the department of the police that deals in all crimes involving a monster of sorts.

Anita is torn between relationships and and her own moral hang-ups. This series goes deep into the Vampire and Werewolf community and a few other things that seen to fit right into this world of mayhem. Hamilton has done a really good job with describing this world so that you can imagine everything that Anita is experiencing. You also get to learn about weapons, which was never really my thing but it is put out there in such an interesting way that you can't help but want more.

This series is never dull for even a moment, you are constantly taken from one thing to the next without any time to breathing. There is also such a long list of characters that you never get bored with the same personalities.

I highly recommend this series to anyone who is interested in the Vampire Romance/Mystery. One of the best things about it is the amount of books in the series. I read very fast reader and I was on this series of books for awhile and never got bored. I cant wait for the next book in the line up.

Any book suggestions or comments please let me know!