Archive for fantasy stories
New Releases: Best New Urban Fantasy Books for September 2008
Posted by: Fantasy Books | Comments (7)The following fantasy books are being released this month. With new releases by authors like C.E. Murphy, Lilith Saintcrow, Chris Marie Green, Justina Robson, L.A. Banks, and Richelle Mead, you can’t go wrong. There’s something here for everyone!
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Hands of Flame (The Negotiator Book 3) by C.E. Murphy War has erupted among the five Old Races, and Margrit is responsible for the death that caused it. Now New York City’s most unusual lawyer finds herself facing her toughest negotiation yet. And with her gargoyle lover, Alban, taken prisoner, Margrit’s only allies—a dragon bitter about his fall, a vampire determined to hold his standing at any cost and a mortal detective with no idea what he’s up against—have demands of their own. Determined to rescue Alban and torn between conflicting loyalties as the battle seeps into the human world, Margrit soon realizes the only way out is through the fire. See my review of C.E. Murphy’s urban fantasy book, Heart of Stone (The Negotiator Book 1). |
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Haunting the Nightside (Nightside Omnibus Book 2) by Simon R. Green This is a popular urban fantasy book series by Simon R. Green, a great urban fantasy writer. |
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Break of Dawn by Chris Marie Green Hollywood can really suck… To save her father Dawn must enter the Vampire Underground, where she will encounter an unthinkable betrayal, and where the question of who is truly good and who is truly evil will become a matter of life, death—and undeath. See my review of Night Rising (Vampire Babylon Book 1), a great introduction to this urban fantasy series. |
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Going Under (Quantum Gravity Book 3) by Justina Robson Lila Black is off with the faeries . . . Ever since the Quantum Bomb of 2015 things have been different; the dimensions have fused and suddenly our world is accessible to elves, demons, ghosts and elementals and their worlds are open to us. Things have been different for Special Agent Lila Black too: tortured and magic-scarred by elves, rebuilt by humans into a half-robot, part-AI, nuclear-fueled walking arsenal, and carrying the essence of a dead elfin necromancer in her chest, sometimes she has trouble figuring out who she is. And a mission to the world of the fae may not help her work it out. See my review of Keeping It Real (Quantum Gravity Book 1), the first book in the Lila Black urban fantasy series. |
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Succubus Dreams (Georgina Kincaid Book 3) by Richelle Mead Some days, a girl just can’t catch a break … especially when the girl in question is Georgina Kincaid, a shape-shifting succubus who gets her energy from seducing men. First there’s her relationship with gorgeous bestselling writer Seth Mortensen, which is unsatisfying on a number of levels. It’s not just that they can’t have sex in case Georgina inadvertently kills him (generally a turn-off for most guys). Lately, even spending time together is a challenge. Then there are the dreams. Someone, or something, is preying on Georgina at night, draining her energy, and supplying eerie visions of her future. Now Georgina faces a double challenge-rein in her out-of-control love life, and go toe-to-toe with an enemy capable of wreaking serious havoc among mankind. Otherwise, Georgina, and the entire mortal world, may never sleep easy again. See my review of Storm Born, another great book by Richelle Mead. |
See also: Best Selling Urban Fantasy Books for 2008
Hot New Releases: Best Fantasy Books for August 2008
Best Selling Fantasy Books for 2008
The following fantasy books are being released this month, August 2008. Several of these books are written by very popular fantasy book writers and are sure to be good.
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Breaking Dawn (The Twilight Saga Book 4) by Stephenie Meyer This is the last book in the incredibly popular Twilight Saga series. |
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Storm Born (Dark Swan Book 1) by Richelle Mead I’d seen weirder things than a haunted shoe, but not many. Sending some of my will into the wand, I tapped it against the shoe and spoke in a sing-song voice. “Come out, come out, whoever you are.” “Go away, bitch.” Great, a shoe with attitude. Fantasy Girl: I just bought this one - check out my Storm Born review! |
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The Gypsy Morph (The Genesis of Shannara, Book 3) by Terry Brooks |
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Legacy (Anna Strong Vampire Chronicles, Book 4) by Jeanne C. Stein “The sinister vampire who transformed her is dead, and Anna is entitled to his vast fortune. But a predatory werewolf comes forward, claiming the inheritance as her own—and she’ll kill to get what she wants most: blood and money.” Fantasy Girl: I have every book in the Anna Strong urban fantasy vampire series and highly recommend them! Reviews: |
See also: Best Selling Urban Fantasy Books for 2008
Best Selling Fantasy Books for 2008
In this, the 3rd book in the Julie Kenner soccer mom urban fantasy series, our heroine, Kate Connor is back attempting to keep her town (San Diablo, California) safe from body swapping demons.
It appears as if the town is being overrun with newly made demons that are targeting Kate, her teenage daughter Allie, and Allie’s hunky teacher, David. If you read California Demon you know that in that book Allie was kidnapped by a demon who had endeared himself to the family. Because of that ordeal Allie now knows that her mother does a lot more than just bake cookies (badly) and care for the family.
Unfortunately, Allie has decided she wants to follow in her mother’s footsteps and become a Hunter. This makes for some interesting exchanges between mother and daughter:
“No, you can’t go demon hunting with me. It’s a school night.”
“But Mom!”
“No, and that’s final.”
“Whatever!”
Okay, I totally made up that scene but you get the picture. My point is that Allie is a typical American teenager who sometimes does the exact opposite of what her parents tell her to do. This potentially puts her in harm’s way since it looks like the local demon population has her in its cross hairs. However, as we discover in the book, Allie’s a fairly smart and resourceful young lady.
Which brings me to the main mystery in the book: the demons are attacking Kate, Allie, and David, but they’re not going for the kill shot. Instead they’re attempting to extract information about a mysterious stone in which one of their fire-and-brimstone leaders has been imprisoned. Kenner does a nice job keeping us in the dark about the stone while the 3 main characters race against time to find it ahead of the bad guys.
Demons Are Forever further promotes Kate’s growth as a main character. In some of the earlier books we saw more of the domestic side of Kate, primarily because she was trying so hard to keep her hunter persona secret from her family and friends. In this book she’s forced to share her secret with a close friend and as such, I believe her character gets more fleshed out. In this book Kenner downplays the “soccer mom” aspect of Kate’s life and focuses more on the well-trained, smart and calculating kick-butt demon slayer persona. It’s a good move.
David, Allie’s high school teacher, is still somewhat of a mystery to Kate (and to us). In the previous book Kate began suspecting that David was hiding something - that he wasn’t exactly who/what he appeared to be. That mystery continues in this book and adds a level of suspense and uncertainty that keeps the storyline interesting.
As in previous books Kate’s husband Stuart is totally in the dark about her secret life. In the earlier books I was exasperated with his character because he seemed to be too preoccupied with building his political career and not plugged in to what his wife was going through. In this book he’s still clueless but we get to see a different side of him which makes him much more endearing. I still think he’s too easy to accept Kate’s explanations about her bruises and injuries but it’s clear that seeds of doubt are starting to take root. I used to wish he’d walk in on her while she was in slayer mode but to be quite honest it’s sometimes funny watching her rush to kill a demon before Stuart comes around a corner. However, I’m still eagerly awaiting the day when he discovers the truth - uh, he will eventually learn the truth right?
I really love the fact that these books don’t take place in an urban city. Likewise, there are no sophisticated weapons, the heroine doesn’t have magical powers, and leather bustiers/stiletto heels are never mentioned. These books are about a woman who uses her intuition, common sense and physical training to rid her little part of the world of evil.
If you’re looking for something different from your average Hunter/Slayer type urban fantasy book pick up one or all of the books in the series:
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| Book #1 | Book #2 | Book #3 | Book #4 |
Give the series a spin - I think you’ll like it.
Here’s one that makes my “best fantasy books” list:
Rachel Morgan is back and as usual has a cast of characters gunning for her. The main storyline in this book focuses on a string of werewolf murders that have recently occurred in Cincinnati. Rachel gets involved in the investigation when Glen, the illegal tomato-loving FIB agent asks her to come down to the morgue to help him determine the cause of death for a female werewolf.
After other bodies begin surfacing Rachel begins wondering if there’s a link between these deaths and an object that Nick (Rachel’s former loser boyfriend) stole from a group of werewolves. Rachel’s involvement increases when a friend of hers is arrested for the murders.
Now, if you’re a Rachel Morgan fan you know that every book contains demon visitations. This fantasy book is no exception. There are lots of demon visits in this book. I mean, lots.
As a matter of fact this fantasy book begins with Rachel being visited by Newt (the top demon from hell) who thinks Rachel has an object of his. Newt has gone insane and has occasional memory lapses. As such Rachel immediately grasps the seriousness of the situation: if Newt doesn’t find the object he’s looking for he may retaliate by killing Rachel and everyone in the vicinity. Rachel has to think fast to survive and does so only with the help of Ceri. This proves very tricky because Newt, because of his powers, can enter her (or anyone else’s) protection circles.
After dispatching Newt back to his place of origin its business as usual for Rachel which means she continues to struggle with her feelings for Ivy, her living vampire roommate. Rachel and Ivy are great friends but Ivy wants to take their friendship to the next level. Yes, the “next level” definitely includes a few loving bites but it also includes having a more intimate girl-to-girl relationship. To complicate matters Ivy is currently in a relationship with Skinner, a former girlfriend of Ivy’s who’s also a living vampire (as opposed to a dead vampire). Skinner has practically moved in with them and has made it very clear that she’s not a fan of Rachel’s. So, on top of being fearful of Newt suddenly appearing at any time at the church, Rachel also has to worry about Skinner and how far she’ll go to make sure Rachel isn’t competition for her affections for Ivy.
And, as in most of the fantasy books in this fantasy series, Rachel comes into contact with Trent. Trent wants Rachel to work security at his wedding because he just got an RSVP from Al (the demon determined to make Rachel his familiar).
Speaking of Trent, we learn even more about him in this book. I’ll let the readers decide whether it’s good or not. Needless to say, one particular scene between he and Rachel (at the Rachel’s home) left me absolutely speechless. Not that I talk to my books or anything – it was just shocking to me.
And if that wasn’t enough, Rachel receives news that Piscary, the master vampire who was incarcerated because of Rachel’s testimony, has been released from prison. This adds another person to the list of would-be assassins for Rachel. Let’s see there’s Al (a demon), Newt (a master level demon), Skinner (a vampire), and Piscary (a master level vampire). Okay, that seems about right for Rachel!
Our favorite pixy Jenks is back with his ever expanding family. Jenks provides the usual funny and insightful wisecracks we’ve come to love him for. Sadly, Armstrong introduces the idea that Jenks and his wife have almost reached the normal life span of pixies and are therefore in danger of going into a hibernation that they might not be able to survive. I really love Jenks’ character and hope he stays around for many more books in the series.
At over 500 pages this is a fairly long book as fantasy books go but Kim Harrison does an admirable job of juggling all of the plotlines described above (in addition to some I left out) in a manner that’s entertaining and exciting. Her pacing is top notch as always and she does a bang up job of climax building. “For a Few Demons More” is another solid contribution to the Rachel Morgan series and one which fans and newcomers alike will enjoy.
See also: Fantasy Book Quickie: Haunted by Kelley Armstrong
Best Fantasy Stories Pick: Kitty and the Silver Bullet by Carrie Vaughn
Lee is an artist. She’s got a strong creative and imaginative mind. She spends most of her days drawing images she can’t explain. Images that haunt and frighten her. Images that are disturbingly familiar to her. But she doesn’t know why.
But that’s not all. Her nights are simply unexplainable. She has odd dreams in which she appears in an alien world, helping others fight a war against evil forces. In those dreams she’s a warrior with very powerful magical abilities that render the enemy helpless. This doesn’t happen every night, but it happens often enough to be disturbing. What’s worse, she awakens with bruises and injuries she can’t explain. Bruises that tend to heal at an alarmingly fast rate. She’s been to see specialists about these occurrences but they typically think she’s injuring herself. As such Lee can feel her life spiraling out of control as she tries to understand the alternate world she seems to be drawn to.
Speaking of alternate worlds, let me tell you about the one Lee visits in her dreams. It’s called Ishtan and although it appears barren and desolate with people living in hand-built facilities and primarily traveling by foot, the humans there have technologically advanced weaponry. They also have individuals with psychic and healing abilities. The people there are united against a formidable enemy consisting of super-powerful warlords from a world called Anqar. The humans are outnumbered but dedicated to the fight against those that would enslave them. A “veil” separates Ishtan from Anqar but the warlords are able to open gates that allow them to enter Ishtan to kill and take human prisoners.
Eventually Lee comes to find herself permanently entrenched in Ishtan and has to accept (albeit reluctantly) that this is no dream. She still struggles to understand her role in the war but helping her make the transition to her new life is Kalen, the leader of the group fighting the creatures from Anqar. Although firmly rooted in Ishtan, Kalen has witnessed Lee’s short visits over the years and has patiently waited for the day when she understands that she belongs there, by his side, fighting against the destructive forces from Anqar. The relationship that develops between Lee and Kalen is quite touching and adds a nice contrast to the more violent elements in the book, especially those involving Anqar.
Ah, Anqar. This world of warlords and demons has a maniacal, power hungry, near insane High Lord at the helm that’s hell bent on the total overthrow of Ishtan, primarily for the sake of capturing as many female body slaves as possible. Not everyone in his command agrees with his plans though, and this provides an interesting sub-plot to the main storyline and accounts for some of the intrigue present in the book. The plotline dealing with Anqar, its inner workings, and its politics is written in such a way that I wanted to know more about these beings and their way of life.
As such, Through The Veil has some of the best world building I’ve come across in a long time. Walker’s highly detailed descriptions of both Ishtan and Anqar are rich and mesmerizing to read. Although the first part of the book focuses on Lee’s double life and there’s initially quite a bit of back-and-forth between Lee’s current life (mortal Earth) and her dream world (Ishtan) it never affects the steady pacing seen throughout the book. Quite the contrary. The contrasts between the different worlds actually assist the storyline’s progression and quite nicely builds up to the astonishing climax.
Shiloh Walker successfully combines suspense and adventure in a book that reads at times like an epic fantasy novel, primarily because of her ability to flesh out minute details that collectively serve as building blocks in the development of the overall storyline. And although the heroine Lee is described as an artist in her old life, it’s Walker that skillfully paints the characters on the page and brings them to life.
One of the best compliments I can give a book is to convey the fact that I care about its characters. I can honestly state that on several occasions during my evening commute I eagerly awaited my arrival at home so I could read further about Lee and Kalen’s burgeoning relationship, the politics of Anqar, and the war raging between the two worlds. Through The Veil is unlike most fantasy books I read in that it doesn’t contain vampires or werewolves but I found it to be an extremely satisfying change of pace from the urban fantasy I’m used to. It gets my seal of approval as a recommended read.
Check Availability:
Here’s the list of upcoming urban fantasy books with a release date of June 2008!
Easy one-click links are included to make it easy to check prices from either Barnes and Noble or Amazon.com.
I continue to be amazed at how urban fantasy is gaining in popularity. This is evident by the number of new books that are slated to be released in June. I’ve listed the first few and will continue adding to the list over the next few days.
See also:
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All Souls’ Night (Blood Ties, Book 4) (Bk. 4) by Jennifer Armintrout”Something was seriously wrong. In the past few weeks, since we had fled Grand Rapids and come to Max’s Chicago penthouse, Nathan’s entire focus had been my recovery. I’d gone mute and practically catatonic after Cyrus, once my sire, then my fledgling, had died. After I’d wake from one of my many nightmares—daymares, I supposed, since we vampires are third-shifters on account of that pesky sun thing—Nathan would hold me and try to reassure me that it had all been a dream, that he wouldn’t let anything harm me. Now, though, I felt his irritation and acute distraction through the blood tie, the telepathic and empathic connection that coursed between a fledgling vampire and their sire, and I knew something wasn’t right.” Check Availability: |
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The Mall of Cthulhu by Seamus Cooper”A decade ago, college student Laura Harker was saved from a fate worse than death at the hands (and fangs) of a centuries-old vampire priestess and her Satanic minions. Her rescuer, an awkward, geeky folklore student named Teddy, single-handedly slew the undead occupants of the Omega Alpha sorority house, spurred into heroic action by fate itself, inexorably intertwining his and Laura’s destinies. After navigating her way through law school, Laura is now a junior FBI agent assigned to the Bureau’s Boston office.” Check Availability: |
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Walk on the Wild Side (The Others, Book 5) by Christine Warren”In national bestseller Christine Warren’s Others novels, vampires, witches, werewolves, and more have come out of the supernatural closet. Now, the world as we know it will never be the same… Kitty Sugarman is a lot tougher than her name implies. Still, she’s content with how her small- town life keeps her removed from all the changes happening in the world—like the Unveiling of the Others. That is, until a near-tragedy strikes and Kitty discovers she has abilities . . .thanks to a father she never knew was alive. He also happens to be a were-lion and leader of one of the most powerful Prides out West.” Check Availability: |
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Spectre (Zoe Martinique, Book 2) by Phaedra Wheldon (Zoe Martinique Book 2)”Zoë Martinique has the extraordinary ability to travel outside her body at will. When she is drawn into an investigation of a series of bizarre murders, in which the victims are missing body parts, Zoë hopes to help her boyfriend, Atlanta homicide detective Daniel Frasier, stop the killer— one she’s sure is from the darkest levels of the astral plane—without letting him find out about her special abilities.” Check Availability: |
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Nightkeepers (Final Prophecy, Book 1) by Jessica Andersen “As a Miami narcotics detective, Leah Daniels never knows how her day will turn out. But she certainly never expected to be strapped to a stone altar, the human sacrifice in an ancient Mayan ritual meant to coax up a demon from the underworld. Or that she’d be saved by a handsome warrior-priest king who claims to recognize her from his visions… Jaguar Strike wishes he hadn’t made the mistake of reuniting his fellow warrior priests, or broken the law by saving their chosen human sacrifice. Now, he has no choice but to join forces with Leah and invoke dangerous magic in a death-defying race against the end of time.” Check Availability: |
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The Man with the Golden Torc (Secret Histories, Book 1) by Simon R. Green“All those things you hear about as a kid? The boogeyman under the bed? The creature in the closet? They’re for real, people. Eddie Drood knows they’re for real. His family has kept humanity safe from the things that go bump in the night. For ages, they’ve held back the nightmares, locked the doors, barred the gates, and put righteous boot to monster arse on a nightly basis. But now Eddie’s in trouble. One of his own has convinced the rest of the family that Eddie’s become a menace, and that humanity needs to be protected from him. So he’s on the run, using every trick in the book, magical and otherwise, hoping he lives long enough to prove his innocence. And he knows how dangerous the Droods can be-because he’s one of them.” Check Availability: |
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The Good Fairies of New York by Martin Millar”British author Millar offers fiercely funny (and often inebriated) Scottish fairies, a poignant love story as well as insights into the gravity of Crohn’s disease, cultural conflicts and the plight of the homeless in this fey urban fantasy. Due to the machinations of the obnoxious Tala, Cornwall’s fairy king, only a few humans can see the 18-inch-tall fairies who alight in Manhattan: Magenta, a homeless woman who thinks she’s the ancient Greek general Xenophon; Dinnie, an overweight slacker; and Kerry, a poor artist/musician who hopes her Ancient Celtic Flower Alphabet will win a local arts prize. Fairies Heather MacKintosh and Morag MacPherson scheme to put Dinnie and Kerry together, rescue fairy artifacts and prove that in love or war, music is essential.” Check Availability: |
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Daemons are Forever (Secret Histories, Book 2) by Simon R. Green”Second in the trilogy from the New York Times bestselling author of The Man with the Golden Torc. Eddie Drood’s clan has been watching mankind’s back for ages. And now he’s in charge of the whole kit and caboodle. But it’s not going to be an easy gig… During World War II, the Droods made a pact with some nasty buggers from another dimension known as the Loathly Ones, which they needed to fight the Nazis. But once the war was over, the Loathly Ones decided that they liked this world too much to leave. Now it’s up to Eddie to make things very uncomfortable for them—or watch everything humanity holds dear go up in smoke.” Check Availability: |
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The Cursed (Vampire Huntress Legends) by L. A. Banks”Lilith and her husband, the vampire “Unnamed One”, are caught unawares while awaiting the birth of their angel-hybrid heir. Installed as Vampire Council chairwoman, Lilith calls on vampires, witches and warlocks (including Machiavelli, Jezebel, Genghis Khan and Medusa) to combat the forces of the Covenant, the Guardians, the Neterus and both Neteru Councils. She attacks her enemies Damali and Carlos Rivera where it hurts the most: their libidos. Soon the battle involves a Valkyrie, the Ark of the Covenant and bootleg music downloads. This end of days scenario is a wild amalgam of Christianity, vampire lore, world myth, functional morality, street philosophy and hot sex.” Check Availability: |
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Blood Colony: A Novel by Tananarive Due”There’s a new drug on the street: Glow. Said to heal almost any illness, it is distributed by an Underground Railroad of drug peddlers. But what gives Glow its power? Its main ingredient is blood — the blood of immortals. A small but powerful colony of immortals is distributing the blood, slowly wiping out the AIDS epidemic and other diseases around the world. Meet Fana Wolde, seventeen years old, the only immortal born with the Living Blood. She can read minds, and her injuries heal immediately. When her best friend, a mortal, is imprisoned by Fana’s family, Fana helps her escape — and together they run away from Fana’s protected home in Washington State to join the Underground Railroad. But Fana has more than her parents to worry about: Glow peddlers are being murdered by a violent, hundred-year-old sect with ties to the Vatican. Now, when Fana is most vulnerable, she is being hunted to fulfill an ancient blood prophecy that could lead to countless deaths.” Check Availability: |
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Blood and Iron: A Novel of the Promethean Age (Book 1) by Elizabeth Bear”Ancient grudges and ruthless schemes are simply business as usual to the Faerie court in Bear’s complex and involving contemporary fantasy. Seeker, formerly Elaine Andraste, is a changeling bound to the Mebd, the queen of the Daoine Sidhe, to find other changelings and bring them to the Faerie court. There, like legendary Tam Lin, and Seeker’s own son, Ian, they entertain the queen until she tires of them. Now the queen needs Seeker to find and win the heart of the new Merlin, latest incarnation of a being who, in the hands of the Prometheans, could be used to destroy the Fae. Pragmatic college professor Carel Bierce, the first female Merlin, is not easily swayed by Fae or Promethean advances. Long-forgotten rivalries and unsuspected blood ties arise to tug at Seeker’s loyalties, even as the queen promises to free Ian when she succeeds.” Check Availability: |
Okay, I’m on a roll. I just started reading a new urban fantasy book which prompted me to write the following vampire love poem:
Vampire Love Poem #4
When we were in love you called me “your Sookie”,
But you betrayed me and taking you back would be kooky.
Now the Fellowship is after my head,
They truly hate the undead,
So spending time with your vamp queen can be quite spooky.
Which female character from a popular urban fantasy vampire book series would say these words?
For more Vampire Love Poems see:













































