Archive for vampire book series
Touch the Dark by Karen Chance
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Imagine going out to lunch and then coming back, sitting at your computer, and discovering an obituary article splashed across your monitor. Imagine if it was your obituary stating that later that night you would be killed.
The Story
Cassandra “Cassie” Palmer is a clairvoyant: she can see events that will occur in the future. Unfortunately, she can’t control when these visions appear to her. On top of that, her visions have been combined with out-of-body episodes that transport her back to the 16th century.
If that wasn’t bad enough, she’s managed to piss off one of the most vengeful local vampires in Vegas. As a matter of fact he’s put a price on her head. The vampire in question, Tony, is dead set (no pun intended) on seeing her head on a platter.
So she’s not entirely surprised to see her own obituary on her monitor. Scared, but not surprised. Time to start running. Since Tony is likely to send several vampire hit men after her Cassie has a little time to spare before the sun goes down. She decides to make one stop before leaving town; she decides to warn her roommate and buddy Tomas who currently works at a local goth bar.
Almost as soon as she pulls Tomas aside in the bar’s storage room the vampire assassins launch their attack. Cassie’s clairvoyant powers are pretty strong but they provide no protection against murderous vampires. So she’s pleasantly surprised when the ward symbol tattooed on her back goes into combat mode and kills one of the 5 hit men sent by Tony. Even more surprising is Tomas’ ability to kill the remaining vampires. How could a mere mortal kill master level vampires that have superhuman strength and speed?
Therein lies one of several mysteries in the book.
Karen Chance has written a contemporary fantasy story that mixes suspense, adventure, and a little romance. The usual fantasy creatures are here of course, e.g., witches, vampires, and fae, but the story also contains some “were” characters. No, not werewolves, think “rats.” Yes, there are wererats in the book.
Although Touch the Dark contains a couple of scenes that depict the darker side of paranormal fantasy, the story has several humorous moments. In particular, Cassie’s sidekick, a wise-cracking ghost with a gambling habit, is hilarious and helps balance the storylines.
Karen Chance provides numerous surprises in this book that will keep you guessing. I recommend adding Touch the Dark to your fantasy book list. Check out the lowest prices on new and used copies of Touch the Dark. You can also read my review of the 1st book in this series Claimed By Shadow.
Ashes to Ashes by Jennifer Armintrout
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Carrie, a newly-turned female vampire and Nathan, her new sire, continue their mission to thwart the actions of the Soul Eater, the centuries old maniacal vampire that gains power by consuming the souls of other vampires. Unfortunately the Soul Eater has found a new BFF, an evil and deadly female vamire called the Oracle.
The Story
Carrie and Nathan first met in the 1st book in the series, The Turning, in which Nathan took Carrie under his wing after she was brutally attacked by a male vampire. Although their relationship is tenuous at times, they put their differences aside to track down the Soul Eater and his new followers. Along the way some of their old wounds are reopened causing them to question whether trust still exists in their relationship.
Carrie and Nathan team up with Max, a member of the Vampire Extinction Movement. His group’s mission is to exterminate rogue vampires that prey on humans (instead of consuming synthetic blood like most vampires). Max reluctantly partners with Bella, a female werewolf and witch and a former lover of his. They set out to kill the Oracle who plans to unleash a “sword” of evil on mankind. Unfortunately, the Oracle proves to be the most powerful vampire they’ve ever experienced; she possesses Bella’s body and brutalizes her as she and Max attempt to find her secret location.
Jennifer Armintrout structures this fantasy story like a wonderful road trip, with all of the good guys eventually congregating at the place of the showdown. The best part of the book lies in the adventures that occur along the way.
Jennifer Armintrout does an excellent job of keeping our interest piqued as the climax approaches. The book is well written and the characters are fully developed.
As with previous books in this fantasy series, Jennifer Armintrout weaves a tale of interspecies love interlaced with the standard good vs. evil storyline, but she does it in a fast paced, tooth biting manner that keeps the story interesting. There are romantic subplots in the story but they don’t overshadow the action-adventure segments of the book.
Jennifer Armintrout creates characters that are complex and not without their flaws. This adds to the believability of the story and keeps the entertainment level high.
Although the climax isn’t as detailed as I’d expected, it gets the job done nicely. There’s even a surprise thrown in that will leave your head spinning. Not in a Linda Blair sort of way mind you – in a good way!
Start with Book 1, The Turning, because it provides excellent backstory. However, to be honest, Ashes to Ashes works well as a stand-alone volume. Check out the latest prices for all of the books in the series:
The Turning (Blood Ties, Book 1)
Possession (Blood Ties, Book 2)
Ashes to Ashes (Blood Ties, Book 3)
All Souls’ Night (Blood Ties, Book 4) (Bk. 4)
Remember, with six you get eggroll.
See also: Dante’s Girl by Natasha Rhodes
Dead Sexy by Tate Hallaway
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What do you get when you combine a witch that shares her body with a powerful goddess, a vampire love interest, and a bunch of college kid zombies?
If it’s a story created by Tate Hallaway you get a well-written, evenly paced, paranormal fantasy that’s difficult to put down.
The Story
Our main character, Garnet Lacey, is a witch that works in a combination occult bookstore/herb emporium. In this book she’s got more trouble on her hands than she can possibly handle. Not only has a gorgeous detective linked her to the murders of several Vatican assassins but she’s started noticing a dramatic increase in the local zombie population. It seems as if someone is deliberately making zombies from innocent college students. Additionally, her vampire ex-boyfriend is in town, something her current vampire boyfriend has a hard time dealing with.
Although Lacey wants to investigate the zombie problem she also knows she has to do something to get the police off her track. She decides to cast a love spell on the detective investigating the Vatican murders. Unfortunately, she makes the spell a little too strong and spends a lot of her time fending off his affections. She reverses the spell but that of course makes the detective restart his investigation. This is where Lacey’s ex-boyfriend comes to the rescue by devising a clever solution for closing the murder investigation for good.
The closer Lacey gets to finding the person responsible for making the zombies the more she puts herself in danger. This causes Lililth, the goddess that periodically possesses Lacey’s body, to go into “attack mode” and attempt to wreak bloody havoc on those around her.
Tate Hallaway does a fine job combining humor and romance with darker subjects like witchcraft and zombie possession. That’s not an easy task to accomplish but she pulls through by writing believable characterizations and fleshing out a very detailed urban setting. You realize these are people you could meet everyday and just not know about their special powers.
This all makes for a great entertaining read. Although Dead Sexy represents the second installment in the series you don’t need to read the first book, Tall, Dark, and Dead in order to understand the storyline. You should, because it’s a good book, but it’s not necessary. This is, in my opinion, a testament to the effectiveness of Tate Hallaway’s talented writing style.
Get the books in the series:
Tall, Dark & Dead (Garnet Lacey, Book 1)
Dead Sexy (Garnet Lacey, Book 2)
Romancing the Dead (Garnet Lacey, Book 3)
Dead If I Do (Garnet Lacey, Book 4)
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See also: Romancing the Dead by Tate Hallaway
