Mass Market Paperback: 416 pages
Expected Publication Date: July 26th 2011 by Harper Collins, Inc
ISBN 13: 9780062115737
Source: NetGalley
Genre: Paranormal Romance, shifter & vampire
Series: The Vampires of Crimson Bay book #1
Stars: 4
Flames: 3
Synopsis from author’s website:
ReVamp's hottest Vampire Rehabilitation Specialist has been
burning moonlight looking for a cure to what's ailing the blood supply in
Crimson Bay, California. The mysterious infection is causing vampires to hit
the streets and act like...well...a bit like Dracula when he's cranked out on
venti mocha vamppuccinos. Neither her arranged marriage on the blood-smudged
horizon, nor the threat of shutting down her clinic can tear DYLAN'S eyes off the
prize--proving once and for all vampires aren't blood-lusting primal creatures.
The last thing she expects while prepping a newborn for coven induction is to
be spun for a wet and wild loop by the muscle bound vampire she finds beaten to
a pulp and sprawled out on her bed.
Little does she know, the shape-shifting goon squads dead
set on oppressing vampiric rights have a dark trick up their flickering
sleeves. They’ve sent a sheep to sleep amongst the wolves…
Shape-shifter by birth, assassin by rank, and vampire by
damned unfortunate circumstance, SLADE just wants to penetrate the coven of
leeches, complete his risky assignment, and high-tail it out of there. Despite
himself and shape-shifting law, he’s fired up; ready to take Dylan six ways
from Sunday….with a Blood-Blasted cherry on top. When Slade’s next target is
unveiled to be Dylan he must make a choice: complete his task and assassinate
the love of his life, putting an end to the vampire uprising or die a
traitorous death at the hands of his shape-shifting brothers and kick-start
all-out war.
My Review:
Slade
is a therian (shifter) assassin. His new assignment is to infiltrate the local
vampire haven posed as a vampire. His job is to find the catacombs that house
the hidden scrolls that tell the historical secrets and prophecies of the
vampire race. He is also supposed to kill one of the individuals mentioned in
the prophecies. He knows upfront he will not find out who his target is until
he is seated well in their haven. Dylan is a vampire. She runs ReVamp, a blood
center for vampires. Willing humans come in and donate. She then distributes it
to vampires so they do not have to urge to go seek out a meal on their own
(biting humans.) Her job is getting more difficult though. There is something
wrong with her blood supply. Her customers have to feed more often, and they
are not getting sufficient nourishment from their feedings.
I liked
Slade. He is hard, not too emotional. As he sees it he really doesn’t have
anything to live for. The part of his past that he remembers, he sees as the
biggest mistake of his life. After a failed assassination he accepts a job that
will get him his title as assassin back, even though the job itself is a
suicide mission. Dylan is a very compassionate woman. She wants her fellow
vampires to not be seen as the evil blood sucking leeches that they have been
portrayed as. Her time is spent mostly at ReVamp, when not there she is
teaching new vampires, counseling vampires, and mentoring vampires. She is very
passionate in her work to make her race thrive. I liked the pace at which she
and Slade’s relationship progressed. The sexual tension between the couple is
pretty intense. They have an attraction that neither wants due to their genetic
differences, but it is an attraction that they don’t want to fight either.
I love
prophecies. I enjoy seeing just how skewed ancient texts are and how easily they
be misinterpreted is always a thought-provoking read. There is also the excitement
of the characters trying to prevent the prophecy from ever being fulfilled. Add
in an ancient all-knowing person who speaks a truth in riddles and you have a
great read. I like a complex world with several different evils to add chaos
the plot. This book has that in spades. It seems everyone has their own agenda
to benefit themselves in the end. The evils are not caring about whose toes
they are stepping on along the way. If more people die than necessary, that’s
just a justifiable sacrifice for the end result. I enjoyed the remarkable cast
of characters. There were so many mischievous plans to better a race, that some
characters I thought were evil were in fact good and vice a versa. There is
plenty of action that keeps the pages turning. I also liked how each chapter
started with little factoids from various reading materials of this world. It
would be a small snip it from a newspaper, a handbook, or a newsletter. It was
a nice little piece of information that the characters had in their lives. The
readers are introduced to the characters for the second book in the series,
which the author’s website states will be out in the Fall of 2011.
this sounds really good,,that was a great review,,,
ReplyDeletesold me on wanting to read it,,
thanks for sharing
jen
I am reading this one now, but I am have one problem it seems to switch from one pov to the next without any warning and it's driving me crazy.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you liked it and you wrote a great review, I don't know if it is all the POV switches or the world building, but I'm reading this now and struggling to finish it.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing today. You have to admit that the title alone is worth a chuckle, but add to it the incredible storyline - OH MY the budget gods are going to be angry with me LOL
ReplyDelete