Lack of Reviews

Hi to all my readers and followers, just to say I'm not posted much at the moment as I'm going through a period of not feeling too well. I hope you bear with me and I'll be back soon !

Review Fury of Fate by Coreene Callahan

Synopsis 

Sasha Cooper is a woman on a mission. Determined to let loose and live a little, she takes her best friend’s advice and embarks on a night of passion with a complete stranger. No regrets in the morning. No looking back either. But when the one she chooses turns out to be a Dragonkind warrior, Sasha knows she’s in trouble—and that the man she believed was a dream come true could end up being her worst nightmare.

He never intended to get involved…

Ivar, leader of a rogue faction of Dragonkind, isn’t a pushover. So when a noisy neighbour jeopardizes the security of his secret lair, he decides to take care of the problem once and for all. Little does he know banging on Sasha’s door will send him on a passionate odyssey unlike any he’s ever experienced? But when the night takes a deadly turn, he’s left little choice—escape from the woman who possesses the power to kill him, or die trying.

Review

I’m not always a fan of novellas, as I get into a story and it ends too soon, but as this was part of the dragonfury series I decided to give it a go. I’ve loved this series right from the start when the first book came out, and couldn’t wait for the rest. Ivan is the ultimate bad boy, his smouldering tension and potential violence send both men and women scurrying away if he crosses their path.  Ivan is a real nasty piece of work, Coreene writes him so well that you can’t help but despise him. Imagine my surprise when I opened this novella to find he’d met his match and it wasn’t another dragonkind, it was a woman on a mission, who scared Ivan to death. Coreene’s idea to bring him to his knees was inspired, who knew I van could be a soft sexual creature, when in other books he is portrayed as the polar opposite. Ivan is drawn to Sasha but he doesn’t know how or why, but maybe the meridian had something to do with it!

This Novella is well worth the read, as the story centres around Ivan and will leave you thinking wow. I so loved reading about this different side to him and I really hope the author develops this relationship further in a future book. I did feel a short novella wasn’t enough for this storyline, but thankful I had Fury of Obsession to move straight on to.

This review is short and sweet just like the book, which if you’re a dragonfury fan I would highly recommend you read it. If you’re new to the series, I’d suggest starting from the first book Fury of Fire, to give you the back ground you need on Ivan, which I believe you need to fully appreciate this book.

I rate this book

 

Review End of Days by Susan Ee

Synopsis  

End of Days is the explosive conclusion to Susan Ee’s bestselling Penryn & the End of Days trilogy.

After a daring escape from the angels, Penryn and Raffe are on the run. They’re both desperate to find a doctor who can reverse the twisted changes inflicted by the angels on Raffe and Penryn’s sister. As they set off in search of answers, a startling revelation about Raffe’s past unleashes dark forces that threaten them all.

When the angels release an apocalyptic nightmare onto humans, both sides are set on a path toward war. As unlikely alliances form and strategies shift, who will emerge victorious? Forced to pick sides in the fight for control of the earthly realm, Raffe and Penryn must choose: Their own kind, or each other?

Review

Finally after a very long wait the much anticipated 3^rd book in the Angelfall trilogy was released, there’s been a lot of hype around this book so I really hoped it would deliver – and it did. Penryn and Raffe’s relationship has more depth and feeling especially as Raffe fights his feelings for her, whilst Penryn tries to steel herself ready for when Raffe will leave her to go back to the Angels. Raffe is desperate to have his wings reattached to his body that he’ll even go with Penryn into the lion’s den aka the resistance camp, when this doesn’t pan out he has no option but to go into the aerie of the angels. I love Raffe he’s everything a girl would want, strong handsome and extremely hot, he tries to do the right thing by Penryn but the need to be with other angels is really strong.

Penryn tries to be the tough independent fighter, but underneath she feels like a soppy teenager in love with an angel. She always tries to look after and protect her mum and sister, but she also has this deep bond with Raffe. It really touched her when Raffe chose her as his number 2 in a battle with angels, when he says she is the only person he can trust 100% to watch his back. She is fearless to the end and I admire her tenacity and faith in Raffe to do the right thing, even when faced with what seems a no win situation. It also appears Raffe’s sword Pooky Bear also approved of their bond as she allows both of them to wield her.

I absolutely loved Penryn’s mum in this third instalment, she’s truly bonkers but she also amazes her daughter when she takes charge at different times. It was hilarious how her store of rotten eggs finally become a useful weapon, she really made me smile throughout the book. I also liked the addition of the fallen watchers to the story, I won’t say why or what for as I don’t want to spoil the book, but they added the male bonding with Raffe which was great.

Also in this final book we find out why Beleil became a demon and so bitter and angry towards Raffe and Penryn, the ending of his story line tied up nicely. In the final battle between the angels and humans neither side came out unscathed at the end of the book and I must admit to cheering when Uriel got his comeuppance. I must also state that this is the first book in a long time where I’ve liked and been happy with the ending. A lot of authors leave too many loose threads at the end of their books, or leave the book as if there’s another instalment to come. Susan has cleverly ended her book with finality and left me feeling ‘what a great ending’.

This trilogy has been one of the best I’ve read, the only downside was waiting for each book to be published. Susan Ee has come a long way from being an unknown author to one whose final book was hotly anticipated. Her writing style is simple and clear she doesn’t throw in too many red herrings nor does she try to fill her books with too many twists and turns making it difficult to follow. Instead she leads her readers through the book in a way they can thoroughly enjoy it, without having to try too hard. There’s also not loads of sex either, there’s just enough romance peppered through which was realistic in the world Penry and Raffe were living.

I’ve absolutely enjoyed reading this book and series, and would highly recommend them. If you’ve never read any books about angels, this isn’t all sweetness and light with guardian angels, this is the nitty gritty tough warrior angels, with a bit of teen romance and apocalypse thrown in. Also you’ll not have to wait for each book to be published either, before you can read the whole series.

I rate this book 

I rate this series



Review for Artful A Novel by Peter David

Synopsis 

Oliver Twist is one of the most well-known stories ever told, about a young orphan who has to survive the mean streets of London before ultimately being rescued by a kindly benefactor.
But it is his friend, the Artful Dodger, who has the far more intriguing tale, filled with more adventure and excitement than anything boring Oliver could possibly get up to.

Throw in some vampires and a plot to overthrow the British monarchy, and what you have is the thrilling account that Charles Dickens was too scared to share with the world.

From the brilliant mind of novelist and comic book veteran Peter David, Artful is the dark, funny, and action-packed story of one of the most fascinating characters in literary history

Review

Well I'll begin this review by saying this is the first book I gave up reading half way through, since I started reviewing the books I read. I just couldn't get my head around the fact that Fagin and The Magistrate were vampires, who were plotting to turn Princess Alexandria Victoria in to a vampire to meet their own ends. It was a nice idea to use the Artful Dodger as the central character following on from the end of Oliver Twist, but the plot was ludicrous, Artful, junior Van Helsing and the Princess becoming vampire hunters in Victorian London, just doesn't ring true.

The authors style of writing and his attempt to replicate Dickensian language is really annoying and frankly, he doesn't really have the ability to pull it off. I checked the reviews on Goodreads and Amazon to check if I was being unduly harsh or was wrong about the book, and there were plenty that agreed with me.

I rate this book 

The Ouroboros Cycle; A Long Awaited Treachery by G D Falksen

Synopsis

For a thousand years, the immortal Shashavani have hidden from the world in the halls of their mountain fortress, amassing great stores of knowledge in a haven of academic tranquillity. And while Doctor Varanus has never found tranquillity much to her taste, even she cannot deny that the peace and quiet make for a pleasant diversion following the chaos of her recent adventures in London. Having left the horrors of bloodshed and wellness behind her, Varanus has thrown herself headlong into the study of the Shashavani condition, determined to learn the secrets of their undying power.

But all is not as it seems in the House of Shashava. As winter snow covers the Shashavani valley and chokes the mountain passes, sinister events are unfolding in the shadows. Whispers of conspiracy echo through the halls. Soon loyalties will be tested and friendships betrayed. Blood will flow. For upon the frozen steppe, an ancient evil stirs and turns its gaze toward the House of Shashava, hungering for power and revenge.

 Review

In the third book of the series we find Varanus and Ekaterine back home at the House of Shashava, with Varanus throwing herself into her work seeking the answers to her condition. Unfortunately Varanus and Ekaterine are caught stealing some of the holy water for her experiments ending with Varanus spending months in a cell with orders to reflect on her wrongdoing. Her mentor Iosef has gone on a sojourn with Sofio, unbeknown to them, sinister events start to unfold.

 In this third instalment Varanus develops a whole new side to her character as she fights against those disloyal to the Shashavani way. She is fierce fighter even when the odds are against her, wearing a plague doctors masque, cycling outfit and leather coat, she becomes the scourge of the new rulers and their soldiers. She wins time and again when the odds are stacked against her, the most amazing being when she kills an ancient centuries old vampire, I must admit I did go ‘Yes’ and cheer her on at the point. The multiple layers the author gives to Varanus adds real depth to her character and she is nothing like the Babette we met in the first book. I must say the more Varanus’ character develops the more I like her. The cover picture really gives you an image of what Varanus would have looked like in the book.

 This book is completely set in the House of Shashava, enabling Falksen to develop the home of the Shashavani in much more depth. We learn about the different immortals there and their backgrounds in philosophy, maths etc. all striving with the goal to amass knowledge. We also find out more about the people living in the valley, the army that protects the House and the council who work with the vicar of Shashava, Sofio to maintain the running of the house and community. The way the immortals work, taking no notice of time, seasons or events, and to the scholars, the events unfolding shock them to their core, the peace and tranquillity within the House of Shashava is broken and the Shashava are pitted against each other.

 This book is different to the first two, it’s fast paced with twists you never seen coming, which just keep you reading. I really couldn’t put it down, and the ending will keep you hanging on for the next book, and I can’t wait for the next instalment. The plot is well written, and for those of you who want blood n guts in your vampire books then you won’t be disappointed. The only downside to reading this book, is the wait for book 4 to be published. There’s the great images at the beginning of each chapter giving an insight into what each chapter holds.

 I must admit I was very dubious about reading these books as historically set fantasy/vampire books are really not the usual kind of books I read. Despite this, as it was recommended by a friend I decided to give it a go, and surprisingly I was hooked from the first book. So the moral of the story is, don’t say no to a book that is not typical of what you read, you may be pleasantly surprised.

 I rate this book

 

Pre-order

You can now pre-order End of Days by Susan EE, this is the third and last book in the trilogy, click on the link to find out more directly from Susan's website

End of Days

The Ouroboros Cycle; A Cautionary Tale for Young Vampires

Synopsis

The year is 1888 and a madman is terrorizing the East End of London. But Doctor Varanus Shashavani has far more pressing concerns to worry about than a lunatic in Whitechapel. Her charitable hospital is under siege by gang lords, her English cousins are threatening to steal her inheritance, and her best friend has become obsessed with Gothic novels. To make matters worse, her son Friedrich is associating with an American who talks endlessly of wellness and yoghurt, while her bodyguard is pestering her to return home to Georgia, half a world away. It seems that everyone--friends, enemies, and "Saucy Jack" alike--have conspired to interrupt her work. But Varanus did not obtain immortality just to have mad killers and distant relations get in the way of scientific progress. Though supernatural conspiracies and all-too-human monsters confront her at every turn, Varanus will stand firm against all odds. After all, she is accustomed to fighting for what is rightfully hers

Review

In book two we find Babette know known as Varanus, living in London with her best friend Ekaterine and Lukas her body guard. She’s waiting to meet with her English relatives over her grandfather & father’s will, meanwhile she’s opened a small clinic in the East End of London in one of the poorest areas to treat the locals for free. Unfortunately the clinic is constantly undermined and under siege by local gangs and Varanus decides to do something about it.

Varanus has transformed not only name but in what she does as well, having being a vampire a number of years she uses her new found skills to deal will the local criminal element. Varanus has become more lethal, despite her diminutive size she can certainly deal with men far larger than her, leaving them shocked and usually dead in her wake. I really like the new Varanus, as well as being an intelligent forward thinking women not of her time she certainly can look after herself as well. Varanus’ vampiric tendencies are surprisingly subtle in the books, and to look at her they aren’t apparent, as she comes across as a normal person, except for the fact that she can do far more than a normal human being.

Ekaterine is the perfect best friend for Varanus, being of the same mind as far as women’s role in the world, she takes care of Varanus ensuring she comes to no harm etc. Although she is Shashavani she isn’t immortal like Varanus but she still lives under ‘The Shadow of Death’ with the added perks of quick healing and ageing extremely slowly. Ekaterine takes to English life and fashion like a duck to water, yet still completely refuses to wear corsets, much to the chagrin of Varanus, as they stop her being able to fight.

We also meet Varanus’ son once again, this time he’s in the company of a rather dodgy American doctor who expounds the virtue of wellness and yogurt. Varanus is most displeased to find him in London and not back home in Fushberg where she’d sent him, and it’s great to see how the mother and son relationship develops. I like Fredrick especially the sometimes desperate way he chases Ekaterine and he also provides some humour in the book as well.

The back ground of 18^th century London in the story, depicts how poor life was in the east end of London, where life was very cheap and murder an everyday hazard for the locals. I liked how the author weaved the story of Jack the Ripper into the book when Lukas ends up in a police cell on suspicion of being Jack just because he’s a foreigner. The way the small alleys and rat runs are described, the whores on every street corner plying their trade, certainly brings to life 18^th century London.

When Varanus and Ekaterine visit the English cousins, we are once more drawn into the mystery of the scions and their relationship to both sides of Varanus’ family. She once again tries to unravel the mystery and find out more, with little avail, and we are once again left with the suspicion that Fredrick may also be scion as well, but this is all left hanging with lots of questions unanswered, which hopefully will be picked in later books.

Overall I enjoyed this book more than the first which is unusual as second books in series sometimes are a let-down, but no fear with this one. Although I’m not into historical/period books, the 18^th century London background felt real to me, with little artistic manipulation. I must admit it really added to the story in this book, and the Ripper twist was great. If you’ve read book one then I’d definitely recommend continuing on with book two. Once again I can’t finish the review without commenting on the fantastic art work that features throughout the book, loved it.

I rate this book

 

Artful A Novel by Peter David

Synopsis

Oliver Twist is one of the most well-known stories ever told, about a young orphan who has to survive the mean streets of London before ultimately being rescued by a kindly benefactor.
But it is his friend, the Artful Dodger, who has the far more intriguing tale, filled with more adventure and excitement than anything boring Oliver could possibly get up to. Throw in some vampires and a plot to overthrow the British monarchy, and what you have is the thrilling account that Charles Dickens was too scared to share with the world.
From the brilliant mind of novelist and comic book veteran Peter David, Artful is the dark, funny, and action-packed story of one of the most fascinating characters in literary history.

Cuurently reading this, but struggling to get into it, I'll let you know how I got on soon

The Ouroboros Cycle; A Monster Coming of Age by G D Falksen

Synopsis

How far would you go to avenge the one you love? Would you go beyond death? Born into the stifling confines of French upper society, Babette Varanus never thought that she would have to answer that question. Surrounded by wealth yet ostracized by her peers, Babette had little interest in love until she met Korbinian, a scandalous German baron with the audacity to regard her as his equal. But when the intrigues of her grandfather's enemies conspire to tear them apart, Varanus will embark upon a journey of vengeance, love, and redemption that will take her beyond the limitations of mortality and reveal to her the dark forces that command humanity from the shadows. Faced with madness, murder, hidden cults, and erudite vampires, does she have the strength to withstand the storm that rises against her?

Review

The story revolves around Babette, a young lady born into a privileged family in France she finds life in the upper class society stifling and her peers ostracize her, leading to her live a solitary life, which she doesn’t mind at all. At one of her grandfather’s balls she meets Korbinian a German Baron whom she falls madly in love with, whilst unbeknown to her, her grandfather is battling with enemies who conspire to make Babette marry an overbearing son of a Count. As Babette and Korbinian’s love flourishes the enemies conspire against Korbinian who manages to stay alive until Christmas Eve.

Babette initially comes across as a young lady only interested in learning, reading etc. and would be quite happy becoming a spinster with her books to keep her company, unfortunately her father and others have no intention of letting this happen. As the story continues Babette’s character develops and she is surprisingly strong willed and determined young lady. She is so not a woman of her times, but more an emancipated woman of the 20th century, she hates gossiping about the latest fashion, preferring a more intellectual conversation. Her love for Korbinian runs deep and it was so sad when he died, but the way the author turned him into a lovelorn ghost who forever stays with Babette is inspired and really adds humour to the tale.

The historical background to the book is well written, I was a bit concerned about its historical nature at the beginning as I’m not really into historical tails, but in this case it really adds depth, interest and intrigue to the book. The way women were treated as chattels or objects to be owned and how they were repressed when it came to education further than a tutor, all adds to the depth of the books background. The book has a mix of humour, adventure and sadness which gives a multidimensional feel.

The twist regarding the vampire element in the book was great, it made such a change from the bloodlust in a lot of books. One thing I have found really different NO VAMPIRE SEX nor loads and loads of erotic scenes which make for a very good change from the usual vampire books. Vampirism along with the other supernatural element are more in the background of the book and not a main element, allowing for a lot of character building and setting the scene of life in the 18th century. The author also lays lots of little nuggets of information for the reader which I hope will be developed in the next books.

Finally I can’t leave the review without mentioning the art work at the beginning of each chapter and the front cover done by Fyodor Pavlov & Lawrence Gullo. What can I say other than I loved it, and the way it depicts part of the story within the chapter is inspired, it also has a feel of Steam Punk which I adore. Overall a well written book, which would be an ideal book to give a gentle introduction into the genre of fantasy and super natural. I would definitely recommend adding it to your list of books to read. If you prefer books full of horror, blood thirsty vampires and hot vampire sex, then this may not be the book for you, although this book was a first for me away from the typical books I read, this wasstill a great book to read

I rate this book

The Nightlife; San Antonio by Travis Luedke Review

Synopsis   

Chock-full of vampires, mafia & mayhem, this wicked blend of dark romance and paranormal fantasy from New York Times and USA Today bestseller Travis Luedke is an indulgent sinful pleasure.

The Nightlife is violent, sexy, and occasionally violently sexy, and San Antonio starts with blood on the floor.

EMT on call, Adrian Faulkner resuscitates a beautiful woman after a Mexican mafia shootout. He can't explain why he picks her up in the hospital parking lot three days later and then ducks the San Antonio police – and the Feds.

She needed to hide. With no memory of even her name, she didn't know from who. She only knew she wasn't safe. Lucky to survive, all she wants is to escape the police.

Looking to hit it and quit it, all Adrian wants is to get laid. They both got more than they bargained for.

The naked woman tangled in Adrian’s sheets and his life is far more than a damsel in distress, and now he’s stuck with her. All hell breaks loose as the past she can’t remember catches up with them both…

Review

The Nightlife; San Antonio is the second standalone book in The Nightlife series by Travis Luedke. We meet Adrian Falkner in the beginning of the book as he works as an EMT, his back ground is that of the military with a dark psychological profile, he’s a loner never needing to rely on anyone but himself. Whilst on nightshift he and his partner are called to a shootout where they’re needed to treat a beautiful female shot multiple times. In the ambulance her heart fails her, but Adrian is determined to save her, shocking her heart back into life, they make it to hospital with her still alive. Drawn to her he keeps checking on her to see if she’s recovering, until the fateful night he meets her in the hospital car park dressed in only a hospital gown. Against his better judgement he takes her home and the rollercoaster begins.

A vampire with no memory is a great twist to the beginning of the book, and we are able to see their relationship develop as Adrian observes how quickly the vamp heals whilst finding it difficult to comprehend how she heals and why she keeps biting him drawing on his blood. I haven’t read a book for a while where a vamp lives on instinct alone not knowing why she does things. I also liked that the main vampire in this book is female who instinctually takes a male blood slave who can care and protect her.

It’s not long before the mafia starts raising its ugly head, along with the local white supremacy biker group and a dirty cop. Travis once again drags us through the seedy under world of drugs and the mafia and uses it to great effect in the book. Adrian fights hard against his natural instinct to destroy anything in his path he didn’t want to be the sociopath the army psychiatrists labelled him, that’s why he became an EMT but the need to protect the vamp draws the ruthless side from him.

As is usual in The Nightlife books there’s lots of hot steamy sexual encounters, the tension between the two of them is gripping and intense with the continuous temptation in her mind to bite him while he has an inability to hold back or to play it safe. Travis writes in his own inimitable style giving the reader enough information for them to finish the scenes in their mind and isn’t gratuitous in any way. I must admit I really like Travis’s style of writing erotica in to his books it makes a change from some of the books I’ve read where there’s just lots and lots of sex not always written well.

There is some irony with Adrian and La Rena’s relationship, he’s a sociopathic loner with OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder) relying on no one and the first women he really falls for is also a tough sociopath & a high ranking drug lord and can be quite messy when she feeds, what were the chances of that Travis!! I also liked Crenshaw who came across as a very funny character although it was a shame about his ending.

The book is gritty and takes you into the world where the mafia is king, law and ruler mix this in with vampires and you get a great Travis Luedke novel. It’s an easy book to read, there’s no need to concentrate too hard to follow the plot, and it allows you to travel into a different world with different laws. It’s a great standalone book within the series and you could read it at any point in the Nightlife book series. I’m sad to reach the end of these books, but I would highly recommend them to anyone who loves a good vampire book or as a first set of books for those just coming into the vampire/fantasy genre
 

I Rate This Book                                                                                                         

                                                                                                                   

 

I Rate This Series

 

 

The Nightlife; San Antonio by Travis Luedke

Now reading the final book in The Nighlife series

Synopsis
Chock-full of vampires, mafia & mayhem, this wicked blend of dark romance and paranormal fantasy from New York Times and USA Today bestseller Travis Luedke is an indulgent sinful pleasure.

The Nightlife is violent, sexy, and occasionally violently sexy, and San Antonio starts with blood on the floor.

EMT on call, Adrian Faulkner resuscitates a beautiful woman after a Mexican mafia shootout. He can't explain why he picks her up in the hospital parking lot three days later and then ducks the San Antonio police – and the Feds.

She needed to hide. With no memory of even her name, she didn't know from who. She only knew she wasn't safe. Lucky to survive, all she wants is to escape the police.

Looking to hit it and quit it, all Adrian wants is to get laid. They both got more than they bargained for.

The naked woman tangled in Adrian’s sheets and his life is far more than a damsel in distress, and now he’s stuck with her. All hell breaks loose as the past she can’t remember catches up with them both…

Blood Slave (Nightlife Serie) Travis Ludke

Synopsis   

Her mother named her Esperanza Salvación - Hope for Salvation. But when a girl works as an escort for Colombian cartel in the ghettos of Spanish Harlem, there wasn’t much hope, or salvation. Hope’s telepathic ability keeps her a step ahead of ruin, but her unusual gift attracts the attention of a psychotic vampire bitch. Trapped in a Manhattan penthouse with the psycho, she thought she was dead meat.

Her survival lies in the hands of Vampire Master Enrique. He seems to respect her, perhaps even care. As a measure of protection, he makes her his personal Blood slave. Helplessly addicted to his bite, Enrique rules her every moment. As always, Hope must adapt to survive. Swept into the decadent nightlife of Manhattan's elite, she falls in love with Enrique and prays someday he may grow to love her, too. But is it simply a relationship of convenience? Is she nothing more than a concubine desperate to satisfy his nightly demands for blood and sex?

And forever in the background is the fear that one day the cartel boss she abandoned will hunt her down to collect on old debts.

Review

Blood Slave is one of two standalone books in the Nightlife Series, in this one we meet Hope an escort working for the Columbian Cartel living in Spanish Harlem. She is beholden to Foustino for a debt she’s paid many times over and her visa has expired which he won’t allow her to renew to keep in her place. The book starts with her next appointment an Asian women called Lia, who turns out to be a psychotic lesbian vampire, who wants to kill Hope as she can’t bespell her into forgetting there tryst, but can’t until she’s talked to her master. As we go through the book we find out what made Lia as she is, and Hope fears for her life when Lia continues to mentally torture Hope with visions of violent, gruesome ways to kill her.

Lia’s master turns out to be a hot Spanish vampire called Enrique, he is the epitome of a well healed gentleman who treats Hope with respect, giving her a job, clothes and jewellery whilst she provides him with sex and blood. Making Hope his blood slave is the only way he can protect her from Lia and help her to fit into their lives as he refuses permission for Lia to kill Hope. This a great story of a young women who is a victim of circumstance who is saved by a man normally well out of her reach

Throughout the book there is a lot of violence, torture and violent sex, but the way Travis deals with it, is not going blow by blow of the violence in minute detail. Instead he gives you a flavour of what is happening, whilst leaving your imagination to fill in the blanks. This is what I like about this Nightlife series, it doesn’t go into unnecessary gory details which the reader may not want, instead he leaves it to his readers to process it.

I’m not usually a fan of standalone books, as I feel I want to know more than the book gives, hence why I prefer series and trilogies. This book though is I think my favourite so far of in this series of books, it’s one where I got angry at the unfairness of Hope’s situation towards the latter part of the book where she is being abused by one of Foustino’s henchmen, as I wanted her to have her happy ending. Also I loved Hope who is a survivor and a very strong woman to go through what she did and come out fighting rather than giving in to her situation. Travis always manages to give such detailed back stories and characters you can’t help but like or loath.

I won’t lie, I didn’t like the fact this is a standalone book, I wanted to learn more about Hope and Enrique, but that is my personal issue. This is a great book, which I really enjoyed and would recommend it to anyone to read. It can be read as a one off, but it also sits well within the series though I would suggest starting with The Nightlife; New York. If you’re not sure whether to read the series, this is a great book to get a feel of how the author writes, how he deals with the subject matter and whether you want to read the rest although you should also be aware I wouldn’t recommended this series for those who have problems with violence and hard-core sexual activities in the books they read.

Once again the author demonstrates his ability to write great books which are a combination of sexy and sweet, so you'd think a woman wrote it, but it's tough and rough, so you know there's no doubt a man actually wrote the book.

I rate this book

 

 

New Book; Blood Slave by Travis Luedke

Synopsis 

Her mother named her Esperanza Salvación - Hope for Salvation. But when a girl works as an escort for Colombian cartel in the ghettos of Spanish Harlem, there wasn’t much hope, or salvation.

Hope’s telepathic ability keeps her a step ahead of ruin, but her unusual gift attracts the attention of a psychotic vampire bitch. Trapped in a Manhattan penthouse with the psycho, she thought she was dead meat.

Her survival lies in the hands of Vampire Master Enrique. He seems to respect her, perhaps even care. As a measure of protection, he makes her his personal Bloodslave. Helplessly addicted to his bite, Enrique rules her every moment. As always, Hope must adapt to survive.

Swept into the decadent nightlife of Manhattan's elite, she falls in love with Enrique and prays someday he may grow to love her, too. But is it simply a relationship of convenience? Is she nothing more than a concubine desperate to satisfy his nightly demands for blood and sex?

And forever in the background is the fear that one day the cartel boss she abandoned will hunt her down to collect on old debts

The Nightlife; Moscow by Travis Luedke

Synopsis 

Vampires Aaron and Michelle have landed in Moscow, on the prowl. In the company of a misfit pack of mercenary werewolves and Urvashi, a fallen angel, the vampires are forced into the violent, decadent underworld of Russian mafia, drugs and blood slaves.
This time the hunters have become the hunted.

Dmitri, a Russian vampire billionaire, sends his mafia hit men to the streets, gunning for the wolf pack. Now they must bring the fight to Dmitri and face the ultimate battle for survival.
Experience the violent, sensual underbelly of Nightlife Moscow, as Aaron and Michelle mix up a wicked blend of sex, chaos, mayhem, and vengeance.

Review

We find Michelle, Aaron, Urvashi and the werewolves arriving in Moscow, ready to hunt down Dimitri another vampire. This time Dimitri knows they’re coming and he’s hunting them down in a bid to illuminate them before they kill him. What is different in this book, is we see the two vampires planning their violent assault, where previously in other books, most of the violence has been reactive to the situations they’ve got themselves into, this time it’s premeditated.

 What I like about Aaron is his ability to fall into trouble, like a magnet he pull calamity towards him, yet he always gets the girl or two or three at the end and usually embroiled in sexual activity with them! I also think it’s his naivety that makes him so endearing, he has no idea how to get out of dangerous activities without leaving his DNA all over the place like a white flag waving Aaron was here all over the death scenes he leaves behind him, just waiting for the clues to be put together. He also seems to attract the biggest baddist mafia groups, like the Albanians, Russians and Columbian cartels to name a few, he doesn’t do things in half measures.

 Aaron just wants to live the quiet life with Michelle, but by the end of the book he has his own personal harem of blood slaves and a young girl he becomes guardian for along with Michelle, Urvashi and his pet werewolf Katya. What is he to do with all the women he collects “accidently” in his life!

 Urvashi may be a fallen angel, but she definitely has friends in high places as she organises bribes, helicopters and all the weapons any one could need. She also has Aaron on a tight leash ensuring he does as she bids. In this book we see more of Urvashi’s abilities and a glimpse of what lies underneath under the façade of the Kim Kardashian look alike. We also see Urvashi leading from the front as they proceed with the attack. Yet she always keeps Aaron in the dark, feeding him only titbits of information on need to know basis. On the whole she remains a mysterious character which has many more miles left to go.

 What I also really liked in the book was the ancient vampire Dimitri’s links to Russian history especially how he manipulated the downfall of Rasputin and the Russian royal family. Linked to this was a great twist revealing Rasputin was the alpha mail of the werewolf pack that Ivan and Katya are part of, giving the killing of Dimitri a more personal touch for some of the characters. The other twist that came in the London book and followed through into this book was how Ivan and Katya were part of the pack of wolves that attacked Michelle during world war two. This leads to a lot of mistrust and anger between the vamp and the wolves. Travis is great at pulling out the little threads he left in earlier books and padding them out to feature in the later books.

 This book is fast paced, with lots of action and violence intermingled with the great sex scenes the author is so good at writing without making them feeling gratuitous. We have Dimitri with his own personal army and a boundless power base bought in a country where bribes are the name of the game. Then we get the involvement of the local Russian Mafia who set Aaron up after he interjected when they went too far with one of the blood slaves. The icing on the cake is the involvement of the American CIA black ops. This could lead the series to go in many directions if Travis is to continue with the series, which I hope he does.

This book along with the others are a great easy read, the author doesn’t require his readers to concentrate heavily trying to follow the plot, like others do. It pulls you into another world full of intrigue and away from everyday life. The series is a roller coaster through some of the major cities in the world, and I hope there’s more to come.

 

I rate this book

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Synopsis

Vampires Aaron and Michelle have landed in Moscow, on the prowl. In the company of a misfit pack of mercenary werewolves and Urvashi, a fallen angel, the vampires are forced into the violent, decadent underworld of Russian mafia, drugs and blood slaves.

This time the hunters have become the hunted.

Dmitri, a Russian vampire billionaire, sends his mafia hit men to the streets, gunning for the wolf pack. Now they must bring the fight to Dmitri and face the ultimate battle for survival.

Review The Nighlife; London by Travis Luedke

Synopsis 

Vampires Aaron and Michelle prowl the dark, gritty, strip clubs and back alleys of London on the hunt for Michael Jamison, the man who stole Michelle's blood and left her for dead. To assist them, Aaron's new master, Urvashi, calls in favors from her friends, Russian mercenary werewolves.

Wolves Katya and Ivan, hunters adept at killing rogue vampires, set aside their animosity for Aaron and Michelle to stop Jamison from killing again – he already has one bloodless victim lying in the morgue.

 Jamison, ex-special forces, feels his enemies closing in, but he won’t go down without a fight – and like Aaron and Michelle, he also has powerful friends.

 Experience the violent, sensual underbelly of Nightlife London, as Aaron and Michelle mix up a wicked blend of sex, chaos, and mayhem.

 Review

We find Michelle, Aaron and Urvashi in London intent on finding Michael Jamison, before he kills again, their investigations take them to Soho and the seedy club The Rocking horse run by the Albanian mafia. When Aaron & Michelle fail to find anything, Urvashi introduce them to two Russian mercenaries and they become aware that these two are more than mere mortals. I like how Michelle and Aaron roll from one disaster to another, this time it’s becoming entangled with the mafia, when Aaron try’s to save a young stripper after he pumped her for information, resulting in him assaulting the mafia manager of the strip club.

 Aaron and Urvashi’s link together leads to Michelle becoming very unsure of their relationship and extremely jealous of Urvashi and Aarons relationship. To be honest I didn’t really like the needy vamp Michelle was becoming, constantly wanting reassurance from Aaron whilst moaning constantly about him being with Urvashi. This isn’t the Michelle I’ve come to love, I much prefer her when she’s at her best, deadly and very sexy.

 This book picks up the pace in the story not quite the roller coaster ride of the Vegas book, but definitely much more action packed than Paris. I can appreciate the Paris book more now as I can see how some of the points in the book are now being developed further in the London novel. Travis is very cleaver in how he leaves little nuggets of information for the reader, and when they read the next book you get the ahh moment that’s what it means or that’s the way the story goes. Some writers leave lots of threads hanging and don’t always finish these threads in later books leaving the reader wondering what they all meant. I think that’s the beauty of writing a series rather than a trilogy, you can put lots of threads to be weaved in future books.

 I’m loving how Aaron is developing into such a badass character, it’s only his lack of experience holding him back, but when he needs to be he’s as deadly as the rest. He is naturally a good guy but he seems to attract trouble wherever he goes, stumbling from one disaster to the next, one of which created his bond with Urvashi, so he basically swapped one master for another. I really like Aaron, he tries to make everyone happy, but really wants to live the quiet life with Michelle, but that isn’t about to happen any time soon. He has Michelle who’ll do anything to stay with him, whilst Urvashi uses him as she pleases, and the poor guy has to keep the peace between them.

 Travis is a master at weaving together all the characters in the seedy side of Nightlife, we get strippers, lap dancers, drugs and the mafia, none of it is gratuitous it’s all appropriate for the story being told. It’s the sleazy clubs that are Michelle and Aaron’s hunting ground when they need to feed and it’s where the stories are at their best. He has Michelle and Aaron’s sexual shenanigans to a fine art, they are short hot and add to the story, Michelle is very disreputable and Aaron is just a magnet for women. Yes there’s lots of sex, no it isn’t just there for no reason and yes it adds to the story, please don’t let it put you off the books. Also I particularly liked how Travis used British terminology for the London based characters, this is sometimes overlooked by authors, and is appreciated by your UK readers.

 The introduction of Katya and Ivan as Russian mercenary werewolves was inspired and unexpected as the author had kept his previous books purely vampires and humans. The way he uses them fits the storyline well, and they aren’t introduced just to expand the supernatural characters in the books. He also links them to Michelle’s past which adds to depth to that part of the story and there’s plenty more to come from these two I’m sure. There’s numerous shootouts, mixed with a complicated tale of desire, addiction and power in London's sleaziest borough. With a mix of Albanian and Columbian mafia this is definitely a book you won’t want to put down.

 I rate this book

 

Interesting facts about vampires

It’s only since the eighteen hundreds that vampires have been described as gaunt pale (white) creatures, before this the myths described them as wearing shrouds, bloated and dark creatures. The early films about Count Dracula, featuring actors such as Bella Largosi were older men who were neither handsome nor charismatic. The advent of films such as Interview with a vampire and Twilight changed the image of vampires in popular culture as devastatingly handsome, charismatic and drop dead gorgeous.

 The term 'vampire' wasn't popularised until the 1800's after an influx of vampire superstitions from Eastern Europe, where they were rife. There are many different names for vampires, such as Strigoi in Romania which the authors of today utilise in their books. Richelle Mead actually uses the term Strigoi in her Vampire Academy books.

 The pioneering authors of the first vampire novels featuring charismatic and sophisticated vampires were The Vampyre by John Polidori published in 1819 and the best remembered (and read) Dracula by Bram Stocker published in 1897. These two books formed the bases of modern vampire legend, which has become a dominant feature in the fantasy genre, with many authors and film makers adapting it to great success.

 There are many cultural practices in relation to vampires, for example burying someone upside down was commonplace to prevent them becoming vampires, but the one that made me laugh were putting seeds or rice on the graveside which were intended to keep the vampire busy all night counting every grain as they couldn’t resist counting them. One way to identify a vampire’s grave was to lead a virgin boy on a virgin black horse, which would recoil at a vampire’s grave.

 Traditional ways to ward off vampires such as religious object and buildings, garlic and even mirrors have been manipulated in recent years by authors and film makers. Garlic is the biggest myth busted in most works about vampires but the religious ones have also been reworked. In Vampire academy, the mortal vampires actually go and worship in their form of a church and in True Blood vampires enter a church to rescue Sookie and others held there. Another myth tells us vampires can only enter a place when invited by someone, yet it isn’t used in all vampire novels, True Blood use it, but others such as The Nightlife series by Travis Luedke and Vampire Academy don’t mention it.

 The traditional wooden stake used to kill vampires, varies in the type of wood dependent on the region you are in. In Russia the preferred wood is Ash, in Serbia it’s Hawthorne and the use of Oak is also noted widely. Even the parts of the body to be staked varies, with the heart being the most popular, in Russia and North Germany it’s the mouth whilst it’s the stomach in north eastern Serbia. Novels written in recent times are pretty consistent in going for the heart. In some books the stakes are silver and silver also features as a method of restraint for vampires, yet I’ve not found it mentioned in the research I’ve done, so maybe this is a modern adaptation used by authors. Other common methods to kill vampires noted in the myths are decapitation, burning and holy water and these are commonly used by authors in their books as alternate methods to the stake.

 In early literature such as Dracula there is no mention of vampires being fried in the sun, Van Helsing claimed that Dracula is limited to the power of a human man and not that daylight would destroy him. In Poldoris book Vampyre it is written that the protagonist spends days travelling with the vampire. It’s only in later books that the vampires show the aversion to sun and that it would burn them to death.

 If you thought you only became a vampire when you were bitten by one, then think again. There are some amazing myths surrounding vampires in many different cultures, in Eastern Europe and china it was believed that a corpse jumped over by an animal, particularly a dog or cat may turn into vampire. Also in Russian folklore it was believed witches and those against the Russian Orthodox Church could also become vampires. Here are some other interesting ways to becoming a vampire, they include;

·         Committing suicide

·         Eating the meat of a lamb killed by a wolf

·         Practicing witchcraft or Satanism

·         If an animal such as a cat or dog passed over the corpse of the recently deceased

·         A corpse which is improperly buried may come back as a vampire

·         Having a spell cast on you at birth

·         Dying before baptism