Archive for New Vampire Books
It seems that Sasha Trudeau never gets tired and the same is true in the latest book ‘Never Cry Wolf’ by L.A. Banks, the latest in her supernatural series, Crimson Moon. Sasha, a shadow wolf, had most recently stopped a war between wolf packs in the author’s last book, Undead on Arrival. You would think after all that adventure, she might go on a romantic vacation with her mate, Max, but it is not meant to be. After all, she is a soldier and duty comes first. So, after dealing with all the trouble in New Orleans, she and her team go back to her unit, the PCU (paranormal containment unit), for debriefing. They are sent to Colorado immediately to be questioned because they feel Sasha and her team were negligent in their duties since humans were killed in the process of stopping the wolf pack war. Sasha defends her team and her methods but she is still saddled with a second team commanded by a Colonel Madison who just happens to be a supernatural-phobe. He hates all things supernatural – and this especially includes Sasha and her team.
This new team becomes a real problem when an enemy from the past returns, Jung Suk, who is determined to punish everyone who has ever defied her. She hopes to succeed in her task by allying herself with Vlad the Elder of the vampires. Dead bodies begin to turn up after the unholy alliance is formed and both teams, Sasha and Colonel Madison’s, are sent to investigate. Sasha knows that this new Colonel is going to lead them into a death trap because he has no idea what he is getting into and he does not want to know – he won’t listen to reason. Sasha has to try and stop the killers from continuing their murder spree while also trying to keep the Colonel on a short leash.
If anyone is up to the task, Sasha is.
This latest novel by L.A. Banks was a good read but, more than that, it alleviated some of the issues I had with Sasha and Shogun from previous novels. Finally, it looks like Shogun is going to find someone new and the form that new love interest takes is very interesting indeed. I did not see it coming and I totally liked how the author handled it. I have always wondered, as I was reading the series, how Shogun was ever going to get over Sasha. I always felt sorry for him. Now, I can relax and enjoy the ride in the next book without having to feel sorry for poor Shogun. There is nothing worse than unrequited love.
It might seem to a new reader of L. A. Banks that picking up this book in the middle of the series would be difficult, but the author is good about filling in the back story, so, do not let the fact that you might be starting in the middle of the series put you off – it is still a fun book to read. ‘Never Cry Werewolf’ is an excellent urban fantasy – it’s the perfect example of what keeps you going from book to book in this series, just waiting for the next installment. Banks is especially adept at making the supernatural seem plausible by using the military as a back story to the crazy fantasy stuff going on throughout the book. This seems to make it a more interesting fantasy story than usual. The Crimson Moon series was a great read that I think you’ll enjoy.
“Bite: A Vampire Handbook” by Kevin Jackson is the perfect book for anyone who wants to be a vampire. Even if your aspirations do not hit that lofty goal, this book is still perfect for the person who wants to know everything there is to know about vampire folklore. Kevin Jackson has written the perfect vampire handbook.
The book is a nonfiction work that covers vampire folklore from the earliest writings available. There has been some mention of a monster like a vampire in cultures all over the world. It begins by explaining the vampire in folklore and then concentrates on the modern vampire in film today. The book also explains many of the myths surrounding vampires. For example, the German vampire can be killed by having an apple put into its mouth while inside the coffin. The German vampire also likes to clutch its thumb while resting in the coffin.
The book also discusses ways to become a vampire. If you commit suicide or die before being baptized, you will become a vampire but, since a good portion of the world’s population is not Christian, I think vampires would have run out of food by now. According to the vampire handbook, in Albania, if you commit a crime and get away with it your entire life, you will become a vampire. That seems like a very interesting way to prevent crime. In cultures from Russia to China, it is believed that if a cat or other animal walks over your corpse, you will become a vampire. It is even believed by dream interpreters that people who dream about vampires are feeling overwhelmed in their lives. These and many more interesting facts about vampires from all cultures are included in the handbook.
The book tries to explain how a creature that once was used to terrify children has become a mainstream phenomenon. There are accounts of “real vampires” as well as biographies of famous people related to vampire culture. Bite is full of excerpts from famous books as well as movies, screen plays, and documents. Bite also revises some very interesting facts about the vampires of the world and throughout history. The book traces the history of the undead down the ages as well as offering a plethora of information about vampire trivia, and believe it or not, vampire tourism. Jackson also mentions the best songs you might listen to about vampires.
But of course, the most important information in the handbook deal with the different ways to kill a vampire – just in case!
I enjoyed reading Kevin Jackson’s Bite and found it very enlightening and well written. This handbook is a ‘must-have’ for any vampire aficionado. It’s suitable for teens and adults alike and I would recommend it to anyone who wants to know more about vampires and their origins.
So, you’re out looking for something new to read and you come across the title ‘Xoe: or Vampires, and Werewolves, and Demons, Oh My!’ and your first thought might be that this book is for teenagers only. Yes, this first book in the new Xoe Meyers fantasy series by Sara C. Roethle focuses on teenagers but it’s got solid crossover potential.
The story centers around a teenage girl named Xoe, who’s your typical teenager: she’s not the happiest kid on the block, she’s loyal to her friends and she finds many people annoying and irritating. Come on, that’s a typical teenager for sure!
Life seems pretty dull hanging out with her friends until a new boy moves to the area named Dan. Although he’s handsome she immediately takes a disliking to him however all of her friends are clamoring to get to know him better. Xoe doesn’t have a logical reason to tell them to leave him alone; she just senses something odd about him. Since her best friend, Lucy, finds him fascinating and Dan seems to feel the same way about her, she decides to keep her feelings to herself.
The first time Xoe and her friends go to the movies with Dan, he grabs Xoe, telling her that he knows she’s different and demands that she explain who she is. Speechless, Xoe doesn’t know what to say or how to respond. At the end of the movie, she reluctantly leaves Lucy and Dan to finish their date. Fast forward to later that night and we find Lucy at Zoe’s house crying in pain. She explains that for some inexplicable reason, Dan scratched her arm and then ran off. Xoe knows something is terribly wrong but is unable to figure out what to do.
But it doesn’t take long for Xoe to figure out that Dan is a werewolf that wants to claim Lucy as his mate. Things seem pretty desperate when suddenly, another new boy arrives in town. He’s also a supernatural creature but unlike Dan, he’s one of the good guys. He’s there to put a stop to the harm Dan’s trying to cause.
As the story progresses we learn that the city of Shelby, Oregon is a regular hotbed of supernatural activity and Xoe is about to learn more than she ever wanted to know. Not just about her friends, but about herself as well.
As stated earlier, although this book was written for the teenage reader adults will enjoy it as well. Filled with emotion and attitude, I found this book to be fun and engaging. The author seems to have a real knack for understanding how teenagers feel, showing it in Xoe’s character and how she relates to the world. Roethe sucks the reader right into a new supernatural world and when you are finished, you’re ready for the next installment in Xoe’s adventures. This is an entertaining story that centers on the relationships between teens, the importance of friendship and how to develop and maintain trust.
Life lessons we can all use.
Here are the new vampire books that have a March publication date. I’m really excited about these books because they include some great entries from some of my favorite authors like Chris Marie Green, Mario Acevedo and L.A. Banks.
Here we go!
Deep In The Woods by Chris Marie Green
With the female master of the London Underground in her hands, stuntwoman-turnedvampire hunter Dawn Madison must fight off her followers, a vicious pack of undead teenage girls who put the vamps Dawn had to deal with in Los Angeles to shame . . .
Werewolf Smackdown by Mario Acevedo
A sure-to-be-bloody civil war is brewing between rival werewolf factions, and private investigator Felix Gomez will do anything he can to make sure it doesn’t explode into a vicious battle that engulfs all creatures, living and dead. Between that, the sudden reappearance of an ex-girlfriend, and a gang of other vampires trying to take off his head, this is one rumble that Gomez, a fanged detective extraordinaire, may find hard to handle.
and Falling, Fly by Skyler White
In a dark and seedy underground of burned-out rock stars and angels-turned- vampires, a revolutionary neuroscientist and a fallen angel must put medicine against mythology in an attempt to erase their tortured pasts…but at what price?
Olivia, vampire and fallen angel of desire, is hopeless…and damned. Since the fall from Eden, she has hungered for love, but fed only on desire. Dominic O’Shaughnessy is a neuroscientist plagued by impossible visions. When his research and her despair collide at L’Otel Mathillide-a subterranean hell of beauty, demons, and dreams-rationalist and angel unite in a clash of desire and damnation that threatens to destroy them both.
Key To Justice by Talia Gryphon
Psychologist to the paranormal Gillian Key has a new patient. He is a vampire who calls himself Csangal, but he is also a creature hiding his true motives-and his true identity: Dracula.
Death Blows by D.D. Barant
FBI profiler Jace Valchek was pulled into this parallel realm to hunt for Aristotle Stoker, a human serial killer who preys on vampires and werewolves. Now she works for the National Security Agency of the Unnatural States of America – and her boss is a vampire.
At a bizarre crime scene, Jace finds a bloodsucker murdered by magic, fried to the bone and dressed in the costume of the comic book hero the Flash – a character who isn’t supposed to exist here. Comic books have been outlawed for their powers, including crossover spells like the one that transported Jace to this world. Soon, she’s following a trail of dead bodies into the sinister underworld of black-market comics – where a deranged madman gives new meaning to the term “super-villain” . . .
Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith
When Abraham Lincoln was nine years old, his mother died from an ailment called the “milk sickness.” Only later did he learn that his mother’s deadly affliction was actually the work of a local vampire, seeking to collect on Abe’s father’s unfortunate debts.
Using The Journal of Abraham Lincoln as a guide, the true life story of our great president is reconstructed for the first time—all while revealing the hidden history behind the Civil War, and uncovering the massive role vampires played in the birth, growth, and near-death of our nation.
Never Cry Werewolf by L.A. Banks
The last fight between the werewolf clans spilled onto the streets of New Orleans—and now the whole city’s on red alert. Martial law has gone into effect. Mediums, ghost hunters, and other supernatural pundits have taken over the media, swarming the Big Easy to expose the hard truth about lycanthropes. And to make matters worse, a beastly killer is clawing up humans…
Secret government operative Sasha Trudeau doesn’t like what she’s seeing—a series of brutal and bloody slayings that appear to be wolf-like attacks. It might be the work of a copy cat killer – a vampire or fae. But while Sasha races to find suspects and motives, the panic level is rising—and the city’s human population is clamoring for an all-out wolf hunt . . .
The Vampire Kitty-cat Chronicles by Ray Rhamey is a fun, quirky and entertaining read that gives you a “behind-the-paws” story from a cat’s perspective. Meet Patches, your average (is any cat really just average?) every-day cat, out in the graveyard, checking things out, looking for mice to torture. When two hands emerge from a grave, grab him and start slurping at his neck, Patches thinks his nine lives are up – but they’re not, because now Patches is craving blood . . . and he’s got to have it now!
Realizing that his bloodlust will not let him go back to his former caretaker, or “associate” as Patches calls humans, he’s determined to track down the owner to that pair of hands that changed him forever. When he finds her he learns that her name is Meg and that she was involuntarily turned as well. Turns out she loves kitties and actually knows how to properly hold a cat – all of which endears Patches to her and makes him think she just might make a good associate after all. Now, the two of them have to figure out how to survive in this new world.
Fortunately, there’s a support group around called the American Vampire Association (AVA for short). Apparently, vampires have been around a while but they’ve kept to themselves and thus, humans don’t know they exist. Meg thinks this is no way to live an eternal life and as I read the book, I have to agree. Imagine having to always work the midnight shift and not having any access government services – yet, you have to pay taxes!
Meg, a smart girl, decides to run for city council and bring vampires out of the closet so she can gain them some basic rights. But as the established power base in the vampire world, the AVA is not too happy with Meg’s stance. Meg learns that they’ll stop at nothing to guarantee her silence.
So begins the trials and tribulations of Patches and Meg. They have quite a few adventures together as they try to avoid the AVA and a particularly determined fundamentalist mob.
Because author Ray Rhamey lays out the story from the cat’s perspective, it gives you an objective insight into how we humans behave toward those that we consider different. There were quite a few parallels to be drawn from the vampire’s fight for equal rights and justice to the fight against discrimination that occurs in today’s world.
In addition to being an incredibly fun story to read, I found The Vampire Kitty-cat Chronicles to be very cleverly written as well. You have to give props to Rhamey for providing such an original and unique entry in the vampire book genre. As I was reading the book I envisioned a whole series of books that document the adventures of Patches and Meg – doesn’t that have a good ring to it?
I recommend this book to all fantasy readers, in particular, ones looking for a refreshing take on the vampire craze. And as for you cat lover’s out there – haven’t you always wanted to know what your kitty really thinks?
The Vampire Kitty-cat Chronicles is available from online bookstores like Amazon and Barnes and Noble.
The first book in the Night Huntress series, Halfway to the Grave by Jeaniene Frost, has always been one of my favorite urban fantasy novels, so I was thrilled to see the latest in the series ready for purchase – Destined for an Early Grave. We all know that awesomely excellent feeling you get when you see that the next book in a series – a series that you know is a good one – is available. I bought it immediately! This ire book series has some of the hottest sex scenes I’ve read – and I’ve read a lot! Ms. Frost does such a good job of making you want to be Cat. She is vulnerable, sexy, strong, unsure, and wanted – wanted by Bones in a major way that’s still believable after four novels.
In Destined for an Early Grave, we have Cat and Bones still comfortably head over heels for each other. Cat is a part vampire/part human vampire killer and Bones is a several hundred year old Master Vampire. You don’t doubt him and his feelings. I’ve not felt that a man’s emotions were so genuine since Noah told Allie in The Notebook, “I want all of you, forever, you and me, every day.” Of course, this was right after Noah built a house for her.
Unlike Bones, Cat is still harboring some trust issues. Who wouldn’t, considering the fact that she’s the daughter of a vampire father and a human mother who was raped by that very same vampire. As such Cat is unable to show Bones any vulnerability; what if Bones knows how much he could hurt her? We’ve all been there – you duck and cover. And as you can imagine, Bones is astute enough to sense that Cat is holding back a piece of herself from him – something he has a hard time understanding.
But, I digress, sorry. Back to the book review.
In this installment, Cat is starting to have nightmares which trouble Bones. At first, she keeps them to herself, unaware of the danger inherent in having another vampire state that she belongs to him during her dreams. The “dream vampire”, Gregor, claims that he and Cat were married before she married Bones. Huh? How could this happen? I won’t give that away but it’s certainly worth the read. While the plot could have become confusing with memory replacement and timeline issues, I have to hand it to the author, she kept me reading.
With this book, you’ll get lots of great action and see all the other characters from the previous novels – Vlad, Tate, Spade, Ian – plus a few new ones to love and/or hate. And, there are quite a few surprises that keep things hopping. Whether you’ve read any of the other Night Huntress vampire books or not, you can read this as a standalone novel since it’s complete and interesting enough to stand on its own. As usual, Jeaniene Frost does not disappoint.
Finally – the wait is over and I just got book three in Adrian Phoenix’s Maker’s Song series, Beneath the Skin!
And, as I have seen with the first two vampire books in this series, each book just keeps getting better and better. I was so glad to read about my favorite couple again, FBI agent Heather Wallace and Dante Baptiste, a vampire (nightkind) and a creator (creawdwr). In this story, Heather has basically given up her old life as an agent to be with Dante. She has become the anchor in his life as government agents, fallen angels, and vampires all pursue him to find out exactly what he can do as well as discover a way to control him.
As Dante’s powers become stronger, it is too much for him to handle and when these new powers are combined with the horrible memories of his past, he is close to going insane. Unfortunately, his father, Lucien, a Fallen angel, is gone. Lucien had protected Dante from the day his powers first made themselves known. Without Lucien’s protection, the other Fallen are now after Dante. Dante is their chosen one – their Fallen Maker. But do they truly revere him or do they want to possess him?
Enter the vampires. They’re also interested in Dante because they believe he’s their True Blood prince. Here again, are they interested in acknowledging him as their leader or do they have a hidden agenda?
And lastly, a secret branch of the government has become aware of Dante and his powers. They’re curious about whether he can be used for their own purposes; if this proves unsuccessful they’re not above killing him since they’re not sure if his powers can be controlled.
This book was bit darker than the other two vampire novels – but the relationship between Heather and Dante is much more powerful than it was in either of the previous novels. They have cemented their love and passion for each other and every time I read a description of Dante through Heather’s eyes, I can actually picture the best looking man she has ever seen. I really like these two as a couple. For a series that began as a serial killer mystery I’m quite pleased that it has become so much more than that – an entertaining and engaging storyline that absorbs you completely. The ending of Beneath the Skin is just like the other books – it left me wishing the next vampire book was out already!
Get a copy of Beneath The Skin and get your vamp groove on.
See also: In The Blood, book #2 in the series.
In the Blood is Book Two in the Maker’s Song series by Adrian Phoenix. I was seriously impressed by Book One – A Rush of Wings – and I have not been let down by the sequel. When I wrote my original review of Rush of Wings, I talked about what a great vampire movie it would make. Book Two continues that thought process unchanged. Often, a sequel to a movie or a book is a disappointment, but this is not true with In the Blood.
The story picks up right where the first one left off. Special Agent Heather Wallace is putting her life back together after killing the Cross Country Killer in a heinous lab that had been running a program called “Bad Seed”. Both the now dead killer and her romantic interest, Dante Prejean, had been a part of the Bad Seed program. Dante is a nightkind (vampire) and creator with powers to make or unmake life. There were so many mysteries and atrocities performed in the Bad Seed program that it was a blessing when she and Dante destroyed it along with its creator, Dr. Johanna Moore. Unfortunately, another doctor involved with the Bad Seed program, Dr. Robert Wells, wants to pick up where his dead boss left off.
Dr. Wells was a partner in the Bad Seed program and was the one who “programmed” Dante when he was a child. He holds the key to controlling Dante and he wants to use Dante’s special powers to save his dying wife. Enlisting his son, Alex (who he has also genetically modified) to help him get Dante to their home, Dr. Wells wants to force him to perform his miracle of creation and save his wife. Of course, with a power like that, there are others who seek out Dante, none of them good. I mean, world domination (be it human or supernaturally controlled) is never a good thing.
Heather had been saved by Dante after the shootout at the lab in the first book and it’s given the two of them a special bond. However, even with their unique bond, Heather has decided to separate herself from Dante for awhile. There’s only one problem with that plan: neither can stay away from the other. They soon decide that with events on the horizon that could destroy their lives, it’s important that they fight together as one.
If you were facing something that could kill you, wouldn’t you want to fight it with the one person you loved the most in the world?
Adrian Phoenix takes us into a world with tremendous passion and caring combined with evil beyond comprehension. In the Blood is a complex story that leaves you begging for more. I have to admit that when I finished the book, I was a little sad because I knew I was going to have to wait for the next fantasy book to come out. Having become so immersed in the action, I was not a happy camper when I hit the last page. Stay tuned for my review of the next fantasy book in the series – Beneath The Skin!
Check out In The Blood, available from online retailers.
