Archive for top vampire books
Remember when we pulled all-nighters in school, studying like crazy, drinking cup after cup of coffee and just trying to make it through the night? Well, the heroine of Some Girls Bite does the same thing, only not as a student. And it’s not coffee she’s drinking to keep her awake.
Twenty-seven-year-old Merit is minding her own business, strolling on the University of Chicago campus one night, when she is attacked and nearly killed by a wayward vampire. In this novel by Chloe Neill, vampires have recently come out of the casket and are living side by side with humans rather peacefully. But that’s about to change.
In Merit’s world vamps are assigned to one of four Chicago houses, pretty much like a frat or sorority, and they answer to masters who run the houses. Fortunately for Merit, a strapping, hot-blooded, centuries-old master named Ethan sweeps in to save her after the attack- and in the process makes her one of his own.
But Ethan is one of those guys, you know, one of those “bad boys” that girls have a hard time staying away from. While Merit doesn’t want to give in to his controlling and at times, manipulative behavior, she’s strongly drawn to him.
Now an unwilling inhabitant of Cadogan House (run by Ethan), Merit has to deal with learning how to live the life of a vamp along with breaking the news about her new lifestyle to her high society family and friends. And we all know how some mothers can be.
A few twists add to the complexity of the story: another hot vamp is chasing after Merit, and pretty, young co-eds are dropping like flies. The question is, can Merit maneuver her way around the landmines of her new life, while juggling two new guys and fending off a killer?
If you’re looking for a fast-paced entertaining read with hot love scenes, suspense, an infusion of humor and a unique plot, you should pick up this book. Neill introduces us to an exciting new world with Some Girls Bite and the book is the perfect set-up for future installments. Friday Night Bites, Merit’s next adventure, is now available as well.
Both books are available from that store that starts with an “A” . . . you know the one.
Librarian Jane Jameson is having a lousy day. Her boss, in a fit of nepotism, just gave her job away to a family member. To add insult to injury, her severance pay is a gift certificate to the local bar. So Jane does what any self-respecting, recently fired, unlucky in love 30-something female would do: she bellies up to the local bar to drink away her sorrows.
A sexy and sympathetic vampire named Gabriel happens to be hanging out nearby and after listening to her story, gets her sober and helps her to her car. Unfortunately for Jane, her car quits halfway home; to top off a really crappy day, she gets accidentally shot by a drunk hunter who mistakes her for a potential wall trophy. Gabriel, following her to make sure she gets home safely, sees the accident and comes to her aid. Since Jane is near death he gives her a choice: she can either die now or be “turned” and come back as the undead. She chooses Door Number Two.
Suddenly, the loss of her job is the least of her problems. She now has to learn what it means to be a vampire. Fortunately, vampires are completely “out” and there’s a synthetic blood product available that doesn’t taste too bad. But while trying to deal with her new condition, her newly dead aunt appears as her roommate. She has to forget about her favorite Southern-fried cooking and settle for cold bags of blood. She has to struggle through the daylight hours and pretend to actually still be breathing. And her mother won’t stop asking annoyingly pointed questions.
Jane’s also being framed for a vamp murder, and she better locate the real killer quick before she’s targeted by the entire vampire community. Her on-again, off-again relationship with Gabriel is one most girls can relate to, and provides heat and chemistry that smolders throughout the book.
Jane, isn’t just another one-dimensional character, though. She’s portrayed as a normal, nice girl, not overly neurotic, who loves to read, is kind to babies and small animals, and puts up with her bad-mannered family with aplomb.
Harper fleshes out other likable characters with a tongue-in-cheek approach , including Jane’s best friend Zeb, who’s in love with a werewolf named Jolene, and Dick Cheney, a bad-boy vamp with a crush on Jane. The tale is told in Jane’s sarcastically witty voice.
If you have any sense of humor, you will enjoy this read, and will no doubt want to read Harper’s next installments, Nice Girls Don’t Date Dead Men and Nice Girls Don’t Live Forever. But first, start by getting Nice Girls Don’t Have Fangs!
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.
Remember the great mini-series Pride and Prejudice with Colin Firth? Millions of us fell in love with Mr. Darcy and his strong, silent and brooding manner.
Well, what if I told you that the writer of that book, Jane Austen, was alive and well in modern day New York? What if she’d just published a book written in the 1800’s and was now being stalked by a rival from the past due to her new found fame?
What if I told you she was a vampire?
That’s the premise of the hilarious new book Jane Bites Back by Michael Thomas Ford. The book just hit the street this week and is now on sale at Amazon. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and know you will too!
First things first: If you haven’t been following J.R. Ward’s Black Dagger Brotherhood series, where have you been? Secondly: start with an earlier book in the series. You’ll have a better appreciation for the storyline of Lover Avenged, Book #6 in the series, if you do.
For those of you that have enjoyed the previous books, Lover Avenged doesn’t disappoint. It’s the story of Rehvenge, a pusher and nightclub owner and all-around badass vamp who’s also a sympath. He hooks up with a vampire nurse, Ehlena, who’s a bit of a recluse and spends her time either working at her clinic or nursing her schizoid father.
As a patient of the clinic, the other nurses steer a wide path around Rehv because of his menacing attitude. I mean, unless you’re attracted to the dark brooding type, wouldn’t you? On top of that Ehlena’s got her own problems, and at first is oblivious to Rehv and his attraction to her.
However as Rehv and Ehlena draw closer, he still must keep his true identity as a sympath a secret. If he reveals it he faces exile to a colony full of crazies. But when Rehv is asked to murder the Blind King Wrath, leader of the Brotherhood, the only person he can turn to is Ehlena.
The story follows a handful of other intriguing characters, like Wrath struggling with his new role. Tohrment, John Matthew and Xhex (characters from previous books) make appearances too. A large part of the book deals with Lash, a really unpleasant creature who’s a lesser, beings who have devoted their lives to ridding the world of vampires. This time he has a sexual appetite, and it makes for some really creepy and fun reading.
The intricate storyline and the relationship between Rehv and Ehlena work together to make Lover Avenged a strong addition to the Black Dagger Brotherhood paranormal romance book series.
Why do we love vampires?
Within the last 2 years our fascination with this supernatural creature has risen exponentially. Think about it: True Blood (HBO), Being Human (BBC America), The Vampire Diaries (The CW), and Twilight (Summit Entertainment).
As you know, the vampire books below have already crossed over into television and film:
-The Twilight Saga
-The Vampire Diaries
-Sookie Stackhouse Books/True Blood
But did you know that the following vampire books are slated to be made into movies?
Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater (Werewolves)
Mortal Instruments Series by Cassandra Clare
Cirque du Freak: The Vampire’s Assistant
Here are more vampire-themed movies slated for production:
The Bleeding (2009)
Blood: The Last Vampire (2009)
Castlevania (2009)
The Coffin (2009)
Cirque du Freak (2009)
Daybreakers (2009)
The Dead Matter (2009)
Hello Darkness (2009)
High Midnight (2009)
The Informers (2009)
Lesbian Vampire Killers (2009)
Live Girls (2009)
PCP… A VanGuard Chronicle (2009)
Priest (2009)
The Revenant (2009)
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Undead (2009)
Sodium Babies (2009)
Suck (2009)
Twilight Watch (2009)
Underworld: Rise of the Lycans (2009)
Vampire in Vegas (2009)
Virulents (2009)
Baltimore, or The Steadfast Tin Soldier and the Vampire (2010)
The Historian (2010)
The Knights Templar (2010)
Last Blood (2010)
Let the Right One In (U.S. Remake) (2010)
New Moon (2010)
The Un-Dead (2010)
That’s a total of 32 movies! Of course, not all of them made it to the big screen, but if half of them did, that’s still a large number of vampire movies!
Additionally, recently The New York Times Bestsellers List for Mass Market Paperback Fiction had 4 vampire books (and 2 werewolf books) in the Top 20:
#4: Born of Night (A League Novel) by Sherrilyn Kenyon
#5: The Renegade Hunter: A Rogue Hunter Novel by Lynsay Sands
#11: Dark Curse: A Carpathian Novel by Christine Feehan
#18: From Dead to Worse (Southern Vampire Mysteries Book Eight) by Charlaine Harris
Where will it end? I, for one, love vampire books but I’m concerned that we may see a backlash against the vampire craze if the market is too saturated with vampire books, TV shows and movies. However, since the Harry Potter craze is still going strong after several years, I may be wrong.
Also, note that these books typically fall into two categories:
adult vampire books that contain more explicit sex (Black Dagger Brotherhood, Laurell K. Hamilton, Christine Feehan, Keri Arthur, etc.)
young adult vampire books (Twilight, Vampire Diaries, House of Night)
Let’s hear from you: why do you think we love vampires so much?
Don’t you love free books? Especially this time of the year when we’re all a bit strapped for cash. Therefore I’m happy to announce that we’re giving away 1 free copy of the following hilarious vampire book:
“Vampire Taxonomy: Identifying And Interacting With The Modern-Day Bloodsucker”
Here’s a summary of the book:
From bestselling books to hit TV shows, there’s no denying that vampires have come a long way from the infamous monster created by Bram Stoker more than a century ago.
Our culture today is inundated with beloved blood-thirsty creatures of the night. With so many different species of vampire roaming the streets it’s important to know how to identify the different types.
For example, in matters of the heart, is Twilight’s Edward Cullen:
- obsessed and compulsive?
- in love with love?
- devoted or disorderly?
- the real thing?
or the rarest of all,
Author Meredith Woerner provides detailed information about the different types of vampires now roaming the earth, classifying them by their reaction to sun exposure, physiology, attire, and preferred diet.
Read Vampire Taxonomy and develop the skills needed to answer the question: “Should I hand him my heart or stake him before he makes me his next meal?”
It’s Easy to Enter The Contest!
1. Leave a comment at the bottom of this post. That’s it, you’re in!
Only one comment entry per person please. Open to U.S. residents only. The contest ends next Sunday, December 13th at 12:00 midnight (EST). The lucky winner will be randomly chosen Monday, December 14th using the Random Integer Generator software program. The winner must respond via email within 24 hours of notification.
Good luck!
