Archive for top vampire books
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!
Have you ever read a book that hooked you so completely, you immediately started thinking of what the movie would be like? Like, you envisioned who’d be the best hottie to play the lead?
That’s what I felt like as I read Rush of Wings, a book by novelist Adrian Phoenix. Guys, this this book would make an excellent movie. The story takes place in the vampire capital of the world, New Orleans, and with its unique, old world atmosphere it gives the story a classical setting.
The main character, FBI agent Heather Wallace, has come to New Orleans looking for the Cross Country Killer, also known as CCK, who’s a serial killer she’s been tracking for three years. CCK has been killing people all across the United States and Heather is determined to be the one to stop him. She comes to New Orleans when the latest victim is found outside a bar called Club Hell. The club’s owner, Dante, appears to know nothing about the crime, however after Heather interviews him she knows one sure thing: he’s the best looking man she’s ever seen. I kept trying to figure out who would play him in the movie. Yum.
As Heather investigates the murder, she realizes that Dante is not your average good looking guy, but is instead a self-described “nightkind” or born vampire. Heather decides to find out more about Dante and his possible connection to the New Orleans murders. You see she eventually comes to believe that CCK is in New Orleans specifically for Dante; but she doesn’t know why. However she learns that Dante has no memory of his childhood. Although his records describe a very tough life he has no memories of such a life. Dante doesn’t think there’s a connection between he and CCK but Heather knows there must be because each new murder has a unique message in it specifically for Dante.
For Heather, stopping CCK is the most important thing she’s ever done, or so she thought until she met Dante. Is he really a vampire or just crazy? Why can’t he remember his past? Can she resist her attraction to him long enough to stop the evil CCK?
I love it when a book forces me to use my imagination to come up with several possible outcomes. A Rush of Wings did just that. I found myself thinking about the book as I was driving home from work, wondering how things would turn out.
It was a great pleasure reading this book because the author does such a fine job building the suspense and creating a complex world of action and intrigue. Adrian Phoenix is off to a great start with A Rush of Wings, Book #1 in The Maker’s Song series. Urban fantasy book fans are sure to love this one.
Also, check out In the Blood, the next book in the series. Also, the third book in the series Beneath The Skin will be released December 29th.
Sarah Jane Stratford has written an amazingly compelling vampire book. It’s an intelligent read that provides a refreshing look at the vampire fantasy genre. You’ll find no angst ridden vampires drinking synthetic or animal blood here.
No, The Midnight Guardian doesn’t glamorize the vampire life; it presents a raw and complex look at what it might have been like to live the undead life about 65 years ago.
| The Setting: | 1940’s Europe. Hitler and his troops have successfully invaded several countries and are working to extend their span of terror. |
| The Team: | A group of impressive vampire "millenials". Millenials are vampires that have lived as the undead for more than 1,000 years. The team consists of: |
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| Don’t be fooled by the outward appearance of the members of the team: sure, they all look like innocent 20 or 30-something’s, but they’re powerful enough to take on a small army singlehandedly. | |
| The Mission: | Infiltrate German military intelligence and use vampiric mind control to cause confusion and chos, thus making their military initiatives ineffective. The men plan to befriend German officers and the women plan to use the art of seduction to obtain classified information. Simple right? Nothing could be more difficult. |
The Story:
During World War I millions of humans were killed, severely limiting the vampire’s food supply. Why? Because the vampires in this world don’t sip their meals, they gulp down the blood and drain the human in the process. So, each time they feed they end up killing someone. Couple that with a devastating war responsible for killing millions of humans and you have the potential for drastically diminishing the food supply.
Additionally, WWI led to friction within the vampire community which in turn, led to an all out vampire war, in which many of their kind was killed.
On top of that, the Nazis have made it their mission to not only eradicate the world of Jews, but also those with alternative lifestyles, the mentally disabled, and those with physical handicaps.
Oh, and they’re also dedicated to ridding the world of vampires. Yes, many of them know about vampires. They’ve hired top-notch trained vampire hunters who will stop at nothing to pursue and kill the undead.
Because of this, some of the weaker vampires have fled their native lands seeking asylum elsewhere. Some of them are so disoriented about the war and the hunters that they’ve ended up “facing the sun” in their confusion and despair.
So you see why it’s so important that the team succeed. But nothing is ever easy, right?
The vampires soon discover that the Germans are incredibly organized, compulsively determined, and hell bent on ridding the world of “undesirables” in their quest to create an ideal master race. As such the vampires find it increasingly difficult to infiltrate their ranks. Sure, they’re able to obtain information about which countries are next on the domination list, but beyond that, they’re coming up dry. For some reason the Germans aren’t responding to the vampire’s mind control efforts. However this is probably due to the fact that the vampires are getting weak from not being able to feed as often as they’d like since they don’t want to draw attention to themselves. Nonetheless the end result is that the vampires aren’t as successful as they’d initially hoped to be.
On top of that, Brigit’s mission is waylaid early on when she’s forced to escort two small children on a train from Berlin to Ireland. Two Jewish children.
And if that wasn’t complicated enough, Brigit discovers that on the train are a very suspicious German doctor and two vampire hunters. With stakes.
This book is many things: an action-adventure story, a suspense drama, a touching tale of love that spans borders. But first and foremost, it’s a brilliantly written, well drawn vampire novel that pulls you in from the start. Believe me, I didn’t want to like any of the vampires in this book because of their custom of killing their victims. But as I continued reading the book I experienced a dilemna: who are the true monsters in this book? Sarah Jane Stratford smartly presents her tale in a balanced manner so neither side is demonized more than the other. Instead, she leaves the reader to decide which group has lost its humanity. I’ll let you read the book and draw your own conclusions.
I applaud Sarah Jane Stratford for writing a vampire tale that takes place during a time period not usually covered in contemporary fantasy books. Her writing style, pacing and characterizations kept my interest high from the very beginning. This is an intelligent book that serious vampire fiction fans (and perhaps a few history buffs) will appreciate.
Be sure to stop by later in the week when I announce a book contest in which I’ll be giving away copies of The Midnight Guardian to 5 LUCKY WINNERS!
We’re giving away a free copy of Midnight Reflections!
Midnight Reflections is the new vampire book by Katrina Michaels. The book centers around Tara, a newly made vampire with lots of spunk. Tara is a character that reminds me of Sookie Stackhouse; she’s witty, independent and thoroughly entertaining to read about.
So I’m especially pleased that the author is giving away a copy of this new book!
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“Tara Daston just had the worst date in her life. When she refuses to put in a good word at work for her boyfriend he attacks and kills her. He then proceeds to find someone to turn her into a vampire; after all, if she comes back to life it’s not murder, right? To add insult to injury he doesn’t even call her the next day! Just as Tara begins adjusting to her new life she gets involved in a murder investigation. With the help of a gorgeous private investigator she begins unraveling the mystery surrounding the murders. But she has to act quickly before she becomes the next victim.” |
It’s Easy to Enter
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 residents of U.S. and Canada. The contest ends next Sunday, October 25th at 12:00 midnight (EST). The winner will be randomly chosen Monday, October 26th using the Random Integer Generator software program.
Good luck!
I just had one of the most enjoyable reading nights in a long time – all due to meeting a new character, Tara Daston, in the fantasy book Midnight Reflections by author Katrina Michaels.
Tara was funny and witty and, even though she was made a vampire against her will, she never lets it get her down. In this novel, vampires, werewolves and other mystical creatures are a recognized part of society. The rules governing vampire behavior is fairly traditional: a vampire cannot go out in daylight and they cannot enter your home without an invitation. They own bars and have jobs and, in this particular world, people are quite accepting of the vampire lifestyle. It’s nice to think of a world where people accept you and are willing to live equally with you, even though you could potentially suck them dry of blood or eat them on the next full moon.
The story begins with Tara going on a date to a vampire bar with her casual boyfriend of two months which she plans to break up with. He takes the breakup pretty hard; he kills her – yes, kills her. But his reason for committing murder isn’t entirely related to being dumped, no, he kills her because Tara refuses to recommend him for a job at her uncle’s business. What a jerk. Loser. Creep. Did I say that I didn’t like him?
Panicking at his carelessness, Tara’s idiot date begs a local vampire to “turn her” before she dies. Luckily for her, the vampire decides that letting such a beautiful, vibrant person like Tara die would be a waste and he agrees to bring her over.
Tara wakes up from her transformation to meet her sire, Alexander, a 300 year old vampire whose real motive for turning Tara lies in the fact that he yearned for the companionship of another child. Alexander wants to take care of Tara as he would a daughter. He is kind and thoughtful, he never lets her feel sorry for herself, and he teaches her how to fight. A good thing too because some monstrous creature stronger than any vampire or werewolf ever known is on the prowl, and it’s become fixated on Tara.
When this mysterious monster kills a friend’s boyfriend Tara is determined to find out who or what it is. She’s stopped at every turn by a vampire private investigator named Tom who’s also investigating the mysterious murder. He finds her interference incredibly irritating and likewise, Tara claims no romantic interest in him. However, did I mention that he looks like Hugh Jackman? ‘Nuf said.
I really love Tara’s character. She can kick butt and joke about it at the same time, making her my ideal heroine. She’s confident, intelligent and makes practical decisions. Although working with Tom is a fringe benefit, Tara holds her own during the investigation and turns out to be a pretty good sleuth in her own right. And although Tara frequently puts her life in danger during the investigations she plays an integral role in Tom’s attempts to identify the creature responsible for the murders.
Go Girl Vamp Power!
I sincerely hope there’s a sequel in the works for Midnight Reflections because I want to read more about Tom – and see Tara outwit him again!
Overall this fast paced and fun book is rife with endless possibilities; here’s hoping Katrina Michaels has “Book 2″ in the works!
Midnight Reflections is available from online retailers like Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble.
Author Julie Kenner has written the perfect teen novel or, I guess I should say, the sequel to it, since it is the second book in her “Ghouls” series. Good Ghouls Do has a main character, Beth Frasier, who is a cheerleader, valedictorian, popularity queen (although she keeps saying she is not), and a vampire. She has the cutest boyfriend in the high school and a hot college guy trying hard to win her love. But, you know what they say, if something is too good to be true . . .
Beth has some problems. She thinks her gorgeous boyfriend is trying to kill her, and suspects that the hot college guy is a vampire hunter. She has to try and solve the secret to the formula that will allow a vampire to become a daywalker. And, on top of everything else, she has to kill her maker so she can return to her human form. You see she really wants her humanity back; who can live without hamburgers and fries?
You’d think this list of problems would be overwhelming for your average teenager – even a teen vampire – but Beth is smart and she has her best friend Jenny to help her. Oh, and did I mention that Beth had to turn Clayton, her high school boyfriend, into a vampire to save his life?
This means that if Clayton wants to be human again he has to kill his maker, Beth; not a good scenario when arrows and stakes keep appearing to be aimed at Beth. Very troublesome. Problems keep piling on for Beth but the biggest one is perhaps the most challenging: she has two dates to the Winter Dance and no dress to wear to the special event!
Despite the many issues Beth is working through, she’s funny and sarcastic through it all. It’s clear from reading the book that there’s a whole lot more in store for her in upcoming books. Having not read The Good Ghouls’ Guide to Getting Even, the first book in Julie Kenner’s series, I was concerned that there would be a learning curve to understanding the characters. But this was absolutely not the case. You don’t need to read the first book to understand Good Ghouls Do because it gives plenty of information to help the reader understand what has happened before. Although, since I enjoyed this one so much, my plan now is to go back and get the first one in the series, while waiting for the 3rd one to show up in the book store!
Good Ghouls Do is completely appropriate for both teen and adult readers. It’s one of those great crossover fantasy books that’s funny, suspenseful, full of mystery, and thoroughly entertaining. As such it gets my full recommendation.
Here’s this month’s reading list for new vampire books. We’re happy to see Blood Kin) the latest installment in the Blood Lines series by Maria Lima) in the lineup as well as a vampire book by a new writer, Sara Jane Stratford, which takes place during World War II. We’ll be reviewing that book in the next few days and also giving away free copies to 5 lucky readers.
Here’s the list:
• Shadowfae by Erica Hayes
• Soul Catcher (The Outsider Series) by Leigh Bridger
• The Sleep That Rescues: A Supernatural Detective Novel (Teddy London series) by C. J. Henderson
• Blood Kin (Blood Lines) by Maria Lima
• Bite Marks (Jaz Parks) by Jennifer Rardin
• The Midnight Guardian: A Millennial Novel by Sarah Jane Stratford
Looking thorough my pile of unread books for the next “good one”, I was immediately intrigued by the title of the book Red Headed Step Child by Jaye Wells. Since I was getting into the bath, I took it with me and got so into it, my bath turned into a two hour soak because I could not put it down. Great book! The story is fun and full of mythical creatures like fairies, vampires, mages, nymphs, and demons who have all been living on Earth undetected since the Garden of Eden. This book does an excellent job of explaining the origin of vampires and the author makes it easy to see how these creatures could not possibly get along without a few problems.
The main character, Sabine Kane, is a mixed-blood, magical vampire assassin. She was raised by her grandmother after her mother, a vampire, and her father, a mage, fell into a tragic love affair that ends in their deaths. Her grandmother, a cold, hard woman who is the leader of the vampires, has always treated Sabine as an outcast. So Sabine, wanting to fit in, will do anything to please her grandmother – including even killing close friends when ordered.
In Red Headed Step Child Sabine is assigned a mission by her grandmother to infiltrate a cult that is threatening the vampire community. The problem for Sabine is that this assignment is not going to be easy. She learns that the cult leader, the charismatic Clovis Trakiya, is preaching love and harmony between the human and supernatural races.
Sabine’s grandmother demands that she kill Trakiya, and Sabine, not one to question her grandmother’s orders, begins putting a plan into action. This particular job is made more difficult because she must endure a cult initiation ceremony in order to get close to Clovis; this requires letting him feed from her. In Sabine’s world, no self-respecting vampire would ever allow themselves to be forcibly fed from. On top of that, she has to try and get rid of a hairless cat demon that some mystery enemy has sent to kill her!
To add to the mix, she meets a handsome, mysterious mage who wants to show her the unknown universe that comprises the realm of magic. The problem: he’s got a hidden agenda.
This was a thoroughly enjoyable debut novel. With a lot of light humor that draws you in, it gives you non-stop fantasy action and amusing character interactions that keep you reading – I read and read until I finished it in one sitting: proof positive that it’s a great find. I had the distinct impression that the author had a lot of fun writing it. It is definitely a page-turner and if you are looking for an action-packed book that’s a good read and has a distinctive female lead; this is the book for you. And I’m quite pleased to see that there is a sequel coming out titled “The Mage In Black”. I plan to be the first in line to buy it. Jaye Wells has me hooked!
Red-Headed Stepchild can be purchased from online retailers like Amazon and Barnes and Noble.
