Archive for vampire books
“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.
In the mood for unrequited vampire love, torture, and a vicious battle to destroy an entire race? Then pick up J.R. Ward’s Lover Revealed, the fourth book in the author’s Black Dagger Brotherhood vampire romance series. The tale of the Brotherhood, an elite group of vampire warriors, continues as they fight for survival against slayers determined to eliminate the entire race.
The six testosterone-fueled vampires with huge libidos that make up the Brotherhood are constantly fighting to save their civilian vampire counterparts from the lessers, bound to an evil master called The Omega and determined to stop at nothing to carry out his orders. The only human to ever be made privy to the inner workings of the Brotherhood, Butch O’Neal is a tough ex-homicide detective who helps the vamps with their investigations from time to time but longs for more.
He’s also hopelessly in love with the blue-blooded vampire Marissa, although the potential romance has never come to fruition. His love was revealed in the first book in the series, Dark Lover, although a misunderstanding tore them apart.
After saving a vampire civilian from the lessers one night, Butch is captured by the enemies and tortured mercilessly. After The Omega realizes that Butch is not about to reveal the Brotherhood’s secrets, he cuts him and places some of his own evil inside, hoping that it will spread and destroy the rest of the vampires.
But Vishous, Butch’s friend and vampire roommate, finds him and is able to cut most of the evil out of him. He’s still dying, however, and Vishous calls upon Marissa to come to his aid. In her haste, she forgets to protect herself, and she and Butch end up being quarantined together. As Butch begins to get better, the two make peace with the past and begin to build their relationship.
Ward’s aptitude for writing erotic love scenes comes into play here, while also making clear to the reader that the two have genuine affection for one another.
An interesting twist in Lover Revealed involves Vishous and his growing romantic feelings for Butch. While the two have always been close friends, this new affection is confusing to Vishous and makes for a unique love triangle.
This vampire romance book is a great read, more erotic and romantic than previous installments, and fans of the series will not be disappointed by this latest adventure into the dark world of the Brotherhood. Get Lover Revealed at your favorite bookstore.
Also, check out the next installment in J.R. Ward’s vampire romance books series, Lover Unbound!
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.
Lover Awakened is the third book in the Black Dagger Brotherhood vampire romance book series by J.R. Ward. Those of you who have read the previous novels know of the conflict between the “Lessers” (rogue vampires) and the vampires. The Black Dagger Brotherhood is a band of six warrior vampires who are the self-sworn protectors of the remaining vampire population, and their story is a dark one.
This book focuses on Zsadist (Z), one of the most dangerous yet intriguing of the brothers. With a history of being a blood slave for a female aristocratic vampire, he has experienced the worst abuse imaginable, including physical, sexual, and mental abuse. As a consequence, his heart is cold and his soul is scarred. However, a strange turn of events finds him tending to a female vampire whose presence unsettles him and affects him emotionally.
Bella is an aristocratic vampire that was kidnapped by the Lessers. Because of the reputation of the Lessers Bella’s family had given up on looking for her. However, Z decides to use his skills to track her down; he perseveres until he finds her held captive underground in a tight metal cylinder. Z is able to free Bella and takes her to his mansion to keep her safe. It’s ironic that he should fall for someone who is of the same clan that was responsible for his torture, but perhaps it’s befitting. While recuperating Bella tries to get closer to Z and to gain access to a part of him that was closed-off to the rest of the world a long time ago. Readers will be pulled in by Bella and Z’s dramatic relationship and will be excited to find out their fate.
The intense character development adds thought to an already engaging book. While most of the book focuses on Z, we also see a glimpse into his twin brother Phury’s world that shows his inner self to be just as bleak as Z’s in some aspects. Phury is a fellow member of the Black Dagger Brotherhood who rescued Z from his bitter fate many years ago. Phury’s blind devotion to his brother causes him to be a silent victim, as he backs off and locks up his own attraction to Bella.
In addition to the noteworthy character development, the storyline in Lover Awakened holds its own. The plot progresses smoothly with several heart-pounding and heart-wrenching events as well as sinuous twists and turns.
Lover Awakened is a must-read; it’s a hybrid of adventure, suspense, and romance. J. R. Ward has written another strong addition to the Black Dagger Brotherhood paranormal romance book series.
You MUST get Lover Awakened and experience the sweet romance that develops between Z and Bella. Don’t hesitate – I know you’ll love this vampire romance book!
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.
At Grave's End
Did you notice I said “almost”?
As you progress through the book you start to see that there are so many obstacles put in Cat’s path one has to wonder if she’s going to make it. It’s a lot like trying to get into Walmart the day after Thanksgiving: as those people trample you on their quest to get the $35 DVD player you’re wishing you had a strong bodyguard around keep you from harm. The same applies to Cat in this book – without Bones, how will she survive?
At Grave’s End has its share of entertaining subplots. Cat finds that it’s getting easier for rogue vampires to recognize her. Someone close (biologically speaking) to Cat would like to see her head on a skewer. An evil and extremely powerful female vampire from Bones’ past wants to change his status from undead to permanently dead. And an armageddon-like vampire war looming on the horizon will force vampires to choose between good and evil.
Cat and Bones have a lot on their plates.
An interesting twist in the book is the interplay between Cat and Tate, a member of Cat’s elite vampire killing super-squad who shows constant devotion to her no matter how off-putting she is. The way he expresses his feelings for her will make you think “hmmn, what if….?” But that won’t happen because Bones is the central vampire in Cat’s life, even though her fellow squad members disdain him. Still, the exchanges between Bones and Tate are engaging.
This vampire book book contains lots of fast-paced action sequences which is nicely rounded out by dashes of witty banter and suspense. And speaking of suspense, the new villain introduced in this story was nicely done and kept me guessing to the very end.
As with previous books in the series the writing is tight, the storyline is engaging and the characters are believable and well fleshed out. You can’t go wrong with Jeaniene Frost. She writes some of the best vampire books on the market. Vampire book lovers will definitely appreciate At Grave’s End, the 3rd entry in the Night Huntress vampire book 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!
