Caroline Hanson

This story opens with Lucas (the head of the vampires) feeling a bit blah with life, what pulls him out is the discovery that one of his subjects has just fed (to death) on an empath and is now riding a high (reminiscent of 'The World on Blood'). Lucas kills him (to stop the word spreading) after learning that the woman in question had a daughter. That daughter is Valerie. Her father becomes a vampire hunter but Lucas protects her as he has a use for her.

The main body of the book takes place show more 15 years later when Valerie has grown up enough to be of use to Lucas. He wants to find evidence of the other supernatural race (fey, werewolves, witches are mentioned) despite the fact that the reason there're gone is that he ran a very successful campaign against them centuries before. He thinks this will give him a reason to hold onto life.

This of course throws a cat amongst the pigeons and vampire politics gets brutal. Then there's Jake who was raised with Valerie and who she lusts after (and who feels quite protective towards her as well).

This drew me in. I've come across these themes before but it was well handled and made the reading easy. show less

While this book was free, it cost me time and I kind of wish I had that time back.

To be fair, this was a fun, lighthearted read. I liked the sassy, silky style of the narrative and the male lead was intriguing (if completely under developed). Sadly, it felt like a let down when I got to the end of the story and found there was absolutey no pay off for the build up I'd sexual tension. We didn't even get a fade to black we got an end, period.

I can look past the slap-dash fan fiction style of show more the writing, where virtually nothing is explained about this paranormal universe, and the use of the word 'core,' but this aburptly cutting this story short is a bullshit. Not to mention the fact this story ended only about 47% of ebook, the rest was a preview for one the author's books. Even that woukdn't have bothered me as much is this other book was at all related to Bewitching the Werewolf, but no. It's about an empath who gets seduced by a 1600 old vampire. No thank you.

What a waste of time. show less

**Spoilers will be clearly marked.

For a while there, I wasn't sure I was gonna make it through the whole book. It started off slowly and disjointedly, but near the middle, it really started to pick up. It was as if the book was written by two different people, each claiming a half. I don't know what happened between the two halves, but maybe the author took a break to reflect or something along those lines. Whatever she did, she managed to pull a decent story outta her ass and make it show more work.

The first 1/4 was bogged down by a lot of jumping around in the timeline, punctuated by a lot of backstory that was boring, sporadic, and unfocused. It was a little "in your face", so that we might know our characters. I don't say "get" to know, because there was no "getting". There was only knowing, as in here are your characters and they are like this. It was cause for a lot of confusion on my part. I didn't get a real sense of who Valerie was until much later. I didn't know if I was supposed to like or dislike her and it threw me off.

I stuck with the book, because I've heard so many goods things, but it was tough. About halfway through, the pace picked up and I was pleasantly surprised. It got pretty good. I will say that the villain displayed laughable behavior. They failed to instill a single stitch of fear in me and I didn't see that their actions were going anywhere.Clearly Marion was crazy, no? Am I the only one who reads her character as one that is certifiably bonkers? This is another place where I feel Hanson failed. I could clearly see that Marion was cuckoo, so why didn't Val so much as allude to this? The bitch is speaking in riddles like the Joker and swaddling 12 yr olds in your dream/borrowed memory. She's bananas. So, why don't you acknowledge this, Val? Marion was looney even by human standards. Straight cuckoo.

Anywho, despite having a barely there plot, the book holds your attention with the interpersonal relationships. I especially appreciated the multiple POV's. I liked knowing what different characters were thinking and this also eliminated the dreaded "tell me" that is prevalent in so many books. It allowed us to be shown important info and that's a heck of a lot more interesting than having a character take up half a chapter telling us a boring story.

It's been a while since I've read a vamp novel (other than the Black Dagger Bro's & they aren't vampy in the old fashioned sense of the word). I've been in the mood for a sexy vamp and in this respect, Hanson delivered. Lucas was sexy, dangerous, powerful, beautiful, and not some silly master vamp who acts upon all of his whims. He was poised and controlled and I really like his character. Hanson was able to produce the perfect balance between self-interest and morality in Lucas. He's yummy.

Typically, I'm not a fan of erotica or steamy romance scenes. The moment a rock solid member pops free of a trouser, a mound quivers, or ferocious fingers dip into a hot, wet core, I bolt. It's just too silly for me and I can't manage to read it in any way other than mockingly. Sure, the author used "core" here, but only once or twice.. Oh and Val's nipples tended to "pebble".. HA! If ever I felt my nipples do something that I considered "pebbling", I'd be seriously alarmed. Aside from that, the sexy time was pretty hot. I actually read right through 2 of the scenes and it was kinda kinky hot. Bravo on that, Hanson. I've read a few other reviews listing Val as a slut and GEEZ LOUISE. Gimme a break. Only a prude would think Val a slut, by her average sexual behavior.
1. She gets DRY humped as a teen by someone she knows intimately and whom she's loved (puppy or otherwise) for years. Give the girl a break! That's not slutty, just typical, hormonal teen-who-thinks-she's-in-love behavior.

2. She makes out with a strange dude in a bar. A little skeevy, true, but then she dates him for MONTHS, before sealing the deal and most importantly, she does so in a sort of desperation. She's a young girl with unrequited love that is trying to lose herself in a new relationship and it's just not working. No matter how nice Ian may be, it's about Jack. It's always Jack.

3. She's hot and bothered by a sexy vamp. Can you blame her? Though, I think she cares more for Lucas than she'll admit. I also think she's young and unsure of herself. She's got major daddy issues and lots of women go looking for love in all the wrong places - usually in its less fulfilling physical form.

How do these things make her a slut? Of her 3 love interests, she only slept with one once and only after months of dating and meeting his family. They were pretty serious at that point. I dunno of a lot of sluts that wait months before letting their inner slut out. She also ends the relationship for the simple fact that she doesn't want to hurt the nice guy. I applaud this. There are a lot of heroines out there who cheat first and think later. I think Val is a confused young lady without a strong mother figure and with a shitty dad, who is starving for love/attention and doesn't even know what love really is. I identify with her on this. I was once a young twenty-something that made questionable decisions based on my idea of love. I hope to see her grow into her own.

I also saw mention of how unlikely it is that Lucas would fall for a lowly human girl. She's an empath! The last one of her kind. Imagine spending centuries devoid of a single emotion and coming across someone who can change all of that. Lucas is at odds with this and at odds with his feelings for Val. It simultaneously intrigues and repels him. He says so in his private thoughts.

I feel like this book laid the groundwork down for a promising new series, despite its lack of focus and lack of cohesive plot. Usually, when I say I like half of a book a lot and the other half not much at all, I'll settle with a 3 star rating. I didn't do that this time, because I think Hanson pulled it off. I think that, despite the rocky start, it was all uphill from there and she knows where she's going with this. Too often I read books that are less than mediocre and they never pick up, causing a severe loss of interest and resentment at never being able to get those hours of my life back. So, kudos to Hanson for somehow making it work. I'm so glad I don't have to wait a year for the next book, as this one ended on a kind of cliffhanger. From what I've heard around the way, the second is much better than the first. =D show less

*Spoiler-free.

Just a quickie review:

And the plot thickens. (There goes my cliché quota for the month.) Well, this got better, no?

Pro: While I’ll decline to comment on the author’s writing in the technical sense (I’m no pro), I found this book to be fantastically quote-worthy. It so often brought me to laughter and I cherish that in a book.

Con: I thought the author resorted to carnal pleasures too often in this one, but there was enough character growth that it balanced out for me show more in the end.


A few quick thoughts:

Val - I still like you. I know you’re misunderstood. You’re just young, dumb, and full of – vigor.. Ha. Also, you should get your pebbles checked out. I'm not sure that what's happening there is kosher.

Rachel – Mild Mayhap your fucked up self could cease to exist sometime soon? K, thanks.

Jack – Mild Really? REALLY, Jack? Fuck you.

Val's father aka what's-your-face - Good riddance. Amen.

Lucas – I’m tired of your huge cock.


Lastly, the ending was a cliffhanger and while I usually hate those, this one worked for me. It got me so amped for the next book, that when I think about it for too long, I get a little wild-eyed. Very excited about where this is heading.

Was this quickie review good for you, too? show less