Hellbent

"I'm a vampire. In the words of the immortal Bauhaus ... 'undead undead undead.'" *

This is a lively and almost light-hearted caper story featuring vampires and other supernatural phenomena. There are some, let's call them questions, that I have that make me strongly inclined to pick up the first book in the story and update this review after I read it. (Actually, I enjoyed this one enough that I might just do that anyway.)

1) With a title like Hellbent, I was expecting something grim. Or possibly involving demonic forces of some sort. While this wasn't all kittens and rainbows (well, there is a kitten), it wasn't anywhere approaching bleak. There may have been some atmospheric grit, but if you're looking for a dark and bloody story, this show more is unlikely to satisfy. But, based on the backstory that gets dropped, I'm wondering if the first book was darker.

2) Adrian (ex-Navy Seal and current drag queen) and Ian (blind vampire/Ray's tentative love interest) both cringe every time Ray (vampire/narrator) tries to involve them in her plans. Given that her plans actually seem to be pretty well thought-out and executed, I'm wondering if this running joke is because of something that happens in the first book. When she has to think on her feet, though, she sometimes does things that seem a little questionable -- but she acknowledges that she's not a great in-the-moment thinker. (Possibly relating to her OCD, but I'm not familiar enough with that disorder to really know.)

I enjoyed this quite a lot. After my failed attempt to read the too-bleak-for-me Boneshaker, I was both excited and apprehensive about this series. Fortunately, it retains Ms Priest's skill at vivid character and world building, but it's a bit more fun and laugh-out-loud funny in several places.

One of my favorite scenes is at the beginning of chapter 7, where Adrian is struggling to get the hotel remote to work and then is excited to discover that Myth Busters is on. OMG, I felt such kinship with Adrian at that moment; I've lived that scene, multiple times.

*Since this review is based on an unfinished review copy (thank you LibraryThing), I'm not positive that this quote will make the final cut... but I hope it does, it's pretty funny. show less

Raylene Pendle is my new favorite vampire! I loved this book so much. Cherie Priest writes with such humor, but there is also a lot of love there (although don't tell Raylene that, because she really wants to be viewed as a loner). Her little family (a vampire, 2 orphans, and a drag queen/ex-Navy Seal) are adorable, and she actually seems destined to pick up a few more to add to the group along the way.

Raylene is a vampire thief and she has been hired to retrieve a humidor full of bacula - penis bones to us lay people - that can enhance magical abilities. Of course, this proves to be more difficult than expected when she has to chase a psychotic sorceress to get them. She also has to save her friend, Ian, from possible extermination at show more the hands of his "brother" when the head of their House is killed and Ian is next in line to inherit.

I loved the way all of the characters were so distinct and had their own individual personalities, and that their back stories were explained.in a very organic and natural way. The pacing was great, which made this an enjoyable and quick read.

In summary, I highly recommend this book.

5/5 stars.

I received a copy of this book free of charge in exchange for my honest opinion. show less

I really enjoyed Hellbent--possibly more than Bloodshot? Not sure, but I'm really bummed there aren't more. Adrian/Sister Rose is the best, and their relationship with Ray is A . Also, Ray is open about her mental illness, and sympathizes with a woman with schizophrenia. She doesn't really know what to do with the woman once she finishes her revenge spree, but Ray's willing to try, at least. So much of this book was just wonderful, and I would read boatloads more of the Cheshire Red books.

I was expecting another romp through the world of vampires in this follow-up to [b:Bloodshot|8140731|Bloodshot (The Cheshire Red Reports, #1)|Cherie Priest|http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/511c3Mc0XyL._SL75_.jpg|12937194]. I didn't quite get it. Sure, there was thievery, there was snarkiness, there was even magic this time around.

One thing I found to be missing was a compelling through-line of a story. This felt like three parallel stories that sometimes crossed paths. None of them really carried the book. Therefore, they each just sort ended. So did the the book.

Also missing: suspense. There were very few times I really felt like the characters had everything on the line. Perhaps this is due to the lighthearted tone of Raylene's show more narration. But I did experience a more suspense in the previous adventure.

Action and adventure were also missing here. There was a bit, here and there, like when Ray was trying to recover the magical bones. But mostly there was a lot of talking.

Even so, I'm caught up with these characters. I have learned to like Raylene's voice. It did keep me going for the length of this book and I will be back for the next adventure. I just hope it's more adventurous. show less

This is the second in this series and I look forward to the next one eagerly. The plot is fast paced and makes for an quick and fun read. Priest manages character conversations with such natural rhythm that you are are part of them. The characters banter like you do with friends in a bar or coffee shop. They are people who you want to be with.

There is no sense of drippy morality about the horror of being a monster, or about heroic, self sacrificing, world saving efforts. Its endearing quality is the fact that Raylene is out to save her friends and make money. She has no ethical qualms about what she has to do to achieve it. She doesn't apologize for being a vampire and she doesn't have any hint of moral rectitude. No where does she try show more to explain away her actions either. Its who she is. For all of that, she is a decent person, doing her level best to protect her own. And you love her for it.

Priest was gutsy to ignore the incessant morality that tends to clog these types of supernatural tales. For example, Raylene rescues and befriends someone who most authors would have relegated to psycho villain and felt perfectly safe doing so. Instead we are left with someone who has done terrible things and is now sitting in the chair as a friend and possible powder keg. It creates complexity and tension and nagging sense that there might be more to this novel than just a fun, 'don't think too hard' romp. show less

I got an advanced reading copy of this book through Librarything's early Reviewer program. I was soo excited to read this. I love pretty much everything I have read by Cherie Priest (I've read all her Clockwork Century series and of course the first book in this series, Bloodshot). Well I loved this book too. It was so much fun to read; definitely not as serious as her Clockwork Century series but a very fun, fast paced urban fantasy series with a lot of humor.

Our favorite OCD vampire thief, Raylene, is back with more hijinks. Raylene gets a call from one of her contacts asking her to steal some very valuble magical baculum (penis bones..uh yep that's what baculum are). It looks to be a simple snatch and grab, of course things aren't show more ever simple. Along with this snatch and grab gone wrong, Raylen's housemate Ian has problems of his own. The head of Ian's House has died and Ian would be next in line, except with his blindness he isn't suited for the position and is being hunted down instead. So Raylene and Adrian (the drag queen ex-Navy Seal) go over to Ian's House to try and fix things up for him; along the way they may even find out more about Adrian's sister.

This book has three plot lines going on: the stealing of the baculum, Ian's problems with his house, and the search for Adrian's missing sister. These plots are neatly and efficiently woven together making for a fast-paced, action packed urban fantasy that is hard to put down and fun to read.

The characters are part of what make this book wonderful. Raylene is quirky, hilarious, and very good at what she does. Adrian is another wonderful quirky character, that is a load of laughs, but also very bad-ass. There pretty much aren't any characters in this book that I don't like; they are all interesting, engaging, creative and...did I already mention fun?!

The dialogue throughout is also witty. The banter between Raylene and Adrian is hilarious. I absolutely love Raylene's snarky attitude and enjoy her constant digressions to only slightly related topics. Just beware there are numerous sexual references (but no sex) throughout and a crapload of swearing. I enjoyed it, but it is not for younger readers.

I love where this series is going, some big things happen right at the end of the book that make me excited to see where this series is headed to. The main plotlines are nicely wrapped up. You could probably read this book as a stand alone; good background is given in the beginning of the book. Why would you want to though when Bloodshot was such a fun read too?

Overall I absolutely loved this book. The plot and action are well done, the characters quirky and funny, it is fast-paced and lots of fun. I love love Raylene and her snarkiness. I love where this series is going and am so excited to read the next installment. I pretty much loved everything about this book. Is this book for everyone? Probably not, the humor is a bit off-the-wall and dark, there's a lot of swearing, and pretty much no romance. But, if you love fast-paced action-packed urban fantasy with a biting sense of humor you should definitely check this series out. show less

Note: While this is Book 2 in the series, it works just fine as a stand alone novel.

Raylene is an expert thief and a wayward vampire. Her fixer Horace has an unusual job for her. He needs these rare yet odd relics stolen and he offers her a big financial incentive to take on the job. However, someone else is also after the relics – Elizabeth Creed. She’s a warlock and one who isn’t all there. Tossing in some trouble on the homefront, Ian (a blind vampire) has been summoned home by his House. It’s a death sentence to go and a death sentence to not go. Ray may not be able to help Ian with this one.

First, there was lots of humor and banter in this book, and plenty of it is a bit dark. The odd relics that Ray is hunting for are show more actually baculum, which are penis bones. Yep. Many placental mammals have penis bones. Alas, humans do not. Anyway, these particular baculum are from things like werewolves and such, making them perfect for magical spells. I’m sure you can see how this particular job was rife with humor.

The quest takes Ray out of Seattle and to Houston and Atlanta. She’s also trying to give her support to Ian as he tries to reconnect with this son Brandon. So we get to see a chunk of the country in this book. Adrian, an ex-military drag queen, is also along for the ride. Hooray! I really enjoyed his character in Book 1, Bloodshot. When he’s in drag, she’s Sister Rose. In the previous book, he was searching for his younger sister Isabel. That search comes up again in this novel and I was glad to see that Adrian had not given up his hunt.

There’s a touch of romance in this novel. There’s a low simmering heat between Ray and Ian, but since they live in the same big house, they have been keeping things casual. They also share space with two orphaned kids, Domino and his little sister Pepper. Domino is going through his angry teen years and I really was worried he was going to get dead in this book! Pepper is the brains of the two even if she’s only 7 or so.

There’s plenty of action as Ray tries again and again to doge the crazy warlock, the military group that once held Ian captive, and also Ian’s House. There are so many ways that things could go very, very wrong for Ray! Eeeeep! This was a real page, or, rather, disc, turner for me. I didn’t want to put this book down. Between the humor and the high-stakes action, I was hooked and enjoyed the entire book.

Narration: Natalie Ross did another great job with this book. I continue to be amazed at her performance with Adrian/Sister Rose. I also enjoy her various accents as needed here and there. Her rough, kind of seedy voice for Horace was perfect – just like how I picture him. show less