Shades of Gray

Now this is how I remember Amanda Ashley stories being like. Boring with a capital B. The heroine goes to the circus because she's drawn to the main attraction. Supposedly the oldest vampire is existence. There she cuts her finger and inadvertently the blood awakens him from his slumber and when she returns to see the creature again, the circus is shut down and the killings of young woman begin. Now, when we first meet the heroine, it's almost like she is fascinated with vampires because she goes out of her to go to the circus and is interested in nothing but the creature. But she doesn't believe in vampires and really has no interest in them at all...Strange, but whatever. Then she meets the hero. He starts by following her to the show more restaurant, then following hr home and the heroine, instead of being uber creeped out by this, actually goes out walking with him late at night. This is a chick who lives and works in a major city. She should know better than this and honestly it won't be a vamp to kill her but just a regular old crazy. Then she meets the....other hero, I guess you'd call him. He's a vampire hunter who also follows her home and stalks her from her work and apartment...again...is she really not creeped out by this? You get the feel that this was supposed to be the formula of a love triangle but there's never any hint of attraction between the heroine and hero #2. In fact, there was very little romance between her and hero #1. This book felt like groundhog day from hell. It just kept going around and around in circles. Get up, get breakfast, ask a whole lot of questions, go to work, nothing, VAMPIRE ATTACK, oh it's over, back to the questions. Please make it stop! The vampire was like a damn wack a mole, he just kept popping up throughout the story in between food and Q&A sessions. Also, the cover is misleading. This is not a historical novel but contemporary. The addition I own has carriages and characters in Victorian dress. This is a lie!. show less

carnival vampire - listed as OK

Alexi
Bound by chains of silver, the vampire had slept for a hundred years, locked in a world of pain and hunger until the seductive scent of one woman’s blood recalled him to ravenous life.
Marisa
Unnerved by the sight of the carnival’s captive 'vampire', she stumbled from the tend and into the arms of the most striking man she had ever seen. Mesmerized by his supernatural embrace, she believed him when he swore all he desired to drink were her kisses.
Grigori
Lost in darkness, Grigori found new sustenance in the light of Marisa’s love, a new purpose in his life, for only he could protect her from the evil that stalked the night. Now, hungering for her bittersweet caress, he vowed to show her that not all of the undead were show more monsters, and that, somewhere between the black and white of damnation and desire lay infinite SHADES OF GRAY. show less