Blood Kiss, Vampire Erotica Anthology
Edited by Cecilia Tan, ISBN # 1-885865-00-7, 1994
Circlet Press
THE PERFECT FORM by Pat Shalah: Basically this book is about a club that vampires frequent. There are females dancing at the club. Everyone is vying for the vampires' attentions. This story was somewhat confusing and there were parts I wasn't sure I followed at all. It had to do with first, second and third generation vampires and what kind of offspring each generation created. The younger generation changes form from male to female when turned and are slaves to the elders.
I personally didn't understand the story enough to say I enjoyed or didn't enjoy it.
CINNAMON KISSES by Renee M. Charles: A woman tells that tale of her conversion to the vampire life and the truths about vampires. She tells how she had to change her shift to nights due to an unprotected sex encounter she had. She used a condom, but never thought to protect her neck. Actually vampires don't need much blood and it's very easy to get when you shave people in a place like Heads or Tails. Heads or Tails is a shop that caters to a special clientele. They give full body waxes and razor or lather shaves be it on the head or the lower regions. This vampire gets her nourishment with an accidental nick here and there. There are humans that she calls takers, they are ones whose blood really sings to a vampire.
Basically there is a description of who she is and what she does. There is a very descriptive same sex encounter with a taker.
THE HUNGER by Warren Lapine: Imagine going for two years hungry, you don't die, but there is no food. You're the last vampire, since the earth was destroyed. You are mentally reminiscing about the woman that created you and the wonderful sex you had. You search day and night for the one that created praying she survived. Since she wasn't with you when the earth blew you have no idea what happened to her. Worse yet you crave death, but that can't be. Stakes won't kill a vampire only sunlight will do that. Due to a Nuclear Winter you have no idea when the nuclear winter will end, so you can end your torment.
I liked this story, but it seemed as if it were a rewrite me of a Twilight Zone episode I watched once.
WANTING by Amelia G: From Goth to Glamor is what this 32 year old woman went from and to. Coming from the store this glamor girl runs into Danielle a lady she used to know. Only now the lady is grungy and dirty and homeless. She takes Danielle home and cleans her up. They then have quite a bit of sex. During some of it the woman is tied to the bed. Danielle shows her there is more then meets the eye when she removes her robe.
This isn't your typical vampire. She needs to be needed not blood. Not a bad story.
PREDATOR by Raven Kaldera: This is the prequel to Prey in Erotica Vampirica. It tells how Reyna caught vampirism and the rules of living with vampirism and not becoming an outlaw. A vampire is to take their prescriptions, and not drink blood. If they do they are hunted and killed. Trouble is the vampire also can't have
Basically this is an owner and slave type story. Sex, leather and such.
THE BRASS RING by Randy Brown: A bi-sexual artist has a vampire lover.The vampire lover also happens to be able to change shape from male to female at will. The bi-sexual lover gets the vampire to dress up in a dress and go out with him. They ride animals on a carousel and the man tells the vampire about when he was young and used to try and catch the brass ring. The vampire has sex as a woman for the first time.
This is basically a story about a vampire finding love with someone that loves him, but wants him any way the shape changing vampire is happy.
LOVED TO DEATH by Dave Smeds: This story is about a sexually insatiable female vampire. It starts with a lot of sex and is basically about sex.The vampire can not find a human to fulfill her without having to kill him. Finally she meets a male like herself.
Personally I didn't like any of the stories in this book as well as I didthe stories in Erotica Vampirica.
Carol Castellanos
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A Darker Dream
by Amanda Ashley, ISBN # 050552208X, 1997
Retail $5.99
In all his 400 years, Rayven had never met a woman like Rhianna. Her father had sold her to Rayven to put food on the table. Now, although Rhianna senses danger beneath his soft-spoken manner, although Rayven himself warns her away, Rhianna is drawn to this creature of the night, and loves him as she will love no other.
I liked the book. It was pretty good for a vampire romance, although perhaps just a bit sappy at times. Having gotten used to Maggie Shayne's vampire romances, however, this book was simply lacking. It had the older type of vampire, the I-don't-like-what-I've-become-and-how-can-you-love-a-bloodsucker-like-me type of hero. The heroine was wimpy, and lacked any real definition. The whole plotline just went in circles, at least for me.
Yes, it was good, but only if you want a romance; there is very little real action. Actually, there's no villain, which can be a good thing, allowing an author to delve into the characters. Unfortunately, Amanda Ashley didn't manage to do that very well here.
A good book, but certainly not a great book. I recommend it if you like vampire romances as it is a pretty good book, but I'd probably rate it a six out of ten stars.
Sarah Pearson
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Embrace The Night
by Amanda Ashley, ISBN # 0843943785, 1995
Retail $5.99
Cursed by the darkness, he searched through the ages for the redeeming light, the one who could save him. She feared the handsome stranger whose eyes promised ecstasy while his mouth whispered dark secrets. Apart, they would face a destiny of despair. Together, they would share undying passion.
This book was better than A Darker Dream in my opinion, yet it still was lacking. The love story, though, was better, although much more toned down. I got the feeling that the author is/was religious and is trying to put her views down into the story. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that, but it definitely tones down the book and stands out.
The heroine is slightly insipid and not all too well developed, but very likable and relatible. I really liked the hero though; while he was yet again one who still wasn't comfortable with his gift/curse, he was a good tortured hero. I'd have loved to get to know him even more, but I'm very happy with what I was given.
If you're looking for a Maggie Shayne book, or something akin to Christine Feehan's "Carpathian" books, this doesn't quite make the grade, yet it is still good. I would certainly recommend this book to vampire romance lovers.
Sarah Pearson
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Sunlight/Moonlight
by Amanda Ashley, ISBN # 050552158X
Retail $5.99
In Sunlight, handsome alien Micah is trapped on Earth after he crash lands and falls in love with beautiful woman, while in Moonlight, the vampire Navarre seeks for a woman brave enough to enter his world.
I'm honestly divided on whether I like this book or not. I liked the second story, "Moonlight", better than the first. I'm not certain if this is truly a spoiler or not but if you're a vampire romance lover..."Sunlight" is an alien romance. Some people I know didn't like it because they thought it was a vampire romance and it wasn't. It's pretty good, but not great. It's not wholly the story's fault, but more the writing. Amanda Ashley's writing style can still use some honing; it reminds me some of Cassie Edward's style, somewhat juvenile and explaining things as if it was speaking to a ten year old. In "Sunlight", an alien crashlands and hides in an abandoned building to keep away from those who would seek him, so he can get his strength up. He telapathically calls the heroine, and when she finds him they work together to get him safely off the planet, and in that time fall in love. Actually, it's not that bad a story, I just don't particularly like the style.
I did like "Moonlight" though, perhaps because it was a vampire hero there. Or maybe it was just that it was honestly better. We have some good background for the hero, who was turned when a "goddess" made an exception for killing sacrifices and made him a vampire. We go forward many years and he is now an antiques dealer, and falls in loved with a woman who comes into his store. Pretty good romances and story.
Over all, I recommend it. I know, I know, I didn't say much good stuff about it, but they're pretty good romances. If you like vampire romances, you'll like "Moonlight"; if you like alien romances, you're probably really like "Sunlight". And if you love Amanda Ashley romances, you will definitely love the two novellas. I guess it's just a matter of taste.
Sarah Pearson
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A Terrible Beauty
by Nancy Baker, ISBN # 0-670-86826-4, 1996
This book is a very interesting and unique, take on The Beauty and The Beast.
Sullivan Donovan owes Sidonie Moreau a debt from years ago. He
used the research and break throughs she had made on some very ancient
scrolls as his own and as a result became very famous for it.
Sidonie calls in that debt by summoning Donovan to her mountain home to
repay that debt. Being that Donovan is now a sick frail old man his son
Matthew goes in his place. Sidonie is a vampire desperately trying to find
a way to become human again.
Sidonie thinks she has found a cure for her vampirism. Each night she must
ask Matthew for his blood, and it must be given up willingly other wise the
cure won't work.
This is a very good book and I would recommend it to anyone who loved Beauty
and The Beast or just wants a great book with an HEA ending.
Copyright 2000 Carol Castellanos
Synopsis' for Bookaholics
Sent to SFFP Romance
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Beneath a Blood Red Moon
by Shannon Drake, ISBN # 0821762982
Retail $6.99
Maggie Montgomery owns a very elegant boutique in New Orleans. Her life is
filled with creating clothing women wanted to be seen in, her friends, and a
vary dark secret. Then someone kills a local small-time pimp, leaving a
blood trail straight to her doorway. Suddenly, Maggie is the object of
intense interest--both personal and professional--to Det. Shane Canady.
However, the killing doesn't stop there.
Fate brought them together, but someone is determined to tear them apart. As
Maggie and Shane work together to figure out who is killing prostitutes, she
begins to believe that she and Shane had loved each other in another time
before a soul so evil--even Maggie shudders at the thought of him--tears
them apart. When Maggie finally figures out who the killer is she realizes
he must be stopped, or the secrets she's kept buried for years will destroy
more than just her. However, that's the least of her problems; Maggie's
mentor, the Vampire King, enters the picture. His purpose: to remind her
that the laws of their kind forbid her killing the killer without Council
approval. Would her and Shane's love be strong enough this time to defeat
the evil. Could she ever become mortal again?
*********************************************************
I really liked the hero in this story a lot. Believe me, it takes a strong
person to go through all Shane does for Maggie. There are also some very
interesting secondary characters, especially Shane's partner, who's perfect
for a book of his own. Then there's the Vampire King--a more delicious
tyrant you'll never meet. Drake also has a very interesting twist on the villain.
The story moved right along, lagging in a couple of places, but not to the
point of stalling. There are elements of violence that aren't for the
squeamish though, so reader be aware of that.
I was prepared to enjoy this book. I love Drake's writing and have several
of her books on my keeper shelf. Plus, I have a special place in my heart
for vampires and stories set in New Orleans. Put the two together, and I'm a
really happy camper.
However, this story never quite delivered. No one spoke with a New Orleans
'flavor'. I kept waiting to "hear" it, and never did. Little things, like
the lack of consistency in the pronunciation of New Orleans was very
distracting for this NO lover. In one sentence you'd see it as New Orleans,
in the next N'Awlens. There just wasn't a feeling of the setting at all. It
could have been Anywhere, Louisiana.
Another thing that bothered me was the whole vampire scenario. It just
didn't work for me. I felt that the way the heroine was "saved" before being
completely brought across was a little too contrived. My ability to suspend
belief was stretched farther than it wanted to go. I mean, how is one half
or part vampire? Unfortunately, to say more would reveal vital information
about the plot and ending, and I hate when that happens. *BG* Speaking of
endings, BABRM's was not well done. The answers were too simple for all the
problems the Drake put her characters into. Perhaps it's the old 'word
count' problem?
This story had a lot of promise, but I was let down by it. However, if you
like vampire stories with a very twisted twist, check it out for yourself.
I love Drake and have several of her books on my keeper shelf. BABRM will be
added to them, but it certainly isn't one of my favorites by her.
Jaycee
copyright Jan 2000
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Dark Prince
by Christine Feehan, ISBN # 0505523302
Retail $4.99
In recent weeks, I've suddenly gotten into a vampire-romance fix. Blame it on Laurell K. Hamilton's "Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter" series; I got finished with the series, ripe with vampires, zombies, werewolves, and romance, and I had to have more. I'd heard of Amanda Ashley, Linda Lael Miller, and Maggie Shayne, but when I came across this in the bookstore I had no idea who the author was. I had an armload of books, only a couple of which I was going to buy, and decided I might as well add this one to my pile. Out of almost twenty books, it made the cut for the five or six books I bought, for which I'm extremely happy.
I think it was the price that clinched the decision for me. Very few truly good books are $4.99, but this one is the exception to the rule. This wasn't your typical vampire book; first off, the hero wasn't technically a vampire but a Carpathian, another race of beings who coincidentally had to drink blood to survive. Secondly, he was not ashamed of what he was as a bloodsucker; it was just a part of his life. The heroine was, to me, a breath of fresh air; she reacted like a normal human being would react to the situations; perhaps I liked her so much because she did what I see myself doing in a similar situation. She's a typical American woman on vacation in Europe, except for the fact that she is telepathic. I think my biggest thing was her name, Raven, isn't exactly what you would see outside of romance novels, but it fit her I suppose.
The storyline flowed so smoothly, I was almost surprised to see the end. It was a basic storyline, vampire hunters after the supposed vampires, but the character development and the development of the Carpathian people itself was wonderful. Another thing I liked was that the hero wasn't Mr. Perfect; he was dark, brooding, and extremely dangerous, but he loved the heroine with everything in him.
The side characters made this book all the better. According to some sources, this book is the first by the author and the first in a series; the sequels are to come out about 4-6 months apart. The next book, Dark Desire, is to come out this December, 1999. Her side characters were so compelling, however, that I simply can't wait to read the next books! One of the characters, Gregori, was so tormented and tortured; one of the things he said was something on the lines of "When I find a woman who can make me feel again, I'm going to hold on tightly to her and never let go." Those are my favorite types of heroes. The other side characters were great though, like Jacques who has prehistoric views of women.
Overall, I think this book was absolutely wonderful. It was a great paranormal vampire romance, and for a first book it was truly phenomenal. People on my mailing lists have been going off about it since it came out, saying how much they love it and how it's absolutely wonderful. I, of course, fully agree.
Sarah Pearson
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Dark Desire
by Christine Feehan, ISBN # 050552354X
Retail $4.99
The sequel to Dark Prince was everything I had hoped for and more. Jacques, the egotistical brother to DP's hero Mikhail and a very likable character, was tortured, staked through the chest (but not the heart), and left locked in a coffin in the basement of an abandoned cottage for seven years. In all that time, his only tie to sanity was a tenuous mental link across the ocean with another woman, one he believes to be his traitor but is his lifemate. Shea O'Halloran, an American doctor, doesn't know the dreams she's been having for years are about a real man until she finds him locked in a coffin with a stake through the chest in the Carpathian mountains. She feels drawn to this man whom she believes has the same blood disease she does, but as she tries to help this tortured man who claims she is his life mate she comes across the secret to her own past.
I really, really loved the hero in this book. Christine Feehan had taken the tortured hero to a new level, yet let us retain our pity and adoration for him. Jacques is the epitome of a tortured hero, and those who read the previous book may feel more deeply the loss of the funloving yet sarcastic brother. The heroine is strong as well; she has to be to be able to put up with/recuperate the tortured Jacques. We also get a glimpse at the previous characters and get some ideas on future book characters.
I very much recommend this book, whether you like vampire romances or not. Of course, I'd say read the first book Dark Prince first but it's not absolutely required. If you want more background on the side characters though, especially Gregori, try to find book 1. Still, this is a stand-alone book, and a VERY good one at that. I find a lot to recommend this book, and eagerly await the next books in the series!! :-)
Sarah Pearson
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Dark Gold
by Christine Feehan, ISBN # 0505523752
Retail $4.99, published April 2000
When Alexandria Houton and her little brother are taken captive after they witness the murderous rampage of a crazed vampire, she holds little hope of ever living to see the next day. Little does she know that the tale she spins to reassure and calm her brother of a golden haired savior coming to their rescue is about to come true, or is it? Has he come to save them or are his golden good looks hiding the heart of a monster? Alex soon
learns that although this dangerous being has saved her life, the price he requires in return may be too high to pay. Aiden Savage has taken on the task of hunting down and destroying the creatures of his race who have given up hope and given in to the lure of the thrill of killing. Until he rescues Alexandria, he fears that he too is on the edge of turning. When he meets Alexandria he realizes that she is the only one who can save him, the only one who can bring color and emotion back into his cold, gray world. But Alexandria is not like any woman he has met
before. How can he find a way to balance his inbred need to control and protect her with her desire for independence? He knows he can never giveher up.
With DARK GOLD, the third installment of her Carpathian series,
Christine Feehan establishes herself as the mistress of Torture and Suspense. The torture of waiting for her next book to come out and the suspense of turning each page to find out if this book will be even better than the last! I am happy to say that
DARK GOLD gives us everything we have come to expect from her books and more. Making it a worthy addition to the series.
(c) Janice Bennett
Under The Cover Book Reviews
SFFP Romance
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Midnight Kiss
by Nancy Gideon, ISBN # 0-7860-0020-1, 1994
Publisher: Pinnacle
Arabella meets Louis Radman through her father who is treating him for a
blood disorder. Or that's what Arabella thinks anyway. What she doesn't
know is he is actually a vampire and her father is helping him try and
become human again.
Although Louis initially repulses Arabella she is also drawn to him. Louis
too is drawn to Arabella, he is drawn to her strong personality and
determination. All this of course is against Dr. Howlands' wishes since he
knows Louis's true nature and doesn't want to see his child hurt or put into
any danger.
Dr. Howland tries to steer Arabella in the direction of another suitor by
the name of Wesley. Unbeknown to Dr. Howland but know to Arabella is the
fact that Wesley is only trying to court Arabella to further his career and
to become a partner with her father.
At a party Wesley attempts to put Arabella into a very embarrassing and
potentially socially dangerous position so she will be forced to marry him.
Louis saves her from this situation which makes an enemy of Wesley. Wesley
discovers Louis's true nature and tries to blackmail him into leaving him
alone to marry Arabella. In addition he sends someone to try and kill Louis.
Bianca the spurned lover and creator of Louis shows up with Gerard the
ex-best friend, whom Louis betrayed by having an affair with Bianca while
Gerard was in love with her. Biancas' jealousy and Gerards' hate make for a
very dangerous situation.
I personally loved this book and thought is was a very intriguing start to a
great series.
Copyright by Carol Castellanos
Review sent to PNR Romance reviews
Simegen
Word Weaving
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Midnight Temptation
by Nancy Gideon, ISBN # 0-7860-0054-6, 1994
Publisher: Pinnacle Romance
This is the second book in the Midnight series.
Louis and Arabella are now living in a Chateau outside of Grez. Nicole the
daughter conceived during the short time that Louis had the chance to become
human once again, is now coming of age. She is also having very weird and
scary cravings and feelings she doesn't quite understand. She questions
why she has so little freedom and isn't even allowed to visit Paris like
other girls her age. Nicole doesn't understand her mothers' overprotectiveness.
Nicole follows her father on one of his short evening jaunts, in order to
speak to him about this situation and to seek his help. Nicole isn't
prepared for what she sees. At first she thinks her father is cheating on
her mother then she sees the blood running down the girls neck. That's when
for the first time she finds out that her father is a vampire. Nicole is so
distressed she flees him back to the arms of her mother.
Nicole feels betrayed that parents have been keeping this from her for all
these years that in the morning she leaves. Nicole gets a ride from Grez to
Paris with an aspiring artist named Camille. Once in Paris Nicole's bag
containing all her money, jewels and everything she brought with her is
stolen. She is left with nothing and nowhere to go. After spending the
night outside, being shooed off of doorsteps, and being mistaken for a
prostitute, Nicole remembers Camille's offer of help if she ever needs it.
Nicole then goes to Camille's where she meets Marchand La Valois who tells
her Camille has been killed. Marchand takes pity on Nicole and takes her
in, in return Nicole is to keep the house clean and such. Eventually Nicole
and Marchand become closer. Unfortunately some of Nicole starts having
weird feelings and almost takes Marchands blood.
Bianca and Gerard show up and convince Nicole to stay with them by saying
they are old friends of her fathers. They also let her know they are the
same as her and her father and promise to teach her about her nature. They
of course are trying to get even with her father, and to teach her to be as
ruthless as they are. Luckily Nicole finds out their true motives, but not
before she and all people that she cares about are put into danger.
The story has the usual necessities for any good book, intrigue, danger,
betrayal and romance. At the end of the book I couldn't wait to read the
third to the series.
Copyright 1999 by Carol Castellanos
Sent to Simegen
PNR Romance reviews
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Midnight Surrender
by Nancy Gideon, ISBN # 0-7860-0134-8, 1995
Publisher: Pinnacle
This is book three to the Midnight series. Louis and Arabella have moved
after the trouble they had at their old residence.
Arabella now a fairly older lady meets Cassie Alexander their young
neighbor. Arabella became a very good friend to Cassie when her father died
from a knife wound while investigating a story. Cassie is the publisher and
owner of The Lexicon a news publication left to her by her father upon his
death. Unfortunately Cassie's uncle is very angry that his brother left
The Lexicon to his daughter instead of his brother, and he does his best to
subvert Cassie's authority and undermine her position at the paper.
What Cassie doesn't know is just how far her uncle is willing to go to get
control of the paper. Cassie is attacked by two men, and if not for the
good fortune that Louis was in the area she could very well have been
killed. Cassie finds herself drawn to Louis. Cassie has no idea that Louis
is not Arabella's grandson as they have been posing, but actually her
husband. Arabella knowing that her time on earth is short works to try and
get Cassie and Louis to fall for one another. The job is not a very hard
one, but what is hard is to make Louis realize that he is not betraying his
wedding vows or love for Arabella by caring for Cassie.
There been a few murders in the area, and Cassie has been getting packages
with a piece of bloody clothing and a note. She has become suspicious that
Louis could have killed these women, due to the fact that the men he stopped
from attacking her were found dead. For this reason Cassie does not go to
the police immediately with the packages and the note.
Arabella makes Louis promise to take care of Cassie and makes Cassie
promise to love and care for Louis. She then uses her link with Gerard to
call him to her and begs him to put her out of her pain and misery. Gerard
very reluctantly agrees and he gently takes Arabella's life.
Bianca finds out that Arabella is dead and is overjoyed. She sees this as
her chance to get Louis back. Things don't go quite as she planned and she
finds out he already has another mortal love. Here is where I will end,
except to say that the book is well worth reading to find out what happens
between Cassie and Louis. Whether Cassie's uncle gets what her deserves and
what part his son plays in all this, and what happens between Gerard and Bianca.
Copyright 2000 Carol Castellanos
Reviewed for Simegen
Sent to PNR Romance
SFFP Romance
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Midnight Enchantment
by Nancy Gideon, ISBN # 1-89389604-8, 1999
Publisher: Imajinn Books
This book is the fourth in the Midnight series by Nancy Gideon. It is in
every way as good if not better then the first three.
Gerard has been living in New Orleans to recover from the damage done by
Bianca, which you can read about in Midnight Surrender.
Gerard is approached by Percy who threatens to expose the fact that he is a
vampire if Gerard doesn't marry Laure, Percys' sister. Not only does he
have to marry her he has to make Percy his financial handler. Gerard agrees
and they are wed. He thinks Laure knows and is an accomplice to all of
this. Little does he know that she had been tricked into marrying him not
knowing she was marrying a vampire.
Percy has a deep and hidden hatred for his sister, whom he professes to
care about. Laure comes from a family that is known for practicing voodoo.
There are quite a few misunderstandings during her marriage to Gerard.
Gerard slowly ends up falling in love with Laure, but due to the fact that
he still thinks she is trying to trick him he fights that love. Gerard also
thinks he is beyond feelings of love or anything else other then the urge to
kill and drink blood, but he is sadly mistaken.
Laure and Gerard end up at Nicole and Marchands' house hiding from the
voodoo woman who wants to kill them. The woman also happens to be Laure's
aunt and the head of the voodoo cult in the area. She wants to kill Gerard
and absorb his power. There are quite a few good twists and turns in this
book of which I will refrain from telling. Let me say if you liked the
first three books of the Midnight series then you will love this book. I
would recommend this book to anyone who likes vampires and romance in the
same book.
Copyright by Carol Castellanos
Review sent to Simegen
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Night's Immortal Touch
by Cheryln Jac, ISBN # 078600158, 1995
Publisher: Pinnacle
It was nice to see a strong female vampire that wasn't whiney about being
a vampire and actually enjoys the Chasseur (vampire) life, and the powers
that come with it.
Suzanne Beaumondier is a Chasseur by birth. The last of her kind all other
Chasseurs have become that way by being transformed. She has come back to
New Orleans after a year in hiding and healing. Where she was shot by
someone with a silver bullet, and severely burned in a fire that had
destroyed the family mansion, in addition killing her mother and grandmother.
Suzanne's suspicions that her brother Alexandre is the one who set the fire,
and Alexandre's suspicions that Suzanne is the one doing the killings in the
area leaves for feelings of betrayal, fear and anger; which coincidentally
started when Suzanne came back to town. Suzanne's suspicions about
Alexandre steamed from the fact the he hated the Chasseur life and wanted to
be come human. Which unknown in the beginning to Suzanne he has
accomplished through the strength of Rachel, his wife's love. The story of
Alexandre and Rachel was told in the first book Night's Immortal Kiss.
The only thing Suzanne is afraid of is falling in love and becoming human
like her brother has or losing the one she loves, or being betrayed. All of
which has happened to her in the past. An old love is revealed and a new
one is in the future. There are a few nice twists and sinister characters
who show up to make this interesting, one from her past and one from her
present. One happens to be a police officer investigating the recent
murders by the name of Clay Garnier. Who by the way is also a close friend
of Alexandre.
Without giving away the rest of the story let me say I enjoyed this book.
The book has a great ending, it has love, reunion and in the end everyone
pretty much gets what they deserve. Except one person named Jacques. The
book leaves you wanting to know what's in Jacques future. To find out whom
Jacques is it will be necessary to read the book. It is worth reading.
Copyright 1999 by Carol Castellanos
Review sent to Simegen
PNR Romance reviews
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Darker Passions: Carmilla
by Amarantha Knight, ISBN # 1-56333-578-6, 1997
Pages: 335
Dr. Hesselius discovers an old box with a painting of a young woman and
papers in the box. He's so drawn to the loveliness of the woman he takes
the painting home and puts it up in his bedroom. He then spent weeks in his
room looking at the picture and pleasuring himself. Finally realizing he
has been letting his practice and other duties go he gets himself together
and starts to read the parchments in the box.
What Dr. Hesselius reads is a story written down by Laura the daughter of a
dead general living in a castle in Styria with her English guardian Martin
Miller and governess Madam Perrodon. While reading these papers Dr.
Hesselius fantasizes about being with Laura and what she would feel like
inside and out.
Laura recants how isolated she is from the rest of humanity in the castle.
She also tells how Madam Perrodon is a very stern, but loving governess,
although Madam Perrodon does believe in very strict physical discipline.
Madam Perrodon's preferred method of punishment is the bare derriere with
the bristle side of a brush. She also seems to like the site of Laura's
naked body.
Laura seems to have a crush on Martin her guardian, but he seems to not be
interested in her sexually in the slightest. Martin hires a finishing
governess Madam De LaFontaine to help reacquaint Laura with French and other
things it is necessary for a young lady of her position to know. Madam De
LaFontaine also seems to be very fond of discipline, but her preferred
methods are with riding crops and whips.
Laura's two friends and their fathers come for a visit from time to time.
Laura and her friends seem to be very physically intimate and very fond of
each other. Madam Perron and Madam De Lafontaine also become very
physically intimate and fond of each other as well. Martin and the fathers
of Laura's friends also tend to be very fond of each other and physically
intimate.One evening a carriage driving by the castle has a wreck. A young lady
named Carmilla is hurt and taken in or a few months while her mother
continues on her very important journey. Carmilla and Laura become
physically and emotionally involved with each other. Carmilla becomes
physically involved with Martin as well to the point he is totally obsessed
with Carmilla and is jealous of the involvement of Carmilla and Laura. From
the time Carmilla arrives deaths begin to occur in the village, suspicion
eventually falls on Carmilla.
There are a lot of very extreme erotic situations. The story is definitely
not for everyone. There are a lot of same sex situations, whippings to the
point of bleeding and pleasuring devices used in this book. The story is
definitely on the edge and not something anyone easily offended should read,
but in the same respect I liked it and if you don't mind same sex erotic
encounters, spankings, submission and sexual devices used somewhat extremely
this is definitely the book for you.
Copyright 1999 by Carol Castellanos
Sent to Simegen
PNR Romance reviews
Word Weaving
SFPP Romance
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Secret of the Pale Lover
by Clarissa Ross, ISBN # 75350, 1969
Publisher: Magnum Books
Eve Lewis is in Paris on a scholarship to do graduate studies on French
history. Her special interest is black magic. On a night out with friends
an older man introduces himself as the Count Henri Langlais.
The count would like Eve to meet his ill nephew who he thinks Eve would be
good for. Ever meets Leonard Langais and a bit of romance starts. The
count and his nephew leave abruptly due to Leonard's illness. Eve goes back
to her room in Paris and settles into her normal routine.
A while latter Eve gets an invitation to the Chateau Langlais, and a
beautiful Cameo from the count. Eve has been having weird things going on
around and to her lately. Once Eve gets to the Chateau for a visit there
seems to be a change in Leonard. He will only see her at night and has some
very strange behavior.
Eve finds herself for all intents and purposes trapped at the Chateau. Eve
meets David the man who was hired to impersonate Leonard in Paris. He tells
her why and the story.
Although it is a slow read, there is romance, intrigue and a twist to the story.
Copyright 2000 Carol Castellanos
Synopsis' for Bookaholics
Sent to SFFP Romance
Simegen
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The Vampire Contessa
by Marilyn Ross, ISBN # 0-523-00504-0, 1974
Adele Fosters' brother Johnny has a romance with the Contessa Maria
Fillipio. Whom is suspected of being a vampire and a black widow to boot.
All the men she has married were rich, died recently after she married them,
which left her the sole heir to their estate.
Not only does the Contessa change Johnny into a vampire, but he is ordered
to kill his sister, being that she and he are both heir to the estate.
Adele Foster hires Jeremy Quentain to protect and help her. In the interim
they form a relationship. There is also a rival for Adele Fosters'
attentions by the name of Richard King.
The book has murder, some romance and a twist to the ending.
Copyright 2000 Carol Castellanos
Synopsis' for Bookaholics
Sent to SFFP Romance
Simegen
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