Tag Archives: vampires

Review – Dominion of the Damned (Ebook)

jm bauhaus I’ve been following, reading, and enjoying Jean Marie’s work for a while now. I consider myself a fan and we’re also friends via the usual social media channels. She blends fantasy and romance in a way that I enjoy. When she solicited reviews for this book, I immediately raised my hand. Does this meet my standards? Read on and find out!

Nursing student Hannah Jordan knows things are bad when her mother dies while giving birth to a son. She knows things can’t get much worse when her mother gets back up and tries to have the baby for breakfast. When she’s forced to put her mother down like a rabid animal, only one certainty remains: Hannah will do whatever it takes to stay alive and protect her baby brother.

dominion coverThe only survivors out of a family of survivalists, Hannah and the baby ride out the zombie apocalypse in their family’s backyard bunker, emerging months later to find a world taken over by the newly self-appointed saviors of humanity: a race of vampires hellbent on preventing the extinction of their food supply.

The Goods – Zombie vs. Vampires with humans stuck in the middle? Sign me up! This uses the typical horror tropes well, without abusing them a la Twilight. The romance angle is well written and I enjoy watching the principle love interests falling for each other. Hannah Jordan is the kind of kick ass heroine I think we all need to see more of. She’s strong, but far from a robot. She knows her way around a gun and isn’t afraid to go hand to hand. She’s also smart, though she makes plenty of mistakes of the sort you’d expect from any young person. So, she’s no Mary Sue. The pacing and amount of detail are both solid. JM knows how to keep the story moving, but she doesn’t sacrifice character development. It’s definitely a page turner and literally kept me up until midnight so that I could find out what happened.

The Bads – As much as I enjoyed the book, it’s not without its flaws. Hannah is in her bunker for five months and it seems to me that the world went from normal to post apocalyptic far too quickly. Things happen that probably should have taken longer than five months. When a prisoner is telling her what’s happened since the zombie outbreak, it sounds like everything fell apart too quickly. Speaking of too quick, while I applaud the pacing, there are a few scenes that seem to move the plot along a little too quickly. More time with her settling into life at the camp would have made what happened next a little more believable. By that, I mostly mean the relationships that she builds with the other humans. They go much too fast. In addition, everything at the human camp is a little too clean and nice. Hannah starts off paranoid and justifiably so, but she works through it too quickly.

There’s also something that bugged me about both this and another romance I read recently. People are too nice to each other. I’ll grant you that most of the vampires are evil buggers, but I don’t recall there being an ounce of tension between Hannah and the people she ends up befriending. She does things that should bother her new neighbors and there’s no huge reason for anyone to be so open and trusting. I suppose I’ve just come to think of the post-apocalypse genre as being chock full of anti-social behavior.

Finally, while I found the idea of the solution to the zombie problem to be interesting, it was also a little confusing. How it works is a mystery, as is how it was developed.

None of these by themselves hurt the book that much, but a few answers might be forthcoming in the sequel.

The Verdict I enjoyed this book. The vampires are mostly monsters, though the doctor has an interesting explanation as to why that is. The romance is heartfelt. And the plot and characters worked for me. The flaws pulled me out of the story a few times, but getting back in was never a problem.

I give this book four out of five silver bullets and look forward to the next in this series.

Amazon Link

Ebook Giveaway – Sophia and Emily

Congratulations to Dave Avila for winning both of last week’s e-books! I’ll get them out to him ASAP. That’s what can happen with these duel giveaways. I do a drawing for each and with only one entrant it’s pretty simple.

If you’ve already won, please feel free to comment, but I really want future e-books to go to folks that haven’t won anything.

This week I’m giving away two books, but only to one person. These two books are by the same author and are meant to be read back to back (though in no particular order. I read Sophia and Emily and put reviews in all the usual places. Hit the Amazon links below to read them.

Sophia by Teel McClanahan got five stars from me:

At age 7, Sophia was struck down with a life-threatening disease. Faced with a choice between an unending life in the body of a child and her otherwise certain death, Sophia’s parents had her turned into a vampire.

Now, after 10 years of Christian home-schooling and near-total isolation, Sophia secretly plans on moving out the very night she turns 18. All her research, her online classes, and her natural curiosity have prepared Sophia mentally for the world she’s about to dive head-first into, but no amount of research could prepare her heart for falling in love with Joshua, the first young man she sees after donating her corneas the next day.

Her faith in God and her desire to heal the sick gives Sophia the strength to persevere through the pain of donation after donation, and her vampirism gives her the ability to grow her organs back again and again, but Sophia finds herself unequipped to face her suddenly-awakened lusts of the flesh and the ache in her heart for a deep, reciprocated love. After a shocking and painful first date with Joshua, it doesn’t take Sophia long to learn just how difficult the search for love can be, especially for a teenage vampire with a child’s body and a strong desire to avoid falling into sin.

Sophia is one of two books in the duology Never Let the Right One Go, which shows two apparently conflicting views of the same supernatural world by looking through the eyes of two very different teenage girls in their pursuit of love. Don’t miss Emily, the other half of the picture, and a completely contrary take on everything you think you know.

Emily got four stars from me.

Before she met Nicholas, all Emily cared about was shopping, and she believed her teachers when they told her the vampires had made the world a better place. After falling in love at first sight, Emily’s mind was opened to the harsh realities brought about by the worldwide alliances between vampires and humanity at every level of society. Nicholas was leading the charge in the fight against injustice, cruelty, slavery, and tyranny by the elder vampires, and Emily found herself suddenly caught up in a movement that stood for the rights of both humanity and a new generation of vampires who’d been tricked into giving up their natural rights.

Doing everything she can for the cause comes second only to following her heart as Emily tries to win the affections of a young man whose first priority is saving the world. She follows Nicholas back and forth across the country, into the heart of the nation’s vampire-run Capitol, and beyond. She risks her health, sticks out her neck, sacrifices friendship, and puts her life on the line in the name of love. Will her efforts be enough? Will she win Nicholas’ heart? Can they save the world? Or will the schemes of the elder vampires put a stop to it all?

Emily is one of two books in the duology Never Let the Right One Go, which shows two apparently conflicting views of the same supernatural world by looking through the eyes of two very different teenage girls in their pursuit of love. Don’t miss Sophia, the other half of the picture, and a completely contrary take on everything you think you know.

So how do you get these? Merely leave a comment below and your name will be dropped into the virtual hat. There will be ONE drawing this week! I want you to read both.

I plan on giving away a book a week this year, but none of them will be my own. Why? Well, I believe in helping introduce people to new authors and nothing does that like FREE! The contests will be as simple as leaving a comment on the blog, or showing me that you’ve left a review on Amazon or Smashwords of books you’ve picked up in the past. I’ll try and change things up to keep them interesting, but by and large you won’t have to work hard.

If you’re an author and you’d like to pitch your hat into the ring, let me know. I’m not asking you to give me anything for free. I plan on buying your e-book from Amazon/Smashwords as a gift for the winner. So in addition to you getting your name out there, you’ll also get a sale for the contest. The most I can budget per week is $2.99, so if you have a book in the $.99-$2.99 price range let me know. I reserve the right to turn you down, but I will try and do so gently. I’d like to have a variety of genres represented.

If you have a free book and would like me to just get the word out I can do that, but you won’t be part of my contest. If your book is more expensive and you would like to donate a copy, that works too.

Shoot me an e-mail, a DM, or leave me a comment to enter your book.

The Superiors – Ebook Giveaway

Congratulations to Elizabeth! I’ll be her copy of Telesa soon.

This week we have a vampire novel to give out, by Lena Hillbrand.

Although Draven belongs to the master race that has taken over the world from humans, he can’t afford his own human. He clings to the lower rungs of society, struggling to pay rent and obey the strict laws of society. Then one night he captures Cali, a human runaway.

Draven must return the girl, but he can’t stop thinking about her. He returns to feed on her often and begins to remember his own humanity as he spends more time with her. As he learns to sympathize with the human and see her as more than an animal, he struggles to protect her from other Superiors. But Draven can’t keep others from feeding on Cali unless he buys her. He vows to make the purchase, no matter what he has to sacrifice to support a human.

His quest for Cali starts innocently enough, but soon leads him deeper into a tangled web of danger, violence, betrayal and murder.

To enter to win this week’s book, tell me what you think about vampires. Or you can purchase it here.

I plan on giving away a book a week this year, but none of them will be my own. Why? Well, I believe in helping introduce people to new authors and nothing does that like FREE! The contests will be as simple as leaving a comment on the blog, or showing me that you’ve left a review on Amazon or Smashwords of books you’ve picked up in the past. I’ll try and change things up to keep them interesting, but by and large you won’t have to work hard.

If you’re an author and you’d like to pitch your hat into the ring, let me know. I’m not asking you to give me anything for free. I plan on buying your e-book from Amazon/Smashwords as a gift for the winner. So in addition to you getting your name out there, you’ll also get a sale for the contest. The most I can budget per week is $2.99, so if you have a book in the $.99-$2.99 price range let me know. I reserve the right to turn you down, but I will try and do so gently. I’d like to have a variety of genres represented.

If you have a free book and would like me to just get the word out I can do that, but you won’t be part of my contest. If your book is more expensive and you would like to donate a copy, that works too.

Shoot me an e-mail, a DM, or leave me a comment to enter your book.

Snowflake Step Four – Vampire Detective Novel

Here’s what I have for step four of the snowflake. It’s based on what I wrote here. I probably won’t be using what I wrote there, since some things have changed, but it gave me a feel for where I wanted to go.

A small portion of humanity, called “Schrecks”, are able to ingest human blood and gain strength, health, and nearly superhuman abilities. Samantha Chambers, a Schreck police detective, is one of the few she knows of that hates her “gift”. Still, it’s let her pursue the police career that she’s always dreamed of. Her first six months on the job are pretty mundane until she and her partner, Bill Jordan, are called in on a case that involves a Schreck attacker. When they arrive at the scene she’s shocked to find out that the woman looks just like her, practically her twin.

After some digging, they find out that this isn’t the first incident. This victim, a fashion designer, was the third in a string of murders. All of the women had the same build and general description as Sam. A homeless woman in San Francisco and a doctor in Oklahoma City. They were all killed by a Schreck or at least someone pretending to be one. The most recent victim has actual evidence that the attacker is one of them. He made the mistake of leaving some DNA behind.

The killer is identified as one Seth Marks. He’s a registered Schreck and is suspected of hunting people for food, though there’s no proof. Given his lifestyle it’s possible that he was responsible for the other deaths. When Sam and Bill arrive at his apartment they find it a complete wreck with blood everywhere. The partners go their own ways attempting to track him down. She follows a lead to another residence he keeps. There she’s attacked by someone much more powerful than her. Seth comes to her rescue and together the two are barely able to fend him off.

Seth reveals that he’s been able to find out some things about the victims. They’re Shrecks too and based on the evidence he’s seen they share DNA. The victims are all related. Convinced by the attack that’s Seth’s innocent and intrigued by the evidence that the victims might be related she goes to her partner. He tells her that she’s digging in some dangerous territory and that they should just bring Seth in and let the system deal with him. Unsatisfied with that answer she takes it to the chief. He assures her that it will be looked into. Shortly thereafter she’s attacked by some normals with some VERY hi tech gear.

Seth and someone who appears to be their attacker come to her rescue and they are able to escape. Once safe, she and Seth confront this person. This mysterious person reveals yet another layer of mystery. The three people killed so far are indeed all related. They are part of a set of sextuplets. Sam and one other woman are the only ones left, the sixth having died in childbirth according to the official records. They are part of an experiment to take the Shreck gene and refine it, creating a more powerful version on purpose. The fifth child is located in Canada and the stranger believes her to be safe at the moment. She reveals herself to be the sixth child, Andrea. The person killing them all is an unknown force. Seth and the Andrea convince Sam that it’s best if she disappears for a while. The government is after her and so is this stranger. Sam agrees to go underground with Andrea to root out the killer and evade the government.

They decide to head north and make sure that their last living sister is alright. They arrive at the safe house only to find that they’re too late. The three of them do face off with the killer though. A person claiming to be a “real” vampire found out about the government experiments. Its primary purpose was to create a force capable of rooting out and destroying his kind. Secondarily, the force would be a practically unstoppable weapon. The government was about to take all five of the known living sisters and begin stage two. The real vampire couldn’t let that happen. Together the three Shrecks are able to defeat the vampire, but they realize that if he’s right the government will still be after Andrea and Sam as will the vampire’s kin.

End of book one.

Thoughts?

A Liquid Diet – Pt. 3

Continued from here.

Ten minutes later Sam was across town and staring up at the converted warehouse. What had once held bails of fabric was now the “in” place to live. Each one of the loft apartments cost more than she would see in twenty years on the force. She chuckled to herself. It wasn’t like she’d want to live in one of them anyway. She much preferred living above Howerton’s Market. It was just as large a space and that part of downtown had real character. It felt more alive than Hipsterville ever would.

Her PDA said that the “Person of Interest’s” name was Seth Jansen. A single hair did not a grounds for arrest make, at least not in this case, but she’d get as much as she could from him on a “friendly” basis. If it didn’t stay friendly, well she had downed another serving of synth and that plus the semi-automatic pistol at her side should take down even a fellow Shreck.

According to her information Seth lived on the fifth floor. She walked to the front door and noted that this was a secure building. There was a list of apartment numbers, each with a button beside it. The door wouldn’t open unless you were buzzed in. Hopefully Seth would be home catching America’s Next Top Superstar and wasn’t out cruising for his next snack. She thumbed the white button for a second and waited.

Seconds ticked by as a warm breezed kicked up behind her. She gave it almost a full minute before buzzing again, this time really laying it on. If he was asleep before ten o’clock on a Sunday night then maybe he was a good boy. Or just maybe he had been out too late the night before. Again there was no answer. She reviewed her options. Not coming up with many that didn’t involve going back to the precinct house, she thumbed Seth’s next door neighbor, one D. Blythe.

After a few seconds, a tremulous voice answered. “Yes? Who is it?”

Sam held her badge up to the video camera briefly. “Police. We need to speak to Mr. Jansen.”

The voice, possibly female, cut her off. “Sorry dear. There’s no Mr. Jansen here.”

“I know. He’s your next door neighbor. I was hoping you could help me out. We need to speak to him and he’s not answering his buzzer. Do you know if he is home?”

There was a pause and the sound of someone fumbling. “Police? Oh dear. Is everything okay? Seth is such a good boy. He helps us with our groceries.”

“Ma’am, if you’ll just buzz me up I can check on him.” Sam worked hard to keep any trace of annoyance out of her voice.

“Of course, of course.” A loud electronic buzz snapped through the air.

Sam caught the door before it stopped and levered it open. It was a heavy thing. She had no trouble with it, but could see why Seth’s ancient sounding neighbor might. She crossed the lobby and pushed the button for the elevator. It suddenly occurred to her that she didn’t know if she would be able to get to the floor where Seth and his friendly neighbor lived. If there were any problem though, she’d just call the lady again. Worst case scenario there were ways for her to get around that.

The elevator arrived with a chime and slid open. She entered and pressed five. The door slid shut without complaint.

“So much for security.” Then she noticed the camera in the upper right corner of the elevator. A little red light winked at her. Four charms later and the elevator stopped with a lurch. The door remained resolutely shut. After a few seconds, each one ticking buy as her annoyance level increased. The light on the camera flashed green and there was another buzz like she heard downstairs.

The doors slid open revealing a shrivelled apple doll of a woman who could be anywhere between sixty and a hundred. A black, expensive looking house coat fell straight to the floor, concealing her body shape. She wasn’t more than five feet tall.

“Hello dear.” Her voice was a little more melodious when cutting through the air.

Sam nodded. “Ma’am.” Just to be clear she flashed the badge again and then hung it around her neck from a cleverly concealed chain. “Thanks for letting me in. I can take it from here.”

Mrs. Blythe wasn’t so easily put off. “Nonsense, dear. I want to know if the young man is okay.”

Sam shrugged her shoulders. “Alright ma’am. Just to be clear though, I am going to need you to return to your apartment after you show me to Mr. Jansen’s door.”

That mollified her a little. She practically glided through the well lit hallway. The ceilings here stretched upwards for twelve feet or more, golden stone tile making the whole space light and airy. A few turns and they arrived at the address listed in Sam’s PDA.

“Now dear, I feel I just have to tell you that the boy keeps some odd hours. I don’t complain because he’s a quiet enough neighbor. No loud music and no…” She looked around for anyone that might be listening. “And no floozies.” The last word whispered. “I hope he’s okay.”

“I’m sure he will be ma’am. If not, then it’s good that I’m here. I’ll take care of him.”

With an uncertain nod, Mrs. Blyth turned and walked down the hall.

Sam waited for her to be out of sight before she unsnapped the catch on her holster. No sense in drawing the weapon just yet, but if she needed it to be out, even a split second made a difference. She stepped up the the door, sensible shoes barely making a sound. That was when the smell hit her. There was blood on the other side of this door and quite a bit of it.

A Liquid Diet pt 2

This is carried over from part one here.

Sam sipped at the steaming cup while she looked over the crime scene. She grimaced at the taste, but it was a necessary evil. The blood substitute enhanced her physically, nearly to the point that the real thing would. As a licensed detective she even had access to it, but she couldn’t stomach it any better.

The Jane Doe lay as she was found, the body composed into peaceful lines. Her throat wasn’t slashed so much as slit, just enough for the perpetrator to get what he wanted. It was a he, they knew that much. It wasn’t his first victim and she fit the profile;slim, jet black hair, dressed to the nines, mid-twenties. That Sam herself fit the profile wasn’t lost on her. Then there was how she was found and the wound itself. He was after the blood, but more than that he got his rocks off on the chase and the kill.

Sam’s body assimilated the synth-blood and now she could smell him. This case hit her desk a month ago and she’d had plenty of opportunities to get used to it. The man was good, the odor on his victims clothes the only trace he left other than the wound. He even managed to clean any saliva from their skin, so there was no DNA trace. They also had yet to find any skin or hair from a confrontation so when he took them, he did it cleanly, without a scuffle. That meant he was likely a real charmer.

“Detective Chambers.”

She turned her head at the intrusion on her thoughts. “Yes.”

The Crime Scene investigator, the badge reminded Sam that his name was Ted, gestured her over. “I think we may have a break.” He gestured her over to the body. “We have some trace evidence.” A plastic baggie with a single strand of dark brown hair dangled from Ted’s fingertips.

“Get that to the lab.” She winced at her words. “Sorry, you were going to do that anyway, weren’t you?”

Ted nodded sympathetically. “Yeah. It’s okay, you’re excited.” He stood. “This was on her sleeve. It might not be him, but there’s also some skin scrapings under her fingernails. I’ve done some initial processing on our mobile unit and I know it’s a male and there are markers for Shreck so it looks good.”

She was filled with excitement at the prospect of a break in the case. “Great. Thanks for telling me. Sounds like our boy is getting sloppy.”

“Maybe. There wasn’t a lot of evidence so he’s more careful than most. The rest of the scene is clean, so we’re not sure if the attack happened here or if she was brought here. There’s still so much we don’t know.”

“Well progress is progress. Hopefully his DNA is in the system.” A lot of people with what has come to be called Shreck’s, as though it were a disease, were indeed in the DNA database. It wasn’t a requirement, yet, but given the potential dangerous nature of people like them, it would be one day. Sam bristled a bit at the notion.

Most with the marker didn’t even know they had it and of those that did only a percentage chose to actively pursue the lifestyle. Most “vampires” were one hundred percent normal humans that got off on the culture. Those who actually benefited from it were law abiding citizens and made due with synth or getting the real stuff from willing donors. So required registration seemed like overkill, but there were rumblings. Maybe this time paranoia would play in her favor.

The rest of the evening passed in relative peace. Sam went back to the precinct house to file paperwork on her backlog and to wait for the results. There was a rush on this so hopefully it wouldn’t be more than a few hours. Her desk was in an isolated portion of the building. Many of her coworkers didn’t appreciate her. Rumors abounded that she got her job just based on her differences. That wasn’t entirely untrue. Departments around the country liked having a “token” Shreck on staff. Their abilities got used in a variety of ways depending on the individual’s skills and desires, but many times they were pulled in by multiple departments. There weren’t many willing to serve because there was still some amount of prejudice against them in the culture at large, though less in the last twenty years, and while they could be stronger, faster, and all the rest, they were still at the core, just as human. Working too many hours for too little pay wasn’t any more appealing just because of a few different genes.

A flag popped up on her computer, interrupting her little game of Solitaire. She gave a little cheer at the content of the email. She had a name and an address. It may or may not be current, but it was better than nothing. Probable cause gave her enough to at least go check it out. She pulled her service piece out of the drawer and snapped it to the waistband of her dark skirt and grabbed the thermos that contained her “lunch”. A little boost would probably be in order, just in case.

Continued here.

A Liquid Diet

Jared is all over vampires this week. This prompt has been the only one I could connect with so far.

Vampires work like this…

“It’s nothing to be afraid of. It’s simple lifestyle choice, a dietary system, and one that has considerable benefits.”

That how Dr. Max Shreck starts his book “The Health Secrets Of A Hematopathic Doctor” (1967). In it, he described how his health had not much improved by becoming a vegetarian and how this led him to try a completely liquid food regime, consisting entirely of blood. He said:

“The results were electrifying, within a few days I felt much stronger with a return of my former enthusiasm. Many of my patients whom I had been able to convert to this new diet also reported similar results.”

Unsurprisingly, with the health benefits presented so, Dr. Shreck had started movement that took the country by storm…

Seth’s stomach rumbled. He hadn’t had a decent meal in days, having to subsist on the ‘canned’ stuff that he picked up at the package store. Ever since the Diet really caught on and the government started regulating the supply, quality had gone into the crapper. He could always go to one of the clubs where folks who enjoyed being bled met the needs of ones brave enough to tap a real vein, but disease was a real concern and as rich as uncut blood was it wasn’t worth the risk. At least not in his mind.

He preferred the hunt anyway. It was illegal as hell, prosecuted to the full extent of the law. That was a risk worth taking though. Cops you could avoid. Hell, he had taken a cop or three in his time and that was even better even if it was only a psychosomatic rush.

Tonight was the night. He needed the real deal. Breakfast had been what the kids these days referred to as a slurpee, the bag of red stuff ‘genetically engineered from real human stock’ and sold to those eager to experience a pallid imitation of the real effects that drinking human blood brought to those fortunate enough to be able to truly digest it.

Anyone could live off of slurpees or even the real deal if you took a few supplements. Not everyone could stomach it, most preferring to eat the way humans had for millions of years. A few, a very blessed few, could not only live off of it, their bodies could truly metabolize the life force. It was this that Dr. Shreck spoke of in his book. He mistakenly thought that everyone was like him. Research indicated that the good doctor was one of the one one-hundredth of one percent that fell in this category. So was Seth.

He flung open the windows to the balcony that overlooked the city, breathed in a double lungful of the cool night air and laughed it out. He thought of the creatures that filled the horrific tales and nightmares, all fangs and moodiness. No, people like him were just as alive as anyone else. They breathed and fucked and showed up in the mirror. If he strained though, he could flip a Towncar one handed. Jumping from building to building was a piece of cake. The best part though was what it did to his senses.

Even this long after taking in the true manna, he could hear a rat’s heart beat at thirty paces if he focused. He could track an individual by scent. His dark gray eyes were like a cat’s, taking in all the available light. This was more than simply ‘good health’. This was godhood. Right after a feed it seemed regular humans moved like they were swimming in treacle and his brain buzzed with a luminosity that was not to be believed. Tonight he would experience that again.

Once outside, he checked to make sure that his switchblade was tucked away in its sheath up his right sleeve. Having fangs would certainly have made the whole process easier, but the knife served its purpose and the look on almost anyone’s face when it flicked out was priceless. Dark chestnut hair was bound back from his face. Women loved to run their fingers through it, but on the hunt it just got in his way.

His black Egyptian cotton shirt, long sleeved with onyx buttons, was tucked in to a pair of pants made of the same material. The pants brushed the tops of his equally dark running shoes. His outfit was equal parts theatrics and pragmatism. Looking the part was a thrill for him and it didn’t hurt to be able to blend into the shadows when you had to. His last lover said that he was like some vampire ninja from Hell. He chuckled at the thought.

With a nod and another growl from his stomach, reminding him to get with the program, he put a foot on the wrought iron railing and flung his body into the air, landing on the roof across the way. Roof to roof and down a fire escape and a few blocks later Seth was on the prowl, looking for his next fix.

Part Two