Tag Archives: vampire romance

vampire vacation

Book Review of Vampire Vacation, by C. J. Ellisson

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Vampire VacationI picked up C. J. Ellisson‘s book, Vampire Vacation, from the KDP free list. It’s still free…probably perma-free.

Description from Goodreads:
Meet Vivian. She’s a 580-year-old vampire who exudes sex, has a talent for drama, and is passionate about two things: her human husband, Rafe, and their resort for the undead. Her ability to project physical illusions has created the perfect vacation spot-a dark, isolated Alaskan hideaway where visitors can have their wildest fantasies come true. 

Vivian knows the best performance requires perfect timing, but the powerful vamp is put to the test when she discovers a corpse in a locked guestroom minutes before the next arrivals. Always cool-headed, Rafe hides the body, convinced he and Vivian can find the culprit without disturbing their guests. Juggling the increasingly outrageous demands of their customers while tracking a killer isn’t easy. 

Will their poking and prodding give them the answers they need, or will it uncover secrets Vivian would kill to protect?

Review:
I moved this up my TBR after coming across a one-star Amazon review that was getting slammed with negative votes and derisive comments (198 at last count). I wanted to see what all the hubbub was about. (This, BTW, is a perfect example of a bad review gaining a book a reader. Just goes to show, bad reviews aren’t always bad for a book.)

My opinion? I wouldn’t call it one star worthy, but it’s not any great piece of literature either. Granted, it’s paranormal erotica, so who would expect great literature? But even for the genre it’s just fluff. Now, I enjoy a little fluff now and again. I do. So I’m not disparaging the book for this. But I will have to admit that it’s a pretty weak offering.

The problem is that the sex is too thick, even for an erotic book. At one point, the main characters have sex three separate times in a matter of hours. Now, given the time it takes to do the deed, cleanup (hopefully), redress and let the rubbery legs recuperate I have a hard time figuring out how they’re supposed to be getting anything else (like run an inn) done. Yes, I know it’s fantasy and I shouldn’t worry about the particulars, but i do.

That’s generally how the book felt. It was so cluttered with unnecessary and unrealistic sex (apparently no-one needs or expects foreplay, there isn’t any to be found) that the plot is forced to the side. I could almost see the poor thing trying to push itself to the surface on occasion, like a drowning victim in high seas. It would manage to peak out for a moment, only to be overcome by some ridiculous sexual foray, usually between Viv and Rafe but occasionally between a secondary character and Viv’s imagination. It was just a constant barrage on one sex-related activity, fantasy, comment, imagining, etc after another. The VV Inn felt very much like a bordello or a sex-retreat (do these have names?), but all of the guests felt too innocent to be there.

Then there is Viv, herself. I’m putting her in the too stupid to live category. She’s presented as if she’s unusually clever and strong, but she creates one ridiculous situation after another. Each time there is an excuse—I was so distracted by the blood I couldn’t think straight or I was so hopped up on werewolf blood I was distracted, etc—but after a while the excuses start to feel like just that, an excuse to cover her obvious lack of intelligence.

Though it was a bit heavy handed (we’re told about a million times how much they love/desire one another), I did appreciate the obvious affection between Viv and Rafe. It was nice to see a solid, loyal married couple with no desire to give in to the temptation to wander.

The writing itself was simplistic but fine, though names did crop up a bit too often to read smoothly. It’s in first person, present tense (which I HATE, hate, hate) but it’s not too badly edited and there aren’t too many cringe-worthy passages. All in all, it’s a little on the cheesed up side, Vivian being too focused on her own sexual prowess (teaching the guest SMBD, for example) to feel serious about much of anything else. She felt self-centred and conceited. I loved Rafe, Jon and Asa but not Viv, if I’m honest. If I found the rest of the series free, I’d read it. But I’m not racing out to put my money on the table for it.

Book Review: Dark Lover & Lover Unleashed, by J.R. Ward

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This is a bit of an awkward catch-up post. I reviewed J.R. Ward’s  Dark Lover over on Goodreads but never posted it here. I, then, didn’t bother reviewing the rest of the Black Dagger Brotherhood series until I reached a later book where I felt I had something in particular to say. That was Lover Unleashed. So, I’m gathering the two posts here after the fact.

black dagger brotherhood covers

About Dark Lover:

The only purebred vampire left on the planet and the leader of the Black Dagger Brotherhood, Wrath has a score to settle with the slayers who killed his parents centuries ago.

But when his most trusted fighter is killed — orphaning a half-breed daughter unaware of her heritage or her fate — Wrath must put down his dagger and usher the beautiful female into another world.

Racked by a restlessness in her body that wasn’t there before, Beth Randall is helpless against the dangerously sexy man who comes to her at night with shadows in his eyes. His tales of the Brotherhood and blood frighten her. Yet his touch ignites a dawning new hunger one that threatens to consume them both…

Review:

Dark Lover is PNR, as it should be. The romance smolders, but the sex doesn’t cross into pornographic or blot out the plot with its frequency. There is enough to keep you titillated but not enough to make you lose interest if you are the type who likes a little more story.

I have to admit hulking, leather-clad alpha males aren’t my ideal idea of sexy, but they work here. These men are rough around the edges but have just enough vulnerabilities (not that they would acknowledge them) to make the reader feel for them, along with the female lead, Beth. The book does have some of the more annoying PNR qualities, instant unexplained attraction, the leader who has been so respected that he falls in love with the first woman to speak bluntly to him, etc. But these are genre norms, not true complaints about the book.

I have the second in the series sitting on my bedside table and can’t wait to start it. Ward is a definite go-to for PNR fans everywhere.

About Lover Unleashed:

Payne, twin sister of Vishous, is cut from the same dark, seductive cloth as her brother. Imprisoned for eons by their mother, the Scribe Virgin, she finally frees herself – only to face a devastating injury.

Manuel Manello, M.D., is drafted by the Brotherhood to save her as only he can – but when the human surgeon and the vampire warrior meet, their two worlds collide in the face of their undeniable passion. With so much working against them, can love prove stronger than the birthright and the biology that separates them?

Review:

I told myself that I wasn’t going to write a review of every single Black Dagger Brother novel. ‘Cause, honestly, that would basically boil down to I liked this one more or less than the previous ones. The writing is essentially the same, as are the plots or each, just focusing on another Brother. But I feel compelled to post a small rant about this one. It was such a prime opportunity….completely lost.

Here, in Payne, we had the possibility of a female with the strength, character, and pedigree to join the Brotherhood. Sure, Xhex fights alongside the men, but she is primarily the Shellran of a Brother. That’s her role. Payne was painted as a true warrior, and I was really hoping for a little bit of strong-willed female ass-kicking. What did we get? She may be on the cover, but Manny is the main character. The book is about him, and Payne’s involvement is only in relation to him. She is incidental.

While I always enjoy Ward’s writing (I have made it to the 9th book, after all), I’ve liked some of the BDB books more than others. This one disappointed me in general and more because I had such high hopes for a good female character.

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Book Review: Mia, by J.A. McCorkle

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This is a replacement post, as the original seems to be missing. I believe the author, J.A. McCorkle, sent me a copy of the book.

mia cover

Mia Harrington’s life as a wealthy socialite is changed forever when a duo of deadly vampires attack her home in the middle of the night. Lucas Bradshaw, the handsome and powerful leader of a vampire clan, rescues Mia from the evil clutches of her attackers and vows that nothing will ever hurt this woman again. As Mia is exposed to the vampire world that she never knew existed, can Lucas really keep her safe? Especially when his clan is being threatened by the same vampires that attacked Mia?

As Mia recovers from that violent night, the attraction to the mysterious vampire leader grows. Will Mia be able to handle the intense attraction she shares with Lucas? Will he share more with her than he ever has shared with anyone before?

My Review:
Mia is just what it claims to be: a vampire erotica. Mia is a strong-willed protagonist who is easy to like. Lucas is every bit as powerful and sexy as you would want him to be. The uncharacteristic vulnerability he shows Mia endears him to the reader. There is no lack of steamy sex between them. The bad guy, Blair, is truly evil, and this is made abundantly clear by his cruel domination of the women around him. When he was around, the book often read like a cautionary tale of sadism and misogyny. I didn’t care for this, but that is more of a personal preference than an indictment of the book.

My only real complaints are the frequent tense changes and that Mia and Lucas have an instant, almost visceral reaction to each other that sets in motion the events of the book. But you never really find out why. Similarly, Mia has a fairly drastic change of opinion at the end of the story with no identifiable instigator. Despite this I would still suggest giving it a read.