It’s not Thursday, but this is an awesome book for Halloween!!  If you’re looking for a new read perfect for tomorrow, check this one out! =D

Dracula #1

A tale of magic, romance and fangs.

New York City is under attack.

Dracula is suicidal in a world where evil vampires are in the early stages of taking over. The Master has lived too long and can’t find a reason to face another day. Nasty vampires are feeding on vulnerable mortals and causing chaos. Years ago he trained valiant sheriffs and expects them to defend the humans but they are being overrun. Piers Anthony, the author, is now a vampire. He spends his days attempting to get the Master to snap out of it and to defend the humans, without losing his head.

A 12-year-old girl is a rare hybrid, half human and half vampire; she was conceived the normal way, with her mother a mortal and her father a vampire. Jenny is slowly discovering that she may be a blood wizard. She’s already an accomplished vampire killer and can cast spells, but an underground figure has noticed the girl. Some believe that she might be the one of legend that tips the scale toward good.

Sheriff Alexander and his vampire German shepherd stand and fight for justice.

Will the red sheriffs be overrun? Will Michael finally get the courage to ask out the sheriff?

Formerly a screenwriter turned to novels.

A. J. Gallant is owned by a Siamese cat named Moon Diamond (who may or may not be a vampire).

The cat manipulates A. J. to get up every morning at five to take him for a walk so that he can chase bugs and mosquitoes.

Wow- this is truly one of the best books I’ve read in a very, very long time.

I absolutely love the way Dracula is depicted in this story- he’s comical, and deadly serious at the same time, which is just a perfect mix. The characters he has around him simply add to the humor and depth of his ancient personality.

Seeing life from Dracula’s point of view is just great- having lived for thousands of years, he is quite a character, and it isn’t hard to imagine that life would hold very few flickers of interest for him any more. Watching the spark of life come back to him throughout the book was wonderful, and it was interesting to find myself siding with him, and feeling sympathetic to his situation.

Watching stories unfold for several other character is really neat as well, and adds a layer of depth that I haven’t seen in many books. It gives the story a sense of reality- not being entirely focused on one character, but seeing how they all effect each other, and come together in the end.

It is certainly graphic in some areas, but not in a way that made me want to stop reading. Non-traumatizing graphic, if you will. It really shows a more “natural” side to the struggle between both vampires and humans, and also among the different kinds of vampires, either good-hearted, or evil. It’s a refreshing reality to a vampire story, and while dark, it is entertaining.

The writing style is difficult to get used to, at first. It’s written like a screen-play, as if you’re watching a movie unfold in somewhat disjointed scenes, from the points of view of several different characters. It’s quite a unique way of reading a story. While the depth of the book and writing take some adjustment, it is completely worth it. The ease in which the author depicts his characters and scenes is amazing- his colorful vocabulary and descriptive imagery make it very easy to get lost in the world that’s been created.

I thoroughly enjoyed the twists and turns, and the ending is superb- a complete surprise!! I am excitedly looking forward to the next book in the series.

I certainly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys vampire and/or dystopian stories. With action, comedy, suspense, and mystery, it’s a very well rounded book, and has the ability to leave most of it’s readers thoroughly entertained, and wanting more.

*I was given an eCopy of this book, from the author, to read in exchange for an honest review.

A Fixer Novel

“Let’s get one thing straight—I’m a fixer. You need someone murdered? Then hire an assassin. You need something stolen? Call a thief. But if there’s something no one else can do, or a job that no one else wants, then you talk to me.”

His latest job was supposed to be simple—recover the sword Black Swan. Except there’s no such thing as a simple job. When the operation goes bad, the Crucifiers, the Crooked Hand, assassins, and Crusaders are all hot on Nathaniel’s trail…for a sword he doesn’t even have. All he has to do to get it back and set his world right is to find the woman of his dreams…and kill her.

Four years and hundreds of miles from the attack, Lori still searches every shadow for the return of her tormentor. She finds ordinary life to be a struggle, but when she meets Josh Hughes, things appear to get on track. With her best friend Jessica Tanner and her new love in her life, Lori lets her guard down, but it may be premature. When her menstruation begins, her nights are ravaged with nightmares of the attack. The nightmares seem to be more than a coincidence, they seem to hint at an inevitable confrontation between Lori and the wolf that mauled her four years earlier.

The synopsis on Goodreads had me pretty intrigued, as well as the cover- red eyes always peak my interest. I was excited for the chance to read this book in exchange for a review, and I’m glad I did, because it was an exciting ride!

The plot was as good as the synopsis sounds. Lots of danger, adventure, personal drama, and murderous stalking wolves. While she’d been safe for several years after the wolf attack, Lori always feared her attacker would return to finish her off. When her whole world shifts as dramatically as her changing body, she’s quickly thrown into a living nightmare. Forced to stand against her worst fears, Lori’s story takes us on a roller-coaster adventure.

When the story started, we met a traumatized teenager, scared of everything, and understandably so. Watching her personal growth throughout the story was inspirational. One of the best parts of the book, is the fact that she’s not the only character who grows, and who we get to see deal with personal issues. Several of the characters become addicting throughout the book, and keep you just as interested in their stories as you are in Lori’s. Each character faced a wide range of emotions and adventure, keeping this gripping book flowing quickly til the last page.

While Lori is the main character of this story, the author wrote from several different points-of-view. When done well, shifting points-of-view make for some of the best stories, and add layers of depth to the story that can rarely be achieved otherwise. Luckily this book was very well written, and while there were some editorial mistakes, the overall writing was captivating, keeping the reader hooked on a thrilling story.

Overall, I liked this book. I took off a star due to some intense vulgarity, some mature content and language, but other than that, I enjoyed this story. I’d recommend this to any fan of YA/NA wolf stories.

*I was given an eCopy of this book, from the author, to read in exchange for an honest review.