Review: Even Vampires Get the Blues - Katie MacAlister

Paen Scott is a Dark One: a vampire without a soul.  And his mother is about to lose hers too if Paen can't repay a debt to a demon by finding a relic known as the Jilin God in five days.

Half-elf Samantha Cosse may have gotten kicked out of the Order of Diviners, but she's still good at finding things, which is why she just opened her own private investigation agency.

Paen is one of Sam's first clients and the only one to set her elf senses tingling, which makes it pretty much impossible to keep their relationship on a professional level.  Sam is convinced that she is Paen's Beloved - the woman who can give him back his soul . . . whether he wants it or not.


Dark Ones Series:
A Girl's Guide to Vampires
Sex and the Single Vampire
Sex, Lies and Vampires
Even Vampires get the Blues
Bring out your Dead (Novella in the Just One Sip anthology)
The Last of the Red Hot Vampires
Cat got your Tongue? (Novella in the My Big Fat Supernatural Honeymoon anthology)
Zen and the Art of Vampires
Crouching Vampire, Hidden Fang
Unleashed (Novella in the Cupid Cats anthology)
Confessions of a Vampire's Girlfriend
In the Company of Vampires
Much Ado About Vampires
A Tale of Two Vampires

For more information visit Katie MacAlister's Website

Review:
Paen needs to find a statue and he needs to find it fast if he is going to prevent his mother from losing her soul to a demon.  Sam is a half elf and has just opened a private investigation agency with her cousin Clare, she is a failed diviner but she is good at finding things.  When Paen turns to Sam for help finding the statue they are both drawn to each other.  Sam is convinced that she is Paen's Beloved but that is the last thing Paen is interested in - he thinks he is perfectly happy without his soul and doesn't want to be tied to a Beloved for eternity.

Although Even Vampires Get the Blues is the fourth book in Katie MacAlister's Dark Ones series it can easily be read as a stand alone story because there is no cross over of characters from previous books.  This is a series of fun, light hearted paranormal romances that are full of humour and never fail to make me laugh out loud.  It's been quite a while since I read the first 3 books in the series but I'm determined to start working my way through some of those series that have been sitting on my shelves waiting for me to get to them.

Paen is a vampire with commitment issues and it was quite amusing to watch him trying to convince everyone that he really didn't want his soul back, he was happy to agree to exploring the attraction between him and Sam though.  Sam was a likable character but there were a few things I figured out ages before she did, I really wanted to see her use her brains a bit more considering she was supposed to be making a living out of being a PI.  I also felt she forgave Paen far to easily and wanted to see her make him work at getting her back but as this is a light romance I'm willing to forgive that.

We have some fun side characters that add humour to the story - Sam's cousin Clare was amusing but I did get a bit tired of the fact that she was constantly denying her heritage and that every time we saw her she was stuffing flowers in her mouth.  I was expecting to see more of Paen's brothers - we are introduced to all three of them at the beginning of the story and although Finn is a constant throughout the book the other two were sent on a task never to return.  I'm wondering if we'll see more of them in future books, I'm keeping my fingers crossed that we do because I was enjoying the banter between them at the beginning of the book.  The plot was interesting with several twists that I didn't expect and the story was very easy to read.  Even Vampires Get the Blues didn't quite live up to my expectations and in my opinion isn't the best book in the series so far but it was still a fun read that I would recommend to Katie MacAlister fans.

Source: Purchased

Other Reviews:
If you have reviewed this book on your blog please leave a link to your review in the comments & I'll add the link here.

Teaser Tuesdays - Sex, Lies and Vampires

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along!  Just do the following:

* Grab your current read

* Open to a random page

* Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page

* BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

* Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

My Teasers:

Taken from Sex, Lies and Vampires  by Katie MacAlister

[Pg 10] "Unredeemed?" I croaked, wondering if it was too late to change my mind to Alice and settle down to a happy life of insanity in Wonderland.

[Pg 54] "That's got to be against a law of nature. Everyone knows it's physically impossible for vampires to have dimples. Men who have dimples are cute and adorable, like little fluffy bunnies. Vampires are dark, brooding, and tortured. You can't be dark, brooding, and tortured if you could burst out into dimples at any moment."

This isn't the book I'm currently reading but I've not taken part in Teaser Tuesdays for a while & I've been dying to use these quotes!  I have already reviewed Sex, Lies and Vampires so for more information click here to read my review.

Review: Sex, Lies & Vampires - Katie MacAlister

Amongst the Dark Ones there is a rogue vampire they call The Betrayer - one who is doomed to hand over his own kind to a demon lord...for all eternity.
But now this traitor has kidnapped a small boy and, in a race against time, it's up to Nell Harris to use her not-inconsiderable charms to rescue the child, before it's too late.

There's one small problem though - Nell can't help but find The Betrayer really rather attractive.  And her penchant for bad-boys has suddenly surged into overdrive...

Is it possible he's not as soulless as he seems, or could it be that he is planning to betray her too?

Dark Ones Series:
A Girl's Guide to Vampires
Sex and the Single Vampire
Sex, Lies and Vampires
Even Vampires get the Blues
Bring out your Dead (Novella in the Just One Sip anthology)
The Last of the Red Hot Vampires
Cat got your Tongue? (Novella in the My Big Fat Supernatural Honeymoon anthology)
Zen and the Art of Vampires
Crouching Vampire, Hidden Fang
Unleashed (Novella in the Cupid Cats anthology)
Confessions of a Vampire's Girlfriend
In the Company of Vampires
Much Ado About Vampires
A Tale of Two Vampires

For more information visit Katie MacAlister's Website

Review:
When Nell is hired to translate the writing on an antique breastplate she has no idea what she is getting herself into.  It isn't her skills at translation that Melissande is interested in - her assistance is needed to help locate Melissande's nephew and rescue him from a demon lord and a Dark One known as The Betrayer.

Although Nell is reluctant to take on the task she is unable to leave the boy to his fate.  As she begins her investigation she discovers that all is not as it would seem.  Her initial fright when she meets The Betrayer is soon overcome by lust and she finds herself questioning everything she has been told.  But are her suspicions correct or is she about to become The Betrayer's latest victim?

Although books 1 & 2 really need to be read in order I do think Sex, Lies and Vampires could be read as a stand alone story.  I'd still recommend reading the whole series though as I've really enjoyed reading all of the books so far.  I love the humor that Katie MacAlister has infused into the series and found myself laughing out loud throughout the story.  Nell is a great character - she is fiesty, determined and when she sees something she wants she sets out to get it.  I absolutely fell in love with Adrian who is a fantastic tortured bad-boy with bucket loads of sex appeal and you can't help but want him to be redeemed.  This book really had a little of everything - comedy, romance, lust, love and some great plot twists that took me by surprise.  I highly recommend this series to anyone who likes a good romantic comedy - especially if you like a paranormal twist.  I can't wait to read the rest of the series!

Source: Purchased

Other Reviews:
If you have reviewed this book on your blog please leave a link to your review in the comments & I'll add the link here.

Review: Sex and the Single Vampire - Katie MacAlister

Allegra's Dictionary of the Paranormal

Dark One n. [Origin Czech, also known as vampire.]  A Moravian Dark One is doomed to spend his lifetime cruising the singles' scene in search of the one woman who can redeem his soul.  You think dating is hard?  Try it when you're nine hundred years old and you've used every pick-up line in the book.  Forming a lasting relationship is even more difficult when the woman who makes your heart sing sees dead people and likes to play with demons.

Summoner n. [Origin English.]  Someone who summons ghosts, poltergeists, and demon lords.  Summoners tend to hang around cities like London that are filled with portals to Hell, haunted inns, and other locations dishy vampires might be found lurking.  Most Summoners are female, which makes for difficulties when it comes to explaining to the man who haunts your dreams and fills your soul with love why your pet ghosts can be found hovering around even in the most romantic of circumstances.

Dark Ones Series:
A Girl's Guide to Vampires
Sex and the Single Vampire
Sex, Lies and Vampires
Even Vampires get the Blues
Bring out your Dead (Novella in the Just One Sip anthology)
The Last of the Red Hot Vampires
Cat got your Tongue? (Novella in the My Big Fat Supernatural Honeymoon anthology)
Zen and the Art of Vampires
Crouching Vampire, Hidden Fang
Unleashed (Novella in the Cupid Cats anthology)
Confessions of a Vampire's Girlfriend
In the Company of Vampires
Much Ado About Vampires
A Tale of Two Vampires

For more information visit Katie MacAlister's Website

Review:
I absolutely loved the first book in this series (A Girl's Guide To Vampires) but I have to say that Sex and the Single Vampire surpassed my expectations and was a fantastic read.  While you could probably get away with reading this as a stand alone book I would recommend reading the books in order as this continues very nicely from the first book & has guest appearances from previous characters.  Reading this book first would give you a big clue to the ending of the first book.

Allie is a Summoner but not a very successful one - in fact she is on a warning from her boss that unless she proves herself during this trip to London she won't have a job to come back to.  When she manages to Summon the ghost of a cat she is over the moon but before long she seems to be collecting ghosts left right & centre.  This may be fantastic for her career but unless she can work out a way to Release them into the afterlife it looks like she is going to be stuck with them. 

She is also seeing visions - naked & bleeding from multiple cuts the man she sees is telling her she is the only one who can save him.  She is surprised when she bumps into Christian and realises he is the man from her visions.  He is a Moravian Dark One and he believes she is his Beloved - the only one who can save his soul.  Allie has had a bad past with men - she has escaped from an abusive relationship and has no intention of ever letting a man have any kind of control over her again.  The last thing she is looking for is a relationship & she doesn't take kindly to Christian's attempts to protect her.  There is an instant attraction between them though which leads to fireworks between them.

This book had all the hilarity of A Girl's Guide to Vampires & more.  We get to see Joy & Roxy from the previous book and the addition of the ghosts just adds to the fun and games.  There is also plenty of action - Christian's friend is missing and Allie offers to join the search to help find him - they come across enemies that seem almost impossible to beat and it will take all their combined efforts to come through this.  Allie is strong, independent & the Queen of rants and witty one-liners and I couldn't help but fall in love with Christian.  This book kept me gripped from the very first page and I didn't want it to end.  I'm just pleased that there are more books in the series & I can't wait to continue reading them.  I really can't recommend this book enough.

Source: Purchased

Other Reviews:
If you have reviewed this book on your blog please leave a link to your review in the comments & I'll add the link here.

Teaser Tuesdays - Sex and the Single Vampire

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along!  Just do the following:

* Grab your current read

* Open to a random page

* Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page

* BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

* Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

My Teasers:

Taken from Sex and the Single Vampire  by Katie MacAlister

[Pg 15] I took an admittedly shakey breath, looking around the room.  I was alone.  By myself.  In a building that was supposed to be one of the most haunted places in London.  Sometimes I'm not very bright.

[Pg 110] I looked into his eyes and knew I was in trouble, serious, deep, fathomless trouble.  His eyes were dark wells of desire - a desire for me, something I'd never seen in a man's eyes.

Review: A Girl's Guide to Vampires - Katie MacAlister

Nowadays, finding The One really can be a pain in the neck

Joy Randall should know.  She's been looking for the right guy for years.  But, as yet, no real man has lived up to the heroes of the vampire romance novels she's completely addicted to.

So when her friend Roxy suggests a holiday to the Czech Republic, Joy simply can't say no.  After all, it has everything:

A craggy, romantic landscape
Tall, dark, handsome strangers
Immortal, undead, bloodsucking fiends...

OK, the last one is just Roxy's imagination.  Because vampires don't really exist ... or do they?

Plagued by dreams of a handsome stranger, haunted by a mysterious prophecy, and pursued by three pale, brooding, sinistor suitors, suddenly Joy isn't so sure...

Dark Ones Series:
A Girl's Guide to Vampires
Sex and the Single Vampire
Sex, Lies and Vampires
Even Vampires get the Blues
Bring out your Dead (Novella in the Just One Sip anthology)
The Last of the Red Hot Vampires
Cat got your Tongue? (Novella in the My Big Fat Supernatural Honeymoon anthology)
Zen and the Art of Vampires
Crouching Vampire, Hidden Fang
Unleashed (Novella in the Cupid Cats anthology)
Confessions of a Vampire's Girlfriend
In the Company of Vampires
Much Ado About Vampires
A Tale of Two Vampires

For more information visit Katie MacAlister's Website

Review:
I absolutely loved this book - it had me laughing out loud from practically the first page.  I'm just glad I wasn't reading it in public or I'd have received no end of strange looks.  I just can't wait to read the next book in the series.

Joy & her friend Roxy are both hopeless when it comes to love so they ask for assistance from a wiccan friend to find their true loves.  Miranda's prediction for Roxy is quite straightforward - she'll find her true love within a month.  However, when it comes to Joy things are not so simple - there are going to be 2 men coming into her life and if she fails to pick the right one then she will be in danger of losing her soul.

The 2 friends are both obsessed with reading vampire novels and love author C J Dante who writes a series about the Dark Ones.  Roxy is convinced that the Dark Ones are real and is determined to meet the author & convince him to tell her how to find them.  Joy is sure that they aren't real but is happy to go with Roxy to the Czech Republic to search for Dante.

They arrive in the Czech Republic & find themselves in the middle of a Goth Festival and soon start attracting plenty of attention, both good and bad.  Roxy is determined to find a Dark One but with people from the festival walking around dressed as vampires spotting the real thing is going to be difficult. 

I don't want to give any plot information away so I'll just say that there are plenty of crazy antics & twists to the story and I love the way the ending isn't what you're expecting.  The book is filled with comedy, romance and lust with plenty of hot sex thrown in for good measure.  If you want something light hearted but still with a paranormal twist then I'd definitely recommend this series.

Source: Purchased

Other Reviews:
If you have reviewed this book on your blog please leave a link to your review in the comments & I'll add the link here.

Teaser Tuesdays - A Girl's Guide To Vampires

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along!  Just do the following:

* Grab your current read

* Open to a random page

* Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page

* BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

* Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

My Teasers:

Taken from A Girl'sGuide to Vampires  by Katie MacAlister

[Pg 11] "...I mean size does matter, no matter what they say, right?  And since we are talking the man for me, my soul mate, he'll be the only one I sleep with for the rest of my life, so I think he should have really nice personal equipment.  Something memorable.  The phrase 'hung like a horse' comes to mind."

[Pg 240] "So what does it feel like when you're drinking someone's blood?" Roxy asked .... "Do blood clots get stuck in your teeth?"