Alone (The 'Serenity' Series, Book One) [Kindle Edition]

Marissa Farrar (Author)

Book Description

Book One in the Serenity Series:

.

Caught in a violent and abusive relationship, Serenity thinks there is no escape. On the day she fears her life can get no worse, she meets a stranger, Sebastian, who shows her the possibility of a different future. 

Only Sebastian has a dark secret; he is a vampire.

As Serenity's life takes a terrifying turn, she finds herself drawn into a world she never knew existed; one of murder, love and immortality. She is forced to confront her own weaknesses to save both her own life and that of the vampire she has come to love. But in the end all that matters is; can she find the strength to be Alone?

The 'Serenity' Series:

• 'The Vengeful Vampire'  - Free Prequel Short Story  
•  'Alone'                             - Book One in the Series is now FREE!
•  'Buried'                            - Book Two in the Series 
• 'Captured'                         - Book Three.
• 'Dominion'                         - Book Four is now available to buy!
• 'Endless'                           - The fifth and final book in the series is out now!

Editorial Reviews

Review

'A romantic, mildly horrific, urban fantasy... It was grand!' ~ Layers of Thought

*

'This feels like real life. No neat packages tied up with string. Just the truth, as much as you can bear it.' ~ Sweet Vernal Zephyr

*

'Alone has... a violence, brutality and evil more pernicious for being real.' ~ Taliesin meets the Vampires

Product Details

• File Size: 526 KB
• Print Length: 264 pages
• Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
• Publisher: Warwick House Press (January 15, 2012)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B006YRN6NG
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,757 Free in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Free in Kindle Store)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

44 of 47 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Move over Mr. King ... August 28, 2011

By Rachel Lynne

Format:Kindle Edition

Alone is not, in my opinion, a "horror" novel, not like a Stephen King or Dean Koontz anyway. Alone is sooo much more than mere spooky stuff or gore and it is precisely because there is a strong thread of romance. The novel is the story of Serenity, a woman caught in an abusive marriage. She is walking down a crowded street in LA and suffers a panic attack. She takes off running through the crowds on the sidewalk and turns into an alley to try and calm herself. A man follows her and asks if she is all right; that is the start of a truly touching relationship.

The man is handsome beyond belief but it is the compassion and sensitivity Serenity sees in him that draws her. The initial meeting is brief but the memory of him lingers as she makes her way home and is confronted with the A-hole husband. I'm not going to go into too much detail here except to say that Sebastian, the man from the street, rescues Serenity from another round of abuse and their relationship blossoms from there.

Since it is on the blurb I'll go ahead and say that Sebastian is a vampire. The desperation he sees in her eyes at their first meeting draws him to her and over the course of the novel we learn that Sebastian, like Serenity, is afraid and tired of being alone. That is the focus of this remarkable book; a woman who clings to a horrid life because she thinks it is better than being alone and a vampire weary of his solitary "life" and longing for what he lost when he was made a vampire yet reluctant to bring the woman he loves into that life.

There is horror. Scenes that show how a vampire must feed are fairly graphic and the abuse scenes are visceral. That is what takes the novel toward the Horror genre, but to me this is women's fiction, romance, and I'd say it borders on pure literary fiction. It really is that good; thought provoking. This novel has lingered in my mind for over a week and I highly recommend it.

25 of 30 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars I must not have read the same story... September 16, 2011

By BookChick

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

I am not sure where all the 4 and 5 star reviews are coming from but this was a hopelessly depressing romance... and I use the word romance in its loosest sense.

This story made me feel like an oppressive millstone has been placed around my neck by the time I reached the words, "T-H-E-E-N-D." I'm sorry, but when I read a romance I want a "happily-ever-after-it-all-works-out-in-the-end" kind of story. I do not want to read a story that makes me want to step in front of a bus to end it all. That's really what you got with this story.

Serenity was a severely abused woman who hated her husband and hated her life. She vacillated between anger at being abused and guilt because she felt she caused the abuse. She had a 9 to 5 job but her husband stayed at home to pursue his career as a "writer." Later, she discovered that the only thing he really did write was several dozen instant messages filled with smut to women he was looking to hook up with. Regardless of how much she hated her husband she always acquiesced to his desires while subjugating her own. She "yes dear-ed" during every interaction with her husband...even while he was being physically and emotionally abusive towards her.

Serenity's go-nowhere inner monologue of "I'm going to leave..." chafed my nerves because I knew she would still be in the same place when I turned the page on my Kindle. I know that women deal with abusive situations like this, and worse, every day and they may have similar thought processes. I am not condemning them! In fact, I applaud any woman who can survive an abusive relationship and thrive afterwards. My problem was that there were pages and pages and pages of abuse...............in a romance novel.

I also found it odd and a little off-putting how Ms. Farrar kept switching points of view from the character voice to the narrative voice. In several places she would say something like, "Sebastian felt..." or "Sebastian thought..." However, in other places, she switched to the narrative voice and referred to him as "the vampire..." and conveyed the story as if she was telling it as opposed to the character telling it. It was strange and it was confusing the first time I encountered it. Determine a POV and stick with it! The book was difficult enough to read without the added confusion.

I am not a perfect writer but I also do not write professionally. I am a little miffed when I see grammatical errors and incorrect word usage in a novel that I paid good money to read. Ms. Farrar used incorrect words in a couple of different places in the story --"thought" for "though" and "tried" for "try". Where have all the good editors gone? I have read so many books from well-known publishers in the past few weeks that have a self-published feel to them because of all the glaring errors contained within.

There was a trailing conclusion to the story and the first chapter to the next book in the series to spur interest into purchasing the next book. Unfortunately, that strategy did not work for me since the first book left me feeling a bit despondent at the end.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars A Gritty tale that leaves you... March 11, 2012

By Samantha

Format:Kindle Edition

**3.5 Stars**

Alone was a very different story from the ones I usually read. I had no idea what to expect. The first thing that came to me was surprise. I never expected that the theme would be about the heroine's struggle with Domestic Violence and how she was able to live through it.

Serenity Hathaway is miserable. She has been married for 10 years and living a nightmare. Everyday she must wonder what mood her husband is in. Hoping that its a good or else it will be hell for her. She gets fired and is too afraid to tell her husband, fearing the worst. As she fleas into the streets she runs into a mysterious man. That little encounter is able to give her the strength to go home but tell her husband about her job at a later time.
Sebastian is a Vampire and has been for over 200 years. He sees a women running through the streets as if the hounds from hell were on her. As he sees her face he can see such desperation and fear, that he feels a connection to her. Knowing what she is going through first hand. As Sebastian continues to meet with Serenity her learns of her living hell. As the story progresses, so does their feelings, but everything takes a turn for the worst when there is a murder and Sebastian's maker comes to town. Serenity must struggle to break her fear in order to survive.

First thing that I have to say that I liked this read. It was a difficult theme but I think the Author did a great job. I will be honest though, I am so used to reading the heroines being such strong characters that I was a little uncomfortable at first. I wanted Serenity to wake up, but like all women in that situation its hard. I don't want to give too many things away but one thing that I prefer is after reading so much pain and suffering that the characters go through, I'm happy to know that they got their HEA. Alone is more of a to be continued. I felt so incomplete but that's just my opinion!! There are some very complex characters, Sebastian is a tortured hero fighting his own demons while trying to come to terms with his feelings. The plot is fast paced, there is a little action and thrill. I am looking forward to Buried, I have my fingers crossed that Serenity and Sebastian get the HEA soon!!!

~Originally posted @ The ParaNormal Romance Party~

More About the Author

Marissa Farrar is a multi-published fantasy and horror author. She was born in Devon, England, has travelled all over the world, and has lived in both Australia and Spain. She now resides in the countryside with her husband, two children, a crazy Spanish dog, two rescue cats and six hens and ten goldfish. Despite returning to England, she daydreams of one day being able to split her time between her home country and the balmy, white sandy beaches of Spain.

Even though she's been writing stories since she was small and held dreams of being a writer, her initial life plan went a different way.

In her youth, inspired by James Herriot, she decided to become a vet, and would regularly bring home new pets to her weary parents. Upon discovering her exams were never going to get her into a veterinary degree, she ended up studying Zoology. Once she completed her degree and realised she'd spent the majority trying to find time to write, she decided to follow her dream of being an author. Seven years later, she was published and two years after that she was able to say goodbye to the day job.

However, she's continued to collect animals!

Marissa is the author of four novels, including the dark vampire 'Serenity' series. Her fifth novel, Underlife, a dark fantasy set beneath the streets of London, will be published August 2012.

Her short stories have been accepted for a number of anthologies including, Their Dark Masters, Red Skies Press, Masters of Horror: Damned If You Don't, Triskaideka Books; and 2013: The Aftermath, Pill Hill Press.

If you want to know more about Marissa, then please visit her website at www.marissa-farrar.blogspot.com. You can also find her at her facebook page, www.facebook.com/marissa.farrar.author or follow her on twitter @marissafarrar.

She loves to hear from readers and can be emailed at [e-mail].