In the Blood [Paperback]

Adrian Phoenix (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 30, 2008

DANTE LIVES.

Vampire. Rock star. Begotten son of the fallen angel Lucien. Dante Baptiste still struggles with nightmares and seizures, searching for the truth about his past. It is a quest as seductive as his kiss, as uncontrollable as his thirst, and as unforgiving as his determination to protect one mortal woman at any cost.

KNOWLEDGE KILLS.

FBI Special Agent Heather Wallace now knows the extent of the Bureau corruption that surrounds her, but worries she is losing the battle. And when Dante and his band Inferno come to Seattle on tour, Heather can't help but be drawn back to the beautiful, dangerous nightkind. But what Heather and Dante don't know is that new enemies lurk in the shadows, closer than they think...and even deadlier than they fear.

DESTINY UNFOLDS.

Shadowy government forces have pledged to eliminate all loose ends from Project Bad Seed -- and Heather and Dante are at the top of the list. Elsewhere, the Fallen gather in Gehenna, intent on finding their long-awaited savior, the True Blood nightkind whom Lucien DeNoir would die to protect. And a damaged and desperate adversary, with powers as strange and perilous as Dante's own, plots to use Dante as a pawn in a violent scheme for revenge. But only one of these lethal forces holds the key to Dante's past -- a key that could finally unlock the secret of his birth and the truth of his existence...or destroy him completely.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Phoenix trips the dark fantastic in this wild, bloody sequel to 2008's A Rush of Wings. Gifted musician and magic-user Dante Prejean was an experimental patient in a project to create and control murderous sociopaths for the government's covert Shadow Branch. He's also a born vampire and the child of a fallen angel. Shadow Branch agent Caterina Cortini wants to contain him; the formerly angelic Fallen want him to connect Earth and Gehenna; and Portland detective Alex Lyons wants him to cure Alex's schizophrenic twin sister. Arrayed against them are Dante's Nightkind friends; his FBI agent girlfriend, Heather Wallace; and his Fallen father, Lucien de Noir. Although Phoenix's fusion of fantasy and thriller sometimes falters, with the Earth action rather sharper than the Gehenna segments, she keeps the plot thick and the tension high. (Jan.)
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About the Author

ADRIAN NIKOLAS PHOENIX has had stories published in several magazines and anthologies. She currently lives in Oregon (with three cats, of course), but travels to New Orleans, the city of her heart, whenever possible.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 389 pages
• Publisher: Gallery Books; Original edition (December 30, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1416541454
• ISBN-13: 978-1416541455
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,004,049 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Me and my cats (Amiga, Diabla,Ember, and Keats) live in Springfield, Oregon and dream about having a home in New Orleans one of these days (well, I do, anyway. The cats most likely have far different goals involving sleep). I like Springfield, so I'd keep my home here too (in these wild fantasies) so I'd have a place during the summer heat and humidity and, wow, why not a nice little cottage on the Oregon coast while I'm at it? And a few pool boys?

I'm the author of two urban fantasy series, both published by POCKET:
The Maker's Song series: A RUSH OF WINGS, IN THE BLOOD, BENEATH THE SKIN, ETCHED IN BONE, and coming soon, ON MIDNIGHT WINGS.

And the Hoodoo (Kallie Riviere) series: BLACK DUST MAMBO, BLACK HEART LOA, and coming soon, BLACK MOON MOJO.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Maker's Awakening, January 13, 2009

By 

Kathy E. "Kathy" (Bristol, CT) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: In the Blood (Paperback)

Wow, this installment was fantastic! Heather and Dante reconnect and their bond is stronger than ever! There was a lot going on but everything tied into each other nicely. Turns out, Dante's childhood programming and abuse go all the way to the top. Many people have seen the dvd footage of how Dante "unmade" Joanna Moore in the last book. Several people are now pursuing him for their own devious needs. In the middle of all this, The FBI has decided to capture and study Heather for proof of the healing Dante had performed on her, without using his Nightkind blood. Slowly Dante's fragile mental state is unraveling and he is quickly reaching his breaking point. Heather seems to be the one constant that can calm and focus him. We finally get to meet Annie, Heather's troubled sister. We also learn more about Heather's parents and the death of her mom. The Fallen have captured Lucien and are aware that there is a new Maker on earth. Their goal for the Maker seems to be similar to the humans; captivity, use and torture. Dante's mental wall of pain and confusion seems to be crumbling and he is learning more about his past and those who were party to his programming. I won't go into too much more detail, but suffice it to say, Dante finally get's a chance to wield some revenge. Adrian did a nice job of weaving the different sides of the story into each other. I highly recommend this book and series. I also look forward to the next book Beneath the Skin.

I also recommend:
Nightwalker (Dark Days, Book 1)
Dead Reign
At Grave's End (Night Huntress, Book 3)
Staked (Void City, Book 1)
Magic to the Bone

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Too many loose ends, February 18, 2009

By 

R. Stevens (Salt Lake City, UT) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: In the Blood (Paperback)

Even though I love the main characters, this book wasn't nearly as well written as the first and the character development was a little shabby.

For one, I thought there were too many different character point of views that weren't really needed. Plus, a lot of the characters introduced weren't offered any sort of explanation and I got a little confused at times with the way the author kept switching from first, last and whole names. It was quite annoying.

I also didn't like the way the book didn't really solve any of the main issues. It felt like the dreaded middle book a lot of trilogies have. None of the questions about Wallace's mother were answered and left us with the huge cliff hanger regarding Lucien and the other fallen.

I find it almost disrespectful when an author leaves so many loose ties. As long as the writing is good and the story line interesting, I will keep reading. I don't need to be strung along and that's how I feel when I think about this book.

That being said, I will definitely give the next book a shot and hopefully won't be too disappointed.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A little confusing, December 29, 2010

By 

Kt from A Book Obsession.. - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: In the Blood: Book Two of the Maker's Song (Mass Market Paperback)

Heather was determined to keep her nose down and act like she didn't know anything she shouldn't, but the bureau didn't buy it and she was placed at the top of the hit list along with Dante. When Dante comes to Seattle on tour and the two meet, things get a little hairy as they constantly get targeted. An unlikely suspect also is plotting to get a hold of Dante for their own agenda, perhaps the worst one yet. It's becoming harder and hard to discern friend from foe, and Dante and Heather must stick together if they are going to have any chance at survival


I knew that Heather and Dante wouldn't be able to stay away from each other for very long. The attraction between them is incredible, and whether either one of them realizes it or not, they both are falling head over heels in love. It amuses me how blind they both are, but I think in the end they will wind up together. It's is just going to take some determination on their part to stick together in spite of everyone else seeming to plot against them.


It was pretty hard to keep track of who was who, and whose side each person was on, especially with the constant shifting of perspectives. There were so many different angles going on that at some point I just resolved myself to assume everyone but a very select few are out to get them. It was a little easier that way because they all seemed to have their own secret objectives and reasons for wanting Dante and/or Heather. By the end of the book it was a little bit more clear who was who, but even then it was still a little confusing.


All in all I enjoyed the book, even more so once I stopped trying to remember what each opposing person's agenda was. Hopefully things will become a little more clear in the next book as the factions against the two of them show themselves. I also hope the point of view will not switch around quite as much, as that will really lessen a lot of the confusion as well. I really love the main characters, and I hope to see more of them together in the next book.