Customer Reviews

The Blood Books, Vol. 1 (Blood Price / Blood Trail)

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Like many of the other reviewers, I came to this series as a result of the series on Lifetime. Yes, Lifetime. I swear it's actually pretty good. But I am also a huge fan of Kim Harrison's Hollows series and, once upon a time, of Laurell Hamilton's Anita Blake series before it went to hell (so to speak.) These books were a natural fit. I'm just sorry I didn't discover them sooner.

There are two novels in this collection-the first two Huff wrote about former Toronto police detective Vicki Nelson whose degenerative eye disease forced her to retire and become a private eye. The first book, Blood Price, is virtually identical to the Blood Ties series pilot. A series of murders in Toronto appear to be the work of a vampire but Vicki, who has been hired by a victim's girlfriend to find the killer, soon discovers a demon is at work. This is the novel that introduces her on-again off-again cop boyfriend Mike Celluci and where she meets vampire and romance novelist (!!) Henry Fitzroy. Who also just happens to be the bastard son of Henry VIII which means he has issues of his own.

The second novel, Blood Trail, takes Vicki out to the Canadian countryside to investigate who is the sniper taking deadly aim at a family of werewolves who just happen to consider Henry a family friend. I think I actually liked the second novel better but maybe that's because I hadn't seen it recently adapated for television.

There is lots of romantic tension between Celluci and Henry and I do enjoy Vicki's relationships with them both but the emphasis in these stories is on the action and detective work which made me very happy. Vicki is a smart character who is angry about her condition robbing her of her independence. She is flawed, smart, real and surprisingly multi-dimensional for a detective in a vampire mystery series. I also like her because while she is tough, she is never unbelievable and she seems like a gal you'd want to grab a beer with. If you like this genre, you absolutely can't go wrong here.

I started watching the tv series first, then decided to check out what started it all. And the books are great. The writing is fast paced, the humor is witty and the plots are consistent. Unlike, some authors these days, Tanya Huff didn't need to rely on a bunch of sex scenes to keep the steam or storyline going. As a matter of fact, there are no sex scenes, just pure plot. The vampire in this series is a good guy and he doesn't mind killing the bad guys and I like that. The men are manly and aren' a bunch of pretty boys pining for one woman.

Everyone is capable to smart choices and logical thinking.

It took me no time to breeze through vols. 1-3.

Like several other people, I bought this book because of the TV show "Blood Ties", which I enjoyed, but found cheesy upon occassion. I expected the books to be similar, but was pleasantly surprised.



These novel focus on the actual mystery/action/conflict. There is some sexual tension and little bit of sex, but it more alluded to than shoved in your face (no detailed sex scenes, YAY!!!). The characters of Vicki, Celluci, and Henry are 3-D and well thought out. There are snippits from Henry's past, which I love. It makes him more of a character than on the TV show where he just shows up, does the vampy thing, and goes on. Vicki is an amazing strong heroine who takes no crap from anyone.



As someone else stated, the first novel follows the TV Pilot exactly. I already knew what was going to happen, so it was a little dull. Not because of the writing though. The second novel was very good, with a family of werewolves who are being killed systematically by silver bullets.



Another thing I like about these novels were the "villians". Instead of just pure evil people, like in so many other novels, these villians are fairly normal people who slowly are tempted into evil. Nice touch and more believable.

The Blood Books, Volume 1 (2006), is an omnibus edition of the first two fantasy novels in the Blood series. It includes Blood Price and Blood Trail.

Victoria Nelson -- Vicki -- is a former Toronto homicide detective who had resigned for medical reasons. She had been diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa and experienced various visual disorders, including night blindness, tunnel vision and myopia. Now she works as a private detective on cases that don't overtask her senses.

In Blood Price (1991), eight months after leaving the force, Vicki witnesses the death of a young man attacked by something that tore out his throat. Her former partner -- Mike Celluci -- responds to the call. As usual, she and Mike fight over everything, but even Mike confesses that he had missed fighting with her.

Now she can't seem to let go of the case, particularly when similar deaths occur. The media start speculating about the murders being vampire slayings. She keeps calling her friends in the coroner's office and the Criminal Investigation Division to find out more information. She even goes to the scenes to look for clues missed by the police.

One night, she catches up with the killer just as he is disappearing. She also finds a vampire on the scene, but he punches her out and takes her to his apartment. Henry Fitzroy, the vampire, has a choice: kill her or trust her with his story. He takes the second course, although he can always remedy any mistake by killing her later.

Henry is the illegitimate son of King Henry VIII of England. He is now four hundred and fifty years old and has been a vampire for most of that time. He was made a vampire by Christina, who also rescued him from his deep grave after his apparent death at the age of seventeen.

Henry explains to Vicki that the killer is a lesser demon, who is working on a scheme to open this world to Hellish havoc. Since they can't trust the police with this information, Henry and Vicki need to nullify the scheme. Vicki is charged with finding the master and Henry will try to take out the lesser demon.

Then Coreen, girlfriend of the first victim, hires Vicki to find the alleged vampire. Even if the police don't believe in vampires (or demons), Vicki has an acceptable reason to search for clues. Besides, the client will pay for her time and expenses.

In Blood Trail (1992), Vicki is tired and sweaty from working a case on industrial sabotage and is just starting to shower when the phone rings. Being a compulsive phone answerer, she quickly dries off and races for the receiver. It is her mother calling about spending time together. Mothers!

Vicki finishes the shower and is preparing supper when the phone rings again. This time it is Celluci. He wants to know some information about a previous case and is using Vicki's memories instead of the files. Former partners!

She is eating cold eggs and watching the Jays play in Milwaukee. It is the bottom of the seventh, the Jays behind by two runs, two out and one man on second. Just as a Jays power hitter steps up to the plate, the phone rings. This time it is Henry. He has some friends who need the help of a private investigator. Phones!

In this story, Vicki goes over to Henry's apartment to meet his friends. The security guard recognizes her and buzzes her through, but also gives her a suspicious look. When she reaches the condo, the door swings open to reveal a huge russet colored dog.

A young woman is waiting with Henry in the living room. Henry introduces her as Rose Heerkens and then Rose introduces the dog as Storm. Sitting on the couch, Vicki puts on her professional face and asks why she is needed.

Rose tells her that two members of her family have been shot in the past month. When Vicki asks about the police findings, Rose tells her that they don't know about the shootings. Vicki is puzzled about this remark, so Henry tells Rose to show her.

Rose takes off her sandals, then stands up and removes her sundress. Standing there naked, she suddenly transforms into a white dog and the russet dog turns into a young man, who now introduces himself as Peter. The pair are werewolves.

Highly recommended for Huff fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of supernatural ploys, preternatural concerns and a touch of romance.

-Arthur W. Jordin

I am a big fan of vampire stories, and thoroughly enjoyed this first in a series by Tanya Huff. Her characters are believable and fun to watch as they grow together in a series of events that forms them into a team. A team that the main character, Vicki Nelson, holds together. I began to read these books for the new Lifetime series Blood Ties that began in March. It really helped to read these books in her series to understand the tv show more in depth. If you like stories that deal with vampires, zombies, werewolves, and just plan monsters-even the normal human kind-this is a must read on your list.

Tanya Huff is a great writer who utilizes snappy dialogue and multi-faceted characters to spin an addictive tale.
I was interested in the book because I saw the TV series on Lifetime. Knowing that books and TV aren't always the same, (cf. The Dresden Files on Sci Fi, also highly recommended), I was greatly impressed by Ms. Huff's talent in creating an interesting "wounded heroine" who defies pity, a vampire who writes romantic novels, and a by-the-book detective to round out the inevitable love triangle. The passion is there without slumming into soft (or not) porn.
I have since been devouring her other books, both in this series, its follow-up and other series.

Tanya Huff is a charming, creative and intelligent writer. I highly recommend anything she has written.

Any time I describe the concept behind this series to someone(ex-cop with night blindness teams up with a vampire to help her with night work), they laugh and then go get a pencil and paper so they can write it down. I ate this first volume up in a couple of days and ran out to get the next two. These are interesting and engaging, and don't take themselves too seriously. If you like Laurell K. Hamilton and Karen Armstrong, you'll probably like Tanya Huff, too.

I actually got hooked on this series by a relative, I had no idea there was a television series. I had been an avid fan of Laurell K. Hamilton's Anita Blake series (until it became literary porn) and I'm still big on Charlaine Harris' Sookie Stackhouse series. I finally cracked Blood Price and I've been devouring each book in this series since. You can't put it down!

Blood Price introduces our main characters - Vicki "Victory" Nelson, an ex-cop turned private investigator due to failing eyesight, Henry Fitzroy, the vampiric bastard son of Henry VIII and now romance novelist, and Detective Michael Celluci, Nelson's complicated lover/friend. Henry's and Vicki's lives become intertwined as they try to solve a series of murders in Toronto that are not of the natural kind.

Blood Trail extends the love triangle that begins at the end of Blood Price as Henry asks Vicki to help solve a killer after a family of werewolves. The plot takes a backseat as Huff insinuates Celluci's character more into the mix and he becomes aware of what Henry truly is.

My advice, buy all the books at one time because even one day between books is too long. I'm so glad they came out with these two-parter volumes, it allows you to get two books for the price of one and much easier to carry it around if you're going on a long trip or something. As the books continue, the love triangle becomes more intricate and the crimes more exciting. Huff is fabulous at conveying emotion and the difficulties of love, I just wish that Vicki wasn't as anti-commitment and unfeminine as Anita Blake.

Being an avid reader of the vampire genre I was suprized to find I had not read any of Tanay Huff's books. After seeing the first TV show based on her books, I ordered all her vampire books. I love the characters, but found the transition to flashbacks or memories was not as clear. Her writing is good and a page turner from start to finish.

The Blood Books, Volume I (Blood Books)The Blood Books, Volume II (The Blood Books)The Blood Books, Volume III (The Blood Books)
Like several other readers, I purchased Tanya Huff's Blood Books because I've been enjoying the "Blood Ties" TV series so much. I've read only the first volume and half of the second, but so far so good. I find it difficult to put them down. The editing in the first book, "Blood Price," left a lot to be desired, but it was still engrossing. I'm hooked.