Blood Debt (Touched Series Book 1) [Kindle Edition]

Nancy Straight (Author), Linda Brant (Editor), Dreamscape Covers (Illustrator)

Book Description

Her whole life, it had just been the two of them. Before her mother’s last breath, she gave Camille the information she had craved her entire life: the identity of her father. Daring to contact him, Camille was welcomed by an entire family she never knew existed. But nothing comes without a price, as she discovers when her family claims a legendary heritage tracing back to a Centaur touched by Zeus.

As she learns the secrets of her Centaur bloodline, she is drawn into a forbidden love with Drake. Her family acknowledges her life may be the blood debt required to pay for her mother’s transgressions. The same person who once held her mother captive, and forced her into decades of hiding, now controls Camille. Her only chance is to seek a piece of her mother’s past that will win her freedom and the life she desperately desires.

Product Details

• File Size: 505 KB
• Print Length: 306 pages
• Page Numbers Source ISBN: 1478111046
• Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B008L79YRO
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,963 Free in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Free in Kindle Store)
  • #66 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Action & Adventure
  • #72 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Genre Fiction > Romance > Fantasy

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

32 of 36 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars I don't consider myself picky but ... September 20, 2012

By JenB

Format:Kindle Edition

Hmmmm ... I was a little surprised that I really didn't care for this book, and wonder at the high reviews...

I like mythology, and thought this centaur storyline would be interesting, and SOME of it was, there was potential. It just never grabbed me.

I didn't care for the shifting POV ... SO shifting it made me dizzy! If I set the book down and picked it back up, I was confused as to who was telling the story, I'd even get confused while reading, especially when it was someone new (Cami was the main, but there was Zandra, Drake, Bianca, Daniel...) I really prefer third person, rather than getting in the head of characters (and here, so many characters telling their story). So many scenes were repeated in the different POV too.

I didn't connect with any of the characters, no one seemed "real" in action or words ... I tried to attribute this to the fact that most of the characters weren't actually human, so maybe they would talk a little differently, act a little differently, but it just all seemed forced/stilted. So much of the story just didn't really make sense, the timing seemed off too ... part of that could be attributed to the shifting POV, when someone else starts telling the story, they start two weeks before where it just left off ... but boy, if Cami lost track of time and what was going on while she was at her grandmother's house, so did I! And while I realize this is the first in a series, I did NOT care for how the book just stopped, TONS of unanswered questions (I guess I prefer my series, while tying together, to at least have SOME conclusion).

The formatting ... loooooong paragraphs, with spaces in between, rather than indenting the first line. Instead of a chapter starting on a new page, it would begin midpage.... This formatting doesn't change the story, it was just unusual. Threw me off a bit. I didn't have any complaints about grammatical errors (which was nice). I liked the title and the cover. Nothing offensive for young readers. I was able to read this for free (Amazon Prime Loan) ... I guess this DID just feel like a "free" book, just not quite up to caliber with those picked up for publication. Read more ›

19 of 21 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A Roller Coaster of Awesomeness August 1, 2012

By Airicka Phoenix

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

Bought from Amazon.

I finished this book in three days. It would have been sooner, much sooner, like the same day, if real life would have just backed off.

Now usually I don't start a review off by stating the flaws of a book because that's just not nice, but since the author, Nancy Straight, forgot --intentionally I'm sure-- to warn us poor readers just how addictive her book would be, I feel it's up to me to do the warning. Granted, being an enormous fan of Ms. Straight since her Destiny series (Meeting Destiny (Destiny Series - Book 1) is FREE right now on Amazon!), I probably should have clued in faster. Nevertheless, there is your warning. Beware.

On to the review!

What do you get when you put a highly talented author in the same room as a book of Greek Mythologies? Blood Debt! That's what.

"All those wagers I'd tried to make with God, to find out who he was - I'd told God I would trade anything - I never meant my mom." (1% Kindle)

I keep a lot of notes while I read a book, just so I don't forget to add anything in the review when I write it. Pathetically enough, when I went back to read said notes, I found a lot of: 'OMG!' and 'Seriously creepy family... RUN!!!' and 'YES! Voice of reason!' I think my favorite was: 'Run, dude! RUN!' Now, I can promise you that I don't normally write such weird notes, but I found note-taking took up reading time and that was unacceptable.

The explanation of my cryptic note-taking to come. But first...

The plot.

Blood Debt is about twenty-two-year-old Camille (Cami) who learns about her missing father after her mother breathes his name for the first time right before her death.... Camille, desperate not to be alone, tracks down this elusive father of hers and learns all too quickly that she was probably better off not knowing him. Here's why.

Her father already has a family, a generous wife and five fully grown sons. He's ridiculously rich, kind hearted and wants Camille even though, up until she'd phoned him, he'd had no knowledge of her existence. He brings her down to South Carolina from California and I was right there with Camille on the whole creepy factor! These people were rating a full ten on my back-away-slowly radar. They were all too nice, too generous, too open about accepting Camille into their lives as their daughter/sister. There were no questions asked, no suspicions or hatred that this person was created through adultery (I am assuming adultery, because Will --Cami's new father-- was married to his wife and had children when he met and created Cami with her mother. There is a reasoning behind it, but I think this will be explained more in the next book).

The person I really liked was Daniel, Cami's best friend in the whole world. HE is was voice of reason, always cautioning Cami not to just board a fancy yacht with five strange men only hours after meeting them. He's the handsome, loyal BFF that every girl needs. When Cami gets herself in some seriously messed up trouble (will get to this) later in the book, Daniel is the one that storms off to the rescue, and it is awesome! (I also have a theory about who Daniel is exactly, but I won't say).

Then there is Drake. I don't even know where to start. He's gorgeous, fast, kind and completely and hopelessly in love with Cami, even though he's engaged to Bianca (Cami's new BFF down in South Carolina). The plot gets all twisty from there. I won't say anything else on that front because it's something that needs to be read to fully appreciate. But I will say, the yacht scene... WOW! Me loved a lot! Another thing I will say, I will NEVER stop to help an elderly couple switch a tire. EVER! Thank you, Ms. Straight, for that life lesson.

So, what didn't I like about the story? Hands down the POV head-hopping. I LOVED reading Camis POV and Drakes (especially Drakes). But there was a point when we were in Biancas head, then Zandras (Cami's grandmother) then Daniels. I understood what the author was trying to do. I liked that we got the story from different angles, but I just wasn't a fan. Nevertheless, I was too hooked to notice or care.

The story was fast-paced. The plot unique. I loved the romance between Cami and Drake (and there was a second there that I thought Ms. Straight was going to do something awful, just terrible and then make us wait for book two... thankfully she didn't. But we still have to wait for book two). I loved Drake's fast and passionate love for Cami. And I loved how Ms. Straight made me want to grab Cami and smack her a few times for being so pigheaded. All in all, the book was amazing. I will be the first in line Dec 2012 for Blood Ties

Also, a final note before we wrap up this review. Fans of Charlotte Abel will LOVE the surprise Ms. Straight has at the end of this novel. A sneak peek into Ms. Abel's upcoming novel, River's Recruit. Read more ›

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Blood Debt- great read! November 18, 2012

By Michelle@Book Briefs

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

Blood Debt is my first centaur book. I have to say that I was expecting the horse creatures from Harry Potter and I was wondering how much I would enjoy a book about half horse creatures, but Nancy Straight's take on centaurs was so interesting! They weren't horses at all, they were just characterized as such because of how fast the men centaurs can run. I loved the magical world that was created in Blood Debt and I thought Nancy did an awesome job answering any questions we might have while still holding just enough cards in her pocket to make the story seem a bit mysterious.

The story follows Camille, or Cami as she preferred to be called. I really liked her. She was strong and independent but she had a tendency to be kind of rude through her stubbornness. I get that she doesn't like the ways and the customs of the centaurs but I thought she could have at least been a little more understanding. Her family was nothing but nice, warm and welcoming to her, and they never tried to force her into anything that she didn't want. I just thought she could have tried a little harder to be ok with things, or at least to not sound so rude in her refusals. But other than that I didn't have any problems with her. I liked her and I loved Drake. There was just something about him. He seems so pure and good. I had to stop reading for a while because of something that Camille's grandmother did to him in the book because I liked him so much.

I think that I would be an awesome centaur. I love how powerful women are in their society. They are really the ones that call a lot of the shots. They get to pick their husband out of tons of eligible guys and the guys are all tripping over themselves to get picked by a female centaur to continue on their family bloodline.... There are way, way more men than their are women in centaur society. Plus the girls get all the cool gifts. I would be a little freaked out by all the mind reading and future seeing going on if I were Cami.

Blood Debt is such an awesome concept. Fans of YA paranormal romances need to check out this series. And the best part is that the second book is coming out pretty soon, I think. So not a ton of wait time inbetween books. Personally, I want the second book right now because I need to see what on earth is going on with Cami's friend Daniel from back home. I feel like there is something big there that we just don't have all the pieces to yet. Plus all of this Lost Herd business. I am dying to find out! Such a great book, it exceeded all of my expectations.

4.5/5 stars

*Disclaimer- I got a copy of this book for free in exchange for my honest review. I was not compensated for my thoughts. Read more ›

More About the Author

Nancy was born in Sioux City Iowa, left the cold of the Midwest in 1991 and only returns to see family in the summer time. She spent ten years traveling the world as a US Marine and settled in rural South Carolina with her husband and two children.

She enjoys reading all types of Paranormal Romance, Urban Fantasy, and Contemporary Romance. Nancy loves hearing from readers, you can contact her via Facebook, Twitter or Goodreads.