Customer Reviews

Blood Sins (Blood Trilogy)

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(12)
1 star:		(10)

 

 

I always love Kay Hooper novels. However, this wasn't up to her normal standard. There was no connection to Tessa nor the Chief. There was no connection for me the reader to the main characters. I read the book prior to this one and thought it was a much better read. It was very hard for me to get thru and I kept expecting for something to turn. Something to make me not want to put it down and it never happened.

I have been a fan of Hooper's Bishop series since the beginning, but this was definitely not up to her normal standards. I've never seen her use so much dialogue to explain how much everyone "didn't know." It seemed like every character had to tell some other character that the SCU "didn't know about this" and "didn't know about that." The villain also just annoyed me - I didn't feel he was very threatening, just a bit sickening. I normally get through one of these books in a day - but it took me a week because I was so tired of the exposition.

The little bit of romance involving Tessa and Sawyer didn't even show up until half way through the book...and neither one of them was developed enough to make me care about them. The thing is, I feel Sawyer could've been a really great character but Hooper never explored anything about him! Maybe she's tired of writing about sheriffs? And why did they need Cody for the showdown? There was no explanation of his power that I could see.

All in all, too much dialogue about not much of anything and too many questions left unresolved. I hope the third book is way more satisfying, and that Hollis finally finds someone for herself - maybe (SPOILER) Reese?

The Church of Everlasting Sin is led by Reverend Adam Deacon Samuel (a.k.a. Father). The church has been in the Grace, North Carolina, area for about ten years. Most members live on the compound, a community in themselves. Few are seen outside the compound. The children do not attend public schools and more than a few of the kids inside the church know that something is not right. The girls have the most to fear.

The Haven organization knows that the church is somehow involved in the area's deaths. Bodies have been found in the river and X-rays showed that virtually every bone in the bodies had been pulverized, yet there were never any marks to indicate how this happened. Undercover agents have already given their lives to ferret out information and even helped a few of the children to escape. All that is really known is that at least one of Father's closest advisors is a strong psychic and no one can get a read on Father because he is like a null field.

Special Agent Noah Bishop of the FBI's Special Crimes Unit recruits Tessa Gray to play the role of a grieving widow and the new owner of property wanted by the church. Tessa, like most of the agents, has a unique gift or two. But if the SCU has to rely on her, an untried psychic agent, then they must be desperate indeed.

**** This is the second novel in the series. If you did not read the first book titled "Blood Dreams", you may want to consider doing so before beginning this story. However, the author has done a good job of updating new readers within the first few chapters. Some characters from the previous book return to play secondary roles in this one. Tessa and the police chief are the main focus this time around though. Be warned that there are some graphic scenes in this story. Readers learn about Father's early childhood. (Not a pretty picture, trust me on that.) Still, the author retains her own outstanding gift of being able to write about paranormal talents and make them seem as if they are business as normal for the characters. I was shocked to realize that as I read the story I was taking everything as common every day stuff instead of fiction. Well done! ****

Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews.

I have loved the Bishop series from the very beginning and have enjoyed every book-except this one. It was well written and very entertaining but I feel that it was definitely missing something. There was not a single moment of romance between Tessa and Sawyer. This book seemed to only serve the purpose of setting the story for the last book in the trilogy, which is a great disappointment. It also seemed a little shorter than the rest of the books in the series.

I have been a fan of Kay Hooper forever and of the Bishop Series since the beginning. This book was a major disappointment. She spent 90% of the book in dry technical descriptions of psychic theory, another 5% referencing every character she's ever written about (it seemed). Even though I have read them all, I was confused and concentrated more on identifying past stories/characters, which was actually easy because of the lack of a real story. It was a short novella with filler and the ending was rushed and anticlimactic. Get it at the library if you must.

A serial killer went on a rampage in Boston last year before relocating to Venture, Georgia. Thanks to a member of Haven, the civilian arm of the SCU FBI which consists of functioning psychics, he was caught However, the Puppet Master, who was pulling the predator's strings so he could siphon energy from other psychics, escaped and returned to his compound in Grace, North Carolina; there he advocates the end of the world is coming.

Haven operative Tessa Gray is acting the part of a vulnerable woman alone in the world so she can grab the killer's attention. Father Samuel has his Church of the Everlasting Sin flock to protect him at their compound. Tessa knows Samuel is using psychic power that killed two women, but with his congregation in the way justice seems out of reach. Still she fears he will bring his apocalyptic vision to reality if not stopped. With the help of psychic local chief of police Sawyer Cavanaugh and with Bishop's input, they put together a plan to try to stop the schemes of a monster to bring Armageddon now.

Although it seems difficult to accept one person could destroy the world, readers will thoroughly enjoy the latest Bishop special crimes unit thriller. Hollis Templeton plays an intricate role and walks away with another psychic power. The anticipated confrontation between Bishop and Samuel will keep the audience spellbound while Tessa struggles with doing the right thing. The SCU thrillers are always top rate entertainment (see BLOOD DREAMS) and BLOOD SINS holds up that reputation.

Harriet Klausner

Tessa Gray was recruited by Noah Bishop because she makes the perfect victim and that's what he needs in order to investigate the Church of the Everlasting Sin. There is evil there and women are dying who were once associated with the cult. Will Tessa be able to infiltrate the cult while keeping two steps ahead of a monster who is a dangerous combination of dark magnetism and a psychopath? There is no guarantee she will be protected and when her powers are put to the test, will she be able to prevail or will evil win once again?

Ms. Hooper's latest Bishop title was well worth the wait! This is a follow up to Blood Dreams and if you haven't yet read that title, I suggest that you pick that book up before you attempt to read this one. That is not to say that this doesn't stand alone, but I think as a reader you will be better entertained if you have the background on this series. If you don't have the patience to do so, fear not, Ms. Hooper does do a good job in order to catch new readers up on who and what Noah Bishop and his team are. This is a page turning read and well worth picking up.

I bought this book a while ago, and I was very disapointed when I spend $16.00 on it. I mean don't get me wrong I have all the bishop/special crimes books, but I don't know what happened with this one. I was really looking forward to reading the next book in the blood trilogy, but it wasn't the same. It starts off good, then when I got into it just didn't seem like the next book in the series like I was reading something else with some the same characters.I'm giving it three stars because the whole idea of the plot was good, but it just didn't flow together for me, the character weren't very likeable besides the ones you aready knew, there was no love interest between the main characters, the villian was like a little teenager he was annoying not even scary. At times I just want to yell at the main character to kill him so I don't have to listen to him anymore. I really hope that next book she writes doesn't come out like this one. If you want to read it borrow it.

I am a long time Kay Hooper fan and this book was just awful. There are too many characters that aren't fully developed. The whole book seemed rushed. All in all I wish I hadn't wasted my time.

Blood Sins was a good read with some unexpected developments and a good pace. It wasn't really a romance. There is a couple, but their actual relationship seems like something that has to be dealt with to get back to the true focus of the book, the political and professional world of Bishop's SCU unit. The book picks up pace when it's exploring the back history of the preacher or dealing with the inner workings of the SCU department and the church. It lags when setting up the 'primary' relationship inside the story.

I think it might be time for the SCU series to go procedural, so to speak, and spread it's wings beyond the one book + one couple formula and transfer into a serial format with revolving characters, such as the In Death books by Roberts. There is a bit too much of 'how psychics work, accept I / you / they are one' and not quite enough 'plot twist in 3, 2, 1, now!' When it's the latter, Blood Sins is as good as anything Kay Hooper has ever done.