41 of 43 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
I loved this book - book #1 in the Blood Destiny series - check it out!, September 17, 2011
This review is from: Blood Wager (Blood Destiny #1) (Kindle Edition)
Lissa's husband had just died, and she decided to go to a bar and get drunk. Since she never drank, it didn't take her much. She noticed the two men who came in, of course, since one wanted to buy her a drink, but she refused and after her 4th glass of wine she went out to her car. That's when it happened - as it turned out, the men were vampires and they had decided to turn her and see how long it took her to rise. It was a game to them - the wager was £ 1,000,000 that she would rise within 9 days. Of course, they would then have to kill her, because otherwise they'd have to take her in and take care of her and they had no intention of doing that. Once Lissa realizes that she is probably going to die at the hands of the vampires, she flees and this book - "Blood Wager" - is about how she survives the first few months as a vampire.
There are certainly some plot holes - how, for example, did Lissa suddenly just know she was a vampire? But these certainly do not detract from the overall story, which is very well written, flows smoothly and has a nice, tight plot. The characters are all well-defined and interesting and I enjoyed reading it very much. In fact, I loved "Blood Wager" so much that I purchased the next two books in the series, "Blood Passage" and "Blood Sense." Connie Suttle plans 9 books in the series (at this time) with the 4th book - "Blood Domination" - due out October 15, 2011 and the 5th - "Blood Royal" - due November 15, 2011. I suggest that those who enjoy a good vampire novel check out Suttle's books - they are very enjoyable!
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16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Blood Wager blends memorable characters with a down-to-earth sassy writing style to create Urban Fantasy magic!, September 13, 2011
This review is from: Blood Wager (Blood Destiny #1) (Kindle Edition)
Connie Suttle's debut novel is about to receive a glowing four star review from me! Yet another self-published author who's not only surprised me but has also made me question my reluctance to review indie authors. Blood Wager is original, modern and has unusually good intentioned characters for a vamp/were book. The combination of superb world-building, engaging personalities and a sassy writing style make this novel a must read for all Urban Fantasy fans. I only have one small beef with this story which I'll get to a bit later but no author can expect to be perfect on their first try!
Blood Wager starts off with the story of how Lissa becomes a vampire. Unfortunately for Mrs Workman, her turning is the result of a cruel joke which makes for a severely lacking intro to the un-dead world. At first she doesn't even realize that she's now a member of the fanged population. I really enjoyed this aspect of the plot. Lissa's flying by the seat of her pants as she attempts to uncover the intricacies that come with her new vampire status. I couldn't help but admire Workman from the get-go. She's having what very well could be the worst day of her life yet she manages to keep a level head and do what must be done. It was fun watching Lissa discover her new abilities. Her only point of reference is pop culture so she tries anything and everything that she's ever seen in movies. Some work, some don't. Suttle also comes up with her own short-form lingo in the form of FVM (f$@%ing vampire manual) which I adored. Every time something backfires Lissa jokes about how useful it would be if she had a vamp 101 book.
I was anxious for the werewolves to make their appearance. I enjoy a good vamp read but my heart belongs to canine shifters. I had a hunch early on and Connie was kind enough to drop a few breadcrumbs here and there but the mid-point twist was still a welcome surprise. I enjoyed unraveling Suttle's take on pack and vampire hierarchy. She develops each supernatural's world superbly by merging existing lore with her own and the result is a well-rounded, believable, Blood Destiny universe. On top of exceptional world-building, Blood Wager is also overflowing with unbelievable characters! There's Lissa, of course, who despite having been constantly put through the wringer still manages to maintain her big heart and do-the-right-thing attitude. William Winkler is Workman's new boss. At first I disliked him to the extreme but he continued to surprise me throughout this book and by the end I actually liked him! Last but not least is this book's man candy, Gavin Montegue. My verdict is still out on him but I can't deny how hot he is! Maybe he'll pull his head out of his butt in Blood Passage.
Now time for the not so good stuff. This book could have finished a good 50 pages earlier in my opinion. It was almost as if the main plotline concluded and then a second one started up in the final chapters. I understand the reason behind it; Connie wanted to tie up a few loose ends and create a segue for the next installment. However, I think she could have done it in fewer pages which would have resulted in me feeling less frustrated towards the end. Blood Wager was going to receive a 5 star review from me until I found myself having to wade through an unnecessarily long ending.
Connie Suttle is definitely an up and coming author to watch out for! Blood Wager blends memorable characters with a down-to-earth sassy writing style to create Urban Fantasy magic! The second installment in this series is already available; Amazon.com here I come!
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22 of 26 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Hot mess, November 15, 2011
This review is from: Blood Wager (Blood Destiny #1) (Kindle Edition)
Two vampires walk into a bar, see a fat old woman crying over the death of her husband, and proceed to make a bet as to how long it will take for the woman to be changed into a vampire. It's an interesting and gritty beginning to a book with a whole lot of promise. Unfortunately, things go down hill from there and as much as we like Lissa, the plot holes are big enough to drive Buicks through, the writing is choppy, and the characters are strangers.
First of all the writing style is very disjointed. The main character speaks in the first person, narrating the majority of the book but snippets are randomly thrown-in from secondary characters which are written in the third person. These side scenes are rushed and skeletal in details, often only a paragraph long. Just enough to distract you and then throw you back into first person writing again. In most cases these outtakes could be cut out all together or condensed into longer more solid scenes, maybe longer scenes outside Lissa's pov would help develop these secondary players. As is, most secondary characters are cardboard cutouts.
And then there are the plot holes. OMG! The holes! I guess I should put a ***SPOILER*** alert here, though nothing I'm going to mention is from too deep into the novel.
1) the initial bet makes no sense since we've been told no female vampires have been successfully made in 700 years
2) Lissa immediately acknowledges she's a vampire and knows exactly what she has to do. Not even a half a page is devoted to the obvious "I have fangs!!"
3) The vampire council is omnipotent, immediately knows about her, and wants to destroy her as a rogue vampire even though she is A) a super rare female and B) not killing anyone, not exposing their race, and not acting out of control.
4) Lissa finds a bodyguard position that conveniently involves night work only and the interview consists of getting tackled and defending herself. That's it! No firearms use, knowledge of crowd control, or references.
5) All activities and movements conveniently take place at night. Lissa's employer never seems to want to go anywhere during daylight hours.
6) Lissa's super paranoid employer is conned into ditching his protection detail because he got a call that his sister was being held hostage. Super paranoid employer doesn't actually hear his sister's voice or wait to confirm she's missing before abandoning his super paranoia to rush off alone.
7) Um, she's shot 3 times in the back and no one thinks this is much of an injury. Also Lissa doesn't seemed surprised no one thinks much of her injury even though she still believes no one knows she's a vampire.
8) Lissa wants to leave her job after getting shot but is coerced not to. She's told if she tries to leave her employer will blackmail her- he knows she's not who she says. Wait.... huh? Blackmail only works when you KNOW a secret that someone is trying to hide. Firstly, there is nothing to indicate at the time that the employer knows who or what Lissa is, only that she isn't who she says. Secondly, Lissa has no identity that she's trying to maintain or past that she is trying to protect. She has no kids, her husband is dead, and she's facing eternity as a kick-butt undead. She could just disappear again. So why exactly is this a motivator?
This is where my brain short circuited. I couldn't keep reading. I know some might find it unfair to review a book I haven't finished, but isn't it a review in and of itself that I couldn't finish it?
If the author ever sought mainstream publication for this, my first advice would be to patch up the holes. Then flesh out these characters, clean up the points of view, and do some world building. This first novel alone could easily be 3 quality novels if the writer was patient enough to do the story justice. For readers considering this novel? Well I have pretty high standards when it comes to writing; I admit it. If you are just looking for a paranormal story then your 99 cents might find a good home here, but if you can't stand poorly written novels no matter the price, look elsewhere.
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