Customer Reviews

I Burn for You (Primes Series, Book 1)

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

Susan Sizemore's vampires are alpha male and, oh so hot!

Alec Reynard is teetering on the brink of darkness. He has been undergoing secret medical treatments that allow him to travel by day. Yet, his immortal body has begun to resist these treatments allowing the hunger, the darkness within to grow to dangerous proportions.

Sworn to protect the human race from danger, he doubles as a bodyguard and encounters his soul mate, Domini Lancer. The chemistry between Domini Lancer and Alec are explosive. He fears losing control, fears that the darkness will repulse and harm her. Meanwhile, Domini senses something about Alec yet is mesmerized by his power and sensual magnetism.

While the sparks fly between these two, danger is afoot. Seeking to protect Domini, Alec takes her to his secret lair and it is there that she discovers who and what Alec really is.

There is nothing more exciting and sexy than a vampire who loves being a vampire. Alec Reynard most definitely falls into that category. He is powerful, sensual and will not be denied what he hungers for.

Definitely a MUST read book. Enjoy!

If you've been following Christine Feehan's Carpathian series, this is right up your alley. Certain elements are eerily similar-the instant recognition of a lifelong mate, the thirst for blood, the distinction between the good vampires and the evil ones, etc...However, because I knew all this from having read the other reviews, I was expecting something with the impact of "Dark Prince". This book, while good, doesn't quite measure up.

Alec Reynard is in trouble. The drugs he uses to go about in daylight are wearing off, and he finds himself in danger of reverting to primal ways. To further complicate things, he has just found his mate, only he doesn't dare approach her in his current unstable state.

Domini Lancer, professional security expert and psychic, has been having strange dreams lately. Even weirder is having the man of her dreams, literally, show up as her company's newest hire! Now she's got to find a way to suppress her attraction to Alec while they work together to protect a celebrity from deadly threats.

As I mentioned before, the similarities with the Carpathian series are numerous: there is a secret agency of human hunters, the males' ever-present fear of losing control and hurting others, the psychic mortal women, their own language, etc...Some changes do exist-the classification and hierarchy of vampires is quite different, and the details are at times confusing to those of us conversant in vampire lore (for instance, silver doesn't hurt vampires, it hurts werewolves). Also, these vampires eat food and don't seem to drink much blood-and yet we're told Alec craves Domini's. There is no great color-seeing, calming change that comes over the male when he finds his mate-it's a lot more like your everyday, regular relationship...Hence some of my disappointment, I guess.

On the other hand, it was great having a heroine with a mind of her own. I stopped reading Feehan because her ladies are generally TSTL (Too Stupid To Live), and behave more like petulant 11-year-olds than grown women with working brains. I like that Sizemore's heroine can take care of herself. Furthermore, women occupy an important and central role in this vampire society-clearly the author's been reading some of our complaints about Feehan's work.

In my opinion, there is definitely room for improvement. This book wasn't as sensual as the Carpathian series, which surprises me from Sizemore. There were a few teasers, some "close, but no cigar" moments. A word to authors out there--you can only do that so many times before it gets annoying. And what was the deal with Alec's tattoo? What was the significance there? And why were his drugs not working at first, but then miraculously worked in the end?

Having said all that, I will definitely pick up the next installment. The preview included at the end of IBFY promises a lot more of that animalistic possessiveness we all love so much in these vampire romances.

I really enjoyed it. What I really liked about this author is that she introduces us into the vampire's world/society right from the beginning. Although I love vampire romances, not everyone does it well. Sometimes you read a story that supposed to be a vampire genre but you don't even get the feel of a paranormal story until the very end, like "oh by the way, the hero or heroine is a vampire". Susan Sizemore however did a great job.

The hero, Alex, is the ultimate alpha male vamp, and is appropriately titled "The Prime". He was born a powerful creature of the night, but by choice he lives among the humans, taking drugs in order to be able to take sunlight and other vampire allergens. Although, he is often feral and a tightly leashed beast at best, he is one of those among his clan who has sworn to protect the human cousin race. The beast within has been harder to control recently and the drugs are not working as they should because finally Alex has found his Bond Mate, a human female name Domini. She doesn't know what he is, but her very presence threatens his firm control and their current mission, but soon the wait will be over, he will claim what is rightfully his and he will not be denied.

This book oozes of alpha male possessiveness, testosterone and great sexual tension along with steamy sex. I loved this book. I've never read Susan Sizemore books, but I'm definitely going to hunt down some of her backlist historical romances too. I read a couple of chapters of her next vampire book slotted for next Summer August 2004 and it also sounds really good, I Can't Wait!!!!

Medical treatments have allowed Alec Reynard to exist among humans and lead what most would call a "normal" life as a bodyguard. No one would guess that he is a vampire, and he has no intention of telling either, until he meets his partner. Domini Lancer invades his dreams and his heart. The chemistry between them could set off a nuclear explosion. Very few human women can get to a vampire Prime like that. Could there be more to Domini than meets the eye? Alec is not the only one to think so. Someone has tried to kill her, leaving Alec no choice but to take her to his clan's stronghold for her safety. Once there, she will become the target of every male looking for a mate. Will her heart stay true?

**** The vampire legend gains a new dimension with this series. Ms. Sizemore creates a world of well defined rules and sizzling passion. Equally fascinating as the main couple is Alec's sister, Flare, and several other minor characters who I would like to see star on their own. If you think everything has been said about vampires that can be said, then read this book. It stands apart. ****

Many reviewers have made much ado about what the novel isn't: it isn't horror, it isn't intended to be humor, it isn't true to the "right legends". I don't even think the author would argue about what it isn't.

Several reviewers have made outlandish stretches in describing in what "they believe" it is: "a rape litugy", "an author's over reaching attempt at writing herself out of a corner". Frankly, even after reading it, I can't see the more outragious claims made for it; it is more the authors of certain reviews than the author of this book who are reaching. Don't avoid it because you "Aren't" a saddist!

I will concede that this isn't one of the world's great novels; however, it doesn't need to be!! It achieves what it tries to do. It is a Romance novel written in the vampire genre with a body guard hook. It is entertaining and sometimes unintentionally funny. Books like "I Burn For You" are rather like watching television; they are intended as a deversion. If you are willing to take it at that, it is a good read with a few hot sexy scenes! Enjoy....

Unfortunately there isnt a space for "0" stars, because that's what I would have given this book. I had gone online and read all the reviews about this book, and as i'm sure you see, most of them are 5 stars saying how great the book is. So i decided to buy the book. Well..........

I'm an avid reader, and I've read almost every vampire book put out there. But this book was soooooooooooooooooooo boring, and dragged on. To me there was no point to the story, took me forever to even finish the book. I'm was very much not fond of any of the characters, and was disappointed. Not an enjoyable read. If you wanted to read a great vampire book of some sort...I suggest reading Anne Rice's The Vampire Chronicles & Laurell K. Hamiltons- Anita Blake Vampire Hunter novels. If it was romance you were looking for w/supernatural in it I suggest Christine Feehans Dark series.

There is definately something very facinating about a bond, a connection with another person. Fantastical and romantic, but I think deep down it's something that so many people wish for.

I Burn For You centers around Alex and Domini, two people connected by dark blood ties. Alex is a vampire who takes drugs to allow him to conquor his allergies to sun, garlic, ect. He is bound by ancient vampire honor and codes to act in a certain way and when he finds his mate, it's an unfortunate period in his life when the drugs are not working quite well. Domini is no ordinary damsel, but a bodyguard with skills of her own.


There is a lot of obsessive imagry in this story, but I don't think that it really detracted from my enjoyment. Basically Alex battles with his baser nature while the drugs are being fine-tuned, but discovering his mate in the midst of all of this throws him for a loop.

While some reviewers were taken aback from the tone of the writing, I did not think it was a bad read. I enjoyed her second vampire clan novel better than this. Reading this one does enhance the enjoyment of I Thirst for You.

I suggest reading Sherrilyn Kenyon's Dark Hunter series, if you want to bite into a good set of vampire tales. Authors are offering so many new twists to the age old vamp story that I'm sure that you can find something to your liking....

Have you ever read a book with snappy dialog, hot romance and great characters? That fits "I burn for you" to a "T". In particular I got the feeling that these characters were contemporary people. The author does a great job of making the characters 'modern' (which is something of a failure amongst modern romance writers who seem to write old fogey characters in young bodies). Not so with Susan Sizemore's writing. Her characters have snappy dialog, fun humor, and modern outlook. (And yes they even cuss and talk like modern adults).

I particularly thought Alec was a great character. Fun sense of humor, and despite the pain he was going, through he was interesting and controlled.

Caveats? There was an 'almost-rape' scene at the beginning that made me a trifle uncomfortable after reading it. I prefer to avoid reading forced seduction if I can possibly help it. Fortunately, these scenes are few and far between in most modern novels. Also, I felt Alec's reasoning for seeking his 'treatment' was not well explained and was focused on a tad too much. Who wants to read about a main character going through a therapy for pages and pages..? I prefer vampires who are 'happy' with their vampiric condition. Second...Enough with the baby-making-turned-vampire heroines. Being a hatchery for Vampire spawn isn't romantic, and has been done to death in Feehan's series. How about some single vampires who are happy that way and don't want kids?

Overall, this is a promising start. I enjoyed the dialog, and well written characters. With the exception of what was mentioned under Caveats, this a series to watch.

This is by far one of the best vampire romances I have read.
I would recommend this if you are looking for a fresh take on the vampire romance genre. I can't wait until the next book comes out. Susan Sizemore has outdone herself.

Has anyone read Sizemore's Laws of Blood series? I've read one of the later books in the series and while it wasn't a keeper, it gave me the impression that it was a suitably dark and intriguing world. I'm really really shocked that the person who wrote a vampire novel more along the lines of Laurell K Hamilton would turn around and write one along the lines of Christine Feehan, an author who writes over-the-top barbie and barbarian camp material with dead seriousness. Considering that most of the vampire romances coming out now are underbaked, mostly plotless sex-fests I should be happy that Sizemore wrote a slightly better-than-average one with a plot, albiet a very thin one, than stays in focus for the majority of the story. It was an easy read too, with the type being rather large making the 300 hundred and forty odd pages probably actually closer to 200 hundred. The characters and relationships weren't very complex, conforming closely to the character-types and soul-mate bond thingamajig set out by authors like Feehan. About the the only element that Sizemore does that tries to break out of the mold Feehan has put on the vampire canon is create a multi-branched vampire society. More on that later.
Really, this is a good fluff read that kept me entertained even as I rolled my eyes and chuckled in places. Alec Reynard is a vampire who has used modern medicine to be able to go out into the sun. More specifically, he is a Prime of the Fox Clan. A Prime being an aggressive young vampire male and the Fox Clan being one brand of a core group of 'good vampires' that protect humans. There are also the Families, a nuetral group that can be good or bad, and the Tribes, the wild bad vampires. Like every young Prime, Alec has taken this medicine so he can go out into the sun and join the army... or become a policeman or a fireman or something macho and human-friendly like that because EVERY group is a collection of people who share the exact same thoughts and ideals with no variation. I guess it's just easier to make a nubulous group than actually have a generation gap or counter-culture in the ranks or something that can't be summed up in one sentence. Anway, Alec is an ex-army Prime, meaning that all he wants to do is meet his bondmate and flavish her with his bestial obsessive affections and with his intense sexual need. But watch out because Optimus Prime here is also uber-possesive and turns half animal if everything gets in his way or someone looks at his woman wrong. I found it very amusing when his thoughts would sometime degenerate into this mono-syllabic caveman speak that goes something like this. "Want! My Woman! Need! Must Have! Blood! Sex! YES! MINE!"
Anyway, he had this erotic dream bond with Domini Lancer, a female bodyguard whose also psychic. She can sometimes see into the future but only when the plot calls for it, so her powers are rather unrealiable and not useful. Domini and Alec are thrown together to guard this famous singer from some fanatics that also hate the vampires.
I'm somewhat baffled as to how someone like Optimus Prime, who can turn Cro-Magnon at the turn of hat, could survive in an army unit when a clear head and keen intellect are needed to survive at times. I'm was also amused at the way Sizemore tries to sugar-coat the way female vampires are little more than broodmares. I suppose that making family units ultimately matriarchial is supposed make this easier to swallow. In one unintentionally funny scene, Optimus Prime pretty much admits that Domini is a walking uterus and Domini balks. Optimus Prime goes caveman again screaming about how she going to pop out a lot of sons for him and they are all going to be his brats!
I Burn For You is the a book you should run, not walk, to get if you like the idea of uber-macho vampires and cavepig see-you-want-you antics with a psychic chick. For everyone else, pick it up at the library.