Customer Reviews

Crimson Kiss (Pinnacle Horror)

5 star:		(24)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I was very impressed by the story-telling abilities of Trisha Baker. Meghann O'neill, a young woman living in 1940s' is seduced and transformed into a vampire by the evil Simon Baldevar. After being manipulated and controlled by him for 13 years she kills him and escapes but only to find years later he
didn't die and now wants her back! Simon starts to target Meghann's friends like would be vampire-killer Jimmy Delacroix, meghann's human lover, and her vampire friends:gay vampire charles and priest vampire Alcuin. Thus begins a cat and mouse game of seduction, hate and love that spans decades.Baker's debut novel has all of the ingredients you would want in a vampire horror novel: gruesome scenes of bloodletting, torture and murder, magic and black magic, erotic and sensuality also play in the part this story. Meghann, called maggie by her friends is very resourceful heroine who seeks to help the mortals she was trained to feed on and kill.Simon Baldevar is one of the most sadist and vicious villians to ever grace print page who's obessive love for Meghann is quite chilling in it's intensity.Another thing I love about the novel is Baker's willingness to change some of the myths about vampire such as their vunerability to crosses and religious objects and vampire can also eat the foods of humans. The scenes of maggie using magic also were gripping and also the ability of vampires to travel astral plane. Maggie also has a love/hate relatinship with Simon which she tries to control as he seeks to humble her and take her back. this stunning vampire novel ends with a suprising conclusion that bodes well for future installments.

How do you go about reviewing a book that repulses yet fascinates you to the point you going back to it? I'm still not sure how I feel about Crimson Kiss, but I can say it was different and interesting up to a point. At times it seems poorly written, and at other times it can rival any well-written horror book and hold its own with the blood and gore.

Meghann "Maggie" O'Neill was once like any other eighteen year old in 1944. She was attending college with her friends, supporting the war effort, and getting ready to be married. Then she meets the man who changes her life. Lord Simon Baldevar is a man of the world. He's cool, suave, and sophisticated. He is fascinated with Maggie. So fascinated that he takes her innocence and transforms her into his consort. Now it's nothing new about an older man taking a younger woman as his mistress, what's unusual about this is Simon is a vampire and he makes Maggie into one of his own. Simon is powerful. He can be tender when he wants or he can be unbelievably cruel. Nothing is too sadistic for him. He can be pleased with Maggie one minute and torturing her the next. He wants one thing from Meghann as he calls her, complete devotion and obedience. Eventually Maggie has enough of his degrading games and with a bit of luck manages to stake him to the roof of their home and flees leaving him to face the dawn of a new day, which we all know will end the existence of a vampire. Or will it?

Maggie sets out to straighten out her life. She makes friends with another vampire called Charles who introduces her to his master Alcuin. Alcuin is a hideous deformed vampire who just happens to also be a man of the cloth. He takes Maggie under his wing and teaches her not all vampires are bad, that some try to give back to the world what others have taken. Maggie learns to make herself strong with his guidance and returns to her old life as best she can. She attends college and eventually becomes a psychologist who specializes in treating victims of abusive relationships, something she endured with Simon. During this time she meets a human, Jimmy, and eventually is able to resume a relationship.

The story ends happily ever after? Wrong. It seems good old Simon didn't perish. He's been resting up, gaining even more strength, and is now ready to reclaim Maggie. What follows is a sadistic game of torture and horror as Maggie battles the one person who can destroy everything and everyone she holds dear.

As I said, this book is full of contradictions. It starts out in the present and flashes back to Maggie's transformation and her years with Simon, to her escape, and then back to her present life. Nothing complicated there. What I didn't like when the book flashed back to the beginning was how stilted and over dramatized the dialogue sounded. The dialogue sounded gushy, it was too much. But before you let that turn you off, I have to say when this author writes an action scene, she does it well. I had no problem whatsoever visualizing what she was describing. I kept wondering what she was going to come up with next to shock me and believe me; she did manage to shock me.

Crimson Kiss by Trisha Baker has the promise of potential to come from this author. I will probably buy the next book due out in April to see what happens. If this author can improve the dialogue and maintain the horror and suspense of her books, she will be someone to watch for in the future.

I just recently discovered Trisha Baker's books. I have been a pretty avid Laurell Hamilton follower and now that I've read all of her books, I was looking for something else. Here's a great follow on!

In Crimson Kiss Trisha introduces Meghann "Maggie" O'Neill who was changed into a vampire by evil Simon Baldevar (who has been around forever!). Simon falls in love with Meghann but because of all the really BAD things he does to people, she wants to get away. Thinking she has killed him, Maggie spends 40 years on her own with a new mentor (Alcuin) that teaches her the good things about being Vampire. Maggie falls in love with a mortal and tries to live a "normal" live as a psychologist until Alcuin shows up and informs her that Simon is not dead is as they speak looking to reclaim his "Consort". The book goes through how Maggie became a vampire, her history and what she was trying to do before Simon shows up again. I think that Trisha does an excellent job of outlining the characters and develops a plot that is fairly easy to follow. Nice touch of romance and some steamy love scenes make this a very rounded read!

She has definitely designed a format for a series, so On to reading "Crimson nights"! Enjoy!

I read the rave reviews about Trisha Baker's Crimson trilogy here on Amazon. I was intrigued but the price of the books held me off. No way was I paying that much for a set of books! Well, I broke down and finally got them and I must say, I am so glad I did! This book is FANTASTIC!!

It starts off with our heroine, Meghann O'Neill who is a psychologist who treats battered women, saying goodbye to the last living person who knew her as the mortal Maggie O'Neill. As she says goodbye to her friend who has not seen her in decades, she envies her her mortal life, the life that ended for her the night she met Simon Baldevar and became a vampire. After thirteen years under his thumb she thought she had left him for dead on the roof of their home, with a poker through his heart and the dawn approaching. She left him and her old life behind that night, working for the next thirty years to atone for the atrocities she had committed while under Simon's influence. Since Simon had not taught her anything, probably fearing she would turn on him and use her powers against him, she had to work to develop her vampiric gifts. Telepathy, telekenesis, the gift of summoning spirits and Druid magic. The magic is particularly strong with her and she is becoming powerful. So powerful in fact, she is now the accepted Priestess for her coven. Life is going pretty good for Meghann O'Neill, until she hears that Simon Baldevar is back. Since she is under the protection of another powerful vampire, Meghann is safe for the time being. In order to get to her, Simon must go around her and through her friends. And he does so. With relish. He steals her lover and tortures him, using his screams to bring her to him. There the two fight each other and their feelings for each other. Feelings that neither one want. She, because he's evil and soulless. He, because she spat on his love and left him for dead. In the midst of their battle, Simon tells Meghann he will leave her alone and walk away forever if only she can tell him that she doesn't love him and mean it. She can't. Some part of her has always loved her master, and will always seek him out. He made her and she will always be a part of him.

This book was simply fantastic. Sensational. Amazing. WOW!! I have never read anything this emotional, this deviant, this in depth. Crimson Kiss is as thrilling a vampire romance can get. It is a realistic, gritty, gory and seductive novel that absolutely dragged me in. Simply amazing.

The violence of course has to be talked about. You can't talk about Crimson Kiss and not acknowledge it. The violence in this book is probably as sadistic as it can get without turning into snuff. Simon Baldevar has been alive for over four hundred years and in that time, he has hurt and killed a lot of people. Because as he puts it, he needs the diversion. There is no rhyme or reason to his sadistic pleasures. We are given a tiny glimpse into his past, before he was made a vampire, and there are no sad tales of abuse. He is just a cruel person who was given immortality and lived to enjoy it to it's fullest. He is so powerful that other vampires fear him and give him a wide berth, engaging in a kind of Cold War. He meets Meghann O'Neill one night and is fiercely attracted to her. Thinking to use her and kill her, as he has done with all the others, he is bemused when he realizes he doesn't want to kill her. He instead transforms her. Since she is quite young, she is overwhelmed by him and his power over her. He controls her easily, until the inevitable moment comes when she tires of his tyranny and fights back. This is when the beatings start. The descriptions of the abuse is quite horrific. Simon Baldevar is a vicious, cruel man who alternately beats and makes exquisite love to his chosen consort, Meghann. He also heaps devastating emotional abuse on her. Even at the end of the book, when he is trying to regain her love, he is still working his way into her mind. Insidiously, like a snake. I wouldn't trust this vampire as far as I could throw him. Which means never.

But despite all that, I absolutely loved this book and Simon. He comes alive across the pages. He is so charismatic and seductive and when he meets Meghann he sweeps her off her feet, the consummate suave gentleman. He even fools her father. I know he is a despicable creature. He is evil, soulless, amoral. Everything about him is vicious. His moods are mercurial and I found myself holding my breath, alongside Meghann, wondering at his next move. I really felt for Meghann as well, her uncertainty and her own disgust when she realizes that despite everything she knows about Simon, she loves him.

"You know what happened last night?" she asked the fiend rhetorically. "I had this patient whose husband beats her. Nothing like you of course--no boiling water, no crucifixtions, or dead partners. And I had the nerve to advise her!" Meghan screamed shrilly at the top of her lungs, tears still pouring down her face. "The unmitigated gall to tell her that if it was me, I would certainly never love anybody who hurt me or snatched my dignity." She cackled, completely hysterical. "I said it's not love if it makes you miserable.....and that's all you do, Simon Baldevar! My life has been nothing but one miserable episode after another since I met you. That is not love!" Now she was crying again. "But if it's not, why do I love you so much? Why can't I say I don't love you and mean it? What the hell is wrong with me? How can I love some sociopath with no conscience? What does that say about me?"

Trisha Baker holds nothing back and makes no apologies. You will either love this book or hate it. I don't think you can be ambivalent about it.

This story is continued in the next book by Trisha Baker titled, Crimson Night, which is told through the eyes of Simon. I can't wait to read it.

I just started getting into Vampire fiction and this book was so amazingly good. I'm normally a fast reader, but I finished this in two days, I could have in one, but I had to do other stuff. I love the character of Meghann/Maggie. Before she was transformed she was a feisty, fun, independent young lady, and even afterwards too, although, she came under the spell of Lord Simon Baldevar. As in lots of vampire books, they go into the past to see when that vampire was transformed, and usually it stretches(like one book I read), but this one was perfect. I just loved it. I can't wait for the sequel. :)

First off before I get into the review, I wanted to say how much I loved this book! I had hard time putting it down.

Meghann had a good life, good family, great friends, and a man she planed to marry...then she met Simon, and that changed her life forever. Simon's a vampire, and a very ruthless and violent one at that. He saw Meghann, and he was going to have her. Nothing was going to stop him. Depending on his mood, he could give Meghann pain or pleasure. Then one day, Megahnn had enought and put a stake through his heart and left him on the roof as the sun was coming up. (This isn't giving anythng away, it's onthe back cover). She thought she killed him...she was wrong. Now Simon is going to have Meghann again, and kill everyone and anyone who get's in his way.

One of the most powerful things that struck me in this book is how Meghann changed. From the submissive fragile vampire Simon had made her into, to the confidiant vampire she became. Megahann soon found courage that she never knew she had. The servant has turned into the master.

One of the things I liked the most is the character of Simon. I'm kind of tired of how some vampie books have the vampire as the good guy and is ashamed of their vampire part...well, it's not the case in this book. Simon is a very violent and cruel vampire that *loves* his vampire side. If you like your vampies nasty, and will kill someone violently, then this book if for you. I can't say enough good things about this book.

There is just two *small* things that keep me from giving this a 5 star rating. The first is the use of dates. The reader go on a journey through the present and the past as we learn about Meghann's life. After a while I was a lil lost to where the story was taking place. The other thing that keeps it from a 5 rating is the ending. That's all I'll say b/c I dont' want to ruin it for anyone.

Baker has a fantastic writing style. She has the talent to make the char's life like and you can't help to care about them. The reader will be glued to the book to see what acts of violence Simon plan to do. He's one sick puppy, and I loved every minute of it.

If you like vampire books, and you like ruthless vampires and like to read about a vampire at its full vampiness, then you have to read Crimson Kiss. You won't be sorry, I know I wasn't.

In the back of the book, it tells of the sequal...I'll be the frist in line to get it. It's that good.

I just read this book and I have to say it was incredible.The author's take on a familiar subject is refreshing.No castles here or howling wolves.This story takes place on the mean streets of NYC over a 50 year period. Most vampire stories have a lead character thats male.Not here,Meghann O'Neill is a strong woman but she's also a vampire..A vampire with a secret past..With all seriousness,this book is on par with anything Anne Rice wrote..If you like her books you'll like Crimson Kiss as well..Plus,I hear there's a sequel coming out soon..Check it out!!

when i first began to read the book, i already knew it would be awesome. i found it so hard to put it down that night. though simon was so cruel to meghann, i always knew he truly loved her. crimson kiss made me cry unstop. trisha baker is a great writer and i know she will make her sequel even better than the first!

I normally love paranormal vampire stories, whether there is a lot of romance in them or not just because of the chill factor. I have to say that even though I can't seem to put the book down, I guess it shocks me at how truly evil, and cruel Simon can be. I have read about some pretty sexy vampires that you couldn't help but admire, but that is where Simon is different! What disturbs me in that one reviewer said that even though Simon was cruel to Meghann, you could tell he really loved her! I don't know about you, but that statement alone seems pretty bazaar!! I have known of women who were in abusive relationships, and not with a vampire either, who have realized the hard way the love doesn't hurt!! It wasn't until they actually got away did they become stronger! What are some of these people thinking, anyway? Read the book and judge for yourself! It's a great hair-raising story, but don't look for any handsome, sexy vampire in this one!

Personally, I think the diction and character development are perhaps the best parts in the book. The book itself is a real page-turner and truly draws my interest to read. Baker's plot is rather brilliant and creative. Through a flashback of recalling her past with Simon, Meghann portrays a vivid imagery of what Simon is like, physically and mentally. It really makes the readers feel like they were there to witness what had happened. But my favorite part was Alcuin's shocking revelation about Simon's history. It truly showed Baker's creativity with giving an explanation and perhaps a cause for Simon's true intention on Maggie.
Nevertheless, I personally find the book cover design to be a bit too tacky, which somehow overshadows the quality of the book. Also, even though Baker broke the rules about vampires being afraid of crucifixes and noneating nature, she fails to break the common conception about sex playing an essential part in vampirism. I regard some of the sex scenes to be unnecessary.