Customer Reviews

Deceptions (Laws of the Blood, Book 4)

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

She was the mother of Alexander the Great and Philip of Macedon's queen. She saw the rise and fall of Greece and Rome and other civilizations lost to the dust of time. Her name is Olympias and her age can be measured in millenniums but she prefers to live in the present where she is the Chief Enforcer of Washington DC. She insures that all vampires in her domain obey the laws of the council and keep their identities hidden from the mortals living along side them.

Olympias is going through the motions of her job, but she is not really paying any attention to the beings that are dissatisfied with her actions. Her "slave" Sarah wants her mistress to pay more attention to her, while a vampire's companion sets in motion a plan that will topple Olympias from power, and a black ops government backed psychic group is on the verge of discovering that vampires actually exist. To complicate matters even more the Enforcer is attracted to the head of the psychic group, a man whose vampire father lives in Olympias' territory.

Every book in this series seems better than the previous highly regarded predecessors as Susan Sizemore continues to develop the culture of the vampire society. The heroine of this novel has earned a sequel and the audience deserves learning the fate of some of the likable characters in LAWS OF THE BLOOD: DECEPTIONS. There are so many exciting subplots that tie into the main story line that readers will want to read this book more than once, but each time in one sitting.

Harriet Klausner

Wherever there are vampires, there must be laws, otherwise humanity's predators would be revealed, and become prey themselves. In Susan Sizemore's world, the laws are made by the Council, and a group of specialized vampires called hunters exists to enforce their dictates. Not a very democratic system, but one that has stood the test of time. More to the point, is has stood the test of four volumes in a successful series.

Each volume tells a story about a particular enforcer, Char McCarin in Seattle, Selim in Los Angeles, Istvan the roamer, and now Olympias in Washington, D.C. Once the wife of Philip of Macedonia, she has had 2,000 years to hone her political and power skills, rising to become the chief enforcer for the United States. In her concerns for the maintenance of the Law everywhere she has forgotten to apply it equally at home. Her laxity has permitted the local vampire nests to make their own rules, and now that she is determined to bring things back under control, rebellion is about to break out.

It does not help that she has selected a possible companion that another vampire wants, or that someone in the nests is plotting to bring her down. And what will she do with another vampire who has requested permission to die? Olympias has no choice but to burden her slaves with too much responsibility and now she must deal with the consequences. The ensuing crisis will take all her political and fighting skills.

Sizemore is one of the few writers who can write about vampire politics without becoming distractingly boring. Part of this is the mystique of the enforcers, a specialized breed that prefers to feed on the hearts of other vampires. Another part is that her characters, despite the possession of immortality and superhuman powers behave like real people. No overblown romanticism or new goth world order here, but interesting personalities dealing with life among the pointy-toothed.

The writing shows good pacing, and while not sparse does not dwell too long over any particular facet. Violence is sudden, horrific, and then over with. Much time has been spent thinking through the logic of this world, and it rings true even when it crosses over to the fantastic. The overall effect is a refreshing shift from more stereotyped vampire fiction. If such existed, I would call the 'Laws of the Blood' series vampire fiction for vampires. While the individual novels do occasionally intertwine all can stand independently, so you may begin with any volume you please.

"Laws of the Blood: Deceptions" is my first Susan Sizemore novel ever, and though I came in on #4 of the series, it was surprisingly easy to become engrossed in this dark and seductive world of vampires. "Deceptions" is a gripping tale peppered with sporadic and brutal violence, smart writing, wit, humour, and some kick butt characters! I must add, however, that the story seemed a bit slow to get going, though this may be a byproduct of my coming in on the 4th book in the series. But once the story did get going, I couldn't put the book down. Upon reflection, I think I would enjoy the first hundred pages much more a second time around.

"Deceptions" tells the story of Olympias, an immensely powerful vampire who has long reigned as the Enforcer of Washington D.C. She was once the wife of Phillip of Macedon and mother of Alexander the Great, and her age can be measured in millennia. But Olympias is in for some trouble. A gifted psychic and his team working on a top secret government project are on the verge of discovering the existence of vampires, and it's Olympias's job to make sure they don't. Which normally would be a simple enough matter, only she has fallen in love with the leader of the project, military man Mike Falconer. To make matters worse, Mike is the very same man that one of the baby vampires in the area has chosen for her companion. Add in Olympias's human servant, Sara, questioning her master's choices and becoming dangerously preoccupied with a suicidal vampire, and things are starting to get uncomfortable for Olympias.

And into this scene rife with unrest has walked a very dangerous man, Roger Bentencourt. He's the companion of one of the local nest leaders and he bears a deadly grudge against Olympias. Determined to bring about Olympias's destruction, he'll use every problem and frustration to his own advantage. And while Olympias is preoccupied by her complicated romance with Mike Falconer and dealing with a dozen situations begging for her attention, Bentencourt may just succeed!

"Deceptions" is fast-paced, exciting, and entertaining. The characters are strong and well developed and I really grew to like both Olympias and Falconer. Olympias's much-loved hellhound, is wonderful, and is one of my favourite characters! This book is not for the faint of heart, but Sizemore has created a fascinating and original society of vampires, known as the Strigoi in this series, that vampire fiction and fantasy fans will NOT want to miss. "Deceptions" is compelling, riveting, and sometimes shocking fare, and I, for one, loved it. I'd like to see Olympias get a second book, as she most certainly deserves, if not demands one! So read this book, it comes highly recommended.

I thought that this book had a more cohesive feeling than the last one. It felt less like a three volume novel was shoe horned into a rather thin mass market paperback. It also helps if the reader has some knowledge of Alexander the Great.

Sizemore tries to keep her vampires true to their own code of behavior. What would be moral and rational in a human would be suicidal in a vampire. Well, actually there is a suicidal vampire in this book as well.

I liked Olympias the Enforcer. She reminds me of strong women I know who have put a lid on their personal lives because of some bad experience and channel their energy into work.

Having the viewpoint move from character to character doesn't really bother me and all of the strands came together rather nicely.

This is one of the better entries in this series.

This may be my favorite in the series so far. Olympias was not a touchy feely character, but a tough, several thousand year old vampire used to being treated like a queen. She was comfortable being a civilized monster. She didn't have to be loveable to save the day, but save it she did. I believe Andrew and Sara were the people readers were supposed to identify with and root for -- I know I did.

Another thing I enjoyed was the tidbits about strigoi culture. Especially finding out about hellhounds, and that vampires and werewolves don't get along because of the hellhounds. And Bentencourt -- now there was an interesting villian -- a mortal more dangerous than the vampires because of his skill at manipulation, especially of the women in his life who trust him. Was happy when he met his much-deserved end.

Deceptions is a wonderfully entertaining novel, in many ways the best of the first four books in Susan Sizemore's Laws of the Blood series, yet there a few aspects of the story that weaken it a little bit, in my own estimation. I actually think the author had a little too much fun writing such an obviously crowd-pleasing novel, and this led her to extend the magic of coincidence just a little too far. There is more than enough exciting action to be found in these pages to make up for any flaws, however.

Deceptions takes us to Washington, D.C., always a dangerous place. This turf belongs to Olympias, ancient vampire and exceedingly powerful Enforcer of the laws; not only does she have to keep the local population of blood-suckers at bay, she has the added task of making sure no one in the government learns about the actual existence of her kind. After centuries of exercising vast power, she has begun to slip a little, entrusting a lot of authority (not to mention work) to her slaves, especially her secretarial slave Sara. Olympias has chosen a bad time to start nodding at the wheel because Roger Bentencourt, the Companion of a local vampire, is bent on revenge and the acquisition of power without having to wait around for his eventual transformation from vampire's Companion to actual vampire. Bentencourt sets in motion a plan to turn the local nests against Olympias, culminating in what should be unthinkable - usurping her power and replacing her with one of their own (one whom Bentencourt knows he can manipulate and control). Olympias indirectly plays into the usurper's hands by ordering all of the nests out of the territory and seemingly stealing a young fledgling's chosen mate. Bentencourt is slick, gaining influence over members of Olympias' own slave nest as well as some special humans who enter the picture. Michael Falconer leads a group of Watchers (men and women who practice something akin to remote viewing), and Falconer finds himself in the middle of a vampire mess when a young vampire seeks to make him her Companion, after which point Olympias takes a very strong interest in him. The inclusion of the Watchers into the story adds a new and fresh element to events that works quite well. As if all of this isn't distraction enough for Olympias, the presence of a suicidal vampire makes things even more interesting.

There is a lot of exciting action throughout this book, and several nice touches that play well and add originality to Sizemore's vision. I just thought there were a few too many coincidences for my blood; the very source of Bentencourt's hatred for Olympias is rather laughable, and there is another highly coincidental plot point I won't mention for fear of giving something away. I also have trouble accepting the fact that a vampire Companion, no matter how smart he might be, could hide his nefarious intentions from a number of incredibly psychic vampires - that is the major sticking point for me. Characters also have an annoying habit of engaging in flirtatious dialogues in the midst of trouble with a capital T. Still, you will find some of Sizemore's most fascinating characters in Deceptions, with Olympias assuming the distinction of being my favorite character of the series up to this point. Whatever qualms I have about the story, there is no denying this is a book that can deliver loads of entertainment to the reader.

Let us hop on over to Washington, D.C. Hey, it is the capitol of the USA's mortals, why not for the capitol for the USA's vampires as well? Olympias has long reigned as the Enforcer of Washington, D.C. She is the one ultimately responsible for every strigoi in the country. With "the Enforcers' Enforcer" away on a long overdue vacation, Olympias has even more to deal with.

Sara, Maggie, and Gerry are Olympias's slaves. They are the ones that Olympias delegates most of the work to. Sara is the one considered to be Olympias's right hand person. And it is she that is sent to talk to Andrew, a suicidal vampire in the area wishing for Olympias to kill him. Why? Because Andrew thinks he is going insane. Andrew is convinced he is seeing ghosts.

The local vampires are upset at Olympias, who is demanding all the nests to vacate the area within a month. Rose, a local nest leader, is the most upset due to the fact that she has lived in that area longer than any other vampire. It is the only place she has ever considered to be "home". Her companion, Roger, sees potential and begins using everyone in an attempt to kill Olympias and eventually take over as leader.

Then there is Colonel Mike Falconer, who is over a government project, the Walker Project. His group are very "gifted" and walk the astral plane. And for the first time in centuries, Olympias is considering having a companion. It all adds up to trouble with a capitol T.

***** Excellent! Very well executed! (Pardon the pun.) Book 4 is even better than the last, and that is definitely saying something. I hope to see these main and secondary characters again in future books. With all that I am seeing, this is shaping up to be series that fans will want to keep reading about for years! *****

Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews.

Olympias is one of the oldest of the Enforcer vampires, and responsible for much of the administration and protection of the American sects. Her base of Washington DC is used to gauge how well the US government, in particular their more covert ops, know about them. As an experienced Enforcer, Olympias is a ruthless predator, protective of her kind but also a bit weary of the necessity of enforcing the laws. Michael Falconer is part of a study of Walking - astral projecting to covertly study / spy / rescue etc on behalf of the US government. He's also the object of lust of one of the junior vampires, and Olympias must check if he is suitable to become a love bunny. Oddly, for a woman who thought herself past such things, Olympias finds she wants the bunny for her own. And this `weakness' gives a way in for someone from the under world to exploit the potential conflict.

The story is split between three central lines - Olympias and Michael, Sara (Olympias human assistant / slave) and Andrew - the vampire that wants to die Andrew - and the human companion who wants to rule it all some day. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the book. I love the original concept of the series and the essentially predatory nature of the Enforcers and all the positives and negatives that brings into their relationship with mortal humans. There is an underlying dark nature to this series that I enjoy greatly. In this book, however, the split in concentration between the characters lead to me becoming less involved with them. I would begin to get into their story, and the focus would switch to another.

I've read and greatly enjoyed the previous 3 books in the Laws of the Blood series. The fourth is not as intense as the previous three books, but is certainly worth reading as a part of the series. I'm not convinced if someone new to the series would get the most out of the book that the knowledge of at least one of the earlier three would bring to the reading of this one, but especially for fans of the series this book is a must.

I really liked this book, even though the first hundred pages or so were hard to get into. You might enjoy jumping from character to character throughout a chapter, but find it jumpy and broken. Such plot lines sometimes leave me skipping entire sections to get to a narrative by characters I like. I, however, decided to slog through the book, and it gets much better as time goes on. My favourite characters, in order form most liked to okay then are Andrew, Sara, Falconer and then Olympias. The scene changing gets better later on, I think, because you come to like ALL the characters, so there is no need to jump ahead. I tend to judge on last impressions however, so I belive four stars is a good review.

Olympias is the Chief Enforcer and Enforcer for the city of Washington, DC. As overburdened as she is, she is a little out of touch with the vampire problems in the area. A companion, claiming to be the reincarnation of her late husband, takes advantage of this situation to try to destroy her. Her loyal slave is distracted by a suicidal vampire, and Olympias herself is distracted by a human chosen by another vampire for her companion. Chaos will ensue if Olympias doesn't regain her grip on the local nests and their servants.

This was a pretty good addition to the series. Olympias is alluded to in all of the other novels, but never much involved. This novel was fast moving and exciting and I look forward to the next one.