Customer Reviews

Sex, Lies and Vampires (The Dark Ones, Book 3)

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Katie MacAlister's Dark One series are either a gently mocking tribute to or an affectionate spoof of the paranormal romances of Christine Feehan. Since I've never developed a taste for Ms. Feehan's work, I'm not sure which. Either way, I like what MacAlister does. Her stories are an appealing blend of romantic comedy and adventure. The brooding never gets too serious, and the tragedy never gets to heavy, not even when in summary it sounds like it should be devastating stuff.

This novel is one of a piece with the rest of the series, though perhaps not the best entry in it. Nell Harris is a spunky, spicy heroine, marked by an earlier failure but not--you know--overly bummed out about it. Her tormented soulmate may wallow in thoughts of his own depravity, but the novel does not. Like Nell, the story seems more concerned with helping him get over his horror than inviting us to share it.

To me, there are two noteworthy shortcomings in this novel. First, the development of Nell as a character is a little shallow. We know what she does for a living, but that's about the extent I remember of her backstory, 10 minutes after finishing the book. She's fun and funny, but sometimes MacAlister seems to sacrifice a little more depth and detail for the sake of a one-liner than she needs to. Second, there is a certain redundancy of style and plot to this story to which serial fiction is prone. If you've read MacAlister, you've got a pretty clear idea where the story is going from soon after the start. Connecting the dots to the happy ending is not that hard. And the minorly-handicapped-paranormal-female-lead of this novel is not really that dissimilar from the minorly-handicapped-paranormal-female-lead of MacAlister's last.

But, really, I don't pick up these kinds of novels for their plot twists. I pick them up to delight me and to charm me, and _Sex, Lies and Vampires_ proved very effective at doing that. Nell Harris may not stand out as the most memorable heroine of all time (or even of MacAlister's library), but I enjoyed the time I spent with her. And that's enough reason for me to recommend this book.

This is the second book I have read from the Dark One series (this is the third installment) and I have to say that this series is not as exciting as some of the vampire romance books I have read out there. Sex and the Single Vampire had its comic and romantic moments, but it was nowhere near as fun as, say, MaryJanice Davidson's Undead series. Nevertheless, I decided to give Sex, Lies, and Vampires a whirl. I enjoyed the first half very much in spite of some minor inconsistencies, but the story goes downhill after that. Nell Harris is a historian interested in an ancient armor breastplate. But she gets a rather interesting request from the owner. The woman -- a Dark One -- wants Nell to help find her kidnaped nephew and remove the curse from a demon lord. The woman is convinced that Nell is a Charmer, someone who unmakes curses and creates protective wards. Nell insists that she is not a Charmer and does not want to use her magical powers after losing her best friend during an experimentation. Reluctant, she agrees to help. She is warned against a Moravian Dark One gone rogue called the Betrayer. But when Nell meets said Betrayer, she not only has a strong connection with the sexy vampire, but she is also convinced that he is not the monster his comrades make him out to be. Before the reader knows it, Nell has to deal with a lot more things than to help save a kidnaped child.

The first half was somewhat good. There is some intense, albeit brief sexual tension between the protagonists and there is some action. However, as said earlier, the plot goes downhill about halfway through the book. The plot twists make the novel even more disjointed than it already had been. The characters that are introduced later in the story annoyed me at times to the point that I felt the urge to close the book and never open it again. The boy Damian was especially irritating. There was some romantic potential between Nell and Adrian, but somehow the romance gets lost somewhere in the middle of all of the other things going on. The plot is overall disjointed. I had a difficult time following the subplot surrounding the Dark Ones and the magic. And the redundant dialogue did not make things better. How many times did Nell say she wasn't a Charmer? Thank goodness I didn't do the "drinking game" of swallowing a shot of tequila every time I read a certain phrase here, because I would have been completely plastered within the first half of this book! All in all, this is not a great offering from a series I had lukewarm feelings for to begin with. Katie MacAlister has disappointed me with this book. Alas, I did enjoy the first Guardian novel, You Slay Me, very much. The aforementioned series will be centered on one heroine instead of being a spin-off character series like this one. Anyway, if you are a big fan of this author and of the Dark One series, you may want to give this one a try. However, do not be surprised if this offering disappoints you.

Katie Mac is one of my favorite authors & I can't help loving this book!

Nell is employed by Mellisande, Christian Dante's cousin ( he's our main reaccurring character in the 3 books of the series), to act as a Charmer & save Mellisande's nephew. Not told this when she was flown to the Czhech Republic, Nell refuses. She hasn't reversed a curse since a fatal college accident that left her with a stroke 10 years ago.

When Nell is persuaded to look around Christian's castle she runs into Adrian, a.k.a. THE BETRAYER. She's the only one in nearly 5 centuries who doesn't fear him though & Adrian quickly realizes she is the Beloved who can save his soul. He didn't believe she existed. Now Nell helps him to save Mellisandes nephew, (shocker>>>!! Adrian's son!!!) & destroy the baddy in a most abrupt fashion, so that they can share eternity together. Throw in a few mummies cheerfully folling Nell like puppies, cameo's by one of you favorite ghosts from a previouse book, & a few well loved reaccurring characters ( & one that goes bad!) & you get a great novel that will be hard to put down!

I prefered this one over the last one of the Dark Series she wrote. It drives me crazy how much of a knock off this is from other vampire books, though.

I thought this one had more of a plot. There was a problem to solve and the characters made an effort to solve it. It still a pretty mindless book, but even mindless books have their place.

Take a flawed charmer named Nell, add a cursed Dark One called the Betrayer who has sold his own kind for centuries to a demon lord, and throw them together in a desperate attempt to save an innocent child...while along the way unentangling themselves from a Welsh knocker named Gigli who runs a house of ill repute for poltergeists, avoiding death by a revenge-minded vampire, and trying to convince a group of mummies that dead really does mean forever.

I Love This Series

A friend of mine gave me this book and said I HAD to try it.

I was hooked from the first page...imps! It was intriguing to say the least, so I sat down to read it. Several hours later I was finished and I have NEVER done that with any book in my whole life!
I thought the humor was insinuating and sassy and contagious ...laughed outloud. (" yeah, yeah, feared by all, yadda-yadda") The intrigue was there, twists in plot I never saw coming....right out of the gate. I am not easily pleased and am known for my ability to always know the end of books. I saw some of it coming, but not all and it was not your run of the mill "stupid" twists that make no sense.
And the sex, well, need I say that it was incredible for me. I mean her, I mean ....anyway. I revelled in it, rereading excerpts the next night before bed.
Never have I enjoyed a take you away, into another realm that you can follow, sexy, thrilling and funny as hell book more.
Going to the book store to find more....today!!
And yes I am a woman, but my friend that gave me the book is a guy who reads thrillers and Steven King and watches action flicks....he loved it too!
Thank-you Katie

No one had to tell Nell Harris magic is dangerous; an accident using her power to Charm cost the life of a friend and inflicted lifelong damage on her own body. Nothing could make her use her gifts again, until Melissande entreated her to save her nephew and brother from a curse, and maybe in the process save the world as an added bonus. Right off the bat, Nell runs into the Betrayer, the vampire, or Dark One as they prefer to be called, Adrian Tomas. He's supposed to be her enemy, she thinks, but as it turns out, he's not half bad. Moreover, she is his Beloved, the woman whose love saves him from a world of darkness. On the other hand, his brother who she thought she was trying to save, is evil, so now they must stop him, in the process of so doing, run head to head with Christian and Allie, heroes of prior books in the series who think Adrian is the bad guy. There's also a bratty teen aged dark one and a pack of mummies following them around to consider, plus, Nell's facing her own fears about using her powers.

**** If Katie Macalister is not on your autobuy list, you're missing a bet. Her quality remains consistently high, packing a profound message in a light hearted story. Another constant plus in her writing is the positive way she breaks rules - heroines are not perfect ingenues, heroes don't always agree with each other, and kids don't have to be cute and loveable. Treat yourself, read one of her books today. ****

Gotta love those Moravian vampires and their American Beloveds. Nell is a terrific heroine who is down-to-earth and straightforward. She doesn't hesitate to express how she feels and adapts rather well to "other wordly" situations. The chemistry between her and Adrian is incredibly sexy. Thought the introduction of Damian was a great character, which shows that even after first go-around, people still have a chance to find a Beloved. Dashing and noble Christian and his adorable Allie make their appearance too.

If you like mysterious vampires known as the Dark Ones, castles filled with treasure unlike any you can ever imagine, a heroine more content to translate obscure languages than work charms, and a supporting cast of imps, betrayers, and immortals, then SEX, LIES, AND VAMPIRES is definitely the book for you.

Nell Harris is the type of woman who delights in the old-namely, in ancient artifacts. A junior professor of medieval history in Seattle, she's been lured to the Czech Republic by Melissande Banacek to view the Holy Grail of her profession-the Graven Plate, a breastplate from a suit of armor made in the late 1300's at the castle of Churburg. A legend among medievalists, no one has ever laid eyes upon the interlocking plates that detail the history of a knight-errant. For Nell, this is the opportunity of a lifetime. Unfortunately, upon her arrival at the home of Ms. Banacek, she gets a little more than she bargained for.

Nell is not one to believe in paranormal beings or things that go bump in the night. So, when she spots a common Central European Imp in Melissande's living room, she's a little unnerved. When Melissande goes on to inform Nell that she's a Dark One, a Moravian vampire, Nell decides that the lady must be insane. Next, this strange lady goes on to tell her that Nell herself is a Charmer. A demon lord by the name of Asmodeus has taken Melissande's brother and nephew hostage, and a fellow vampire by the name of Adrian, whose also known as The Betrayer, is responsible for it all. Bound to Asmodeus by a curse, Melissande's brother and nephew cannot escape. Hence the need for Nell, who as a Charmer has the power and ability to charm the curse.

All would be easy if not for the fact that Nell has forgotten that ten years ago she actually believed in charms, curses, and her abilities. After a charm gone wrong killed her best friend, Nell buried herself in the past-and tangible evidence. Now she's been tricked into helping a boy who can only survive with her help-and in return, she'll have sole possession of the Graven Plate.

Greed and the desire for tenure may be the motivating factors at the start of her journey, but joining forces with Adrian, who isn't what she first thought him to be, is what keeps her going. There's more at stake than the release of a vampire and his son, and it's up to Nell and Adrian to combine their powers to rescue a society on the verge of collapse.

SEX, LIES, AND VAMPIRES is full of fun characters, quirky dialogue, and the redeeming power of love. This isn't the first book I've read by Ms. MacAlister featuring the Dark Ones, and it most certainly won't be my last. I love Ms. MacAlister's world of vampires and supernatural beings, and once you pick up one of her books, I'm sure you'll feel the same.

As always Katie Macalister never fails to make me laugh. I hope she'll never lose her sense of humor which I always love about her writing style. I had a good laugh reading this book! The problem I have about this book is she did not describe more about Nell Harris. I know she has left sided hemiplegia, a charmer in denial, boobsy and tall, but then what? I do like Adrian though, alot! Nell and Adrian are suited for each other forever! There nothing more romantic than saving the one you love from eternal damnation!But I really hate his son Damian, what an ungrateful brat! Im looking forward to read about Sebastian. I wonder what his story is, hope Nell and Adrian will make an appearance in Just One Sip. Wish Katie will describe more in detail about her main characters and more about the world of the Dark Ones.