Customer Reviews

The Nymphos of Rocky Flats (Felix Gomez, Book 1)

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(18)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

"The Nymphos of Rocky Flats," Mario Acevedo's first novel, is a pretty good vampire yarn with a few exceptional highlights. The beginning, for instance, places protagonist Felix Gomez, still mortal, doing his bit for Operation Iraqi Freedom. But when the mission goes wrong and Iraqi civilians are killed, Felix is overcome with guilt -- easy prey for a vampire who happens by.

Back home, Felix works as a private investigator, retaining his mobility in daylight with a cocktail of sunscreens and cosmetics. He's called to Rocky Flats, Colorado, to investigate an outbreak of nymphomania at a federal Department of Energy facility -- hence the title.

But the nymphomania, along with the handful of of nymphomaniacs we meet, are really extraneous to the story. Much more interesting is the vampire society Acevedo has created, as well as the small army of vampire hunters that invades the greater Denver area with crosses, stakes and silver pellets in their shotguns. The dryad is pretty cool, too.

I'm afraid the "nymphos" in the title, coupled with the leering face on the cover, my harm more than help Acevedo's sales. That's too bad, because "Rocky Flats" -- which had to be declassified by the Department of Energy before its release -- is a pretty good first novel and a solid addition to modern vampire lore.

by Tom Knapp, Rambles.(n e t) editor

Oh...it's a man goes to war, man kills innocent civilians, man suffers from the guilt and anguish of killing said civilians and what happens....why he is bitten by a vampire as the ultimate punishment, of course! Now that man is back in the US, having been discharged from the army for "medical reasons" and he is, naturally, working as a private investigator. He's been lured to Rocky Flats with a retainer of 20,000 dollars to investigate a rather interesting little problem...an "outbreak" of nymphomania amount the facilities women employees.

What starts out as a seemingly simple task...discover the cause of the nymphomania turns into a whirlwind adventure that runs the gambit of every thing in this genre and throws in a few from others...we've got government conspiracy theory and cover-ups, the tedium of bureaucracy, vampires, vampire hunters (naturally), a dryad, Roswell, Area 51, Aliens...Acevedo threw in practically everything but the kitchen sink into the plot, stirred liberally and viola! We get a strikingly funny novel about a vet turned vampire (who refuses to drink human blood by the way) who is assisted by a local group of vampires and a dryad in his investigation of nymphomania...yea, it's a hoot. If this had not been written in such a humorous and entertaining way, there is no way that Acevedo could have made this even remotely believable.

It's enjoyable for it's over the top story and elements told in an over the top humorous manner! I almost passed this up because of the title and I'm glad I didn't, while this is certainly not destined to be a classic, it is funny and charming in its own way! In the end, I give it a B- because all the pieces of the puzzle don't fit quite right at the very end...but this is certainly forgivable given how entertaining the story is! I'll definitely be picking up the follow up book!

"I was intrigued with the premise of this book: a soldier gets turned into a vampire and then comes back as a private detective who is now investigating a case of nymphomania.

This premise is interesting, but I feel the book fails to deliver a whole package. Acevedo's descriptions are weak, and at no point did I feel myself drawn into the story, like I was feeling what it was like to be a vampire detective. The narrator was very nonchalant about his powers and there was little, if any, description about the way his vampire powers felt to him. He just says things like "I used my vampire power to hypnotise them." Very plain, not visceral at all. Lots of telling without showing. The most memorable character trait of Felix, the narrator, is that he refuses to drink human blood because he accidentally killed a young girl in Iraq. This is supposedly why he "chose" to become a vampire, though it really wasn't a choice at all and, thematically, doesn't fit with the rest of the story.

Despite the sensory deprivation of the narrative, Acevedo does add some interesting new twists on the vampire legend. Now vampires can turn into wolves, hypnotize, hover, wear sunblock, and cause memory loss in people. At the same time, some of these new powers made the narrator's quest a bit too easy at times. Need to get out of a jam? Make them lose their memory!

Aside from having vampires and vampire hunters, this is a standard mystery novel. Given, the plotline is funny it involves government conspiracies and nyphomania, but it offers nothing new from your typical dime-a-dozen mainstream mystery plotline. The ending comes as no surprise.

In summary:

With more sensory details and concentration on making characters come alive (instead of flimsy plot devices) this could have been a better story. As is, it's your standard mystery with two-dimensional vampires as characters that never strike home."

Being on a vampire/romance kick, this book seemed like it would be great. The story itself is very interesting. We see a soldier who returns from Iraq changed into a vampire. He then becomes a private detective who seems to end up with the strangest of cases, one being an outbreak of nymphomania at a government facility.

I like the idea of how he became a vampire and the idea of a whole vampire "web" that exists in the book. I think it was a little out there for me with some of the explanations. Think Roswell meets Dracula.

You can tell why Acevedo made this into a series. The character is somewhat developed in this book, but there is defnite room to expand. I was fairly interested in what happens to Felix next, so I bought the next book in the series, X-rated Blood Suckers. The titles seem to be a bit deceiving, I honestly bought the series because the review talked about how racy the books were. Not too much going on in that arena.

If you like vampires and new twists on the old legends, try it out. But don't expect Nora Roberts-esq sex scenes.

The story reads like a Sci-Fi Channel original movie. Take that how you will.

Personally, I was looking for a light-hearted read when I picked this book up - which it certainly delivered upon. My only issue is that the author didn't trust his readers to remember earlier, major details and would often overexplain/simplify what was going on.

I, for one, like the title...in and of itself. However, it has little to do with the overall story and I'm sure it's misled legions of people expecting...something...different.

Overall, I found it to be an enjoyable read, but I'm not sure I'll be buying any of Mario's other books.

Recommended for fans of Sci-Fi's Saturday afternoon programming who are looking for a predictable vampire story that intertwines a few different genres to create some mildly interesting twists and turns along the way.

Felix Gomez went to Iraq as a soldier. When he ends up killing an innocent family, Felix wants only to be punished. His plea is heard by one of the undead. Thus Felix becomes a vampire.

When Felix is released from the military, he becomes a private investigator. One of his old friends is now an assistant manager at a secret government facility in Rocky Flats. His name is Gilbert Odin. Gilbert hires Felix to find out what caused the outbreak of nymphomania at the facility. When Felix delivers the answers to Gilbert, he learns that they only make more questions come to light. So a second mission is needed to find out what is in a certain trailer.

Felix should know that anything is possible. After all, vampires DO exist. Why not Area 51, aliens, and all the other things people believe are fake? But while Felix is doing his investigations, he is also having to dodge vampire hunters and government agents. There is much more going on than any one person knows.

**** Author Mario Acevedo seems to know his topic very well. After all, the author used to work at the Rocky Flats Nuclear Weapons Plant in Denver, Colorado. And, you guessed it, he is also a veteran of Desert Storm. This novel actually required a security declassification by the federal government before it was allowed to be published. So it is a huge understatement to say the author has researched his material. In fact, the author's expertise shows in every page of the novel. The title makes the book sound like a "free for all", instead it is a wonderful mystery with a super natural twist. It also looks to be the first of a brilliant new mystery series. Bravo, Mario Acevedo, you have a fan in me! ****

Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews.

It's hard to resist a book entitled "The Nymphos of Rocky Flats!" Come on, admit it--you know you've got a burning curiosity. Mario Acevedo certainly has a knack for colorful titles and "Nymphos" is the first in a series of volumes featuring Felix Gomez. When Felix came home from an entanglement in Iraq, he faced the world anew. Wracked by guilt and with a new supernatural secret, this ex-soldier launched a detective service. But he's got a tooth up on the competition--because Felix is a vampire.

When Felix is contacted by an old friend on the military base in Rocky Flats to investigate an outbreak of nymphomania--it's just another day at the office. But before you can say "boo," Felix is caught up with a major conspiracy that may be too outlandish to be believed. Add a vicious pack of vampire hunters and an otherworldly love interest, and Felix never gets a break! For all the beatings he takes--he may have to reevaluate his "no human blood" mantra! The central plot device is all rather silly, but what did you expect?

Acevedo plays with vampire conventions just enough to keep things interesting. Some elements of vampiric lore are quite traditional while some are exclusive to the Felix Gomez series. "The Nymphos of Rocky Flats" isn't particularly revelatory or new. It's fun, though. Felix is a cool cat that I didn't mind hanging out with, and the book is an amazingly quick read. If you are new to this type of genre fiction, there are better examples (Butcher's Dresden leaps to mind as a similar hard boiled, snarky type--but a wizard, not a vampire). But if you like supernatural detectives, why not give it a shot? It's light and breezy and doesn't require too much thought. Sometimes, that's enough. KGHarris, 10/10.

This is a story about a private investigator who "happens to be a vampire" and while mildly entertaining, it is easily forgettable. The outrageous title is not necessarily indicative of the content: there are no gratuitous sex scenes, sex in general, or steamy content. The title is actually a clever marketing idea to lure unsuspecting buyers, which may help or hurt sales depending on reader preferences. Readers preferring a steamy sex content should be warned that the book is more PG-13 than X-rated.

Written in the noir tradition, the plotline, while funny, is so ridiculous you cannot possibly take the book seriously. Felix Gomez, retired U.S. Army Iraq war vet, is hired to investigate an outbreak of nymphomania in Rocky Flats. The novel opens prior to Felix's vampire conversion during Operation Iraqi Freedom, but when the mission goes bad and civilians are killed, Felix's guilt makes him a willing victim to an Iraqi vampire.

Gomez is a typical jaded, wisecracking P.I. who wears sunscreen-coated make-up to hide his pale skin from the sun and contact lenses to conceal his reflective eyes from humans. He possesses powers including the ability to walk up buildings, turn himself into animals, etc., but his powers--unlike other vampires--are weakened because he has chosen to drink only animal blood instead of human due to guilt from his combat experience in Iraq.

The mystery is poorly constructed. Felix spends more time making witty observations about his immediate surroundings than contemplating his investigation, so there are not enough bread crumb clues left for readers to anticipate the left-field ending that ties into an Area-51-style conspiracy.

On the positive side, the book is a quick, easy read, with humor and good dialogue. The author's take on vampires is unique, i.e. using blood as a condiment for regular food, and reading people's aura colors to determine their race. Not surprisingly, other supernatural races inhabit Felix's world including a sexy dryad who assists Felix's investigation. The network of underground vampire hunters who impede Felix with periodic assassination attempts sets the tone for future sequels.

When I saw Mario Acevedo's "The Nymphos of Rocky Flats" on a display at the Barnes and Noble while visiting my mom's I started laughing my butt off at the title. When I read the back I still was laughing. But it stayed in the "to read" pile on the top of the bookshelf for several weeks.

The other night I took a look at my reading pile, said "what the heck" and started reading Rocky Flats. I started laughing my butt off. It passed the two chapter test and I was still into it. So I continued and read the entire thing that evening. If a book can deprive me of much needed sleep then it's a compelling read indeed. I do love my sleep. Ask the Hubby on a Saturday, lol. Parts of the book made me laugh so hard my Hubby kept looking at me going "What's so funny?" I even read parts aloud to him.

Felix Gomez went to Iraq and came back a Vampire, now discharged he's a PI going after the "things that go bump in the night." He gets a job in Rocky Flats, Colorado, to investigate an outbreak of nymphomania at a federal Department of Energy facility...and hilarity ensures. Not only is Felix trying to figure out where the Nymphomania came from, but Vampire hunters are loose in Denver and he's on the hit list!

As fun as it is to see women come on to Felix, the PI's decent into Denver's Vampirtic world is even more intriguing. In Acevedo's world of Vampires they try to get along in the mortal world with the help of makeup, sunscreen, and contacts, they even eat "normal" food - smothered in blood of course.

Acevedo's world and Felix himself are intriguing, fresh and original. It's like eating a lemon Italian ice at the Ren Faire on a hot day wile in full garb. The Vampire PI is chauvinist, coarse and extremely funny. A nice change from the yummy, educated, polished Vampires I drool after in some of my other favorite series. Can't wait to read the rest. So even though the book is written by a man and about a male vampire, I'll keep reading. After all best part of the books are the titles - the second one is called "X-Rated Bloodsuckers" - sounds fab! Now that's a book to read on their airplane while sitting next to your boss.

[...]

I really can't help myself in this instance. With a title like Nymphos of Rocky Flats I was expecting some originality, but was sorely disappointed. I trudged through more than half this book and finally deleted it from my Kindle in frustration (an occurrence that happens about once in every hundred books). The story was plodding. The dialogue was stilted and I couldn't care less whether the main characters lived or died. After about a dozen references to how the protagonist mixes animal blood with regular food in order to nourish himself and how he refuses to drink human blood, (adding the unintentionally comedic element that he basically slobbers on victims' necks in order to subdue them) I couldn't take anymore punishment.