Customer Reviews

Passionate Thirst (Candace Steele, Vampire Killer, Book 1)

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I had been keeping my eye on this one for awhile. I rushed out to buy it the day it came out and . . . it was exactly what I was hoping it would be: a fun, interesting book, with a strong heroine and a steamy romance.

Candace Steele works undercover as security at a successful Las Vegas casino and does her best to protect the locals and tourists alike from the blood suckers. A year and a half ago, Candace met and fell in love with the mysterious, sexy and compelling Ash. She didn't realize it until she was already in love with him, but he was a vampire. A very powerful vampire. He loved her as well and wanted to turn her into a vampire like him so they could be together forever. Candance wasn't exactly opposed- until it was almost too late. She was able to recover from her near death experience and she discovered that she had better vision, better hearing and a built in vampire radar. When a popular singer, Temptation, comes to town, Candace realizes that she just may be the only one to save her from her vampire manager set on making Temptation his drone.

Cameron Dean skillfully jumps back in time to elaborate on Candace's relationship with Ash as he, in the present, arrives in town to win her back. The chemistry between Candace and Ash is great, because there's more to it than a few empty sex scenes. Instead, we actually get to read about the beginnings of their romance and how they fell in love, and how deep their feelings go. When we finally read about the attack that set Candace on a life of vampire killing, it's to discover that she may not have been the only one to suffer from that night. Passionate Thirst is a fun book with likeable characters, a compelling romance and an interesting story. It looks like a sequel may not be too far off in the future- I will definitely be looking forward to it.

I had to hunt down this book. I figured it would be in horror or at least science fiction. After all, that's where you find it's predecessors in the first person, female urban fantasy.

Unfortunately, it is being marketed as romance. Yes, there is sex in this novel - very well written, steamy if unprotected sex. However, at its core, Passionate Thirst and it's sequels are mysteries.

Candace Steel, the lover and victim of sexy, charismatic vampire Ash, has fled him after a horrifying, near fatal encounter. Escaping from the damp and chilly world of San Fransisco, she ends up in the polar opposite city Las Vegas! There she works as a cocktail waitress ... or does she?

She has made herself into a self-trained vampire killer in order to wipe the feelings for Ash from her heart. It didn't work. When vampires begin to die at someone else's hand, Candace must solve the mystery before she ends up as collateral damage. To do this she needs Ash. Which may be even more dangerous.

Like the early Anita Blakes and Merry Gentry novels, sex is part of the story but not the only part. Candace is witty, strong and damaged. But it doesn't take her 15 books to work out her personal issues - or at least some of them.
Bibi, her Jewish showgirl friend is a kick in the tutu as are many of the side characters.
Ash is sexy and distant.
The writing is fresh, clean and fast paced.

I hope to see more than just these three and I hope they stay the same caliber.

Candace Steele has hunted vampires ever since her affair with one named Ash ended so disastrously. Still haunted by dreams of Ash, Candace uses seduction to get close enough to certain vampires to end their lives. A headless body of a vampire has been found at a nearby club but Candace is not responsible. Life is further complicated when she is drafted to assist with security for singing sensation, Temptation McCoy, and discovers a powerful vampire in the midst of the entourage. Meanwhile, Ash has also re-entered Candace's life and suddenly she's being bombarded on all sides by vampires. What choices will Candace make when confronted with the PASSIONATE THIRST of the vampires?

PASSIONATE THIRST is the first in a trilogy about vampire hunter, Candace Steele. While set in present day Las Vegas, the story unfolds with a series of flashbacks interwoven with the present day to provide the reader with the back history between Ash and Candace. The flashback scenes are initially a bit disconcerting, but once one sees the pattern, they flow smoothly and greatly enhance the reader's understanding of the strong bond that exists between Candace and Ash.

Candace Steele is a phenomenal character to handle the role of vampire hunter. It is always difficult when reading about a new vampire hunter not to compare the character to either Buffy or Anita Blake but Candace's cheeky repartee helps distinguish her from the other well-known hunters in this genre. Nicknamed "Nerves" by her friends, Candace is an interesting blend of the sensuous and the defiant. Her emotional turmoil over Ash is easily understood as Cameron Dean provides no straightforward answers for her heroine.

PASSIONATE THIRST is an excellent addition to the vampire genre. While Cameron Dean doesn't necessarily break any new ground with this story, the fascinating blend of the sensuous with the high-octane action will delight readers. In addition, Cameron Dean provides several interesting secondary characters along with a completely unexpected twist that makes this book well worth reading. PASSIONATE THIRST is an enjoyable read and this reviewer is already eagerly anticipating the second book, LUCIOUS CRAVINGS.

COURTESY OF CK2S KWIPS AND KRITIQUES

Candace Steele (don't call her Candy) fell in love with a mysterious man. It turned out he was a vampire. But his bite, while not enough to kill her, gave her the ability to detect vampires. Candace now works at the Scheherazade casino working the floor in a harem outfit but really working for security. Her boss knows about vampires and uses her to keep them out of the casino. She uses her ability to locate and kill the upper echelon of vampires, the ones who bite humans. Now Candace has to cover security on a pop star who has a powerful vampire in her retinue.

As Candace tries to protect the star, things begin to move in the vampire world. There are killings near a strip club and Candace is inexplicably connected. Then, Ash, the vampire that bit her returns. And so returns all of her love and desire for him. Somehow she must do her job and straighten out her personal life while keeping her life and her humanity.

A pretty good little yarn. Not quite a romance novel but close. Lots of explicit sex and language with love always being confused with sex. This is not Buffy but it was obviously influenced by it. Candace may work security and hunt vampires, but she is only mediocre when it comes to being a detective. That makes her a little more real. The ending is good and makes you want to move right into the next book in the trilogy (luckily the were published close together). These vampire are fully capable of having sex even if it is pointed out that their blood does not move through their body. And Candace's cold feeling never seems to be around when she is hot for a vamp. But those are minor concerns and do not detract from the book. Check it out.

This isn't a particulary heavy book and while it was an entertaining easy read Ms. Dean hasn't really been able to make her series stand out from a slew of other paranormal romances that share the same theme.

Candace Steele, or Dr. Candace Steele, has her Phd in Psychology and is working undercover security in a Vegas casino. Most think she is a cocktail waitress. She specializes in killing any vampire that may want human blood, no questions asked. Though only she, her bestfriend who is sleeping with the casino owner, and her direct supervisor know that vamps actually exist.

Candace knows because a year and a half ago she was in love with a vampire and left him. Half way through his turning her in an elevator, she chickened out and pushed herself out of the elevator where Bibi, the bestfriend, saved her life. If she hadn't encouraged him to change her she wouldn't have almost died, but that is a part the character glosses over. Anyway now both women have run from Ash, the vampire. They've gotten new lifes ( though they didn't bother to get new identities) and since the bungled turning Candace has developed what are obviously some vampire senses. She knows when one is near and has reflexes that are a little to goood for a normal human.

Just as a vamps headless corpse is found off the strip and her ex rolls into town Candace is placed as the only security detail for a very famouse pop star playing the casino, Temptation. Intrigue apparently surrounds the starlett as Candace & Bibi plot to keep her safe even from her manager/boyfreind who is draining her. While it had it's moments of fun the book was pretty predictable. I'll reserve judgement and see if the next book in the series is any better.

Ashford "Ash" Donahue the Third is one of the more powerful vampires around today. He is also extremely handsome. A year and a half ago in San Francisco, Candace Steele thought they would be together forever. Instead she would have bled to death had Bibi Schwartz, now her best friend, not saved her. The incident left Candace with the ability to sense vampires, something that even Ash does not know. All Candace's other senses have sharpened too; however, Candace is still human, no thanks to Ash.

Now Candace lives in Las Vegas, where due to tourism, faces of the public change constantly. This gives vampires fresh blood. It also makes it the perfect place for Candace to hunt and stake vampires. Candace works security at the casino-hotel Scheherazade "Sher". Her boss, Al Manelli, and Bibi (who is still with Candace and now a coworker) are the only two who know the truth about what happened to Candace and about her bat sense talent.

Popular singing sensation, Temptation McCoy comes to the Sher for a performance and Candace is assigned security detail. After barely meeting Temptation, Candace's bat sense goes off. Someone in the singer's entourage is a vampire, a powerful one. To make matters worse, Ash suddenly appears in Las Vegas, vowing to draw Candace back into his arms and make her his for eternity. Candace still desires Ash. Even though she continues to resist Ash, Candace becomes overwhelmed and lets down her guard for just a moment. It is a move that could cost Candace her life.

***** I found this to have a fabulous plot line; however, the flashbacks to when Candace and Ash met are annoying. I feel as though the story would have been better had I been able to watch as the events happened, perhaps as the prologue. The way the story is set up gave me the feeling that I had walked in during the middle of a movie. I felt as though I was floundering until enough flashbacks filled me in to what happened and why. Other than that, I do not think this novel could possibly have been better. I could easily understand why Ash bit Candace. I could also empathize with Candace not wanting to be undead or a drone.

Fans of the Southern Vampire series will love this trilogy even more than Sookie's tales ... and that is saying something! Best news is that the author will not keep me drowning in suspense. The second book ("Luscious Craving") comes out in December 2006. The third book ("Eternal Hunger") comes out in January 2007 respectively. Author Cameron Dean has made a new fan in me! Stellar reading! *****

Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews.

Really enjoyed this book.It was very interesting and was exciting to read.Great vampire book if you love storys like that .Alot of juicy details that kept me all in the book and made it hard to put the book down.

Candace Steel works as security in a Vegas casino. She also kills vampires. Ash is her ex-vampire lover. She decided to start killing vampires after Ash left her bleeding to death in an elevator when he tried to turn her. This book was better than I originally thought it would be. Candace is a tough girl, but also vulnerable. Ash was a doll. This book was more about the romance between Candace & Ash, how they met, fell in love, and broke up. There was a small mystery plot, but didn't, in my opinion, contribute a lot to the book. However, all in all, this book was enjoyable. I won't mind reading her next in this series.

I bought all three books at once and am reading them in one huge orgy. This one I just finished and it was a good start - introduced the characters while giving us plenty of action *ahem* of both types (some HOT love scenes in here!). Candace Steele was heavily involved with Ash, a vampire, until she panicked during his attempt to change her over and almost died. Now she can sense vampires and uses this ability to hunt the high level vampires who use humans. Ironically, one of her contacts is a vampire whom she came across during the act of him being changed, but since he is so low level he cannot drink the blood of humans (it is a strange hierarchy in these books), she took pity on him and saved him rather than killing him. Anyway, her "day" job is working at the Scherazade casino in Vegas as security and when a hot singing act (Temptation McCoy) arrives - along with a very powerful vampire - and she is set to protect the casino's investement by protecting Temptation, things get interesting.

This book has a great twist to the end that I did NOT see coming.

Others have compared this series to the Sookie Stackhouse series, but I don't see that at all. There is sort of an Angel-Buffy dynamic here, but otherwise it is a pretty straight-forward paranormal erotic romance thriller. Despite my normal passionate distaste for romances, I will sometimes grab one if there is a compelling enough vampire presence, and this one rates.

I'm a little scared to hit the 3rd book, which has several bad reviews, but will save my judgment for when I actually read the book, as often I find I like them anyway.

Cameron Dean, the author, starts out with an interesting premise - girl vampire killer, vampire connections, balancing knowledge of vampires against the everyday world - but this book left me pretty unsatisfied. Character development seemed to teeter-totter between very in-depth for a character that you then don't read about again, to very sketchy. If you are looking for a vampire book fix, in my opinion this book will not satisfy that urge in the way that a Tanya Huff or Priscilla Briggs book will.