Customer Reviews

A Taste for Passion (Book 1)

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

My stomach is upset, and I'm not sure if it's because I have caught a tummy bug or simply because this horrible book literally gave me the sh*ts! This book reeked like week old fish left out in the sun, and left a similar taste in my mouth. And yet, somehow it has gotten rave reviews from many other readers. Might I conclude that this is because its author has lots of friends who have all chipped in to write good reviews for it and increase its sales? Or is it because good taste is a thing of the past? I wonder...

On the plus side, this book is VERY short, shorter in fact than most junior fiction, so at least the pain it caused me was over in a few short hours. It's only 171 pages long, and the words are printed BIG with double spaces between every paragraph. (A cheat's way of passing off a short story as a real novel.)

Okay, that was the one GOOD thing about it. Now to the bad...

First of all, it's just one big cliche. The author looks like she got hold of one of those 'How to write a romance book' books and just copied it verbatim. All the traditional, hackneyed romance novel phrases turned up: the sensitive bud, the pebbled flesh, the nubbin, the liquid heat, the damp curls, etc. etc. There is nothing new or original here, nothing at all. Worse though, the author repeats the same annoying phrases over and over, ad nauseum. Her personal favourite word seemed to be 'trail', as in 'trailed his lips', 'trailed his kisses', 'blazed a hot trail' and so on. Barely a page goes by without the hero and heroine trailing all over each other. In fact, sometimes they do it several times a page. Could the author find no other words to use than 'trail'? By the end of the book, there were more trails on their bodies than on a hiking map of USA parks! Constant repetition, with the same words and phrases being used over and over, seems to be the only way this author knows how to write. The sex scenes are all same-same, repetitive and dull, with hardly any variation in the wording or actions, ever. No one wants boring sex like that in real life, so why would we want to pay money for a book to read about it?

The characters in this book are shallow and stupid. Their dialogue is stilted, and even though the hero is supposed to be romantic, he just comes off as a dumb sleeze. I mean, for instance, even after the heroine has literally died and then had to go through the long and painful phase of being turned into a vamp (which was done to her without her consent or knowledge) the hero doesn't sit worriedly by her side. Rather, he just leaves her alone and walks off. And when he finally returns, does he ask her how she feels, show concern, explain why he had to break his promise not to vamp her without her consent, or say sorry for permanently changing her life? No, he just grins like an idiot, jumps into bed and straight away tries to boink her. And she's happy to let him. She thinks he's romantic. (Seriously, he was about as romantic as a constipated goat!)

Sadly, too, the author seems to have a tile obsession. Every time the heroine walks into a room, she always notices the tiles, but never for any legitimate reason. Why is this author so obsessed with tiles? Is she a tiler? A home renovator? Or what? Sorry, but as far as erotica goes, I just don't find tiles sexy! And I don't know anyone else who would, either.

Speaking of things that I definitely don't find erotic, I must tell you about the thing that disturbed me the MOST about this book, right from page one, and that is the way the heroine thinks about her grandfather in a sexual way. He has recently died, so I understand why he is on her mind. But I was disturbed that she constantly thinks about things like her grandfather's good looks, his sex-life (that's a running theme throughout the book, her thinking about that), how he would have gotten his 'jollies' when he was still alive (she decides that it was from the vibrations of riding the Corvette he left her in his will, a 'jolly' that they had in common!), and how he always urged her to go out and get more action in her sex life. Worse, she even has posthumous conversations with him in her head, and in these he's usually urging her to go out and get some, or so to speak. She even awakes from an erotic dream and starts recalling her grandfather's funeral. Am I alone in finding this disturbing? Personally, I would NEVER think about my grandfather and sex as part of the same thought, never! It's just wrong, and the fact that the heroine's grandfather was recently deceased almost made it worse. Ugh! It was repulsively gross and not in the least bit erotic!

There are so many problems with this book that I could fill up more pages than it has in it just talking about them. But the book's faults are not all exclusively the author's fault. The publisher should also cop the blame for printing this complete with numerous spelling and grammatical errors. What, was their proof-reader on holiday the week they published this? Do they even have one?

For any fans of vampires or erotica, my advice is to avoid this book like a vampire would avoid sunlight, by running away from it FAST. The vampires in it are pathetic, hollow shadows of what they might have been, and this is NOT true erotica...it is merely a poorly written romance from an author who needs to get herself to some writing lessons, buy a thesaurus, and quite possibly see a shrink about why she thinks grandpas are so sexy!

Ms. Michelle has penned a great Vampire Romatica story that was not only very sensual but had a storyline that was great fun. The characters of this story had great chemistry and Ms. Michelle managed to combine not only sensual love scenes but also humor in a story that is fasted paced. You will be loath to put this book down until the final page. I'm very careful about what vampire stories I read but I will be adding Ms. Michelle to my "must read" list immediately.

Lucian is a vampire that has been looking for the reincarnation of his love Elizabeth. He knows that he will find her it's only a matter of time, or is it? He begins to loose faith when he literally brushes up against a woman leaving a cemetery and he feels something for the first time in years.

Rana Sterling has just buried her beloved grandfather Jack. She is trying to come to terms with her loss when she comes across an antique dealer and finds an unusual ring that she feels compelled to buy. This purchase will change her life. Before she knows it she finds herself dreaming the most sensual and erotic dreams of her life. She can't believe it when she comes face to face with her dream lover. What she doesn't know is that her life is about to change in ways that she can't imagine but is fate going to take her away from Lucian before she realizes how much she cares for him?

This was a fast paced read that was not only humorous but also sensual. This was the first time I've ever read anything by Ms. Michelle but I look forward to picking her books up again in the future. I highly recommend Ms. Michelle you won't be disappointed.

Official Reviewer for www.romancedesigns.com

From TT reviewer Patricia McGrew

Rana Sterling is grieving for grandfather, Jack. At the graveside service, she barely notices the man she brushes up against on leaving. For some reason he now fills her dreams at night and her thoughts in the daytime. To try to escape her grief, she gets in the vette and takes to the open roads.

No amount of driving can stop her thoughts. On the way back to town she
stops at a small antique shop. Looking at a tray of jewelry, Rana is drawn to the rings. Placing it on her finger, it's a perfect fit. For some reason the ring sells like Lavender. Paying for the ring, she wears it out of the store.

Lucian Trevane is a vampire. He has five days to take over the leadership of his people. It was a position he didn't want without his soul mate. She had been lost to him for centuries. Seventy years ago she was killed before he could claim her as his mate. He had place the ring in storefronts in hopes of her coming back to him again. When his sister, Sabryn tells him a young woman came to her shop and brought the ring and had the ability to smell the fragrance he knew his love was back. This time he had to get to Rana before his rival for leadership, Kraid gets to her first.

As much as Rana is attracted to Lucian, she runs in fear when she finds out he is a vampire. Running into the street, she is struck by an oncoming car.

Dying, she goes to the Gatekeeper. He tells her Lucian is a good man and would make the best leader for his people. Without her help he won't take the position, so he wants her to go back to earth and help Lucien defeat Kraid. But she has to stay pure and not let him take her as his true mate until he is Leader and then she has to come back to heaven.

Can Rana stand leaving Lucien for a second time? What will it do to Lucian losing her again? Will love finally triumph??

A Taste for Passion has a little of everything, great characters, striking secondary characters, danger, sexual tension and suspense at the end. What more can you ask for? Lucian is to die for, a truly seductive vampire who knows how to make his woman feel special. Ms. Michelle is definitely an author not to be missed. Her ability to make her characters come alive has her on my list of authors to automatically buy. I can't wait for the sequel "A Taste for Revenge".

I loved this book! I like my books explicit but if there's too much sex and not enough story, the book always falls short of my expectations. This book blends both perfectly. I connected with the hero, Lucian, AND the heroine, Rana. Lucian is one hot commodity--very sexy and appealing in a dark, broody way and Rana, after discovering that Lucian is a vampire, takes appropriate time getting on board with the idea. Lucian is very possessive, staking his claim on Rana, but never PUSHY. I like that ;+) Rana, the owner of a bookstore, is a sweet heroine--the kind of girl I'd like to call a friend. (If the heroine is a simpering ninny, I can never get past it to enjoy the story.) I like the little bit of spin on the vampire myths, also, and the supporting characters in the story are also very appealing (especially Duncan, the vampire twin of Ian--I hope he rates his own story IN PRINT soon!!) All in all, a great read--finished in two sittings and I immediately sought out all other printed books by the author, Patrice Michelle. For fans of vampire romance, this one is a must.

I am a die hard fan of christine feehan,maggie shayne,sherrilyn kenyon,Dara Joy & Nancy Gideon. This book is as good as any I have read by my favorites!!! I read this book in 1 night!! Full of erotic love scenes, vampire suck scenes, and on the edge of your chair suspense! If you are into erotic vampire love stories..this is it!! I plan on going back for a 2nd helping!

All of the rave reviews made me want to give this novel a whirl, and am glad I did. A Taste for Passion, though short, is a wonderful vampire romance that will leave you wanting more, but in a good way. Rana Sterling couldn't believe the timing when she met gorgeous Lucian Trevane. Her grandfather had died some days ago and her grieve has overwhelmed her. However, she is able to forget her grief whenever tall, dark and gorgeous Lucian visits her bookstore. He is erotica personified and he is the star of the most insatiable wet dreams she has ever had. But are those erotic encounters actual dreams? To her horror, Rana discovers that Lucian is a vampire. What she doesn't know is that Lucian has waited for her since the death of the woman he had believed to be his mate. All he knows is that he is mad about Rana and is willing to face whatever obstacles get in his way just to make her his vampire wife. There are various interesting twists throughout the novel.

The erotic scenes in this novel are sensual, languid, beautiful. The author makes you feel both the characters' desires and feelings. I liked the fact that there was a lot of building of tension between Rana and Lucian before they hit the sack. The vampires in this novel are rather interesting. The fact that they shape-shift into ravens intrigued me. I wish the author had touched on that more. Ian, Lucian's business partner and fellow vampire, sounds scrumptious and I cannot wait to read his story in A Taste for Revenge. The one disappointing thing is that this novel is too short. Ellora's Cave novels are addicting but far too brief. I also would have liked to know more about Ian's twin brother Duncan, but I suppose that both those characters will be further developed in Revenge. Also, Kraid didn't seem threatening enough to be a worthy villain. The problem with novels that are only 170 pages long is that the story and some of the secondary characters aren't developed enough. Other than that, I loved this novel. If only it hadn't ended so soon. Are you in the bargain for a rich, sensual, erotic vampire romance? I suggest you give A Taste for Passion a whirl.

This was a great tale of love reunited with the twist that one of couple is a vampire. Lucien loses the woman he loves to a tragic accident before they can be married and he can convert her to a vampire, now 70 years later he finds her again. However the course of true love is never straight and if Lucien is not careful he could lose his love to death again. I thought A Taste for Passion was a wonderfully told, extremely erotic story.
I will definitly purchase more books by this author.

Still grieving over the death of her grandfather, Rana Sterling isn’t looking for a man in her life. But when she meets Lucian Trevane, the stranger that fills her dreams at night and the one that she can not stop thinking about, she doesn’t know if her feelings for him are for real or something to fill the void inside her from losing her grandfather.

Lucian has searched for his lost love for centuries. Now that he has found Rana, he vows never to let her go, she is his true life mate. On the verge of becoming the new leader for his people, a position he won’t accept without his mate by his side, danger surrounds Rana and he must protect her with his life.

Lucian must convince Rana to become his vampire wife before it is too late and she is taken from him again by another vampire seeking revenge against him.

This amazing story by Patrice Michelle knocked my socks off! Not only are we provided with a gorgeous, sexy as sin vampire who is looking to claim his lady, but we have striking secondary characters, danger, intrigue, a surprise twist [AWESOME TWIST] and sexual tension that threatens to drive the readers over the edge long before Lucian and Rana make love for the first time!

Patrice Michelle knows how to bring readers a seductive hero who is totally devoted to his woman, takes care of her every whim and loves her with all of his heart. Lucian Trevane is the male of all males, human or vampire. He believed that someday he would find the love that he lost centuries ago and never gave up. The love and devotion that he shows for Rana is enchanting, breathtaking and wonderful.

Ms. Michelle is definitely an author on the rise and one not to be missed. I personally look forward to more work from this amazing author who knows how to grab her readers attention from page one and to bring us characters that we will think about for a long time to come.

Reviewed by Tracey West for The Road to Romance

For those of you that don't know Patrice Michelle is an extremely talented author from Publishers Ellora's Cave
A TASTE FOR PASSION has everything Vampires that are delicious lovemaking that is so hot it could cause spontaneous combustion.
While A TASTE FOR PASSIONS is an Erotic Romance at its best its also a thrilling tantalazing story and one not to be missed.
So if you love the world of Annie Rice Laurell K Hamilton Patrice Michelle and A TASTE FOR PASSION is for you.
And its a keeper that you will want to read and read

Shortly after the death of her grandfather, Rana takes a long drive. She goes to an antique store and purchases an unusual ring. Suddenly, her dreams of a dark, sexy stranger seem all too real. So, when Rana meets him in the bookstore that she owns, she senses she knows him.

Lucian's fiancée died seventy years ago, and he's been looking for her ever since. His sister tells him that someone special purchased his ring. Lucian knows the day has come for him to be reunited with his love.

While Lucian tries to get to know Rana better, he has a fight with another vampire on his hands. This rogue vampire and his clan are killing vampires and humans. Rana's dreams are getting more intense. Why is Lucian starring in her dreams? Should she get to know him better? Is Lucian correct in believing she is his mate?

A TASTE FOR PASSION is a wonderful read from new author Patrice Michelle. Lucian is a deeply erotic vampire, who exercises tremendous patience until Rana realizes her role in his life. Rana is a sensitive woman, whose loss of her grandfather, along with the newfound passions for a total stranger, makes her realize that getting to know this sexy stranger might change her life for good. I truly enjoyed the sexual tension, passion, drama, humor and intrigue in A TASTE FOR PASSION. Ms. Michelle's talent is amazing, and I am greatly looking forward to reading more from her.

Robin Taylor
In the Library Reviews