The Sweet Scent of Blood (Spellcrackers) [Paperback]

Suzanne McLeod (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 4, 2008 | Series: Spellcrackers

Genevieve Taylor is a Sidhe, one of the noble fae, and she's unusual, even in present-day London where celebrity vampires, eccentric goblins and scheming lesser fae mix freely with the human population. Genny is a rising star at Spellcrackers.com, where she finds the M' in magic - and that invariably leads to mischief, malice and - too often - murder. Spellcrackers.com is affiliated to the Witch Council, whose ancient tenets prohibit any contact with vampires. Genny also works as a volunteer at a clinic which treats victims of vampire attacks. Then there's her extra-curricular activity, extracting vulnerable fae lured by the local fang gangs. Genny certainly doesn't wants any closer involvement with the vampire community. But when Mr October, one of the hot calendar pin-up vamps, is accused of violently murdering his girlfriend, Genny's called on to repay an old debt and prove his innocence. And that means consorting with some of the sexiest vamps in London! THE SWEET SCENT OF BLOOD is the first book of SPELLCRACKERS.COM, a sexy, sassy new series guaranteed to spice up your reading life!

Editorial Reviews

Review

"The Sweet Scent of Blood is one of my favorite reads of the past month. The fast pace of the plot and the fascinating cast of characters will give you a happy little vacation between two covers." -- Charlaine Harris "The central mystery keeps you reading and promises some satisfaction." -- Rhian Drinkwater SFX "On the whole I found this debut novel was surprisingly assured and pleasingly engaging. Good fun on the whole though and nice to read a British style 'Dresden' or perhaps a Rachel Caine. If you like those books and want a similar-yet-different perspective, this might be one for you." SFFWORLD.COM "The Sweet Scent of Blood is a strong start to the Spellcrackers.com series and an impressive debut novel. I can't wait to read more from this author. Afterall, with vampires in Leicester Square, trolls in New Scotland Yard and a surfeit of blood and magic, what's not to like? Fang-tastic!" LOVE VAMPIRES.COM "A refreshingly original debut novel in what promises to be a series worth following. As the details of the world unfold, it only grows more compelling, and it provides an excellent backdrop to a convoluted mystery plot, riddled with twists." -- Ross Sutcliffe SCi FI NOW "[A] darkly comic spook show. This is funny, frothy and expertly set up." -- Calum Waddel DEATHRAY "Fun and pacy, the book's strong lead, particularly likeable policetroll, and array of twists and turns help to thoroughly immerse the reader into the superb and full-realised supernatural society." LINCOLNSHIRE ECHO

About the Author

Suzanne McLeod has been a cocktail waitress, dance group promoter and barmaid at Coventry City Football Club (the last despite having no love for the beautiful game; she had to pay the rent somehow!) After years in retail management, she started writing. THE SWEET SCENT OF BLOOD, the first of the SPELLCRACKERS.COM series, is her first novel. She lives with her husband and rescue dogs in Bournemouth.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: Gollancz (September 4, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0575084286
• ISBN-13: 978-0575084285
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.3 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,278,614 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Dark but fun fairy tale in London August 13, 2009

By Donna

Format:Paperback

The Sweet Scent of Blood is set in modern day London, where it is common place to run into a brownie at the cafe, see pixies running through Trafalgar Square, or walk into the wait area of Old Scotland Yard and come face to face with a goblin. Magic seems to be everywhere you turn in London. The vampires are treated like glamorous A-list celebrities and are a huge money making tourist attraction for London.

This book is told from Genny's point view, her accounts are in vivid detail interlaced with her dry sense of humor. Genny leads a solitary life because she has a past with a secret that she needs to keep to herself. This means she has to avoid the fae and vampires because if she gets too close, they will know what she is trying to hide. If her secret gets out, she risks losing her job with [....] and that means losing the protection against the vampires, that working for the witches affords her. You see being Sidhe fae, Genny is an instant attraction for vampires, who consider her kind a delicacy. So, when a vampire's human father comes around asking Genny to help his son out of a murder rap, she feels like she is caught between a rock and a hard place. But a favor has been called in, so she takes on the case and finds herself in one dark intriguing situation after another, usually involving a vampire or two.

The vampires in this book are reminiscent of the vampires from Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles, in that they can be cruel, beautiful and impress upon you a strong sense of danger. Also the fact that they consider other beings not vampire their food. I enjoyed the tension in the dark scenes between Genny and the mysterious vamp Malik, and when Finn, a sexy satyr comes on scene the air literally crackles. I found myself cheering for one then changing my mind and cheering for another. Here's a tasty tidbit of a scene between Genny and Finn.

"I wasn't making a wish, Gen." He crooked a finger at me. "That was a promise." He twirled the finger like he was reeling me in. "Wishes have to be granted." I felt a sharp pull deep in my centre as though hooked on the thorny stems of bramble. "Promises on the other hand." - he touched his lips to his palm, eyes never leaving mine - "when given" - he blew me the kiss - "are a sure thing."

Bet your wondering what happened before and after this scene to cause this bit of conversation, huh?

I got a real thrill out of how Suzanne McLeod threaded magical, fairy tale characters into the book. It's one of the aspects of this book I really enjoyed. But don't be mislead by the mention of fairy tale characters, into thinking this book is a light read because it isn't. This story has several dark moments, some full of tension, others fear. Tidbits of information are constantly being thrown out, reeling you. I'm looking forward to reading the next book in this series, The Cold Kiss of Death, because some of these tidbits are surrounded by mysteries that haven't been solved yet.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Interesting But Confusing April 9, 2010

By Catherine

Format:Paperback

This story started off with a lot of promise for me. I liked the characters and the world the author built. As I read on I became more and more unhappy with the execution of the book. Events seemed disjointed and everything felt slightly off. There was also a pov tense change at the end of the book that seemed odd and out of place.

I'm interested in seeing how things will settle with Malik and Finn, but I really don't want to deal with so many unanswered questions again. I really can't tell if the author deliberately left things vague and mysterious or if I was just missing something.

I'd be interested to know more about 3V and exactly why it seems like there's a cure for some people but none for others. Also I really don't understand what exactly is going on with the alter ego and what the specifics are of that. I wish I did. I think I would have enjoyed the story more if I wasn't so confused by everything.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A Very Fine Debut in the Urban Fantasy Genre October 9, 2010

By Embee Crichton

Format:Mass Market Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

Just when you think you've uncovered all the good urban fantasy writers out there, another one comes along. Ms. McLeod has indeed come along! She is an English writer with an English publisher who has crafted an unusual offering for the urban fantasy world.

The heroine, Genny, is half fae and half vampire, working for a company known as Spellcrackers owned and operated by witches. Witches don't like vampires and vampires don't like witches. In fact, they hate each other. If Genny's bosses were to discover her half-vampire heritage, they'd have her roasted, toasted, and out on the street in a heartbeat.

Genny is a spellcracker, a really good one. This means that she can ferret out spells cast by witches. She can also destroy spells. She is so good with this skill that she is hired to solve the murder of a vampire's fiance, against her own wishes. The vampire has been jailed for killing his fiancee. His father, a human who believes in his son's innocence, wants to know if magic (a spell) was used for the killing and he hires a reluctant Genny to find out. Genny's investigation brings her into close contact with the underbelly of the vampire community and this results in the reawakening of suppressed memories from her childhood. The author carefully weaves Genny's history into the unfolding storyline and the characters involved in the vampire world.

There is a lot of violence and sex in the book. Interestingly enough, though, Jenny is celibate in spite of being pursued by a morally ambiguous half-man, half-goat (descendant of Pan) and at least two majorly bad vampires.

The characters in the Sweet Scent of Blood are neither purely bad nor purely good, including the main character. They are fascinating, though. Everyone sells each other out, making it more difficult to follow the threads of the murder and find the murderer. This is a complex story beautifully told and executed. Each character is real and multi-dimensional. The world is imaginative and numerous subplots are built off the main plot. The writing is superb.

Initially, Amazon listed Ms. McLeod's books, but they were available only through Amazon's second tier sellers at astronomical prices. Being published by an English publisher may make it difficult to find Ms. McLeod's books at a reasonable price. If they aren't available directly from Amazon, give Abe Books a try. Her books there are available at far less expense than the array of sellers on the Amazon site.