Customer Reviews

When Blood Calls

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(29)
3 star:		(15)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

When Blood Calls is the first in a new trilogy. You can read the plot summary above and I'm not going to rehash.

The Good:
- Great world building. Lots of great creatures that are explained pretty well and intrigue me. The Alliance, PEC, just great Urban Fantasy writing - I WANT to live in that world - hint of danger makes it all the more fun!
- Intricate justice system for the "other" world with its own rules - rock on as this is unique! This is as much legal proceeding as police procedural but neither of these gets very deep. It's the overall way justice is handled (including what Luke does) and the intricacy of the system that gets the marks here - sublime - loved it.
- Nice surprising plot twistiness - bang up job mate!
- The last 85 or so pages carry the weight of the novel. The writing is such that this actually works but I canna tell a lie - it was enough to save the book from my "DNF mediocre pile" to my "wish list the next in the series pile". So bravo - that really doesn't happen too often.
- Although not heavy on action what does exist is suitably gory - thanks for not vampwhimping out on us there Beck
- The lustful scenes do not overwhelm the story. I'm almost willing to give a whole star for that. I like me some hot lustiness BUT in this novel too much would have staked it dead (pun intended)
- Daemon's inside a vampire that really are the vampire but that the vampire controls - hmm now where have I heard that one before....

The Bad:
- Great world building - far too intricate in many places - for the first 1/2 of the book I could barely keep the main characters straight. Nicknames (Lucius = Luke) did not help either. I understand the need for it but be prepared - I almost felt like I had to break out my spreadsheet software to keep everything straight. Just go with the flow mates - don't be overly concerned - as my old history teacher used to say you don't gotta memorize the dates just "understand" the "why's" of what is happening.
- In the end - kind of a "meh" on the romance. There just wasn't enough interaction for most of the book between Luke and Sara to really cement them as a couple in my mind - I mean clearly they were lusting, no doubt. But love? Not until the last 50 pages

The Ugly:
- Some characters just don't ring true. Sara's for one - a young lady trying to make a name for herself is going to risk losing it all for lust? Unlikely. She's pretty level headed and, with her past, the events of the book were even more surprising. Also at least one of the secondary characters does a real about face that I was real sketchy on.
- And come on the powers that be would not KNOW that Sarah and Luke were having some mattress mambo? And this type of conflict of interest is o.k.? Hmmmmm
- Little cheesiness with the names there - Dragos?

I enjoyed it, in spite of some cliche's (BTVS Drusilla is being channeled for one character clearly), more for the urban fantasy world than the paranormal romance. Part of me wishes it had gone more on the UF vein (pun intended--wow two puns one review..aren't I on a roll tonite? HAHA) because I think the dichotomy between Sara and Luke - given thier jobs - would have been fascinating and creates all sorts of possibilities for conflict, resolution, and depth to character. It doesn't seem as if that's the case so more's the bummer. I'll still pick up the next one though because the Alliance plays a big part far as I can see and the structure of this alternate world that runs parallel to ours and is even a part of it in places is really just too good to miss.

*Spoiler alert* i guess if I cared that much to write the review Id say that too.

I think what made this book so darn dissapointing is that it is NOTHING like what i had expected. Now I understand that it can be difficult to write something new for vampires but still this was a total let down. Because of the type of reader I am I will often wait til all three books in a three month series are released to read them. Oh how I wished I would not have waited. This book frustrated me more than any romance novel should... And here is why:

Despite trying to suspend or heighten the romance and create a connection between protagoninsts, I really didn't give a damn about either one. Luke/Lucious (a point to be brought up later) was yes a mercenary with a good heart but he murdered his ten year old daughter and that just never sat well. Sara was just so incredibly boring and though she was lauded for her conviction and ambition as a lawyer I didn't see it... at all.

The author spends alot of time introducing characters (Nick, Luke, Serge, Hasik, Tariq, Caris, Doyle, Severin, Bosch, Martella who were all in repeated scenes to name a few) and names (at which time you never knew which nickname or which of the characters first or last name the author was going to use) and situations (without a hell of a lot of introduction or background). All of which is confusing for a reader just starting out, I mean don't dumb it down but for craps sake calm it down a bit. I spent so much time having to pause and remember just who, what and where was going on, it was ridiculous.

This is not new for vampires, alot of terminonlogy is borrowed from other paranormal romance authors. There is a ton of poorly described trolls, ogres, poltergeists and pretty much all characters in general. It may not matter to some but I could not tell you the color of Sara Constantines hair or eyes. It's just somewhat ambiguous which isn't what I wanted to read.

I DID NOT like the fairly gruesome and slighly more descript scenes about the young girls getting killed.

And as for the sex? It was boring predictable and formulaic... alot of begging by the women and heart tripping creepy sex smiling being done by the men. Alot of obnoxious describing of being bitten as getting a "special kiss" by the vampire which cheezes me out.

So heres what happened; I dropped this book on page 317 of 388 and then skipped book two (When Pleasure Rules) because it was about two people and I hadn't the foggiest who they were with less than 70pgs left in the first book in the series. I began reading book three (when wicked craves) and then just gave up after skipping through a bit of it, just more of the same it felt like.

The final nail in the coffin to this series is it looks like the fourth installation to this series (when passion lies) is about a really HORRIBLE character in the first book named Caris who basically enables a child serial killer/rapist to keep killing... Now surely there is more to be explained about this if I had bothered to read the series but seriously I don't want to read an entire book about someone who had anything to do with that, regardless of the excuses or reasons the author gives for the behavior later.

Okay first of all I read ALOT of romance for a working Mom and I don't want to waste my time on crap. So let me just go ahead and relay the message to those of you out there like me; stick to the Black Dagger brothers and the Breed, hell even Showalters Alien Huntress & Atlantis series have far more interesting and original vampire situations going on. There is just too much and yet at the same time entirely too little going on in these books. I read romance so I can enjoy a few hours with some drama and then a happy ending. I don't want to feel this annoyed to read in my spare time. Second of all my husband is a lawyer and the whole premise that the author wanted to relay her love for the lawyering field through this series is crap. She may mean what she says about her love for that stuff but it is way poorly executed. For someone who is also inundated with the life a lawyer leads the legal side of it all seemed a bit trite in comparison.

Take my advise if you are unsure of these books but are fairly certain there are other titles you know you would like to read out there then just go ahead and read them. Put these in the "sell to Half price books bag" you keep in the corner of your room and I assure you, you won't even miss them.

Cheers- Gilly

Prosecutor Sara Constantine has just won a major case and while out celebrating, she is swept into the arms of a handsome stranger who she spends one incredible evening with. A couple days later she finds she has been promoted to the secretive Division 6 where she will now prosecute the criminals of the paranormal world. Before she can truly recover from the shock of learning she lives amongst werewolves and vampires, she finds that for her first case, she will be up against Lucius Dragos. The man who gave her a night to remember in his arms is now on trail for a heinous crime.

Lucius never expected to feel the way he does about Sara but she sooths his daemon like none have before. He knows that she is exceptional at her job and will do what she must in order to win her case and convict Lucius of murder. He will need to convince Sara that he is not the monster she sees him as but a man who will do what is necessary to protect what is his.

Sara is a strong woman who believes in the justice system even though she personally knows that sometimes the truly guilty sometimes slip through the crack. At first she sees things in black and white but with the arrival of Lucius in her life, she starts to see more in grey. At times it did feel like she was a little too easily swayed by Luke and the lust she felt towards him. While she does loosen to the idea that sometimes justice needs to be taken by others, she does not fully give up what she believes in and will continue to fight for victims. Luke is very much the opposite. As a member of the Alliance (a paranormal organization outside the law that steps in when the system has failed) he doesn't think twice about taking down a killer. He is fiercely protective of those close to him and seeks retribution when someone dares to harm his own. He is a deadly, passionate character and you can feel that he intimidates those around him. While I liked both their characters individually, together I just didn't feel the connection. There were some steamy scenes but other than that, I just didn't get it. I believed he cared for her but I didn't feel the deep love they say they felt.

Tasha was a interesting character. She is Lucius' ward and is basically a bit crazy. She has the mind of a child but you know there is more to her than she lets on. Nicholas Montegue is a character that you know is more than what he seems. He is Luke's lawyer and beneath his angelic face you know there is a powerful man who is hiding something. I'd love to get to know more about Nick and what his secrets are.

The world that is built in When Blood Calls is interesting but at times a bit much. There are a lot of names and creatures that are thrown in and it was confusing at times. Some of it felt unnecessary. What I did like what that there was structure to the paranormal world. In some books there is a free far all and no type of system to keep the paranormal in check. Even though they weren't always followed, there are laws and restrictions set. I especially liked the public theater where those guilty were executed. It was how I picture a paranormal justice system in action. Overall, When Blood Calls was full of suspense, testosterone fueled action and a good dose of romance. It was a great start to a new series.

The story in a nutshell: Luke is a vampire that Sara had a one-night affair with and who she now cant get out of her head. Hi-jinx ensues when Sara is promoted to a new position. Luke just happens to be the vampire she's prosecuting.

This book was a start to a new paranormal series. It was an OK start, but I probably won't read the rest of the series. Why? I'm glad you asked.

1) I love paranormals. But this story was a little dark. I'm referring to the child murders in the story. I could have really skipped over the parts where little girls were being murdered and screaming.

2) There's a LOT of characters in this story. It was very hard to remember who was who. I certainly forgot what their purpose was in the story.

3) The heros name was Lucius. At some point in the story, she started calling him Luke. No one bothered to explain that they were the same person, and I spent a few minutes trying to figure out who this new character was.

4) The overall description of characters was a bit cryptic. Actually, it would have been nice to have a vision of what the female character looked like. What color was her hair, anyway? This was a readers initial entry into a new world. It would have been nice to have some clear views of the world, instead, new beings just popped up all over the place. Griffons, ghosts, weres of various animals, vampires and too many more beings to list.

5) Romance novels are fiction, and paranormals take the fiction to an entirely different level. Yet, this story REALLY stretched the imagination. The paranormal team brought in a human (and a newbie) to prosecute a high profile vampire case... ok. But to know that she had been intimate with the defendant, and to STILL allow her to work on the case...simply silly. And later when Luke and Sara's relationship became really intertwined, AND she was allowed to work on the case just really sealed it for me.

It took a minute for me to figure out why this story didn't click with me. It's because the plot is silly, long, and boring. It wasn't a great read for me, and I probably won't read the rest of the series.

When prosecuting attorney, Sara Constantine, wins her first really big case against a child predator and murderer she celebrates with a drink at a local bar. After a surprising and satisfying make-out session with a sexy and mysterious man, she ends up taking him home for a little bedroom aerobics. What should be a one night stand ends up making Sara feel like it is so much more.

The next day Sara is offered a job with an agency everyone assumes is some secret branch of homeland security. That's when Sara learns that the agency is the governing power and laws for all the creatures that Sara thought existed only imaginations and movies. Suddenly she is faced with a new world and reality, one that includes Vampires, Werewolves, and Goblins... Oh, my! She is given her first case on that first day; she will be prosecuting a vampire accused of murder. When she meets the defendant she is to be prosecuting it turns out to be none other than her last nights roll in the hay, Luke.

This was a complex tale where the supernatural world has their own laws and rules and names for things. I ended up getting confused from time to time on who was who and what was what. In a lot of series of this type, the authors offer a glossary at the back of the book to help the reader along the way; I really wish this book did, too.

I really like the plot and all the individual characters. The author did a great job of creating a read that has a really compelling storyline. I loved the main characters and though they definitely had sizzle, their happily ever after wasn't as believable as it could have been to me.

This series holds a lot of potential and promise. Unfortunately, for me, the delivery of this first book was uneven and could have used a little more polish. I am holding on to the hope that the next books in the series won't be as confusing or scattered because I'd really like to see what happens next.

Cherise Everhard, September 2010

Put the children to bed and pick up a book of district attorneys and vampires, hot passion and capital murder cases, werewolves and hot guys, with and without shirts.

Sara Constantine, our protagonist, is excited about her promotion, puzzled and troubled about the real purpose behind the special division that isn't exactly Homeland Protection, and aghast at at the news that her first case is a murder charge against the guy she had met at a bar only a few nights before, who had not only excited her passion, but had touched her as a human being as well. Talk about conflict of interest!

As the story unfolds, there are definitely some twists and turns, but no narrative cheating, and of course, a number of spicy scenes. If you're a grownup (probably a grownup woman, but don't let me stop you, guys) who likes mysteries and/or supernatural romance, do give this one a try! It stands alone just fine, but there appear to be two sequels out already - enough for a long weekend with a bottle or two of wine and a box of chocolates? That works for me.

With the growing popularity of paranormal romance, there is so much out there to pick from ( which is definitely a double edged sword)! My reading time is precious and I want that time to be spent reading the best that is out there. While there were moments in this book that captured my attention, it was overall a disappointment and a book that I should've past on.

What I loved:
-The setting and plot. There are lots of books out there about vampires, werewolves, and shapeshifters ect, but I've never read a paranormal romance with a legal slant. I really enjoyed the idea of an attorney going after the paranormal "accused"

Other than that, I felt like the plot was very complicated. I was confused for much of the book and could not for the life of me keep it all straight. Names changed, characters were introduced, and so much was packed into such a small book that the romance took a definite back seat. I needed more of Luke and Sara, and while there was some love action in the final pages, it was quite simply a case of "too little too late".

I was lead to believe this book was a paranormal romance about Vampires. Well the romance just didn't happen!!! The lead characters of the book Lucius Dragos and Sara Constantine are very rarely featured together and their characters are nondescript, I am not sure what they even look like or what they felt. Their are a lot of other creatures in the book vampire, werewolves, ghouls, jinns, shape shifter of all kinds, the shades, poltergeist,just to name a few. Their was no romance and the love making scenes were lack luster and boring. The author CAN describe the savage murder of children, which I found appalling. Their are about eight other character in the book and the story jumps all around them. It was just to much going on. This book was very disappointing!!

I'm a huge Vampire romance reader. I have my favorites but I'm always on the look out for new authors because my favorites can't keep up with my appetite for books. This book however is boring. I was offered this book through the Amazon Vine program and it was a strain to try and read it. I've picked it up and put it down probably three to four times since I've had it but there isn't anything to really grab my attention.

There is a ton of description of the characters, the main character Sara Constantine , lots of other fantasy characters which makes this book too sci-fi for me.

This is sadly is a huge miss for me.

Being a fan of paranormal romances, I was excited to see a new series emerge. The back of the book refers to J. K. Beck as "a thrilling new author" when in fact, this is a pseudonym used by Julie Kenner, a seasoned author. The Shadow Keepers series is a bit darker than her other books, which was another plus.

Sara Constantine, a young, successful prosecutor has been offer a promotion. Good news, right? Problem is she'll be working for a secret organization made of supernatural beings. While she's wrapping her head around the fact scary creatures really do exist, she'll be prosecuting, Lucius Dragos, a vampire, who has been accused of murder. Thing is Sara and Lucius have met before. It was in a bar where they later ended up in bed, having incredible sex.

The book started out intense, but soon was bogged down with too many character and too many tepid scenes. This took away the intensity I originally felt for Lucius and Sara. About three-quarters of the way through, the story picks back up, but not enough to make me want to continue with this series.