Title: Bite Me (Demon Underground #1)
Author: Parker Blue
Published: September, 2008 by Bell Bridge Books
Thanks: Bell Bridge Books via NetGalley
Pages: 229
Rating:  
Purchase: The Book Depository

Life after high school is tough enough without having to go 15 rounds with your inner demon. Val Shapiro is just your ordinary, part-demon, teenaged vampire hunter with a Texas drawl. And a pet hellhound named Fang. Soon enough she finds herself deep in the underbelly of the city, discovering the secrets of the Demon Underground and fighting to save those she loves. Whether they love her back or not.

Final Thoughts:
Brimming with attitude, and plenty of skill to back it up, Val was a kick-ass heroine. She’s got more to her than just fighting vampires though, as she deals with her unsupportive family and the lust demon clawing at her insides to get out. While the vampires played a big part what I really loved was her dog—and I’m not a dog person. Part hellhound and all sarcasm, Fang stole the book for me, bringing a grin to my face just about every time he spoke.

Title: Dawn of Darkness (Daeva #1)
Author: Daniel A. Kaine
Published: October, 2011
Pages: 318
Rating:  
Purchase: Amazon // Smashwords

Unburdened by the pain of loss and heartbreak, Mikhail is content with his life of solitude. But everything began to change the day he realised he has a psychic ability — the power to alter the emotions of those around him.

Ushered into the Military Academy with others like him — other Daevas — Mikhail does his part to help tip the scales of war against the vampires that destroyed the world and plague what remains of humanity. But after going up against his first vampire, Mikhail starts to question everything he thought to be true.

To discover the truth and expose the lies he once believed, Mikhail will set out on a journey of discovery, and learn some things about himself in the process.

Final Thoughts:
Evil vampires, questionable vampires, an apocalypse and supernaturally gifted humans thrown into the military…sounds like fun, right? Lots of paranormal action and conspiracies coupled with a gay romance you won’t want to put down. It’s both erotic and endearing. The character development simply hooks you. But the twists, take it from me, starting it before bed may be hazardous to your mental health and your sleeping pattern.

Title: Blood (Mercian Trilogy #1)
Author: K.J. Wignall
Published: September, 2011 by EgmontUSA
Thanks: EgmontUSA via NetGalley
Pages: 272
Rating:  
Purchase: The Book Depository

“I do not remember being bitten. I wish I did, for then I would know the creature who did this to me and I would have a purpose, to track him down and repay him for the poisoned gift he gave me.”

Back in the 13th Century, Will was destined to be Earl of Mercia. He never lived to inherit his title, struck down by a strange illness and buried beneath the city walls. But Will was not dead, and only now, seven lonely centuries later, does he begin to understand that there was a reason for all of this, that he has a destiny. To find it though, he will need help, and as ever, he will need blood.

Final Thoughts:
Slightly too slow paced with the romance, but fast paced in terms of plot. Here a previously hibernating vampire is thrust into an unexpected destiny. Full of culture shock and lots of sword action. I enjoyed the different take on the lore and was relieved to have found a vampire unopposed to drinking blood, but unfortunately wasn’t thrilled with the level of coincidence used to bridge the plot together.

Title: Unwelcome (Archangel Academy #2)
Author: Michael Griffo
Published: September, 2011 by K Teen (Kensington)
Thanks: Kensington
Pages: 392
Rating:  
Purchase: The Book Depository

Archangel Academy is more than a school to Michael Howard. Within its majestic buildings and serene English grounds, he’s found friends, new love, and a place that feels more like home than Nebraska ever did. But the most important gift of Archangel Academy is immortality. . .

Life as a just-made vampire is challenging for Michael, even with Ronan, an experienced vamp, to guide him. Michael’s abilities are still raw and unpredictable. To add to the turmoil, the ancient feud between rival vampire species is sending ripples of discord through the school. And beneath the new headmaster’s charismatic front lies a powerful and very personal agenda.

Yet the mysteries lurking around the Academy pale in comparison to the secrets emerging from Michael’s past. And choosing the wrong person to trust—or to love—could lead to an eternity of regret. . .

Final Thoughts:
Unwelcome is a wild ride of romance, lust, family politics and a hell of a lot of sexy vampires. With so many plots winding their way around our boys, Archangel Academy has never been more hectically intriguing. It’s hard to know if there’s a betrayal lurking around the corner that you just can’t stop reading.

Title: The Vampire Shrink (Kismet Knight #1)
Author: Lynda Hilburn
Published: September, 2011 by Jo Fletcher Books
Thanks: Pan Macmillan, AU
Pages: 400
Rating:  
Purchase: The Book Depository

Kismet Knight, PhD, doesn’t believe in the paranormal. She especially doesn’t believe in vampires, but she begins to wise up when she is introduced to a handsome man named Devereux who claims to be 800 years old. Kismet doesn’t buy his vampire story, but she also can’t explain why she has such odd reactions and feelings when he is near. Then a client almost completely drained of blood staggers into her waiting room and two angry men force their way into her office, causing her to consider the possibility that she has run afoul of a vampire underworld. Enter FBI profiler Alan Stevens, who warns her that vampires are very real, and one is a murderer—a murderer who is after her.

Final Thoughts:
This was all over the place for me, but in a good way. What started out as a day in the life of a fairly closed off, thirty year old woman, stuck in a monotonous routine of her clients’ therapy sessions, ended up being something completely out of left field. With elements of fantasy, crime procedurals and erotic love triangles, I was flipping desperately through, even resorting to reading by candlelight for more of Kismet’s adventures when my power went out during a thunderstorm.

Title: The Craving (Stefan’s Diaries #3)
Author: Kevin Williamson & Julie Plec
Published: May, 2011 by HarperTeen
Pages: 234
Rating:  
Purchase: The Book Depository

Blood brothers . . .

After his brother, Damon Salvatore, betrays him in New Orleans, Stefan starts over in Manhattan. Vowing never to harm another human, he roams the streets, trying to disappear into the city’s chaos. But just when he thinks he’s left his past behind, Stefan discovers that he can never escape his brother. Damon has grand plans for the vampire Salvatore brothers—whether Stefan likes it or not. Together, they take New York by storm. When their exploits end up on the society pages, an old enemy resurfaces—one hell-bent on revenge.

Final Thoughts:
Compared to the first two books, it’s a little lacking in the plot department. Stefan and Damon are at each other’s throats, literally. There is more of the same you’ve come to expect from those two. Fans of the TV series will enjoy this. As Lexi remarks of Stefan, “I can tell you’re going to be quite the brooder.”

Title: Soulless (Parasol Protectorate #1)
Author: Gail Carriger
Published: October, 2009 by Orbit
Pages: 357
Rating:  
Purchase: The Book Depository

Alexia Tarabotti is laboring under a great many social tribulations. First, she has no soul. Second, she’s a spinster whose father is both Italian and dead. Third, she was rudely attacked by a vampire, breaking all standards of social etiquette.

Where to go from there? From bad to worse apparently, for Alexia accidentally kills the vampire — and then the appalling Lord Maccon (loud, messy, gorgeous, and werewolf) is sent by Queen Victoria to investigate.

With unexpected vampires appearing and expected vampires disappearing, everyone seems to believe Alexia responsible. Can she figure out what is actually happening to London’s high society? Will her soulless ability to negate supernatural powers prove useful or just plain embarrassing? Finally, who is the real enemy, and do they have treacle tart?

Final Thoughts:
The writing takes a little to get used to, but definitely stick with it. This one is full of humour, Victorian etiquette and a very tough, parasol wielding spinster. I got a lot of fun out of this one, including a hot werewolf romance.