vampires

REVIEW: Lover Enshrined by J.R. Ward

Dear Ms. Ward, It might be an understatement to say your previous novel, Lover Unbound, elicited some very passionate reactions from readers. I can’t say I disagree with those criticisms. Even though I ended up liking the book because it developed John Matthew’s storyline, the main romance drove me insane for so many reasons, some(…)

REVIEW: Night Child by Jes Battis

Dear Mr. Battis, While it can be said we have a female author bias here at DearAuthor (and maybe that’s true to a certain extent), we have previously reviewed and enjoyed books written by male authors here. If a book interests me, it interests me regardless of who wrote it. So when your urban fantasy(…)

Will Davis at the Guardian Blogs that Vampires Are Forever

Vampires are becoming mainstream just as they are losing steam within the romance genre. Last week, Candy blogged about a “certain notorious biology professor from Minnesota” who “notices the massive wall o’ befanged man-titty” at his local Wal-mart. This week sees Guardian book blogger, Will Davis, consider the allure of the vampire. Davis sees Anne(…)

REVIEW:  Key to Conspiracy by Talia Gryphon

REVIEW: Key to Conspiracy by Talia Gryphon

Warning: This F review may contain language that is offensive to Sensitive Readers. Dear Ms. Gryphon: The cover quote for the book is by Laurell K Hamilton and it says “A unique idea in the paranormal genre.” I have to agree. It was unique. Unique like I’ve never read anything so bizarre in the paranormal(…)

REVIEW: From Dead To Worse by Charlaine Harris

Dear Ms. Harris: First I have to admit that I adore this series; I feel very connected to the characters and to the world of the novels. Although I’m not old enough to be Sookie’s mother, I have very protective feelings toward her and wait impatiently for my yearly fix of her continuing saga, cheering(…)

REVIEW: One Foot in the Grave by Jeaniene Frost

Dear Ms. Frost I think this is one book where I wish I hadn’t read the first one because while some of the vampire world building was better explained in Halfway to the Grave, the heroine read so differently it was like she had a lobotomy. One Foot in the Grave takes place four years(…)

REVIEW: Dark Needs at Night’s Edge by Kresley Cole

Dear Ms. Cole: Somewhere in the middle of Dark Needs at Night’s Edge I felt that this book occupies a very important moment in the Immortals After Dark series. As Jane said previously, this is a series one can pick up at any point and not be completely confused. But for those of us who(…)

Kresley Cole and Her Innocent Men

There is a host of reasons to like Kresley Cole’s works. My top two are they are relentlessly fun and deliciously subversive. The fun is probably readily apparent, but this article is about her subversivity. Cole takes very traditional tropes and reverses them completely. For example, Cole’s books are female-centric with the female myths playing(…)

REVIEW: Midnight Rising by Lara Adrian

Midnight Rising by Lara Adian Dylan Alexander is a talented journalist who is overseas enjoying a vacation with friends of her mothers. During a walk, she wanders away from the group and encounters a cave with strange markings. She has photographed these and a homeless man she observed in the caves before said homeless man(…)

Harlequin Lightning Reviews

Drop Dead Gorgeous by Kimberly Raye. The premise was that geek girl saw her geek boy bestfriend get super hot, super confident, and super sexy and she wanted that too. Except the reason that the geek boy bestfriend got super everything was because he got bit by a vampire and now he too was a(…)

REVIEW: Mark of the Vampire Queen by Joey Hill

Dear Ms. Hill: I am primarily a comfort reader meaning that I ordinarily like to read the same sorts of books but occasionally a very good writer can move me outside of my box and enjoy a story that does not fit into any neat categories. You are one of those writers. You take me(…)

REVIEW: The Bleeding Dusk by Colleen Gleason

REVIEW: The Bleeding Dusk by Colleen Gleason

Dear Ms. Gleason, I watched Buffy the Vampire Slayer religiously when it was still on the air. So when I heard your Gardella Chronicles described as Buffy in Regency England, I knew I had to read it. I think that’s one of this series’s strengths, as well as a weakness. If you loved Buffy, there’s(…)

REVIEW:  Demon Night by Meljean Brook

REVIEW: Demon Night by Meljean Brook

Dear Ms. Brook: Thank you for sharing your book with me. As you know, I’ve always thought you were a tremendous writer and I appreciate that you bring to the genre an unusual pairing of individuals. In Demon Angel, it was the halfling demon, Lilith, and the honorable knight, Hugh. In Demon Moon, it was(…)

REVIEW:  Sucker Bet by Erin McCarthy

REVIEW: Sucker Bet by Erin McCarthy

Dear Ms. McCarthy: I’ve really enjoyed this series and with the release of the series in mass market from the original trade publications, I think you might start finding the audience you deserve. The vampire genre is full but I do believe there is always room for well done fun fiction and this series surely(…)

REVIEW: Midnight Awakening by Lara Adrian

Dear Ms. Adrian, In November, Jane reviewed your novel and threw down a gauntlet to the fans of J.R. Ward. When the first novel of your Breed series was released, I admit I read the first chapter in the bookstore and then put it back on the shelf. It didn’t grab my attention and even(…)