Social Commentary, Historical Mythology Merges into Extraordinary Vampire Novel...

I saw little difference between my human classmates and myself. I was a little faster, a little stronger, but that seemed pretty normal to me. I was a fifteen-year-old Black girl, and I didn't have my vampire abilities yet. I live with my father in Beverly Hills, California. I was insulated from the outside world, from the breezes, the scents, the sounds. My father was a hard man with few regrets, and I adored him.
In less civilized times, he would be in charge of our coven, the alpha vampire. In those days, vampires allowed what was known as The Thirst to rule them. It was simple arrogance that prevented the vampire from living longer than forty years. In that time, vampires had no desire to fit in; they wanted to run things. The word 'Integration' for the vampire, for my father, had the same meaning as suppression. He didn't believe in killing humans, only because that could start a war.
I was born in deep vampire country, Savannah, Georgia to be exact. I was born in a simple house that my parents shared. They separated five years before we all moved west to Southern California. I had no reaction to the shake-up; I guess I was too young to even notice. My father and I moved into a plush Beverly Hills condominium. My mother moved to a modest three-room, one-story home in Angel Beach, California. I hadn't spoken to my mother in years because it was agreed that my father would provide all of my needs. Big cities and vampires didn't mix, so my father spent half a decade hovering over me...
The repeated clicking of the turn signal pulled me from the isolated region of my mind. Here I am in the passenger seat of a chrome black-walled Porsche Panamera. It sped along at seventy miles per hour; its soft leather seats swallowed my small body.
As I eyed my father from the corner for my eye; the corners of my mind neatly hid the bad dream. It was my nightly screams that alerted him. The only thing I was sure of was that something had gone wrong,
"You're going to love your new school," the volume of my dad's voice slowly increased. I was lost in thought the whole time he had been talking. We slowed as the traffic congested the freeway. I could tell that the weight of the occasion unnerved him.
The plan was for me to stay with dad until a certain age. As I stared out the window into the deep blackness, I realize that certain age was about three nights ago. "Dad, you sound just like a TV commercial," I retorted.
"What's wrong with a father wanting his daughter to love her new school?"
"How do you know I am going to love it? I just don't understand why I have to move, and here of all places. I mean, why can't I just stay in Beverly Hills with you, like I've been doing? Why can't I just keep going to the same school?" "Because... it's just that your mother is more..." "More what?" I interrupted. "She's more stable than I am. Look, I have my own issues, and now you're having these nightmares... so your mom and I..." "...decided that I should move without asking for my opinion. Well, it's my life. Isn't it? I'm fifteen years old. I'm practically an adult. I already know what's best for me." I could tell that my father read my thoughts and had saw remnants of what I had hidden.
"And what, may I ask, is best for you?" he looked over at me through his jet-black sunglasses.
I paused as I looked away from my father to gaze out the window. We passed thousands of lighted billboards and dozens of car dealerships as we speed south on the 405 freeway. My father effortlessly moved the steering wheel, gently coaxing the vehicle from lane to lane. My dad's familiar scent of red grapefruit, saffron, and wood filled the vehicle. We were insulated from the night. Angel Beach was a large city along the California coastline. Its port was the accompaniment to Los Angeles.
By accompaniment, Angel Beach was one of the busiest port centers in the world. Angel Beach High School had five thousand students, and there would be fifteen hundred students in my sophomore class. That's a lot of humans. The thought of it was nauseating. If I were hardly noticed before, I really wouldn't be noticed there.
"I just wish you and Mom had talked to me before making a life altering decision that will ruin my social life," I let that linger for a minute. I didn't remember much about my mother. My father said when they met she needed him; she made him want to be a better vampire. "How can living with your mother ruin your social life? You're not being reasonable. There are more things in life, more things to your life, than being social..." he said, looking at his diamond-encrusted watch.
It was exactly 11 p.m.

~~~

Amber had been living with her father in California for most of her life and had a good life. But at 15, she was informed that she would be now moving to live with her mother--that it was time for her to begin to learn new things and be taught how to handle what would be happening to her.  It all ways, Amber looked like a typical African-American teen, but she was more than that. She was only half human and her body would be accommodating to changes brought forth as her non-human side blossomed...

"Ambrosia Wharton!" he said. He quickly pulled the car over to the freeway's shoulder. "How dare you raise your voice to me?" His fangs bared, a faint yellow glow circled his pupils as the sound of his voice rattled the rear view mirror. "You may be a young woman, but I am still your father. You won't be just another girl on the beach. You must always remember your legacy. You were born where you were born, and you face the future that you face because you are what you are and for no other reason. "

"The limits of your ambition are set. You were born into a world that has spelled out with brutal clarity, and in as many ways as possible, what you are. You are not expected to aspire, to excel. You are expected to make peace with being invisible. Never forget who you are and what we are. We are the Uhura coven. We are the elite. We are vampires!" 

"I know." 

"Then, act like it! As a female vampire, it's crucial for you to be around..." "Another female vampire," I interrupted my father's lecture. "You've told me this a half a dozen times. I get it; I don't have to like it." I sat uncomfortably silent in my seat. The car's chassis subtlety vibrated from the still running engine. "Dad...I'm sorry. I shouldn't have raised my voice."

~~~

Amber didn't care and she was upset nobody had discussed with her the need to move away from her home and friends... Besides, she hadn't seen her mother for years, would have to go to a new school and would again have no friends...

Still, she knew why the change had to be made and she really was happy to be with her mother again... And, once she saw...him...at her new school, she was quite willing to wait and see how things would go... But there was already a problem... He was human; he was a Christian. Both were trouble.

She didn't care... He was a star basketball player and she was going to try out for the team and was soon accepted and leading the team with her skill. Adrian and Amber soon became friends and Amber also developed a small group of additional friends...Things at the school seemed to be doing well...only disrupted when Adrian had pulled Amber close in a hug and Amber sharply pulled away--Adrian's cross around his neck had burned her... Quickly making an excuse to leave, she left him standing, confused...

The school activities are somewhat typical for the most part, except that Amber spends most nights out on the roofs of buildings in town... preparing her body for the future...

I talked to the author about the number of small typographical errors and discovered that he'd paid three different editors to work on his book. You, the potential buyer will have to decide about this issue. Given what I learned, I decided to point the problem out via a downgrade of ranking, but am quite willing to also recommend it highly for many of you who have the desire to read it based upon the cover and book description. 

There are also a couple of other issues to be spotlighted...The book contains a number of picture collages of the events happening in the book. They were exceptionally well done, but needed to be bigger for me to totally enjoy them and would have made perfect whole-page additions to the novel. Nevertheless the idea is very cool and the author should be commended... Also the author has used another method for helping to teach reading and color identification...Great idea... I read the book in a non-color application and didn't see the effect until I checked it out online... Nice...

Throughout the book, Hardie has presented considerable social commentary about the life of Blacks interacting in today's world, and with other races. It is definitely a learning experience, including the use of historical mythology to explain the heritage of the vampire. I was impressed... with the continuity and integration of this broader scope of the book beyond the typical vampire life...

And yet, the ending felt like it could also be the beginning...perhaps a sequel or a series? I've been reading Hardie since his first book and have seen continued improvement in his writing... In this book, which I would place in the literary drama genre rather than horror, which is normally expected for vampires, there is a element of  life participation that pulls individuals into what the author wishes to share with his readers. In fact, I was so involved that with the ending, I was totally shocked... Do Check it out!

GABixlerReviews

An average guy making his way in the world. Speaking and writing are my contribution to make the world a better place.
What are the names of your titles?
My works include Every Day Life, It Ain't Just The Size, Midnight: Rise of the Black Vampires and the science fiction THEM title.
Each time I am told not to do something...it motivates me to break the rules and to push limits...

Murphy's Law Continues Extraordinary Series by Declan Finn!

Book 1 - Love at First Bite Series
Honor at Stake
Check out Review

Now Book 2 - Love at First Bite

Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong... 
Murphy's Law

April 16th, 2: 15AM. Greenpoint, Brooklyn, NY 

Amanda Colt was dead, and Marco Catalano looked like he had been through a war. Both were technically true. The battle for Mount Olivet and for Greenpoint had been surprisingly quick affairs, but had left hundreds if not thousands dead on the streets of New York City. It helped with the cleanup that most of those who died had already been dead – namely, vampires. 

“I go to mass.” 

“And?” 

“Since I mentioned that our physical character is related to our spiritual character, I go frequently. I think I may qualify as a mystic, but I’m not sure, I haven’t asked my confessor about this. Technically, that makes me stronger, so I can go without real 

blood for a week or two.” 

“And?” 

“I get most of my blood from the Sacred Blood in the chalice at mass. I’m usually the last one up, so I finish the cup.”

~~~

Merle studied Marco a moment.
 Despite being beaten, bruised,
 and broken, he still had the
 distinct impression that he would,
 indeed, hunt down anyone who
 took an action against Amanda.
 He would protect her,
anywhere, anytime,
no matter his condition.
~~~

Amanda Colt was a vampire, and thus already dead – but she looked more dead than usual when she came flying back through the air, impacting on the Brooklyn street with a sick sound that was a cross between a splat and a crunch. 

Marco, despite having had his left leg and his right arm broken by Mikhail the Bear in single combat, tried to move towards her fallen form. After a brief effort, he growled deep in his throat.

“Damnit. Merle, check her pulse.” The Eurasian government agent still had his weapon up, but whatever it was had vanished. 

“Pulse?” he asked, confused. 

Marco felt his pulse spike. There wasn’t time to explain this! Amanda bounced off the ground, her face a mask of rage and fangs, shouting in rage at the rooftop. “The suki tossed me! That… I’ll get you for this!” 

Merle raised a brow and holstered his gun. “She’s too far to hear you.” 

“I can hear gun fire from the Bronx. Trust me, she hears.” 

She turned to Marco, and carefully rolled him over onto his back. She cradled his head in her lap. Marco closed his eyes, and just enjoyed the feel of her body heat through her jeans. Before I met her, If someone had told me that body temp was the perfect surface to rest on, I would have told them they were mad. 

“I think we can heal this,” Amanda said, in her cute Russian accent. “But I’ll need to set the bone, okay?” 

Marco gave it a moment’s thought. The microbes in her bite would help him heal the breaks in a matter of days, if not hours, but it was still going to hurt like a bastard. “Sure, why not?” 

The door to the brownstone opened, and Marco’s father, Doctor Robert Catalano, came out, with the Vatican Ninja and sniper, Ibrahim Javaherian, at his side. “I’ll do the setting,” Robert said, “if you don’t mind.” 

Merle sighed. The government agent who specialized in odd seemed impatient. “Whatever. Well, it looks like my lead is dead, in more ways than one. Marco, why did you want me to check Amanda for a pulse? Habit?” 

Amanda smiled brightly – Damn, Marco thought, I would kill for that smile – and she said, “Nyet. I have a pulse. I also have a fully-working metabolism. My body doesn’t need to pump blood, but I have it do so, mainly to keep everything working. I may want to have children some day.” 

Merle gave a smirk.

Marco tried to read it, but couldn’t. “You need food?” 

Amanda: “At least blood. I don’t know why, but we need it. I tried going without, it’s not a pretty sight.” 

Marco nodded, completely ignoring his father examining his broken leg. “I think it’s a version of porphyria, mixed with a touch of inverse progeria.” 

Merle arched a brow. “In English?” 

“Progeria is a disease that makes someone age at four times the normal rate of speed; ten-year-olds looking like they’re forty, and physically, they are.” With a quick pull from Doctor Catalano, Marco screamed. It was almost more of a surprise than anything else. He had been so focused on the conversation, he felt more an echo of pain than anything else. Marco gritted his teeth. “Porphyria is what King George III had, driving him insane— a cure for that is the ingestion of human blood, which is where part of the myth of vampirism comes from. We figure that the microbial symbiotes that are responsible for vampirism somehow feed off of fresh, living blood, like porphyria.” 

“However, there’s her ability to elongate her teeth,” Marco added. “It really irritates me, because she always has an unfair advantage at bobbing for apples.” 

The vampire brushed a strand of hair from his forehead. “I do not know what you’re talking about. I would never use them for such a thing.”

“Then how come you always need to floss out your canines for the next week afterwards?” he objected. His father had his arm and pulled. Marco screamed again. “I suck out the filling from some of the chocolates,” Amanda continued, as though Marco had just had his back cracked by a masseuse, not his bones set. “It is either that, or I eat diabetics for dessert, and you remember what happened to old Tiberius when he drank from too many.”

“Yeah, his teeth rotted out. He should’ve known better than to drink people with too high a blood sugar without brushing.” Doctor Catalano gave a quick pull at Marco’s arm, setting the break. Marco grimaced and gritted his teeth this time, despite the pain. “Just because he’s dead doesn’t mean he can forgo the basics.” 

Merle snickered at the surrealism of it all. “So, Amanda, since you are who you eat, whom do you generally eat?” 

Marco and Amanda looked at each other for a moment. “I sometimes give donations,” he explained. “The rest of the time… you can answer it...” 

Merle looked out over at the gang members, the Mafia, the cops, and the Vatican ninjas, who all seemed interested in making certain no one had been eaten during the fracas. “What about them? I can assume they didn’t know about your girlfriend before now, did they?” 

“I’ll talk to them,” Marco said, eyes cold. “If any of them decide to do something unwise, I will know, and they will answer to me.” 

Merle studied Marco a moment. Despite being beaten, bruised, and broken, he still had the distinct impression that he would, indeed, hunt down anyone who took an action against Amanda. He would protect her, anywhere, anytime, no matter his condition. “Fair enough.” He glanced at the ground where Mikhail used to be. “I guess this is all over then.” 

Marco let out a sharp, sudden laugh. “You’re kidding right?” 

Merle motioned to the street littered with empty clothes and dusted vampires. “You call this… what?” Marco tried to sit up, but Amanda pressed down on his shoulders to hold him in place. “Do not move.” Marco sighed, then looked at Merle. “I call this a retaliatory strike. This isn’t over. Obviously, Mikhail didn’t like us messing up his most ambitious nesting plans, slowing him down and cutting into his personnel. He went after the FBI, and when we made a move on him, he struck back.”

 “Yes,” Merle concluded, “but if he was being slowed down, that means that he was building up to something.” 

Marco smiled. “Give the man a cigar. Whatever they were doing at the United Nations, whatever you were looking into, Mikhail was in charge of manpower.”

“What?” Amanda cut in. 

“We just killed the head of human resources. We have no idea who that redhead was that killed Mikhail just when he was about to talk.” 

Merle’s mouth twitched. “Aw hell. You’re saying this is just starting.” 

“You’re not the one in pieces on the ground,” Marco muttered. “Now, if you don’t mind, I think Amanda and I can use some alone time.” 

Merle arched a brow. So did Doctor Catalano, and so did Ibrahim Javaherian. Marco frowned and looked at all of them. “Get your minds out of the gutter. If she bites me, I get a hit of her virus. The first time she bit me, I could throw manhole covers. We can see if this will fix me up.” 

Amanda carefully moved, then picked up Marco as though he weighed about twenty pounds. “Do not worry. I will be happy to bite you.”

~~~

Murphy's Law of Vampires

By Declan Finn

For whatever reason, vampires have remained a magical creature that has remained popular in literature. I had given up on the topic for many years, but I must say that I've totally enjoyed the Love at First Bite Series by Declan Finn.

There is none of the usual about Finn's books. They are unique, exciting, and mystical, with all types of strange and weird happenings that can't help but capture readers' attention.

For instance, the main character, Marco Catalano is a student studying to become a physician's assistant. To date, readers are stilllll not sure exactly what type of superior being he is, but he seems to be indestructible, or rather, self-healing... His intellect is at the genius level and his logic combined with his ethics create a formidable enemy against all things evil...

Note that I didn't say all who are vampires... 

You see, vampires are not all evil, including the main female character, Amanda Colt is a vampire who is good, spends much time in church, and depends upon the Holy Communion--the blood of Christ--as a major source of her food. 

Marco and Amanda have become close friends since they combined their efforts in ridding their city of bad vampires. 

Amanda looked at him… strangely, was the only word he had for it, as though she were searching for something in his eyes. 
“I can stay longer, if you want me to.” Would it be possible for her to be interested in him? Personally? Emotionally? Though she was about his age on a physical level, chronologically, she was old enough to be his grandmother. But his mother had never looked that good. 
He smiled. “I’d like that… and if I time it right, our sleep patterns will match up.” He slid his other arm around her back, hugging her to him by the waist. They started walking towards his dorm. “So, what are you going to do when you go back to New York?”

~~~

Yes, there is much action and thrills during these endeavors. In fact, there are a number of super-bad monsters and this dynamic duo takes them on, winning every battle...so far...but not without damage, especially to Marco...

So, when this happens, Amanda delivers a little bite to him, sharing her powerful saliva to not only heal but give him a boost in the physical power he already has...

One of the key things about the book is the underlying sense of humor...yes, perhaps surprising in what is normally thought of as a horror novel. But the author has such a sense of humor, apparently, that it comes out in the oddest places and, instead of feeling horror, readers wind up smiling or laughing at what is happening--which is tearing limbs from bodies, and all those things monsters do during their killing activities... It feels almost like a farce, but you can't deny the true horror of the actual events... Quite an achievement, in my opinion...

Clearly the book is character driven as we meet an FBI agent who deals with weird--think Fox Mulder. His speed seems to be a super gift, or he's just practiced magic and appears out of the blue, a lot... Then there is the Catholic Priest who supports good, even vampires, and has a special team of Vatican ninjas and sniper who joins the fight when needed... Yikes, Marco has even made friends with all the street gangs and they support him to rid the streets of the vampires, who are their enemies too!

Another fighter, who plays just as an important warrior in their battles is Holy Water... I'm pretty sure that the Priest must provide his blessings over water barrels to keep enough of it available!😇 Seriously, the ingenuity in the plotting of the demise of a monster has been tediously presented in such fine detail that readers are caught up in the mastery of the thought processes attributed to the character Marco. I was impressed!

Speaking of monsters, one, Mikhail, had just been annihilated when another appeared, to finish off Marco and Amanda, in particular. And another shows up!

But there is another monster, one who has declared himself... Marco believes, because he loves destroying evil vampires, that he is also a monster. And that's important, because he has strong feelings for Amanda who, even though a vampire, is a very good person who only kills when she must. While Amanda believes... 

Marco knew what was in his head. He was someone who enjoyed killing. He was a monster. A predator. Yes, even though Marco had a deep faith, and a deeper prayer life, both served to keep the creature within him in check. In the end, one of two things drove Mikhail from his mind. One was the prayer and his faith. But Marco knew, deep in his heart, that his dark side had driven Mikhail out of his head and saved his life. It was a part of him he was comfortable with, that he enjoyed, and that he didn’t want to give up. It was something that he couldn’t tell anyone about. It was why he couldn’t be with Amanda. She killed human beings for food. He did it for fun.

~~~

Well you get the picture. These two are in love, but continuously fight it off because of their love for the other... Actually, it's quite fun to watch and what could be better than a little strange, weird romance in a vampire novel?

I loved all the characters in the book, even the bad monsters... The book is fast-paced, full of action, a true page turner, with a laugh or two to lighten the blood-curdling events that just...don't...stop! A break in reality that won't give you nightmares...Cool! With one surprise character that leads toward the climax! Into vampires? You really need to check out this series!


GABixlerReviews

Declan Finn is the NYC based author of books ranging from thrillers to urban fantasy to SciFi, including the 2016 Dragon Award Nominated Novel for Best horror, Honor at Stake. He is known for his strong fight scenes and his romance novels are sexy without being dirty, providing enough sexual tension to curl toes. He hosts the Catholic Geek Radio show, and can be found wherever someone is starting trouble. He also writes thrillers, video game reviews, and works for several blogs.
His ramblings can be found over at The Catholic Geeks, while his rantings on writing can be found at apiusman.blogspot.com. For him to really rant and rave, check out his interview show at The Catholic Geek, over at Blog Talk Radio.

Monsters! Werewolves, Vampires, Living Dead...Oh My!...

Vincent smiled, "Some say it was extraterrestrials. A sonic boom, perhaps?" 
Myers reflected. "It mimicked the explosion of June, 1908, when something exploded high above the atmosphere over Siberia with the same strength as one thousandd atomic bombs. It destroyed the tundra. Most scientists agree it was a fragment of a comet." 
Vincent shook his head. "However, no virus was recorded after that explosion, contrary to the one three years ago. Last year, the combined world governments asked all major corporations to work on solutions to containing the...the problem."
"You are, of course, referring to the victims who caught the virus. Everybody knows that the virus first appeared two years ago. It infected pockets of the population, spreading worldwide within four weeks, creating a pandemic that was brought under control through containment. They have isolated the victims control through containment. They have isolated the victims in sectioned-off campuses in the wilderness, until you decided to enclose them in your theme park. Why use plague victims?" 
Vincent grinned, revealing a mouthful of yellowed teeth. "I prefer to call them zombies."
 "We don't like to refer to them that way. The politically correct term is vitality challenged."
"You can call them anything you like," Vincent said with a leer. "I like to call those flesh-eating catatonic creatures zombies."

There was a fight over his finger. He didn't even try to retrieve it.
He watched in disgust as two men tore at each other for the price morsel. They shouldn't be fighting over flesh, some small part of his brain reasoned. They were fed regularly. Usually it was recycled food from institutions, refuse they used to feed the hogs. Someone had to feed the plague victims before they fed on each other...
~~~

"That sounds a bit extreme." Joe shook his head. Vincent leaned forward, his face intense. This was a subject he was passionate about--he spoke urgently as if proving his point, and his voice rose. "This disease is responsible, not I. Once their minds are infected, they can no longer control the primal urge to eat. Their single-minded determination and lack of coherency make it impossible for them to be at large with the general population. They are a danger to themselves as well as everyone else. What would you have the government do? Kill them?" 
"Of course not," Myers said, placating him. "Keeping them isolated has kept the spread of the disease under control. Don't you think it's a risky exposure?"
"Nonsense. No one enters my zombie suburb without protective gear. My labs are working on a cure, dear man." Vincent inclined his saturnine head graciously. "I intend to see the eradication of the virus within five years."
"That is, if it doesn't spread. You'll lose a great portion of your theme park, Dr. Conrad."
"I think we have enough to keep people entertained. With my discovery of werewolves in the Everglades--"

~~~

Monsterland

By Michael Phillip Cash
Now published under Michael Okon!

Aimed toward our youth who love monsters, as we did when young, or if you still crave for horror stories as an adult, do check this book out by prolific writer Michael Cash... If  you scrupulously read the book, you may pick up the very few clues to alert you...that's my only hint...because the story moves quickly and smoothly into a new theme park like no other! Where all of the monsters, except for the few that are used as enticement into various sections of the park, are all real!

The lead male stood, his head tilted. He heard it again. It was music, the strange organization of sounds, predictable as well as dangerous. Where those rhythms originated meant only one thing--they were not alone. They all rose, tense and alert, searching the waterway. Billy pointed, his dirty hands silently parting an outcropping of trees to expose a flat-bottom boat with strangers floating slowly toward them. It was filled with people, excitedly searching the banks of the swamp, their expensive khaki bush clothes ringed with sweat...
What were the interlopers doing here? Billy thought furiously. This was their territory...
~~~

The main reason the concept of  Monsterland came up is that a disaster occurred within the last few years and all over the world there were now those, still living, but horribly infected and deformed by what occurred. The government of course had worked to handle the disaster and had shut all those infected in camps and had even did the "politically correct" thing to call them "vitally challenged..." OMG, only in America... Because no matter how you put it, they are the living dead--zombies as we first knew them... 

Only in America
can a poor,
homeless boy find
employment
and work his way
up the ladder of
succeed."*
~~~

A very rich man, Dr. Vincent Conrad, had come to the fore, offering to build not only one but more theme parks across the world to, first, give a community in which the zombies can live, but also to allow research to go on so that, hopefully, the virus may be stopped. Although representatives of some of the other involved countries come to the U.S. opening, all of the action takes place in the Unites States(openings were occurring all over the world at the same time...)

The story focuses on a family and several close friends who all have a cult-like interest in horror characters--the ones who are to be included in Monsterland...

A never-ending discussion from Wyatt, Melvin and Howard who had become friends because they are not accepted at school, is based upon study of these various monsters, continues on which of the three would be the winner, if they fought each other. It was kind of fun to see how much each boy had studied his preferred group and will describe the various attributes that made his choice the obvious superior being...

Raoul nodded in assent. Things had been terrible since they arrived. The doctor oozed charm when he painted a picture of recreating all their former glory. Instead, Conrad gave them shabby reproductions of eighteenth-century clothing, and he stuck them in a sterile version of his concept of East Germany. They were assigned roles in a cheesy rock musical, the music so embarrassingly bad it was more painful to perform it than hear it...
~~~

The family, a new husband and father plus wife and two children from her first husband, who had since died, are experiencing much of the turmoil that could evolve. In this situation, neither of the boys are willing to begin to call Carter White, their father...One minor issue hit me later in the book, noted purely from this reader's viewpoint, was that some of the scenes were not realistic, given the ages of the two boys... Still, if it takes monsters to bring them together as a family, hey, I'm all for it! LOL

This is a fun book...and sad...because once again, there is a criminal motive underneath it all...But when it got to the scary part, I'm not even sure that the original monster, Vincent Conrad, knew how bad it would be...

Scary good as the Chiller channel proclaims! Monster lover alert! Given the number and variety of horror books and movies out there, I thought Cash's book was original, complete with a family drama to detract from the gore, and yet weirdly different as at long last, we see just who would win in a monster fight...

GABixlerReviews

*Can you guess who this is?

Michael Phillip Cash is an award-winning novelist and screenwriter. His novels are best-sellers on Amazon under their genres - Young Adult, Thriller, Suspense, Ghost, Action Adventure, Fantasy, Paranormal Romance and Horror. 

Michael writes full-time and lives on the North Shore of Long Island with his wonderful wife and screaming children. You can follow him @michaelpcash.

Connect with Michael on:

Facebook: facebook.com/michaelphillipcash

Twitter: twitter.com/michaelpcash

Web: www.michaelphillipcash.com

Email: michaelphillipcash@gmail.com

Yvonne Voninnes' Angel's Breath Causes Mixed Feelings...

rhetoriccamel.blogspot.com

"Sacrifice? Your clothes! Oh No! I should have realized! Brean, please don't tell me that you allowed him to blood you?"
"He's one of them, isn't he?"
"And you allowed him to blood you?!"
..."Right, I would have thought of that myself, except, you see, the blood loss must have really addled my brain, because try as I might, I just can't remember how it's supposed to be done. It's even possible that I was absent on the day they covered that particular topic."
"You really don't know?"
"Look, Viara, I'm not the type who would expect a girl to fight his battles for him, but I wouldn't mind if you gave me a few pointers here."
"Brean, I wish I could, but I'm not a defender. My family and I, we're guardians, and as far as I understand it, the only abilities I inherited are a heightened sense of awareness, and the power to temporarily conceal things."
"Hey, don't worry about it, I'll just Google Peace, and print out the proper procedure."
"You can't. I mean...you probably won't find anything useful on the Net. PEACE has inquisitors who dedicate their entire existence to screening public information. Anything even remotely revealing gets immediately altered, or removed."
..."And what if this birthmark is just a birthmark."
"No, Brean, I don't think so. You probably just have to...train yourself...like these guys on your walls. Maybe reread some of your favorite issues. It might trigger something..."

~~~

Angel's Breath

By Yvonne Voninnes

"The gray-haired maintenance
man briefly eyed the young
professor's oversized wristwatch.
"no wonder," he commented
in a friendly banter, "It looks
like a relic."
"That it does," the professor
agreed, lifting his right arm to
look fondly upon his outdated
timepiece. He noticed that his
cuff had retracted far enough
to reveal one of the deep claw
trails he had suffered in the
previous night's conflict.
Agitated by the ugly
intrusion, he quickly shook
 the material loose.
~~~

"Good morning," he said to her.
"We'll get started in just a few
minutes." He left the lectern,
and walked back up the aisle, to
greet the rest of his students with
a courteous nod. They were, he
noted, each of them, human.
He hadn't expected otherwise,
but the confirmation allowed
him to full submit himself to
his fictitious role..."
~~~

Although many of today's readers will believe that vampire fantasy is "the new thing," the early story by Bram Stover which was written in 1897  with "Transylvania" being where Count Dracula lived was my introduction. Of course, that was with Bela Lugosi starring as the Count. There was no question that it was in the horror genre--all we had to do was see Lugosi's eyes--staring!

English: A screenshot from Dracula Italiano:
 Wikipedia)

Yvonne Voninnes' novel, Angel's Breath has a university setting, with a professor playing one of the main parts. Her writing brought a feeling of literature as opposed to the thriller genre and I was pleased to sit back, picturing Lugosi as possibly the professor. Indeed he is quite a beast in many ways as he teaches his classes, humiliates students and finds it all...rather boring... After all, he's been doing this for many years. One difference, though, is that he's been able to be out during the day...due to how he's been indoctrinated

"Brean had always been intrigued with Laugomente
Fiore's penchant for incorporating miniature scenes
throughout his libraries, especially in locations that
were practically hidden from plain view. The sculptures
were painstakingly intricate, and seemed to pay homage
to popular folklore. Since they didn't appear to be
placed sequentially, historians generally assumed that
each carving stood on its own, embodying a specific
tale, a seemingly befitting a decor for a storage house
of literature. Past their visual appeal, they were hardly
worthy of an in-depth analysis.
~~~

The novel is broken down into musical movements while the writer's descriptive talent for the campus environment took me back to the campus I walked on for nearly 40 years... Her female lead is an architectural student and the professor is teaching a history course. Brean, the main character is a history student, who is very interested in an Italian Architect's work in libraries, has just relocated to this new campus. All in all, readers have the opportunity to visit the campus via the characters.

BTW, I couldn't find the Italian architect on the Internet--so don't bother...LOL To me the significant thing about this is that the author obviously has significant experience and training so that her novel comes across as a credible, almost documented, historically based novel... Very well done in this area...

I was not as impressed with the later categorization and groupings for the supernatural beings in the book. They were vague and didn't provide the strong knowledge base that had come through earlier. My own reading of the entire Guardian Series by Ruby Moon-Houldson may have influenced what I expected.. Especially, since different writers user words like guardian to mean different things in different books. So if the author doesn't clarify this, readers are left confused... Still, for a first novel, there was a sufficiently  interesting story line to keep the novel moving forward to a satisfactory conclusion, albeit, with some confusion if you're really into the story...

One of the ways this lack of information comes about is that Brean, the character, has absolutely no background knowledge that he is anything more than human.

The professor--now going by the name Claremont Drake has Brean in his class. Brean notices how badly one of the students is being treated and takes subtle actions to draw him out, not knowing that the boy is actually not only helping the professor as a teaching assistant, but...so much more... But then the boy disappears and Brean is chosen, on purpose, to become the new TA... One cool outcome of that is that the Professor shares letters from the Architect Fiore--while the other actions by the professor were...not...cool!

At the same time, he also sees and becomes interested in Viara, who has known about her life and her own required commitments, which she has been putting off. She had always had questions that just weren't being answered to her satisfaction...And readers don't learn too much as well...

But she does know enough to realize what the "birthmark" on Brean's arm means!

I enjoyed the developing relationship between these two young people and readers will too, I believe!

This writer has a lot to offer, especially if she either writes on topics she knows, or does more research to support and define the various character roles or organizations she uses, such as PEACE, for the readers.  I personally didn't discover the illusion to angel's breath in the novel except as a voice in Brean's head without knowing who Brean himself was. Still, I found the evolution and relationships of the professor, Brean and one other character, a doctor, together with Viara, to be an intriguing and complex story worthy of consideration by both YAs and adults...


GABixlerReviews



Yvonne Vonninnes states of her book, Angel’s Breath is a contemporary vampire fiction in which the supernatural is symbolic of the human struggle to persevere over handicaps, addictions, and self-centeredness.

Callinan Questions the Vampires Craze...

The Vampire Deutsch: Der Vampir (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Some time back I read that true vampires in the mould of Vlad The Impaler, and other ‘families’ in certain parts of Eastern Europe where the vampire myths originated, were actually suffering from a form of congenital haemophilia – which would explain a lot if true.

Are vampires dead and buried - permanently?

The vampire boom may be drawing to a close according to some publishing pundits.

But if you scan through the posts in many reader forums, the bloodsuckers with the looks of an Angelina Jolie or a Johnny Depp are still attracting hosts of readers (mainly female). These paranormal romantic vampires tend to be extensions of Mills & Boon type heroes and heroines – square jawed, sensitive, rakish, seductive and so on. Not like ‘real’ vampires at all.

This must be a "real" vampire?

Today’s fictional vampire has become an iconic stereotype, albeit a hugely successful one as series such as ‘Twilight’ proves beyond a shadow of a doubt. But, are publishers becoming disenchanted with the fangs and the undead? 


If not, just what is the attraction? Have there ever been any disgustingly ugly, dissolute, savage and brutal vampire heroes and heroines in popular fiction?

I'm not so sure that only females watched Buffy???

Or are the undead only seductively attractive because they perform an esoteric form of rape – sucking the life blood in an agony of pleasurable excitement.

Readers, did you notice that Callinan claims that readers are mostly female? Is this true? Do you enjoy vampire stories more than other fantasy characters?


Personally, I have noticed that when a craze (high sales) happen re characters such as vampires, then you see some authors suddenly switching genres going to scifi/fantasy to play on the success... Frankly, this has always irritated me, especially if they are top authors...


I was just thinking...what sex normally give "hickies"? Could that "sucking of life blood" also really be of interest to males?


Just sayin'...


What do YOU think?