Damned by Blood by Evie Byrne

TITLE: Damned by Blood
AUTHOR: Evie Byrne
PUBLISHER: Samhain
LENGTH: Novel (roughly 45k)
GENRE: Paranormal erotic romance
COST: $4.50

The eldest brother of the Faustin clan, Mikhail is the vampire prince of New York, with a reputation as icy and unyielding as his personality. When he discovers his fated bride is the first love who broke his heart, he has no choice but to find a way to claim her, even though she has become a formidable power in her own right. Alya Adad has fought most of her life for the position she now has, and the last thing she is willing to do is give any of it up. Even for destiny…

It’s been obvious from the first story that Mikhail’s story would be different than his brothers’. Each vampire has his own distinct personality, dictating a different style and tone for his romance. In Mikhail’s case, he is the coldest, sternest of the bunch, with responsibilities the others do not have. He’s the master of control, the purest vampire, the one unwilling to compromise who he is to pander to humans.

It comes as no surprise then that his fated bride is also a vampire. What is a surprise is that he’s already known, loved, and lost her. Alya Adad is as ruthless and dangerous as Mikhail, a perfect counterpoint to his strength. She craves power, and she’s had to suffer a lot of what goes against her nature in order to reach the height she has. The dynamics between them are fascinating, because they are so equally matched. They are driven to destroy the other, while at the same time, incapable of doing so. That fight provides the undercurrent of the entire story, giving it a dark edge that removes this from the feel-good vampire stories that tend to dominate the genre.

Mikhail is a terrific alpha hero, suffering because of Alya’s loss so many years ago even if he didn’t know it until now. His intensity seethes from the page, and I found myself holding my breath every time he appeared. I can’t necessarily say the same for Alya. While her characterization is certainly well developed, and her personality a great foil for Mikhail’s, I just didn’t engage with her to the same depths as I have previous heroines by this author. She was just a little too brittle for me to like as much, and it ended up putting a distance between me and her need for dominance.

It also distanced me slightly from the erotic scenes, which, in all honesty, I find unusual for this author. I’ve always loved the sensuality of her sex scenes, and while these are written just as competently, my failure to completely commit to Alya’s needs made it harder to immerse in some of their later BDSM games. It’s still done well, make no mistakes there. The motivations all ring true, and the reasoning for how Mikhail can make this one change totally valid. In fact, I genuinely loved the lines, …she believed power resided in control. To him, it meant getting what he wanted. It encapsulates everything and explains it all. But without really investing in Alya, I found it difficult to invest in the resolution. I was glad for Mikhail, though. His happiness is what mattered to me. And in a world as rich as the one in which he lives, the solution seemed utterly perfect.

Readability	8/10 – Uncompromising and intense
Hero	8/10 – Unyielding and icy, terrific alpha
Heroine	7/10 – A strong match for the hero, if not quite as engaging
Entertainment value	8/10 – For the power of the dynamics and the author’s voice
World building	9/10 – The vampire world she’s created has never been richer
TOTAL:	40/50

Favorite Authors of 2009

My second to last list for 2009, though it's the last list of favorites. These are my five author finds of the year, the ones that excited me the most. I've excluded my favorite authors from previous years, as well as anybody who made the list more than once. I think it goes without saying how much I adore them.

4th Runner Up
Rick R. Reed

I read three of Mr. Reed's stories this past year, and have more on my TBR pile. What I like about him is his fearless approach and the fact that he does so with visceral style.

3rd Runner Up
MK Mancos

While I had read some of this author's work under a different pseudonym, this year I discovered the humor in her work through this one. Always a solid writer, with enough hits out of the ball park to keep me on the hook.

2nd Runner Up
Evie Byrne

Getting teased by her talent in the first offering I read was enough to drive me to her other work, where I discovered her effervescent voice and erotic imagery wasn't just a fluke. I trust her in ways I don't trust many authors, and have long put her on my autobuy list.

1st Runner Up
Tamara Allen

This woman has too much talent not to be included on this list. Though I only read one book of hers this year, one was all it took to prove to me how good she really is.

And my favorite author of 2009 is...
Kate Willoughby

I don't think this will come as a surprise to anybody who follows my blog. I was blown away by the first novella I read by this author, and while later works might not have matched the sheer joy I got from that one, they have still proven her comedic and romantic talent. I adore her, and can only hope she finds the large audience she deserves.

Favorite Heroines of 2009

One of the things I can count on? My shortlist of favorite heroines of the year always being my shortest. That doesn't diminish the characters that make it. If anything, that proves their worth all the more, because they stand that much higher above the rest.

4th Runner Up
Eleni Whitby in Texting Aphrodite by Amy Lake

Eleni is an excellent example of the type of heroine that gives me faith in the genre. She was fresh, vibrant, and delightfully intelligent. She proves a contemporary heroine doesn't have to be anything but real to be a joy to read. A character doesn't always need super powers or huge problems to make a reader care.

3rd Runner Up
Katya Ortaega in Lost Gods by Kim Knox

Of course, having super powers can still be a good thing. Katya had those and attitude to spare, and helped propel the taut action of this novel to its satisfying conclusion. Without her, it never would have worked.

2nd Runner Up
April Didrickson in Deja Vu Lover by Phoebe Matthews

April is the ditzy heart of this fascinating past-life romance. It's a delicately balanced characterization, one that could have become annoying and intolerable, but instead, April becomes the kind of character you can't take your eyes off, even when she's racing toward what seems like an awful crash.

1st Runner Up
Maddy de Victoria in Bound by Blood by Evie Byrne

Maddy. Maddy, Maddy, Maddy. To say I loved Maddy is an understatement. She's funny and strong, independent and yet somehow vulnerable. She's sexy, real, and absolutely amazing. I don't think I can say enough good things about her, or how much she really makes this book for me.

And my favorite heroine of 2009 is...
Morag in Selkie Island by Jorrie Spencer

Where Maddy made me laugh, Morag made me cry. Her loneliness was a physical thing, bleeding from every word. She made me believe in water shifters, and more, she made me care, where water shifters tend to leave me cold. The juxtaposition between her innocence of the world and her weariness of it gave this novella depths others could only hope for.

Favorite Novellas of 2009

For those people following my year end favorites, novellas are next. Last year, they were heavily weighted for Samhain, a testimony to the quality I often find over there. This year, the balance is more even, with four e-publishers represented as well as both het and m/m. There' s even a repeat of an author from last year's list, which goes to show how much a fan I'm turning out to be.

4th Runner Up
NEG UB2 by Rick R. Reed

This is one of those cases where the sequel is better than the original. While I enjoyed VGL Male Seeks Same, the emotion in this was so much more palpable that there's really no comparison. They engulfed me, even when I had slight issues with the protagonist's melodramatic ways.

3rd Runner Up
Bound by Blood by Evie Byrne

Evie Byrne is my repeat author on this list, with the second of her vampire series. While the first book was certainly solid, this one outshone it. Both her hero and heroine were strong individuals, the sex was hot, and it epitomizes what I consider her best strength - the sheer energy that flows through her work.

2nd Runner Up
Unrequited by Abigail Roux

For anybody who read my recent review of this novella, its presence on this list should not come as a surprise. Its dialogue is some of the best I've read all year, its relationships some of the most real. I loved that these men felt like they should have been sitting in my living room, and I adored that the author made simple kissing more erotic than a lot of the far more explicit work out there. An absolutely lovely little gem.

1st Runner Up
Selkie Island by Jorrie Spencer

There are a few things that almost always stop me from finishing a blurb. The fae. Mate talk. Weird shifters. Paranormal water elements. But because I like this author, and because I loved this cover so much - enough for it to be one of my favorites from the year - I gave this one a go when I might not have normally. What I discovered was one of the most tender stories I read all year. It's evocative and atmospheric, with a truly wonderful love story.

And my favorite novella of 2009 is...
Losing It by Kate Willoughby

Finding an author whose humor meshes with your own is always a joy. When they can actually write, too? Even better. I discovered this author with this wonderfully funny, cheerfully romantic story, and as much as I love her, I still consider it my favorite of her work. Just like the last story, it proves that in the hands of a talented author, it's possible for me to look past personal peccadillos and fall in love harder than I would have imagined possible.

Bound by Blood by Evie Byrne

TITLE: Bound by Blood
AUTHOR: Evie Byrne
PUBLISHER: Samhain
LENGTH: Novella (roughly 40k)
GENRE: Paranormal erotic romance
COST: $4.50

As the middle son, Gregor Faustin doesn’t expect to be the first one married off. So when his mother has a prophetic dream about his future mate, he fights his so-called fate as long as he can. He’s his own vampire, after all. And this Madelena Lopez de Victoria is human, of all things. And a librarian. And definitely not what he wants. He avoids her as long as he can, but when he accidentally hits a woman with his car, he’s appalled to discover he’s found her anyway. And now, her blood is calling to him…

Though this is the second of the Faustin stories, this actually takes place before the first chronologically. When I finished it, I was dying to go back to the first and see where Gregor and Maddy might have played in the first, and like all good series, it has me dying to read the story of the last remaining brother. Because this was fantastic, and now I want more.

At the start of the story, Gregor is a gruff businessman, focused on his clubs, not ready to settle down in the slightest. He’s more than a little miffed that he’s been singled out as the first to get married, to someone who seems the antithesis of everything he’d ever imagined. Maddy is a librarian and human, to boot. He does everything he can to avoid it, and succeeds…until he hits her with his car. From there, it’s all downhill. In person, she’s even less than he’d hope for, with her glasses and hair that hides her face and frumpy clothing. Then he makes the mistake of wanting to help her heal, tastes her blood, and the bonding process starts.

I really liked Gregor, but I loved Maddy. She’s funny and down-to-earth, and the issues she has never cross the line into melodrama. She doesn’t care what other people think, and yet, cares enough about what’s going on with herself not to want to have to deal with the crap anymore. She resists Gregor as much as she can, but when she gives in, it’s hot, it’s seductive, and I wanted more. Much more.

While there are serious issues at hand, and thankfully, the author doesn’t cheat on resolving them, this isn’t a heavy story at all. The humor and genuine chemistry between to the two leads carries it far into romantic comedy territory (Strange things happen when you and me and cars mix, Faustin.), careening from event to event with an irresistible vim and vigor. That’s one of the things I love about this author. There’s a certain energy to her work that dares the reader not to tag along. It’s there in her voice, the slightly twisted spin she puts on normally mundane details. It’s in nearly of her characters, leaping from the page in crisp, vivid life. Even when the world building feels a little muddied (still original, but not nearly as cleanly presented as it was in the first book), her work shines.

I have the third book on my TBR. I’ve had it there since it was released. I can’t wait to see where she decides to go with Mikhail, the oldest brother. If ever there was a reluctant hero, I think he’ll be it.

Readability	9/10 – Funny without losing its pathos
Hero	8/10 – I really liked his gruff nature combined with his romantic side
Heroine	9/10 – Manages to be real and flawed without ever falling into melodrama
Entertainment value	9/10 – Definitely stronger than the first book, worth it for the rewarding romance that doesn’t take the easy road as well as the humor
World building	8/10 – Elements of the vampire/vampyr world didn’t seem quite as consistent this time around, but still a welcome departure from the usual fare
TOTAL:	43/50

Called By Blood by Evie Byrne

TITLE: Called By Blood
AUTHOR: Evie Byrne
PUBLISHER: Samhain
LENGTH: Novella (roughly 39k)
GENRE: Paranormal erotic romance
COST: $4.50

Alexander Faustin has come to Boulder to find his mate. There’s only one problem. She’s human, and he’s…not. After a disastrous first meeting, Helena MacAllister is convinced she has a stalker, even if he’s the most gorgeous, intoxicating man she’s ever seen. She really shouldn’t let him in when he shows up at her house the next night, but she can’t resist. But his weird talk about fate and marriage is nothing compared to finding out he’s a vampire…

Evie Byrne was one of my exciting finds last year, and this title one of the books I’d picked out at year’s end as something to look forward to in 2009. It’s taken me a little longer to get to it, but now that I have, I can confirm that this is an author whose voice most definitely works for me. I say this with utter certainty, because I ended this story with a smile on my face even though the first chapter nearly stopped me dead in my tracks.

Alex Faustin is a vampire, in a reality where vampirism is a species variation, primarily bred though they can be made as well. His mother had a dream foreseeing his mate, so Alex has dropped everything and flown across the country to Boulder to meet Helena, and this is where the story starts out. On Helena’s doorstep. He rings the bell, Helena answers, and within eight lines of dialogue, the two are kissing and dryhumping on the doorstep. Eight lines. From the time Helena answers to the door, to the moment Alex pulls her into his arms and kisses her, is less than 500 words. And Helena responds. Vigorously. She does end up breaking it off when leaning against the doorbell startles her from her sexual fugue, and calls 911, but honestly, her instantaneous, unquestioning response completely threw me. I don’t generally do the instant love stories. I don’t like them. I find them incredibly hard to believe or get into, and even though the story’s humor made me smile and laugh more than once in those first couple chapters, I didn’t respect or really have any faith in either of the two leads.

It continued on like that through to chapter three, and the aftermath of Helena and Alex’s wild night of sex. The sex itself was reasonably hot, though I still thought Helena was a flake for her back and forth with her feelings. The scene that follows, as Alex tries to race against the dawn, is taut and exhilarating, and does a lot to really develop Alex, but Helena…that doesn’t happen in any one scene. Over the course of the rest of the book, as Helena finally responds in what seems like a realistic manner by questioning Alex and not necessarily trusting him all the way, my respect for her grew, until I was finally able to finish the story content and smiling.

I credit much of this conversion so to speak to the author’s humor and sparkling voice. She’s one of the few e-authors I’ve read who tickles me with her phrasing and situations, engaging me in the action while at the same time, engaging my mind as well. There’s a joyousness to the entire story that mirrors Alex’s easygoing, shameless, impulsive personality. I can’t remember the last time reading about a grocery shopping trip was so enjoyable. This effervescence counters absolutely everything that spoiled the beginning of the story for me, and if the ending felt a little rushed, I was far more forgiving at that point than I had been at any time before.

While I can’t say that I enjoyed this novella overall as much as I did the first one I read by Ms. Byrne, I will most definitely be continuing on with this series, and with her other future works. The fact that she could so thoroughly pull me out of the fire as she did is testimony to her skill. There is no way I’m stopping now.

Readability	8/10 – Other than stumbling over the beginning, the prose is funny, fast, and furious
Hero	8/10 – Shamelessly charming
Heroine	7/10 – If the beginning hadn’t ruined the set-up for me, she would have likely ranked as one of my favorite heroines of the year
Entertainment value	7/10 – There’s so much to love about this…except the beginning.
World building	9/10 – The alternate take on vampires is sharp and thoroughly believable
TOTAL:	39/50

Books to look forward to in 2009

My last list of 2008 isn't a list of favorites from what I read/reviewed. I've gone out and checked coming soon pages at all the e-publishers I haunt, to find the stories I'm looking forward to getting in 2009. These aren't all of them, not by a long shot. I chose my five based on what the pubs had on their coming soon page or what the author had on their website. So in no particular order, five e-books I'm highly anticipating in the New Year...

Dangling by Yeva Wiest, published by Lyrical Press
While the first book I read by this author was riddled with some serious editorial problems, I'm hoping that the positive response from the publisher means this latest offering - another dark comedy about the archangel Michael and his transgender lover - will be cleaner. The author has already proven she can be original. Now I'm hoping she got some strong editing to allow her voice to shine.

Immersed by Liz Craven, published by Samhain
This is the next in the series after the author's excellent Prophesied. Few series inspire me to follow after the first book, even though I adore series. But this sucked me in.

Called By Blood by Evie Byrne, published by Samhain
I loved this author's voice in her novella Dante's Inferno. This one looks to be dark and hot, always a good thing.

Object of His Desire by Ava March, published by Samhain
Yes, it's a historical, but it's also a gay historical, and the first story I read by this author was hot enough to encourage me to read more of her work.

The White Knight by Josh Lanyon, published by Loose Id
This is the prequel/sequel to Lanyon's The Dark Horse. That's all I know. That's enough.

And one book that's not coming out in e-form, but I have to include, because, well, I love this author...

Kelland by Paul G. Bens, Jr., published by Casperian Books
Though I only review e-books on my blog, I still read plenty of print books in between. If Mr. Bens had more e-books coming out, I'd be buying those, too. In the interim, I'm satisfied knowing I've got this to look forward to.

Favorite Novellas of 2008

Next on the list for my favorites are novellas. Something odd happened when I went through all my favorite novellas this year. 4 of my top 5 picks all come from the same e-publisher. I certainly didn't plan it that way, but that's the way they fell out. There's something to be said about consistent quality, that's for sure.

4th Runner Up
Dante's Inferno by Evie Byrne

When it came to erotic romance this year, this one stands out from the crowd. Both leads are engaging, the period detail divine, and their erotic encounters sizzling. This one was fun from start to finish, and it still gives me a smile when I think of it.

3rd Runner Up
The Dark Horse by Josh Lanyon

Though Lanyon is best known for his Adrien English stories, he also has numerous novellas that are worth attention. The Dark Horse is my favorite of the bunch. It succeeds both as suspense and romance, and it does so with Lanyon's usual flair. Sean Fairchild as a protagonist and hero provides the perfect mechanism to wind this tale tighter and tighter, making it wholly satisfying.

2nd Runner Up
Interstitial by Ann Somerville

A lot of authors try to write cinematically, but not many succeed. Somerville's Interstitial is one of the best examples of tight, visual storytelling I reviewed this year. Every detail counts. Her characters are smart and real, and never get in the way of the unrelenting action. It's just too bad I can't tune in weekly for more.

1st Runner Up
Like a Thief in the Night by Bettie Sharpe

One of the freshest voices of the year is Bettie Sharpe's. She followed her brilliant debut at Bam's blog with this novella at Samhain, and it proved that her talent wasn't a fluke. There is a dark edge to her writing, sharpened to razor precision, that sucks you in and refuses to let go. Her heroine in this is as vivid as they come, and the chemistry with the hero is over the top.

And my favorite novella of 2008 is...
Dead Man's Rain by Frank Tuttle

There are not enough good things I can say about Frank Tuttle and his Markhat books. They're not long, but they are rich in detail and humor, immersing the reader into his fantasy world so effortlessly, you don't even realize what he's done. I love 1st person stories when they're this well done. You get to fall in love with the main character, not because of his strengths, but in spite of his weaknesses. Encompassed in such dynamic prose, Markhat stands out even more. There's a reason this and its sequel have the highest overall scores I've given so far. They're that good.

Dante's Inferno by Evie Byrne

TITLE: Dante's Inferno
AUTHOR: Evie Byrne
PUBLISHER: Samhain Publishing
LENGTH: Novella (roughly 39k)
GENRE: Historical erotic romance
COST: $4.50

Serena Alberenghi yearns for adventure. Widowed from a much older, gentle man, trapped in Venetian society, she escapes to the Carnival one night, just to be able to breathe. What she gets is the most exciting liaison of her life, with a mysterious masked man who steals the breath she wished to exhale. Neither are content with just that one night, however, and he returns in search of her, promising to fulfill only her needs this time if she’ll agree to spend time with him. Serena agrees, but on the condition they remain anonymous. Unfortunately, the truth always has a way of coming out…

The best word to describe this? A romp. It’s packed with invigorating detail, breathless sex scenes, and best of all, characters I like even when I want to throttle them. The story starts out with Serena throwing everything to the wind to experience the Carnival, and when her mysterious dance partner seduces her away to an alley, it’s impossible not to get caught up in the moment with her. There’s an intensity between them, as she experiences passion for the first time in her life and then after when he realizes he’s made a terrible mistake thinking she’s a whore. I loved it. Devoured it. Was actually thrilled when Dante, the hero, decided to seek her out again.

Their second meeting was as hot as the first. In fact, all of their interactions carried the same sparkling chemistry that tips them off from the first page as one of those couples that actually work. Where I got frustrated – but certainly not to the point of disliking either of them – was their tendency to overreact. Dante is a tad on the volatile side, while Serena’s lack of experience with the other sex has her taking offenses to greater heights than I think a lot of women would. When the truth of their identities comes out, they then act even more impulsively instead of talking it out. It never bothered me, though. There’s a sharp wit to the author’s voice, and even when these two were creating a scene, I found myself smiling and laughing, shaking my head and thinking, “Oh, these crazy kids…”

In fact, the story only gets held back for me in two small ways. First of all, the author has a tendency to switch POV’s without breaks. I wouldn’t call it headhopping, because honestly, the prose goes for huge long sections in each. I wondered, too, if it might have been a formatting error because in more than one spot, it felt like an entirely new scene. The effect was to create an occasional speed bump while I was reading, where I had to slow down and smooth over the transition in my head. The story’s second weakness rests in the dialogue. The period detail in the prose is exquisite; it’s rich without being heavy and paints a world that’s very easy to believe in. Yet, both Serena and Dante seem to talk in very modern language, using terminology in their speech that jars the sense of time. The story takes place in 1750, but some of the slang makes it feel much more contemporary.

In spite of the minor flaws, however, this was a delight to read, escapist and fun. Racing to the end to see a couple’s happy ending – a couple where I was equally invested in both the characters – hasn’t been this beguiling in a long time.

Readability	8/10 – An invigorating romp that only gets held back by my dislike for switching pov’s without breaks
Hero	8/10 – How can you not like a man who gets as swept away as this?
Heroine	8/10 – Honest and bold, I only wished she’d maintained the same level of sensibility when they were both being boneheads
Entertainment value	9/10 – Hot and romantic
World building	8/10 – The expositional period detail is wonderful, but it gets let down by dialogue that sounds very out of place.
TOTAL:	41/50