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chelseavbc's review against another edition
4.0
This review was originally posted as a guest review over at Smexy Books.
Blood Wicked is a dirty, dirty historical paranormal romance. It’s also remarkably engaging with characters worth caring about.
It’s also a book I kept close to my chest lest my husband catch a paragraph or two over my shoulder and I’d be forced to explain why I was engrossed in a passage featuring Regency-era sex toys. (OK, the heat level is so intense there’d be no question as to why I was wrapped up, then spent after that detailed scene.)
A former courtesan, Vivienne just wants to take care of her sick daughter. Only one apothecary will make her the medicine for her teen, but the owner makes her pay by seducing men. Not long afterward those men die. Heath is sent by the vampire council to find the succubus killing his kind. Though, he’s dividing his time searching for his brother.
Heath has an instant attraction to Vivienne, but a curse keeps him from being able to make love to the same woman more than once. She doesn’t know she’s a succubus or that she’s been stealing the life force of these men, but as Heath provokes her into needing he has to give in to sating her.
Vivienne, while a strong woman, feels inadequate. She worries her daughter’s chances for finding a good husband are hindered simply because she’s a courtesan’s daughter. Heath does everything he can think of to show Vivienne he sees her as a beautiful woman of worth with more class than most noblewomen. She’s never thought about sex as something that could be about her enjoyment, and he uses that as the gateway to illustrating his intentions to put her first.
As the two fall for one another, Heath’s goal to improve Vivienne’s view of herself is the plot vehicle for Blood Wicked’s more inventive sex scenes. (Remember, these two can’t have sex more than once in a conventional manner, and her succubus requirements have her clawing at the walls.)
Heath isn’t the only one interested in Vivienne. As one vampire after another comes at her to steal power, another darker player works to provoke Heath into unleashing the curse.
In addition to toe-curling sex scenes, Blood Wicked has strong character development and a good life-or-death mystery subplot.
Plus, you know, sexy vampires.
Blood Wicked is a dirty, dirty historical paranormal romance. It’s also remarkably engaging with characters worth caring about.
It’s also a book I kept close to my chest lest my husband catch a paragraph or two over my shoulder and I’d be forced to explain why I was engrossed in a passage featuring Regency-era sex toys. (OK, the heat level is so intense there’d be no question as to why I was wrapped up, then spent after that detailed scene.)
A former courtesan, Vivienne just wants to take care of her sick daughter. Only one apothecary will make her the medicine for her teen, but the owner makes her pay by seducing men. Not long afterward those men die. Heath is sent by the vampire council to find the succubus killing his kind. Though, he’s dividing his time searching for his brother.
Heath has an instant attraction to Vivienne, but a curse keeps him from being able to make love to the same woman more than once. She doesn’t know she’s a succubus or that she’s been stealing the life force of these men, but as Heath provokes her into needing he has to give in to sating her.
Vivienne, while a strong woman, feels inadequate. She worries her daughter’s chances for finding a good husband are hindered simply because she’s a courtesan’s daughter. Heath does everything he can think of to show Vivienne he sees her as a beautiful woman of worth with more class than most noblewomen. She’s never thought about sex as something that could be about her enjoyment, and he uses that as the gateway to illustrating his intentions to put her first.
As the two fall for one another, Heath’s goal to improve Vivienne’s view of herself is the plot vehicle for Blood Wicked’s more inventive sex scenes. (Remember, these two can’t have sex more than once in a conventional manner, and her succubus requirements have her clawing at the walls.)
Heath isn’t the only one interested in Vivienne. As one vampire after another comes at her to steal power, another darker player works to provoke Heath into unleashing the curse.
In addition to toe-curling sex scenes, Blood Wicked has strong character development and a good life-or-death mystery subplot.
Plus, you know, sexy vampires.
luminary's review
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.0
First, I want to address the plot. Erotica and mystery! That was an interesting genre combination to me, and it had me reading more in the first few chapters. But it went down hill so fast. It became clear the vampire aspect was a prop to speed along the issues in the story. One of the most prominent examples was whenever Heath fought someone, he'd always one up them, and even he would act somewhat surprised in his internal thoughts over what happened. Another example is when they were running to get to Nikolai, he was somehow conveniently waiting at the end of the tunnel they happened to be running down?
Next, Vivienne. She's introduced to us as someone who knows and understands the desires of men. So, you would expect someone experienced with sex, right? No. So wrong. The woman acted shy about anal, and was confused anyone would ever do that! I'm sorry, but if she knows about the desires of all the men in London, then I refuse to believe she never once had this come up with the men she slept with. She even got flustered over the thought of a threesome. The summary for this book is a complete lie.
The curse? The one where Heath can't have sex with a woman twice? That was a lie. These two had sex in every single way possible just without PIV sex twice. Being fucked up the ass is still sex! I refuse to believe a demon would give the green light to all these sexual activities. None of this was believable in a narrative sense.
And this leads me to the topic of sex in this novel. Okay, he's a vampire, It's off-putting, but I'll accept him 'roaring' and 'screaming' when he cums. But I cannot by any means believe this man has a self lubricating asshole. You cannot just sit down hard on a dildo and be okay! The thought alone had me cringing in pain, but Vivienne found it hot? Speaking of Vivienne, she needs to get tested for some STDs, ASAP. Bubbling 'cunnies' (this book is British, so it uses British sex slang) is NOT healthy or normal. It is NOT healthy or normal to have a creamy discharge when all you're doing is pleasuring yourself with a dildo.
The author has also used so many odd phrases and wordings when describing sex. Some highlights: "Her nipples adored him." Heath got an erection so fast it "slapped him in the gut." Referring to dildos almost exlcusively as a "gewgaw." When Vivienne gives Heath a blowjob, she "gobbles him up," but not before teasing his "little eye" (aka the pee hole). Assholes do not "blossom open" for anyone.
In online writing spaces, we often have a term that adequately sums up this type of novel and that is PWP - porn without plot/plot? What plot. But, even still. I expected the characters to act like genuine people and not sex addicts. A man about to die is NOT going to think about sexual fantasies; he's more than likely going to reflect over his life and plea for some form of salvation. But it's treated as what any man does. Any man in a near death experience is going to delve into sexual fantasies.
I could go on and on, but... I'm going to stop now.
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