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gracereadsforlove's review against another edition
4.0
Reread 2023:
Okay, I find Rowan not as annoying this time around.
I don't know why I forgot but Rowan is actually one of those gifted badass fighter heroines that I usually favor. She is the Vessel of the Goddess Brigid so she has supernatural powers/gifts, plus she was trained and raised by the leader of the Vampires himself, who is her foster father, so she's an expert in Vampires. Her role as a Hunter is more like an enforcer - she hunts vampires who broke the treaty or killed humans. She's very mouthy, crass, and sarcastic. Despite being prickly, she is not the loner type. She actually has friends and cares about others. She doesn't let anyone walk over her and I think that's the best part.
Clive, the new Scion of Las Vegas ever since Rowan killed the last one, is an a-hole especially when they first met. I enjoyed how she goads him and gives him verbal slaps from time to time. He's made some stupid mistakes in this book so I don't really have a high opinion of him right now.
He's a vamp while she's the vamp police so they have a forbidden relationship going on and I also liked the powerful-connections angle that this book has for Rowan.
The writing is okay but the plot and Rowan's personality is enough to keep me reading. Adding 1 star back to my rating.
Reread 2021:
I don't know why I gave this 4 stars because dang, Rowan is annoying. I'm taking 1 star off.
Okay, I find Rowan not as annoying this time around.
I don't know why I forgot but Rowan is actually one of those gifted badass fighter heroines that I usually favor. She is the Vessel of the Goddess Brigid so she has supernatural powers/gifts, plus she was trained and raised by the leader of the Vampires himself, who is her foster father, so she's an expert in Vampires. Her role as a Hunter is more like an enforcer - she hunts vampires who broke the treaty or killed humans. She's very mouthy, crass, and sarcastic. Despite being prickly, she is not the loner type. She actually has friends and cares about others. She doesn't let anyone walk over her and I think that's the best part.
Clive, the new Scion of Las Vegas ever since Rowan killed the last one, is an a-hole especially when they first met. I enjoyed how she goads him and gives him verbal slaps from time to time. He's made some stupid mistakes in this book so I don't really have a high opinion of him right now.
He's a vamp while she's the vamp police so they have a forbidden relationship going on and I also liked the powerful-connections angle that this book has for Rowan.
The writing is okay but the plot and Rowan's personality is enough to keep me reading. Adding 1 star back to my rating.
Reread 2021:
I don't know why I gave this 4 stars because dang, Rowan is annoying. I'm taking 1 star off.
leabookjoy's review
adventurous
funny
mysterious
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.5
French & English reviews
Le premier tome d'une série d'urban fantasy qui m'a agréablement surprise !
En pleine panne livresque malgré des livres très alléchants que j'attendais depuis longtemps, j'ai décidé de retourner à mes premiers amours (alias les vampires) et c'est comme ça que je suis tombée sur cette série ... Et ça a été une très bonne surprise !
Ce que j'ai particulièrement aimé :
- l'univers ! Je dois avouer qu'au début, j'ai trouvé ça complexe à suivre parce qu'on a l'impression d'arriver au milieu du livre mais petit à petit, on découvre un univers bien codifié avec des Vampires bien flippants, des chasseurs sanguinaires et une touche de mythologie celtique bien sympa =D
- l'intrigue qui était passionnante ! J'ai beaucoup aimé suivre l'enquête de Rowan et j'avoue que je m'attendais pas à certains retournements de situation qui m'ont passionnée jusqu'à la fin ! Le passé de Rowan est également très intriguant et j'ai hâte d'en apprendre plus (surtout que j'ai un faible pour son Vater =))
- les personnages ! Rowan m'a un peu fait penser à Kate Daniels dans les premiers tomes pour son côté badass un peu froide mais au fil du livre, on en découvre un peu plus sur elle et j'ai adoré voir sa vulnérabilité derrière sa force et son sens aigu de la justice !
Clive m'a surprise parce que je m'attendais à un cliché vampire de mâle alpha autoritaire super puissant et en réalité pas du tout ! Oui c'est un vampire super puissant mais c'est aussi quelqu'un d'humain et d'imparfait sans se sentir obligé d'être "le mâle" ou de fuir ses sentiments parce qu'il sait ce qu'il veut et surtout il comprend Rowan et l'accepte pour qui elle est ... Ce que j'ai beaucoup apprécié !
Les personnages secondaires sont également intéressants et j'ai hâte de les découvrir plus en détails, comme Thena notamment mais aussi Theo !
- la romance ... Je dois avouer au début j'étais hyper dubitative surtout qu'ils couchent ensemble au bout de deux minutes ... Mais finalement, c'est un peu une romance à rebours >< Ils commencent par le sexe du style "ennemis à amants" pour finalement évoluer vers un certain respect, une confiance puis finalement des sentiments ... Et j'ai beaucoup aimé voir leur relation évoluer et dépasser le stade de l'insta-lust !
Bref, un premier tome que j'ai dévoré et qui m'a complétement aspiré ! Je vais lire les prochains tomes avec plaisir !
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
The first book of an urban fantasy series which pleasantly surprised me !
In the middle of a bookish breakdown despite very tempting books that I had been waiting for a long time, I decided to return to my first loves (aka vampires) and that's how I came across this series ... And that was was a very good surprise !
What I particularly liked :
- the universe ! I must admit that at the beginning, I found it complex to follow because we have the impression of arriving in the middle of the book but little by little, we discover a well-codified universe with very creepy Vampires, bloodthirsty Hunters and a nice touch of Celtic mythology =D
- the plot which was fascinating ! I really enjoyed following Rowan's investigation and I have to admit that I wasn't expecting certain twists and turns that fascinated me until the end ! Rowan's past is also very intriguing and I can't wait to learn more (especially since I have a soft spot for her Vater =))
- the characters ! Rowan reminded me a little of Kate Daniels in the first books for her somewhat cold badass side but as the book progresses, we discover a little more about her and I loved seeing her vulnerability behind her strength and her keen sense of justice !
Clive surprised me because I was expecting a vampire cliché of a super powerful authoritarian alpha male and in reality not at all ! Yes he is a super powerful vampire but he is also someone human and imperfect without feeling obliged to be "the male" or to run away from his feelings because he knows what he wants and above all he understands Rowan and accepts her for who she is ... Which I really appreciated !
The secondary characters are also interesting and I can't wait to discover them in more detail, like Thena in particular but also Theo !
- the romance ... I must admit at first I was very doubtful, especially since they slept together after two minutes of meeting ... But ultimately, it's a bit of a romance in reverse >< They start with "enemies to lovers" sex and eventually evolve into a certain respect, trust and finally feelings ... And I really enjoyed seeing their relationship evolve and go beyond the insta-lust stage !
In short, a first book that I devoured and which completely sucked me in ! I will read the next books with pleasure !
Le premier tome d'une série d'urban fantasy qui m'a agréablement surprise !
En pleine panne livresque malgré des livres très alléchants que j'attendais depuis longtemps, j'ai décidé de retourner à mes premiers amours (alias les vampires) et c'est comme ça que je suis tombée sur cette série ... Et ça a été une très bonne surprise !
Ce que j'ai particulièrement aimé :
- l'univers ! Je dois avouer qu'au début, j'ai trouvé ça complexe à suivre parce qu'on a l'impression d'arriver au milieu du livre mais petit à petit, on découvre un univers bien codifié avec des Vampires bien flippants, des chasseurs sanguinaires et une touche de mythologie celtique bien sympa =D
- l'intrigue qui était passionnante ! J'ai beaucoup aimé suivre l'enquête de Rowan et j'avoue que je m'attendais pas à certains retournements de situation qui m'ont passionnée jusqu'à la fin ! Le passé de Rowan est également très intriguant et j'ai hâte d'en apprendre plus (surtout que j'ai un faible pour son Vater =))
- les personnages ! Rowan m'a un peu fait penser à Kate Daniels dans les premiers tomes pour son côté badass un peu froide mais au fil du livre, on en découvre un peu plus sur elle et j'ai adoré voir sa vulnérabilité derrière sa force et son sens aigu de la justice !
Clive m'a surprise parce que je m'attendais à un cliché vampire de mâle alpha autoritaire super puissant et en réalité pas du tout ! Oui c'est un vampire super puissant mais c'est aussi quelqu'un d'humain et d'imparfait sans se sentir obligé d'être "le mâle" ou de fuir ses sentiments parce qu'il sait ce qu'il veut et surtout il comprend Rowan et l'accepte pour qui elle est ... Ce que j'ai beaucoup apprécié !
Les personnages secondaires sont également intéressants et j'ai hâte de les découvrir plus en détails, comme Thena notamment mais aussi Theo !
- la romance ... Je dois avouer au début j'étais hyper dubitative surtout qu'ils couchent ensemble au bout de deux minutes ... Mais finalement, c'est un peu une romance à rebours >< Ils commencent par le sexe du style "ennemis à amants" pour finalement évoluer vers un certain respect, une confiance puis finalement des sentiments ... Et j'ai beaucoup aimé voir leur relation évoluer et dépasser le stade de l'insta-lust !
Bref, un premier tome que j'ai dévoré et qui m'a complétement aspiré ! Je vais lire les prochains tomes avec plaisir !
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
The first book of an urban fantasy series which pleasantly surprised me !
In the middle of a bookish breakdown despite very tempting books that I had been waiting for a long time, I decided to return to my first loves (aka vampires) and that's how I came across this series ... And that was was a very good surprise !
What I particularly liked :
- the universe ! I must admit that at the beginning, I found it complex to follow because we have the impression of arriving in the middle of the book but little by little, we discover a well-codified universe with very creepy Vampires, bloodthirsty Hunters and a nice touch of Celtic mythology =D
- the plot which was fascinating ! I really enjoyed following Rowan's investigation and I have to admit that I wasn't expecting certain twists and turns that fascinated me until the end ! Rowan's past is also very intriguing and I can't wait to learn more (especially since I have a soft spot for her Vater =))
- the characters ! Rowan reminded me a little of Kate Daniels in the first books for her somewhat cold badass side but as the book progresses, we discover a little more about her and I loved seeing her vulnerability behind her strength and her keen sense of justice !
Clive surprised me because I was expecting a vampire cliché of a super powerful authoritarian alpha male and in reality not at all ! Yes he is a super powerful vampire but he is also someone human and imperfect without feeling obliged to be "the male" or to run away from his feelings because he knows what he wants and above all he understands Rowan and accepts her for who she is ... Which I really appreciated !
The secondary characters are also interesting and I can't wait to discover them in more detail, like Thena in particular but also Theo !
- the romance ... I must admit at first I was very doubtful, especially since they slept together after two minutes of meeting ... But ultimately, it's a bit of a romance in reverse >< They start with "enemies to lovers" sex and eventually evolve into a certain respect, trust and finally feelings ... And I really enjoyed seeing their relationship evolve and go beyond the insta-lust stage !
In short, a first book that I devoured and which completely sucked me in ! I will read the next books with pleasure !
hollsbooks's review
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
4.0
bookloverchelle's review against another edition
4.0
Such an amazing start to a great new series from Lauren Dane. Rowan Summerwaite is a one woman law force containing the vampires of Las Vegas and keeping them to their treaty, making sure they do not kill humans. When the new Scion, Clive, comes to Vegas Rowan wastes no time letting him know that she accepts nothing less than compliance. The attraction between them is almost instant but they know that the loyalties they hold make any kind of attraction hard to act on. When a powerful vampire begins to viciously kill humans and leave their bodies for the police to find, Rowan and Clive are in a race against time to find this powerful entity and keep the existence of vampires hidden. Really great, sexy read with an extremely kickass heroine. I’m really excited about the continuation of this series!
ameretet's review against another edition
2.0
I'm 90% sure she fell on his junk and that was the first sex scene.
shannon_cocktailsandbooks's review against another edition
3.0
This is a hard one to write. So much happened in the book (which at times I’m still scratching my head over) and I really, really wanted to love this book, that I’m torn as to what I should put on the page.
Rowan Summerwaite works for the Hunter Corporation, which is a policing force to ensure Vampires are remaining within the confines of the treaty. If that weren’t enough, she’s also the vessel for the Goddess Brigid.
Rowan doesn’t take any crap from anyone. She’s tough and she will rip you to shreds if she needs to. She’s extremely loyal to her very small group of friends, but is constantly torn between what she feels she’s duty bound to do and those humans she counts as her friends that can’t know all that she is.
Clive Stewart is the new Scion (aka Vampire boss) of the Las Vegas “nest”. He’s British and at 400+ years old, tends to be on the stuffy side. He’s equally drawn and repulsed by Rowan, but the drawn part tends to beat out the repulsed part. He fights all of this while trying to turn around the nest that is recovering from the last Scion, who Rowan dispatched.
While these two dance around each other, Rowan starts investigating a couple murders that involve woman who had a meth addiction. She’s convinced it’s a vampire and vows to ensure the vampire is brought to justice (by her trusty blade). Things start to hit a little close to home when her good friend (and ex-boyfriend) Jack’s on again/off again girlfriend goes missing.
Rowan must find a way to track the killer, deal with her developing feelings for sexy Clive, meet with the vampire foster father she ran away from years before, all while having to perform a Goddess ritual in Ireland on her birthday.
I’m hoping this will turn into a series, because there were so many items that were just left out there. We’ve got the issues with Jack, how will the relationship between Rowan and Clive be accepted, what will happen now that Rowan is officially the Liaison and let's not forget the whole vessel thing?
I’m giving this a 3.5 Cocktails, because I did like it (I just really wanted to love it). I’m hoping Lauren Dane will write another book in the series. This one, at least to me, definitely set us up for one.
Rowan Summerwaite works for the Hunter Corporation, which is a policing force to ensure Vampires are remaining within the confines of the treaty. If that weren’t enough, she’s also the vessel for the Goddess Brigid.
Rowan doesn’t take any crap from anyone. She’s tough and she will rip you to shreds if she needs to. She’s extremely loyal to her very small group of friends, but is constantly torn between what she feels she’s duty bound to do and those humans she counts as her friends that can’t know all that she is.
Clive Stewart is the new Scion (aka Vampire boss) of the Las Vegas “nest”. He’s British and at 400+ years old, tends to be on the stuffy side. He’s equally drawn and repulsed by Rowan, but the drawn part tends to beat out the repulsed part. He fights all of this while trying to turn around the nest that is recovering from the last Scion, who Rowan dispatched.
While these two dance around each other, Rowan starts investigating a couple murders that involve woman who had a meth addiction. She’s convinced it’s a vampire and vows to ensure the vampire is brought to justice (by her trusty blade). Things start to hit a little close to home when her good friend (and ex-boyfriend) Jack’s on again/off again girlfriend goes missing.
Rowan must find a way to track the killer, deal with her developing feelings for sexy Clive, meet with the vampire foster father she ran away from years before, all while having to perform a Goddess ritual in Ireland on her birthday.
I’m hoping this will turn into a series, because there were so many items that were just left out there. We’ve got the issues with Jack, how will the relationship between Rowan and Clive be accepted, what will happen now that Rowan is officially the Liaison and let's not forget the whole vessel thing?
I’m giving this a 3.5 Cocktails, because I did like it (I just really wanted to love it). I’m hoping Lauren Dane will write another book in the series. This one, at least to me, definitely set us up for one.
lynseyisreading's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoyed this. I've never read this author before but will be checking out her back catalogue after this.
I kind of wish this could become a series as there were several characters that I would be interested in seeing again. It felt like it should be book one of a series. Especially with how the book ended.
The lead character, Rowan, was delightful in a fantastically bitchy, smartass kind of way. Just my kind of girl. I'd definitely like to read more about her, too.
I recommend this book to all urban fantasy lovers. It was funny, had some romance and a good mystery to solve. I give it 4.5 stars.
I kind of wish this could become a series as there were several characters that I would be interested in seeing again. It felt like it should be book one of a series. Especially with how the book ended.
The lead character, Rowan, was delightful in a fantastically bitchy, smartass kind of way. Just my kind of girl. I'd definitely like to read more about her, too.
I recommend this book to all urban fantasy lovers. It was funny, had some romance and a good mystery to solve. I give it 4.5 stars.
holl3640's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
mojostdennis's review against another edition
2.0
I think this might be a pretty good paranormal romance book, but I'm pretty sure I just don't like paranormal romance.