Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.35 AVERAGE
3.35 AVERAGE
An Unexpected great find. Why do I say that ? This was a free offering and usually the free books are rough and seldom lead to anything better. Yeh, How negative of me, but it has proven true. Okay moving on, this book broke that pattern.
The story was well developed, with believable backstories and characters I want to know better. vampires, werewolves, djinns, dragons and so much more, living in a town together. There was never a dull moment, it stayed steady. Why only 3 stars ? Don't laugh, there was too much sex. Yup I went there, call me a prude if you like. The story was just so good on it's own it didn't need all the sexual activities. It took me out of the story, and stuck me in their bed, or in their head thinking what they wanted to do. I just wanted them to hurry it along so I could get back to the djinn or the werewolves or the town where the actions was stalled waiting for them to finish. I also didn't care for her therapy plan it was weirdly placed in the story I thought. Not a fan of BDSM, and that could be the root of it.
I have heard great things about the rest of the series and plan to keep going. I loved this this para-world the author created. The dragon brothers are next :P
The story was well developed, with believable backstories and characters I want to know better. vampires, werewolves, djinns, dragons and so much more, living in a town together. There was never a dull moment, it stayed steady. Why only 3 stars ? Don't laugh, there was too much sex. Yup I went there, call me a prude if you like. The story was just so good on it's own it didn't need all the sexual activities. It took me out of the story, and stuck me in their bed, or in their head thinking what they wanted to do. I just wanted them to hurry it along so I could get back to the djinn or the werewolves or the town where the actions was stalled waiting for them to finish. I also didn't care for her therapy plan it was weirdly placed in the story I thought. Not a fan of BDSM, and that could be the root of it.
I have heard great things about the rest of the series and plan to keep going. I loved this this para-world the author created. The dragon brothers are next :P
dark
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence
Minor: Death of parent
I got the second book of this series for free, so I thought I would give this one one more try. But I still had the same feelings about it. While the plot was interesting in parts it moved so quickly it was hard to get invested into it. But my main problem was BDSM. Can’t imagine it really works this way. It looked a very unhealthy way of dealing with trauma.
My Viking Vampire is about a woman named Bailey who randomly meets a sexy vampire guy, Erick Thorson, and falls madly in love with him in the span of like, an hour. Also, her violent ex-husband is following her, as well as some supernatural being. Exciting!
To be honest, I can't believe I actually finished this one. I'm not sure if I regret it.
See, I usually read these kinds of books to relax. All I am looking for is some serotonin and some entertainment. However, My Viking Vampire just made me irrationally angry for a number of reason. Here's a handy list of some of those reasons:
1. Let's start with the writing style first. It's just a little weird. Sometimes, things (and I'm specifically referring to the attacks on Bailey here) just happen without any build-up. No foreshadowing, nothing quite leading up to them. Blink and you'll miss them. Bailey goes from getting dressed in the morning to almost dying in a heartbeat.
Yes, I know these scenes are meant to be shocking / surprising but they actually contradict the world building. Sanctuary is supposed to be a relatively safe place, full of magic and protective wards. Still, nobody sees this evil human (!) ex-husband coming? After Bailey mentioned his evilness a bunch of times? After she expresses the fear that he could follow her here?
2. Speaking of Sanctuary: Its inhabitants are surprisingly boring. They all follow the same basic formula:
Kind of supernatural being + function in the town + how much they wanna sleep with / kill / protect Bailey = Character.
Erick is by far the worst offender here, since we're also forced to spend a lot of time with him. He never changes, he always stays the same. Honestly, he has the personality of a cardboard box. His main defining features are his love (?) for Bailey, the fact that he's a vampire and... I guess he's also really into BDSM. Other than that, there's not much going on with him. Character development? I don't know her.
3. And this leads me to my next point. The BDSM thing. Yeah. That kinda plays a huge role. Bailey is immensely traumatized by the things that her ex-husband put her through. She's especially afraid of the sound of whips and the feeling of being restrained. To Erick's credit, he never quite forces her to engage in any kind of bondage or other forms of kinky sex with him. However, BDSM is seems to be such a huge part of his identity that living a life without appears to be at least a bit of problem and he deals with this in a strange way.
He (gently) pushes Bailey to try things out with him, claiming that this is a way of working through her fears. But if this is really a form of therapy... why must it have something to do with sex? Bailey never openly talks about what her ex did to her, she hints at things, yes, she gives Erick some details but he never quite hears the whole story. She repeatedly tells him that she's not ready and that she might never be ready to engage in any kind of kink with him. He just ignores that part in the end, asking her again and again to "play" with him until she finally says yes.
Is this safe? Shouldn't she talk to someone who could actually help her first, someone professional? I just feel as if there were a lot of better ways to handle this part of the story but I'd be happy to be educated by someone who knows more about trauma than I do.
4. My last thought: There's not much love in this book but a lot of lust. The pacing of the romance is ridiculous, Bailey and Erick never get to know each other. They mostly express their love by having sex and sudden feelings of arousal when they look at each other. And this is fine, don't get me wrong! A healthy sex life is a wonderful thing! But these two are effectively strangers. It would have been nice to see them growing closer, maybe even going on dates. Doing anything that doesn't involve sex or waiting to have sex.
All in all, My Viking Vampire just bored me a bit. Interesting things (e.g. Bailey turning into a vampire) usually happen off-screen. The initially interesting setting quickly becomes a bit confusing and / or tedious (Yeah, I didn't really care about the process of food production, sorry). I could go on and on about all the tiny details that bothered me but I think I've said enough at this point.
This was, obviously, not my cup of tea. But let's imagine you're not really interested in plot at all and just wanna read the smut parts. I guess in this case this could be a decent read!
To be honest, I can't believe I actually finished this one. I'm not sure if I regret it.
See, I usually read these kinds of books to relax. All I am looking for is some serotonin and some entertainment. However, My Viking Vampire just made me irrationally angry for a number of reason. Here's a handy list of some of those reasons:
1. Let's start with the writing style first. It's just a little weird. Sometimes, things (and I'm specifically referring to the attacks on Bailey here) just happen without any build-up. No foreshadowing, nothing quite leading up to them. Blink and you'll miss them. Bailey goes from getting dressed in the morning to almost dying in a heartbeat.
Yes, I know these scenes are meant to be shocking / surprising but they actually contradict the world building. Sanctuary is supposed to be a relatively safe place, full of magic and protective wards. Still, nobody sees this evil human (!) ex-husband coming? After Bailey mentioned his evilness a bunch of times? After she expresses the fear that he could follow her here?
2. Speaking of Sanctuary: Its inhabitants are surprisingly boring. They all follow the same basic formula:
Kind of supernatural being + function in the town + how much they wanna sleep with / kill / protect Bailey = Character.
Erick is by far the worst offender here, since we're also forced to spend a lot of time with him. He never changes, he always stays the same. Honestly, he has the personality of a cardboard box. His main defining features are his love (?) for Bailey, the fact that he's a vampire and... I guess he's also really into BDSM. Other than that, there's not much going on with him. Character development? I don't know her.
3. And this leads me to my next point. The BDSM thing. Yeah. That kinda plays a huge role. Bailey is immensely traumatized by the things that her ex-husband put her through. She's especially afraid of the sound of whips and the feeling of being restrained. To Erick's credit, he never quite forces her to engage in any kind of bondage or other forms of kinky sex with him. However, BDSM is seems to be such a huge part of his identity that living a life without appears to be at least a bit of problem and he deals with this in a strange way.
He (gently) pushes Bailey to try things out with him, claiming that this is a way of working through her fears. But if this is really a form of therapy... why must it have something to do with sex? Bailey never openly talks about what her ex did to her, she hints at things, yes, she gives Erick some details but he never quite hears the whole story. She repeatedly tells him that she's not ready and that she might never be ready to engage in any kind of kink with him. He just ignores that part in the end, asking her again and again to "play" with him until she finally says yes.
Is this safe? Shouldn't she talk to someone who could actually help her first, someone professional? I just feel as if there were a lot of better ways to handle this part of the story but I'd be happy to be educated by someone who knows more about trauma than I do.
4. My last thought: There's not much love in this book but a lot of lust. The pacing of the romance is ridiculous, Bailey and Erick never get to know each other. They mostly express their love by having sex and sudden feelings of arousal when they look at each other. And this is fine, don't get me wrong! A healthy sex life is a wonderful thing! But these two are effectively strangers. It would have been nice to see them growing closer, maybe even going on dates. Doing anything that doesn't involve sex or waiting to have sex.
All in all, My Viking Vampire just bored me a bit. Interesting things (e.g. Bailey turning into a vampire) usually happen off-screen. The initially interesting setting quickly becomes a bit confusing and / or tedious (Yeah, I didn't really care about the process of food production, sorry). I could go on and on about all the tiny details that bothered me but I think I've said enough at this point.
This was, obviously, not my cup of tea. But let's imagine you're not really interested in plot at all and just wanna read the smut parts. I guess in this case this could be a decent read!
Interesting world
Book was a pretty easy read. I liked the Sanctuary. Their world seemed much like other supernatural books, however in this one the sups got along.
Book was a pretty easy read. I liked the Sanctuary. Their world seemed much like other supernatural books, however in this one the sups got along.
I enjoyed this book. The future is a scary place if women have no rights and men are all powerful! The whole falling for a guy in a matter of hours is doubtful but the story flows well and you look forward to a happy ending.
dark
funny
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Bailey Ross’ world is crumbling around her. Her abusive ex, a human, is closing in on her again, and to make matters worse, a new enemy, a djinn, is stalking her. This supernatural being takes great pleasure in human pain, something Bailey has in excess thanks to her ex. If she’s caught by either, she’s as good as dead.
Backed into a corner and desperate to escape, she does something she swore wouldn’t ever be possible again –trusting a man. And he’s a vampire.
Protection via the sexy vampire Erick Thorson may prove to be a little more than she bargained for. Sparks fly between them and she finds herself agreeing to more than just protection. Though he has promised not to let anyone harm her, the small west Texas town is more than it seems and he may not be able to make good on his vow no matter how hard he tries.
Will Sanctuary be the home Bailey longs for or will she have to die to find out?
Rating: 3/5 Penguins
Quick Reasons: interesting premise; random POV shift at the very end?!; definite sense of insta-love; interesting exploration of BDSM and boundaries; some heavy, mature themes; the audiobook of this was entertaining and fun; intriguing, well-rounded characters
Okay, penguins. I am, once again, TRYING to read more books via my EARS and not my eyes. Therefore, this review will also include my thoughts on the audiobook, because...YAY audible listening!
Can I just take a moment to rant a little bit? Because... this book? Had a sudden POV shift at the very end, and it drove me absolutely BONKERS. Don't get me wrong, okay. Sudden POV shifts are the best surprises ever sometimes--but...at the end of a book? Randomly? With seemingly no true purpose behind it? That just bothers me. In this instance, Erick's POV I could have done without honestly. The language was different, his thoughts were a lot more...crude? and I just couldn't get into his character. I'm not sure what it was, exactly, but something about him bugged me, and being thrust so suddenly into his head for only a few short pages did nothing for me but make my thoughts on this book drop a bit. It felt like Krystal Shannan switched up the language--made it harsher, more graphic, more crude--to make it fit her idea of what men think about...and that didn't work for me. At all.
"Wolves are like that. They develop attachments quickly and are very protective. When he realized you would be staying in town, you became a part of the pack, so to speak."
Aside from that, I had fun listening to this audiobook! While the characters and plot felt a bit flat at times, there was plenty of action both in and out of the bedroom--though I admit I was much more into the action OUTSIDE of the bedroom than in it. Something about these characters just didn't mesh well with me. Bailey, while scarred emotionally from an abusive past relationship, seemed TOO open--until it came to exploring BDSM. Erick, on the other hand... while his accent was sexy, I couldn't get a real great sense of "him" from the read. This led to me not really being able to properly form a connection to the characters, or to truly believe them as a couple. Still, the read was entertaining, and Bailey had a few awesome moments of snark. A few of the other characters also stood out in my mind, and I'm curious to see if Krystal Shannan reintroduces them later in the series.
"Erick Thorson, take your tongue out of her mouth and get her into a proper bed before you spread her across the counter next to the cash register."
I was a bit disappointed in the "insta-love" aspect of this read, though I suppose I should have expected it. Also, Bailey seemed like some sort of drug for the supernaturals--they all wanted her?! Which made close to zero sense to me, because...I mean...why would they all be fighting over ONE girl? The fact that she later has a sort of "special snowflake" destiny just irked me further. Authors, I promise, the world's not going to end if your character isn't the most perfect of perfect of perrrrrfect! The fact that there was very little explanation to or exploration of this theme in the book... Well, needless to say I sort of shoved that information to the back of my head until writing this review. So, yeah--that happened, too.
Overall, though, this was an entertaining book to listen to. There were some sort of steamy moments, I loved that BDSM was explored in a safe and consenting manner, and the characters were intriguing enough that I'm interested in picking up the next book in the series (which is good, because it's already on my Kindle shelves). I'd recommend this to lovers of steamy reads, paranormal/supernatural elements, and a few heavy-handed subjects. This was a walk on the supernatural side, penguins; maybe you should see what the fuss is about!
3.5
I give this a 3.5
The plot was good, but the writing seemed a bit...underdeveloped. There were 2 points in the story that the author contradicted herself but they weren't too big an issue.
I did like the world the author created and the variety of creatures she introduces
I don't plan on continuing the series though
I give this a 3.5
The plot was good, but the writing seemed a bit...underdeveloped. There were 2 points in the story that the author contradicted herself but they weren't too big an issue.
I did like the world the author created and the variety of creatures she introduces
I don't plan on continuing the series though