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A review by paperbackstash
A Kiss of Blood: A Vamp City Novel by Pamela Palmer
3.0
Even though I didn’t wow and wed myself to the first book, it’s pages still filled my mind with a unique, chilling alternate world full of villains on every street corner. The ending was an especially powerful push to continue the series with a secretive change coming over the devilishly dark Arturo.
Unfortunately this somewhat sanitized sequel dampened the original’s spark. There’s a lot of emotional drama and the sexual tension doesn’t strike me as believable. Think of historical romances where they accidentally touch each other and lightning strikes. There was a scene in the middle where this especially annoyed me (pre-drink) where she gets uncontrollably turned on just by touching his back slightly in a room full of people. All of this was during a dangerous time where they’re not supposed to show any interest in each other. I mean, seriously – are you a mindless animal? The saving grace of this soon is it soon actually gets twisted and hot.
Pacing is slightly lackluster since much time is spent discussing consequences of the ‘big bad’ catching them and a massive villain fight, but that doesn’t even happen in this book. Thankfully the book gets better within the last 60 pages or so, but reading up to that point wasn’t an enjoyable as it should have been. Cliffhangers should be handled delicately, and this one’s TV season finale form was a turn off. The abrupt cut off is just strange and frustrating.
Arturo was a sexy, flawed guy in the original. Now in order to redeem him and make him more classically likeable, the author has stripped him of his mysterious nature, making him more generic to the masses. Now he resembles about every Tom, Dick and Harry out there in Paranormal Romance. He spends most of the book trying to prove himself to Quinn. At least in the first book, where he was half hero but half villain, I was kept on the edge of my seat. Quinn is likeable, although her obsessive caring about her brother is a bit hollow. Watching her discover and develop her newfound abilities intrigued me. I did adore the newcomer vampire friend.
The clichéd Paranormal Romance elements have been upped, and the tone is less dark. The werewolf scene was particularly brutal, though – mean, nasty, nasty creatures. I do totally dig the author’s invented world and the differences between Emoras and the rippers. Awesome imagination.
Overall this book disappointed me. It’s still a chilling, dark tale, but it’s less so than before and the stakes aren’t set as high. Sensual scenes are hot enough but the hero lacks as much of a mysterious aura and doesn’t deliver as much excitement. Besides ending on a big cliffhanger, this second book doesn’t even really propel the main story.
Unfortunately this somewhat sanitized sequel dampened the original’s spark. There’s a lot of emotional drama and the sexual tension doesn’t strike me as believable. Think of historical romances where they accidentally touch each other and lightning strikes. There was a scene in the middle where this especially annoyed me (pre-drink) where she gets uncontrollably turned on just by touching his back slightly in a room full of people. All of this was during a dangerous time where they’re not supposed to show any interest in each other. I mean, seriously – are you a mindless animal? The saving grace of this soon is it soon actually gets twisted and hot.
Pacing is slightly lackluster since much time is spent discussing consequences of the ‘big bad’ catching them and a massive villain fight, but that doesn’t even happen in this book. Thankfully the book gets better within the last 60 pages or so, but reading up to that point wasn’t an enjoyable as it should have been. Cliffhangers should be handled delicately, and this one’s TV season finale form was a turn off. The abrupt cut off is just strange and frustrating.
Arturo was a sexy, flawed guy in the original. Now in order to redeem him and make him more classically likeable, the author has stripped him of his mysterious nature, making him more generic to the masses. Now he resembles about every Tom, Dick and Harry out there in Paranormal Romance. He spends most of the book trying to prove himself to Quinn. At least in the first book, where he was half hero but half villain, I was kept on the edge of my seat. Quinn is likeable, although her obsessive caring about her brother is a bit hollow. Watching her discover and develop her newfound abilities intrigued me. I did adore the newcomer vampire friend.
The clichéd Paranormal Romance elements have been upped, and the tone is less dark. The werewolf scene was particularly brutal, though – mean, nasty, nasty creatures. I do totally dig the author’s invented world and the differences between Emoras and the rippers. Awesome imagination.
Overall this book disappointed me. It’s still a chilling, dark tale, but it’s less so than before and the stakes aren’t set as high. Sensual scenes are hot enough but the hero lacks as much of a mysterious aura and doesn’t deliver as much excitement. Besides ending on a big cliffhanger, this second book doesn’t even really propel the main story.