[Siren Classic Erotic Alternative Paranormal Romance, M/M, vampires, HEA] Hoping to reignite their rocky romance, geeky IT tech Benjamin Kempler goes out of his comfort zone to buy a sexy Valentine for his boyfriend. But before the big day arrives, he gets dumped by a text message and it looks like he'll be spending another Valentine's Day on his own. Ben decides to make a life-changing move. Instead of suffering V-Day depression alone in Los Angeles, Ben will be suffering culture shock in London where he relocates for a new start. Sexy Welshman Rhys Wynn welcomes Ben into his hostel--and his bed. They share a strong connection, but Ben backs off. He would rather spend Valentine's Day alone than risk another broken heart. Rhys knows they belong together, but his secret prevents him from pursuing the young American. He's a vampyre who's already lost one soul mate, and he won't risk Ben's life. Can love conquer all, or will history repeat itself? This book was previously published with another publisher and has been extensively revised and expanded. ** A Siren Erotic Romance
Gale Stanley grew up in Philadelphia PA. She was the kid who always had her nose in a book, her head in the clouds, and her hands on a pad and pencil. Some things never change.
We have all heard the saying that love bites and at times it truly does; especially after being dumped via text message. Love could still be around the corner though and maybe this time it will work if his new love can let go of the fear of losing a soul mate again. This is a great short read that you keep you entertained.
*I received a free copy of this book for a fair and honest review*
Oh, is my review sounding repetitive...like this book, maybe??? *sigh* Firstly, we were constantly reminded by Ben how he doesn't think that he will ever be able to be with the perfect-charming-shits-rainbows Rhys because he is dull, a homebody, has nothing to offer... This is you, Ben, constantly repeating yourself... Oh, and would you like some cheese to go with that whine?
And, of course, there was unnecessary drama because the MCs refused to communicate with one another and instead chose to fling accusations.
As for the smex, I skimmed it. Seriously. It's a cold day in when I gloss over the steamy times. But it seemed passionless, hackneyed, just plain boring, and I kept thinking
I did, however, enjoy the flashbacks to the nineteenth century, so there's that... At least I got some historical fiction out of it. But this one was definitely forgettable.
Love isn't easy, but sometimes it is worth it, and sometimes it is just undeniable. In LOVE BYTES, Ben and Rhys are determined not to fall in love with each other, but there are greater forces working against them.
Ben is recently heartbroken; Rhys has never recovered from the loss of his true love. The two men are instantly attracted to one another and both immediately vow to fight the attraction. Ben is looking for a fresh start and to stop making mistakes in his love life. Rhys found his soul mate but lost him because he couldn't handle growing old while Rhys, a vampyre, remained young. While Ben and Rhys try to fight their attraction to one another, they work to move beyond the relationship demons haunting them.
This was a fun and unique story. I enjoyed the characters and the author's way of writing about their pain and fears. The characters had unique identities and characteristics that were twined together well. I enjoyed that the one characteristic they shared was their insecurity.
The story was brief and therefore the relationship development was not explored as deeply as I would have liked. The presentation of Rhys' background offered great insight into his relationship hesitations, but some of it seemed unnecessary to the plot. Ben's introduction to and immediate acceptance of vampyres did not feel natural to me and was a piece of plot development that I would have liked to see expanded.
Overall, this was a good story that I enjoyed reading. It had unique plot elements and engaging characters.
Ben is trying to reignite the rocky relationship he is by going out of his comfort zone, when that fails him, he decides a change is in order and has his company transfer him to London.
Rhys is a the owner of the hostel that Ben decides to stay at during his transition. They share a strong connection, but Ben is scared to pursue a relationship, he would rather spend Valentine’s Day alone then wind up with a broken heart again. Rhys has a secret that prevents him from pursuing Ben even though he believes they belong together. When Ben stumbles upon Rhys secret, he has a decision to make.
Overall, this a was quick read with a little angst that helped to move the story along. I like both Ben and Rhys even though at times they were both pretty stubborn.
Nope. Well I mean it’s impossible to describe vampire story as believable but there are other vampires stories that are better than this for me. Characters are weird. Non protected sex isn’t cool, and it shouldn’t be glorified in literature. Even if character regretted that. Flat characters, although Ben was somewhat interesting but didn’t have a lot of a screen time I guess? Melodrama. Ending is abrupt and rushed. I think the plot and idea is good and solid, it’s execution that could be done better.
Love Bytes started off by throwing me back in time to my days of reading books about sexy sea captains. Only there was no sexy captain here. Just Rhys caught in a violent storm at sea. Then suddenly we were thrust forward to modern day to meet Ben and his Bubbe (his deceased grandmother who whispers in his head-too funny). What a total 180 that was! But it serves to get us to the point we really want to be at....the moment when Rhys and Ben meet in London and the sparks start to fly.
There was a nice shroud of darkness and magic to this book. Perfect for a vampire story. Being a short story, the plot has to move quickly but it doesn't take away from the story at all. I was totally swept up in the story. At times I felt like we were back in the Jack the Ripper days of London. It was dark but in a good way. I liked the way Rhys and Ben didn't jump each other off the bat. They came together perfectly and when we discover who Ben really is, my heart melted for them. I love these kind of novellas. The ones that give you a great story in a compact little package.
We'll see what this is like after the rewrite. Held promise initially, but ended very quickly and was too pat. The main character's personality disappeared the second he realized that he was the reincarnation of Rhys' former lover, and everything was too happy too quickly. Would have liked to see more of the initial personality (shy, control freak, adorable) and how someone like that dealt with having a vampire lover.
Love Bytes by Gale Stanley is another highly engaging read by this author! If you haven't read a Gale Stanley novel, you should, you will be pleasantly surprised by this creative writer!
Rhys has never recovered from the loss of his true love Gale has a way of writing about their pain and fears. Very well written and touching. Recommended as a great read
I'm a sucker for Vamp books... They dont even need to be that good for me to enjoy. But with that said I could not get into this. I forced myself to the 57% point but I just can't.