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Spider #1
Bad Blood
They call him Spider.
And people come to him when they have a problem. So when teenager Parker Cole approaches Spider at night school, he figures she's just another problem waiting to happen. But then she tells him about her father, who runs a cult called Cloudland based at the foot of mystical Mount Shasta, California.
And then she tells Spider about her best friend, who is now dead, her body completely drained of blood. Spider wonders if the death is the work of a fellow vampire...or if he's now the target of a sinister game designed to lure him to Cloudland, where darker mysteries await.
A vampire thriller from three bestselling authors: J.R. Rain of the Vampire for Hire series, H.T. Night of Vampire Love Story, and Scott Nicholson of The Red Church. Bad Blood includes two bonus short stories, three sample chapters, and a clickable Table of Contents.
Photo credits: Jack Blake - "Seattle Nightlines." Richard H. Beckmann, Green Lizard Photography - "Self Portrait"
Cover design: Susanna
And people come to him when they have a problem. So when teenager Parker Cole approaches Spider at night school, he figures she's just another problem waiting to happen. But then she tells him about her father, who runs a cult called Cloudland based at the foot of mystical Mount Shasta, California.
And then she tells Spider about her best friend, who is now dead, her body completely drained of blood. Spider wonders if the death is the work of a fellow vampire...or if he's now the target of a sinister game designed to lure him to Cloudland, where darker mysteries await.
A vampire thriller from three bestselling authors: J.R. Rain of the Vampire for Hire series, H.T. Night of Vampire Love Story, and Scott Nicholson of The Red Church. Bad Blood includes two bonus short stories, three sample chapters, and a clickable Table of Contents.
Photo credits: Jack Blake - "Seattle Nightlines." Richard H. Beckmann, Green Lizard Photography - "Self Portrait"
Cover design: Susanna
106 pages, ebook
First published January 1, 2011
About the author
J.R. Rain
1,357 books1,733 followersJ.R. Rain is the author of 110 novels and counting. He lives on an island in the Pacific Northwest, where he's hard at work on his next novel... and fighting off sparkly vampires.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 55 reviews
May 15, 2026
Bad Blood
By J.R. Rains, H.T. Night, and Scott Nicholson
This was a short book, but it has everything you could want in a regular book. A book of intrigue, action, vampires, and others that stalk the night. It's about cults, power, and the people who take advantage of the poorly educated or gullible folks. Entertaining!
By J.R. Rains, H.T. Night, and Scott Nicholson
This was a short book, but it has everything you could want in a regular book. A book of intrigue, action, vampires, and others that stalk the night. It's about cults, power, and the people who take advantage of the poorly educated or gullible folks. Entertaining!
January 12, 2020
I read it for a challenge to find a spider on the cover. It was ok.
January 27, 2012
I had a little trouble easing into this story (I thought I was dealing with the usual adolescent vampire angst) but by the end of Chapter Two, my intrigue was captured, and my interest was off and running. I’m not an aficionado of vampires of any stripe-but I am of thrillers and mysteries and horrors, and was gratified to find my interests fulfilled. Once I became hooked into the story, the subtle clues pointing to vampire nature became likeable and intriguing. I must say that for a person who dislikes vampires as much as I, this novel was quite enjoyable. I wouldn’t mind reading it for a second time, even. There are even gentle touches of humour, found at the uproarious contrast of our vampire narrator, and the goings-on in the world around him-and there are totally unexpected, world-upending surprises and plot revelations, too. I give the three authors all credit for managing readers’ suspension of disbelief so well: given the multiplicity of real-life details (the narrator, for example, attends night school and drives an older-model Mustang), I had no difficulty whatsoever accepting the plot line and characters as realistic. My only problem came at the end (following that seriously kicking denouement!): “Oh, why couldn’t it last two or three more books?”
March 24, 2015
Review of Bad Blood
3/23/2015
0 Comments
Vampire hero? It could happen. Well, it does in this story. Spider (yes, that's his nickname) is approached after class one night by a fellow student. She has heard he helps people. What she doesn’t know is that he is a vampire. When she tells him that her father runs a cult that is killing people, he can’t say no. But what he finds is so much more than a crazy man killing his followers.
This isn’t a long book, but it keeps you glued to the pages and the plot twists at every chance it gets. It is told through the eyes of the vampire hero. He is a very interesting character.
I kept reading because I had to know what was going on. Then as things changed, I had to know even more. I have read several of this author’s work. This wasn’t one of my favorite, but it still was a captivating read. If you read this one and enjoy it, you’ll fall in love with Nicolson’s other works.
Like vampire stories? Hate reading the same plot over and over? Then this is a book you have to read. There is no romance. There is only mystery and action. I think you’ll enjoy it if for nothing else than the originality of the storyline.
Note: I received this book from free Amazon download days with no expectation of a positive review.
May 9, 2014
Spider is SO COOL! Fast paced and full of action with some sneaky plot twists. Couldn't read it fast enough. I devoured this book.
October 31, 2014
I really liked the quirky humor of the main character spider, was really fun reading!
September 18, 2021
This is a decent enough urban fantasy trilogy. It is a rather quick read and borderline young adult but it is a fairly enjoyable read anyway.
The two main characters are quite enjoyable. The story is nothing really to write home about but not bad. It has a few of the elements I do like in these types of books, a quite good main protagonist in the form of Spider, the vampire, and another one who knows nothing of vampires, magic etc. who, obviously are in for a few surprises.
The two first books are solid 3 out of 5 stars but the third one faltered a bit in my opinion. It just felt jumbled together and something that annoys me is when authors throws in “famous” names thinking it makes the story more cool. This time it was Hemingway who became a ghost as well as an archangel. I mean, come on!
The two main characters are quite enjoyable. The story is nothing really to write home about but not bad. It has a few of the elements I do like in these types of books, a quite good main protagonist in the form of Spider, the vampire, and another one who knows nothing of vampires, magic etc. who, obviously are in for a few surprises.
The two first books are solid 3 out of 5 stars but the third one faltered a bit in my opinion. It just felt jumbled together and something that annoys me is when authors throws in “famous” names thinking it makes the story more cool. This time it was Hemingway who became a ghost as well as an archangel. I mean, come on!
September 30, 2022
Wonderful entertaining vampire listening 🎶🔰
Another will written fantasy world 🌎 vampire haunting adventure thriller short story by J. R. Rain ☔ (The Spider Trilogy) book one. The vampire is a young man 🚹 who is eighteen years old going to night 🌙 school when he meets a young 👦 woman going to the same school. The fun begins with her needing his help to rescue her sister but she turns out to be possessed by a demon and the fun begins. I would recommend this series and author to 👍 readers of fantasy haunting horror ghost 👻adventure books. Enjoy the adventure of reading or listening to Alexa. 2022 😢👒
Another will written fantasy world 🌎 vampire haunting adventure thriller short story by J. R. Rain ☔ (The Spider Trilogy) book one. The vampire is a young man 🚹 who is eighteen years old going to night 🌙 school when he meets a young 👦 woman going to the same school. The fun begins with her needing his help to rescue her sister but she turns out to be possessed by a demon and the fun begins. I would recommend this series and author to 👍 readers of fantasy haunting horror ghost 👻adventure books. Enjoy the adventure of reading or listening to Alexa. 2022 😢👒
Read
April 5, 2021I some times have to read books to just stay sane and happen to have run up on this one in my library. A little slow starting out but picks up as it goes on. Interesting 200 and something pages to read .
August 5, 2025
It started out well, but tapered into banal predictability in the latter half. I plan to get the second book in the series to see if it can come back...I really did like the premise of the main character in the beginning of the book.
April 11, 2018
I love this & I can't wait for more.
I will be also leaving a review on Goodreads @ Amazon.
And letting everyone know about it.
So i gave it a 5 Stars.
I will be also leaving a review on Goodreads @ Amazon.
And letting everyone know about it.
So i gave it a 5 Stars.
January 25, 2019
Vamp Spidey
Just as alluring and gripping as the Soookie Series. I read this book in a flash and I'm excited to continue the journey in the next.
Just as alluring and gripping as the Soookie Series. I read this book in a flash and I'm excited to continue the journey in the next.
March 9, 2020
It was a short book but a decent story line about a vampire and a demon. Kept my attention for a bit.
September 9, 2022
Interesting
Kind of far out there but entertaining enough. One mistake is that old Ford Mustangs don't have cup holders. Just saying...
Kind of far out there but entertaining enough. One mistake is that old Ford Mustangs don't have cup holders. Just saying...
January 11, 2026
Fun Vampire short story.
December 30, 2011
Book Description:
They call him Spider.
And people come to him when they have a problem. So when teenager Parker Cole approaches Spider at night school, he figures she's just another problem waiting to happen. But then she tells him about her father, who runs a cult called Cloudland based at the foot of mystical Mount Shasta, California.
And then she tells Spider about her best friend, who is now dead, her body completely drained of blood. Spider wonders if the death is the work of a fellow vampire...or if he's now the target of a sinister game designed to lure him to Cloudland, where darker mysteries await.
My Thoughts:
Definitely a YA story. Think Twilight...meets Blade...meets David Koresh. The story was an amalgamation of a couple of themes. It wasn't a bad story but it wasn't great. For all of Spider's, I'm an old vampire, grand-standing, he really acted like a dumb teenager. He acted impulsively and his decisions were hastily executed.
The end of the story was rather anemic. Spider plunged a human sized stake into the heart of a 25ft statue/leathery demon and it
succeeded in killing the monster. Seriously?!?!...that was rather a fairly unbelievable plot addition. Also, the fact that Parker (the human), after being clutched in the demons jaws, survived when the same thing happened to Erasumus and he didn't. After the melee ended, Parker comes strolling out of the woods but no mention is made of her being hurt or damaged in any way. Again, another unbelievable plot addition.
The conclusion was unimaginative. Spider and Parker are riding off into the streetlight (can't be the sunset since Spider is a vampire) in his Mustang with her holding his hand. Very YA, yes? It was even more so when Parker basically offers sex to good ole payment for services rendered and he turns her down by telling her that she can help him with his history test. Seriously...his history test! And that was the end of the story.
The book was free so I won't gripe about paying for it. But, it is definitely not for readers with maturer reading tastes.
They call him Spider.
And people come to him when they have a problem. So when teenager Parker Cole approaches Spider at night school, he figures she's just another problem waiting to happen. But then she tells him about her father, who runs a cult called Cloudland based at the foot of mystical Mount Shasta, California.
And then she tells Spider about her best friend, who is now dead, her body completely drained of blood. Spider wonders if the death is the work of a fellow vampire...or if he's now the target of a sinister game designed to lure him to Cloudland, where darker mysteries await.
My Thoughts:
Definitely a YA story. Think Twilight...meets Blade...meets David Koresh. The story was an amalgamation of a couple of themes. It wasn't a bad story but it wasn't great. For all of Spider's, I'm an old vampire, grand-standing, he really acted like a dumb teenager. He acted impulsively and his decisions were hastily executed.
The end of the story was rather anemic. Spider plunged a human sized stake into the heart of a 25ft statue/leathery demon and it
succeeded in killing the monster. Seriously?!?!...that was rather a fairly unbelievable plot addition. Also, the fact that Parker (the human), after being clutched in the demons jaws, survived when the same thing happened to Erasumus and he didn't. After the melee ended, Parker comes strolling out of the woods but no mention is made of her being hurt or damaged in any way. Again, another unbelievable plot addition.
The conclusion was unimaginative. Spider and Parker are riding off into the streetlight (can't be the sunset since Spider is a vampire) in his Mustang with her holding his hand. Very YA, yes? It was even more so when Parker basically offers sex to good ole payment for services rendered and he turns her down by telling her that she can help him with his history test. Seriously...his history test! And that was the end of the story.
The book was free so I won't gripe about paying for it. But, it is definitely not for readers with maturer reading tastes.
August 19, 2013
Bad Blood is an intriguing story by three phenomenal authors. JR Rain, Scott Nicholson and HT Night collaborated to introduce us to Spider. Spider is a centuries old vampire who became an undead at the age of eighteen. His main objective now is to finish the h History class in night school and get an A in it...something that he hasn't been able to do so far in his long life. He meets a fellow student who has a big problem with her father. She tells Spider that her father is a serial killer and asks Spider for his help in catching him. Oh...did I mention that our hero is also a problem solver? Spider has been known to help people out with hard to solve problems. Has our Spider come across a bigger problem than he can handle with this one? Well...when you are fighting against a demon who is need of vampire blood to come to life on Earth...it just might be that one that does him in! But does it? Will Spider be able to stop his new found friend's Dad from killing again? Will the evil demon get a drink of that ever important blood from Spider? Will Spider get the girl in the end? These and many more questions will be answered in this amazingly fun story!
November 18, 2012
I fell in love with Spider. The story is being told by the character himself and is fantastic. The more I learned about the character Spider the more I loved his attitude and ideals. This vamp rocks. Trying to help the professor's daughter leads this vamp down a very interesting trail. He thinks the young lady is a bit helpless and needs a rescuer. Well he gets himself into a cult and almost killed figuring it all out. Based in Seattle he shows that a vamp can care about getting an education by going back to high school and he can also be duped by a seemingly helpless female. Cult leaders think they have this vamp all figured out, his high school boy charm really throws them. Little do they know they are dealing with a very old vampire that has been around the block a few times. I wish there were more Spider stories I really like this vampire and I loved the book. If you want a night of reading that entertains and is well written you have to get Bad Blood. These three authors team up and do a fantastic job.
July 19, 2013
What Happens When you get the minds of J.R. Rain, Scott Nicholson and H.T.Night together? A New Vampire Series with a Hero named "Spider". Spider was "turned" as a late teen and has lived a VERY long time , He has not always been a hero. Spider has done some HORRIFIC things in his life to Feed the hunger. When you live centuries , you learn its NOT the way to exist. So Spider decides to help those in need even if people do think hes a bit odd .... Enter Parker. Spider and Parker go to Night School together ( hey hes got to keep up with the program ya know). Parker needs help ... Shes a beautiful young girl and her Father is a Cult leader who is killing members of his cult can Spider please help? There is Something not right about this situation ... Who is Parker? Why are there mostly beautiful people at the Cult, What is That HUGE Stone Statue .. Did it just move or is it an Illusion? Do you want to find out? Read the book !! Its a fast paced read .. I finished it in a day and now I am onto Book two ;) I give this book 5 white robes ;)
January 19, 2014
Bad Blood
If you have read other vampire books of J.R. Rain’s, you will like this one. I could feel his influence over the story. Spider, the loner vampire, asked to help out a fellow night school student, a girl who thinks there is a murderer in her life and is afraid for her sister. Spider can’t help but step in to help, but he gets way more than he bargained for, as do we the readers. This is my favorite of the set of books and has a lot more action than the others. It is a shorter story and will keep you turning the pages. I think the combination of the three authors has added a huge dimension to the story and being a fan of all of them, I can see each of their touches as the book goes along. This one will have you headed over to Amazon to pick up the next in the series of the Spider books for sure.
If you have read other vampire books of J.R. Rain’s, you will like this one. I could feel his influence over the story. Spider, the loner vampire, asked to help out a fellow night school student, a girl who thinks there is a murderer in her life and is afraid for her sister. Spider can’t help but step in to help, but he gets way more than he bargained for, as do we the readers. This is my favorite of the set of books and has a lot more action than the others. It is a shorter story and will keep you turning the pages. I think the combination of the three authors has added a huge dimension to the story and being a fan of all of them, I can see each of their touches as the book goes along. This one will have you headed over to Amazon to pick up the next in the series of the Spider books for sure.
August 21, 2013
Spider the vampire was great. It was every thing you want in a vampire book. Spider likes to help people, it makes him give in to his bloodlust less, which is good for everyone.
Parker, a fellow student at his Night school comes to him for help, and she seems to be your usual teenager, nothing weird about her, except what she wants help with.
Then he gets pulled in and he wasn't expecting a demon to be involved, just the usual doped up cultists. Spider was brilliant, fast on his feet, fun to read, even swapping his blood in place of a bloody Mary. It was good that even though Parker wasn't as she first appeared he was still able to save her. I was glad Erasmus Cole the cult leader really got was coming to him. Just not what he was expecting.
Parker, a fellow student at his Night school comes to him for help, and she seems to be your usual teenager, nothing weird about her, except what she wants help with.
Then he gets pulled in and he wasn't expecting a demon to be involved, just the usual doped up cultists. Spider was brilliant, fast on his feet, fun to read, even swapping his blood in place of a bloody Mary. It was good that even though Parker wasn't as she first appeared he was still able to save her. I was glad Erasmus Cole the cult leader really got was coming to him. Just not what he was expecting.
September 23, 2014
Fairly well written and easy to read...
Fairly well written and easy to read...
I like a good vampire genre book most times, and I had a fairly good time with this one. The story was just different enough to be entertaining and the pace was easy to get into. I had some problems with the main character supposedly being such a hard-hearted fiend but at the same time, being such a sweetheart to the young girl with the family problem. It's readable and entertaining, if you can justify the MC's character. I recommend this book to anyone who is interested in a diversion.
Gaston Sanders, Author
Fairly well written and easy to read...
I like a good vampire genre book most times, and I had a fairly good time with this one. The story was just different enough to be entertaining and the pace was easy to get into. I had some problems with the main character supposedly being such a hard-hearted fiend but at the same time, being such a sweetheart to the young girl with the family problem. It's readable and entertaining, if you can justify the MC's character. I recommend this book to anyone who is interested in a diversion.
Gaston Sanders, Author
July 26, 2015
I vanta suck your blood......
If you are looking for that, keep moving. This is an updated version of Bela Lugosi and it kicks some butt. Spider, is indeed, a badass in his own right. Having lived for eons, he knows the ins and outs. But, even he can be tricked.
If you enjoy action, adventure and a touch of romance (I said a touch!), you will love this read. I surely did! If I would ever fall for a vampire, please let it be Spider! On to the next in the series. Yeah! I'm addicted and I like it!
If you are looking for that, keep moving. This is an updated version of Bela Lugosi and it kicks some butt. Spider, is indeed, a badass in his own right. Having lived for eons, he knows the ins and outs. But, even he can be tricked.
If you enjoy action, adventure and a touch of romance (I said a touch!), you will love this read. I surely did! If I would ever fall for a vampire, please let it be Spider! On to the next in the series. Yeah! I'm addicted and I like it!
August 16, 2015
This first installment of the Spider series will have you coming back for more!
I’m not a big vamp fan, so I had my doubts, but Spider, the vamp character in this novella, is so funny, witty, and genuinely appealing that I really enjoyed every moment of reading. The plot takes unexpected twists and turns, and you’ll never guess what’s coming next. I was glued to the pages. Highly recommended!
I’m not a big vamp fan, so I had my doubts, but Spider, the vamp character in this novella, is so funny, witty, and genuinely appealing that I really enjoyed every moment of reading. The plot takes unexpected twists and turns, and you’ll never guess what’s coming next. I was glued to the pages. Highly recommended!
January 31, 2016
Spider (horrible nickname, I cringed every time I read it) is a vampire, who goes to night school and is trying to fight off the "darkness" in him by doing good deeds.
Honestly, I wasn't expecting to like this. I needed a quick read as a kind of...palate cleanse from the last few books I've read. The story is interesting and the authors done waste any time in getting the action started. Spider's narration could be a little repetitive, but it wasn't too distracting. Overall 3/5.
Honestly, I wasn't expecting to like this. I needed a quick read as a kind of...palate cleanse from the last few books I've read. The story is interesting and the authors done waste any time in getting the action started. Spider's narration could be a little repetitive, but it wasn't too distracting. Overall 3/5.
August 15, 2015
This book is the first of a trilogy. Bad blood is about a vampire that wants to be a hero and not do as mostly all vampires do and that is kill for the blood. Well this is mostly young adult fiction it was a fast read and enjoyable. I would recommend this to anyone that likes to read about such creatures of the night.
December 29, 2014
A much shorter book than I thought, which was disappointing.
The main character doesn't really inspire any kind of connection, though I thought he was fairly entertaining. The plot was a bit too easy for me to figure out.
Not much going on here so if you want a quick, easy read, this might be for you.
The main character doesn't really inspire any kind of connection, though I thought he was fairly entertaining. The plot was a bit too easy for me to figure out.
Not much going on here so if you want a quick, easy read, this might be for you.
December 15, 2015
This was a different take on the Vampire story for me. I like my Vampires to be "bad" and although this one technically wasn't, he had an ongoing struggle with the two sides of his character that the author portrayed very well. Thoroughly enjoyed it and will probably pick up number two in the series at some stage
December 24, 2012
Great read!!!! I really enjoyed this book. It was a different spin on a vampire story. Original and exciting. I hope there will be another book soon.
Spider was great and the story delivered. Anyone that likes a good thriller with a vampire spin should read this.
Spider was great and the story delivered. Anyone that likes a good thriller with a vampire spin should read this.
July 5, 2012
This book was awesome and an easy read. I enjoyed the characters. Spider is a nice spin off of traditional vampires and the plot had a lot of fun twists. Just the right touch of wacky and ironic gore. Borrowed free from booklending.com.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 55 reviews