Tainted

Channeling Morpheus/Sweet Oblivion #4

by Jordan Castillo Price

First edition was published as Channeling Tainted in 2008. Appears in the print collection Channeling Morpheus for Scary Mary.

Vampires agree that vampirism must be spread through sex, because if a bite on the neck could turn someone, the world would be overrun with legions of bloodsuckers by now. So Wild Bill's been careful. The last thing he'd want is to turn anyone. Especially his boytoy.

Despite Wild Bill's caution, Michael's looking pale and thin...more so than usual. He wears it well, just like the leather jacket, the black-dyed hair and the eyeliner. But for someone as starved as he is, food should hold more of an appeal. And is that a preternatural grace Bill detects in Michael's movements?

(Second electronic edition - novelette - 12,000 words - gay content)

Genres: M M Romance, Vampires, Paranormal, Romance, Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Short Stories

50 pages, Nook

First published October 10, 2008

About the author

Author and artist Jordan Castillo Price writes paranormal sci-fi thrillers colored by her time in the Midwest, from inner city Chicago, to various cities across southern Wisconsin. She’s settled in a 1910 Cape Cod near Lake Michigan with tons of character and a plethora of bizarre spiders. Any disembodied noises, she’s decided, will be blamed on the ice maker.

Jordan is best known as the author of the PsyCop series, an unfolding tale of paranormal mystery and suspense starring Victor Bayne, a gay medium who's plagued by ghostly visitations.

Reviews

[Shurrn · Rating 4 out of 5]

We delve into the science of vampirism in this episode of Channeling Morpheus...
...but we also got a hefty dose of the warm fuzzies...

Michael. Deadly Michael.

I'd been combing through my vocabulary for a word that meant lust-smacked. And skinless. And fucked up, and scared, and invincible. But I'd come up empty-handed.

All I could say was, "I love you, you know." Because that was about as close as I could come with words.

This episode was told from Wild Bill's POV, and I'm loving his character more with each book.

It's been several weeks since we left off with Michael and Wild Bill in Manikin. They've been traveling about the country in their van and fucking like bunnies...

Michael's body is a canvas of bruises and scabbed-over cuts where Wild Bill slices into his skin to feed. He's gotten thinner, his ribs are on show like a rock star heroin junkie... And that's with Wild Bill being careful with him.

It's a constant struggle for Wild bill to keep his control in check around Michael, and he's increasingly worried about his health, safety, and his humanity. It's no secret that Wild Bill resents being a vampire, and he doesn't want the same for Michael.

How can you prevent what you don't understand?
What exactly causes vampirism?
What transmits it, what exactly triggers the change?

Michael finds a researcher who has been studying vampires for more than half a century, and our boys go to pay him a little visit.

The man has answers, but not the ones Michael and Wild Bill were hoping for...

Lot's of sex and angst in this installment, all of it given a rough edge by Bill's gritty POV. I'm not sure where our boys are headed now, but I'm happy to be along for the ride!

Read all my Reviews in this Series:
01.0 - Payback - Read my Review Here.
02.0 - Vertigo - Read my Review Here.
03.0 - Manikin - Read my Review Here.
03.1 - Heaven Sent - Read my Review Here.
04.0 - Tainted - You're reading it!
05.0 - Rebirth - Read my Review Here.
06.0 - Brazen - Read my Review Here.
07.0 - Snare - Read my Review Here.
08.0 - Fluid - Read my Review Here.
09.0 - Swarm - Read my Review Here.
10.0 - Elixir - Read my Review Here.
10.1 - Jackpot - Read my Review Here.
10.2 - Canine - Read my Review Here.

Omnibus Reviews:
1-5 - Channeling Morpheus for Scary Mary - Read my Review Here.
6-10 - A Bitter Taste of Sweet Oblivion - Read my Review Here.





***I was provided with an audiobook copy of Channeling Morpheus for Scary Mary (Channeling Morpheus, #1-5) from the author in exchange for an honest review.***
Be sure to check out my review of the box set for a more thorough examination of the series!

[Otila · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read as part of Channeling Morpheus for Scary Mary Ebook Box Set

This started with some hot smexing in a Wal-Mart and ended with so many FEELZ.

As if it even mattered where we were, as long as he was there.

[Rosa, really · Rating 4 out of 5]

Surprisingly emotional, this one.

Sweet, sweet Michael. Deadly Michael.
I'd been combing through my vocabulary for a word that meant lust-smacked. And skinless. And fucked up, and scared, and invincible. But I'd come up empty-handed.
All I could say was, "I love you, you know." Because that was about as close as I could come with words.

Btw, the condom count is down from 9 to 3. Yay!

[Ingie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Written June 13, 2015

3 1/2 Stars - Quietly and quite distressing, but it worked out in the end

Novella serial #4



I'm listening to the 7:44 hrs audiobook box Channeling Morpheus for Scary Mary including novella #1-#5:

=

Payback was a first short teaser to Michael and Wild Bill's future adventures. The second Vertigo was about their second meeting and still mostly an hilarious amusing PWP shortie. Two parts and I learned that this 21 years old Michael is a quite smart and clever youngster. The vampire Wild Bill is awesome cute too. The third part, Manikin led us up to a new (better) level. Finally!! — I got some explanations, more non f@**ing time and we have a couple of lovebirds.

This fourth part Tainted was the most angsty and emotional so far. I was really nervous there for a while but thanksgod it kind of solve.

....Time for the last fifth novella Rebirth in my audiobook box.

*********************************************************

I keep repeating myself:
This narrater Gomez Pugh is simply AWESOME good. His voice is mesmerizing, he makes me feel for these "boys. He has done this to am superb listening for me.

There are all in all all 10 full serial novellas in this 'Channeling Morpheus/Sweet Oblivion' series. — See also my 'full' Channeling Morpheus for Scary Mary review for the first five novellas in this serial.

I LIKE - heart wrenching stuff too..


******
BR start 12th June for book 1-5 starting with #1 - Payback. (https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...)

[Sheri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Confession.....



I don't know exactly what it is about Wild Bill and his boytoy Michael...but it's something.
Their connection is unworldly....their heat is an inferno....their story is a mirage. But I've found the perfect shades and I can see through the haze.
Their love....that is what I love.

*4.5 lusty-lively-lickworthy stars*

[Jennifer☠Pher☠ · Rating 5 out of 5]

"...lust-smacked. And skinless. And fucked up, and scared, and invincible."

Yeah. This one rocked.

It gets all the stars just because.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh Wild Bill, as if I didn't love you enough already, you go and buy Michael a little pink laptop. <3

[Jessi &#x1f940; · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 🌟

All I could say was, “I love you, you know.” Because that was about as close as I could come with words.

[Jordan Price]

I love the dark places this story goes, because they’re very subtle dark places. While the other stories have decapitations and human manikins and even grosser stuff later on in the series, this one is about a creeping sort of contagion. Is it ridiculous that Wild Bill thinks using a condom is all he needs to do to stop the spread of vampirism? Well, that’s what other vampires have told him, vampires who seem to know a heck of a lot more about the condition than he does. So he goes with the flow. If he really gave it enough thought, he would have seen through the holes in that argument himself. But clearly he just didn’t want to think it through.

The “water willies” (as I’ve begun calling them) also got their start in this story, though we get to enjoy them in much greater detail in novelette #8, Fluid. Not that I think my vampire science is particularly scientific—and not that I’d want it to be, because usually books that are busy trying to convince you that their plot point is scientifically viable get really boring, really fast—but it was fun to seize on the traditional vampire lore of moving water being anathema to vampires. With Wild Bill being as alienated he is, when he gets too close to water and starts going into panic mode, it’s almost as if the universe has judged him and deemed him unworthy, and world itself has rejected him. What can I say? Thirteen years of Catholic school gave me some good fodder for writing from a twisted and guilt-ridden worldview.

And let’s not forget about the debut of Dr. Jim—I just love that guy! Such a snot! Written three years ago and the PDA is already out of date, ha ha! I’m sure he has a nice smartphone now, maybe an Android, because he’d think an iPhone was too frivolous. And Michael would have an iPad with a G3 connection so he didn’t have to wander around looking for an unencrypted wireless network to join.

And Bill would just smoke his Marlboros and read the newspaper, as usual. You could also smoke inside a restaurant in Iowa back when this was written, but not anymore. I went to Iowa to do some research and was like, OMG, there are people smoking in here. Total culture shock.

[Shelley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh Boy! This was the best one yet.

The beginning of this was so much fun, like seriously ...the best! I really want to go shopping with Wild Bill, but I'll pick out the heart shaped sunglasses and Best of 80's love songs CD and yes, I'll get him a punk one too. And then I'll drag him into the changing rooms and I won't even care about whoever may be lurking behind the security mirrors cos I'll have "R U jealous?(+ smiley face)" tattooed on my arse ...

Okay, so all my daydreaming aside; this is also awesome because it's the most informative of the novelettes so far. We learn more about Bill and his growing fears and attraction for Michael. We also learn what causes Vampirism and that, Dear Readers is what will set this Vampire hunter trope apart from all others; that, and the characterisation of course. JCP has established a credible and original scenario for Vampirism and I love that. And now things are changing for Michael too and that is as fascinating as it is frightening. Tainted is mostly about their growing feelings for each other and the strength of those emotions, the possessiveness and caring through gestures, consideration and sex ...

Yeah, this was a good one and I'm really struggling to pace myself with this series.

[Sofia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating for the whole series.

Back with Bill and he is seriously making inroads to my heart. He is so so smitten but so so afraid, poor guy, all underneath a layer of snark so when I saw his shaking knees at the pier and his letting go to hug Michael, that was a great big moment. I think that the pier in a way is a reflection of how shaky Bill feels in this situation.

And then the great big doofus went and said I love you first - I had a sappy grin there.

Like Michael I did not expect how this is developing not the love declaration, that must have gone down a treat, but what Harman told them, wheels within wheels.

Overall thoughts on the series here.

Channeling Morpheus 1-5 BR thread 12th June 2015

[Marte - Thunderella · Rating 4 out of 5]

From the blurb:
"Michael's looking pale and thin...more so than usual. And is that a preternatural grace Bill detects in Michael's movements?"

This is where the plot thickens or develop more precisely. Hot times, but there is love developing too!


I'm really liking the changing of POV every other book. You can see from the cover that this is Wild Bill's. His voice is great! :D

"What I wanted to know was, if I was mutant, why didn't I have X-ray vision and a cool spandex costume?"

[* A Reader Obsessed * · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bit more poignant especially as these two learn more about vampirism and whether or not to turn or be turned.

What this isn't short on is expressing their feelings through sex. Lot's of it. However it also doesn't skimp on the intensity of those feels as things come to light.

Definitely basking in the vulnerability of lust and love here..

[Heather C · Rating 5 out of 5]

Back to Wild Bill's POV. Gawd I love him! He's so vulgar and I love how he's so smitten with Michael!

As expected, this story had lots of intense sex with a really sweet ending. Plus, some new discoveries about Michael.

[Kaje Harper · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like Bill's POV even more than Michael's. He's such an interesting mix of casual and intense, world-weary and loving, amoral and yet... not. This story makes you feel the relationship between these two building, beyond the sex and the pheromonal attraction to something that is clearly love.

[Catherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

*** 4.25 Stars ***

Every installment in this series draws me in deeper - it's sexy and dark and I feel a little twisted and guilty for being so fascinated with it.

[Emanuela ~plastic duck~ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wild Bill and Michael are perfect together. In one of the previous books Wild Bill said that he was afraid of becoming attached to Michael because he could see that they would end up like a telepathic couple, finishing each other sentences and that's what happened.

In this book Wild Bill is the narrator, so we are in his head the whole time, but what's interesting is that, as it happened in book two, it's Michael who gets to the bottom of what Wild Bill is. Wild Bill takes care of his young lover, as if he were a parent, and he is completely selfless and in his chain-smoking habit it's like he's feeling alone and undeniably scared. Michael seems to live in his world the whole time, but he is the only one who can reach out to Wild Bill and he gives back what he can, his body and his blood.

Some parts of this book were really moving. The short stories of this series are really intense and I didn't expect to feel so involved when I read the first book.

[Trio · Rating 4 out of 5]

So glad I'm doing this series in audio - Gomez Pugh is perfect for this one.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Aaaaaaaaaaw, I love Bill even more now.
Those sweet words at the end...

[Jenn (not Lily) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. These two are so freaking fucked up over each other. Utterly delicious.

[Elsbeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yes, love is on its way!!! [image error]

I just love Bill's POV. He is such a funny man and obviously very smitten with Michael.

The shopping in the begining was hillarious. Pinkie, haha

But the fluid-thing didn't go the way he expected!!

"I’d been combing through my vocabulary for a word that mean lust-smacked. And skinless. And fucked up, and scared, and invincible. But I’d come up empty-handed.
All I could say was, “I love you, you know.” Because that was about as close as I could come with words."

[Skye Blue ☆*~ﾟლ(´ڡ`ლ)~*☆ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Man I wish these were longer.
I'm speeding right through the series.

[Claudie ☾ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another one from Wild Bill’s POV! 😍 This was just as sweet and sexy as all the previous installments. And we finally got some answers about the vampiric “condition” here.

[Kelly (Maybedog) · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are so many scenes in here that are either heart-wrenching, beautiful or both, and I choked up more than once. I read the version with Jordan's comments at the end and I felt like she doesn't even realize what she wrote. I hear what she's trying to say and that sounds like an interesting book, but what she's writing just doesn't fit with it. She makes it sound like these two don't really love each other, that they just need each other because they're dysfunctional. She says that they like each other fucked up and feed off it and really aren't good for each other. I think the scene on the pier where Wild Bill is trying to overcome debilitating fear to help Michael emotionally shows love. I think that the end of that scene where Wild Bill can finally begin to combat his fear is proof that they are good for each other. Wild Bill emotionally needs for Michael to be okay because he loves him. The scene in the next book in the graveyard where Wild Bill says horrible things about himself and Michael basically says that if Wild Bill loves him that he needs to not say those things is Michael showing his love for Wild Bill. That's the opposite of what Price is saying. I'm going to be very upset if the second set of books pulls this relationship apart.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm re-reading this series almost three years after my first read. I'd been a vampire story fan long before they were ubiquitous, back in the olden days before ebooks and Google. And while my interest hadn't completely waned, I'd become cautious. So I can't say how delighted I was to find this series with vampires and m/m and a deliciously dark sense of humor. Michael and Wild Bill are good boys gone bad, but landing on different sides of the fence, and coming from different eras. These stories are erotic, not very nice, and kind of addictive to those inclined to enjoy hot, dirty backroads tales starring bad boys with good hearts.

Tainted is book four and the one where Michael and Wild Bill find out how vampirism is really spread, and touch on the true nature of their sharing on both the biological and emotional levels. It's gritty and sensual tale and reveals more about Wild Bill's physical and emotional vulnerabilities. With each episode in this series, JCP weaves a deceptively deep, and delightfully wicked tale mixing in the absurdities and profundities of vampire lore.

[Victoria Loves Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another POV from Wild Bill! I love his sense of humor and all of his “one-liners”. We also get to see Bill’s real feelings for Michael, while Michael is busy trying to find out what causes Vampirism (is that even a word?). That’s what sets this series apart from others…it’s not your typical vampire story. And would you expect anything less from JCP? NO. She’s brilliant and I love the way she weaves this story in between the scorching hot sex!

I’ve grown more and more attached to Michael and Bill with each story but this one made me FEEL. As they grow closer & closer, it shows through everything they do and say.

[Mel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great Bill POV story which truly cemented my status from ‘in lust’ to ‘in love’ with Wild Bill. This chain smoking, cynical eighties punk is caring, sweet and totally selfless when it comes to Michael.

I love how JCP makes two seemingly very different men fit so well together. And I love how she gives us bits and pieces on the characters with each story. And I love even more how she manages to give her characters a twist. Because although Wild Bill is the big bad vampire, Michael is the one to watch out for…

[Deanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wild Bill and Michael completely captivate me in the best way possible. Wild Bill's knowledge of vampire life and biology is almost funny although I do not want to see the word spermicide again. WB and Michael have a loving relationship though it is also a strange one. It is the tender strangeness that sets this macabre series apart from the others.

[Bitchie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Still loving this series! We've got some progress, both in the relationship, and their understanding of vampirism itself, and an I love you! Go Wild Bill!

[Donna · Rating 5 out of 5]

YES!!! No more... oops, almost said too much! ;p

Strangely enough, this was my least favorite part of the story so far. Even though we gleaned more information than from all of the other parts put together... I still got a little bogged down and almost dozed off there in the middle... maybe I just needed a nap? *headdesk*

Now, I am left wondering where Ms. Price is going to take these two next... and seriously? WB (I just can't bring myself to refer to him as Wild Bill!) says those infamous three little words... first? Blew my mind with that last little tid bit! ;D