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Dracula #1
Hearts of Stone
A tale of magic, romance and fangs.
New York City is under attack.
Dracula is suicidal in a world where evil vampires are in the early stages of taking over. The Master has lived too long and can’t find a reason to face another day. Nasty vampires are feeding on vulnerable mortals and causing chaos. Years ago he trained valiant sheriffs and expects them to defend the humans but they are being overrun. Piers Anthony, the author, is now a vampire. He spends his days attempting to get the Master to snap out of it and to defend the humans, without losing his head.
A 12-year-old girl is a rare hybrid, half human and half vampire; she was conceived the normal way, with her mother a mortal and her father a vampire. Jenny is slowly discovering that she may be a blood wizard. She’s already an accomplished vampire killer and can cast spells, but an underground figure has noticed the girl. Some believe that she might be the one of legend that tips the scale toward good.
Sheriff Alexander and his vampire German shepherd stand and fight for justice.
Will the red sheriffs be overrun? Will Michael finally get the courage to ask out the sheriff?
New York City is under attack.
Dracula is suicidal in a world where evil vampires are in the early stages of taking over. The Master has lived too long and can’t find a reason to face another day. Nasty vampires are feeding on vulnerable mortals and causing chaos. Years ago he trained valiant sheriffs and expects them to defend the humans but they are being overrun. Piers Anthony, the author, is now a vampire. He spends his days attempting to get the Master to snap out of it and to defend the humans, without losing his head.
A 12-year-old girl is a rare hybrid, half human and half vampire; she was conceived the normal way, with her mother a mortal and her father a vampire. Jenny is slowly discovering that she may be a blood wizard. She’s already an accomplished vampire killer and can cast spells, but an underground figure has noticed the girl. Some believe that she might be the one of legend that tips the scale toward good.
Sheriff Alexander and his vampire German shepherd stand and fight for justice.
Will the red sheriffs be overrun? Will Michael finally get the courage to ask out the sheriff?
310 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 25, 2012
10 people are currently reading
484 people want to read
About the author
A.J. Gallant
47 books409 followers I WAS MURDERED LAST NIGHT is now available. An excerpt from I WAS MURDERED LAST NIGHT https://www.amazon.com/murdered-night...
Anita's death while on vacation in New York City is no accident, but instead of the end, Anita discovers that it's only the beginning. Now on the other side, she appears to be connected somehow to Detective Olive Brown, the detective assigned to her murder. And to her killer as well.
Detective Olivia Brown wonders if the ghost is genuine or if she’s losing her mind.
Is Anita actually supposed to help solve her murder or is something else going on?
Can there be romance after death?
A murder mystery like no other.
At three hours after midnight, all was quiet in the hotel room, Olivia was in REM sleep and dreaming. Her eyes were darting around under her lids.
Olivia was making her way through the thick forest, and snow was falling, and it crunched under her feet. The woods looked stark, black and white though the precipitation made it pretty enough. She wasn’t on any path, and it was rough going, the terrain was uneven, and the detective was also on an incline. The further she went, the more difficult the trek. She looked down at her feet; the snow was quite a bit deeper now, and she was suddenly wearing old wooden snowshoes.
Tweet, tweet, tweedily tweet.
A red cardinal flew past her and landed in a birch tree, a beautiful spot of color with the white environment that surrounded her. It jumped several times, knocking snow from the branch to the ground. Olivia had a sense that the bird wanted her to pursue it, and so she did though the going was slow as the incline got steeper.
“What’s this?” A splotch of blood in the snow, but no way to tell if it originated from an animal or human. Olivia perceived a faint sound and it was necessary to listen intently. The Cardinal remained silent as if allowing her to hear whatever it was. She bent closer to the base of the tree near the blood where she observed a watch strap and part of the face of the watch, and when Olivia pulled it out, she could see that there was blood on it. So it was human blood.
A thin hand appeared from beneath the snow and grabbed her wrist, shaking free of it and then stood up. The bird tweeted again, wanting her to follow it and so she did. The slope now almost impossible to climb, but now Olivia could see the top and so kept going. As she struggled to move forward, she was able to smell burning wood, the moderate wind blowing it in her direction.
Please have a look at my site. http://albertttt.wix.com/fantasy-books
Anita's death while on vacation in New York City is no accident, but instead of the end, Anita discovers that it's only the beginning. Now on the other side, she appears to be connected somehow to Detective Olive Brown, the detective assigned to her murder. And to her killer as well.
Detective Olivia Brown wonders if the ghost is genuine or if she’s losing her mind.
Is Anita actually supposed to help solve her murder or is something else going on?
Can there be romance after death?
A murder mystery like no other.
At three hours after midnight, all was quiet in the hotel room, Olivia was in REM sleep and dreaming. Her eyes were darting around under her lids.
Olivia was making her way through the thick forest, and snow was falling, and it crunched under her feet. The woods looked stark, black and white though the precipitation made it pretty enough. She wasn’t on any path, and it was rough going, the terrain was uneven, and the detective was also on an incline. The further she went, the more difficult the trek. She looked down at her feet; the snow was quite a bit deeper now, and she was suddenly wearing old wooden snowshoes.
Tweet, tweet, tweedily tweet.
A red cardinal flew past her and landed in a birch tree, a beautiful spot of color with the white environment that surrounded her. It jumped several times, knocking snow from the branch to the ground. Olivia had a sense that the bird wanted her to pursue it, and so she did though the going was slow as the incline got steeper.
“What’s this?” A splotch of blood in the snow, but no way to tell if it originated from an animal or human. Olivia perceived a faint sound and it was necessary to listen intently. The Cardinal remained silent as if allowing her to hear whatever it was. She bent closer to the base of the tree near the blood where she observed a watch strap and part of the face of the watch, and when Olivia pulled it out, she could see that there was blood on it. So it was human blood.
A thin hand appeared from beneath the snow and grabbed her wrist, shaking free of it and then stood up. The bird tweeted again, wanting her to follow it and so she did. The slope now almost impossible to climb, but now Olivia could see the top and so kept going. As she struggled to move forward, she was able to smell burning wood, the moderate wind blowing it in her direction.
Please have a look at my site. http://albertttt.wix.com/fantasy-books
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
February 22, 2017
Wow- this is truly one of the best books I've read in a very, very long time.
I absolutely love the way Dracula is depicted in this story- he's comical, and deadly serious at the same time, which is just a perfect mix. The characters he has around him simply add to the humor and depth of his ancient personality.
Seeing life from Dracula's point of view is just great- having lived for thousands of years, he is quite a character, and it isn't hard to imagine that life would hold very few flickers of interest for him any more. Watching the spark of life come back to him throughout the book was wonderful, and it was interesting to find myself siding with him, and feeling sympathetic to his situation.
Watching stories unfold for several other character is really neat as well, and adds a layer of depth that I haven't seen in many books. It gives the story a sense of reality- not being entirely focused on one character, but seeing how they all effect each other, and come together in the end.
It is certainly graphic in some areas, but not in a way that made me want to stop reading. Non-traumatizing graphic, if you will. It really shows a more "natural" side to the struggle between both vampires and humans, and also among the different kinds of vampires, either good-hearted, or evil. It's a refreshing reality to a vampire story, and while dark, it is entertaining.
The writing style is difficult to get used to, at first. It's written like a screen-play, as if you're watching a movie unfold in somewhat disjointed scenes, from the points of view of several different characters. It's quite a unique way of reading a story. While the depth of the book and writing take some adjustment, it is completely worth it. The ease in which the author depicts his characters and scenes is amazing- his colorful vocabulary and descriptive imagery make it very easy to get lost in the world that's been created.
I thoroughly enjoyed the twists and turns, and the ending is superb- a complete surprise!! I am excitedly looking forward to the next book in the series.
I certainly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys vampire and/or dystopian stories. With action, comedy, suspense, and mystery, it's a very well rounded book, and has the ability to leave most of it's readers thoroughly entertained, and wanting more.
August 17, 2012
I received a complimentary copy of this book in order to review it.
Well this was certainly one of the most unique novels based around Dracula that I’ve ever read. The premise is pretty interesting and execution is really…for the lack of a better word, weird. It wasn’t what I was expecting at all, and I actually had to take a few days toward the beginning to get into the mood for such a goofy read so that I could fully enjoy it. The writing really threw me for a loop because it was really good and then suddenly there would be a really crazy comparison thrown in or an odd character to mix things up, and I’d be at a loss. At times the writing did become a bit relaxed but there was something humorous about it.
I will say that I did not like having so many characters being introduced so quickly and maintained thorough out. There was a lot of plotting and when you take into account that there are well over 10 bad guys introduced you are liable to get confused as to who is doing what. There are a ton of bad vampires in this and only a handful of good vampires, so the playing field is uneven and they waste no time in dispatching each other when the chance presents itself. I think the best thing about the characters is that it’s easy to ‘feel’ for them. Keith, a particularity gross vampire, is incredibly easy to hate…in fact he down-right grossed me out at times. Dracula is a rather funny character that is suicidal and has a very dry outlook on things, he was by far my favorite character. I couldn’t decide if I enjoyed Jenny as a character though, she was an interesting character and I loved how powerful she was but she was also really odd to read about. I think the balance of maturity versus age was off, and she was a bit awkward to read about. There is also a cute romance involved as well that gives you a bit of break from all the people eating.
As I said before it’s a rather humorous read and that actually makes it hard for me to rate. On a normal day I would not read something like this but it made me laugh and I loved the weird little twists involved.
Well this was certainly one of the most unique novels based around Dracula that I’ve ever read. The premise is pretty interesting and execution is really…for the lack of a better word, weird. It wasn’t what I was expecting at all, and I actually had to take a few days toward the beginning to get into the mood for such a goofy read so that I could fully enjoy it. The writing really threw me for a loop because it was really good and then suddenly there would be a really crazy comparison thrown in or an odd character to mix things up, and I’d be at a loss. At times the writing did become a bit relaxed but there was something humorous about it.
I will say that I did not like having so many characters being introduced so quickly and maintained thorough out. There was a lot of plotting and when you take into account that there are well over 10 bad guys introduced you are liable to get confused as to who is doing what. There are a ton of bad vampires in this and only a handful of good vampires, so the playing field is uneven and they waste no time in dispatching each other when the chance presents itself. I think the best thing about the characters is that it’s easy to ‘feel’ for them. Keith, a particularity gross vampire, is incredibly easy to hate…in fact he down-right grossed me out at times. Dracula is a rather funny character that is suicidal and has a very dry outlook on things, he was by far my favorite character. I couldn’t decide if I enjoyed Jenny as a character though, she was an interesting character and I loved how powerful she was but she was also really odd to read about. I think the balance of maturity versus age was off, and she was a bit awkward to read about. There is also a cute romance involved as well that gives you a bit of break from all the people eating.
As I said before it’s a rather humorous read and that actually makes it hard for me to rate. On a normal day I would not read something like this but it made me laugh and I loved the weird little twists involved.
August 4, 2013
There is so many different points of view in this book that it would be extremely hard to write a synopsis without giving a lot away. But basically there are a bunch of evil vampires running around causing trouble. Everything pretty much branches off of that fact.
I was really amused by this book. I wasn't expecting much, I had a a bad run of books, but got more then I bargained for. The beginning dragged a little, but once it picked up it keep with a nice pace.
Dracula was by far my favorite, I wish the story focused more on him. Though I did love Moon Diamond was well. . .you could have cut everyone else out of the book and I would have kept reading just because of them.
It got a little confusing because there was so many different characters, at times I had to stop reading and think back to who was who. . .I know I got two of the major bad guys mixed up a lot, they where both fat, ugly guys that like pretty much doing the same things.
I liked how the book kept to a lot of the vampire legends, but changed some as well. I loved that the vampires weren't all lovey dovey with humans. I'm very tired of reading books like that.
There were a few errors in the book, but nothing so bad that it bothered me much. It just tends to stick out to me when dialogue starts with an " but doesn't end with one. . .I tend to get confused as to if the person stopped talking or not.
For the most part I really like this book, it was refreshing to me to finally find something worth reading to the end.
Would I recommend this book? Yeah, it was pretty good.
http://zephyrbookreviews.blogspot.com/
I was really amused by this book. I wasn't expecting much, I had a a bad run of books, but got more then I bargained for. The beginning dragged a little, but once it picked up it keep with a nice pace.
Dracula was by far my favorite, I wish the story focused more on him. Though I did love Moon Diamond was well. . .you could have cut everyone else out of the book and I would have kept reading just because of them.
It got a little confusing because there was so many different characters, at times I had to stop reading and think back to who was who. . .I know I got two of the major bad guys mixed up a lot, they where both fat, ugly guys that like pretty much doing the same things.
I liked how the book kept to a lot of the vampire legends, but changed some as well. I loved that the vampires weren't all lovey dovey with humans. I'm very tired of reading books like that.
There were a few errors in the book, but nothing so bad that it bothered me much. It just tends to stick out to me when dialogue starts with an " but doesn't end with one. . .I tend to get confused as to if the person stopped talking or not.
For the most part I really like this book, it was refreshing to me to finally find something worth reading to the end.
Would I recommend this book? Yeah, it was pretty good.
http://zephyrbookreviews.blogspot.com/
April 6, 2018
Dracula has gotten tired of living and has become seriously depressed and suicidal. Many years ago, with the different vampires, they develop either good or evil behaviors. Dracula created sheriffs to keep them in line but they evil vampire have taken over. This is a big cause of Dracula’s depression. His friend and fellow vampire Piers Anthony keeps trying to get him to get the lead out and start taking care of the vampires.
But the sheriffs are still trying to do their jobs, even if it feels like an uphill battle. Then we meet twelve year old Jenny, a blood wizard. She is a hybrid of a vampire and a human and has some special powers, plus being one heck of a vampire killer does help. Can Jenny and the sheriffs stop the evil vampires? Will Dracula start “living” again?
This was an interesting story. It was a unique writing style that did take a little bit for me to get used to. After that the story started getting better. There are a lot of people introduced and a lot of events happening. Be warned, this is the first book in a series. Not all of these plots are going to be wrapped up in a pretty bow. I do have to say that I think the vampire dogs were a nice addition.
This was an interesting take on Dracula and vampires. I really like all the humor that is in this story. Once you get into the story, the book is hard to put down. I can’t wait to see what happens in Hearts of Stone.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. I voluntarily chose to read and post an honest review.
But the sheriffs are still trying to do their jobs, even if it feels like an uphill battle. Then we meet twelve year old Jenny, a blood wizard. She is a hybrid of a vampire and a human and has some special powers, plus being one heck of a vampire killer does help. Can Jenny and the sheriffs stop the evil vampires? Will Dracula start “living” again?
This was an interesting story. It was a unique writing style that did take a little bit for me to get used to. After that the story started getting better. There are a lot of people introduced and a lot of events happening. Be warned, this is the first book in a series. Not all of these plots are going to be wrapped up in a pretty bow. I do have to say that I think the vampire dogs were a nice addition.
This was an interesting take on Dracula and vampires. I really like all the humor that is in this story. Once you get into the story, the book is hard to put down. I can’t wait to see what happens in Hearts of Stone.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. I voluntarily chose to read and post an honest review.
December 19, 2012
Dracula: Hearts of Stone
This book was sent to me by Bookrooster for a review. I am not really a fan of vampire books but this one was very well written. In the book you meet:
Dracula is a bit of a good guy and a dry sense of humor. Piers Anthony is now a vampire, never expect that at all, Dracula allowed because he enjoyed his writing style. Then we come to Jenny she is a 12-year-old hybrid with extraordinary talent, whom a bit more should have been written about.
Lauren is an exceptional sheriff with unsurpassed fighting skills. A sheriff is a vampire that has been given extra abilities by Dracula to keep the other vampires in line. A very special Siamese cat searches for Dracula. This was one of the funniest moment in the book. I will not say this come along but it had me laughing very hard.
Tessy is a vampire German shepherd that hates the evil vampires. These dogs are given to the vampire sheriffs.
Alexander is a handsome sheriff trying to save the world, one vampire at a time.
This book was sent to me by Bookrooster for a review. I am not really a fan of vampire books but this one was very well written. In the book you meet:
Dracula is a bit of a good guy and a dry sense of humor. Piers Anthony is now a vampire, never expect that at all, Dracula allowed because he enjoyed his writing style. Then we come to Jenny she is a 12-year-old hybrid with extraordinary talent, whom a bit more should have been written about.
Lauren is an exceptional sheriff with unsurpassed fighting skills. A sheriff is a vampire that has been given extra abilities by Dracula to keep the other vampires in line. A very special Siamese cat searches for Dracula. This was one of the funniest moment in the book. I will not say this come along but it had me laughing very hard.
Tessy is a vampire German shepherd that hates the evil vampires. These dogs are given to the vampire sheriffs.
Alexander is a handsome sheriff trying to save the world, one vampire at a time.
March 5, 2012
This has to be the first of a series. There are lots and lots of bad guys and not nearly so many good guys. None of the bad guys are likeable and the good guys are really, really good. I liked this book, but, at times, became impatient with the sub-plots of all the stupid bad guys all wanting to 'rule the world'. It did get a little confusing with 'The 12', 'The 10', the 3 or 4, and the really fat one all plotting - and eating humans willy-nilly. I loved the tiny bit of romance tucked in here, too. There were even some funny parts. Jenny is a serious power for good to be reckoned with and I can't wait to read more about her, Allison, Piers Anthony(yes, the famous author), Michael, Lauren, Boa and Wei, Alexander and Tessy, Moon Diamond and poor Zacharia, and, of course, Dracula.
February 16, 2016
The writing style is completely different than I'm used to, but somehow it works. It's kind of like reading a soap opera in that each chapter bounces to another character and it might take several chapters to get back to the character you were on. At first it was very distracting, but I kept reading just to get back to Dracula and what he was up to. Before long I was hooked. There's lots of humor in the book that had me laughing out loud. I read the last half while getting my hair done (it takes hours) and kept reading funny parts to the girl doing my hair. By the time I finished she was asking me what happened next!
May 14, 2012
loved it a must read now!
December 2, 2012
I am so happy I found this series I had quietva few lol moments I look forward to reading the rest of the books
February 16, 2015
Intense, Unique, Funny Read. I Loved It!
August 21, 2015
Threw me for a loop
I totally enjoyed this book. Dracula cracked me up and the ending so not what I expected. This Dracula definitely my favorite vampire
I totally enjoyed this book. Dracula cracked me up and the ending so not what I expected. This Dracula definitely my favorite vampire
July 25, 2013
I liked some things about this book. The idea of Dracula as a hero intrigued me, as did the concept of red sheriffs. Some of the characters had potential, particularly Jenny. Yet the book as a whole did not impress me. There were too many plots so that the story was very episodic, with no focus. The plethora of characters makes for confusion, and only a couple of them had any depth (I really don't need to know the names of all the bit characters, either). Sometimes A.J. Gallant got so caught up writing details of a scene that I felt I was reading a series of very loosely connected vignettes. I had hoped that all the strands would come together by the end if the book. Instead the book just stopped, leaving lots of loose ends but very little satisfaction.
I received a complimentary copy of this book in order to review it.
I received a complimentary copy of this book in order to review it.
January 17, 2016
The story has many characters, and I must confess that I found it a little difficult to keep track of who was who. Dracula is very entertaining and his relationship with Piers Anthony (yes that Piers Anthony) was definitely a highlight of the story which centers around Dracula wanting to kill himself, a young girl with mysterious powers and a bunch of Vampire thugs that want to kill Dracula. Oh yes and there's a Vampire dog!
I enjoyed this book and I'm sure I will enjoy the next one as well. I want to find out what happens to the characters and what, if any, progress they make. I would encourage the author to find a new editor though as I found a few errors in this book. It'll be interesting to see where the Author goes with this series.
I enjoyed this book and I'm sure I will enjoy the next one as well. I want to find out what happens to the characters and what, if any, progress they make. I would encourage the author to find a new editor though as I found a few errors in this book. It'll be interesting to see where the Author goes with this series.
July 30, 2012
meh. So far a noncompelling read. It has taken months to get around to opening it & so far it is to depressing for words.
I give major points for vampiric k9 hunting dogs & a thumbs up for the Red Sherrif. However after a couple of hours of trying this one is getting put back on the shelf for another attempt on a different day.
If that attempt fails as well.. digital recycling here it comes
I give major points for vampiric k9 hunting dogs & a thumbs up for the Red Sherrif. However after a couple of hours of trying this one is getting put back on the shelf for another attempt on a different day.
If that attempt fails as well.. digital recycling here it comes
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February 21, 2017
Check out my review here!
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March 13, 2016Awful! Story was pretty good, but it was an Amazon free download and, man, I had no idea how badly written those books could be! A first grade child could write better than that! Sure hope all of my free downloads aren't as badly written!
March 25, 2012
Think you have things rough@ Try going through life that never ends as a depressed Vampire. A fun read with humor a surprises.Battles to be fought and just coping with how to stay alive.
didn-t-actually-read-dnf
October 7, 2012Don't know what I was thinking when I ordered this one.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews