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Dhampiri
Colleen Patrick thought she was just going to the market one autumn day in 1872, when everything she knew about herself - and the world around her - abruptly changed. Living the American dream, she had been happy with her young, Irish husband on their small farm in Kentucky. Little did she know, the town's exotic gypsy family was actually a family of Vampires with big plans for her. Plans that did not necessarily require her consent. At just twenty-two years old, tragically removed from her life and thrust into an existence for which she was carefully selected; she is now a murderer, a widow, and an immortal. As this epic tale unfolds Colleen is abruptly taken captive by a clan of Valkyries, demanding vengeance for a war that happened long before she was born, turning her world upside down once more. Now she must choose between the family that she has grown to love and the delicate toddler who's life is in her hands.
- GenresVampiresParanormal
212 pages, Paperback
First published September 20, 2011
7 people are currently reading
259 people want to read
About the author
L.M. Smith
10 books36 followersL. M. Smith is the author of the Jazz Nemesis series, a gritty, genre-bending saga where faith meets fallout and humor still finds room to breathe. Her work fuses dark psychology with mythic world-building, creating stories that are equal parts cinematic and uncomfortably human.
She lives in Las Vegas, Nevada, with her husband Charles—the most perfect man on earth—a sassy black cat named Pandora, and a pack of extremely wacky Great Danes named Kratos, Freya, Xena, and sometimes Roxy, one of her seventeen grandpuppies, who visits often enough to count as family. When she’s not writing, she’s gaming (PlayStation over Xbox, every time), overanalyzing dialogue like it’s an Olympic sport, or making elaborate plans to finish all the projects she started yesterday.
In addition to Jazz Nemesis, Smith is at work on a memoir and several nonfiction histories exploring monarchy, madness, and the mechanics of power.
She lives in Las Vegas, Nevada, with her husband Charles—the most perfect man on earth—a sassy black cat named Pandora, and a pack of extremely wacky Great Danes named Kratos, Freya, Xena, and sometimes Roxy, one of her seventeen grandpuppies, who visits often enough to count as family. When she’s not writing, she’s gaming (PlayStation over Xbox, every time), overanalyzing dialogue like it’s an Olympic sport, or making elaborate plans to finish all the projects she started yesterday.
In addition to Jazz Nemesis, Smith is at work on a memoir and several nonfiction histories exploring monarchy, madness, and the mechanics of power.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
October 7, 2014
"Dhampiri" by L.M. Smith is a Vampire story I read purely on the strength of the author's other work. Currently a little maxed out on the paranormal I was pleasantly surprised to find a very "realistic" and relatable voice in the book. We experience with the narrator the moment of 1872 when she is being bitten and turned, we witness exactly the way she feels, what she can smell and all kinds of other sensations. The decriptions are so well done, it felt almost real to me.
The story however continues with the battle between the Valkyries and the Vampires and a hostage situation. It wouldn't be Smith without strong writing, sharp logical plotting, a rational thinking protagonist and dependable characters. The story has an ending point in 1992, Halloween. As far as Vampire stories go a real treat.
The story however continues with the battle between the Valkyries and the Vampires and a hostage situation. It wouldn't be Smith without strong writing, sharp logical plotting, a rational thinking protagonist and dependable characters. The story has an ending point in 1992, Halloween. As far as Vampire stories go a real treat.
May 31, 2012
The following reviews can be found on Amazon.com as posted by the original authors.
Enjoyed this very much! - 5 STARS
By KLW
"Dhampiri. What the heck does that mean? This was the question in the back of my mind before purchasing this novel, but after just having read, and very much enjoying The Citizens written by this same talented author, I purchased Dhampiri. I knew if I only enjoyed it half as much as I did The Citizens, then I got my money's worth. Not surprising to me, I enjoyed this book every bit as much as I did her first book.
I would like to say, up until now I had no interest at all in anything that had to do with the Vampire craze. I knew this book had a lot to do with them from reading the editorial review, but the short review sounded like it would be an interesting story, and I was curious how the author would handle an entire novel about the Vampire subject. Plus, I wanted the book to enlighten me on the meaning of the title without researching the subject myself, as I normally would have done.
The book starts out in 1872 with 22-year-old Colleen Patrick. She and her husband, Ronin, a young immigrant couple happily living a nice quiet life on a little farm in America they built themselves. I took a liking to Colleen from the very beginning. The actions start right away when her trip to town changed her life completely. She was turned into a Vampire and her emotions and actions when she realized what was done to her, I thought, were very well-written and believable.
The story spans 150 years or so, since Vampires are immortal, and, without giving any of the story away, the book just keeps getting more and more exciting. I like how the author builds the story from the very beginning, with a proper and reserved young immigrant woman in 1872 and takes the reader through the changes that were forced on her, the shock of how she lost her beloved husband, trying to fit into the Vampire clan, learning all of the strange ways of a Vampire, and learning what a Dhampir actually is. Life isn't so bad after all, Colleen is thinking, then the Valkyries show up, and it is non-stop, keep you guessing action from then on.
One aspect of a good book, to me, is not being able to guess what's coming next, and this author has a talent for that. The ending was especially surprising to me, and I loved it. I experienced lots of different emotions while reading this book, and, not being a fan of the Vampire genre, I have to admit, a few parts gave me the shivers, and I don't mean to say that those parts were overly gory, which they weren't, they were written as tastefully as possible.
This book didn't cause me to love Vampires, I still have just as much aversion to them, but that doesn't mean I can't enjoy a well-written and exciting book with likeable characters, lots of emotion, and very exciting story with a great beginning, middle and ending. Very well done, L. M. Smith! I like your style. Oh, hang on to your editor. I didn't find any typos or mistakes what-so-ever, and that adds to a much more enjoyable read."
Enjoyed this very much! - 5 STARS
By KLW
"Dhampiri. What the heck does that mean? This was the question in the back of my mind before purchasing this novel, but after just having read, and very much enjoying The Citizens written by this same talented author, I purchased Dhampiri. I knew if I only enjoyed it half as much as I did The Citizens, then I got my money's worth. Not surprising to me, I enjoyed this book every bit as much as I did her first book.
I would like to say, up until now I had no interest at all in anything that had to do with the Vampire craze. I knew this book had a lot to do with them from reading the editorial review, but the short review sounded like it would be an interesting story, and I was curious how the author would handle an entire novel about the Vampire subject. Plus, I wanted the book to enlighten me on the meaning of the title without researching the subject myself, as I normally would have done.
The book starts out in 1872 with 22-year-old Colleen Patrick. She and her husband, Ronin, a young immigrant couple happily living a nice quiet life on a little farm in America they built themselves. I took a liking to Colleen from the very beginning. The actions start right away when her trip to town changed her life completely. She was turned into a Vampire and her emotions and actions when she realized what was done to her, I thought, were very well-written and believable.
The story spans 150 years or so, since Vampires are immortal, and, without giving any of the story away, the book just keeps getting more and more exciting. I like how the author builds the story from the very beginning, with a proper and reserved young immigrant woman in 1872 and takes the reader through the changes that were forced on her, the shock of how she lost her beloved husband, trying to fit into the Vampire clan, learning all of the strange ways of a Vampire, and learning what a Dhampir actually is. Life isn't so bad after all, Colleen is thinking, then the Valkyries show up, and it is non-stop, keep you guessing action from then on.
One aspect of a good book, to me, is not being able to guess what's coming next, and this author has a talent for that. The ending was especially surprising to me, and I loved it. I experienced lots of different emotions while reading this book, and, not being a fan of the Vampire genre, I have to admit, a few parts gave me the shivers, and I don't mean to say that those parts were overly gory, which they weren't, they were written as tastefully as possible.
This book didn't cause me to love Vampires, I still have just as much aversion to them, but that doesn't mean I can't enjoy a well-written and exciting book with likeable characters, lots of emotion, and very exciting story with a great beginning, middle and ending. Very well done, L. M. Smith! I like your style. Oh, hang on to your editor. I didn't find any typos or mistakes what-so-ever, and that adds to a much more enjoyable read."
October 29, 2014
I love stories about vampires, so downloaded this book. I really enjoyed it!
Colleen Patrick is a very likable character. She had immigrated to America with her husband, Ronin, from Ireland in 1870 and had settled in Lexington, Kentucky. In the autumn of 1872, her life takes a dramatic turn when she meets the Deussen's. Her life will never be the same again.
This is a book I have been wanting to read for a while. I have read other books by this author, so I was excited to begin this one.
I started to read this book and was quickly drawn into the tale. The story spans 120 years and finishes in 1992. There are several points of view, but the story is mostly told through the eyes of Colleen. I was a little confused as to the motives of the Duessen's, especially Anca and Dorian, and why they would pick Colleen to be one of the family. There did not seem to be a sexual element to this choice, but rather a servile one. But, I did wonder if Anca had feelings for Colleen because of something Dorian said. However, this was not explored by the author.
The story is certainly unique with regards to vampire life. The characters were quite interesting, but I would have loved to have seen more interaction within the family unit. Large segments of Colleen's life seemed to have been skipped over, so on occasion I felt a bit lost. But, as soon as the Valkyries were introduced, things got even more interesting. I liked Pandora. She seemed level headed and logical for a Valkyrie. They have been at war with the vampires for a long time, and have been slowly recovering from the last battle 200 years previously. The Valkyrie queen, known as "Mother", is one ticked off lady, with a grudge against the vampires. In my opinion, her need for revenge made her deranged. I loved the scene where Pandora and Colleen bargain for food and diapers for Ancira, Dorian's half human daughter. All of the scenes in the book were well described, and I could picture them with ease. The end of the book was a little bittersweet, but I was also left wondering whether Ancira/Jennifer really was Dorian's child or just an innocent victim of a kidnapping. I guess I will never know, unless the author has plans for a sequel.
L.M. Smith has written an intriguing dark urban fantasy that will stay with me for some time to come. I love her fast paced writing style, but felt the flow wasn't as smooth as it could have been. However, this is one of her earlier works, so it doesn't have the polish of her later works. She is one of my favourite authors, and I am looking forward to reading more of her books in the future.
Although there is no mention of sex or sexual situations, I do not recommend this book to younger readers due to some violence. However, I highly recommend this book if you love paranormal fiction, horror or urban fantasy. - Lynn Worton
Colleen Patrick is a very likable character. She had immigrated to America with her husband, Ronin, from Ireland in 1870 and had settled in Lexington, Kentucky. In the autumn of 1872, her life takes a dramatic turn when she meets the Deussen's. Her life will never be the same again.
This is a book I have been wanting to read for a while. I have read other books by this author, so I was excited to begin this one.
I started to read this book and was quickly drawn into the tale. The story spans 120 years and finishes in 1992. There are several points of view, but the story is mostly told through the eyes of Colleen. I was a little confused as to the motives of the Duessen's, especially Anca and Dorian, and why they would pick Colleen to be one of the family. There did not seem to be a sexual element to this choice, but rather a servile one. But, I did wonder if Anca had feelings for Colleen because of something Dorian said. However, this was not explored by the author.
The story is certainly unique with regards to vampire life. The characters were quite interesting, but I would have loved to have seen more interaction within the family unit. Large segments of Colleen's life seemed to have been skipped over, so on occasion I felt a bit lost. But, as soon as the Valkyries were introduced, things got even more interesting. I liked Pandora. She seemed level headed and logical for a Valkyrie. They have been at war with the vampires for a long time, and have been slowly recovering from the last battle 200 years previously. The Valkyrie queen, known as "Mother", is one ticked off lady, with a grudge against the vampires. In my opinion, her need for revenge made her deranged. I loved the scene where Pandora and Colleen bargain for food and diapers for Ancira, Dorian's half human daughter. All of the scenes in the book were well described, and I could picture them with ease. The end of the book was a little bittersweet, but I was also left wondering whether Ancira/Jennifer really was Dorian's child or just an innocent victim of a kidnapping. I guess I will never know, unless the author has plans for a sequel.
L.M. Smith has written an intriguing dark urban fantasy that will stay with me for some time to come. I love her fast paced writing style, but felt the flow wasn't as smooth as it could have been. However, this is one of her earlier works, so it doesn't have the polish of her later works. She is one of my favourite authors, and I am looking forward to reading more of her books in the future.
Although there is no mention of sex or sexual situations, I do not recommend this book to younger readers due to some violence. However, I highly recommend this book if you love paranormal fiction, horror or urban fantasy. - Lynn Worton
August 28, 2012
I was gifted a copy of this book by the author. This is an amazing book! I fell in love with sparkles and Leeloo. Not your typical vampire story, but one you will love!!!
September 18, 2012
I was given this book in return for an honest review. The story spans from 1872 when Colleen is turned into a vampire against her will through 1992. She lives in a maginificent cave with the vampires that turned her and their community. Over the years, she has become a nanny to the Dhampir children of her maker's husband. The children are carried and delivered by humans, then the vampire father steals the baby and it stays with the community. Their was a long ago war over the cave, which initially belonged to the Valkyrie. The vampires won, but the Valkyrie have never forgiven or forgot. They come and ambush Colleen and her family and kidnap them, along with their newest Dhampir child, Ancira. They are held by the Valkyrie and used as hostages to get their cave back. Colleen wants to escape but also has to worry about caring for and protecting baby Ancira. When the vampire community back at the cave kills the Valkyrie that are there to try to take the cave, most of Colleens vampire family are killed. She is able to escape with Ancira and is told by a vampire that she cannot go back to the cave due to a vampire trying to take over the rule of all the vamps there and it wouldn't be safe for her or the baby. She runs, but what to do with Ancira. The Valkyrie and the vampires will be looking for her. This was a cool take on vampires. New lore and new rules, I do enjoy a good change up. I like how the characters interact and sometimes seem almost human still and the way they adore the baby, Ancira, is the sweetest. Great story, loved the characters, and definately worth recommending. WaAr
October 21, 2012
Dhampiri by L.M. Smith
I received this book free on an Amazon promotion.
The story, with Vampires and Valkyrie could easily have been a copy of so many others, instead the author managed to bring an aspect into the story not explored often and usually substituted for romantic love. In principle this is a story of a women loving children and being able and willing to do everything she can to raise them well. The fact that she is a Vampire made the irony of this delightful.
The story has several time periodical mentions and even more references to popular myth and beliefs; I really enjoyed this part of the story as well.
That is however not all the book has to offer that is either novel or well presented, the book has several action scenes in it. These were expertly executed by the author and I found them very enjoyable.
What did I not like? I found the pacing of events a bit erratic. Not in such a degree that it actually took away from the overall enjoyment level of the book, but it was present.
Who would love this book? Paranormal genre lovers! Who would not? People who does not like paranormal genre....
I give it a very highly recommended 4 * review rating and would recommend you read it and decide what you take from it.
WaAr
I received this book free on an Amazon promotion.
The story, with Vampires and Valkyrie could easily have been a copy of so many others, instead the author managed to bring an aspect into the story not explored often and usually substituted for romantic love. In principle this is a story of a women loving children and being able and willing to do everything she can to raise them well. The fact that she is a Vampire made the irony of this delightful.
The story has several time periodical mentions and even more references to popular myth and beliefs; I really enjoyed this part of the story as well.
That is however not all the book has to offer that is either novel or well presented, the book has several action scenes in it. These were expertly executed by the author and I found them very enjoyable.
What did I not like? I found the pacing of events a bit erratic. Not in such a degree that it actually took away from the overall enjoyment level of the book, but it was present.
Who would love this book? Paranormal genre lovers! Who would not? People who does not like paranormal genre....
I give it a very highly recommended 4 * review rating and would recommend you read it and decide what you take from it.
WaAr
September 20, 2012
I received this book in exchange for a honest review ~WaAr~
This book had tons of information in it. It was a great story and I loved the characters, especially Ancira and Colleen. It was a little slow it parts for my taste, but the characters and flow of the story kept it going.
The book starts will a woman named Colleen married to a man back in 1872. She goes into town to buy material for her husband and is taken by Vampires. She is turned into a Vampire and the story is about how she comes to terms with her role in that family now and her duty. Valkyries show up and destroy what she has known for 117 years. Will they survive or will all be lost?
The author is a great writer and I still look forward to more by her! I just loved the Citizens, she wrote better! I give this a 4 star review.
This book had tons of information in it. It was a great story and I loved the characters, especially Ancira and Colleen. It was a little slow it parts for my taste, but the characters and flow of the story kept it going.
The book starts will a woman named Colleen married to a man back in 1872. She goes into town to buy material for her husband and is taken by Vampires. She is turned into a Vampire and the story is about how she comes to terms with her role in that family now and her duty. Valkyries show up and destroy what she has known for 117 years. Will they survive or will all be lost?
The author is a great writer and I still look forward to more by her! I just loved the Citizens, she wrote better! I give this a 4 star review.
October 16, 2012
A review of Dhampiri by L. M. Smith
As author of [[ASIN:B008N0GWVA Coffin Girls (Elegantly Undead: Book 1 of the Coffin Girls Witch Vampire Series)]] and a long-standing fan of fang-related reads, I religiously digested every book Anne Rice ever wrote. L.M. Smith's book reminded me a lot of Rice's because of the focus on the internal conflict the primary character faces due to her vampire status.
It was a nostalgic read for me and fans of the Lamenting vampire would enjoy it.
A review by Aneesa Price, author and member of WaAr
As author of [[ASIN:B008N0GWVA Coffin Girls (Elegantly Undead: Book 1 of the Coffin Girls Witch Vampire Series)]] and a long-standing fan of fang-related reads, I religiously digested every book Anne Rice ever wrote. L.M. Smith's book reminded me a lot of Rice's because of the focus on the internal conflict the primary character faces due to her vampire status.
It was a nostalgic read for me and fans of the Lamenting vampire would enjoy it.
A review by Aneesa Price, author and member of WaAr
September 1, 2012
I was given this book by the author in return for an honest review.
I found this to be an enthralling read. It show's another side to vampire's that some would think impossible to contemplate but the author makes this work to her advantage. It is full of turn's that you don't see coming til they happen. I hope that there will be a second book as would like to know what becomes of Ancira. A must read for any Vampire fan
I found this to be an enthralling read. It show's another side to vampire's that some would think impossible to contemplate but the author makes this work to her advantage. It is full of turn's that you don't see coming til they happen. I hope that there will be a second book as would like to know what becomes of Ancira. A must read for any Vampire fan
September 18, 2012
I was given this book to read by the author and can honestly say that I could not put it down. The rivalry between the vampires and the valkyries was a ride and a half I loved the main characters Colleen , Pandora and the Deussen family they were believable which is rare in a lot of books on the whole it was an excellent read and I would say get it and read it you won't be disappointed I would like the author for the chance to read and review this brilliant book
October 8, 2012
Not bad. It was a little slow but the story kept flowing which kept me reading. My only let down is the lack of action. It had some but they were short lived. I would love to read any follow up stories though. It would be great to read about Ancira as an adult.
October 19, 2014
Despite the fact I normally won't read vampire stories I gave this one a try. It wasn't bad. The storyline is pretty good and rather engaging. There are some different elements than the usual like the Valkyries which I thought was good.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews