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Crooked Fang #2
Crooked Fang
Sometimes a vampire's past can bite him in the ass.
Xan Marcelles--bassist for Crooked Fang, vampire and full-time asshole, is content with his quiet existence in the backwoods of Pinecliffe, Colorado. But life at the Pale Rider tavern is set to become a little more complicated when he gets entangled with a feisty, blue-haired damsel and her abusive soon-to-be ex boyfriend.
To add to his woes, he's gone from hunter to hunted, and his past returns to haunt him when a phone call draws him back to New Mexico. With the help of friends from his living past, he must get to the bottom of a murder, and figure out where he stands with his lover and his band, all while keeping one step ahead of his enemies. Hiding won't be easy for him, especially with a mysterious woman dogging him every step of the way.
WARNING: Cussing, smoking, drinking and hot sex.
Xan Marcelles--bassist for Crooked Fang, vampire and full-time asshole, is content with his quiet existence in the backwoods of Pinecliffe, Colorado. But life at the Pale Rider tavern is set to become a little more complicated when he gets entangled with a feisty, blue-haired damsel and her abusive soon-to-be ex boyfriend.
To add to his woes, he's gone from hunter to hunted, and his past returns to haunt him when a phone call draws him back to New Mexico. With the help of friends from his living past, he must get to the bottom of a murder, and figure out where he stands with his lover and his band, all while keeping one step ahead of his enemies. Hiding won't be easy for him, especially with a mysterious woman dogging him every step of the way.
WARNING: Cussing, smoking, drinking and hot sex.
- GenresUrban FantasyVampires
ebook
First published July 31, 2012
2 people are currently reading
396 people want to read
About the author
Carrie Clevenger
17 books71 followersCarrie Clevenger enjoys documentaries, non-fiction, Blue Moon, music, and coffee. Sometimes she writes poetry and short stories that have bad endings. She's the elusive sort and has a horrid fear of meeting people, but socialization isn't exactly how good books are written. Carrie is the author of the Crooked Fang series and has many more awful things planned.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
December 31, 2012
A fantastic vampire read if you're wanting to step away from the gushy romance novels.
Xan's a crude, brooding, young vampire who's a big softy under it all. There was a wide array of complex characters, and great attention to details from Clevenger. The whole novel all I could smell was cigarettes and hard liquor, quite displeasing, but I enjoyed the immersion.
This book does a lot of things right with what is an over saturated market for vampire novels. It stays refreshing in personality and setting, while being loyal to widely loved vampire lore "rules." No one sparkles here, or anything else that might be too far from the reservation.
Though, the ending felt odd, like there should be more, perhaps this is suppose to be part of a series and I'm not aware. Also, I really was upset that Xan while he isn't abusive sort of mean, he is kind of a jerk, and doesn't "grow" out of it by the end of the book. Probably wouldn't have bothered me if I didn't perceive it as immaturity from my personal bias based on real life experiences.
This one is defiantly for ADULT READERS who are looking for a change of pace when it comes to stereotypical paranormal vampire.
Xan's a crude, brooding, young vampire who's a big softy under it all. There was a wide array of complex characters, and great attention to details from Clevenger. The whole novel all I could smell was cigarettes and hard liquor, quite displeasing, but I enjoyed the immersion.
This book does a lot of things right with what is an over saturated market for vampire novels. It stays refreshing in personality and setting, while being loyal to widely loved vampire lore "rules." No one sparkles here, or anything else that might be too far from the reservation.
Though, the ending felt odd, like there should be more, perhaps this is suppose to be part of a series and I'm not aware. Also, I really was upset that Xan while he isn't abusive sort of mean, he is kind of a jerk, and doesn't "grow" out of it by the end of the book. Probably wouldn't have bothered me if I didn't perceive it as immaturity from my personal bias based on real life experiences.
This one is defiantly for ADULT READERS who are looking for a change of pace when it comes to stereotypical paranormal vampire.
June 15, 2012
ARC Review
Crooked Fang is one of the best of books I've read in a long while. I know what you're thinking, not another vampire story. No, this is not just another vampire story. Carrie Clevenger has weaved a unique and intriguing page turner where the reader is relentlessly pulled into the world of Xan Marcelles, the vampire bass player who lives in a bar and just wants to enjoy his mostly peaceful existence with a bottle of whiskey on the side. However, that is not to be. We follow Xan as he moves from one misadventure to next. There’s never a dull moment, from fan-yourself-hot sex to the mystery surrounding the murder of an old friend. Impossible to put down, Clevenger keeps the reader on the edge of his/her seat and always wanting more. Xan is the most endearing vampire I’ve read. He made me laugh, cry, blush and cheer. It’s rare that one character can successfully pull off all these reactions from me.
Excellent effort by Carrie Clevenger. I would definitely recommend Crooked Fang to anyone who enjoys urban fantasy/paranormal with high octane adventure, a touch of romance and smoking hot sex.
Crooked Fang is one of the best of books I've read in a long while. I know what you're thinking, not another vampire story. No, this is not just another vampire story. Carrie Clevenger has weaved a unique and intriguing page turner where the reader is relentlessly pulled into the world of Xan Marcelles, the vampire bass player who lives in a bar and just wants to enjoy his mostly peaceful existence with a bottle of whiskey on the side. However, that is not to be. We follow Xan as he moves from one misadventure to next. There’s never a dull moment, from fan-yourself-hot sex to the mystery surrounding the murder of an old friend. Impossible to put down, Clevenger keeps the reader on the edge of his/her seat and always wanting more. Xan is the most endearing vampire I’ve read. He made me laugh, cry, blush and cheer. It’s rare that one character can successfully pull off all these reactions from me.
Excellent effort by Carrie Clevenger. I would definitely recommend Crooked Fang to anyone who enjoys urban fantasy/paranormal with high octane adventure, a touch of romance and smoking hot sex.
September 18, 2012
Oh yay, another vampire, I hear you cry. Stop right there. Forget for a moment that Twilight ever existed, and give Crooked Fang a go. Why? Because sometimes you can almost forget that CF's hero, Xan Marcelles, is even a vampire. I prefer to think of him as a grumpy, whisky-drinking, chain-smoking bassist who's going to live for a really, really long time.
Basically, Xan lives in a bar named Pale Rider in Pinecliffe, Colorado. He does odd jobs and plays bass in his band, Crooked Fang. It's pretty clear he'd be happy with his quiet existence, not bothering anyone as long as they don't bother him, except real life has a way of intruding into his private world. If he's not dealing with abusive boyfriends or singers prone to tantrums, he's being dragged back to his old stamping ground, New Mexico, to track down an errant vampire. Yes, Xan hunts other vampires, and he's very good at it. This is not just any vampire, but rather a Nesferata, and it's an inventive touch that almost raises the possibility of racism among the vampires themselves. It's not just "humans" vs "vampires" - oh no, it's every bloodsucker for him/herself.
I followed Crooked Fang back when it was a blog serial, and I was excited to finally have a paperback copy in my hands. The gorgeous presentation aside, it's just one of those novels that you can actually describe as 'gripping'. I've never been a big fan of vampires so it stands testament to Carrie Clevenger's storytelling skills that I am a HUGE fan of Xan Marcelles. He's an incredibly likeable and plausible hero, carrying with him that 'reluctant hero' air that makes the likes of Snake Plisskin so cool. Xan also has an incredibly strong voice, so the book often feels like you're sat at the back of Pale Rider, and he's telling it to you over a drink. Clevenger pulls off the difficult task of making it feel like Xan's simply dictated the story to her, and I couldn't NOT fall for him a tiny bit. The secondary characters are also incredibly strong as Clevenger creates plausible characters that you either love or loathe, and I particularly love the banter with his friend, Scott.
I actually can't recommend Crooked Fang enough and I can't wait for the sequel to drop!
Basically, Xan lives in a bar named Pale Rider in Pinecliffe, Colorado. He does odd jobs and plays bass in his band, Crooked Fang. It's pretty clear he'd be happy with his quiet existence, not bothering anyone as long as they don't bother him, except real life has a way of intruding into his private world. If he's not dealing with abusive boyfriends or singers prone to tantrums, he's being dragged back to his old stamping ground, New Mexico, to track down an errant vampire. Yes, Xan hunts other vampires, and he's very good at it. This is not just any vampire, but rather a Nesferata, and it's an inventive touch that almost raises the possibility of racism among the vampires themselves. It's not just "humans" vs "vampires" - oh no, it's every bloodsucker for him/herself.
I followed Crooked Fang back when it was a blog serial, and I was excited to finally have a paperback copy in my hands. The gorgeous presentation aside, it's just one of those novels that you can actually describe as 'gripping'. I've never been a big fan of vampires so it stands testament to Carrie Clevenger's storytelling skills that I am a HUGE fan of Xan Marcelles. He's an incredibly likeable and plausible hero, carrying with him that 'reluctant hero' air that makes the likes of Snake Plisskin so cool. Xan also has an incredibly strong voice, so the book often feels like you're sat at the back of Pale Rider, and he's telling it to you over a drink. Clevenger pulls off the difficult task of making it feel like Xan's simply dictated the story to her, and I couldn't NOT fall for him a tiny bit. The secondary characters are also incredibly strong as Clevenger creates plausible characters that you either love or loathe, and I particularly love the banter with his friend, Scott.
I actually can't recommend Crooked Fang enough and I can't wait for the sequel to drop!
September 19, 2012
What can I say about Xan Marcelles?
I'll start here: Xan Marcelles
He's half Native American, Indian and half Italian. *pitter patter goes my heart*
He's a bass guitar player for Pale Rider's house cover band, Crooked Fang. (He created the band.)
He lives in one of the rooms above Pale Rider.
He drinks - a lot. And whiskey would be his choice.
He smokes cigarettes.
He's got hair down to his ass.
He's a tall, tall man - 6'5" to be exact.
He's grumpy and moody and sweet as pie.
He stays up all night and sleeps all day.
He has his pick of the ladies because he's incredibly sexy.
He's an all American, to die for, musician bad boy, on a stick!
He rides a motorcycle.
He drives a badass 1967 restored Camaro.
He doesn't look for trouble, yet trouble finds him.
He has the best of intentions - and we all know where those lead.
He's a bit naive where the ladies are concerned, but don't mistake that for inexperience, because clearly nothing about him is inexperienced.
He's chosen his place of residence in Pinecliffe Colorado, for a very specific reason: He's safe there.
Let's see, what am I forgetting...
Oh yes, he's also a vampire.
The reason I listed the things above before I stated that he was a vampire is because Xan is so much more than just a vampire. Not only is he more than a vampire, he's not a typical, cut from the mold, vampire.
Xan is a complex character that is so beyond torn between his humanity and his vampire nature, it's heart breaking. His story takes us on an adventure of discovery as his pesky humanity get's him into several troublesome situations.
A vampire hunter tries to kill him and Xan has to kill or be killed. He's sick with himself over what he had to do.
He gets involved with a cute blue haired girl, he can't seem to stay away from, yet doesn't want to commit too. Why? Well, he's not human and that just complicates the shit out of a relationship.
He struggles with seeing his best friend, from when he was still human, age before his eyes. Yet Xan continues to maintain the relationship regardless of what he is now. Why? Because he simply has to.
And finally, he heads back to New Mexico, where he was born, to help out an old friend who's sister was murdered. But wait, I'll also add that the girl who was murdered used to be a girl Xan dated when he was younger... when he was human.
The journey back home is the core of the story. And believe me, it is a journey. Xan poses as his own son and struggles with seeing his friend again, who has now aged in to her fifties. He struggles with seeing his ex-girlfriend's body and facing another loss from his past life. The fact that her murder turns out to be vampire related is another issue.
Xan is confronted and overwhelmed by emotions the entire time he is there and while he tries to process all of them he also fights his vampire nature - his need to drink blood - every step of the way.
He's clearly his own worst enemy. But, aren't we all?
Xan is a character that you can't help but love. He has a heart (even if he can sometimes be an asshole) and a desire to do the right thing, which is what bites him in the ass consistently. Yet he doesn't stop being who he is deep inside, even if he isn't quite sure who that man is anymore.
His book is the first of his series by author Carrie Clevenger. It's not without errors, often seen in first cut novels as well as long time series novels. However, I promise you, it *is* worth the read.
Carrie has done an incredible job of showing us so much more than a vampire. She's shown us a vampire who still carries all the same emotions you and I do... every day.
Hands down, Xan is someone I would hang out with. Someone I probably would drive insane because I'd stick around, even when he took off without word.
He's one of the good guys that has enough bad boy in him to make you chase him.
Thanks, Carrie for giving us Xan. I cannot wait for the story to be continued!
I'll start here: Xan Marcelles
He's half Native American, Indian and half Italian. *pitter patter goes my heart*
He's a bass guitar player for Pale Rider's house cover band, Crooked Fang. (He created the band.)
He lives in one of the rooms above Pale Rider.
He drinks - a lot. And whiskey would be his choice.
He smokes cigarettes.
He's got hair down to his ass.
He's a tall, tall man - 6'5" to be exact.
He's grumpy and moody and sweet as pie.
He stays up all night and sleeps all day.
He has his pick of the ladies because he's incredibly sexy.
He's an all American, to die for, musician bad boy, on a stick!
He rides a motorcycle.
He drives a badass 1967 restored Camaro.
He doesn't look for trouble, yet trouble finds him.
He has the best of intentions - and we all know where those lead.
He's a bit naive where the ladies are concerned, but don't mistake that for inexperience, because clearly nothing about him is inexperienced.
He's chosen his place of residence in Pinecliffe Colorado, for a very specific reason: He's safe there.
Let's see, what am I forgetting...
Oh yes, he's also a vampire.
The reason I listed the things above before I stated that he was a vampire is because Xan is so much more than just a vampire. Not only is he more than a vampire, he's not a typical, cut from the mold, vampire.
Xan is a complex character that is so beyond torn between his humanity and his vampire nature, it's heart breaking. His story takes us on an adventure of discovery as his pesky humanity get's him into several troublesome situations.
A vampire hunter tries to kill him and Xan has to kill or be killed. He's sick with himself over what he had to do.
He gets involved with a cute blue haired girl, he can't seem to stay away from, yet doesn't want to commit too. Why? Well, he's not human and that just complicates the shit out of a relationship.
He struggles with seeing his best friend, from when he was still human, age before his eyes. Yet Xan continues to maintain the relationship regardless of what he is now. Why? Because he simply has to.
And finally, he heads back to New Mexico, where he was born, to help out an old friend who's sister was murdered. But wait, I'll also add that the girl who was murdered used to be a girl Xan dated when he was younger... when he was human.
The journey back home is the core of the story. And believe me, it is a journey. Xan poses as his own son and struggles with seeing his friend again, who has now aged in to her fifties. He struggles with seeing his ex-girlfriend's body and facing another loss from his past life. The fact that her murder turns out to be vampire related is another issue.
Xan is confronted and overwhelmed by emotions the entire time he is there and while he tries to process all of them he also fights his vampire nature - his need to drink blood - every step of the way.
He's clearly his own worst enemy. But, aren't we all?
Xan is a character that you can't help but love. He has a heart (even if he can sometimes be an asshole) and a desire to do the right thing, which is what bites him in the ass consistently. Yet he doesn't stop being who he is deep inside, even if he isn't quite sure who that man is anymore.
His book is the first of his series by author Carrie Clevenger. It's not without errors, often seen in first cut novels as well as long time series novels. However, I promise you, it *is* worth the read.
Carrie has done an incredible job of showing us so much more than a vampire. She's shown us a vampire who still carries all the same emotions you and I do... every day.
Hands down, Xan is someone I would hang out with. Someone I probably would drive insane because I'd stick around, even when he took off without word.
He's one of the good guys that has enough bad boy in him to make you chase him.
Thanks, Carrie for giving us Xan. I cannot wait for the story to be continued!
April 7, 2014
Crooked Fang has been on my list of books to pick up for a while, but I was reluctant to read it because I know the author, Carrie Clevenger, on Twitter, and we've talked for a few years now. At one point, while I was live-tweeting a book I hated, she'd even joked, "Don't read any of my books, please." But I've got a thing for vampires, and so eventually, I knew I'd have to read this. I just had to hope it didn't suck.
Thankfully, it did not. In fact, it's one of the better vampire books I've read in a while, and it's every bit as good as Let the Right One In. Xan Marcelles is a relatively young vampire, one who had previously worked as an assassin for his sire. His job was killing the vampires who risked exposure to the humans, but after burning out on killing, he moved to Pinecliffe Colorado and made up a quiet new life for himself at a bar called Pale Rider. He plays bass in his band, Crooked Fang, and as the story opens, his bandmates are pushing for something more than playing as a house band for a podunk bar.
Xan's problems are all over the place. He's confronted by a vampire hunter, and the bar is burned down by an unknown enemy. While he's still trying to deal with those problems, he's contacted by the sister of a girlfriend he left back when he was alive, Silvia, who has news that Heather was killed in an what the police are calling an animal attack. This sends Xan back to a home he hasn't known in well over twenty years, posing as his own son to assist Silvia in finding out what really happened to Heather.
There's not much else I can say without getting into spoilers, so I'll focus on Xan instead. Here we have a vampire whose job was to kill other vampires when they became a liability to their peoples' need for secrecy. Death has left him weary, so despite his relatively young age, he's still something of an old soul. He's also a bit of an asshole, but that's not a complaint. If anything, it's a compliment to the writing that I could accept his uglier moments as a part of the package deal. He's a complex character, not just a stereotype from one side of the vampire trope or the other. He sips from humans to keep himself fed, and he has several connections to the living world, some who know what he is, and others who he has to keep in the dark. So he's not a hero, but he's not exactly a villain either. Which, to me, is how it should be.
Xan is one race of vampire, and another variety is part of his story too, though I won't spoil that part. I get the feeling there's probably a lot of vampire races from different cultures, and these are the only two put on display for this book. If this is the case, I hope to find out more in the next book Traitors. What I learned in this book was certainly fascinating, and I like that the author made an effort to explain how vampires could remain hidden in a modern world by policing themselves.
I don't really have any complaints about the story. It did bug me that when the shit hit the fan, Xan forgot to check in on one of his human friends because I felt she deserved better. But again, Xan's a bit of a dick, and he tends to get self-centered at times. So this was in character for him, and I can accept that and let it go.
I give Crooked Fang 5 stars and recommend it to all fans of vampires. It was a great read, and I look forward to reading the sequel.
Thankfully, it did not. In fact, it's one of the better vampire books I've read in a while, and it's every bit as good as Let the Right One In. Xan Marcelles is a relatively young vampire, one who had previously worked as an assassin for his sire. His job was killing the vampires who risked exposure to the humans, but after burning out on killing, he moved to Pinecliffe Colorado and made up a quiet new life for himself at a bar called Pale Rider. He plays bass in his band, Crooked Fang, and as the story opens, his bandmates are pushing for something more than playing as a house band for a podunk bar.
Xan's problems are all over the place. He's confronted by a vampire hunter, and the bar is burned down by an unknown enemy. While he's still trying to deal with those problems, he's contacted by the sister of a girlfriend he left back when he was alive, Silvia, who has news that Heather was killed in an what the police are calling an animal attack. This sends Xan back to a home he hasn't known in well over twenty years, posing as his own son to assist Silvia in finding out what really happened to Heather.
There's not much else I can say without getting into spoilers, so I'll focus on Xan instead. Here we have a vampire whose job was to kill other vampires when they became a liability to their peoples' need for secrecy. Death has left him weary, so despite his relatively young age, he's still something of an old soul. He's also a bit of an asshole, but that's not a complaint. If anything, it's a compliment to the writing that I could accept his uglier moments as a part of the package deal. He's a complex character, not just a stereotype from one side of the vampire trope or the other. He sips from humans to keep himself fed, and he has several connections to the living world, some who know what he is, and others who he has to keep in the dark. So he's not a hero, but he's not exactly a villain either. Which, to me, is how it should be.
Xan is one race of vampire, and another variety is part of his story too, though I won't spoil that part. I get the feeling there's probably a lot of vampire races from different cultures, and these are the only two put on display for this book. If this is the case, I hope to find out more in the next book Traitors. What I learned in this book was certainly fascinating, and I like that the author made an effort to explain how vampires could remain hidden in a modern world by policing themselves.
I don't really have any complaints about the story. It did bug me that when the shit hit the fan, Xan forgot to check in on one of his human friends because I felt she deserved better. But again, Xan's a bit of a dick, and he tends to get self-centered at times. So this was in character for him, and I can accept that and let it go.
I give Crooked Fang 5 stars and recommend it to all fans of vampires. It was a great read, and I look forward to reading the sequel.
August 23, 2012
I'd been anticipating this release for quite a while, and I wasn't disappointed. Anyone who knows me knows I like a good vamp book, emphasis on the good. I'm not much for the cheesy, stereotypical vamp novels, but I like one that will take a vampire and give him some depth. Carrie Clevenger definitely delivered on that front.
Xan Marcelles is one interesting guy - vampire bassist of the band Crooked Fang. My mind immediately wanted to put him in that "rocker" category, which BTW is a category I REALLY like. ;) Is he a sexy as hell bass guitarist? Yeah. Is he your stereotypical musician? Hell no. As the story unfolded it became clear that there were so many layers to Xan - things he kept hidden, feelings he wasn't willing to share or acknowledge, honor & integrity he struggled to maintain. You got a sense of what he was like before his "death," and in some ways it made my heart break. After seeing his friendship with Scott it occurred to me that everyone needs to have a friend like that in life. Just the best kind of unconditional acceptance/friendship ever. I know I'm fumbling my words and not doing it proper justice, but you need to trust me. LOL
Despite all that touching stuff I mentioned about friendship, the story is NOT sad. Well, not really. (Or is it? Maybe at times?) What happens in this first volume of Crooked Fang is kind of a wild ride. There's action and upheaval, and I applaud Carrie Clevenger for how she was able to mix the action with intense emotion on so many levels. Many authors like their plots & subplots in neat little packages - not here. She trusts the reader to be smart enough to juggle multiple crises at a time and follow all the twists and turns. I don't know about you, but I appreciated that.
I'm definitely looking forward to what's to come for the Pale Rider gang!
Xan Marcelles is one interesting guy - vampire bassist of the band Crooked Fang. My mind immediately wanted to put him in that "rocker" category, which BTW is a category I REALLY like. ;) Is he a sexy as hell bass guitarist? Yeah. Is he your stereotypical musician? Hell no. As the story unfolded it became clear that there were so many layers to Xan - things he kept hidden, feelings he wasn't willing to share or acknowledge, honor & integrity he struggled to maintain. You got a sense of what he was like before his "death," and in some ways it made my heart break. After seeing his friendship with Scott it occurred to me that everyone needs to have a friend like that in life. Just the best kind of unconditional acceptance/friendship ever. I know I'm fumbling my words and not doing it proper justice, but you need to trust me. LOL
Despite all that touching stuff I mentioned about friendship, the story is NOT sad. Well, not really. (Or is it? Maybe at times?) What happens in this first volume of Crooked Fang is kind of a wild ride. There's action and upheaval, and I applaud Carrie Clevenger for how she was able to mix the action with intense emotion on so many levels. Many authors like their plots & subplots in neat little packages - not here. She trusts the reader to be smart enough to juggle multiple crises at a time and follow all the twists and turns. I don't know about you, but I appreciated that.
I'm definitely looking forward to what's to come for the Pale Rider gang!
September 19, 2012
What can I say about Xan Marcelles?
I'll start here: Xan Marcelles
He's half Native American, Indian and half Italian. *pitter patter goes my heart*
He's a bass guitar player for Pale Rider's house cover band, Crooked Fang. (He created the band.)
He lives in one of the rooms above Pale Rider.
He drinks - a lot. And whiskey would be his choice.
He smokes cigarettes.
He's got hair down to his ass.
He's a tall, tall man - 6'5" to be exact.
He's grumpy and moody and sweet as pie.
He stays up all night and sleeps all day.
He has his pick of the ladies because he's incredibly sexy.
He's an all American, to die for, musician bad boy, on a stick!
He rides a motorcycle.
He drives a badass 1967 restored Camaro.
He doesn't look for trouble, yet trouble finds him.
He has the best of intentions - and we all know where those lead.
He's a bit naive where the ladies are concerned, but don't mistake that for inexperience, because clearly nothing about him is inexperienced.
He's chosen his place of residence in Pinecliffe Colorado, for a very specific reason: He's safe there.
Let's see, what am I forgetting...
Oh yes, he's also a vampire.
The reason I listed the things above before I stated that he was a vampire is because Xan is so much more than just a vampire. Not only is he more than a vampire, he's not a typical, cut from the mold, vampire.
Xan is a complex character that is so beyond torn between his humanity and his vampire nature, it's heart breaking. His story takes us on an adventure of discovery as his pesky humanity get's him into several troublesome situations.
A vampire hunter tries to kill him and Xan has to kill or be killed. He's sick with himself over what he had to do.
He gets involved with a cute blue haired girl, he can't seem to stay away from, yet doesn't want to commit too. Why? Well, he's not human and that just complicates the shit out of a relationship.
He struggles with seeing his best friend, from when he was still human, age before his eyes. Yet Xan continues to maintain the relationship regardless of what he is now. Why? Because he simply has to.
And finally, he heads back to New Mexico, where he was born, to help out an old friend who's sister was murdered. But wait, I'll also add that the girl who was murdered used to be a girl Xan dated when he was younger... when he was human.
The journey back home is the core of the story. And believe me, it is a journey. Xan poses as his own son and struggles with seeing his friend again, who has now aged in to her fifties. He struggles with seeing his ex-girlfriend's body and facing another loss from his past life. The fact that her murder turns out to be vampire related is another issue.
Xan is confronted and overwhelmed by emotions the entire time he is there and while he tries to process all of them he also fights his vampire nature - his need to drink blood - every step of the way.
He's clearly his own worst enemy. But, aren't we all?
Xan is a character that you can't help but love. He has a heart (even if he can sometimes be an asshole) and a desire to do the right thing, which is what bites him in the ass consistently. Yet he doesn't stop being who he is deep inside, even if he isn't quite sure who that man is anymore.
His book is the first of his series by author Carrie Clevenger. It's not without errors, often seen in first cut novels as well as long time series novels. However, I promise you, it *is* worth the read.
Carrie has done an incredible job of showing us so much more than a vampire. She's shown us a vampire who still carries all the same emotions you and I do... every day.
Hands down, Xan is someone I would hang out with. Someone I probably would drive insane because I'd stick around, even when he took off without word.
He's one of the good guys that has enough bad boy in him to make you chase him.
Thanks, Carrie for giving us Xan. I cannot wait for the story to be continued!
I'll start here: Xan Marcelles
He's half Native American, Indian and half Italian. *pitter patter goes my heart*
He's a bass guitar player for Pale Rider's house cover band, Crooked Fang. (He created the band.)
He lives in one of the rooms above Pale Rider.
He drinks - a lot. And whiskey would be his choice.
He smokes cigarettes.
He's got hair down to his ass.
He's a tall, tall man - 6'5" to be exact.
He's grumpy and moody and sweet as pie.
He stays up all night and sleeps all day.
He has his pick of the ladies because he's incredibly sexy.
He's an all American, to die for, musician bad boy, on a stick!
He rides a motorcycle.
He drives a badass 1967 restored Camaro.
He doesn't look for trouble, yet trouble finds him.
He has the best of intentions - and we all know where those lead.
He's a bit naive where the ladies are concerned, but don't mistake that for inexperience, because clearly nothing about him is inexperienced.
He's chosen his place of residence in Pinecliffe Colorado, for a very specific reason: He's safe there.
Let's see, what am I forgetting...
Oh yes, he's also a vampire.
The reason I listed the things above before I stated that he was a vampire is because Xan is so much more than just a vampire. Not only is he more than a vampire, he's not a typical, cut from the mold, vampire.
Xan is a complex character that is so beyond torn between his humanity and his vampire nature, it's heart breaking. His story takes us on an adventure of discovery as his pesky humanity get's him into several troublesome situations.
A vampire hunter tries to kill him and Xan has to kill or be killed. He's sick with himself over what he had to do.
He gets involved with a cute blue haired girl, he can't seem to stay away from, yet doesn't want to commit too. Why? Well, he's not human and that just complicates the shit out of a relationship.
He struggles with seeing his best friend, from when he was still human, age before his eyes. Yet Xan continues to maintain the relationship regardless of what he is now. Why? Because he simply has to.
And finally, he heads back to New Mexico, where he was born, to help out an old friend who's sister was murdered. But wait, I'll also add that the girl who was murdered used to be a girl Xan dated when he was younger... when he was human.
The journey back home is the core of the story. And believe me, it is a journey. Xan poses as his own son and struggles with seeing his friend again, who has now aged in to her fifties. He struggles with seeing his ex-girlfriend's body and facing another loss from his past life. The fact that her murder turns out to be vampire related is another issue.
Xan is confronted and overwhelmed by emotions the entire time he is there and while he tries to process all of them he also fights his vampire nature - his need to drink blood - every step of the way.
He's clearly his own worst enemy. But, aren't we all?
Xan is a character that you can't help but love. He has a heart (even if he can sometimes be an asshole) and a desire to do the right thing, which is what bites him in the ass consistently. Yet he doesn't stop being who he is deep inside, even if he isn't quite sure who that man is anymore.
His book is the first of his series by author Carrie Clevenger. It's not without errors, often seen in first cut novels as well as long time series novels. However, I promise you, it *is* worth the read.
Carrie has done an incredible job of showing us so much more than a vampire. She's shown us a vampire who still carries all the same emotions you and I do... every day.
Hands down, Xan is someone I would hang out with. Someone I probably would drive insane because I'd stick around, even when he took off without word.
He's one of the good guys that has enough bad boy in him to make you chase him.
Thanks, Carrie for giving us Xan. I cannot wait for the story to be continued!
October 12, 2012
Originally posted at Bibliophilia, Please.
Hi there. Long time no see! Been real busy with traveling to the US, meeting my in-laws, moving with my fiancée from the US back to Chile, you know... relaxing stuff. Oh yeah, getting married in December. *grin*
Anywho. That’s why I’ve been away. Barely any time left for reading anything! I have made time to play Skyrim, cause... DRAGONS!! *nerdgasm* But now I’m back, and my first post back is for a long overdue review of Crooked Fang.
I must admit that vampire books aren’t really my thing. I’m more of a werewolf guy myself. Not in that I like werewolf based books, but more in that if I were ever turned, I can see myself more howling at the moon than sucking someone’s blood and leaving them dry. Hmm... That was a weird detour into my brain there... Moving on... *ejem*
I don’t mind vampires in the books I read, like Leif in The Iron Druid Chronicles, or Thomas in The Dresden Files. But I’ve never had any luck with a main character vampire. Not even half vampires. They’ve all been good books, just not my kind of book. This book is different though.
When first looking into Crooked Fang and deciding whether to give vampires another try, I went to the website and saw this:
WARNING: Cussing, smoking, drinking and hot sex.
I remember saying to myself “Fiiiiine, I guess I’ll have to read it”. There is cussing, there is smoking, and there is hot sex. You’ve been warned. One particular scene involving a pillow and screams of pleasure crystallized that warning for me. *blush*
My first impression of the book as I got into it was how un-vampiric it was. There were some supernatural instances that made me think that we were going to be jumping into paranormal waters. But nope. No jumping. If anything, it was more like a getting your toes wet.
This isn’t the story of a vampire being a vampire. It’s the story of a vampire being a guy. Problems plague Xan. Band issues, girl issues, his past, etc. And then when you forget he’s a vampire, BAM, a wretched creature appears, and a slayer tries to stake him!
We move along the story and Xan is forced to leave his safety zone and go back to delve in his past. I got lulled into the normalcy of the situations he got himself involved in. Due to poor choices mostly – from his past and recent ones – he found himself with all sorts of strings attached. Poor guy. And then, he drank from his best friend in a moment of weakness and hunger. Vampire again.
These situations weren’t jarring. Nothing felt out of character for me. But the author didn’t write a vampire book in my opinion. She wrote a book about a dude, bassist in a cover band, long haired, killer with the ladies, who just so happens to be a vampire. But don’t let that get in the way. He’s ok, barring the massive lack of a tan.
There was one line that did sum up Xan for me: “Sure. One night can’t hurt.” Choices made out of fear and kneejerk reaction snowballed into a mess of urban fantasy proportions. He’s just a guy trying to be left alone to play his bass and rock out some covers in peace. But noooo, who’d read that! Gimme conflict, poor judgment, a tangled past, tons of whisky and hot sex. That I’d read. And so should you. Crooked Fang ain’t your normal brand of vampirism, but it’ll get your blood flowing. Hopefully, still inside your veins. Or maybe not, sounds like Xan has a heck of a bite. (Give me some credit, I resisted the puns till the very end!)
Hi there. Long time no see! Been real busy with traveling to the US, meeting my in-laws, moving with my fiancée from the US back to Chile, you know... relaxing stuff. Oh yeah, getting married in December. *grin*
Anywho. That’s why I’ve been away. Barely any time left for reading anything! I have made time to play Skyrim, cause... DRAGONS!! *nerdgasm* But now I’m back, and my first post back is for a long overdue review of Crooked Fang.
I must admit that vampire books aren’t really my thing. I’m more of a werewolf guy myself. Not in that I like werewolf based books, but more in that if I were ever turned, I can see myself more howling at the moon than sucking someone’s blood and leaving them dry. Hmm... That was a weird detour into my brain there... Moving on... *ejem*
I don’t mind vampires in the books I read, like Leif in The Iron Druid Chronicles, or Thomas in The Dresden Files. But I’ve never had any luck with a main character vampire. Not even half vampires. They’ve all been good books, just not my kind of book. This book is different though.
When first looking into Crooked Fang and deciding whether to give vampires another try, I went to the website and saw this:
WARNING: Cussing, smoking, drinking and hot sex.
I remember saying to myself “Fiiiiine, I guess I’ll have to read it”. There is cussing, there is smoking, and there is hot sex. You’ve been warned. One particular scene involving a pillow and screams of pleasure crystallized that warning for me. *blush*
My first impression of the book as I got into it was how un-vampiric it was. There were some supernatural instances that made me think that we were going to be jumping into paranormal waters. But nope. No jumping. If anything, it was more like a getting your toes wet.
This isn’t the story of a vampire being a vampire. It’s the story of a vampire being a guy. Problems plague Xan. Band issues, girl issues, his past, etc. And then when you forget he’s a vampire, BAM, a wretched creature appears, and a slayer tries to stake him!
We move along the story and Xan is forced to leave his safety zone and go back to delve in his past. I got lulled into the normalcy of the situations he got himself involved in. Due to poor choices mostly – from his past and recent ones – he found himself with all sorts of strings attached. Poor guy. And then, he drank from his best friend in a moment of weakness and hunger. Vampire again.
These situations weren’t jarring. Nothing felt out of character for me. But the author didn’t write a vampire book in my opinion. She wrote a book about a dude, bassist in a cover band, long haired, killer with the ladies, who just so happens to be a vampire. But don’t let that get in the way. He’s ok, barring the massive lack of a tan.
There was one line that did sum up Xan for me: “Sure. One night can’t hurt.” Choices made out of fear and kneejerk reaction snowballed into a mess of urban fantasy proportions. He’s just a guy trying to be left alone to play his bass and rock out some covers in peace. But noooo, who’d read that! Gimme conflict, poor judgment, a tangled past, tons of whisky and hot sex. That I’d read. And so should you. Crooked Fang ain’t your normal brand of vampirism, but it’ll get your blood flowing. Hopefully, still inside your veins. Or maybe not, sounds like Xan has a heck of a bite. (Give me some credit, I resisted the puns till the very end!)
October 22, 2013
I’ve always had a thing for Carrie Clevenger’s writing, not gonna lie, so I was a little prejudiced going into the reading of Crooked Fang, her new novel about a sexy, bass-playing vampire. I knew it was going to be well-written. I knew it was going to be tight and smart and edgy, just like her short stories that have been dazzling me since I got on board with the Friday Flash crew a couple years back. I knew I was going to like it.
I just didn’t know how much.
There were a few scenes in Crooked Fang that absolutely set me back on my heels, scenes of such crystalline, short-leashed violence, such visceral power, that I felt my blood pressure rising and my breath catch in my throat. That doesn’t happen often with me and, when it does, I can’t help but shake my head in jealous admiration and say, “damn, that’s some good writing."
For the most part, vampire Xan Marcelles ambles his hunky, long-haired form through the book, playing bass with his bandmates Crooked Fang at the Pale Rider, a bar in the rugged, spruce-scented hills and valleys of Colorado. I love the setting – reminds me of Muskoka, the woodsy place I call home, plus it’s fresh, outdoorsy and blue-skied, not like the dank dark depressing places most vampires hang out in.
Xan’s perfectly happy playing dallying around with music, whiskey, cigarettes and the occasional red-blooded woman, but he’s forced out of his comfort zone by a murderous wraith, a wanna-be vampire slayer, a devastating fire and crushing news about a lost love.
The novel moves along lickety-split but the action crackles as the page width on the right hand side of the tome gets skinnier, and the last few chapters are rollercoasters where Carrie’s mad writing skills are most evident.
To be honest, I don’t seek out vampire stories. I only read Crooked Fang because I know what Carrie is capable of and yes, I loved it. It was a fast, fun read with some really spectacular, Stephen King-like moments. Xan Marcelles is a memorable, original character, likeable despite his propensity for blood, and I’m glad to hear Carrie is working on a sequel. I'll buy it in a heartbeat.
I would like to take this opportunity to say, however, that I’m hoping she tackles something more literary in the future. She has such a gift for writing that I could easily see her penning a work that could have lasting impact on American literature. Carrie Clevenger has that kind of talent and she’s young enough and new enough into the game that she has a chance to really make a name for herself.
In the meantime, she has what could be a highly successful franchise on her hands. Crooked Fang would be a terrific film and I can see any actor playing Xan Marcelles being a bigger hearthrob than Robert Pattinson. He’s older, he’s bigger, he’s tougher and he’s got better hair.
Something to hang onto as he nibbles your neck, if you know what I mean ...
I just didn’t know how much.
There were a few scenes in Crooked Fang that absolutely set me back on my heels, scenes of such crystalline, short-leashed violence, such visceral power, that I felt my blood pressure rising and my breath catch in my throat. That doesn’t happen often with me and, when it does, I can’t help but shake my head in jealous admiration and say, “damn, that’s some good writing."
For the most part, vampire Xan Marcelles ambles his hunky, long-haired form through the book, playing bass with his bandmates Crooked Fang at the Pale Rider, a bar in the rugged, spruce-scented hills and valleys of Colorado. I love the setting – reminds me of Muskoka, the woodsy place I call home, plus it’s fresh, outdoorsy and blue-skied, not like the dank dark depressing places most vampires hang out in.
Xan’s perfectly happy playing dallying around with music, whiskey, cigarettes and the occasional red-blooded woman, but he’s forced out of his comfort zone by a murderous wraith, a wanna-be vampire slayer, a devastating fire and crushing news about a lost love.
The novel moves along lickety-split but the action crackles as the page width on the right hand side of the tome gets skinnier, and the last few chapters are rollercoasters where Carrie’s mad writing skills are most evident.
To be honest, I don’t seek out vampire stories. I only read Crooked Fang because I know what Carrie is capable of and yes, I loved it. It was a fast, fun read with some really spectacular, Stephen King-like moments. Xan Marcelles is a memorable, original character, likeable despite his propensity for blood, and I’m glad to hear Carrie is working on a sequel. I'll buy it in a heartbeat.
I would like to take this opportunity to say, however, that I’m hoping she tackles something more literary in the future. She has such a gift for writing that I could easily see her penning a work that could have lasting impact on American literature. Carrie Clevenger has that kind of talent and she’s young enough and new enough into the game that she has a chance to really make a name for herself.
In the meantime, she has what could be a highly successful franchise on her hands. Crooked Fang would be a terrific film and I can see any actor playing Xan Marcelles being a bigger hearthrob than Robert Pattinson. He’s older, he’s bigger, he’s tougher and he’s got better hair.
Something to hang onto as he nibbles your neck, if you know what I mean ...
January 12, 2013
Xan Marcelles is the bass player for the rock band Crooked Fang, a group that plays at the Pale Rider tavern, blasting out a set that is comprised entirely of covers. Apparently, Xan Marcelles is an asshole. He’s also a vampire. He gets attacked one night by some guy named Freddie and Xan kills him, thus setting off a series of events that will take him back to his hometown in New Mexico—the place he grew up before becoming one of the undead—in search of the reason why one of his old friends has been murdered. It will reveal to him the true nature of fear and he quickly learns who he can, and can not trust. The sun down in New Mexico is a killer, but Xan might not survive another night, anyway.
Crooked Fang, by Carrie Clevenger, is, to put it bluntly, a bloody fun read. The prose is excellent, the pace perfect, the story line engaging, and while the action isn’t here in spades this kind of story doesn’t need it. There’s enough sex, drugs and rock n’ roll in this story to keep us metal heads happy, and one of the pleasures of this read was the fact it introduced me to a couple of great songs I’d never heard before. There are only ten chapters in the novel, they are long ones, but they do contain scene breaks so it doesn’t feel like the chapters are suffocating you. Despite the fact he’s a self-confessed asshole, I really liked Xan Marcelles’ character—so much so that I started following him on Twitter (yes, that’s right, a fictional bass player has a Twitter account).
I did feel however that the ending came a little too abruptly, like there was something missing, another chapter perhaps. Maybe that’s annoying, or maybe it’s just me liking the book so damn much I didn’t want it to end. Anyway, it seems to be an open ending, with the potential for a sequel. I hope so.
Sometimes when you finish reading a book you’re left with questions unanswered, and unfortunately this was the case with Crooked Fang. The kind of questions that really bug me—like when are Crooked Fang going to release an album of original material? Or, when are Crooked Fang going to get their asses out of the Pale Rider and do a nationwide tour?
Black tinted windows on the tour bus, and they have no excuse.
Crooked Fang, by Carrie Clevenger, is, to put it bluntly, a bloody fun read. The prose is excellent, the pace perfect, the story line engaging, and while the action isn’t here in spades this kind of story doesn’t need it. There’s enough sex, drugs and rock n’ roll in this story to keep us metal heads happy, and one of the pleasures of this read was the fact it introduced me to a couple of great songs I’d never heard before. There are only ten chapters in the novel, they are long ones, but they do contain scene breaks so it doesn’t feel like the chapters are suffocating you. Despite the fact he’s a self-confessed asshole, I really liked Xan Marcelles’ character—so much so that I started following him on Twitter (yes, that’s right, a fictional bass player has a Twitter account).
I did feel however that the ending came a little too abruptly, like there was something missing, another chapter perhaps. Maybe that’s annoying, or maybe it’s just me liking the book so damn much I didn’t want it to end. Anyway, it seems to be an open ending, with the potential for a sequel. I hope so.
Sometimes when you finish reading a book you’re left with questions unanswered, and unfortunately this was the case with Crooked Fang. The kind of questions that really bug me—like when are Crooked Fang going to release an album of original material? Or, when are Crooked Fang going to get their asses out of the Pale Rider and do a nationwide tour?
Black tinted windows on the tour bus, and they have no excuse.
October 25, 2012
*swoons with joy*
I’ve waited a long time for this book. Been creeping the blog and falling head over heels for this tormented, complex character with a sarcastic wit faster than a speeding guitar riff. Clevenger has hit one out of the proverbial park with Crooked Fang, the story of Xan Marcelles “bassist for Crooked Fang, vampire and full time asshole.” I was hooked on the first page – Clevenger’s style of writing is so evocative, I had no problems visualizing everything from the sweeping overhead sky of the night desert to the smell of the old wood, stale cigarettes and beer that makes up the Pale Rider Tavern background.
The characters are well thought out and painstakingly constructed. In fact, it is Clevenger’s attention to the incidental details that sets this novel apart from the competition. She weaves a story that is compelling yet believable – yes, even the vampire parts. I love Xan’s attitude about being what he is, one of my favorite quotes being “I wasn’t made a vampire to lie around fancy mansions and wear ruffly shirts while bitching about the meaningless of my existence.” (take THAT, Louis de Pointe du Lac) He smokes, he drinks, he cusses…my kind of vampire. His sometimes love interest, on again/off again Tabby is a wonderful study, arcing from a vulnerable abused girl into a stronger woman.
Even the supporting cast – the fledging vampire/lead singer Serv, Charlie, the owner of Pale Rider, even the mysterious Nin and many more – are crafted with the same care given the main characters. The story itself is sneaky. It begins with something mundane (in this case decorating the bar for Halloween) and quickly snowballs into a fast paced ride that kept me guessing from page to page.
The only complaint I have is that it ended too soon, but I’m delighted to see Crooked Fang is Vol. 1 in what I’m hoping will be a very prolific series. I’m crossing my fingers that Xan will be keeping me up nights again real soon.
Go buy this book. RIGHT NOW.
I’ve waited a long time for this book. Been creeping the blog and falling head over heels for this tormented, complex character with a sarcastic wit faster than a speeding guitar riff. Clevenger has hit one out of the proverbial park with Crooked Fang, the story of Xan Marcelles “bassist for Crooked Fang, vampire and full time asshole.” I was hooked on the first page – Clevenger’s style of writing is so evocative, I had no problems visualizing everything from the sweeping overhead sky of the night desert to the smell of the old wood, stale cigarettes and beer that makes up the Pale Rider Tavern background.
The characters are well thought out and painstakingly constructed. In fact, it is Clevenger’s attention to the incidental details that sets this novel apart from the competition. She weaves a story that is compelling yet believable – yes, even the vampire parts. I love Xan’s attitude about being what he is, one of my favorite quotes being “I wasn’t made a vampire to lie around fancy mansions and wear ruffly shirts while bitching about the meaningless of my existence.” (take THAT, Louis de Pointe du Lac) He smokes, he drinks, he cusses…my kind of vampire. His sometimes love interest, on again/off again Tabby is a wonderful study, arcing from a vulnerable abused girl into a stronger woman.
Even the supporting cast – the fledging vampire/lead singer Serv, Charlie, the owner of Pale Rider, even the mysterious Nin and many more – are crafted with the same care given the main characters. The story itself is sneaky. It begins with something mundane (in this case decorating the bar for Halloween) and quickly snowballs into a fast paced ride that kept me guessing from page to page.
The only complaint I have is that it ended too soon, but I’m delighted to see Crooked Fang is Vol. 1 in what I’m hoping will be a very prolific series. I’m crossing my fingers that Xan will be keeping me up nights again real soon.
Go buy this book. RIGHT NOW.
September 16, 2013
Xan ... what can I say? He isn't your typical vampire ... though he may be a typical man. He still doesn't buy flowers, forgets to call, doesn't bother answering your calls ... but none of that keeps him below the radar. His looks and his skill on bass keep the fans coming back and the ladies' eyes locked ...
Now if only he could avoid trouble the way he avoids his past ...
Update: 8/31/13: Dived into Xan's world again today and was once again floored by the skill of Carrie Clevengerto spin words in such as way as to suck you into this world, yet you have no problem imagining some of the same conversations with your best friend. She has kept this book quite down to earth, even as we are shown that nothing is ever quite what it seems.
Xan still has women throwing themselves at him and knocking him over with their attentions (LOL) but through it all he shows that he is a friend, he can be depended on when the chips are down, and that for all his irregular diet leading to interesting snack choices, he is still human with empathy and affection, and loyalty for those he cares about and occasionally for strangers as well.
...and I seriously envy Sasha ;)
Now if only he could avoid trouble the way he avoids his past ...
Update: 8/31/13: Dived into Xan's world again today and was once again floored by the skill of Carrie Clevengerto spin words in such as way as to suck you into this world, yet you have no problem imagining some of the same conversations with your best friend. She has kept this book quite down to earth, even as we are shown that nothing is ever quite what it seems.
Xan still has women throwing themselves at him and knocking him over with their attentions (LOL) but through it all he shows that he is a friend, he can be depended on when the chips are down, and that for all his irregular diet leading to interesting snack choices, he is still human with empathy and affection, and loyalty for those he cares about and occasionally for strangers as well.
...and I seriously envy Sasha ;)
July 16, 2013
Xan Marcelles just wants to play bass in his house cover band, Crooked Fang. But no one will let him. No, he does not want to play bigger venues and get famous. He does not want to have a steady girlfriend. He does not want to go back to his hometown and track down his high school sweetheart's murderer. So, okay, he sucessfully avoids two out of three of these problems, but that third one is a killer. Literally.
I loved Xan. He tries so hard to be disaffected and cold,like a proper vampire, but beneath his leather jacket beats the heart of a relucant hero. (Underscore "reluctant" seven times in a hot pink highlighter.)
His journey back to his hometown where he confronts people from his past who have grown old while he remains forever young is poignant and gritty. His fascination for the vampire, Nin, is something I hope is explored in subsquent novels.
Does he solve his ex girlfriend's murder? Yes, but he discovers far more about himself in the process.
This is a book well worth reading. Xan's snarky sense of humor is laugh out loud at times and the revolving cast of characters are captivating, heartbreaking and real. Plus, you know, he's a bad ass bass playing vampire. What's not to love?
I loved Xan. He tries so hard to be disaffected and cold,like a proper vampire, but beneath his leather jacket beats the heart of a relucant hero. (Underscore "reluctant" seven times in a hot pink highlighter.)
His journey back to his hometown where he confronts people from his past who have grown old while he remains forever young is poignant and gritty. His fascination for the vampire, Nin, is something I hope is explored in subsquent novels.
Does he solve his ex girlfriend's murder? Yes, but he discovers far more about himself in the process.
This is a book well worth reading. Xan's snarky sense of humor is laugh out loud at times and the revolving cast of characters are captivating, heartbreaking and real. Plus, you know, he's a bad ass bass playing vampire. What's not to love?
June 24, 2014
Rock and Roll vampire smut. Maybe because True Blood premiered this week, or perhaps even more because this book is due back at the library soon, I picked up Crooked Fang looking for an interesting adult read. Well, interesting is one word I guess you can use to describe it. This story jumped around more than a kid playing hopscotch.
I do have to admit I enjoyed Xan as a character. Yeah, he is an ass, but he is a true vampire, not one of these insta-love, sparkly kind. In fact, Xan is the primary reason I finished this book. I did not care for how this book ended as much as I cared about it just ending.
However, I guess the author did something right because I have her next novella about Xan lined up to read in the next few days (also from my library - I would never spend my own money on it). Basically there was a major story line from the novel which was never wrapped up. Yet instead of believing the author purposefully left us with a cliffhanger, it reads more like she forgot her own story. Oh well, you win some and lose some.
I do have to admit I enjoyed Xan as a character. Yeah, he is an ass, but he is a true vampire, not one of these insta-love, sparkly kind. In fact, Xan is the primary reason I finished this book. I did not care for how this book ended as much as I cared about it just ending.
However, I guess the author did something right because I have her next novella about Xan lined up to read in the next few days (also from my library - I would never spend my own money on it). Basically there was a major story line from the novel which was never wrapped up. Yet instead of believing the author purposefully left us with a cliffhanger, it reads more like she forgot her own story. Oh well, you win some and lose some.
June 15, 2012
Xan Marcelles IS your everyday kind of guy, if being a bassist in a cover band and living in a tavern are everyday circumstances.. Oh wait,did I forget to mention he's also a vampire?
Trouble follows Xan everywhere, this time however he can't ignore it. He has to jump in head first, sometimes literally!
I really enjoyed this book, it has everything. Humor, grit,sex, action, and music...oh and maybe even a few vampires and fast cars! Xan is a completely lovable character, even when he's doing his best to screw things up. A breath of fresh air in a sea of stagnant vampire books! This book is not to be missed.
Out in print in August 1st and August 20 from Lyrical in ebook form.. PICK THIS UP, go do it...
Trouble follows Xan everywhere, this time however he can't ignore it. He has to jump in head first, sometimes literally!
I really enjoyed this book, it has everything. Humor, grit,sex, action, and music...oh and maybe even a few vampires and fast cars! Xan is a completely lovable character, even when he's doing his best to screw things up. A breath of fresh air in a sea of stagnant vampire books! This book is not to be missed.
Out in print in August 1st and August 20 from Lyrical in ebook form.. PICK THIS UP, go do it...
October 31, 2012
I really enjoyed the writing style of Carrie Clevenger, so glad I stumbled upon this book.
Xan has only been a vampire for 25 years and although he is undead and can be a killer, he still has some of the sweetest human characteristics. His relationship with the other band members, his sort of girlfriend, people from his past including his best friend, Scott were so real and actually touching. I felt like Xan was my cool and hot-looking buddy with a little secret and I was ready to help him solve some interesting supernatural mysteries.
I am sad to let Xan go for now, but am looking forward to a sequel.
Today, 10/10 is Xan's birthday. Happy Birthday and have a half bottle of whiskey and a 12 second draw of blood to celebrate!
Xan has only been a vampire for 25 years and although he is undead and can be a killer, he still has some of the sweetest human characteristics. His relationship with the other band members, his sort of girlfriend, people from his past including his best friend, Scott were so real and actually touching. I felt like Xan was my cool and hot-looking buddy with a little secret and I was ready to help him solve some interesting supernatural mysteries.
I am sad to let Xan go for now, but am looking forward to a sequel.
Today, 10/10 is Xan's birthday. Happy Birthday and have a half bottle of whiskey and a 12 second draw of blood to celebrate!
September 2, 2014
Xan is the bassist for the rock group Crooked Fang. He is also a vampire. Someone is killing vampires. His past is also starting to catch up to him. What is going on?
I liked Xan. This story is definitely his story. There are secondary characters who share his life and space but they help only to move the story along. The world building is good. I knew Xan had a past and I learn of it as I read the story. Everything is given on a need-to-know basis.
I want to know what Xan's past is. What part does Nin play? How are their pasts connected to now?
This is the beginning of a series. A lot of questions remain but a solid setting is formed here. I look forward to more Crooked Fang.
I liked Xan. This story is definitely his story. There are secondary characters who share his life and space but they help only to move the story along. The world building is good. I knew Xan had a past and I learn of it as I read the story. Everything is given on a need-to-know basis.
I want to know what Xan's past is. What part does Nin play? How are their pasts connected to now?
This is the beginning of a series. A lot of questions remain but a solid setting is formed here. I look forward to more Crooked Fang.
January 2, 2013
Clevenger's voice sucked me in from the start and I held on for one hell of a ride. Her vampire, Xan, is a fresh take on the genre, away from the Twilight teens. He's brooding, sulking, but you like him all the same. He's got a good heart, although he doesn't always make the best choices. It's interesting to see him interact with his friend -- both men are the same age, technically, but Xan's face hasn't aged.
The storyline is a great adventure, a mix of mundane girl problems as well as life-altering vampire-world problems. I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a good vampire read that's a bit off the beaten path.
The storyline is a great adventure, a mix of mundane girl problems as well as life-altering vampire-world problems. I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a good vampire read that's a bit off the beaten path.
August 27, 2012
ARC Review originally posted at http://paperbackdolls.com/?p=12388
Xan Marcelles is not your average vampire. Well, that’s not exactly right. Perhaps the primary thing that makes Xan Marcelles different from most of the vampires you are likely to read about in contemporary paranormal romance or urban fantasy is that Xan is so “normal” it’s kind of unnatural. He’s a gritty, heady mix of biker/ musician hottie next door and badass vampire trying very hard to just stay off everyone’s radar. There will be no ruffled poet shirts here. Expect lots of whiskey and cigarettes, Harleys and muscle cars, and references to rock music that will span most of the history of rock. He’s also got a low tolerance threshold for bullshit, but that doesn’t stop him from ending up in it.
Oh yeah, did I mention he’s a hottie musician?
He hasn’t been a vampire long enough to be ancient but he’s been around long enough that if he looked his age some of the groupies that hang around would probably call him middle aged, or maybe even an old guy. He’s still in a place where he has to be careful because people from his mortal life are still alive and can still recognize him, but it’s been long enough that seeing him unchanged would cause a lot of questions. We get hints of his early life as a vampire and those hints coupled with many other insights that are revealed throughout the course the story tell us that this world has a lot of intrigue and danger, but we hover around the edges of that world in this book. Even on the edges there is enough dangerous activity to let us know that Xan is no fool for wanting to keep his head down.
As his band continues to get better known keeping his head down gets harder, demand for their performances increases and the band is chaffing at Xan’s bit. But Xan just wants to be a small, local house band where he can play the music that he loves and have access to a sip here and there as his need dictates. Fame and notoriety, and his band members, have other ideas though.
While Xan would like us all to believe he’s an asshole he also has a very large streak of the white knight in him. He’s pragmatic enough to know that it’s this streak that is as likely to get him into trouble as anything but insightful enough to realize that it’s also a part of him that keeps him connected to his humanity, so it’s another fine line he tries to walk with varying results. In this book his white knight will get him involved with a human woman with significant boyfriend problems and it will send him out on the road to try to help solve a mystery concerning some people from his mortal life. In the process he’ll learn things about his own world that will shake up what he thinks he knows about his reality and about himself.
This book read like it was laying the groundwork for a series. That’s not to say that it was all world building because just the journey was engaging and fun. But by the end I had more questions than when I started even though the primary mystery that sent Xan out of town was solved. Xan is the kind of character that draws you in but you can’t figure out why, like that guy in the local band who isn’t living large and you certainly don’t feel star struck but somehow he still commands your attention. That’s Xan Marcelles, unwilling and undiscovered rock star that makes his own rules and doesn’t really give a fuck who likes it or not.
Did I mention he’s a hottie musician?
Don’t be confused when you start looking for this book. There are two covers, one for the ebook, shown above, and one for the dead tree book, shown below.
Although this book is set to release on August 20, 2012, it’s been available for download on Amazon since August 16, so you can get it now if you just can’t wait (I wouldn’t wait).
If you’d like to get a free taste of Xan then take heart! Clevenger teamed up with author/ editor Nerine Dorman, who wrote my previously reviewed Inkarna, to do a back-and-forth writing style novella entitled Just My Blood Type. Featuring Xan written by Clevenger and a female romance author written by Dorman, the distinct writing styles come together in a compare/ contrast sort of way that is fun and will leave you wanting to know more about Xan. It’s a tasty first look at the character and the world. You can find this free download at Goodreads and Smashwords.
Xan Marcelles is not your average vampire. Well, that’s not exactly right. Perhaps the primary thing that makes Xan Marcelles different from most of the vampires you are likely to read about in contemporary paranormal romance or urban fantasy is that Xan is so “normal” it’s kind of unnatural. He’s a gritty, heady mix of biker/ musician hottie next door and badass vampire trying very hard to just stay off everyone’s radar. There will be no ruffled poet shirts here. Expect lots of whiskey and cigarettes, Harleys and muscle cars, and references to rock music that will span most of the history of rock. He’s also got a low tolerance threshold for bullshit, but that doesn’t stop him from ending up in it.
Oh yeah, did I mention he’s a hottie musician?
He hasn’t been a vampire long enough to be ancient but he’s been around long enough that if he looked his age some of the groupies that hang around would probably call him middle aged, or maybe even an old guy. He’s still in a place where he has to be careful because people from his mortal life are still alive and can still recognize him, but it’s been long enough that seeing him unchanged would cause a lot of questions. We get hints of his early life as a vampire and those hints coupled with many other insights that are revealed throughout the course the story tell us that this world has a lot of intrigue and danger, but we hover around the edges of that world in this book. Even on the edges there is enough dangerous activity to let us know that Xan is no fool for wanting to keep his head down.
As his band continues to get better known keeping his head down gets harder, demand for their performances increases and the band is chaffing at Xan’s bit. But Xan just wants to be a small, local house band where he can play the music that he loves and have access to a sip here and there as his need dictates. Fame and notoriety, and his band members, have other ideas though.
While Xan would like us all to believe he’s an asshole he also has a very large streak of the white knight in him. He’s pragmatic enough to know that it’s this streak that is as likely to get him into trouble as anything but insightful enough to realize that it’s also a part of him that keeps him connected to his humanity, so it’s another fine line he tries to walk with varying results. In this book his white knight will get him involved with a human woman with significant boyfriend problems and it will send him out on the road to try to help solve a mystery concerning some people from his mortal life. In the process he’ll learn things about his own world that will shake up what he thinks he knows about his reality and about himself.
This book read like it was laying the groundwork for a series. That’s not to say that it was all world building because just the journey was engaging and fun. But by the end I had more questions than when I started even though the primary mystery that sent Xan out of town was solved. Xan is the kind of character that draws you in but you can’t figure out why, like that guy in the local band who isn’t living large and you certainly don’t feel star struck but somehow he still commands your attention. That’s Xan Marcelles, unwilling and undiscovered rock star that makes his own rules and doesn’t really give a fuck who likes it or not.
Did I mention he’s a hottie musician?
Don’t be confused when you start looking for this book. There are two covers, one for the ebook, shown above, and one for the dead tree book, shown below.
Although this book is set to release on August 20, 2012, it’s been available for download on Amazon since August 16, so you can get it now if you just can’t wait (I wouldn’t wait).
If you’d like to get a free taste of Xan then take heart! Clevenger teamed up with author/ editor Nerine Dorman, who wrote my previously reviewed Inkarna, to do a back-and-forth writing style novella entitled Just My Blood Type. Featuring Xan written by Clevenger and a female romance author written by Dorman, the distinct writing styles come together in a compare/ contrast sort of way that is fun and will leave you wanting to know more about Xan. It’s a tasty first look at the character and the world. You can find this free download at Goodreads and Smashwords.
August 19, 2012
Crooked Fang Carrie Clevenger.
I was given this copy by publisher free for review, but as always on the basis that my opinion is honestly held, and whether paid for or free my views are not influenced by that. Integrity is important to me and gushing false reviews do neither author or reader any favours. As always my views are what I honestly feel about this book.
Xan Marcelles has formed a band called Crooked Fang, for which he is bassist. He's a vampire so the nights spent playing provide him with both an income and occupation – important when you're a long lived vampire, although he is still young, having been a vampire for only a few decades, and also the drunken customers provide a way of getting food easily. He plays and lives at the Pale Rider tavern and he tries hard to keep under the radar and live looking as a human. His band mates consist of another very young vampire and two humans and they get frustrated that Xan will only play at Pale Rider. He was an assassin for a vampire faction but has managed to escape from that life, tiring of all the killing and he's trying hard to exist in the human plane but struggling with the limitations. He comes across an isolated character seeming to lack a direction in life. One day someone comes in to the club trying again to persuade him to allow the band to play elsewhere – she brings her blue haired sister with her and Xan gets introduced to Tabby. Thus begins a casual relationship between the two that escalates when tabby becomes pregnant from another lover – an abusive drug pusher. She tries to get Xan to accept he's the father and he tells her its impossible but still stays around at times – they have a strange relationship. Xan turns up after weeks away and they just pick up where they left off – I found that odd although it fits well with seemingly Xan's drifting existence. He seems shallow in some ways and yet shows strong emotions on occasion. The club is attacked one night and fearing someone from his past is after him he escapes back to his home district where he becomes embroiled in a murder and needs help from his old friends to uncover who is to blame.
I wanted to like this book – its a good length, just what I like and of course has vampires and a bad boy one at that except...Xan is just so bland. His relationship with friends and Tabby is shallow, apart from his old friend Scott – the one person who has known about him and supported him for a long time. He's not a dislikeable character just that there's not enough to really feel for him when things go wrong – in the way he doesn't seem to care much what happens to others I feel I don't really care what happens to him. I wanted to like him, he seemed so sad at times but somehow I just couldn't get that involved. For me to really enjoy a book I need to feel for the characters at least and to feel as if I'm “in” the story at best. I just felt detached from Xan and the events that unfolded though. The book was really slow to start and the first and second halves almost felt like two different books but with the same character leading it, although the return to Pale rider brought him full circle. There were some good plot lines but again they lacked real drama because the characters to me seemed unreal, just paper characters rather than real people. I think if the characters had been fleshed out more so they seemed either really likeable or people we can hate rather than the one dimensional types they appear I'd have liked this book far more. Its described as paranormal romance though its hard to describe the casual attachment to Tabby as romance unless there are future books planned where they become closer? If that happens I do hope Carrie works more on getting to make the characters realistic – and I’m a reader not a writer so how you do that I've no idea...its easy to criticise of course, far harder to actually DO the work which is why I read and don't write :)
The book itself is well edited and written, few errors and plots neatly tidied up and not left with holes, the length is great for readers like me and at £3.93 for 230 pages isn't averagely priced.
Stars: three and half. ( amazon only allow whole stars so it will show as 4 on there) If the people within the story were more vibrant and realistic then I would have gone for 4 or 4 and half as the actual story is promising, its just sad I couldn't fully appreciate it as I couldn’t empathise with the characters. Of course as always the reminder these are only my views and others will like different things and may enjoy the book far more.
I was given this copy by publisher free for review, but as always on the basis that my opinion is honestly held, and whether paid for or free my views are not influenced by that. Integrity is important to me and gushing false reviews do neither author or reader any favours. As always my views are what I honestly feel about this book.
Xan Marcelles has formed a band called Crooked Fang, for which he is bassist. He's a vampire so the nights spent playing provide him with both an income and occupation – important when you're a long lived vampire, although he is still young, having been a vampire for only a few decades, and also the drunken customers provide a way of getting food easily. He plays and lives at the Pale Rider tavern and he tries hard to keep under the radar and live looking as a human. His band mates consist of another very young vampire and two humans and they get frustrated that Xan will only play at Pale Rider. He was an assassin for a vampire faction but has managed to escape from that life, tiring of all the killing and he's trying hard to exist in the human plane but struggling with the limitations. He comes across an isolated character seeming to lack a direction in life. One day someone comes in to the club trying again to persuade him to allow the band to play elsewhere – she brings her blue haired sister with her and Xan gets introduced to Tabby. Thus begins a casual relationship between the two that escalates when tabby becomes pregnant from another lover – an abusive drug pusher. She tries to get Xan to accept he's the father and he tells her its impossible but still stays around at times – they have a strange relationship. Xan turns up after weeks away and they just pick up where they left off – I found that odd although it fits well with seemingly Xan's drifting existence. He seems shallow in some ways and yet shows strong emotions on occasion. The club is attacked one night and fearing someone from his past is after him he escapes back to his home district where he becomes embroiled in a murder and needs help from his old friends to uncover who is to blame.
I wanted to like this book – its a good length, just what I like and of course has vampires and a bad boy one at that except...Xan is just so bland. His relationship with friends and Tabby is shallow, apart from his old friend Scott – the one person who has known about him and supported him for a long time. He's not a dislikeable character just that there's not enough to really feel for him when things go wrong – in the way he doesn't seem to care much what happens to others I feel I don't really care what happens to him. I wanted to like him, he seemed so sad at times but somehow I just couldn't get that involved. For me to really enjoy a book I need to feel for the characters at least and to feel as if I'm “in” the story at best. I just felt detached from Xan and the events that unfolded though. The book was really slow to start and the first and second halves almost felt like two different books but with the same character leading it, although the return to Pale rider brought him full circle. There were some good plot lines but again they lacked real drama because the characters to me seemed unreal, just paper characters rather than real people. I think if the characters had been fleshed out more so they seemed either really likeable or people we can hate rather than the one dimensional types they appear I'd have liked this book far more. Its described as paranormal romance though its hard to describe the casual attachment to Tabby as romance unless there are future books planned where they become closer? If that happens I do hope Carrie works more on getting to make the characters realistic – and I’m a reader not a writer so how you do that I've no idea...its easy to criticise of course, far harder to actually DO the work which is why I read and don't write :)
The book itself is well edited and written, few errors and plots neatly tidied up and not left with holes, the length is great for readers like me and at £3.93 for 230 pages isn't averagely priced.
Stars: three and half. ( amazon only allow whole stars so it will show as 4 on there) If the people within the story were more vibrant and realistic then I would have gone for 4 or 4 and half as the actual story is promising, its just sad I couldn't fully appreciate it as I couldn’t empathise with the characters. Of course as always the reminder these are only my views and others will like different things and may enjoy the book far more.
June 5, 2014
This is Urban Fantasy, but a nice change of pace from the usual UF that is chocked full of supernaturals, with super powers and super action. Just what I was looking for after reading a few of the usual variety.
It's a vampire story with very few vampires. Different & low key...cause that's the way Xan Marcelles wants it. He wants to 'live' peacefully away from others of his kind for various reasons we're privy to as the story unfolds. He just wants to drink his whiskey, have his smokes & female company as he chooses....pretty easy since he lives above a bar, where he's bass player in his band "Crooked Fang", and a 6'-5" long-haired Native American/Italian. But he is a vampire, going on 30yrs, and suddenly his peaceful existence on the outskirts of Denver, is threaten by mysterious events.
We learn how he ended up where he is today, who he was before he was turned and see his conflict, after a strange death draws him back his New Mexico hometown, and some crazy happenings. The pace is steady, it's not an over the top story, but definitely kept me engaged and intrigued, with a straight-forward, well written style. Xan's an interesting character I wasn't sure I'd like that much at first. With a gruff badass exterior, we get glimpses of the caring person beneath, that wars with his vampire tendencies. Ended up not only liking him but ready to dive into the next book asap to continue his story. Definitely want more!
It's a vampire story with very few vampires. Different & low key...cause that's the way Xan Marcelles wants it. He wants to 'live' peacefully away from others of his kind for various reasons we're privy to as the story unfolds. He just wants to drink his whiskey, have his smokes & female company as he chooses....pretty easy since he lives above a bar, where he's bass player in his band "Crooked Fang", and a 6'-5" long-haired Native American/Italian. But he is a vampire, going on 30yrs, and suddenly his peaceful existence on the outskirts of Denver, is threaten by mysterious events.
We learn how he ended up where he is today, who he was before he was turned and see his conflict, after a strange death draws him back his New Mexico hometown, and some crazy happenings. The pace is steady, it's not an over the top story, but definitely kept me engaged and intrigued, with a straight-forward, well written style. Xan's an interesting character I wasn't sure I'd like that much at first. With a gruff badass exterior, we get glimpses of the caring person beneath, that wars with his vampire tendencies. Ended up not only liking him but ready to dive into the next book asap to continue his story. Definitely want more!
October 25, 2012
Xan Marcelles, big guy, not hard on the eyes, breath tinged with whiskey and cigarettes, in love with his bass which he's named Sasha. He's grumpy, funny, a smart ass, a bit of an idiot when it comes to women, and a vampire who hasn't lost touch with his humanity despite a secret past that could have wiped the soul right out of any self-respecting blood-sucker.
Carrie Clevenger channels Xan perfectly, making this a character driven story that sucks (heh) the reader into Xan's mind and heart. The story takes us from Pale Rider, a bar in Pinecliffe, Colorado to New Mexico where Xan tries to unravel several mysteries at once while dealing with his vampiric needs and limitations, the life he had before joining the ranks of the undead, and his early vampire days when he wasn't such a nice a guy. There are plenty of twists and turns, leaving plenty of room for more adventures in the future. There are also a few surprises about Xan's past, vampires, and humans that make you realize that even the 'monsters' have monsters.
Carrie's writing is lyrical, visual and, at times, spell binding as she delivers Xan's story to us from his lips directly. I'm looking forward to the next book in the series and anything else Carrie writes.
This story was a great ride and Xan can hide out a day at my place any time. Read it, you won't be disappointed.
October 31, 2012
Fair disclosure: I got a copy of Crooked Fang from the author, who for some obscure reason seemed to like my art of Xan (and her :P)
What can one say about Xan Marcelles that hasn't been said by others so far? If you ask the characters surrounding him in the novel, they'll probably tell you pretty much every epithet and curse word you can think of has already been used :)
This is one of those books I want to dangle in front of NaNoWriMo participants and say "See? This is the craft of writing". It's not so much the story (which is good), but it's the obvious effort that went into getting all the words into some semblance of order.
From a technical standpoint, she's got it down - believable characters; ones you can care about, the gratuitously dead bodies, a dash of sex, and a tease at the end that makes you go "Wait, that's it? Damn, now I have to wait for you to write the next one??" before writing your Congress-drone demanding there be a law against such literary shenanigans :)
It'll be interesting to read Carrie's evolution with her follow-ups - she's off to a good start, and Crooked Fang made perfect reading whilst waiting for a Hurricane to make its mind up if it was going to wipe my house out or not :)
What can one say about Xan Marcelles that hasn't been said by others so far? If you ask the characters surrounding him in the novel, they'll probably tell you pretty much every epithet and curse word you can think of has already been used :)
This is one of those books I want to dangle in front of NaNoWriMo participants and say "See? This is the craft of writing". It's not so much the story (which is good), but it's the obvious effort that went into getting all the words into some semblance of order.
From a technical standpoint, she's got it down - believable characters; ones you can care about, the gratuitously dead bodies, a dash of sex, and a tease at the end that makes you go "Wait, that's it? Damn, now I have to wait for you to write the next one??" before writing your Congress-drone demanding there be a law against such literary shenanigans :)
It'll be interesting to read Carrie's evolution with her follow-ups - she's off to a good start, and Crooked Fang made perfect reading whilst waiting for a Hurricane to make its mind up if it was going to wipe my house out or not :)
August 20, 2012
Xan Marcelles is your typical small-time bassist: he can drink his weight in whiskey, smokes a pack a day on a slow day, and uses his giant height and long, dark hair to get the ladies right where he wants them. He won’t buy you roses, and he can’t afford a fancy dinner, but he’ll respect you for as long (or little) as you’re together. The only difference between Xan and your average local band member is that Xan is dead. Well, undead. He’s a vampire, though you’d never be able to tell if it weren’t for the occasional need to slurp blood.
Crooked Fang by Carrie Clevenger is a strange, but enjoyable, story. The first part of it acquaints you with Xan and how un-stereotypical-vampire-like he is. There isn’t much action, save an out-of-place scene with a “zombie vampire.” It’s a complete departure from the second half of the novel which is darker and grittier, allowing me to finally get into the storyline.
Full review available at http://www.bittenbybooks.com/54880/cr....
Crooked Fang by Carrie Clevenger is a strange, but enjoyable, story. The first part of it acquaints you with Xan and how un-stereotypical-vampire-like he is. There isn’t much action, save an out-of-place scene with a “zombie vampire.” It’s a complete departure from the second half of the novel which is darker and grittier, allowing me to finally get into the storyline.
Full review available at http://www.bittenbybooks.com/54880/cr....
June 15, 2012
Sure, he's a cutie. He plays bass, has a way with the ladies, a permanent smirk, and knows how to wear a pair of jeans. But, Xan Marcelles is also a vampire. And underneath it all, a really nice guy. (Shhh, don't tell.) I was lucky enough to receive an advanced copy of Crooked Fang from Carrie Clevenger and wow, y'all - what a ride! In the first few pages of Crooked Fang, this story pulls you in close and won't let go. Once I started, I really couldn't put it down. (That includes walking into a few walls with iPad in hand, refusing to set it down even for a moment.) The characters are well written and you really begin to feel their emotions and inner conflict along the way. Crooked Fang is very well done and I highly recommend it to anyone who loves a gripping story, sexy musicians, hot chicks, mystery, and a bit of the ol' supernatural. It's a great read and I'm looking forward to the next adventure for Xan and company.
September 2, 2012
Xan Marcelles is not your usual vampire, and what a relief that is. Instead of incredibly rich and broody as a teenager, he's a working-class musician who plays bass in his cover band, Crooked Fang. The quiet life he's carved for himself in rural Colorado starts to get ever more complicated in a series of events that builds slow and effective tension like a tight, relentless bass line. A rough around the edges charmer, Xan makes for a great character to root for. The ending leaves you wanting more - fortunately Clevenger has a sequel in the works. This is a great start to what's sure to be a stellar urban fantasy series.
July 31, 2012
Granted that I am the editor for this novel, I have to state that I justify my rating by saying that this novel has got to be one of THE dreams come true for an editor to find. Xan is a deliciously complex character who's not squeaky clean. It's his very *humanity* that makes him a wonderful protagonist as he tries his best to do what he considers to be the right thing. His voice is authentic, especially in a veritable cornucopia of vampire fiction that is available. Clevenger's voice is fresh and honest, and her world is full of danger and mystery. It has been a thrill and honour to work with this author.
February 7, 2020
Seriously loved this book!!!!! It's such a great read and I could not put it down!! I highly recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a better vampire story. :)
March 21, 2013
Modern vampires they way they should be done. Excellent. If you like this genre you'll be glad you gave this book a chance.
September 25, 2012
i cant wait to read more Xan... awesome read
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