Aris Returns: A Vampire Love Story

Infinity Diaries Trilogy #1

by Devin Morgan

ARIS RETURNS - A Vampire Love Story Psychologist Sarah Hagan thought she had her life under control. She pulled herself together after a painful (and unexpected) divorce. She’s currently dating a successful but neglectful attorney—a relationship that is adequate, if not totally satisfying. She has a few good friends, lives in a beautiful condo in the heart of Chicago, and loves her work as a therapist. From the outside, it looks like her life is almost perfect. it only takes one patient -- a handsome younger man named Carlos who is on parole for car theft -- to put her well-ordered life into a tailspin. As she regresses him with hypnotherapy, she discovers an unusual presence. Is this some elaborate alter ego that Carlos has created or is something much stranger going on? In Sarah’s attempt to help Carlos deal with his issues of anger and a troubled past, she is captivated by the persona she uncovers through hypnosis Aris. Aris reveals that he is a vampire whose story begins in the time of Alexander the Great. His retelling of his lives, involvement and apparent demise in the court of Henry VIII keep her spellbound and hungry for more. On top of grappling with a phantom vampire, Sarah begins to have the most disturbing (and sensual) dreams. They awake the emotion, passion and vulnerability that she thought she had buried for good. The dreams both terrify and excite her as she struggles to make sense out of her world turned upside down. Sarah genuinely cares about Carlos as a patient and wants to help him find his way to a better life, but he has brought chaos, confusion and danger into her neatly buttoned-up reality. And if that’s not enough to deal with, she is inexplicably drawn to Aris in a way she can’t begin to rationalize. Can Sarah possibly love this vampire ghost or will he destroy everything she treasures?

Genres: Romance, Vampires, Paranormal, Fantasy, Paranormal Romance, Ebooks, Supernatural

333 pages, Paperback

First published October 25, 2012

About the author

Devin Morgan is not only a writer of thrilling romance novels by night, but also a practicing clinical hypnotherapist and founder and director of the Rishi Institute where she teaches hatha yoga by day. Before Devin focused on all three of these careers after she shuttered her corporate business as a printing broker, she embarked on a mid-life journey to the Middle East in a search for personal happiness.

Devin received both her yoga instructor’s certificate in 1992 and her clinical hypnotherapist certification in 1994, after which she began instructing clients both one-on-one and in groups. She has presented workshops both domestically and internationally and led retreats in England, Egypt, Jordan and Israel as an active part of the world wellness community. Her Rishi Institute is recognized by the Yoga Alliance, a national organization that sets high standards for the teaching of yoga in this country. Over the years Devin has taught thousands of people. Her personal happiness is created by helping to change the world one person at a time.
Devin’s greatest joy, however, is derived from reading and writing books. Sharing her knowledge and stories, both real and imagined, with readers around the world allows her to touch so many more people. She began writing non-fiction books on subjects related to health and wellness. Now, she is leaping into the world of fiction with a brand new twist on vampire romance with Aris Returns, her first book in The Infinity Diaries, a trilogy of death, love and reincarnation.

Devin lives, practices and writes in Los Angeles, California.

Reviews

[Kathy Davie · Rating 2 out of 5]

First in the Infinity Diaries Trilogy urban fantasy series. The couple focus is on Sarah Hagan and Carlos/Aris.

This could have been a "4" and I really wanted to at least give it a "3" for Morgan's terrific imagination. But her execution and the overwhelming errors in this don't merit more than a "2".

If this had been an ARC that hadn't been published, I wouldn't have been as scathing with the errors I found. As it is, publish and perish.


My Take
On the whole, I like this story. It's an intriguing twist using past-life regression and incorporating Carlos' horrible childhood, his short life of crime, and Aris' history. Anything with history involved pretty much grabs my attention, and I enjoyed this journey into the Tudor court. Although, Morgan needs to brush up on her history. She has Anne married to Henry and queen, and then follows this up by saying Katherine is still queen and married to Henry. Oops.

I also enjoyed Morgan's theory of the development of vampires. And, hey, why not? It could have happened this way. Nice touch bringing in Atlantis!

Using italics provided a nice division between Sarah's real-world life and Aris' recitations.

I would have liked to see greater tension with everyone's encounters with Manu. Morgan makes a great start at it, but then it simply drops off.

As for the writing, it is schizophrenic. On the one hand, most of it is beautifully poetic with a lilting rhythm, especially when Aris is recounting his past in Henry VIII's court, and then Morgan spoils it with short, choppy, juvenile sentences.

This is a great sentence:
"Was this what it felt like to slowly lose one's mind, or was it the first time she truly understood how love and passion defy all logic?"

Then there's:
"Sarah was tired and not just a little bit hungry. The smells of the restaurant made her stomach growl. She was glad they didn't have to wait for a table."

Wouldn't this better suit the rhythm that Morgan has going?
"Tired and more than a bit hungry, the smells of the restaurant made Sarah's stomach growl, and she was glad they didn't have to wait for a table."

And there are so many instances that are similar to this.

Then there are times when it reads more like stage direction and, Christ, we don't need to know her every move. Thank god, we didn't have to follow her into the bathroom!

Nice turnabout with Carlos stepping back from that particular romantic encounter. As assertive as he's been, this was most unexpected. Morgan did have some lovely tension in this three-way attraction. Part of me couldn't bear the emotions churning with Carlos' awareness of how attracted Sarah is to Aris, but she's also interested in Carlos, and yet, I can't help but feel that Morgan could have gone deeper with this. Could have brought me to tears. As it is, I feel ambivalent about the next story I'm sure she's planning.

Wait a minute, Colleen and Bob have been living together for a year, and, now that she's married "she's getting used to the routine"? Just what changed other than some words on a piece of paper?

Where the hell is the editor???

I did enjoy the girls-all-together part of this. It's nice to find three women who will take time away from their lives and their significant others to simply be friends together.

Why does Akira defend Aris? I'd like some reasons for this. I'd also like to know what the point was in bringing Jeff in as Morgan did. He pops in with his out-of-this-world statement, and Morgan goes nowhere with it. Is she saving this for the next book?

WTF? In the same bit of dialog, Colleen first says, "...and the scum will walk." By the second sentence after this, in the same paragraph of dialog mind you, Colleen then says, "...they had to let him go." Is anyone paying attention in the writing of this story?

If this were an ARC that was not yet published, I would have expected that there would be some typos, grammatical errors, and some formatting issues. But. This was published the end of October, and I received it on November 6th. This is just terrible. I have to confess, I've really downgraded this for the massive, massive, massive number of problems. I don't normally mention errors in a review. Unless they achieve epic proportions, as does Aris Returns.

The Story
It's a step down a different path for Sarah, treating a paroled man. One who regresses to Tudor England and Anne Boleyn, as one of the undead.

He's assertive off the analyst's couch as well. A confidence Sarah isn't sure she can handle. Then Aris comes to consciousness while Carlos is still out on her couch. He wants to scare her off, to stop her seeing Carlos, so he, Aris, won't hurt her. And yet, he can't stop seeing her.

The Characters
Sarah Hagan has been a psychologist for ten years, ever since her divorce from Jeff. And she's smart enough to know she needs to work on her own issues with Bonnie, a fellow therapist and a friend. Colleen Stevens is also a friend and a parole officer. She's asked Sarah to work with Carlos as part of his parole agreement. Bob Drake is a cop and soon to be Colleen's husband.

Carlos Havarro is an ex-felon, a mite too handy with his fists, and he's seeing Sarah as part of his parole requirements. Isabella Havarro is his beleaguered mother with Fernando as his fist- and strap-happy father. Javier is the younger brother Carlos is trying to protect.

Manu leads the gang of young thugs who gave Carlos his first sense of family.

Tudor England
Aris, a vampire, is Carlos' alter ego when he regresses to the court of Henry VIII. Bess Wyatt, the sister of Thomas Wyatt, is newly come to court, and Aris is in love. Anne Boleyn is requesting favors of Aris to protect her brother George and to fulfill her own petty vengeances. Cardinal Wolsey, Jane Seymour, and Katherine of Aragon are some of the characters from this time.

Aris was a soldier with Alexander the Great when he was turned. Alexander staked him and had him buried, where he lay for 500 years.

The Vampire Catacombs in London
Khansu and Akira are the King and Queen of the vampire underworld. The ones from whom they are all descended. Sebastian is the first and the oldest of their children; he now serves them in London.

Gabriela and Richard are vampires who meet up with Aris between the Spanish emperor and the Tudor court.

This is my own particular prejudice, but I believe you should give your characters the respect of last names. The live ones anyway. I guess I should count myself lucky that Carlos, Sarah, Colleen, and Bob got to have surnames. I'm not counting Anne Boleyn or Henry as they came readymade.

The Cover
The black and red cover makes a nice contrast with Aris' pale skin and black hair. Mmmm, those full lips of his… I love both the font used in the initial caps of the title as well as the embroidered ribbon behind which Aris peeks. It's so starkly clean and yet with a wealth of meaning.

The title is true enough, for Aris Returns in more ways than one.

[Jenni · Rating 2 out of 5]

I received it from Netgalley in exchange for a honest review.

The blurb itself managed to grab my attention but the story itself left me disappointed. The genre of the book is a mix of paranormal/romance/historical fiction and even mystery, so it was unique in it's own way. The plot involves a love triangle between Sarah, Carlos, and Carlos's subconscious, the vampire Aris. The author had a interesting idea which could be developed into a great book, but it got ruined by the writing style. There were a lot of unnecessary dialogues and descriptions, and the inner monologues that our heroine is having is typed as a dialogue with quotation marks instead of using cursive text.This bothered me because it looked liked she talked to herself out loud instead of just thinking about it. I get that the author wants us to get acquainted with Sarah's mind and what she thinks in different situations, but why didn't she wrote the book from her perspective then instead of the third person's?

I also had problems with the repetitive questions about how Carlos is doing with his hypnosis and the constant reminder of how important Sarah and Colleen (Sarah's friend and the other person that is helping Carlos with his issues) is to him. The answer were always the same and we didn't get anything from it, and it doesn't make the story move forward at all. The hypnotic sessions, where the historical aspect came forward, were even more interesting than what was happening in the actual life. Aris history of how he come to be a vampire, parallel with telling of Ann Boleyn's life were the highlight in the book.

The romance was a bit off, and all those erotic dreams that Sarah had didn't make me feel anything. The chemistry between Sarah and Carlos, Sarah and Aris were very thin, almost non-existent.

There was a cliffhanger at the end of the story, and what happened to Carlos (won't say anything about it since it's a spoiler) was not realistic and it looked like something that the author thrown in to get rid of him, and bring Aris into the real world.

The book didn't awake any feelings in me, and I just wanted to finish it as soon as possible so I could read another book. I didn't sympathize with any of the characters, nor did I enjoy the "chemistry" between our main characters. That extra star that I gave this book was because of a good idea for a story and those historical stories about Aris life. After this book, I don't have enough interest to read the second book in this trilogy, even though it had an exciting cliffhanger at the end. (that last page finally made me feel something xDD)

[Amy H · Rating 2 out of 5]

i got this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

it took me way to much time to read this book. i thought being a vampire love story that i would instantly fall in love with is book. there is barley any talk about vampires. it is all mid evil times and i hate history books. so if you like old times and history this is your kind of book. this is differently not a young adult book because it is all adult based and not enjoyable at all. i don't even see the "love story" in this book

When I delved into Aris Returns: A Vampire Love Story, I expected a whole lot of same old, same old from the vampire genre. Boy was I surprised. Then after completing the book as I am known to do, I read up on the author of this story and was fascinated almost as much by her real life vocation as the realistic portrait she painted of Sarah Hagan, the book's female protagonist. Riding on the wave of a very successful book, divorcee Sarah Hagan, a Psychologist and hypnotist is asked to do a favor for a friend and take on the case of a youth offender, Carlos, as a condition of his parole. Unable to refuse Colleen, her parole officer friend, Sarah takes Carlos on as a patient in an attempt to help him deal with his anger issues via hypnosis.

Under hypnosis, Sarah discovers what she believes is another personality residing in Carlos' subconscious, Aris, who claims to have lived for centuries. This personality has done extraordinary things such as manipulating historical figures and fighting in wars Sarah had only heard of from history books. When he goes into such excruciating detail, telling stories of having fought alongside Alexander the Great and having been a confidante of Anne Boleyn, Sarah questions whether her medical training has prepared her to deal with his case. She finds him fascinating, yet doesn't know quite how to digest his insistence that he is a vampire. As she continues to draw out Aris' stories in their sessions, Sarah becomes acutely aware that her feelings for Carlos go beyond the realm of Psychologist and patient, knowing full well the ramifications if they act on these feelings.

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Note: I received this book via Netgalley.

The take on vampires as a whole was unique and the dream sequences were hot and sexy. Aris is a sexy broken hero, it was heart wrenching reading what he had to go through. I loved the relationships throughout the story and the mix of historical fiction and paranormal fantasy really kept me interested and entertained until the end. I would have liked to have a little more of a cliffhanger at the end but I can’t wait to read the second book.

Also on http://lrjohnson13.blogspot.com/2012/...

[Sandra · Rating 2 out of 5]

This review is also available on My Fiction Nook .

When I first read the blurb, I was intrigued by the premise and requested the galley. It sounded like a fresh idea, and I couldn't wait to get started on the book.

After reading the book, I'm no longer intrigued, but rather disappointed. While the premise sounds great, the execution leaves much to be desired.

We are first introduced to Sarah Hagan, a 37 year old divorced psycho-analyst who specializes in past life regression therapy. We are told about her daily life in details ad nauseam, to the point where I was asking myself who edited this book, and why all these minuscule details were allowed to remain. Not only is everything described to the smallest piece of information, the writing is also rather juvenile, with short, choppy sentences. Not a great start.

The author then introduces Colleen, a parole officer and one of Sarah's best friends. She comes to Sarah with a request to help one of her parolee's, Carlos Havarro, to stay clean and crime-free by working with him through past life regression therapy. Carlos is a young twenty-something who's had a hard childhood and got into criminal activities as a teenager trying to escape his slap-happy father. He's portrayed as somewhat assertive, trying to get Sarah to meet with him outside of their session, with an attitude that could be described as cocky on occasion, but then is also giving a somewhat sensible side, with trying to get away from the gang and realizing that he's been giving another chance. As a romantic interest, I found him too young and unsuited for Sarah.

As Sarah begins to work with Carlos and hypnotizes him, a new character, Aris, emerges. Aris is a vampire, who was first turned when he was a soldier with Alexander the Great's army. Staked by Alexander himself, he languished for nearly 500 years before being 'awoken' again. With each new therapy session, Aris reveals more of his journey and how he came to England during the time of Henry VIII, he of the six wives. The author seems to have done her research into that time period very well, and incorporates some of the historical details accurately while still spinning them to fit Aris' involvement.

At this point, as Aris makes his interest in Sarah known, to the point of telling her that she is the reincarnation of his long-lost love, the author introduces a bit of a love triangle, with Sarah unsure whether she's attracted to Carlos or to Aris or to both. The author allows neither to fully develop, and the emotional whining on Sarah's part in regards to her growing attraction and denials of said attraction to Colleen is unimpressive. Carlos appears aware that Sarah is attracted to Aris, and even confronts her about this on one occasion, but again, the author doesn't take it any further than her denial instead of exploring the emotional connotations of the situations.

What impressed me was that whenever Aris speaks, the writing changes to something that I would have liked to see throughout the novel. The sentences get longer, the prose becomes beautiful and flowing and the voice of a millenia-old vampire is captured quite well. Of course, as soon as the sessions stop, we are jarred back into present time with Sarah and Carlos and their short, choppy sentences. I'm sure the difference was applied on purpose, but the discrepancy between the beautiful, flowing writing of the vampire versus the hacked up sentences we get from Sarah was too much. A more subtle approach might have worked better.

What I also really liked was the mythology this author used for the existence of vampires. Her ideas of how the species came to be, how they are perpetuated and how they are governed was impressive and fresh. And yet again, the reasons behind some of the actions of those governing vampires are left unexplored. For example, why does Akira defend Aris after his first transgression against the rules? No satisfactory explanation is given.

Sarah's character is little difficult to describe. On one hand, she seems to know how to stand up for herself with her mother, who would like to see Sarah married with children, and her ex-husband, who seems a complete jerk, coming to her to get help with his new marriage (to the woman with whom he cheated on Sarah) and then eventually to tell her that he wants another chance. Sarah kicks him to the curb, rightfully so, though I didn't quite understand the purpose of including him in this story at all, other than a side note about her divorce to establish a history. Sarah is also portrayed as intelligent enough to realize that she has issues of her own, which she's working on with her friend Bonnie, a fellow therapist, but these are also not fully explored.

And then we have this other Sarah, who is whiny and doubting and confused and doesn't quite know what to do about her growing attraction to Aris/Carlos. Meh - she was annoying. The dream sequences were also a tad odd, as if the author was trying very hard to introduce a sexual element to the story that never really panned out. Dreamlover didn't do it for me.

Carlos and the other main characters (Colleen, Bonnie) are adequately fleshed out, though they don't always make sense with how they act or what they say. Colleen, for example, is described as 'adjusting well' after getting married to a man she's been living with for a year prior to their marriage. What adjustment exactly does the marriage certificate require? I was confused.

Then the author introduces a sinister element with Manu, who is the leader of Carlos' old gang, and slashed tires, threats and phone calls from Carlos' mother who is worried about her son and his little brother. I say she introduces it, because that thread isn't followed through all the way. The danger Manu poses should have been better explored than a couple of threatening phone calls and a car accident that he may or may not have caused. It seemed rather weak, until the climax.

While the climax was well done, the resolution of the story left me unsatisfied. If Aris takes over Carlos' body, why doesn't Sarah realize this, and how does she go home without even acknowledging this fact?

The book also suffers from a severe lack of proof-reading and editing. Yes, this is an ARC so I can only hope that the many, many, MANY grammatical, punctuation and spelling errors were corrected in the published version, but I don't have high hopes for editing, considering I received this ARC very close to the publication date. At that point, it seems there isn't enough time to apply the red pen and strike many of the superfluous sentences and details and tighten the narrative. The timeline also jumps frequently, without preamble and in the middle of a chapter, and this made it difficult for this reader to follow along.

It's a shame, really. This could have been a fabulous book, but unfortunately, it fell flat.

I received a free ARC from the publisher via Netgalley. A positive review was not promised in return.

[Traceys · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book wasn't quite what I hoped it would be, there are parts that interested me but I doubt I'll carry on the series.

[Lisa Garrett · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this story. It was haunting and ethereal in parts.
Many thanks to BroadLit and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

[Jeannie Zelos · Rating 4 out of 5]

Aris Returns: A Vampire Love Story Devin Morgan.

I received this book free via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I don't gush and give false praise – I don't believe that helps readers or authors so what you read is what I truly feel about a book.

Psychologist Sarah Hagan has been through a difficult divorce, is dating a man her best friend doesn't like as she feels he's not good for Sarah. He's very neglectful and Sarah puts up with his late date cancellations. Her friend, a parole officer, asks her to use her regression techniques on a youth offender (Carlos) to help him deal with his anger. She feels Sarah can help him avoid a life of crime.

Carlos is initially uncooperative, but once the hypnosis begins Sarah unravels what seems to be a very real past life of a very old vampire (2,000 years old!) from his creation in the time of Alexander the great to his time in the court of Henry Tudor. I love the historical period in this book with the Tudor period being one of my favourites in history. The scenes her are really well written and tie in with what we know of history with of course some story-tale drama thrown in for the purpose of this novel. As the sessions go on Sarah finds it increasingly difficult to disbelieve the life Aris is describing and his insistence that he is a vampire as the experiences described are so realistic. In time she becomes very attracted and entranced by Carlos, and also feels drawn to Aris. She knows she must keep her distance and be professional with Carlos and yet its a struggle -and as for Aris..... There's also the difficulty that Carlos troubled life could put both her and his family in danger.

Sarah starts to have very erotic dreams and feels drawn to Aris yet her logical mind struggles with this concept and of course she's really there to help Carlos, I felt for her struggle here – she's trying to do the right thing, listen to her instincts but these ware with her practical and logical nature. The historical sections are really well written and I could feel the drama happening. I liked Sarah – and love Aris – but then I'm a sucker for a vampire story and this was one with a twist. Initially I didn't think I'd like it but the book gradually drew me in and I began to feel I was there immersed in the characters actions and problems.

This book was a hit and a miss with me – I love the concept but at times I got a bit lost over what was happening and my attention wandered. Usually when I'm “into” a good book the outside world takes second place but I didn't get there with this one. I'm not really sure why that was – on the face of it there's everything I like in it and yet somehow it doesn't quite gel. I felt the ending was a bit rushed after all the long stories and build up in the book and wasn't entirely happy with it being so ambiguous – I could put my own conclusion to the story for the future but would rather Devin did it. Then I read further about the book for interest and find this is the first part of a trilogy so it makes much more sense and the slowness of the world building takes on a new context for me. I think what I need to do is go back and re read as there's so much in this book that perhaps it was just too much to take in at one session ( I tend to read right through a book and this one is quite a long one ). I do want to read more of Sarah and Aris so will look forward to the next part of the story and I'm sure once the characters are clear in my mind as to their context to the story then I'll enjoy the next book far more. Its difficult when introducing a trilogy to get enough details out to flesh the world created without losing the reader along the way. I was a bit lost here as I said but I think the second read will clear it in my mind and give me more enjoyment form the book.

At 335 pages for £4.11 its reasonably priced and I do like books that are longer, but I think some of the writing could have been tightened a little to keep interest close where my attention was wandering. But that could just be me and the problem of taking in too much new info in one long session.

Stars: well, I'd like to give 4 and for content and drama its certainly worth it but because I struggled at times I'm giving three and a half.

[Ambyr · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was given this book by the publisher for an honest review.

First off, this is not really a historical fiction. It is set in modern time with a lot of history in it. I'm not usually big on that, but it worked for this book. It was interesting, and fast paced. I can honestly say that I enjoyed this book until I got to the ending. I disliked the ending so much it took it down a star for me.

There were some things that didn't sit right with me. For example, the ex husband had very little bearing on the overall story. It seemed like an after thought or an idea that ended up not going all the way through for him to want to reconcile with Sarah. It was only mentioned a few times, but it seemed that it was supposed to have more significance. Like I said, it feels like perhaps the author had somewhere she was going to go with it, and changed her mind. Another thing that seriously disrupted the flow of the book for me was that all thought dialog was placed in quotation marks. Many times, I would have to go back and make sure she was talking to herself as opposed to me missing someone coming in; and other times, she would be talking to someone else, and then think something... but it was hard to decipher which was which, since the punctuation was the same.

I was so very let down by the ending. I read that it was supposed to be a cliffhanger to segue into the sequel, but it didn't really have the feel of a cliffhanger. It was more like Aris got Carlos' body, and had little desire to interact with Sarah anymore. If he really was so intent on getting her back in his life, reclaiming his "Elizabeth", why stop seeing her all together, except sneaking in while she sleeps? Not a cliffhanger to me. It actually felt more like he had used her for some unknown reason, and once he got what he wanted (Carlos' body), he had little desire to see her anymore.

All in all, I enjoyed the journey... but the destination was, as I said to Sara,

Overall: 3.5 stars

Character Development: 4 stars
Plot: 4 stars
Detail: 5 stars
Writing Style: 3 stars
Flow: 3.5 stars
Recommend?: Not as strongly as others, but I don't not recommend it.
Audience: Adult

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Four out of Five Stars

A troubled young man with anger management issues, a hypnotherapist who specialized in past life regressions, and a vampire who has lived for over a millennia... An impossible combination? Not in the least bit...

Sarah, recently divorced, throws herself into her work, especially a case that revolves around a parolee, Carlos. His case is unlike anything she's ever worked with and that, combined with his good looks and the inexplicable pull and comfort she finds when she's around him, has her more dedicated than ever - anticipating sessions and hanging on every transcribed word.

Carlos' subconscious tellings opens her eyes to a somehow familiar time and opens her mind to the possibility of the existence of dark and dangerous beings. Sarah, along with Carlos, are torn between what might be simply a deep rooted and vivid imagination or the true words of an undead man.

As they grow closer, Carlos' feelings are made known and her thoughts are confused - what does she feel and for whom does she feel them? Is it possible to love someone that exists only in the deep recesses of a troubled young man's mind?

Where to begin with Aris? It was intriguing, captivating, and interesting. I loved that Aris Returns had so much descriptive history, taking me back to a time of chivalry and, unfortunately, treachery. Sarah wasn't the only one left to feel as though she was living in the world the hypnotherapy sessions with Carlos created; I was right there beside her the entire way.

The story was rich and packed me full of feeling for these literary characters, especially Carlos, Sarah, and Aris. And at the end, I honestly didn't know who I was rooting for, how I wanted the story to end, or if I even wanted the story ending.

This is the first installment of a trilogy series and I cannot wait to see how the second takes shape and if my thoughts and/or feelings are confirmed or swayed toward another direction.

Great job, Ms Morgan. Thank you for creating such a differently good twist on the vampire romance novel!

[Cherie · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book had such an interesting premise, I was very eager to read it. It started of at a slow easy pace... The problem with the book in a nutshell is that the pace never picked up. It had the potential to be different, action packed, suspenseful, tense... hell, it had the potential to be interesting. It fell flat at every turn. The book was full of the day to day details of Sarah's life, but most of the details were not interesting or necessary. Even the telling of Aris' life through the regression became tedious and boring. It had no impact on the story and as a whole was unnecessary. I mean, thanks for the history lesson but since it's Henry VIII, I'm pretty sure it was an unnecessary lesson for most readers.

To cap off the tedium of the book, Sarah was stupid! I mean she receives a threat from a gang member and she tells no one... NO ONE. I mean what the hell. And there there were all these loose ends, like her assistant thought she was being followed, but we never really find out if she was or wasn't. Her friend is in a car accident and Sarah thinks it may be linked to this same gang member, but that loop is never closed either.

The story had the potential to be so much more than it was. However the author fails in broadening the scope of the story. Manu, the villain should have been brought more to the forefront. Aris should have had more of a role in the here and now, instead of our only real sense of him coming from his memory of Henry VIII's court. There should have been SOME chemistry from between Sarah and Aris/Carlos, but there was none. Honestly as you're reading there is nothing about the story to encourage you to turn the page except the hope that story will pick up and get better- but it never goes. The story ends on the same pace and tone it starts on, the same pace and tone it has the whole way through. The best description of this book is grey and monotone. Do yourself a favor, move to the next book on your list. Skip this one.

Nook Pages: 276

[Stacy · Rating 3 out of 5]

So, there's good news and bad news...the good news is that this is certainly a different take on ye olde vampire story. I definitely give her points for trying something different, and the way she tells the story works well. Sarah, a hypnotherapist who specializes in past life regressions, starts treating Carlos, a young man on parole trying to stay straight and keep away from his old gang. After putting him under to work on his anger management issues, Carlos immediately starts talking of his life as Aris, a vampire in Henry VIII's court. As the sessions continue, Sarah is pulled deeper and deeper into Aris' story and Carlos' life. Overall, the pacing was good, she had a decent grasp of Tudor history, and the characters were fairly well drawn.

Now for the bad news...the vampire origin story, while original, was just a bit too far out there to really accept. I just couldn't bring myself to buy what she was selling. Also, her vampire history timelines got way out of control. I can't go into details without spoilers, and I suppose it's possible I just misunderstood some of her reference points, but all I know is, it felt to me like a whole bunch of contradictory statements. Add to that that there were enough typos to start getting under my skin (Anne Boleyn's name was sometimes spelled "Anne" and sometimes "Ann", the use of "roll" instead of "role", a new pet peeve of mine, apparently, and various other incorrect homonyms, for example), and I was left unsettled for about the last half of the book. (I recognize that what I read was ostensibly an ARC, but unlike the majority of those I've read, it wasn't emblazoned with "Uncorrected Proof" warnings everywhere, so it felt like it was probably a final copy.) At least we were warned from the beginning that this is the start to a new series, so the cliffhanger ending wasn't unexpected.

I received this ARC from NetGalley.

[Cinzia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Aris Returns: a vampire love story e' un libro insolito per come e'stata sviluppata la sua trama, alterna presente e passato, cosa che avrebbe potuto appesantire la lettura e renderla confusionaria, invece così non e' stato, anzi al contrario ne sono rimasta intrigata.
Sarah e' una psicologa e decide di dare una mano a una sua amica assistente sociale nel tenere lontano dai guai un ragazzo con diversi precedenti penali e che ha difficoltà nel gestire la sua rabbia. Per fare questo accetta di prendere Carlos come suo paziente e sottoporlo a delle sedute di ipnosi.
Durante queste sedute si manifesta la presenza di Aris, un antico guerriero vampiro, che inizialmente Sarah crede sia un alter ego del ragazzo, nato dal suo bisogno di riuscire a affrontare la violenza della sua vita grazie a un'immagine di fantasia che possieda una tale forza. Col trascorrere del tempo Aris racconta la sua vita avventurosa presso le corti reali più importanti d'Europa, nel corso dei secoli.
Col trascorrere del tempo e delle sedute di ipnosi, Sarah non e' più sicura che Aris sia solo un personaggio dell'immaginazione di Carlos, anche a causa di strani eventi che sono cominciati ad accadere.
Presente di Carlos e Sarah si alternano con il passato di Aris in modo avvincente, quest'ultimo proietta il libro in una sorta di historical romance, mentre Nel presente Sarah affronta le normali difficoltà della vita di una donna uscita da una matrimonio sfociato in un divorzio con amarezza, ma per fortuna senza minare la forza del suo carattere. I personaggi secondari del libro arricchiscono la trama, senza limitare il tutto al triangolo Sarah, Carlos e Aris.
Il finale mi ha sorpreso ma lascia aperto uno scenario interessante per il secondo libro della serie, che aspetto di leggere con ansia

Si ringraziano Netgalley e la BroadLit Incorporated per la gentile preview

VOTO 4 stelle

[Book Lovers Never Go to Bed Alone · Rating 3 out of 5]

Aris Returns: A Vampire Love Story is the first in a new series by author Devin Morgan. It's a vampire romance novel based around the character Sarah Hagan and an ancient vampire named Aris. In the first installment, we learn Sarah has recently had a painful, unexpected divorce and her emotions are on rocky ground. Gangbanger Carlos Herrera, on parole, comes to her for help. With regression therapy, Sarah begins a strange journey through time to discover Carlos is not all what he seems.

The novel is romance, not horror. There are the typical vampire moments, but the emphasis here is definitely the romantic side of Aris. The premise is fascinating. The ancient vampire Aris is channeling himself through the modern Carlos. His spirit is embedded within Carlos's subconscious and surfaces throughout the book. Aris's story unfolds through the regression sessions and we learn of a strange connection between Sarah and this vampire.

A note of caution here. It is a series and it reads as such. I don't mind a series, but I do not care for those set up to almost demand a continued reading. There is no definitive ending here and we must keep with the series. This is not a stand-alone novel. For me, this weakens the narrative as we never get a fully developed story within the novel. It also drags out character development as all of Sarah or Aris cannot be revealed at once or the reader has no reason to return.

The story is intriguing, but I am not sure where it will progress once Aris emerges. When the unique element of regression/ subconscious vampire is gone, we will be left with a huge gap in the narrative. That however is a review for another day! Aris Returns: A Vampire Love Story is an entertaining romantic read for a rainy weekend.

*please note this reviewer is NOT related to the author!

[Anastasia Pergakis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay, I have to commend Ms. Morgan on a unique take on vampires and vampire history in how it relates to our own. It was interesting for sure and I can tell she did her research – both on history and into hypnotherapy.

The story was written well, maybe a few typos but not enough to distract me from the story.

The thing is, I had an issue with a few of the characters. The heroine, Sarah, annoyed me a little. I’m not sure why and can’t really put my finger on it. Perhaps a simple personality clash – if I met Sarah in real life, we would not become friends. This took me out of the story a bit, as I was not really rooting for Sarah at all.

The ending bothered me for a few reasons. One, it felt like we had this huge build up for many different types of tension, two back stories going on, but then the tension for me was nicely severed by what felt like a “convenience”. Sure, it was ‘logical’ to end this way I suppose, based on the other events of the story, but to me it still felt too easy. Like the entire back story was built JUST for this purpose and the character it affected didn’t matter at all – and this character was the one I rooted for the most!

I do have to say, that Aris’ story was a ton of fun to read. I loved the history aspects thrown in along with the new vampire culture that exists. His story (coupled with my love for Carlos) kept me reading, despite all my other hang ups.

I think plenty of vampire fans will love this book and I would recommend it to them if asked, but I just don’t think it was for me and my taste. I will give book 2 a chance, if only to see what the author does after the ending of this one.

(I won a paperback copy of the second book in this series in a giveaway, then purchased both the first and second book in ebook format.)

[Lucie Paris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Original, this story intrigued me from the synopsis. A vampire story that is not trivial and makes the reader travel through time.
Indeed, the reader start his journey by lying on the couch of a psychiatrist from Chicago nowadays to fly in antiquity and to end up in the England of Henry VIII through the stories of a vampire hidden in the subconscious of a young awesome offender.

I appreciated the originality of the main plot and the intrigues of the court told by Aris. Although I must admit that I found some lengths and I skipped a few passages.

I also appreciated the efforts of Carlos to change his live and his willingness to become better. Even though it's a little cliché, the concept of the outstretched hand and a meeting that can change your life forever, I found the story positively touching.

However, Sarah's attitude with Carlos annoyed me. She is not clear by whom she is drawn in this first volume and suddenly, I felt that Carlos was used. So, in the end, I was a little puzzled by her reaction. Despite this, I enjoyed the ending that leaves the reader wondering how the relationship will evolve.

An original vampire story, interesting, by which I hope to be surprised in the next volume that promises to be full of surprises ...

Lucie
http://newbooksonmyselves.blogspot.fr...

[Amy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I like the potential for this story. I could not stand all the back story that went nowhere though. Why did we need to know about this half assed boyfriend of hers? He never really did anything. He was kind of there and then she got pissed and he was gone. Having a boyfriend or not made very little difference to the storyline. It felt as though the author was trying really hard to make this novel a particular number of words. I do appreciate descriptions, however, some of these were absurd. The in depth description of daily, insignificant and just trivial matters made it really hard to keep reading. It took me so long to read this that I can only think of the last tedious description- Collen and Bob in line for popcorn at the movies. I completely expected something to happen because Collen insisted on popcorn. No, nothing. Also, again sorry for lack of specific examples, the characters just didn't stay true in some cases. Like her mother for example. At no point did I get the impression that she had a bad relationship with her or that they had serious issues. Then out of the blue she's snapping at her mom about something that evidentially is an issue. No back story there.......but we needed to know that Coleen must have popcorn when she goes to a movie. I didn't get it. Serious editing/chopping is needed for this book. I won't be continuing this series.

[GONZA · Rating 2 out of 5]

The idea was good enough: a vampire that comes out when the member of a Chicago gangsta band gets hypnotized by the shrink he has to see because he is on parole, but it was sooooo slow and a little bit boring also. The part of the life of Aris (the vampire) in the court of Henry VIII and Anna Boleyn was interesting enough, but the other parts, specially the one about the psychologist wondering what was happening to her, almost bored me to death and the end....what an epic fail! I waited so long to know what was going to happen and now? Am I supposed to wait for how long? NO NO NO NO

L'idea iniziale non era male, il membro di una gang di Chicago, fuori sulla parola, è costretto a vedere una psicologa che lo ipnotizza e scopre che nella "non vita precedente" era un vampiro: Aris, che viveva alla corte di Enrico 8° e Anna Bolena; ma il libro è troppo lungo e particolarmente noioso, non tanto per le parti storiche, quanto piuttosto per quelle in cui la psicologa si chiede come mai prova tanta attrazione per un ragazzo 10 anni più giovane di lei e cosa le sta succedendo. Inoltre la fine è veramente terribile, ma come ho letto più di 400 pagine per vedere cosa succedeva e poi? NON SUCCEDE NIENTE! NO NO NO NO

THANKS TO NETGALLEY AND BROADLIT, INC. FOR THE PREVIEW

[Shai Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love paranormal romance and have always been attracted to vampires as not only do they tend to be rather attractive but they are the ultimate predator. I do have to admit though that lately they have started to run together in my mind. There are only so many variations on a plot line before they start to sound the same or so I thought.

Ms. Morgan has come up with one of the most unique love stories I have ran across. I really enjoyed meeting both Carlos and Aris. They are both such different men from different time periods and to tell you the truth I couldn't tell you who I liked more. What I can tell you is that both drew me deeper and deeper into a story that I loved. It has been a while that I have ran across a book that totally engrossed me.

There were a few glitches that threw me out of the story occasionally. Ms. Morgan likes to head hop at times within a scene and few times I was confused about who was thinking what. If it wasn't for that this book would rate a solid 5. As it is I rate it a 4.5 and recommend it for lover of the paranormal/vampire romance.

*** I received this book at no charge from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions expressed within are my own.

[Lana · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was provided a digital copy of this book by Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

Partially interesting story about a therapist, Sarah, who agrees to counsel a friend’s probationer, Carlos. Carlos is a felon who wants to have a different life and is ready to go straight. The focus of Sarah’s practice is past-life regressions, and Carlos’ regression sessions relate the story of Aris, a vampire from ancient Egypt.

Sarah develops a crush, for lack of a better term, on Aris, Carlos’ alter-ego. Carlos himself walks the line of falling in love with Sarah pretty closely. The book ends without resolving either relationship, though it’s not a pull-my-hair-out abrupt ending, as some I’ve read recently have been.

There were a lot of mistakes, seventy-five that I highlighted while I was reading. That does not include the use, misuse or lack of commas, which were far too numerous to count.

The author related Aris’ story very well, and her descriptions of the past, particularly the time of Henry VIII, were fairly vivid, and personal enough to make them more interesting. It was in the modern time, with Sarah, Colleen and Carlos that things weren’t so good.

She does have a unique take on vampires and their origins.

[Jaffareadstoo · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm not a great fan of vampire novels but when this was offered and described as part historical, part vampire story, I was interested enough to give the book a chance. Initially, the book starts off reasonably well, as psychologist Sara Hagan is given the opportunity to work with a troubled young man, Carlos, who is on parole for car theft. Using regression therapy in order to manage Carlos's anger management, Sara takes him back to his troubled past, where he becomes Aris, a two thousand year old vampire with some particularly angst ridden memories. The historical bit then takes us initially to the time of Alexander the Great, and then through time to the court of Henry VIII.
Overall, I'm not sure that the book works terribly well, or it could be that for me, this type of angst ridden vampire soon loses its charm, but either way the story really wasn't really something I enjoyed reading.
As this is book one in a proposed trilogy, I am sure that there are fans of this particular genre that are more than happy to commit to the series. It's just not for me.

My thanks to Netgalley and Broadlit for the opportunity to read and review this book.

[Shannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is part historical fiction, part mystery, part romance, and part paranormal which is what drew me to the book and kept me interested till the end. All the sessions with aris were definitely interesting especially since I like reading about Anne Boleyn. The present day story was somewhat interesting, more so the relationship with sarah and carlos, but it didn't intrigue me as much as the historical story.

The book as a whole is hard to rate though...I loved the story and thought it was unique but 90% was all set up for what will come in the next book which I guess shouldn't have surprised me since it is the first part of a trilogy but I would have liked a little more and ending on a cliffhanger did not help especially since this book just came out. And when the big reveals did come I had already guessed what they were so they weren't shocking. However the book was good enough that I will read the next one especially since the take on vampires is one I've never heard before.

[Julie Post · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay, I actually liked the story but the writing drove me crazy. Sara started out okay but I lost respect for her about halfway through the story. It almost felt like she was victimizing Carlos just to get his story rather than truly trying to help him. I really liked Carlos and felt so horrible for his situation. He was alone in the world wanting a better life, falling for his Therapist with hope she would love him and help him out of a life in a gang. His part in the story seemed too minimal to me. A lot more seemed to be going on with his life and feelings than was expressed in the book. Aris had an interesting story but came across as an opportunist. I guess my heart went out to Carlos who I think really got the short end of the stick. That along with all the "gaps" in the chapters leads me to give this book between 3-4 stars. I didn't get that (can't put this book down) feeling but I definitely wanted to keep reading and find out what was going to happen next.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Real rating is 4.5

I really like this book! It's fast paced while at the same time has this slow build up to plot of the book. This has such wonderful imagery and the characters feel wholesome and well-rounded. They feel like actual people instead of just words on paper. It makes you feel for the characters and what they're going through. The chapters are short but the events in each chapters makes it easy to submerge into the story without feeling like the short chapters made the story feel like something was missing. What I liked the most about this book was that Sarah was a therapist. I love therapy and psychology and how the minds work. The whole main part of the story taking place in the therapy session with Carlos under hypnosis was a nice touch to this story as well! The world building that Devin does is so wonderful and paints such a mesmerizing picture, I'm glad I picked this up! I would gladly read it again.

[Deb · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm new to urban fantasy and I am finding that I enjoy it. I also like historical fiction and this book has both. The historical fiction portions of the book were very well written, showing that Devin Morgan can write well. The other portions were not well written. This left me wondering why sections of it were so poorly written. I understand changing the writting style when going from describing past events and the present but that doesn't mean one of them should be so poorly written. The characters all except Aris/Carlos were flat and really did not make me care about what happened to them. Aris was really interesting due to the mystery around who he really was and how long he had lived. I liked Carlos so I was very disappointed when he died at the end. I felt that Carlos really got the short end of the stick. He died but no one really knows that since Aris took over his body. I have the second book so I will read it to find out what happens

[Whitney Cannavina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway.

Sarah is a therapist and is studying a new type of hypnotherapy. Most of her clients are normal people with simple problems so when her friend suggests she help a parole, she's hesitant to jump at the chance but is willing to help. Through her hypnotherapy with Carlos, his subconscious turns out to be an ancient undead named Aris. Through many sessions, they both learn about his story and get a history lesson they never expected.

I loved these characters. All seemed relatable in one respect or another. Among that, Aris' story was intriguing. We got a history lesson of Henry and Anne Bolyns reign with a twist of undead. The author grips you from the beginning wanting you to keep reading to see where his story goes and how he is here in present mind but not form. And the end was definitely a shocker for me. I can't wait to see what happens in the next story.

5 stars

[Katherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such an interesting ride! So cool and different from the typical vampire story.

***A copy of this book was given to me by Net Galley, and did not influence my review in any way.***

I would like to say that this book is about vampires, and it is, but that's not what compelled me to keep reading. I love vampire stories, but they are a dime a dozen now. For me to read one and love it takes a lot. Devin Morgan does an amazing job of telling the story of Aris Returns in the most unusual way. I loved the uniqueness of the way she tells this story. It kept me on the edge of my seat reading.

Here is the link to my full review on Bookish Temptations.

http://bookishtemptations.com/2013/03...

[Barbie Macfadden · Rating 5 out of 5]

I almost exclusively read romances, and often my favorites have some sort of supernatural element. So Aris Returns was a perfect fit for me. It’s about this woman Sarah who does therapy through hypnosis, and she stumbles onto this wild story through one of her patients that takes place during the time of Anne Boleyn. Is it true? I don’t want to spoil anything, but I had a hard time not skipping to the end to find out what happens. But, I had to keep reading because I didn’t want to miss the love scenes, which were totally worth reading (more than once)! There’s something about vampires and Elizabethan times together that is super sexy.

[Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love a good vampire story, romance and mystery. Carlos is sent to Sarah by his Parole Officer Colleen who believes he is a smart, articulate young man who needs guidance and help.

Sarah starts hypnosis with Carlos where he speak of a past life involving Alexander the Great and becoming a vampire after his murder.

Sarah is convinced his subconscious is the answer to his problems while her uncertainty keeps her guessing.

I love everything about Sarah and Carlos, this is an interesting take on a vampire story and I cannot wait for part 2. Wonderfully written with you needing more of sexy Carlos.

[Lorri · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoy reading books about vampires, especially if there is plenty of action involved. In this first installment of the Infinity Diaries Series, Sarah learns about the past life of Aris, a vampire from the B.C. time period, when Carlos comes to her for help managing his anger. With each session, we learn more of the life of Aris--how he came to be and why he is where he is at the moment. The story at times was a little dull, but I was always looking forward to learning more. It had a predictable ending, but it does leave the story open to what may become of the two.

I received a complimentary copy in exchange for my opinions.