What do you think?
Rate this book
Crimson #3
Crimson Shadows
A sequel to "Crimson Kiss" and "Crimson Night": decades have passed since Meghann O'Neill fell in love with Simon Baldeva, a vampire who bestowed upon her his gift of immortality and bound her to him with the birth of their two children - one mortal and one a vampire.
384 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published February 1, 2003
7 people are currently reading
451 people want to read
About the author
Trisha Baker
6 books91 followers from Amazon
Biography
The best word to describe Trisha Baker is....Gypsy. I've flirted with every occupation from Special Education teacher to exotic dancer. My itchy feet have taken me to Las Vegas, Boston, Savannah, Amsterdam, Prague, and Budapest. I even lived in Sighiosora, Transylvania for a month when my backpacker funds ran low; earning my way by making beds in a hostel and serving boatloads of beer to to thirsty Romanians in a small, mountainside pub. An expatriate New Yorker, I currently make my home in the most beautiful city in the world, New Orleans. However, my itchy feet are urging me to see what new adventures await me on the road. In the meanwhile, I satisfy my tinker blood by reading fortunes in Jackson Square.
Now for the born and bred, blah blah blah portion of the bio. I grew up in Woodside, Queens; a pretty, working class neighborhood. Crimson fans will recognize this as the neighborhood Meghann O'Neill grew up in. Her father's house is based on my foster mother's home. Calvary Cemetery (the graveyard where Meghann gives Simon the boot) is an actual place and has a lovely view of the Manhattan skyline.
Being Irish Catholic, I was forced to endure parochial education. Much to my relief (and perhaps the Vatican's) I was allowed to attend public high school and abandon my vile green uniform for the four foot high hair (thank you, Stiff Stuff!) black lace tights, and catsuits that defined the late eighties.
In 1998, I graduated from Queens College with an utterly useless degree in Political Science. (Hence the need for exotic dancing and tarot reading to support my writing.) One of the happiest days of my life was November 1, 2001. Crimson Kiss hit the bookshelves, gathering rave reviews. Crimson Night followed in April 2002, and Crimson Shadows was published in February 2003. Crimson Resurrection should be published within the next year.
On the personal side, most of my family still lives in New York but understand my devotion to the liquor soaked swamp I've made my home. No children yet, but I look forward to spawning some demon seeds one day.
Biography
The best word to describe Trisha Baker is....Gypsy. I've flirted with every occupation from Special Education teacher to exotic dancer. My itchy feet have taken me to Las Vegas, Boston, Savannah, Amsterdam, Prague, and Budapest. I even lived in Sighiosora, Transylvania for a month when my backpacker funds ran low; earning my way by making beds in a hostel and serving boatloads of beer to to thirsty Romanians in a small, mountainside pub. An expatriate New Yorker, I currently make my home in the most beautiful city in the world, New Orleans. However, my itchy feet are urging me to see what new adventures await me on the road. In the meanwhile, I satisfy my tinker blood by reading fortunes in Jackson Square.
Now for the born and bred, blah blah blah portion of the bio. I grew up in Woodside, Queens; a pretty, working class neighborhood. Crimson fans will recognize this as the neighborhood Meghann O'Neill grew up in. Her father's house is based on my foster mother's home. Calvary Cemetery (the graveyard where Meghann gives Simon the boot) is an actual place and has a lovely view of the Manhattan skyline.
Being Irish Catholic, I was forced to endure parochial education. Much to my relief (and perhaps the Vatican's) I was allowed to attend public high school and abandon my vile green uniform for the four foot high hair (thank you, Stiff Stuff!) black lace tights, and catsuits that defined the late eighties.
In 1998, I graduated from Queens College with an utterly useless degree in Political Science. (Hence the need for exotic dancing and tarot reading to support my writing.) One of the happiest days of my life was November 1, 2001. Crimson Kiss hit the bookshelves, gathering rave reviews. Crimson Night followed in April 2002, and Crimson Shadows was published in February 2003. Crimson Resurrection should be published within the next year.
On the personal side, most of my family still lives in New York but understand my devotion to the liquor soaked swamp I've made my home. No children yet, but I look forward to spawning some demon seeds one day.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 45 reviews
January 13, 2014
Sorry for those who were "spoiled" because of my review so I decided to edit/hide it and put it under 'spoiler tab' this full of swearing/cussing/cursing and trash talking review of mine......be warned my review is FULL of unpleasant words and ranting :D :p :3 (edited on June 17, 2013) ^_^
December 19, 2011
Allright, so in some twisted , perverse way , i do love this series. Despite the fact that if simon baldevar was a person , in the real world , he would make charles manson look like a tame choir boy.But obviously , thats the beauty of being a paranormal author , you dont really have to care about pragmatism or the real world when you can create ur own dimensions and planes.
While i never really understood why Meghann , in the first place , put up with Simon for so long. 13 years of physical and emotional abuse and forceful bloodsucking, really ? Well , call me crazy, but if the guy who im to play 'consort' to acts like a raving sociopath and sucks my body dry and beats me within an inch of my life, and reads my frikkin thoughts all the time, i would , well lets say , my natural response wouldnt be to cling to him and "lose myself in his touch" no matter how much static electricity gives me goosebumps when we make out. But anyway , thats about the first two books, i was too damned mentally disturbed by my own liking for simon baldevar to really review them at the time.
Well, if you thought , the first two books were brutal and morally unacceptable and you mentally berated yourself for not getting repulsed by the misogyny depicted by simon's character, then this book will just blow ur mind away with its moral transgressions. I mean , i can take phyiscal planes where you suspend your soul ( barely) and i can even accept telepathy and telekenisis and i can even have soft spot for a gorgeous , control freak , powerfull vampire sociopath ,i can go as far as to curb my intelligence and keep myself from throwing the book across my room when i have to read about summoning demons and black magic and voodoo and weird, cryptic chants.but on top of that they put in incest ? really ?
this book has incest , body mutilation,extreme torture, evisceration , some more incest , an almost patricide , pedophilia ( really jimmy?) ,but somehow we're not supposed to get scandalised , because hey , we arent vampires, so what do we know , all that stuff is normal for them. I was really appaled by how descriptive and grotesque, some of the scenes were.I'll give you an example, at one point in the book , Meghann had to wrench somebody;s heart out of their body and squeeze the blood from that heart into the open chest cavity of another person, while they were both awake.But dont cringe ur nose just yet, we arent supposed to, because nobody in the book gets grossed out or throws up or faints or even so much as screams.but like i said,we regular mortals cant fathom to understand the complex cadences of a vampire's psyche , so my entire rant is moot, i guess.But i would like to emphasize on the fact that i DO like this series,, for some unfathomable reason. Also , perversely i really missed dominating simon, he softened up , in this book a bit, not that he wasnt still absolutely edible.
i didnt like this book , as much as the last two, and i think it sort of ended abruptly.Also Meghann really annoyed me with her fickle minded, capricious behaviour. one minute she's so angry and hurt she never wants to see simon again, next minute she's floating soul first , in the astral plane and getting lectured by her old mentor's soul about how she must act, which obviously makes her breakdown and realise how wrong she was about simon and how much she loves him... and back and forth and again.She changes her mind about Simon faster than Pam Anderson finds PETA causes to strip to.So unless you have Gandhi's patience, that will definitely get on ur nerves.
But its a short book and concludes the series.I also thought that the extent of evil and derangement of simon baldevar's mind is perfectly depicted by his long term plan of beating the sun, ,which involved him tricking meghann into pregnancy and then having a vampire child and drinking his blood, and how it was all premeditated, having a child to serve a purpose. tch . this series is wrong on so many levels. but again , who are we to judge,we arent vampires,, this book is specifically suited for vampire readers,not humans, i guess .But after my annoyed rambling , i would like to add, that i DID like the first two books.Good job Ms Baker, simon baldevar is a character that will stay with you a while .
While i never really understood why Meghann , in the first place , put up with Simon for so long. 13 years of physical and emotional abuse and forceful bloodsucking, really ? Well , call me crazy, but if the guy who im to play 'consort' to acts like a raving sociopath and sucks my body dry and beats me within an inch of my life, and reads my frikkin thoughts all the time, i would , well lets say , my natural response wouldnt be to cling to him and "lose myself in his touch" no matter how much static electricity gives me goosebumps when we make out. But anyway , thats about the first two books, i was too damned mentally disturbed by my own liking for simon baldevar to really review them at the time.
Well, if you thought , the first two books were brutal and morally unacceptable and you mentally berated yourself for not getting repulsed by the misogyny depicted by simon's character, then this book will just blow ur mind away with its moral transgressions. I mean , i can take phyiscal planes where you suspend your soul ( barely) and i can even accept telepathy and telekenisis and i can even have soft spot for a gorgeous , control freak , powerfull vampire sociopath ,i can go as far as to curb my intelligence and keep myself from throwing the book across my room when i have to read about summoning demons and black magic and voodoo and weird, cryptic chants.but on top of that they put in incest ? really ?
this book has incest , body mutilation,extreme torture, evisceration , some more incest , an almost patricide , pedophilia ( really jimmy?) ,but somehow we're not supposed to get scandalised , because hey , we arent vampires, so what do we know , all that stuff is normal for them. I was really appaled by how descriptive and grotesque, some of the scenes were.I'll give you an example, at one point in the book , Meghann had to wrench somebody;s heart out of their body and squeeze the blood from that heart into the open chest cavity of another person, while they were both awake.But dont cringe ur nose just yet, we arent supposed to, because nobody in the book gets grossed out or throws up or faints or even so much as screams.but like i said,we regular mortals cant fathom to understand the complex cadences of a vampire's psyche , so my entire rant is moot, i guess.But i would like to emphasize on the fact that i DO like this series,, for some unfathomable reason. Also , perversely i really missed dominating simon, he softened up , in this book a bit, not that he wasnt still absolutely edible.
i didnt like this book , as much as the last two, and i think it sort of ended abruptly.Also Meghann really annoyed me with her fickle minded, capricious behaviour. one minute she's so angry and hurt she never wants to see simon again, next minute she's floating soul first , in the astral plane and getting lectured by her old mentor's soul about how she must act, which obviously makes her breakdown and realise how wrong she was about simon and how much she loves him... and back and forth and again.She changes her mind about Simon faster than Pam Anderson finds PETA causes to strip to.So unless you have Gandhi's patience, that will definitely get on ur nerves.
But its a short book and concludes the series.I also thought that the extent of evil and derangement of simon baldevar's mind is perfectly depicted by his long term plan of beating the sun, ,which involved him tricking meghann into pregnancy and then having a vampire child and drinking his blood, and how it was all premeditated, having a child to serve a purpose. tch . this series is wrong on so many levels. but again , who are we to judge,we arent vampires,, this book is specifically suited for vampire readers,not humans, i guess .But after my annoyed rambling , i would like to add, that i DID like the first two books.Good job Ms Baker, simon baldevar is a character that will stay with you a while .
March 21, 2011
5+ Stars, A Fitting End to a Wonderful trilogy
Its with a feeling of bittersweet melancholy coursing through me that I write this review and bid farewell to one of the most enthralling paranormal/horror romances that I have read to date. I bid farewell to my most favorite villainous hero Simon Baldevar with a heavy heart and I don't think any hero that I come across afterwards would ever be able to completely surpass what he has made me feel throughout the trilogy.
Crimson Night, book 2 of the Crimson trilogy ended on a bittersweet note with Simon and Meghann going their separate ways, torn apart by the one thing that was supposed to bring them closer to each other. Vampire pregnancies being rare caused much upheaval on Meghann and nearly destroyed her life before she bore Simon twins, Elizabeth their mortal daughter and Mikal their immortal son. Knowing that Simon's enemies would never give them a moments peace if it were to come to light that an immortal vampire offspring walks the Earth, Simon does the most unselfish thing he has ever done in his life and subjects himself to separation from Meghann, the woman who holds his heart for eternity and their beautiful daughter to bring up their son who from the very beginning show signs of depravity unlike anything encountered before in the story.
Meghann brings up their beautiful daughter together with the help of her immortal friend and confidante Dr. Charles Tarleton and his life partner Dr. Lee Winslow who adopts Elizabeth as his own child and forgoes transformation to look after Elizabeth during daylight hours. 17 years pass by without any sort of connection between Simon and Meghann apart from the letters they exchange with one another. Elizabeth grows up knowing love and affection from 3 people who dote on her by her side whilst her twin brother Mikal with his unholy appetites and psychotic behavior grows up with his father on a remote Scottish island.
After 17 long years, Simon finally comes seeking his beloved daughter and Meghann whom he has missed more than he would ever let on. Their reunion though a happy one ends on a devastating note when Meghann realizes what her son Mikal is truly capable of with the utter force of destruction that he brings down on her loved ones with a cunningness that stuns them all.
Mikal's need for vengeance and destruction goes beyond anything rational and before the day is through, both Simon and Meghann are forced to call on reserves of strength and summon friends and foes alike to fight a battle with their mutual enemy; their own son to save their most prized possession of all, their daughter Elizabeth from the clutches of a mad man who makes Simon seem puny in size when compared to the evil that seeps out of him.
Crimson Shadows is a fitting end to a love that has weathered many a storm between Meghann and her centuries old vampire husband Simon. Both Meghann and Simon do a lot of growing up to become worthy of each other's love, the unabated desire between them strong as ever upon their reunion after 17 long years of celibacy and waiting for each other. However there is a vague sense of incompleteness as to how the story ended because I would have loved to see how the surprising love that stems and grows between Elizabeth and Simon's hated enemy i.e. Meghann's ex-lover Jimmy Delcroix fared in the end. And there were a couple of pages towards the end that I felt appalled at Simon's instinctive lashing out towards Meghann because she dared protect Elizabeth and Jimmy from Simon's wrath upon his discovery of their coming together that made me wonder whether Simon would ever learn to curb his inner demons and become someone who would never hurt the woman he loves. But I guess if that were to happen, Simon wouldn't be true to his character and such a total turnabout would be in total antithesis to what we have come to expect from Simon.
Simon is a character that would continue to haunt me for a long time I suppose because even the most "evil" gamma heroes I have come across holds nothing when compared to Simon's character which compels the reader to hate and love him in equal doses, love triumphing towards the end. The way how Simon's character changes over time is what captivated me the most because this didn't happen overnight but rather over a span of 70 years starting from 1944, the year Meghann was turned into a vampire beholden to her Master Simon Baldevar.
The last and final book in the series is definitely not for the faint of heart as once again Trisha Baker pulls no punches in delivering exactly what I have come to expect from her novels. Mikal's character knows no boundaries when it comes to manifesting pure and unadulterated evil which just makes him a very worthy opponent for the invincible Simon. There were moments towards the end where my poor nails bore the brunt of my utter panic as there seemed to be no end to the cruelty that Mikal was capable of dishing out until the very end.
I recommend all 3 books to those who would love a twisted dark hero to seduce them completely and make you fall for him, however reluctant you may be to do so. I loved every single minute of this trilogy and am saddened by the fact that there are no novels published by the author afterwards.
I leave my review with a glimpse of the explosive reunion between Simon and Meghann after a 17 year period of separation that has done naught to bring down the combustive desire between them, a desire that has made both Simon and Meghann a slave to each other all throughout the years.
Its with a feeling of bittersweet melancholy coursing through me that I write this review and bid farewell to one of the most enthralling paranormal/horror romances that I have read to date. I bid farewell to my most favorite villainous hero Simon Baldevar with a heavy heart and I don't think any hero that I come across afterwards would ever be able to completely surpass what he has made me feel throughout the trilogy.
Crimson Night, book 2 of the Crimson trilogy ended on a bittersweet note with Simon and Meghann going their separate ways, torn apart by the one thing that was supposed to bring them closer to each other. Vampire pregnancies being rare caused much upheaval on Meghann and nearly destroyed her life before she bore Simon twins, Elizabeth their mortal daughter and Mikal their immortal son. Knowing that Simon's enemies would never give them a moments peace if it were to come to light that an immortal vampire offspring walks the Earth, Simon does the most unselfish thing he has ever done in his life and subjects himself to separation from Meghann, the woman who holds his heart for eternity and their beautiful daughter to bring up their son who from the very beginning show signs of depravity unlike anything encountered before in the story.
Meghann brings up their beautiful daughter together with the help of her immortal friend and confidante Dr. Charles Tarleton and his life partner Dr. Lee Winslow who adopts Elizabeth as his own child and forgoes transformation to look after Elizabeth during daylight hours. 17 years pass by without any sort of connection between Simon and Meghann apart from the letters they exchange with one another. Elizabeth grows up knowing love and affection from 3 people who dote on her by her side whilst her twin brother Mikal with his unholy appetites and psychotic behavior grows up with his father on a remote Scottish island.
After 17 long years, Simon finally comes seeking his beloved daughter and Meghann whom he has missed more than he would ever let on. Their reunion though a happy one ends on a devastating note when Meghann realizes what her son Mikal is truly capable of with the utter force of destruction that he brings down on her loved ones with a cunningness that stuns them all.
Mikal's need for vengeance and destruction goes beyond anything rational and before the day is through, both Simon and Meghann are forced to call on reserves of strength and summon friends and foes alike to fight a battle with their mutual enemy; their own son to save their most prized possession of all, their daughter Elizabeth from the clutches of a mad man who makes Simon seem puny in size when compared to the evil that seeps out of him.
Crimson Shadows is a fitting end to a love that has weathered many a storm between Meghann and her centuries old vampire husband Simon. Both Meghann and Simon do a lot of growing up to become worthy of each other's love, the unabated desire between them strong as ever upon their reunion after 17 long years of celibacy and waiting for each other. However there is a vague sense of incompleteness as to how the story ended because I would have loved to see how the surprising love that stems and grows between Elizabeth and Simon's hated enemy i.e. Meghann's ex-lover Jimmy Delcroix fared in the end. And there were a couple of pages towards the end that I felt appalled at Simon's instinctive lashing out towards Meghann because she dared protect Elizabeth and Jimmy from Simon's wrath upon his discovery of their coming together that made me wonder whether Simon would ever learn to curb his inner demons and become someone who would never hurt the woman he loves. But I guess if that were to happen, Simon wouldn't be true to his character and such a total turnabout would be in total antithesis to what we have come to expect from Simon.
Simon is a character that would continue to haunt me for a long time I suppose because even the most "evil" gamma heroes I have come across holds nothing when compared to Simon's character which compels the reader to hate and love him in equal doses, love triumphing towards the end. The way how Simon's character changes over time is what captivated me the most because this didn't happen overnight but rather over a span of 70 years starting from 1944, the year Meghann was turned into a vampire beholden to her Master Simon Baldevar.
The last and final book in the series is definitely not for the faint of heart as once again Trisha Baker pulls no punches in delivering exactly what I have come to expect from her novels. Mikal's character knows no boundaries when it comes to manifesting pure and unadulterated evil which just makes him a very worthy opponent for the invincible Simon. There were moments towards the end where my poor nails bore the brunt of my utter panic as there seemed to be no end to the cruelty that Mikal was capable of dishing out until the very end.
I recommend all 3 books to those who would love a twisted dark hero to seduce them completely and make you fall for him, however reluctant you may be to do so. I loved every single minute of this trilogy and am saddened by the fact that there are no novels published by the author afterwards.
I leave my review with a glimpse of the explosive reunion between Simon and Meghann after a 17 year period of separation that has done naught to bring down the combustive desire between them, a desire that has made both Simon and Meghann a slave to each other all throughout the years.
May 27, 2013
After reading and enjoying the first two novels, it came as a surprise to me that I had difficulty reading Crimson Shadows. I admit to skim reading over the parts I had trouble with.
I really thought this would be the best book yet. However, I really had difficulty stomaching the descriptions about Mikal and his actions as well as the relationship between Jimmy and Elizabeth. The age difference wasn't pleasant since she wasn't an adult yet but what I really couldn't handle was how Jimmy changed Elizabeth's nappies and was there as she was growing up, combined with his past relationship with her mother. I couldn't understand how he could look at her in a sexual way (and vis versa). It was WAY too close to pedophilia for me. An issue that really bothers me. This along with other things such as his rude behavior when catching Simon and Meghann in bed together etc. really wrecked my view of Jimmy's character. This is impressive since all of the characters in the Crimson series except Lee and Charles have obvious flaws. The epiphany by Jimmy and Elizabeth of "I'm sexually attracted to you and I love you, lets get married" within a few days was also really weird and hard to believe.
I'm not going to go into the details about the depravity of Mikal's character except one word --> incest. Strange that I could read about Simon and grow to love him like Meghann but I had trouble reading about a character I didn't need to love at all.
However, despite all these problems I had with the book, I was still impressed with the strength of Trisha Baker's writing. The similarities to the Twilight series can be discounted since the Crimson series was written first. I wonder if Stephenie Meyer read this series back in 2003?
I really thought this would be the best book yet. However, I really had difficulty stomaching the descriptions about Mikal and his actions as well as the relationship between Jimmy and Elizabeth. The age difference wasn't pleasant since she wasn't an adult yet but what I really couldn't handle was how Jimmy changed Elizabeth's nappies and was there as she was growing up, combined with his past relationship with her mother. I couldn't understand how he could look at her in a sexual way (and vis versa). It was WAY too close to pedophilia for me. An issue that really bothers me. This along with other things such as his rude behavior when catching Simon and Meghann in bed together etc. really wrecked my view of Jimmy's character. This is impressive since all of the characters in the Crimson series except Lee and Charles have obvious flaws. The epiphany by Jimmy and Elizabeth of "I'm sexually attracted to you and I love you, lets get married" within a few days was also really weird and hard to believe.
I'm not going to go into the details about the depravity of Mikal's character except one word --> incest. Strange that I could read about Simon and grow to love him like Meghann but I had trouble reading about a character I didn't need to love at all.
However, despite all these problems I had with the book, I was still impressed with the strength of Trisha Baker's writing. The similarities to the Twilight series can be discounted since the Crimson series was written first. I wonder if Stephenie Meyer read this series back in 2003?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 27, 2011
Rating: 3.0
Genre: Dark Urban Fantasy with lots and lots of blood and innocent victims.
Crimson Shadows is the final book in the Crimson trilogy, and has one of the most vile and evil vampires you will ever read about. His name is Mikhail, and he is the son of vampires Meghann O’Neill and Lord Simon Baldevar. He is consumed by blood lust and revenge on his own family which includes his twin, and mortal sister Elizabeth, or Ellie as she likes to be called.
The story flashes back and forth between the time that Simon and Meghann separated for the good of the twins, to the present and the crusade by Mikhail to kill everyone associated with Meghann and Simon, and end all fight that leads to several sub characters deaths that have been with the story from the beginning.
It has been 17 years since Simon and Meghann separated, and Ellie has the same vampire abilities, like being a psychic and traveling the astral plane, as her mother and father have. Ellie actually escapes to the astral planes when she is having her PMS week. Must be nice! She was raised by Meghann, as well as Dr. Charles Tarleton, and his lover Dr. Lee Winslow who is Ellie’s foster father. Winslow actually put away his desire to be transformed in order to be Ellie’s daylight protector. Ellie has an IQ that is 175, and is a budding architect who wants to open her own business one day. Unknown to Ellie, her own brother takes on the guise of her only real lover in an attempt to get Meghann's trust and access to their home.
Mikhail’s blood is supposed to be the key to vampires walking in the daylight, but it is also very toxic to those who try to taste it as Simon’s does while fighting for his life. Mikhail and Ellie are the first successful children born from two vampires. Naturally, the rest of the vampire world isn’t all that excited by the prospects of Simon becoming any more powerful than he already is. Mikhail also can walk during the daylight hours, but isn’t as powerful until after sunset.
I have to warn those who aren’t into dark fantasy that you may want to avoid this book if you don’t like extreme torture and depravity, as Ms Baker throws down the gauntlet in her ability to transform Mikhail into a Charles Manson like killer. The depravity shown by Mikhail towards his own sister, knows absolutely no boundaries. You can blame Simon for not showing him enough love and affection, but at the same time, Simon’s isn’t the best role model for a son to have either. Just look what he has done to Meghann, Jimmy Delacroix, and Alcuin, as examples of his exploits, including how he actually became a vampire in the first place. I even found myself agreeing with Meghan as to the why Simon waited so long before killing Mikhail, instead of allowing this to continue to the point where it nearly killed everyone he has ever cared for. Was Simon hoping secretly that this would be the outcome?
When Simon does finally reunite with Meghann and his daughter, Meghann turns into a blithering idiot, a blood whore, a slave, and a weakling with no control over her own body right before our very eyes. It is the nature of their relationship where Simon is the master, and Meghann is his tool that he continually beats, threatens, and treats like so much garbage. This is a love story? Naturally, Simon demands that Ellie be transformed immediately to save her from Mikhail, a fact that Meghann totally disagrees with since she is only 17 years of age. Meghann herself was transformed at age 18 by Simon in 1944. Later, Ellie doesn’t get a chance to make her own choice when Mikhail grabs her as a lure for his father and mother to come and get her.
Naturally, the ending to this story is as expected as Mikhail’s attempt to torture Ellie, and kill his father, and use his mother as a blood whore, ends with Ellie bonded to Jimmy and transformed, and Mikhail worse off than if he had actually left them alone in the first place. Meghann and Simon get their HEA, and get to enjoy the benefits from Mikhail’s blood.
I recommend that if anyone is interested in reading this series, if you can actually find it in your library or online, to start from the first book and read forward. If not, this book will throw you for a loop.
Genre: Dark Urban Fantasy with lots and lots of blood and innocent victims.
Crimson Shadows is the final book in the Crimson trilogy, and has one of the most vile and evil vampires you will ever read about. His name is Mikhail, and he is the son of vampires Meghann O’Neill and Lord Simon Baldevar. He is consumed by blood lust and revenge on his own family which includes his twin, and mortal sister Elizabeth, or Ellie as she likes to be called.
The story flashes back and forth between the time that Simon and Meghann separated for the good of the twins, to the present and the crusade by Mikhail to kill everyone associated with Meghann and Simon, and end all fight that leads to several sub characters deaths that have been with the story from the beginning.
It has been 17 years since Simon and Meghann separated, and Ellie has the same vampire abilities, like being a psychic and traveling the astral plane, as her mother and father have. Ellie actually escapes to the astral planes when she is having her PMS week. Must be nice! She was raised by Meghann, as well as Dr. Charles Tarleton, and his lover Dr. Lee Winslow who is Ellie’s foster father. Winslow actually put away his desire to be transformed in order to be Ellie’s daylight protector. Ellie has an IQ that is 175, and is a budding architect who wants to open her own business one day. Unknown to Ellie, her own brother takes on the guise of her only real lover in an attempt to get Meghann's trust and access to their home.
Mikhail’s blood is supposed to be the key to vampires walking in the daylight, but it is also very toxic to those who try to taste it as Simon’s does while fighting for his life. Mikhail and Ellie are the first successful children born from two vampires. Naturally, the rest of the vampire world isn’t all that excited by the prospects of Simon becoming any more powerful than he already is. Mikhail also can walk during the daylight hours, but isn’t as powerful until after sunset.
I have to warn those who aren’t into dark fantasy that you may want to avoid this book if you don’t like extreme torture and depravity, as Ms Baker throws down the gauntlet in her ability to transform Mikhail into a Charles Manson like killer. The depravity shown by Mikhail towards his own sister, knows absolutely no boundaries. You can blame Simon for not showing him enough love and affection, but at the same time, Simon’s isn’t the best role model for a son to have either. Just look what he has done to Meghann, Jimmy Delacroix, and Alcuin, as examples of his exploits, including how he actually became a vampire in the first place. I even found myself agreeing with Meghan as to the why Simon waited so long before killing Mikhail, instead of allowing this to continue to the point where it nearly killed everyone he has ever cared for. Was Simon hoping secretly that this would be the outcome?
When Simon does finally reunite with Meghann and his daughter, Meghann turns into a blithering idiot, a blood whore, a slave, and a weakling with no control over her own body right before our very eyes. It is the nature of their relationship where Simon is the master, and Meghann is his tool that he continually beats, threatens, and treats like so much garbage. This is a love story? Naturally, Simon demands that Ellie be transformed immediately to save her from Mikhail, a fact that Meghann totally disagrees with since she is only 17 years of age. Meghann herself was transformed at age 18 by Simon in 1944. Later, Ellie doesn’t get a chance to make her own choice when Mikhail grabs her as a lure for his father and mother to come and get her.
Naturally, the ending to this story is as expected as Mikhail’s attempt to torture Ellie, and kill his father, and use his mother as a blood whore, ends with Ellie bonded to Jimmy and transformed, and Mikhail worse off than if he had actually left them alone in the first place. Meghann and Simon get their HEA, and get to enjoy the benefits from Mikhail’s blood.
I recommend that if anyone is interested in reading this series, if you can actually find it in your library or online, to start from the first book and read forward. If not, this book will throw you for a loop.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 13, 2009
I read this...6 years ago, and I'm obsessed. Worse part is it's the last book of the trilogy! I know how it ends, but I don't damn well knwo hwo it begins. Why? Because I can't buy it ANYWHERE! It exists online but shopping over internet isn't my thing. Anyway, thsi is one of the more recent additions to modern vampire literature, and it is unforgiving. With drama at it's most nerve wrecking, horror that makes you cringe every once in a while and eroticsim that is both tasteful as it is devistatingly, freakishly sexy. No no, this isn't some Harliquin romance shitty novel where it all ends in a happy ending. Wat do I mean? Try being a freshly made vampire trying to hide away from your possesive, heatful, sexy as all hell master/overload in the 40s. Hoever that is in the beginning of the trilogy "Crimson Night" Which I have yet to read. However since Crimson Shadows is the last book, I can't give anything away without it being a spoiler to the series. All I can say is I WANT TO READ MORE!!
On top of that, I have no clue who Trisha Baker is. That woman is nowhere to be foind, seriously, no official site, biography and...that's leaving me desperate... YOY;
On top of that, I have no clue who Trisha Baker is. That woman is nowhere to be foind, seriously, no official site, biography and...that's leaving me desperate... YOY;
May 8, 2013
OMG!!! I really thought that Lord Simon Baldevar was an evil being but Mikal John Khalid Baldevar is an EVIL psycho and the most sadistic thing ever created!!!!! This was a great ending to the Crimson Trilogy and I enjoyed the transformation of Lord Baldevar from sadistic bastard in book one to a less sadistic bastard by book three and all thanks to Maggie!!! Great series!!!
January 2, 2009
Crimson Shadows concludes the love story between Simon Baldevar and Meghann O'Neill. It picks up eighteen years after the moment Simon and Meghann separated in order to keep their children safe. He to an isolated Highland island with their vampiric son Mikal and Meghann to New York to raise their human daughter, Elizabeth. Unfortunately Simon can't save their son and Mikal leaves home, going on a murderous rampage. He engages in a cat and mouse game with his parents and delights in taunting his mother and sister at every turn.
Despite the darkness both mother and father feel in Mikal, they think he'll get better in time. Unfortunately, he doesn't. In fact, Simon has an MRI done on Mikal and it shows the boy has no sense of right or wrong, nor any sense of pleasure or pain. He's a sociopath in every sense of the word. One second he's reading children's books and the next he's trying to kill his father. Herein lies one of the problems. Trisha Baker doesn't give Mikal any emotional depth, no reason for his actions or unreasonable hatred towards his family. If it was hinted at that he was angry because his mother abandoned him and jealous of his twin sister for the happy life she has led, I would have understood. Even Simon and Meghann fear that that would be his natural reaction. But there doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason for his hate. It's just the eye rolling childish anger aimed at parent from child. At one point when Mikal is bragging to his father about his exploits, he actually pouts when he doesn't get enough awe. Mikal was just a one dimensional character that I didn't feel for at all. I was still surprised when he crossed that indefinable line though. Trisha Baker hadn't shown he was irredeemable in the beginning, before he goes insane. Even Simon was thought to be irredeemable and look what a pussycat he turned out to be. But when Mikal started using some pretty disgusting methods for humiliating his twin sister, that about made me retch. I guess physical and emotional abuse doesn't bother me because it didn't stop me from absolutely loving the first two books but throw in a little incest and I start heaving all over the place. Jimmy Delacroix was also a character I could have done without. His constant protestations that Simon was brainwashing Meghann was getting damned old, as was his childish name calling when he catches the reunited lovers in bed together. It flirts with Jimmy being TSTL. While I'm complaining, Meghann annoyed me too. Anytime something goes wrong she blames Simon. Sure, he's a bad guy and he is to blame for a myriad of problems but it smacks too much of the hysterical, capricious heroine who shrieks, "I hate you, I love you!" Simon just blames her tempestuous Irish temper, but for someone who is almost a hundred years old, she acts like a brat. Even Alcuin chastises her.
Still, I loved when Simon was reunited with his daughter and with Meghann. It was such a shame that he missed out on Elizabeth's childhood when it's known he's wanted a child for almost five hundred years. Especially when his time with Mikal was such a failure. Also Simon and Meghann's reunion was very passionate! Simon is still the best thing about the Crimson series though he seems subdued here. Some of that charisma is missing, as is the larger than life personality.
I would still continue reading if Trisha Baker wrote more books in the Crimson line. I think the first two books were absolutely magnificent and I'm sure that's hard to live up to. It's just this book dealt in subject matter that's abhorrent to me. I know other people have liked this book and despite the taboos, I liked the book too, if only for the conclusion and Simon. It would be interesting if Trisha did continue, where would she take Simon? I can only wish I could read more.
Despite the darkness both mother and father feel in Mikal, they think he'll get better in time. Unfortunately, he doesn't. In fact, Simon has an MRI done on Mikal and it shows the boy has no sense of right or wrong, nor any sense of pleasure or pain. He's a sociopath in every sense of the word. One second he's reading children's books and the next he's trying to kill his father. Herein lies one of the problems. Trisha Baker doesn't give Mikal any emotional depth, no reason for his actions or unreasonable hatred towards his family. If it was hinted at that he was angry because his mother abandoned him and jealous of his twin sister for the happy life she has led, I would have understood. Even Simon and Meghann fear that that would be his natural reaction. But there doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason for his hate. It's just the eye rolling childish anger aimed at parent from child. At one point when Mikal is bragging to his father about his exploits, he actually pouts when he doesn't get enough awe. Mikal was just a one dimensional character that I didn't feel for at all. I was still surprised when he crossed that indefinable line though. Trisha Baker hadn't shown he was irredeemable in the beginning, before he goes insane. Even Simon was thought to be irredeemable and look what a pussycat he turned out to be. But when Mikal started using some pretty disgusting methods for humiliating his twin sister, that about made me retch. I guess physical and emotional abuse doesn't bother me because it didn't stop me from absolutely loving the first two books but throw in a little incest and I start heaving all over the place. Jimmy Delacroix was also a character I could have done without. His constant protestations that Simon was brainwashing Meghann was getting damned old, as was his childish name calling when he catches the reunited lovers in bed together. It flirts with Jimmy being TSTL. While I'm complaining, Meghann annoyed me too. Anytime something goes wrong she blames Simon. Sure, he's a bad guy and he is to blame for a myriad of problems but it smacks too much of the hysterical, capricious heroine who shrieks, "I hate you, I love you!" Simon just blames her tempestuous Irish temper, but for someone who is almost a hundred years old, she acts like a brat. Even Alcuin chastises her.
Still, I loved when Simon was reunited with his daughter and with Meghann. It was such a shame that he missed out on Elizabeth's childhood when it's known he's wanted a child for almost five hundred years. Especially when his time with Mikal was such a failure. Also Simon and Meghann's reunion was very passionate! Simon is still the best thing about the Crimson series though he seems subdued here. Some of that charisma is missing, as is the larger than life personality.
I would still continue reading if Trisha Baker wrote more books in the Crimson line. I think the first two books were absolutely magnificent and I'm sure that's hard to live up to. It's just this book dealt in subject matter that's abhorrent to me. I know other people have liked this book and despite the taboos, I liked the book too, if only for the conclusion and Simon. It would be interesting if Trisha did continue, where would she take Simon? I can only wish I could read more.
August 25, 2014
Rating: 4.5
Wow, what a ride!!! One of my all-time favorite trilogies.
This book started 17 years after the second book ended. With the twins being grown up and seeing how each of them turned out. Simon and Meghann where apart all this time. Simon being afraid that if he sees Meghann, he could never leave her again. So it is Reunion Time!!!!!!
I loved this book. I know that not everyone did but I think it had something to do with the uncomfortable sexual tortures that are in this book. I don't want to go too much into it because I don't want to ruin the book for anyone. There are just some big taboo sexual things that happened in this book that you didn't see before. BUT..this is not just a romance but I think some people forget that this is a vampire horror book! Bad, gross things happen! It's called horror. In this day and age we have vampires that sparkle. They are sensitive and caring. No, this is your vampire book before Stephanie Meyers even started writing. My hat goes off to the writer for not being afraid to show us things that are truly horrible. Aren't we supposed to be afraid of vampires? Cringe at some of the things they do?
I loved this book. I thought the story staring 17 years later was very fitting. I couldn't wait to start reading it. I read about it on the back of the book and was chomping at the bit to see what would happen. I did feel a couple of things where rushed (like some of the other people did) but it was still a fabulous book.
The only reason I didn't give this book 5 stars is because I felt the last 5% was lacking a bit.
March 12, 2017
Well! I thoroughly enjoyed this holy grail of messed up series! I must admit, how the author wove the romance through the various debaucheries, sadistic acts, and just plain insanity truly impresses me. Simon was a psychopath, who could not kill the one he loved. Huh.....well almost....
Lord Simon Baldevar.....I hope I never meet you...or do I?
Lord Simon Baldevar.....I hope I never meet you...or do I?
June 10, 2011
The third book in this trilogy wraps up nicely the many highs and lows that Simon and his wife, Meghan, have gone through and experienced. I am so glad that I stumbled on to this series. It is one of the best if you like a darker story that is full of treachery, debauchery and has one of the best villans to ever grace a printed page (or a digital page)! Well done!
April 1, 2021
Oh what fresh Hell is this?
This was such generic recycled rubbish !!
Forget the glaringly obvious Oedipus Complex, I was so uninvested by the time I read book 3. The story was a horrible poorly envisioned "conclusion" between Jimmy's asinine character and Mikal regurgitated Simon.
The same basic ass unevolved Meghann and her Mini-me Ellie left much to be desire.
Urrrgghhhhh
This was such generic recycled rubbish !!
Forget the glaringly obvious Oedipus Complex, I was so uninvested by the time I read book 3. The story was a horrible poorly envisioned "conclusion" between Jimmy's asinine character and Mikal regurgitated Simon.
The same basic ass unevolved Meghann and her Mini-me Ellie left much to be desire.
Urrrgghhhhh
September 13, 2011
Overall, this series is a 3.5. The action and suspense element was good, but the ending of the series was a big let down. It had me wondering about the author's experience and thoughts on dysfunctional relationships.
July 23, 2019
I give it 4 stars because of bipolar Meghann is when it comes to Simon. I always forget how irritating she can be.
July 8, 2011
Simon you are so bad.
January 4, 2013
I loved this series. Thank u Trisha Baker for a series that I'll never forget.
September 10, 2019
**** SO MANY SPOILERS***
Disgusted on so many levels. I admit I hate read this series. I tolerated Simon and Meghan. I got reluctantly on the boat in the second book because clearly the writer was moving forward with their relationship (was kinda obvious in the first book too). Am still annoyed that yeah, I could see that he loved her in his own demented way (and demented indeed) the author never did away with Simon's backward views and kept thinking of Meghan's desire for independence as childish. I was hoping (and quite frankly I skimmed through this book because I was so damn disgusted so I don't know if it was) that Simon would finally acknowledge Meghan as his equal but in the chapters I was able to stomach, she had essentially told her daughter that her father had changed and accepted her as her equal. The change I can explain because he did turned it down one level but the equality?? Come on. The dude was looking for rich guys his 17 year could marry. I kept hoping that the author would stop validating his every opinion but just like the last book, his way was the way and everyone always went along with it. Also he still calls his wife his consort. Like I was able to digest it in the last book and kept in mind the time this book was written but I kept hoping the author would adjust the obvious flaw of writing a redemption story line for a character she has written with no redeeming qualities and not bothering to even try to redeem him. Don't get me wrong, that's what ultimately hate-won me over about Simon. The dude did not apologize for how he lived his life but she never fully resolved the matter of wether Meghan would finally make peace with the fact that he was not going to stop his evil ways and be with him despite the differences in moral views or even come to terms with the part of her that is similar to him. I really wanted to see how they were going to come to an agreement but nope (maybe they did but I might have skimmed it while being too busy being disgusted). But if I had reluctantly come to get over Simon and Meghan's relationship, why was I so disgusted? I mean I was expecting this book to be about the struggles of raising the kids apart and ultimately a facedown with Simon's enemies. Not in this book. I was really hoping Mikal's character would have turned out differently but at no moment did I think of the depravity this character would turn out to be. I really just could not and then you add in Ellie (the 17 year old) and Jimmy and Ellie and Mikal... It just broke the camels back and that camel withstood Simon and Meghan's obviously abusive relationship and the lightness with such the author treated rape. Like this author justified rape in every corner by simply not addressing any of it and just moving on. Those were the things I skimmed in the previous book. Like no. But like I said, I power though because I liked how much Simon (in a much less charismatic extent, reminded me of Klaus due to his unapologetic nature) and the fact that Meghan was not a damsel in distress and that came though despite the author constantly having her be gaslit by Simon. But this book was just too much. Gonna have a hard time cleansing myself of this. Also, there is more slut shaming of Meghan by Jimmy despite the fact that she was having sex with her husband (and he just barged in knowing what was happening) and then quickly proceeds to notice how grown up the 17 year he had helped raise had become. Yeah, that happened along with more rape.
Disgusted on so many levels. I admit I hate read this series. I tolerated Simon and Meghan. I got reluctantly on the boat in the second book because clearly the writer was moving forward with their relationship (was kinda obvious in the first book too). Am still annoyed that yeah, I could see that he loved her in his own demented way (and demented indeed) the author never did away with Simon's backward views and kept thinking of Meghan's desire for independence as childish. I was hoping (and quite frankly I skimmed through this book because I was so damn disgusted so I don't know if it was) that Simon would finally acknowledge Meghan as his equal but in the chapters I was able to stomach, she had essentially told her daughter that her father had changed and accepted her as her equal. The change I can explain because he did turned it down one level but the equality?? Come on. The dude was looking for rich guys his 17 year could marry. I kept hoping that the author would stop validating his every opinion but just like the last book, his way was the way and everyone always went along with it. Also he still calls his wife his consort. Like I was able to digest it in the last book and kept in mind the time this book was written but I kept hoping the author would adjust the obvious flaw of writing a redemption story line for a character she has written with no redeeming qualities and not bothering to even try to redeem him. Don't get me wrong, that's what ultimately hate-won me over about Simon. The dude did not apologize for how he lived his life but she never fully resolved the matter of wether Meghan would finally make peace with the fact that he was not going to stop his evil ways and be with him despite the differences in moral views or even come to terms with the part of her that is similar to him. I really wanted to see how they were going to come to an agreement but nope (maybe they did but I might have skimmed it while being too busy being disgusted). But if I had reluctantly come to get over Simon and Meghan's relationship, why was I so disgusted? I mean I was expecting this book to be about the struggles of raising the kids apart and ultimately a facedown with Simon's enemies. Not in this book. I was really hoping Mikal's character would have turned out differently but at no moment did I think of the depravity this character would turn out to be. I really just could not and then you add in Ellie (the 17 year old) and Jimmy and Ellie and Mikal... It just broke the camels back and that camel withstood Simon and Meghan's obviously abusive relationship and the lightness with such the author treated rape. Like this author justified rape in every corner by simply not addressing any of it and just moving on. Those were the things I skimmed in the previous book. Like no. But like I said, I power though because I liked how much Simon (in a much less charismatic extent, reminded me of Klaus due to his unapologetic nature) and the fact that Meghan was not a damsel in distress and that came though despite the author constantly having her be gaslit by Simon. But this book was just too much. Gonna have a hard time cleansing myself of this. Also, there is more slut shaming of Meghan by Jimmy despite the fact that she was having sex with her husband (and he just barged in knowing what was happening) and then quickly proceeds to notice how grown up the 17 year he had helped raise had become. Yeah, that happened along with more rape.
February 2, 2019
This entire series is depraved, but this book is perhaps the most.
First of all: I DON’T WANT TO READ ABOUT THEIR DAUGHTER HAVING AN ORGASM WITH MAGGIE’S EX-BOYFRIEND — who by the way, is a hot-headed jerk. Simon’s also an ass but he’s definitely not rash. Jimmy definitely is, based on how he treated Meghann. He wasn’t very understanding at all and just called her a whore all the time (at least in this book). So excuse me for not liking him and Ellie. Plus, despite all his alegations that he doesn’t see her as a replacement for Maggie, he literally jumped away from her while making out because her eyes look exactly like her mother’s. He always makes some sort of mention of Maggie when he’s with Ellie... like he’s trying to convince himself.
Bottom line: if Meghann and Simon are the romantic pair as the focal point of the story, I don’t want to read about their kid having sex. And it was weirdly detailed, too. Yugh.
Secondly, if you’re going to go with Mikal being gay, then what’s with the added incest? That was just really unnecessary, not to mention gross. Yeah, I get he’s a psychopath, but there are lots of psychopaths wandering the Earth who don’t sink to that level. If anything, I expected Mikal’s megalomania to make him detest such atrocities. But okay, I guess.
Lastly, I learned to accept Simon and Meghann’s rekindled relationship with the assumption that he wouldn’t abuse her again. And he didn’t, since she got pregnant. Not even psychological abuse. But in the last pages of this third and final book, what does he do when he’s upset with her? That’s right: goes back to his old tricks. Pulls her hair and slams her into a wall, threatens to take her daughter, and leave her with nothing.
Now, that’s not some of Simon’s more creative punishments, or even the worst. It’s actually quite tame compared to what he used to do to her. But the fact of the matter is, he hit her. Again. After everything. Are you kidding me? I guess in the end, it makes sense. Hard to teach an old dog new tricks. After finishing the last page, they made up (albeit half-assed). I expect Simon to continue to hit her in the future then and continue the cycle. It’s so disappointing considering his character arc. He was briefly redeemable as the love interest. Now I’m just like... no.
All in all, the series wasn’t bad. But, if I was going to re-read, I would just skip the final book. The second one didn’t end on a huge cliffhanger anyway, other than what would happen with the children. This book is just a way too disappointing culmination to everything. Still, I’d recommend the rest of the series.
First of all: I DON’T WANT TO READ ABOUT THEIR DAUGHTER HAVING AN ORGASM WITH MAGGIE’S EX-BOYFRIEND — who by the way, is a hot-headed jerk. Simon’s also an ass but he’s definitely not rash. Jimmy definitely is, based on how he treated Meghann. He wasn’t very understanding at all and just called her a whore all the time (at least in this book). So excuse me for not liking him and Ellie. Plus, despite all his alegations that he doesn’t see her as a replacement for Maggie, he literally jumped away from her while making out because her eyes look exactly like her mother’s. He always makes some sort of mention of Maggie when he’s with Ellie... like he’s trying to convince himself.
Bottom line: if Meghann and Simon are the romantic pair as the focal point of the story, I don’t want to read about their kid having sex. And it was weirdly detailed, too. Yugh.
Secondly, if you’re going to go with Mikal being gay, then what’s with the added incest? That was just really unnecessary, not to mention gross. Yeah, I get he’s a psychopath, but there are lots of psychopaths wandering the Earth who don’t sink to that level. If anything, I expected Mikal’s megalomania to make him detest such atrocities. But okay, I guess.
Lastly, I learned to accept Simon and Meghann’s rekindled relationship with the assumption that he wouldn’t abuse her again. And he didn’t, since she got pregnant. Not even psychological abuse. But in the last pages of this third and final book, what does he do when he’s upset with her? That’s right: goes back to his old tricks. Pulls her hair and slams her into a wall, threatens to take her daughter, and leave her with nothing.
Now, that’s not some of Simon’s more creative punishments, or even the worst. It’s actually quite tame compared to what he used to do to her. But the fact of the matter is, he hit her. Again. After everything. Are you kidding me? I guess in the end, it makes sense. Hard to teach an old dog new tricks. After finishing the last page, they made up (albeit half-assed). I expect Simon to continue to hit her in the future then and continue the cycle. It’s so disappointing considering his character arc. He was briefly redeemable as the love interest. Now I’m just like... no.
All in all, the series wasn’t bad. But, if I was going to re-read, I would just skip the final book. The second one didn’t end on a huge cliffhanger anyway, other than what would happen with the children. This book is just a way too disappointing culmination to everything. Still, I’d recommend the rest of the series.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 28, 2024
I made it to chapter 9 but might DNF mainly do to Ellie an Jimmy...and chapter 8 gave me serious ICK 🤢Ellie an Jimmy's "relationship" is so gross...don't come at me but I love Simon and Meghann...an never liked Jimmy. Especially in book 1 an 2 an even 3 he is so quick to be angry with Meghann. An for no reason a lot of the time. And Ellie wanting Jimmy and vice versa was just so gross to me. And him saying he didn't keep coming back for "Maggie" but for Ellie. Like bro she was a child then and is kinda still now. And for her to be like f*ck it I want Jimmy's idc if he's my mom's ex. I had to skip their sex scene..it was too gross no offense Trisha. For me Meghann an Simon is different, he saw her spirit like 400 yrs before she was even born (to me it was destined). And he wasn't there when she was born/growing up/being raised. Yeah he met her when she was 18...but he didn't date her mom beforehand either...an Jimmy act like he's the happiest man on earth ect now that he's with Ellie an he wants to marry her like wtf that was just super gross. Book 1&2 I like but might not get threw book 3 sadly...looking forward to other books from you Trisha regardless.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 22, 2020
2.5 Stars
Phew - I finished the series at last - I can dig a hole and bury it now!!!
I was disappointed with the and - The last book was almost as bad as the first. Just dragged for pages and pages. Jimmy was so so annoying (and predatory) - reminded me so much of Jacob in the "Breaking Dawn" book in the "Twilight" series. So very very insidious. I think he was one of the worst characters in this book.
Again - this book cemented that Simon had reasons for most of his actions while the others were mostly childish, throwing tantrums, playing at being holier than thou. I really sympathized with Simon at the end of this and felt like he deserved better than he got. I feel that after hundreds of years he still got the short end of the stick in his relationship.
Anyway good riddance to this book. I feel that I wasted my time reading this book.
Nonetheless I kept reading the series because I was so invested in finding out how Simon will end up.
Good riddance to the author!
I think it's safe to say I won't read more from her.
Cheers!
Phew - I finished the series at last - I can dig a hole and bury it now!!!
I was disappointed with the and - The last book was almost as bad as the first. Just dragged for pages and pages. Jimmy was so so annoying (and predatory) - reminded me so much of Jacob in the "Breaking Dawn" book in the "Twilight" series. So very very insidious. I think he was one of the worst characters in this book.
Again - this book cemented that Simon had reasons for most of his actions while the others were mostly childish, throwing tantrums, playing at being holier than thou. I really sympathized with Simon at the end of this and felt like he deserved better than he got. I feel that after hundreds of years he still got the short end of the stick in his relationship.
Anyway good riddance to this book. I feel that I wasted my time reading this book.
Nonetheless I kept reading the series because I was so invested in finding out how Simon will end up.
Good riddance to the author!
I think it's safe to say I won't read more from her.
Cheers!
March 30, 2018
That was a hell of a ride! I am blown away by this trilogy. It’s just fantastic. I’m not particularly squeamish but at times I was like..eek that’s a bit heavy. But it’s not all blood and gore and torture. It’s also romantic and thrilling and pretty bloody amazing. Simon has changed so much since the first book, he’s now much more palatable, but still very very bad. I think I love him even more. Meghann and Simons story is epic. It’s beautiful and twisted. Jimmy is such a sack of shit, seriously, I think that was the most revolting part of the book. I just couldn’t get my head around it. But he has always been so ridiculously stupid, maybe it’s not that far of a stretch for him, but still, yuck!
A most satisfying end to it all. I know there is another book, but I’ve been kinda turned off reading it after seeing the reviews. I think I’m just going to leave it here, it was perfect.
A most satisfying end to it all. I know there is another book, but I’ve been kinda turned off reading it after seeing the reviews. I think I’m just going to leave it here, it was perfect.
October 2, 2021
DNF
This book has SO much potential but it went down real bad… Meghanne was so insensitive, Ik bcoz of circumstances she had to give Mikal away but she should have visited him, should have went there and been with him. She only thought of Elizabeth and that wasn’t fair and I can’t blame Mikail for turning into a sociopath. This didn’t make me wanna stop reading tho it was the fact that Elizabeth and Jimmy somehow had an Insta love moment and they fell in love and had their HEA ??? Like what???? Ew…. Jimmy was meghanne former liver so this is just gross 🤢
I was spoiled so I didn’t get to actually read the last parts I stopped at 50% … UGH THIS HAD SO MUCH POTENTIAL 😭
This book has SO much potential but it went down real bad… Meghanne was so insensitive, Ik bcoz of circumstances she had to give Mikal away but she should have visited him, should have went there and been with him. She only thought of Elizabeth and that wasn’t fair and I can’t blame Mikail for turning into a sociopath. This didn’t make me wanna stop reading tho it was the fact that Elizabeth and Jimmy somehow had an Insta love moment and they fell in love and had their HEA ??? Like what???? Ew…. Jimmy was meghanne former liver so this is just gross 🤢
I was spoiled so I didn’t get to actually read the last parts I stopped at 50% … UGH THIS HAD SO MUCH POTENTIAL 😭
Read
April 23, 2025Dnf. This started to feel like a drag and i really despise jimmy. Maybe ill finish it another day. I enjoyed the first two books and am fine with the story ending there for now
August 10, 2025
loved this series
October 24, 2015
The last book was the hardest one for me to get through in this series. I am not that into vampire romances but in a twisted way, I loved this series. It is not for the faint of heart but I am a sucker for anti-heroes getting the girl. Bad guys need some love too and this is the first novel I've read with that theme. I've read a lot of bad boys and conflicted men changing because of their love for the heroine but I really liked how Simon told Maggie straight out that his love for her won't change who he is. He remained the cruel, heartless douchebag throughout the story but I loved seeing his sweet side with Maggie and Ellie! This book was definitely hard to read because of the incest and deaths of favorite characters. When Simon attacked Maggie at the end I wasn't too happy about it either ): He was doing so well at fixing their relationship!! I mean she got distracted at the end because of their newfound ability but I would've liked to see him apologize or something at least! I would love to read the story of Ellie and Jimmy if the author ever considers writing another book because I also want to see more of how Simon and Maggie are progressing. There's a lot of disturbing topics in this series but it definitely made an impact on me, which makes it a good series in my opinion :)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 29, 2016
A feelingly brief wrap up to an often-frustrating, giddily disturbing vampire trilogy. My qualms with the other volumes carried over to this book, and in some respects swelled... Flashbacks, sidesteps, and inner monologues that drag abound. That said, the traits I admired from the jump never faltered in intensity. A vampire story is a lovely opportunity to shock and revolt, and Baker's sick brain is too suited for the task. Simon and Meghann remain remarkably consistent—He, the privileged narcissist; She, an eighteen-year-old through and through even after almost a hundred years. I wish our leading lad and lady had a story less bogged down by a predictable plot and uninteresting side characters; worthy of the sharp and memorable couple they are... Even so, Meghann and Simon outshine much of their paranormal romance competition with aplomb, and it was a pleasure to watch them sink their teeth into each other.
April 24, 2020
I’m not sure why I continued this series until the third book but I can’t finish this one anymore. Aside from Simon Baldevar’s totally irredeemable character, the stagnant plot, and the annoying main character, the continuous homophobia and incest finally did it for me.
The first book had promise but man, did it go downhill from there.
The first book had promise but man, did it go downhill from there.
July 13, 2010
Book contains graphic, violence, sexual content, rape, and incest. Definitely not child friendly.
I see this listed as romance several places (and possibly the other books in the series were more so) but this fell in the "contains sexual content in context of a plot" camp more so that what I would call romance. It is also a lot more twisted than I think of for that genre.
I see this listed as romance several places (and possibly the other books in the series were more so) but this fell in the "contains sexual content in context of a plot" camp more so that what I would call romance. It is also a lot more twisted than I think of for that genre.
September 26, 2011
Amazing series by Trisha Baker. I dont know why this series is not famous like others. This definitely is different and not duplicate or similar to any other story I've read until now. 4star for unique story but 5 star for entire series.
First 6 chapters were really boring.....that is not exciting at all. But then it just got better and better.
First 6 chapters were really boring.....that is not exciting at all. But then it just got better and better.
July 14, 2012
Hmmmm - attempted rape, incest, sadomasochism, a little necrophilia thrown in - awesome! Excellent book. I wasn't excited over the ending. It ended kind of...blah. But I guess the rest of the book kept my adrenaline running, that the ending was just too sweet. I looved the twist I should have seen coming. That rocked hard.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 45 reviews