Blood Slave

The Nightlife

by Travis Luedke

Her mother named her Esperanza Salvación - Hope for Salvation. But when a girl works as an escort for Colombian cartel in the ghettos of Spanish Harlem, there wasn’t much hope, or salvation.

Hope’s telepathic ability keeps her a step ahead of ruin, but her unusual gift attracts the attention of a psychotic vampire bitch. Trapped in a Manhattan penthouse with the psycho, she thought she was dead meat.

Her survival lies in the hands of Vampire Master Enrique. He seems to respect her, perhaps even care. As a measure of protection, he makes her his personal Bloodslave. Helplessly addicted to his bite, Enrique rules her every moment. As always, Hope must adapt to survive.

Swept into the decadent nightlife of Manhattan's elite, she falls in love with Enrique and prays someday he may grow to love her, too. But is it simply a relationship of convenience? Is she nothing more than a concubine desperate to satisfy his nightly demands for blood and sex?

And forever in the background is the fear that one day the cartel boss she abandoned will hunt her down to collect on old debts.

Genres: Vampires, Paranormal, Paranormal Romance, Erotica, Romance, Dark, Fantasy

160 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 23, 2012

About the author

Grab free ebooks from Travis Luedke and enter to win a Kindle Paperwhite!
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Travis Luedke is a NY Times & USA Today bestselling author of urban fantasy, science fiction, and paranormal romance, best known for his violently sexy NIGHTLIFE SERIES. Find Travis catching a third degree sunburn with his wife and children in San Antonio, Texas, while plotting world domination through erotic paranormal badassery.

Most famous for his Nightlife Series novels, Travis lives vicariously through his writings. He invites you to enjoy his macabre flights of fancy, but be warned: The Nightlife Series is violent, sexy, and occasionally violently sexy.

Feel free to stalk Travis:

Social Media Hub https://www.rebelmouse.com/TravisLuedke/
The Nightlife Blog http://thenightlifeseries.blogspot.com/
Emagazine http://paper.li/f-1389316274
Website http://www.twluedke.com/
Twitter https://twitter.com/TWLuedke or @TWLuedke
Twitter https://twitter.com/NightlifeNovels or @NightlifeNovels
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/TravisLuedke...
Facebook Nightlife Series https://www.facebook.com/TheNightlife...
YouTube http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCs-PH...
Pinterest http://www.pinterest.com/twluedke/
Booklikes http://twluedke.booklikes.com/
Google+ https://plus.google.com/u/0/+TravisLu...

Reviews

[Shurrn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderfully twisted!

I hated and loved him. I wanted to kill him, fuck him, and kiss him, all at the same time. What a mess. Hate won the toss up as the strongest sentiment of the moment...

On the fence about starting The Nightlife series?
Start here with this spin-off stand alone!

You'll get a taste for Travis Luedke's unique spin on PNR, and become instantly hooked on this deliciously dark, entertaining, sexy, and violent world.

It's fitting that we find ourselves back in New York with this book - The whole “Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free," Evolves into something fabulous when The Nightlife gets involved - suddenly we're seeing “Give me your hopeless women, your prostitutes, Your illegal aliens sold to Colombian cartels..."

Fans of the series know that the life of a Blood Slave is brutal. Humans become easily addicted to the venom of a vampire's bite, and just like any junkie, they'll do whatever it takes for their next fix... Assuming they live long enough to receive repeated attention from the vampire who now owns them...

HOPE
AKA Esperanza Salvación

I did not choose this life. I'd never really been given a choice [...] they all told me what to do, whether I liked it or not. This was just another group of assholes taking away my freedom for personal gain. Beyond killing me, there wasn't much they could do that hadn't already been done by someone else who got to me first. I tried to bolster my confidence with the idea that whatever happened, I could endure, like I have always endured.

Hope is no stranger to being owned. Her father sold her to the cartels when she was only fourteen, and her life never really improved after that. She was trained as a prostitute and smuggled into Spanish Harlem to whore herself for her current owners.

Hope might be stuck under the thumb of Colombian cartel thugs, but she has a secret... Hope is telepathic - able to discern a person's thoughts and intentions from 20 feet away. The link is even stronger with skin contact, and as a prostitute, she gets a lot of that.

She was able to protect her secret until one sadistic woman unraveled everything.

LIA

Bloodlust, plain and simple. Violence for violence sake. The freak thought herself a vampire and wanted to drain my body of every drop of blood. She wanted to suck me into cardiac arrest.

Lia seemed like a fairly harmless client at first - a beautiful and wealthy asian woman with a tongue worthy of olympic medals. Hope had every intention of overlooking the fact that the woman liked to bite during sex as long as she was willing to keep coming back and paying for the pleasure of Hope's company...

Problem is, vampires like to use psychic powers to make humans forget they've been fed from. Lia's powers didn't work even a little bit on the telepathic prostitute.

Lia wanted nothing more than to slaughter Hope for knowing her secret, but she had to get permission from her Master before she could bleed the life out of her. With no other choice, Hope was brought to the feet of Lia's Master, but Lia's plan backfired spectacularly.

ENRIQUE
AKA The Master

He was one of those rare people who radiated power and confidence. It flowed off him like water, royalty. This guy had to be Sir something or other, Your Grace, the Duke of Fuck-me-running.

Enrique might be the most beautiful man Hope has ever seen. He oozes deadly power, even over the freaky asain chick that wants to murder her. He is also the first person Hope can't read with her telepathic power.

This man might have been a blank slate for Hope, but she could read every twisted thought running through the Lia's mind and immediately begged for mercy from the Master.

Enrique couldn't bring himself to kill the wretched woman his protégé drug in.

The young prostitute's life had been a constant struggle, and compassion won the day.

There was only one choice - turn Hope into a blood slave - a whole new kind of whore.



Above all else, Enrique is a business man, and having a loyal telepath sitting at his side while he attends business negotiations is too good an offer to pass up...

Almost overnight, Hope finds herself with a new home, a lucrative new job, and an addiction only this gorgeous vampire can satisfy with his bite.

Hope was fairly certain that life couldn't have gotten any worse with the cartels...
Now she's faced with an uncertain future and a new appreciation for the word 'deadly'...

An opulent penthouse prison, is still a prison... She literally went from rags to riches in the blink of an eye, but she is merely a toy. A food source. And what's worse...

She might be falling in love with the Vampire keeping her prisoner...

[Christine Wallflower & Dark Romance Junkie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really liked the writing style as in, I loved it!!! It read and flowed well! But everything else just didn't sit well with me. I should have realised this wasn't for me when the first sex scene was f/f



But that was okay, I read it, wasn't too bad. But after that it was scene after scene of back breaking, raw and painful sex!!! My girly bits were going ouch!!!!



I mean I don't think any woman could recover from some the sh!t that happened in this book! But she kept on asking for more!!!



Ouch, just ouch!!!

[Laurynne Gouws · Rating 5 out of 5]

Let me just start-off by saying that Blood Slave is not recommended for those who have issues of violence and hard-core sexual activities. It's pure and utterly raw… but at the same time… nail-biting and amazingly hypnotic!

I can't actually get around to putting into words how Blood Slave made me squirm, gasp and chant "Good Lord" over and over again. It's nothing like you'd expect. It's both a combination of sexy and sweet, so you'd think a woman wrote it, but it's tough and rough, so you know there's no doubt a man actually wrote the book.

I guess, had a woman written Blood Slave, it would have been more of a timid read and not at hectic as it turns out. But make no mistake, Travis Luedke does not disappoint.

This was my first Romance related read that I'd read which was written by a man… and I'm happy to say that in this instance, there are no stone's left unturned when it comes to heat and passion! It's sensual and vibrant and I adored it!

In Blood Slave we follow the tale of Hope (aka Esperanza). She's lived a life most of us didn't even know existed… but boy does it feel like the real deal when you reading her inner thoughts… you can't help but feel like she's one of the strongest woman you will ever come to know. Hope's ability to hear inner thoughts, have always kept her in the loop of what's happening around her… until she meet's Enrique (aka, the staggeringly hot vampire)…

Enrique's perfected the ability to keep his thought's to himself and this leave's Hope in the dark about how or what he feels for her...

… and the buildup in their relationship… Dear Lord…. it's guaranteed to keep you panting and on the edge of your seat!

“What do you mean?”
“I had to assure your loyalty. I had to bind you to me. There was no other way.”
“What do you mean bind? How am I bound? I can’t read your mind! You have to tell
me what you’ve done to me. Why do I want to be with you all the time? Why do I need you to bite me?”

I have yet to read a book similar to Blood Slave… it's unique and thoroughly enjoyable. I would jump hoops at the chance to read a followup of Hope & Enrique's relationship… #hint•hint lol…..

Take a look at the cover once more… it's divine right? Now this is one of those times where you can safely judge a book by it's cover!

Conclusion:

Blood Slave is raw, brutal and shocking... but even so... It's addictive and a really brilliant read! 5 Stars!

READ MORE REVIEWS LIKE THIS ON MY BLOG

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

OHHH MY LORDDDD !!!%@$^#%&%$&$% never have i read ANYTHING like this book in all my life, jesus christ that was a mind fuck of the best kind !!! I dont know if i should cry , scream , laugh , or melt . I wish the ending and the lovey dovey stuff that finally happened went on for a little longer but my gaahd that was a great book !! I dont care who you are this book will get under your skin and you'll never forget it ! wow ! 5 stars MUST READ ~!!

[BookAddict ✒ La Crimson Femme · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a 3.5 star book for me. This is my favourite book from Mr. Luedke. My buddy, Mistik, nailed it with this one. She thought I'd like it the best and it can definitely be read as a standalone.

Esperanza Salvación is an illegal immigrant from Columbia. I imagine Sofia Vergara speaking throughout this entire book, it helps me get through the dialog. While this story is better with dialog than the other four in the series, it still is a bit comical. It's like watching a Mexican soap opera on paper.

The plot of this story resembles Pretty Woman quite a bit, as Mistik mentioned in her review. The difference is obviously the dark theme and vampires. Rape, beatings and drug addiction feature heavily in this story.

While in Pretty Woman, Jason Alexander was a vile despicable thing, Lia, Jason's character in this book is not so vile. Yes, she's just as jealous and insane, but she has reason to be so. Her brand of sadistic revenge is actually quite amusing. It's expected and quite well done. Plus it appears she is a hot hot slut in bed. Once a reader learns about her past, one can see why she's a bit crazy.

Enrique as the Master Vampire is much better than Michelle, the Master Vampire in the other four books. Enrique is a gentleman for the most part. He also has a sense of purpose. He's someone I can respect.

Esperanza aka Hope is more likable than any of the other characters. She's snarky and quite the drama queen. She makes me laugh at her ludicrous demands. She's lived a hard life so one must give her a lot of leeway.

The world building in here is very light. If this is the first book for a reader of The Nightlife series, it may be a bit too light. For those who have read the others in the series, this one is a nice spin-off.

The sex in this story is better. I enjoyed it much more than the others. The double penetration rape with a strap-on by an angry "half breed" Asian chick is hawt. Her grudge fucking is probably the most amusing sex in the story. Hope tends to piss people off and they grudge fuck her with a vengeance. The worst is when her prior pimp's enforcer finds her again. Did I ever feel pity for Hope? No. Did she ask for what she received? No. And yet, I didn't really feel anything for her even though this story was from her point of view. Honestly, I thought for sure one of the people who had it in for her would rip her body apart starting at her cunt or ass and then tearing her inside out. That never happened. Colour me disappointed. I can say the fisting was a nice touch. A couple of eye rolling sex terms are Donkey punch and Shocker. Talk about lowbrow frat boy sex acts. Tucker Max, are you in this book too?

While this is a dark themed book, it is a romance with what I consider black humour comedy. Like Heathers, it will grow on you. Except unlike Heathers, it is a happily ever after, Pretty Woman style.

[I ♥ Bookie Nookie (bookienookiereviews.blogspot.com) · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s official; I am hooked on THE NIGHTLIFE series.

As an escort for the Colombian cartel, Hope was forced into a life of servitude at an early age. Having accepted her life as a sex worker, Hope embraces her destiny and excels as a glorified hooker with a little help from her telepathic abilities. All is well until a seemingly perfect night of sin turns her life upside down, transferring her enslavement from a notorious Cartel boss to a Vampire Master named Enrique. Survival used to mean staying in line and following the law of the Cartel, but now, her survival is reliant on something very different and that “something” scares her on many levels.

As Hope is ripped from her life as she once knew it, she quickly adapts to the ways of the paranormal world while struggling to understand the feelings she has for her new master – are these feelings real or are they a result of her bond to her master as his personal Blood Slave? As her quest for understanding unfolds, it becomes abundantly clear that her life is in danger and deciphering friend from foe will take a lot more than the telepathic abilities she has relied on her entire life.

BLOOD SLAVE, the third book in THE NIGHTLIFE series is consistent with the theme of book one… where over-indulgence, illegal activity and vampires lurk in darkness when night falls on the city. The ensemble of wickedly sexy and disobedient characters are an interesting assortment that you will love and love to hate – even the villains have endearing moments. BLOOD SLAVE is another winning read if deceit, sex and paranormal tales appeal to you.

✳✳ Copy provided by the author/publisher for an honest review.

**Reviewed on I ♥ Bookie Nookie Reviews

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[Carrie (Book Fairy) Fort · Rating 4 out of 5]

Whoa I read any type of paranormal books any kind and none of been like this!
I enjoyed so many different part the cartel, the crazy vampire Lia, HOPE, Hopes ability, Enrique, and the OMG hotness and dirtiness of this book. It wasn't a vampire love story well it was but, not the normal kind. It had me blushing and looking around making sure no one was reading it behind my back!
It was different but, great just the same!!
I will be checking out more of this authors work soon!

I was given this book from author for an honest review.
Lovers of Paranormal R2R

[Sandra Valente · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read all my reviews on http://ssbookfanatics.blogspot.com

WOW! After composing myself from an ugly snot-nosed cry, I am beyond giddy with love for this book!

If anyone has read both or either of my reviews for The Nightlife Series namely: The Nightlife New York #1 and The Nightlife Las Vegas #2, you will probably be surprised at my completely different take and rating for Blood Slave. I also mentioned in my first review that I’d gone into #1 with some trepidation as I’m used to reading paranormal books by female writers only.

At the risk of being reprimanded by the author, I’m nevertheless going to take a chance and say this: after reading Blood Slave, I feel that Mr. Luedke went down a completely different path, albeit the same story background, and reached way, way down deep in his soul and became one with his ‘female’ side. Is this the moment where I should duck? This, as far as I’m concerned, is a compliment! The way Mr. Luedke has written this book, the horror and the genuine down-to-the-bone emotion he has poured into every page and its characters, is nothing short of amazing. Blood Slave was a pleasure to read. Maybe I should elaborate on ‘becoming one with his female side’. Simple, really. Not many male authors (keeping in mind that many of my favourite authors are male) are capable of writing not only a female character in first person POV, but making her believable in every sense of the word from her head to her toes, her speech, her mannerisms and her character. I’ve mentioned numerous times that I’m not really a fan of first person POV as I much prefer third, but, my goodness, Blood Slave was perfect. Mr. Luedke’s storytelling was perfect. Every character and every detail, as far as I’m concerned, was… perfect! I sincerely believe that had it not been written this way, it would probably not have had as much of an impact on me as it has. I’m sure you can tell.

Where to begin. This is Esperanza’s story, or Hope as she prefers to be called. Both mean the same thing. She’s young, gorgeous, a prostitute and has suffered at the hands of those who should have loved her, and those who have used and abused her. Who in their right minds sells their 14-year-old daughter to a cartel member? Her father did. Disgusting, sad and heart wrenching. She has a gift though, can read what people are thinking, or are about to do. Didn’t make her any more special in Faustino’s eyes – her ‘owner’ – the low life her father sold her to. She was not only used for her talents where the mind is concerned, but of course – her body. Hope had had aspirations to study and have a career when she was younger, much as we all do, but no such thing was meant to go her way.

A date she’s expecting, which turns out to be an Asian female by the name of Lia, inadvertently changes her life – a life that’s at times good for the situation she finds herself in, but inevitably one still lumped with the bad. After hours of sexual ‘work’, Lia becomes privy to the fact that Hope knows precisely what she's been thinking. Not in the least pleased, murderous actually, Lia takes Hope back to her master. Something Hope found weird, because who calls anyone a master? When she meets Enrique, she doesn’t trust him or his motives, as he’s the first person who’s mind she can’t read. Why should she trust him, though? Her situation isn't really any different, because when all is said and done she’s now his slave. As time passes, he’s the one with whom she forges a strong attachment. Plus, let’s not forget that she's gone from the cartel... to vampires. Is one situation any better than the other? Enrique, despite making her a blood slave through no fault of his own but Lia’s, has the utmost patience and care for Hope. He becomes quite enamoured with her, and she with him. Hope eventually realises that what she feels for Enrique must be love. Not something, although he cares for her and treats her with as much respect as possible in their situation, she believes he will ever reciprocate.

Also, residing constantly at the back of Hope’s mind is Faustino (the shark). Should he or any of his henchmen find her – death or torture prior to death would be the outcome. Any way she looks at it, the universe and everyone within it (except for Enrique) seem to be against her. When Enrique goes on a business trip to Panama – a business arrangement with none other than her previous boss, she’s left in Lia’s care. The same Lia who’d wanted to kill her, but has now done an about turn, or so it appears. Now, for clarification purposes, once a blood slave, the need to be bitten is tantamount to breathing – either that or go crazy with want. Much like a drug, which of course is dealt with here as well, one is hooked; it's needed and should it not be available, one feels like dying from craving it.

Prior to leaving, Enrique made sure she’d have syringes with the much needed venom to keep her at bay until such time as he returns. However, she feels torn apart and misses him so much, it’s akin to torture where her body and mind are concerned, and she dispatches with them quickly. Now what? She then finds other means which rapidly run out, too. The only one she can turn to is Lia. She desperately needs to be bitten, in turn offering Lia anything at all. Mistake! Lia’s not one to sit back when opportunity comes knocking, and Hope’s desperation works beautifully with her upcoming plan. A malicious plan that changes Hope’s life. Where Hope was previously able to read Lia like an open book, Lia in the meantime had put said plan into place when she’d gone to Spain.

Regardless, Hope had guessed that Lia would pretty much change once Enrique wasn’t around… the cat would play when the mouse was away, and what takes place hereafter is horrendous. I literally wanted to climb into this book and save Hope. It brought me to tears. How much pain can one person endure? Hope has (throughout her unforgiving and miserable life) endured all kinds; horrors so unbearable I’m shocked she survived them over and over and over again. Lia, bitch that she is, means to take Hope down.

The following line is so true:

“The enemy of my enemy is also my friend.”

Before this review gets any longer, and I blurt out the whole story, I’ll conclude by saying that I adore Hope. Just adore her. I wanted to bring her home and look after her. It’s how much she affected me. Not only did she rise above all the hardships she’d been dealt with, she was loyal and she was just beautiful both on the outside and inside. Strong of convictions despite her ‘profession’, and unbelievably strong of body, mind, soul and love. Oh gosh, what a book, what a story. And, Enrique? Exactly the person she desperately needed to come in to her life, even though it took him a while (with a bit of female persuasion in the form of keeping the distance thing going – with reason, though) and many tribulations to admit to Hope what exactly she meant to him. A fantastic character and man.

Those of you who have read my reviews know that I’m never shy when I need to admit that a book has grabbed me, completely turned me upside down, consumed me and spat me out. Mr. Luedke, you sir, made me cry… bucket loads. Is it any wonder this book has made its way into my 2013 favourite books shelf? No, it’s not. I must mention that although it’s part of The Nightlife Series, it can be read as a stand alone. Please, read it. I highly recommend it. You won’t be able to stop yourself from loving it. It’s a keeper.

Fast paced, no holds-barred, gripping, gut-wrenching, soul-ripping and most definitely tear-inducing. Perfection! Perfection! Perfection!

The 3rd book to make it on to my 2013 Favourite Books.

[AerinLuvs · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this after The Nightlife: New York and it is different but a familiar world. I didn't like it as well as the world of Aaron and Michelle...it was far grittier of a story and a bit depressing, because Hope is a prostitute who doesn't have much personal power and barters her body for survival.

Esperanza/Hope is from Columbia, and is an illegal in NYC, and she is a prostitute, having been forced into prostitution since age 14. Her life is quite terrible, she does anything and anyone for the right price, and she is controlled and threatened by a latin man who works for a cartel. Her one gift that has saved her time after time is her telepathic ability, which her pimp uses. One day she is agrees to have sex with another woman, an Asian domme who is vietnamese (the novel doesn't make asian females look very good and the MC, Hope, makes quite a few racist remarks about Lia) and she is violated and almost killed. Lia is a crazy vampire who has chosen to feast on her.

(MILD story setup spoilers ahead) Fortunately for Hope, this crazy psychotic vampire Lia, is beholden to her vampire master, Enrique, and Enrique can prevent Lia from killing Hope or harming her, he chooses to save Hope when she is near death. He saves her with his venomous Vampire bite, which begins an addictive relationship whereby Hope must get a bite from Enrique (or Lia, also a Vampire) every day, (and she has orgasmic pleasure during the bite).

Since Hope is dependent on Enrique, she is called his Blood Slave. She offers him anything sexually that he wants because she wants his venom all the time. She falls hard for him, and he takes care of her, moving her into his luxurious penthouse apartment in Manhattan, and causing quite a bit of jealousy to Lia, but they co-exist in a menage relationship for the most part peacefully. Hope loves Enrique with a passion that is palpable and he is very caring (seemingly) towards her...

At first the plot vaguely (after the initial violent scene) resembles Pretty Woman as she was a prostitute who is now in blissful love and living in luxury ~ but with a big difference; she is in an uneasy Menage relationship with Enrique and Lia. Hope gets taken on luxurious shopping trips and what not. Hope's life however is still not safe, because the cartel is after her.

It turns out Enrique is actually in some kind of business with the cartel and has to travel to Panama and when that happens Lia decides to have "some fun" with Hope. Since Lia can't hurt Hope, she sets up situations so that Hope is violated by other people...and then Lia sells Hope back to her former pimp, who brutalizes and rapes her repeatedly. He beats her up and all the while, she is craving and sick from withdrawal, not getting any survival bites from Lia while Enrique is gone. This goes on for 4-5 days and Hope knows she will not survive until Enrique gets back. It seems quite dire and ominous.

This story is quite brutally violent, she is victimized over and over, and Hope has such few options and no personal power. I kept hoping she would get turned into a Vampire so that she would get more power and become independent from her former life as a prostitute and now, a Blood Slave, but that does not happen. However, some things happen so she has a HEA. Does she get the ending that she deserves after she has almost lost all hope? I was thinking that she could not possibly survive...

Warning: Hard core violence, including sexual violence.

Overall Rating: 3 stars
Plot Rating: 3 stars
Hero rating: 4 stars
Heroine rating: 2 stars
Erotic scenes descriptiveness: 5 (FFM menage, rape by F and also M, bdsm, violent sex acts)
Erotic Frequency: 5 (lost count)
Writing Style/flow/grammar: 5
Denouement: 4 (although it did seem to end rather abruptly)

[Stephanie- The Boyfriend Bookmark · Rating 5 out of 5]

So this review is hard for me to write. Not because I am disappointed in this book but because there is not another book to follow it with that will do my admiration for these books justice. Have I mentioned that I am a very impatient person? I am mostly upset because I have to wait for another book by Travis Luekde. Fact of the matter is that I absolutely loved this book.
This book can act as a stand-alone in the series by Travis Luedke. But it does make me long for another. Let me just start by saying, new characters, new situations and new passion, I was blown away yet again.
Hope (Esperanza de Salvador) comes to America to create a new life for herself but found herself as a prostitute working for the cartel deep in the heart of New York. Working to pay off debts well past paid, Hope is a girl with dreams. Hope is a girl of great strength and powers.
Hope’s greatest strength has always been her special abilities to be a great “lie detector.” But her one obstacle soon becomes the one person she can’t read, Enrique. But along with that obstacle she finds that she needs him so much more than she can possibly wish for. In the process she fall in love with the one person she needs to keep her alive.
This book was a tangled web of mixed emotions all riding on that need for the bite. And once again, Travis Luedke takes his characters to amazing places of ecstasy and love and entrances the reader into a dangerous world lurking in the darkness of night. Just when you think everything is going to end up precisely the way it should, everything changes.
I loved Hope in this book, not only because of what she was working so hard to overcome, but what she was looking forward to…a future. And Enrique…oh my… another new vampire for me to love! Travis Luedke writes amazing characters and amazing stories and unbelievable passion flawlessly. After reading this book I was left in shock.
I did something I wasn’t sure was possible when I started on this adventure. I read three vampire books and I loved them. Yes, I loved them. Travis Luedke has changed my opinion of vampires and the mysterious books they live in. Do I think I will jump directly into another? If Travis Luedke writes it, I will do it without hesitation. If by someone else, I cannot be so certain. I have a need for vampires now and feel as addicted as a Blood Slave.
When do I get to read The Nightlife Paris?

[Kayla Stonor · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had the pleasure of beta reading this story and so I am delighted to review the final product.

Hope caught me with her story from the moment her roommate rudely woke her up one evening to start her working day. Only I had no real idea if Hope was happy and well, or on her deathbed -- I was kept on tenterhooks to the very end. Travis Luedke draws his characters so brilliantly. Hope has experienced so much in her twenty-two years. She is streetwise, a survivor, and has learned from bitter experience to make her telepathy work for and not against her. Until the night she meets a vampire bitch, Lia.

Now she knows too much and Vampire Master Enrique decides the only way to control that knowledge is to turn Hope into a blood slave. A vampire's bite is addictive, and in Mr. Luedke's world, incredibly erotic. As an escort in the sex trade, Hope knows a lot of tricks. She turns Enrique on so much he can barely control his sexual urges and the result can be long and exhausting. Rough lust and passion puts Hope's life in danger more than once. But Hope's most endearing quality is her instinct for survival. She will fight, she will panic, she will run, she will distract, she will tempt, she will beg. She is a captive, a blood slave, addicted to vampire venom, and will do almost anything to survive, and she can never forget that Enrique's vampire servant, Lia, is forever present to turn her new world upside down.

But it is when Hope's past life catches up with her that the story becomes truly horrific and powerful reading.

Wow. When Hope runs for her life through New York City I ran with her. Her need was so powerful, so all-consuming, and this is when we find out exactly how much being a blood slave has changed her. I felt almost sorry for Enrique as the story reaches its wonderful conclusion -- retribution is extracted in full and three lives are changed forever.

This is a wonderful, escapist, paranormal romance. It is erotic, full of sex, both gentle and rough, but overriding all this is a beautiful story of love and personal growth that will touch your heart.

Don't miss out on a fantastic read.

[Chanda Barrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was completely outside the realm of what I typically gravitate to as far as books go, but I must say I am happy I decided to give this one a go. While I may not be an illegal alien prostitute from Columbia, I think many of us can relate to Hope's rough and tumble exterior and her strong desire for true and unconditional love. This book seems dark and WOWSA is it steamy and extremely intense at times; however, in the end we can clearly see there is hope for Hope. *pun intended :)* Coming from someone who can take months to get through a book, this one took me one and a half evenings and would've been less if that pesky little thing called sleep didn't get in my way. I honestly enjoyed reading this book and found it hard to put down! An excellent read for sure!

[Noelle Blakely · Rating 4 out of 5]

Esparanza (Hope) is a Colombian girl forced into prostitution at an early age. She ends up in America, living poorly, under the thumb of a cartel boss as much for the exploitation of her gift of intuition as the use and abuse of her body. Her story is grim and becomes even more so when a female vampire by the name of Lia hires her for her services and discovers that her intuition is actually a form of telepathy and that she is able to pluck the thoughts right from Lia’s mind. Lia’s psychopathic personality is barely concealed under the surface most of the time and not concealed at all from Hope, who can see it all in Lia’s thoughts. She wants Hope dead, but her master Enrique has placed a compulsion on Lia that does not allow her to freely kill. Lia must seek Enrique’s permission to dispose of Hope, but bringing Hope to Enrique changes all of their lives. Enrique turns Hope into a blood slave and makes her vanish from her old life.

I don’t see that much changes for Hope in the grand scheme of things. She develops strong feelings for Enrique through the bond of the blood slave, but she is still used roughly by him sexually and he allows Lia to use her as well. The vampire’s careless use of Hope brings her to near death on more than one occasion.

I found Blood Slave to be a very dark story. As usual, Luedke did an excellent job of fleshing out his characters with little details. In this instance, those characters are a dark and scary bunch. This story is compelling and mesmerizing, but depicts a seedy, ugly underbelly of prostitution, corruption and addiction. Even the “Pretty Woman” shopping spree didn’t redeem Enrique in my eyes.

As in the rest of The Nightlife series, the sex is abundant, but I missed the usual quality of eroticism displayed in the first two novels. I found the sex in this story to be gritty and graphic, but the abusive relationships, addictions, and coercion were not pushing my buttons. I also found the descriptions, such as measurements of the male genitalia to be distracting and unnecessary. Huge, large, thick, long, small, etc… are all good, but put away the tape measure.

This novel is fantastically disturbing. I liked the dark story and would describe it as a starkly graphic novel, which is certainly not outside my taste. As erotic romance or even just erotica, it fell a little short for me, but I am still a big Nightlife fan.

[Drako Drako · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm a sucker for vampires, and the idea of a blood slave is not foreign to me. This book was a bit more than I expected. Firstly, I've got loads of lesbian friends so I know what they do, but I've never read a lesbian sex scene. I have to say, having one so early didn't take away from anything. It's much more interesting than listening to it from friends. So we open with Hope, an escort, meeting with Lia, her client for the evening. Of course, Lia isn't any normal hot Asian chick, as Hope thought. She's a vampire, and Hope has her own secret. She's a telepath. Unfortunately for her, this makes her immune to Lia's attempts to erase her memories. So Lia takes her to her master, Enrique, as she's not allowed to kill her outright. Enrique feels he has no choice but to turn her into a blood slave, hints the title. Little strange, and the sex starts a lot sooner than I would have expected but alright I can live with that.

The interesting part of all this is that Lia immediately despises Hope from the moment she is unable to wipe her mind. It's obvious throughout most of the book. It switches up a bit when Enrique makes it clear that Hope will be a part of their lives for as long as she lives. Of course it's an act and her true motives become clear in a sick twisted web of lies and deceit. In the end, the inevitable comes and frankly made me slightly happier.

Only criticism I have is that clearly this is written by a straight guy. Certain measurements made me laugh. I couldn't believe what was described as large in this book. Sure, it isn't exactly small, but it's not enormous either. I got a good laugh each time certain parts of the male anatomy were described. The fact that a prostitute had trouble taking this was even more hilarious to me. Seriously, I'm laughing as I write this. But overall, it was a great read with some very steamy parts and an interesting back story. I look forward to reading more from this author

[Azra · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 FUN stars!!

I must say, this book surprised me with how much I liked it. From the very beginning, it peaked my interest and didn't let up. This book was a fun-filled ride! Most people would probably think I'm crazy and would think its a very intense read, with the subject matters being heavy -prostitution, drugs and drug cartels, slaves, rape, murderer, unrequited love - but it was fast-paced, constantly interesting, and they sure did some fun things. Those sex scenes were sizzling! My mouth was agape during most of them and I was faning myself to cool down. I read this book in a day and a half, I couldn't put it down. This author did a great job of creating characters that felt real - especially Hope/Esperanza - I love her! She is so strong, resilient, smart, funny. I was mesmerized by her and how she could go through so much and still come out of it a positive, wonderfully strong woman! I LOVED the scene where she's running her ass off across half of New York City - when I finished the scene, I put my phone down and did laps around my apartment yelling "run bitch run!"
The ending was kind of rushed, which frustrated me but I can forgive it because the rest of the book made up for it.

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another killer read from Travis Luedke.

Esperanza 'who calls herself Hope' a young beautiful woman who has been forced to work her body from a tender age and now is owned and pimped out by a drug cartel. Esperanza wants to aspire to be someone better, have an education,and better herself but uses what she has 'her body' Hope is getting ready to 'entertain' a client, this client though 'Lia' turns out to be very different and she is going to take Hope on a path that will change her life forever.

I loved Blood Slave, well written, brilliant story adored Enrique and Hope, and, and, well just everything! 'blew me socks off'

Blood, sex, drugs, Vampires = Awesome read.

Read this and become addicted.

[Cristina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Blood Slave takes you into a gritty, dirty world of prostitution, drug trafficking, and of course vampire blood slaves. Travis takes you into a crazy world and weaves an amazing story. My only negative comment will be this: I wish there was more about Enrique. I felt his character was left a bit flat and because of that, I never really liked him. So, in the end...I was just like, eh. Ok. Whatever. No bueno.
But, the story itself was spectacular. Not an easy read, very bad things going on. Read with caution. 18+, explicit.

[Taj · Rating 5 out of 5]

First off, a huge shout out to Travis Luedke for spreading a previous review of his first book in the Nightlife series and sending me another book in the series. He's making me feel like a five-star fan.


Okay, time to get serious and review Blood Slave. Travis delivers hard-hitting thrills and crazy intense sexual scenes between the three main characters.


First up, we have Hope, a Colombian escort sold by her father who is illegally sent to the United States as a cocaine mule for a drug cartel in her home country. Hope works for a ruthless thug named Faustino, aptly nicknamed "the Shark" for his viciousness and handling of business with a machete. The funny thing about Faustino is that I think he's a nod to the Latin drug dealers of the 1980s. Hope is kept close to Faustino due to her reputation as a natural lie detector, but in reality, she's a telepath capable of hearing the thoughts and desires of others around her. Her ability is what got her sold to the cartel in the first place, because her father wouldn't believe her. The book begins with Hope being awakened by her friend Conchita, who reminds her that she has a date later in the evening.


This brings us to our second main character and primary antagonist (thought it'd be Faustino or the bodyguard Arana, didn't you?), Lia, a Vietnamese-American homoflexible woman with a rough past looking for a good time. Things start off well between Hope and Lia, including two or three bites that drive Hope to orgasm. That is, until Lia tries to hypnotize Hope into ignorance of her biting and licking up of the blood. Realizing what Hope is, Lia attempts to kill Hope in order to keep her secret safe.


And this is where we introduce our third main character. Meet Enrique, a suave Spanish businessman who reveals that he and Lia are vampires and he is her master. To explain Enrique's character, explaining his relationship with Lia also helps.


Lia resembles a 20 year old woman, but is really in her mid-to-late 40s, perhaps early fifties, considering she came from 1960s Vietnam. She was a loving woman, raising her little brother Tri even as she immigrated with Enrique to the United States to provide a better life for her brother. Things went downhill after a meeting with her father, who was a Vietnam veteran, who suffered from PTSD. His PTSD triggered rage at the sound of the children yelling and playing, only for Tri to stand up for himself and pretend to shoot his grandfather, who draws a real pistol and shoots the boy and Lia. This prompts Enrique to kill Raymond, the veteran, and turning his bloodslave to save her life. Since that day, Lia harbors a hatred for all men save for her master, who she truly never forgave for not going back for her brother despite the boy dying on the spot.


From there on, Enrique has to decide whether or not he must correct his slave's mistake and kill Hope or forcibly bring her into the fold. He chooses the latter and from there on, Hope enters a world of secrets, lies, and blood yet she has no choice but to place her trust in Enrique, who has closed his mind off to the telepath.


I also rate this book a 5 out of 5 for its thrilling conclusion and Lia's character, which made this book completely interesting. I like how the mask she wore after returning from doing business in Europe for her master cracked little by little until Enrique's business trip with Faustino and she just did away with her sweet, remorseful attitude altogether. Great job, T.W. Luedke. Great job.

[Mandi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is for 18 and older and not for the faint of heart. There are some very graphic and crude screens so it's not for everyone. If you like Erotic Paranormal then this is a book you will love.

Esperanza de Salvador - Hope for Salvation works as an escort for the Colombian cartel in the ghettos of Spanish Harlem. This character if very well developed but man, does she go through a lot ... I felt so much emotion for her throughout this book. I just wanted to keep her safe. There seemed to be little hope left. Through it all Hope keeps her head and her smart mouth.

I slurred. "1998 was a very good year." I held my bottle up in salute. I had grown attached to my bottle, reluctant to let it go. It would serve as a decent bludgeon if that psycho b***h came anywhere near me.

Conchita is mixed in with the Colombian cartel too. She is a really good friend and roommate to Hope. I liked her from the beginning. Conchita does not have a huge part in the book but I thought she was a good supporting role.

Now to Lia … psychotic vampire b***h. I could write a whole page about this one but I try to limit it to just a few words… She is just crazy! You will just need to read the book because whatever I say you probably won’t believe. In all the books that I’ve read, there has not been a charter like Lia.

"You'll not die ... yet." Not until we see the Master. "It's too bad you're so damn cooperative. And here I thought you had some spine." All the more fun to rip it out.

I really fell for Vampire Master Enrique. He seemed genuine. Sometimes he was old fashioned in thinking or didn’t use his common sense but what can you expect when you’re dealing with an old vampire. As a measure of protection, he makes Hope his personal Bloodslave. Hope is completely addicted to his bite. This bloodslave business may be the death of Hope.

Faustino and Arana are the cartel that Hope works for. These guys are some heartless and very bad guys. Arane has some revenge to dish out after Hope goes missing, he’s just as psychotic as Lia or maybe worse.

I rated this book 5 Stars because I just couldn’t put the book down. I just had to finish it. From the beginning it was full of action, erotic moments, some fun, very emotional, a lot of crazy, and the ending didn’t leave me hanging. This was my first book by Travis Luedke and I can’t wait for the next one.

[John Dolan · Rating 5 out of 5]

'Blood Slave' is the latest in Travis Luedke's paranormal romance series 'The Nightlife'.

Luedke, however, departs from his usual 'city-based' formula with characters Aaron and Michelle, to portray the story of Esperanza de Salvador, a prostitute working for a drug cartel. The other departure for the author is that this novel is written in the first person - and hence from a female perspective.

Twenty-two-year-old Esperanza (real name 'Hope') has lived a brutalised existence. Sold by her father at age fourteen into a life of prostitution, she is trafficked from her native Colombia into the seedy underbelly of New York where lacking the legitimacy of work papers she is used as a sex slave by her lowlife bosses. But then one day she is sent a female client - who also happens to be a vampire - and her world changes ...

I have read and reviewed the other two 'Nightlife' novels, and this one feels more assured and incorporates some interesting background research into criminality South of the Border. The portrayal of the debased Esperanza's life is chilling at times - the almost casual descriptions of violence and rape that suffuse the pages of the novel. Of course most of the sexual activity is consensual, and fairly kinky. There is the anticipated quota of neck-biting and screaming orgasms, along with the odd threesome for some athletic variation. Fans of Mr Luedke will not be disappointed with both the physicality of the writing and the roller coaster pace of the narrative.

But even leaving aside the erotic elements of the book, there are interesting twists and turns in the story and the evil psychology that motivates a number of the characters rings true. Moreover, Esperanza may be a victim, but she is not one to go down without a fight.

If you like strong meat in a vampire thriller, you will certainly enjoy 'Blood Slave'.

'The Nightlife' series remains firmly on track.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

If you are looking for a dark, gritty read with a female lead who is tough as nails you've found it. I think the reason that I enjoyed the book so much is the same reason that we watch the news every night. It's an almost morbid fascination with the dark underworld of our cities. Also, the cover is gorgeous! I absolutely love it and it really speaks of the coddled slave.

Hope, aka Esperanza, was a fabulous character. She was supremely self-assured and willing to do whatever she needed to survive. She had hopes and dreams which, to the rest of us, are the kinds of things that we expect to happen for us. Her depth and, especially for me, her tone suited her perfectly. Enrique was just ok for me. He was dark, brooding and mysterious but the real relationship challenges I found were between Hope and Lia. I found the development, or perhaps, tempering that Lia put Hope through were what truly made the book.

The drug cartel scene is always mesmerizing. Definitely a little terrifying and intimidating but the additional dimension that Mr. Luedke added through the cartel was well done. It was easy to hate what was happening but hard to imagine a happy ending. The emotions that this read evoked were strong and passionate. Definitely an adult read.

I am planning on reading more from this author.

[L. Maci · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow. Isn't the cover gorgeous? I always appreciate a visually appealing cover. Okay, moving on. Blood Slave blew me away. Instantly, I was drawn into Hope's world, a world full of gritty, unspeakable issues that were hard at times to experience. Her courage and determination to survive kept me invested in the story. The ending caught me off-guard but in a good way. For a moment there, I was worried Hope wouldn't retain her sense of self. After all, she experiences horrific tragedies. A lesser person would have cracked and been permanently broken. Not so for Hope. She is a strong person with a good heart. I rooted for her the entire book. While Blood Slave is a romance, there's so much more to this story than hearts and flowers. The story has intricately woven layers that will captivate and please.

Warning, I would not recommend this book for the faint of heart. If you want to experience a book that will touch you in a deep, emotional level, read this book! Yes. There are sex scenes and yes, they are graphic and sometimes violent. Isn't that what we expect from vampire sex anyway? Blood Slave will haunt me for quite a while. As described, Blood Slave is truly a stand-alone book. I can't wait to read the first two books in the series.

[Miria Vanessa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Blood Slave 


Whoa... Talk about variety and vampire sluttiness. You weren't? Oh yeah, that was just me.  Hope is a sex worker ( sounds pretty) who ends up being passed around from owner to owner like she's nothing but property. Again, standing ovation for a well-researched BDSM lifestyle, especially the slave POV.  She finds herself owned by a vampire Master. I'm Latina, so yes, I am
biased about this book. I loved the diversity of the characters, and their interaction with each other is thrilling and written specifically for drinking it all in as fast as possible. The steamy scenes will leave you breathless and wanting , all of them in all their variety. As always, I love the writing style, very fluid and smooth. 
Blood Slave stood out to me because of Hope. Even through all the darkness and the situations she's found herself in, she always sees a way out. Always sees the good side, the light. She embodies what Hope is. For that, well played, Travis Luedke. 

Complimentary copy received in exchange for an honest review.

[Yaz · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story was amazingly good. It is a story not for the faint of heart. It speaks of cartels, prostitution, drug addiction. I loved the main's character strength, her will to live regardless of the difficulties, her strength at facing the next challenge.

This is a story full of erotic sexy scenes. A world of criminals and all the things involved in a world like that. It has it's taste of drama, mystery, but it is mostly sexy.

Disclaimer: I received this book in exchange for an honest review via Lovers of Paranormal Group R2R.

[Runningrabbit · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book, except for, and this is a HUGE except for, the character’s education/employment skills. Aside from these glaring discrepancies, the character was believable and well developed.

The character is supposed to have grown up in a 3rd world country, having left school at an age before she is barely into double digits. Research skills? Sophisticated reading/writing skills in multiple languages? Computer skills? Corporate finance/law skills? Report writing? University level subjects?

I think not.

[cajunqueen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book a lot for one main reason, the main character. She draws you into her world and it makes it as real as can be. Very well done by the writer!
This was a different sort of book. It draws the reality of what is probably the life some people actually lead, and combines it with a paranormal trip!

This is not what I would consider a YA book tho.

Would recommend.

[Ariella · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got this book for a free for a honest review. Amazing book. I fell in love with the characters. I'm giving this book 5 stars.

[Poison · Rating 5 out of 5]

I effin' loved it.

Gimme more!

[Robin Malone · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this book from the author, Travis Luedke, as part of a promotional tour. I was asked for an honest review and so I shall deliver.

The Review

This is the second book I've read by Travis Luedke and the second in the Nightlife Series. The first one was "The Nightlife: New York". Once again, Travis Luedke hit this out of the ballpark and earned a 5 Star Review!

The book is told in Esperanza's AKA Hope's point of view. Hope has had a rough young life, being sold into prostitution at the age of 14 by her father. Her body might make her money, but her special gift of telepathy is what makes her unique. It's also what ends up getting her into more trouble than she ever imagined! When Lia, a sexy client gives her the most amazing orgasm she's ever had, then bites her, Hope is a little shocked. But when Lia tries to make her forget their meeting ever happened and it doesn't work, she suspects there is more to Hope than what meets the eye.

Lia didn’t care for my attitude, either. She came at me again with that same monotone crap. “You will not remember our meeting. We have never met before. You will not remember that I bit you and tasted your blood.”

“Whatever. It was gross. But don’t worry about it. I’m not gonna say anything to anybody. It didn’t happen. This is our little secret. I respect your privacy. Actually … I was hoping you might want to see me again …”

I’d given this speech to dozens of cops, business men, politicians, even a priest. Everyone who’s someone of importance out in the community needs reassurance their freaky romp with an escort will remain confidential. I’m not into blackmail or extortion or anything stupid like that. It’s nasty business that never ends well. I have seen it done by the cartel to others less fortunate. Plus, being illegal, it wouldn’t be hard to get me deported.

She did not look pleased. I tried to put her at ease. “You already gave me a two hundred dollar tip, so I’m cool. And I really would like to see you again …”

She started looking at me funny, her head turned sideways, like I was the freak. I dug into her mind to see what the hell. She’d become extremely irritated over something.

“You’re a special kind of girl, aren’t you?”

When Lia finally realizes Hope can read her mind, she begins to think of horrible ways she'd like to kill her. But something, SOMEONE, is stopping her. Lia's Master. She kidnaps Hope and takes her to him, with the expectation he will give her the ok to fullfill all the sick fantasies she has of killing Hope. It doesn't work out that way. Instead he makes Hope his blood slave. Which means he essentially turns her into a complete and utter addict for the venom in his bite.

“Sex is my life. It has been since I was fourteen. I’m very good at it. Wouldn’t you like to find out?” I smiled as my hand creeped down my belly to stop between my legs, touching myself as he watched.

“I bet you are. Esperanza … you’ve had it rough. I don’t mean tonight, I mean in general. For that reason I truly regret what I must do. But I see no other acceptable alternative.” Then he struck hard and fast, right in the neck. It wasn’t one of those friendly little nips. He chomped on my neck, and it hurt. He latched onto me with his iron grip and sunk his teeth in so deep I thought for sure he’d take a chunk out of me.

Then it hit, a wonderful joyous euphoria. It started between my legs and worked its way all throughout my body. He had me clawing at his back moaning and groaning with it. Starbursts and fireworks, a roaring rush like no other. A full-bodied orgasm, convulsions and all.

I found myself wrapped around him humping on his thigh, making this guttural grunting noise. I was so damn wet. He made me squirt. My thighs were soaking wet from the world’s most awesome orgasm ever. I’m pretty sure I called out his name a few times along with God, as if the two were interchangeable. For those minutes he held onto me sucking the life out of my neck, he might as well have been God for all I knew. Yes, it really was that good.

When it finally ended I was spread eagled on his thigh, my legs wrapped tightly around him. My hips kept humping, involuntarily, rubbing my soaking wet crotch all over his leg. I just couldn’t stop coming, my body did its own thing. I was sore. Who needs a cardio workout when you can burn hundreds of calories with the world’s best orgasm?

I awoke in the afternoon alone in bed. I could still smell him on the sheets. Like the fool I am, I thought he’d be there. Wake up sex can be awesome, but I rarely if ever have someone there when I wake up. And it usually isn’t someone I really want there.

A dining cart awaited me with pizza, bottled water, a couple cans of Ensure protein shakes, and a note. The pungent aroma of the chicken pesto pizza had me ravenous. I inhaled two pieces as I read Enrique’s little love note:

Dear Hope:
Please eat and drink as much as you can. You will be anemic constantly. You must take very good care of your health. The Ensure supplement will help. There will be plasma and blood transfusions available soon, you will probably need them. Take the sublingual strip Suboxone to hold off withdrawals until we meet again after sunset around 7:15 p.m. The Suboxone goes under your tongue. I apologize for your situation. I hope we can find a way to work through this and become friends.
Love
Enrique

Okay … Suboxone. Some of the guys at the Towers mentioned it once. It helps fight off heroin withdrawals. One guy said it gave a slight buzz, but nothing like heroin. I have never and will never try heroin. I’ve seen what addicts look like, it’s really fucked up.

So why would he give me Suboxone?

And why wait till seven? Three hours from now. I didn’t want to wait for him. I wanted him here now. Right now! I wanted him to bite me again right now!

“Son of a bitch! He got me with that fucking bite. That’s what he’s been talking about. He’s got me hyped on his bite! Fucking vampires!”

I had a craving, a need, an unscratchable itch for Enrique. Three more hours to go.

You realize, along with Hope, that she's just traded one prison for another. The only difference is, one put her up in a penthouse while the other had her in a slum house. You also feel her love/hate relationship for Enrique. Is it possible he could ever love a blood slave? Or will she just be what she's always been to men...a whore? And what about Lia? Will Lia get her chance to slaughter Hope like she fantasizes about? Or will they have more nights of passion, like they did when they first met?

I loved this book/story just as much...no...MORE than I did "The Nightlife: New York"! I loved Hope. I loved her strength and her vulnerability.

If you've never read a Travis Luedke book, then you should! But be forewarned, you have never read a story quite like he writes. He eloquently turns violence into sexy and sexy into violence. Until you've read his stories, you won't be able to fully comprehend what I mean. He never crosses a line, or at least not one that he hasn't led you to, made you WANT to jump over and then dance on the other side!

~Robin - Book Reads and Reviews

[Leigha Craig · Rating 5 out of 5]

If don’t know me yet then there’s one thing you should know about me: I likes me the Vampires. In fact, if you were to give me a flash of fang paired with a bad boy attitude or a Austenesque gentility, I’d be hooked – guaranteed.

That doesn't mean I'll suffer through bad vampire books though. My lifelong love of the night stalkers has made me into the Cliff Clavin of vampires. Yes, I’m THAT person. The one who drives everyone around her crazy with all kinds of ridiculously obscure vampire lore and is chock full of pop culture vampire references. Needless to say, that makes me a bit nervous when I’m trying on a new vamplit author because there are so many ways they can go wrong, making it impossible for me to actually focus on what I’m reading, let alone enjoy it.

Brave Blood Slave author Travis Luedke read one of my previous reviews and thought: “Aha! Here’s a woman who might like my work.” Yes, Travis, you asked a sanguinista to review your book. Surprise! (I can practically hear his palm hit his forehead as I type this.) He contacted me and asked if I would be interested in reading one of his Vamperotica books. I was, I did, and here’s the review to prove it.

Before reading the book blurb, I thought the title was referring to a vampire with “a blood problem." Ummm...wouldn't that be like me writing a book about humans with a food problem – shocker! That doesn’t exactly sound like a compelling storyline, does it? Then, I read the Goodreads synopsis and had my “aha!” moment: in Luedke’s universe a blood slave is a human bound to a vampire in a symbiotic relationship – Vampire gets blood, human gets addicted to Vamp’s bite but, on the bright side, the human also gets…umm…well, the human also gets off (along with some other handy dandy longer term benefits). Ahhh, not so stupid sounding any more is it?

Luedke’s book is, I think, a bit of a novel take on the Vampire legend. It feels like I've read a million books written from a vampire’s perspective and more than a few from a beloved human companion/lover’s, but one written from the perspective of a reluctant, newly-minted human familiar? I can’t think of one. I liked this departure from the tried and true because it made what might have been a overdone story feel new. I also felt that this was an unconventional vampire/familiar dynamic because the blood slave Esperanza Salvación (let’s just call her Hope from here on out so I don’t have to subject myself to my piss poor Spanish accent as I edit this review) doesn’t choose to become attached to her Vampire Master Enrique and she also just kind of falls into the blood slave gig. She isn’t tapped (a little off colour pun for you there) for this because she is especially attractive, kind, smart, or special – she ends up bound to Enrique because he apparently feels kind of ookey about indiscriminate murder and binding her to him is his only other option. He’s pleasantly surprised when he discovers she is a telepath but it doesn’t seem to have played a huge part in his decision to spare her life. Not surprisingly, Hope kinda likes Enrique just a little bit more because of this despite herself. Now if only his vampiric child/lover, Lia, felt the same way…

So as the book begins, we learn Hope is a prostitute from Columbia living illegally in the US. Sold to a pimp by her father at 14, she has rolled with the punches (many of them literal) to survive the Darwinian life of the Colombian cartel’s human chattel. When this story begins, Hope is in her early 20′s and, to her, “the life” is old hat. I really felt for Hope: instead of spending her teens lusting after J Balvin or or wishing she could grow up to be JLo, she’s been forced to develop “other skills.”

Skills the author describes in great detail.
Often.

Since my mom isn’t reading this review (you aren’t, are you mom?), I’ll be more blunt. Hope has sex A LOT during this book and we get to read about it. Is this a bad thing? Nooo (blush). Is it fun? Yes (blush). Is it vanilla? No way! I can’t emphasize enough that this book isn’t for the prudish or thin-skinned reader but it isn’t necessarily only for people who consider themselves hardcore erotica fans. I’m an erotica newbie but I was able to enjoy this book even though it sometimes made me cringe.

What you need to know is that even when Hope isn’t being subjected to sexual violence, there is still an element of desperation to many of her sexual encounters. Her sexuality is not a weapon but a survival technique. Well that and, as she says in the book, she can take a licking and keep on ticking. The scenes where this poor girl is being abused are uncomfortable to read but this book also includes surprising moments of (dare I say it?) hope and tenderness. Luedke did a good job of bringing just the right mix of both to Blood Slave to keep me flipping the ePages. Thankfully, I never got the feeling that the violence was gratuitous. It was clearly there because Hope’s story needed to include these elements of brutality: she is a prostitute moving from one form of slavery to another, after all, even if her new master is a one who means well.

Too many times, men write women in a way that doesn’t ring true for me but I felt Luedke was very successful speaking as Hope in this book. She sounds just like you would expect a survivor like her to sound with a core of vulnerability that keeps her human and relatable. I also liked Luedke’s choice of the first person perspective for another reason. This is a story about a telepath – it added a whole new layer to the story to see into Hope’s thoughts the way she sees other people’s. Clever, right?

Luedke’s writing was enjoyable. I don’t recall any cringe-worthy grammar mistakes or rocky points in the book’s flow that jarred me out of the story but I do have one minor complaint. I felt that Enrique was a bit underdeveloped despite the fact that he was the vampiric (as opposed to the human) focus of the book. I understood Hope. I even understood the psychopath, Lia. Enrique? He was kind of like a statue of the ideal vamp (or near ideal). I wanted to get to know him a bit more – even after he was a stupid ass and left Hope to the tender mercies of his sociopathic progeny but ultimately it didn’t happen. Did that kill the book for me? No way. This isn’t Enrique’s story, it is Hope’s so I’m quite comfortable saying I really enjoyed this book and I’m looking forward to reading more of Travis Luedke’s smexy vamperotica books.