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In the Blood
What Would You Give Up for Immortal Life and Love? By day, Elise draws and paints, spilling out the horrific visions of her tortured mind. By night, she walks the streets, selling her body to the highest bidder. And then they come into her a trio of impossibly beautiful Terence, Maria, and Edward. When they encounter Elise, they set an explosive triangle in motion. Terence wants to drain her blood. Maria just wants Elise . . . as lover and partner through eternity. And Edward, the most recently-converted, wants to prevent her from making the same mistake he made as a young abstract expressionist artist in 1950s Greenwich sacrificing his artistic vision for immortal life. He is the only one of them still human enough to realize what an unholy trade this is. In the Blood is a novel that will grip you in a vise of suspense that won't let go, forcing you to stay up long past midnight, turning page after page, until the very last moment, when a surprising turn of events changes everything and demonstrates, truly, what love and sacrifice are all about.
204 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2006
About the author
Rick R. Reed
118 books1,046 followersReal Men. True Love.
Rick R. Reed is an award-winning and bestselling author of more than sixty works of published fiction, spanning genres such as horror, psychological suspense and love stories. He is a Lambda Literary Award finalist and a multiple Rainbow Award winner.
Entertainment Weekly has described his work as “heartrending and sensitive.” Lambda Literary has called him: “A writer that doesn’t disappoint…”
Find him at www.rickrreedreality.blogspot.com. Rick lives in Palm Springs, CA, with his two rescue dogs, Kodi and Joaquin.
Rick R. Reed is an award-winning and bestselling author of more than sixty works of published fiction, spanning genres such as horror, psychological suspense and love stories. He is a Lambda Literary Award finalist and a multiple Rainbow Award winner.
Entertainment Weekly has described his work as “heartrending and sensitive.” Lambda Literary has called him: “A writer that doesn’t disappoint…”
Find him at www.rickrreedreality.blogspot.com. Rick lives in Palm Springs, CA, with his two rescue dogs, Kodi and Joaquin.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
May 30, 2013
This is a story of lust, love, blood, death and vampires.
These are not the nice friendly vampires who politely take blood from the willing, or who search for their mates and fall into the throes of love, these are vampires as they ought to be: mean, malevolent, bloodthirsty, manipulative, repulsive and just plain vicious, but also in a peculiar way, loving and darkly erotic.
Elise a struggling artist is down on her luck, selling sex to survive and painting by day. She meets the vampire trio: Edward , Maria and Terence and she is given the choice to join them in their dark way of life, but is this really what she wants? Is their life of darkness and death preferable to the darkness in her life. Is their way the way to new life or will it lead to a dead end? Elisa falls in love with the vampire Maria but is this a love that will lead to light and life, or to death and blood?
I am not a great fan of horror stories so I really stepped out of my comfort zone with this book. I didn't really like any of the characters although I had some sympathy for the vampire Edward. The other two were horrible and the main character Elise was just too much of a victim, pushed about by her circumstances. I struggled at the beginning of the book because of this but although I struggled, I found that I was gradually caught up in the story and became a willing observer shrouded in the darkness watching from behind my fingers on the side lines, fearing the worst and sometimes seeing it.
This isn't a smack you in the face horror story, it is the kind of story that makes you feel very uneasy while reading it, as if there is something just over your shoulder waiting to pounce, as if a door creaked downstairs in the dark but there is only you in the house, as if the window suddenly banged open but you had only just closed it. The monsters are under the bed and in the wardrobe waiting, waiting, waiting. This story of suspense and unease was very hard to put down.
'In the Blood' was dark and uncomfortable but at the same time gripping and I just had to keep on turning the pages to see what would happen next: death, blood, sex, love as well as the human struggle to survive and the daily grind of life. It is all here in the most picturesque language which is both haunting and dark, but yet beautiful and gentle.
I can't say I enjoyed this story. It was too dark for me but it is worth a read. It is really very well written. I know Rick can write romance and erotica, and does that very well but Rick also knows how to plumb the depths of deep darkness and unease and he does it incredibly well.
These are not the nice friendly vampires who politely take blood from the willing, or who search for their mates and fall into the throes of love, these are vampires as they ought to be: mean, malevolent, bloodthirsty, manipulative, repulsive and just plain vicious, but also in a peculiar way, loving and darkly erotic.
Elise a struggling artist is down on her luck, selling sex to survive and painting by day. She meets the vampire trio: Edward , Maria and Terence and she is given the choice to join them in their dark way of life, but is this really what she wants? Is their life of darkness and death preferable to the darkness in her life. Is their way the way to new life or will it lead to a dead end? Elisa falls in love with the vampire Maria but is this a love that will lead to light and life, or to death and blood?
I am not a great fan of horror stories so I really stepped out of my comfort zone with this book. I didn't really like any of the characters although I had some sympathy for the vampire Edward. The other two were horrible and the main character Elise was just too much of a victim, pushed about by her circumstances. I struggled at the beginning of the book because of this but although I struggled, I found that I was gradually caught up in the story and became a willing observer shrouded in the darkness watching from behind my fingers on the side lines, fearing the worst and sometimes seeing it.
This isn't a smack you in the face horror story, it is the kind of story that makes you feel very uneasy while reading it, as if there is something just over your shoulder waiting to pounce, as if a door creaked downstairs in the dark but there is only you in the house, as if the window suddenly banged open but you had only just closed it. The monsters are under the bed and in the wardrobe waiting, waiting, waiting. This story of suspense and unease was very hard to put down.
'In the Blood' was dark and uncomfortable but at the same time gripping and I just had to keep on turning the pages to see what would happen next: death, blood, sex, love as well as the human struggle to survive and the daily grind of life. It is all here in the most picturesque language which is both haunting and dark, but yet beautiful and gentle.
I can't say I enjoyed this story. It was too dark for me but it is worth a read. It is really very well written. I know Rick can write romance and erotica, and does that very well but Rick also knows how to plumb the depths of deep darkness and unease and he does it incredibly well.
January 13, 2009
Not sure what my fascination is with horror lately, but I cannot say I'm disappointed, especially with Rick Reed's books.
In the blood takes vampires to a new level. Both, horrifying and yet, human. Strange combination, but Reed pulls it off flawlessly. What I find most intriguing about In the Blood is the detailed emotional content. Each character, the good intentioned to the evil, are painted with such vividness and their emotions and physical feelings are portrayed in depth that you can not only see them, but also understand them and their motivations.
Reed has a compelling style of writing that leads you through the book even when you're aghast at some of the content. I couldn't put it down. If you're into graphic vampire novels, In the Blood will satisfy.
In the blood takes vampires to a new level. Both, horrifying and yet, human. Strange combination, but Reed pulls it off flawlessly. What I find most intriguing about In the Blood is the detailed emotional content. Each character, the good intentioned to the evil, are painted with such vividness and their emotions and physical feelings are portrayed in depth that you can not only see them, but also understand them and their motivations.
Reed has a compelling style of writing that leads you through the book even when you're aghast at some of the content. I couldn't put it down. If you're into graphic vampire novels, In the Blood will satisfy.
September 5, 2010
Another great book by Rick. R. Reed. He really is an amazing author and his characterization brings every character to life with such crystal clarity as is if you are in the book with them.
November 6, 2007
“The one thing in the lives of you mortals you can never change, no matter how hard you try to deny it, is your desire for love”
Switching back and forth between present day and fifty years in the past In the Blood tells the parallel stories of Elise and Edward. Both are talented artists, both are struggling to survive, and both looking for that one thing that will push them over the edge into recognition.
By night Elise sells her body on a seedy street corner, a dangerous occupation in which nightly she faces the possibility of death. But never so closely as when she is picked up by Terence, one of a trio of vampires. He is all set to devour her when he discovers the brutal images of death and dismemberment that she paints in chilling detail. Terrence is immediately captivated by her talent and allows her to live so that he can introduce her to the rest of his menage a trois – Maria and Edward.
Maria, exotic and impossibly beautiful, winds Elise around her little finger. Elise thinks of nothing but Maria, and when offered a place at her side for eternity, she must choose between immortality and the very real possibility of losing her artistic spark. Is her love for Maria strong enough to surpass dreams of making it as an artist?
Edward has been the one most recently converted to the vampire lifestyle, and is still human enough to remember what he has lost, as well as what he has gained by his transformation. He attempts to counsel Elise but is she listening or is she simply too besotted to comprehend?
In the Blood is a love story, albeit a dark and foreboding one. Suspenseful and gripping, it will keep the reader turning page after page until the surprising climax. Erotically charged and also containing detailed accounts of gruesome murders, this book isn’t for the faint of heart. Highly recommended to the reader who wants a different and refreshing take on the vampire story.
Author Rick R. Reed has been called the “Stephen King of gay horror” by Unzipped magazine. His previous works include the serial killer/horror novel IM, which has recently been optioned for film by Panic Productions.
Switching back and forth between present day and fifty years in the past In the Blood tells the parallel stories of Elise and Edward. Both are talented artists, both are struggling to survive, and both looking for that one thing that will push them over the edge into recognition.
By night Elise sells her body on a seedy street corner, a dangerous occupation in which nightly she faces the possibility of death. But never so closely as when she is picked up by Terence, one of a trio of vampires. He is all set to devour her when he discovers the brutal images of death and dismemberment that she paints in chilling detail. Terrence is immediately captivated by her talent and allows her to live so that he can introduce her to the rest of his menage a trois – Maria and Edward.
Maria, exotic and impossibly beautiful, winds Elise around her little finger. Elise thinks of nothing but Maria, and when offered a place at her side for eternity, she must choose between immortality and the very real possibility of losing her artistic spark. Is her love for Maria strong enough to surpass dreams of making it as an artist?
Edward has been the one most recently converted to the vampire lifestyle, and is still human enough to remember what he has lost, as well as what he has gained by his transformation. He attempts to counsel Elise but is she listening or is she simply too besotted to comprehend?
In the Blood is a love story, albeit a dark and foreboding one. Suspenseful and gripping, it will keep the reader turning page after page until the surprising climax. Erotically charged and also containing detailed accounts of gruesome murders, this book isn’t for the faint of heart. Highly recommended to the reader who wants a different and refreshing take on the vampire story.
Author Rick R. Reed has been called the “Stephen King of gay horror” by Unzipped magazine. His previous works include the serial killer/horror novel IM, which has recently been optioned for film by Panic Productions.
April 29, 2008
I should have stopped reading this book after 20 pages. It felt like this was 184 pages of exposition and 2 pages of conclusion. Nothing really happened. Edward's story was unnecessary page filler. If Elise was going to be the main character, then the book should have focused on her more. Verb tenses were weird and everything just felt flat and cold. Overall, I just should have passed on this one.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews