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Sofie Metropolis #5
Love Bites
A Sofie Metropolis Paranormal Mystery -" "Sofie Metropolis is back and in the deep end of the coffee pot when she's retained by the neighbourhood vampire to prove he isn t responsible for a recent string of grisly murders, and her mother talks her into looking for a missing woman neither of them knows, but Thalia has adopted in absentia nonetheless. And if her plate isn t full enough, things heat up on the romantic front when bounty hunter Jake Porter and yummy Greek baker Dino both decide to vie for her undivided attention. What s a good Greek girl with a gun to do?"
226 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 1, 2011
10 people are currently reading
327 people want to read
About the author
Tori Carrington
185 books186 followersAuthor Tori Carrington is the penname of husband and wife writing team Lori and Tony Karayianni.
Hands down, penning a bio is always the most difficult writing challenge we take on. What do we say? What do we keep a secret? Considering we've been writing together for over twenty-two years...well, that reveals more about us than anything you'll likely read here. We're fiction writers simply because we enjoy escaping into an exciting, colorful, fictional world of our own making. Take great, shameless pleasure in delving into the lives of others. Revel in living vicariously through our characters, trying on career hats we'd never otherwise put on, stretching muscles we'd probably be better off excercising in reality. We won't even discuss how our writing allows us to voice opinions on society, romance and human sexuality that aren't subject to public ridicule but rather presented as entertainment. To go there, well, we'd be revealing a little too much, now, wouldn't we?
So we'll stick to just the facts, ma'am -- or sir, depending on your preference, which may or may not have anything to do with your sex. Should you desire more information, feel free to e-mail us and we'll provide you with our phone number, or -- our preference -- arrange to meet with you one-on-one where we can learn as much, or perhaps more, about you as you will about us. Depending on our mood, we may spill everything we'd prefer to keep a secret, like which traits we would change about the other if given half a chance. Likewise, we may wisecrack our way through the interview, sprinkle our responses with what we find exciting about our latest book, and blissfully skate over personal details that might bare a little too much.
Trust us, this is not an attempt to create an aura of mystery. We're not quite that saavy. No, we're just very protective of our evolving selves and consider ourselves open-minded, known to change an opinion the moment we voice it or are presented with further information, so we're hesitant to commit any to writing. Guess we're very Socrates-like (as opposed to Socratic) in that way, which isn't altogether a bad thing..
So rather than dictate to you here, we'll lay out the basic facts, then provide a number of links to others who have interviewed us.
I'm (Lori Schlachter Karayianni) a Holy Toledo, Ohio, native, having attended Central Catholic but ultimately graduating from Macomber-Whitney with certification in computer science. After working in the computer industry for a number of years -- and after Tony and I endeavored to write our first novel -- I switched to temp work which ultimately led to a four-year stint as a secretary/sales clerk in the engineering and international sales departments of Owens-Illinois, the international container company that put the "glass" into The Glass City. I put the brakes on before I reached the five-year mark, however, the point of no return for most dreamers who get caught in the corporate trap (more vacation time? Better benefits? Probably I should stay until retirement).
Tony's background couldn't be more different from mine, but thankfully it led him to me. Born in Smila, a small hillside village in the area of Ancient Olympia outside Pyrgos, Greece, (where his family has deep roots and an older brother still maintains the family olive groves) he was raised in Athens during a time of political and cultural upheaval, although neither stopped him from becoming a drummer in a successful pop band that often played with Greek singer Teris Chrysos. He immigrated to the U.S. in late 1976 and with the help of the Greek community achieved the American Dream. Only the hunger for something more, the restless searching that originally compelled him to turn his back on his successful music career and brought him here, remained. It wasn't until after we'd become a couple, and he turned to me and suggested that we try our hand at writing, that both of us discovered the true meaning of th
Hands down, penning a bio is always the most difficult writing challenge we take on. What do we say? What do we keep a secret? Considering we've been writing together for over twenty-two years...well, that reveals more about us than anything you'll likely read here. We're fiction writers simply because we enjoy escaping into an exciting, colorful, fictional world of our own making. Take great, shameless pleasure in delving into the lives of others. Revel in living vicariously through our characters, trying on career hats we'd never otherwise put on, stretching muscles we'd probably be better off excercising in reality. We won't even discuss how our writing allows us to voice opinions on society, romance and human sexuality that aren't subject to public ridicule but rather presented as entertainment. To go there, well, we'd be revealing a little too much, now, wouldn't we?
So we'll stick to just the facts, ma'am -- or sir, depending on your preference, which may or may not have anything to do with your sex. Should you desire more information, feel free to e-mail us and we'll provide you with our phone number, or -- our preference -- arrange to meet with you one-on-one where we can learn as much, or perhaps more, about you as you will about us. Depending on our mood, we may spill everything we'd prefer to keep a secret, like which traits we would change about the other if given half a chance. Likewise, we may wisecrack our way through the interview, sprinkle our responses with what we find exciting about our latest book, and blissfully skate over personal details that might bare a little too much.
Trust us, this is not an attempt to create an aura of mystery. We're not quite that saavy. No, we're just very protective of our evolving selves and consider ourselves open-minded, known to change an opinion the moment we voice it or are presented with further information, so we're hesitant to commit any to writing. Guess we're very Socrates-like (as opposed to Socratic) in that way, which isn't altogether a bad thing..
So rather than dictate to you here, we'll lay out the basic facts, then provide a number of links to others who have interviewed us.
I'm (Lori Schlachter Karayianni) a Holy Toledo, Ohio, native, having attended Central Catholic but ultimately graduating from Macomber-Whitney with certification in computer science. After working in the computer industry for a number of years -- and after Tony and I endeavored to write our first novel -- I switched to temp work which ultimately led to a four-year stint as a secretary/sales clerk in the engineering and international sales departments of Owens-Illinois, the international container company that put the "glass" into The Glass City. I put the brakes on before I reached the five-year mark, however, the point of no return for most dreamers who get caught in the corporate trap (more vacation time? Better benefits? Probably I should stay until retirement).
Tony's background couldn't be more different from mine, but thankfully it led him to me. Born in Smila, a small hillside village in the area of Ancient Olympia outside Pyrgos, Greece, (where his family has deep roots and an older brother still maintains the family olive groves) he was raised in Athens during a time of political and cultural upheaval, although neither stopped him from becoming a drummer in a successful pop band that often played with Greek singer Teris Chrysos. He immigrated to the U.S. in late 1976 and with the help of the Greek community achieved the American Dream. Only the hunger for something more, the restless searching that originally compelled him to turn his back on his successful music career and brought him here, remained. It wasn't until after we'd become a couple, and he turned to me and suggested that we try our hand at writing, that both of us discovered the true meaning of th
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
January 16, 2021
One thing I like about the Sophie Metropolis books: Her job skills develop and so does much of the overall plot of her life.
One thing I don't like about the Sophie Metropolis books: Her romantic situation never changes.
The mystery in Book 5 had a lot of promise, though it was rather grisly: a serial killer who bleeds his victims dry. Sophie is drawn in because 1. She's nosy and 2. Her mother asks her to help find a missing local girl. It's a great mystery even though the cops have it decently in hand and don't really need Sophie's help, but we get to see the action from Sophie's eyes and efforts. The eventual unveiling of the killer was very wah wah. No mystery there--not because it's obvious but because it's not someone you can figure out. It's just a crazy dude that isn't a real character in this book or in the series at all. That is rather disappointing because it negates the idea that this book is a mystery.
The authors are also trying very hard to bring in a supernatural element but without making this book a supernatural series. In the past books, it was joked that there were vampires living in Astoria. In this book, it's presented almost as fact based on certain things that happen. I could do without the vampires. They aren't adding anything to this series and didn't really add much to this story beyond the fact that it was suspected that the killer might be a vampire because he bled his victims.
I'm tired of the romantic triangle and Sophie's issues with her mother and ex. Sure, Jake is hot and saves Sophie's butt from time to time, but she shows no real interest in him beyond trying to jump his bones. Whereas though she definitely wants to jump Dino's bones, she seems to genuinely care about him. Just give the guy a chance and stop thinking every male is going to backstab you with your maid of honor on your wedding day. Open the rest of the wedding gifts already. Move. On.
I have one book left in the series, and I have little hope that Sophie's romantic issues will be solved. At least she is getting better at her job. Some characters never develop in popular series, like Stephanie Plum (who I do love...but it's always the same). Sophie, at least, is building street cred and makes smart decisions about her PI work, and each book does add a little more to other parts of Sophie's life and stories (as well as other characters' stories).
One thing I don't like about the Sophie Metropolis books: Her romantic situation never changes.
The mystery in Book 5 had a lot of promise, though it was rather grisly: a serial killer who bleeds his victims dry. Sophie is drawn in because 1. She's nosy and 2. Her mother asks her to help find a missing local girl. It's a great mystery even though the cops have it decently in hand and don't really need Sophie's help, but we get to see the action from Sophie's eyes and efforts. The eventual unveiling of the killer was very wah wah. No mystery there--not because it's obvious but because it's not someone you can figure out. It's just a crazy dude that isn't a real character in this book or in the series at all. That is rather disappointing because it negates the idea that this book is a mystery.
The authors are also trying very hard to bring in a supernatural element but without making this book a supernatural series. In the past books, it was joked that there were vampires living in Astoria. In this book, it's presented almost as fact based on certain things that happen. I could do without the vampires. They aren't adding anything to this series and didn't really add much to this story beyond the fact that it was suspected that the killer might be a vampire because he bled his victims.
I'm tired of the romantic triangle and Sophie's issues with her mother and ex. Sure, Jake is hot and saves Sophie's butt from time to time, but she shows no real interest in him beyond trying to jump his bones. Whereas though she definitely wants to jump Dino's bones, she seems to genuinely care about him. Just give the guy a chance and stop thinking every male is going to backstab you with your maid of honor on your wedding day. Open the rest of the wedding gifts already. Move. On.
I have one book left in the series, and I have little hope that Sophie's romantic issues will be solved. At least she is getting better at her job. Some characters never develop in popular series, like Stephanie Plum (who I do love...but it's always the same). Sophie, at least, is building street cred and makes smart decisions about her PI work, and each book does add a little more to other parts of Sophie's life and stories (as well as other characters' stories).
March 11, 2011
Another entertaining romp with sleuth extraordinaire, Sofie Metropolis. She finally starts getting along with her cousin, only to get hired by the local vampire to clear his name in relation to a series of murders in which the victims were all drained of blood. As the case proceeds, Sofie finds herself entangled in two romances, as well as the unwilling employee of the vampire. But is he really a vampire? He only goes out at night and he's incredibly pale. Suspicious. And the cops are completely right to suspect the local vampire in a bunch of exsanguination cases, but is he really responsible?
November 30, 2018
After dealing with an eventful (for lack of a better word) Halloween, Sophie is prepared to dive into Thanksgiving with her Greek family. No small feat, but she can deal with it.
What she can’t deal with? Being hired by her elderly neighbor (suspected of being a vampire) to investigate a series of murders. Murders where the bodies are completely drained of blood. Definitely nothing suspicious there.
Not bad. But I think the whole Greek aspect in this series is rather overdone. Sometimes it overpowers the story.
There’s only one book left in this series now, so I’ll be looking forward to starting a new one. It’s not as obvious as before, but Sophie does still feel like a Stephanie Plum rip-off to me. If I could, I’d probably give these books a 2.5
What she can’t deal with? Being hired by her elderly neighbor (suspected of being a vampire) to investigate a series of murders. Murders where the bodies are completely drained of blood. Definitely nothing suspicious there.
Not bad. But I think the whole Greek aspect in this series is rather overdone. Sometimes it overpowers the story.
There’s only one book left in this series now, so I’ll be looking forward to starting a new one. It’s not as obvious as before, but Sophie does still feel like a Stephanie Plum rip-off to me. If I could, I’d probably give these books a 2.5
December 10, 2023
Sofie founds her self in the strangest situations and this book has me wondering Vampires are real…on second thought nope. There are just a lot of strange people in her part of the city. I like that Sofie came to her senses about Dino but I am wondering if it is too late and if Jake had a hand in his legal troubles. I hope not, again I am team Dino but I wonder if they will need to get hitched now…on to the next book and it seems like the last one…😕
September 3, 2023
This was another fun entry in the Sophie Metropolis mystery series. The mysteries are solid, although I’d like a better realistic explanation for Romanoff.
I was disappointed in the physical aspect of the book. It appears to be a different publisher, and the type is crowded on the page and there are no recipes at the end.
I was disappointed in the physical aspect of the book. It appears to be a different publisher, and the type is crowded on the page and there are no recipes at the end.
September 8, 2017
Very slow read. Had to renew it twice and just never got hooked this time. Struggled to finish this and the end was ...not even an ending. Left it open for another one, but I am not interested to find out what happens next.
April 20, 2011
(This was a DNF; I got more than halfway through and was distracted by another book.)
I picked this up because the cover blurb suggested that readers of Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum would enjoy it.
Sofie Metropolis does seem to be cast from the same mold as Stephanie Plum. Swap New Jersey out for New York; a big Hungarian/Italian family for a Greek clan. There's even a love triangle and Sofie, like Stephanie is employed by family and learning her new profession on the job.
But Love Bites seems to be trying to be a less campy, less zany version of the Stephanie Plum series, and in the process, comes off flat. (To be fair, this is my first exposure to the series, and Book #5 is probably not a good place to start.)
Nevertheless, nothing much seems to happen in this book. There's no strong tense of danger or tension. Sophie just sort of wanders around, showing no particular interest in solving crime, or whatever she is supposed to be doing. It's unclear whether the vampires are real or Scooby Do-style monsters.
Cute at times, but not enough to hold my teeny attention span.
I picked this up because the cover blurb suggested that readers of Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum would enjoy it.
Sofie Metropolis does seem to be cast from the same mold as Stephanie Plum. Swap New Jersey out for New York; a big Hungarian/Italian family for a Greek clan. There's even a love triangle and Sofie, like Stephanie is employed by family and learning her new profession on the job.
But Love Bites seems to be trying to be a less campy, less zany version of the Stephanie Plum series, and in the process, comes off flat. (To be fair, this is my first exposure to the series, and Book #5 is probably not a good place to start.)
Nevertheless, nothing much seems to happen in this book. There's no strong tense of danger or tension. Sophie just sort of wanders around, showing no particular interest in solving crime, or whatever she is supposed to be doing. It's unclear whether the vampires are real or Scooby Do-style monsters.
Cute at times, but not enough to hold my teeny attention span.
August 17, 2011
I do like the Sophie Metropolis series. I think Sophie is a great character and she develops as a PI very nicely in each book. The mystery was a unique idea and it was fun to read.
My only negative comment about the book is the fact that Sophie is still 'invovled' with both Dino and Jake. I have read two other series recently in which the female lead wants to be in a relationship and cannot decide between two different male characters. After two books I find this story line frustrating and draggy. I find this aspect of the story tends to overtake the mystery.
I hope that in the next book Sophie ends up with one or other leads so the mystery part of the series can become the main focus again.
My only negative comment about the book is the fact that Sophie is still 'invovled' with both Dino and Jake. I have read two other series recently in which the female lead wants to be in a relationship and cannot decide between two different male characters. After two books I find this story line frustrating and draggy. I find this aspect of the story tends to overtake the mystery.
I hope that in the next book Sophie ends up with one or other leads so the mystery part of the series can become the main focus again.
January 25, 2011
I'm not sure what to think about this book. I've really enjoyed all the previous books in the series, but this one left me a bit confused. It's a good, solid plot but the authors introduced a paranormal element in this book that they've always hinted at in the previous books, but had the characters dismiss as silly. And it didn't feel like there was any resolution to it in this book. I'm not explaining it very well, so I'll just say it was good addition to the series and I'm looking forward to the next one.
August 28, 2016
Private investigator Sofie Metropolis is still torn between the men in her life--she certainly doesn't want to do anything her mother would approve of!--but she's also worried about a series of deaths which leave the unfortunate victims drained of blood. The logical suspect is the neighbor everyone thinks is a vampire. Well, Queens is the New York City borough where you'd expect vampires--they'd be afraid to venture into the Bronx--but Sofie's willingness to believe in the supernatural is why this gets two stars instead of three. Gimme a break!
June 9, 2011
This Sofie Metropolis mystery does include vampires, but I would definitely not call this a vampire book. I thought it was odd to include a vampire in the other books (1-4) as a character without the vampire being a big part of the story. I read this one first and then read the rest of the series. After reading the others, I wanted to read this one again. It was a fun mystery with some romance, but don't read this one if you are big into vampire series since that aspect will be disappointing.
November 22, 2011
I like the series. I was actually surprised to find this at the library. I thought the series was over for some odd reason... I liked it but not as much as the others in the series. The mystery conclusion was unsatisfying. I didn't feel like the reader had a lot invested in finding out who was killing the girls.
The ending: Let me just say- not a happy camper. If Jake was involved he goes to the top of my most-hated-love-interests list. I already like Dino better anyway but getting someone deported would be unforgivable. Just saying.
The ending: Let me just say- not a happy camper. If Jake was involved he goes to the top of my most-hated-love-interests list. I already like Dino better anyway but getting someone deported would be unforgivable. Just saying.
June 30, 2016
I can't finish it. I slogged my way through the first 4 books because I see potential in the story telling, but the writing is so bad, I can't do it anymore. Not only does the book need a really good editing for grammar and clarity, but the story line has huge holes in it. My particular favourite gaff in this book is that she is investigating a murder, but the authors forgot to tell us anything about the murder. This is the first time I have returned a book I have purchased. The authors shouldn't be paid for this rubbish.
February 1, 2011
This is a fuzzy clone of the Stephanie Plum series. Only this series has the addition of possible vampires. I say possible because they never come out and say that is what they are. The character in question is only seen at night, is from Romania, has a pale complexion, and a nephew named Vlad. Now all they need to do is add a werewolf and a zombie then all the pop culture bases will be covered.
March 27, 2011
its like getting together with old friends!! Im loving it!
Ok...I got this book on Thursday at about 2pm...I was finished with it at 4:30 on Saturday afternoon...in the car on the way to a restaurant....I could not put it down! I would have been done sooner..but work and sleep got in the way! I loved this installment of the Sofie Metropolis series! Tori Carrington has done it again!
Ok...I got this book on Thursday at about 2pm...I was finished with it at 4:30 on Saturday afternoon...in the car on the way to a restaurant....I could not put it down! I would have been done sooner..but work and sleep got in the way! I loved this installment of the Sofie Metropolis series! Tori Carrington has done it again!
December 31, 2011
Loving the slight lean towards urban fantasy in this one. I can't say why I like Sofie so much, but I do. I'm curious to see where the whole Jake-Sofie-Dino thing goes, especially after the interesting ending...
December 25, 2012
I didn't appreciate the "paranormal" twist that Carrington has added to this otherwise-fun series. It was such a shoot off of the real mystery that it was a silly distraction instead of an essential addition.
May 10, 2015
Overall, this book was entertaining with quirky characters and a decent overarching story, but the supernatural elements and the Dino/Jack/Sofie triangle tired me. The tiredness put this rating at two stars instead of three.
January 4, 2011
JUmping on the vampire book wagon - was enjoyable.
January 19, 2011
Just read this one. I know it's supposed to be Sophie's story, but I love Jake and Dino:-)
March 23, 2011
I liked this book. It started off slow but then picked up halfway through. I'm really curious about Sofie and her relationships. The mystery was also pretty good. Looking forward to the next one.
July 1, 2011
I have really enjoyed the Sophie Metro books so far. This one went a little different direction with the inclusion of Vampires. But, I love paranormal fiction, so for me it was a bonus!
August 21, 2021
Being an Australian myself, I am rooting to Jake. I really like the Sofie books. They're light-hearted and fun.
March 7, 2012
This came out in 2010. I hope there's going to be another one. There was a small cliffhanger that would probably be what the next book is about.
August 24, 2013
Good way to pass the time. Not very innovative
November 8, 2015
Hilarious!!
July 9, 2013
Girls keep popping up dead, drained of their blood. Meanwhile the creepy neighborhood "vampires" are looking like the number one suspects. It is up to Sofie Metropolis to determine the real killer.
May 26, 2015
Not as good as the others - had trouble getting through it. The writing was different - almost as if a different editor?
February 17, 2016
Fun Fun FUN!! Although if the Aussie guy did what she thinks he did, thats kinda messed up.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews