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Proud to be a Vampire
The Memory of Blood and Lotuses
Thousands of years ago Neferhotep was struck with a curse that turned him into a shroud eater, one who lives with the dead and devours the living. Fleeing to the desert, he preys upon the unsuspecting travelers who wander too close. Then one of them turns out to be seeking him in order to save a Pharoah. Neferhotep is intrigued enough to agree to go with him, returning to civilization he has not seen in centuries ...
174 pages, Paperback
First published October 29, 2013
85 people want to read
About the author
E.E. Ottoman
29 books346 followerswrites romance novels, wears pretty clothes, does history stuff.
he/him/his
he/him/his
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
June 12, 2016
You know what I really like? I really like all of EE’s books. They is so reliable. I can start just any book and be sure it’ll be a 4 star book, a great read and a great time ahead of me.
'The Memory of Blood and Lotuses' is another book set in another universe, another time. There is pharaos, gods, priests, and a shroud eater, meaning a bloodsucker. You know what is best about another universe, another time? Life and society is nothing like I ever knew. It’s weird and beautiful all at once.
Look, they have no problems with being naked and getting shaved by other people or servants—you know, everywhere—but you better put this black colour thing around your eyes and wear a wig on your bold shaved head. So peculiar!
Not only are the protagonists, especially our vamp, really interesting, there is a remarkable secondary character, too: God Set. He is really otherworldy, hard to fathom, scary, hot as fuck, but also capabale of compassion. I absolutely love the role he played. And that twist in the end… OMG :-)))) I loved it, because I had never thought of it, but it is so right for this story. So right. Makes me go all grinny even thinking about it.
As always with EE’s books, the sex is HOT and just also other. LOVE. When I start into a new book, I always especially anticipate the sex scenes, because I am so curious what and how it will be this time. Oh, wait, right! From the acknowledgements: I am particularly indebted to Herman Velde who dedicates an entire chapter of his classic work to the Egyptian God Set's testicles. I nearly lay laughing on the floor when I read this. Now I know why… :-D
A really lovely romance, with suspense on the side, exploring another world… 4 stars and recommended!
***
This book counts for my following reading challenges 2015:
- 100 books in total
'The Memory of Blood and Lotuses' is another book set in another universe, another time. There is pharaos, gods, priests, and a shroud eater, meaning a bloodsucker. You know what is best about another universe, another time? Life and society is nothing like I ever knew. It’s weird and beautiful all at once.
Look, they have no problems with being naked and getting shaved by other people or servants—you know, everywhere—but you better put this black colour thing around your eyes and wear a wig on your bold shaved head. So peculiar!
Not only are the protagonists, especially our vamp, really interesting, there is a remarkable secondary character, too: God Set. He is really otherworldy, hard to fathom, scary, hot as fuck, but also capabale of compassion. I absolutely love the role he played. And that twist in the end… OMG :-)))) I loved it, because I had never thought of it, but it is so right for this story. So right. Makes me go all grinny even thinking about it.
As always with EE’s books, the sex is HOT and just also other. LOVE. When I start into a new book, I always especially anticipate the sex scenes, because I am so curious what and how it will be this time. Oh, wait, right! From the acknowledgements: I am particularly indebted to Herman Velde who dedicates an entire chapter of his classic work to the Egyptian God Set's testicles. I nearly lay laughing on the floor when I read this. Now I know why… :-D
A really lovely romance, with suspense on the side, exploring another world… 4 stars and recommended!
***
This book counts for my following reading challenges 2015:
- 100 books in total
January 26, 2015
This review can also be found on my blog:
Reckless Indulgence | of the Written Word
What rating would you give it?
4/4.5 of 5 Stars
What did you think of the book?
Pffft–! Neferhotep…. oh, you precious, precious baby. xD I am utterly in love with you and your straightforward nature. Honestly. The things that come out of your mouth. <3 You are truly my hero of this book.
I really REALLY enjoyed this story. Was hoping it would be different and — it definitely was. Egyptian vampires, huh? Fascinating. XD I have already always had a thing for Egyptian mythos and religion, so I was really intrigued by this idea of a “shroud eater” and how that would be used in the story. I knew a little bit about them – they’re German in origin, and generally cause bad luck, sickness and eventual death to their loved ones as they chew on their burial garments – but I wondered how the author was going to fit this myth into zier story. One source claims:
You’ll have to read to find out which route the author went with in zier story. >) Sorrynotsorry
Now go READ THE BOOK!
I was also… pleasantly surprised and not expecting to have actual deity visitations in this piece, but their appearance (because there was more than one hur hur~) only went to make it a thousand times better. Not to mention, one of them being among my FAVORITE EGYPTIAN GODS AT THAT! :3
The only thing that sort of drove me crazy was that ending. It was… ughh… precarious, a bit unfulfilling because it left the details entirely up to the reader and this was one instance where I didn’t want that. I wanted to know what was about to go down between the two gods confronting each other in the desert, how Neferhotep’s offer was going to work, y’know… with him still being a bloodthirsty vampire ‘n all. I wanted to… ugh… I wanted MORE, but I’m still satisfied with what I got.
Any warnings you wish to make for your readers?
Not really, although I’ll say this only because I know there are some people out there who do not like nor want to read about this particular topic in their books, so here it is:
There is incest in this book (between brothers and also mentioned in several instances between brothers-sisters). If you know anything about Egyptian royalty, you should know that that is the how they did things for hundreds of thousands of years. It’s not graphic throughout the book, but it is mentioned and mild scenes of it do happen. It is also consensual and not abusive, from what I read. Quite the opposite, in fact.
Does it count towards any reading challenges?
-2015 Monthly Motifs & Keyword Reading Challenge (I’m skipping around with this one)
--Motif: (JUN) Take A Trip! = Egypt
--Keyword: (DEC) Flower = Lotuses
-2015 GoodReads Reading Challenge
-2015 LGBT Challenge
-You Read How Many Books?
-52 Books in 52 Weeks
-Read A Million Pages
-Readathon Day (2015)
-105 Reading Challenge
Would you recommend this book?
Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes– oh. Did I mention, YES?!
Reckless Indulgence | of the Written Word
What rating would you give it?
4/4.5 of 5 Stars
What did you think of the book?
“I wish to bed you.”
[…]’s head snapped up. “What?”
Neferhotep arched on eyebrow. “I said I wished to bed you, if you are willing. […] Your scent is a very alluring one, and it occurred to me that bedding you would be a pleasant distraction. […] I know my appearance is not attractive for you, but I would not harm you, and I can be generous when it comes to bedroom games.”
[…]
“You are very strange.”
“Why? You have given me no reason to think you mean me harm, you smell nice, you are reasonably attractive. I thought we could play a little. What is strange about that?”
Pffft–! Neferhotep…. oh, you precious, precious baby. xD I am utterly in love with you and your straightforward nature. Honestly. The things that come out of your mouth. <3 You are truly my hero of this book.
I really REALLY enjoyed this story. Was hoping it would be different and — it definitely was. Egyptian vampires, huh? Fascinating. XD I have already always had a thing for Egyptian mythos and religion, so I was really intrigued by this idea of a “shroud eater” and how that would be used in the story. I knew a little bit about them – they’re German in origin, and generally cause bad luck, sickness and eventual death to their loved ones as they chew on their burial garments – but I wondered how the author was going to fit this myth into zier story. One source claims:
The nachzehrer, also known as a “shroud eater” in English, is a type of vampire which doesn’t rise from its resting place, but rather lies in its tomb — chewing through its burial garments. As the nachzehrer eats its way through the shroud, the deceased’s family members, neighbors and friends fall ill and die. According to some accounts, one can sometimes hear the nachzehrer noisily chewing like a pig, and after it has finished with the shroud it may move on to chewing on its own flesh or that of other corpses in its vicinity. Some also claim that when the ghoul has gained sufficient sustenance in this manner it can then rise from the grave as a true vampire.
You’ll have to read to find out which route the author went with in zier story. >) Sorrynotsorry
Now go READ THE BOOK!
I was also… pleasantly surprised and not expecting to have actual deity visitations in this piece, but their appearance (because there was more than one hur hur~) only went to make it a thousand times better. Not to mention, one of them being among my FAVORITE EGYPTIAN GODS AT THAT! :3
The only thing that sort of drove me crazy was that ending. It was… ughh… precarious, a bit unfulfilling because it left the details entirely up to the reader and this was one instance where I didn’t want that. I wanted to know what was about to go down between the two gods confronting each other in the desert, how Neferhotep’s offer was going to work, y’know… with him still being a bloodthirsty vampire ‘n all. I wanted to… ugh… I wanted MORE, but I’m still satisfied with what I got.
Any warnings you wish to make for your readers?
Not really, although I’ll say this only because I know there are some people out there who do not like nor want to read about this particular topic in their books, so here it is:
There is incest in this book (between brothers and also mentioned in several instances between brothers-sisters). If you know anything about Egyptian royalty, you should know that that is the how they did things for hundreds of thousands of years. It’s not graphic throughout the book, but it is mentioned and mild scenes of it do happen. It is also consensual and not abusive, from what I read. Quite the opposite, in fact.
Does it count towards any reading challenges?
-2015 Monthly Motifs & Keyword Reading Challenge (I’m skipping around with this one)
--Motif: (JUN) Take A Trip! = Egypt
--Keyword: (DEC) Flower = Lotuses
-2015 GoodReads Reading Challenge
-2015 LGBT Challenge
-You Read How Many Books?
-52 Books in 52 Weeks
-Read A Million Pages
-Readathon Day (2015)
-105 Reading Challenge
Would you recommend this book?
Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes– oh. Did I mention, YES?!
January 13, 2015
3.5 Stars - I enjoyed the world and the mythology, although it helped that I was already a little familiar with Ancient Egyptian Myth. Neferhotep is an interesting creature as is Iunmet. The tension in the story is high and the romance aspect really only comes out near the end. I would like to see more of this couple though.
The book itself had a few editing errors that detracted, but that as minor.
The book itself had a few editing errors that detracted, but that as minor.
November 19, 2014
I am stunned by how much I loved this. Neferhotep is a shroud eater, cursed to live with the dead and eat the living. One night starving and waiting for travelers to pass the dead city he lives in, Neferhotep finds a caravan caught in a sand storm. The caravan is surrounded by Heka magic which Neferhotep finds interesting. He kills and consumes all the caravan but the one using the magic. He takes that one back to his city for reasons he cannot explain.
Iunmet is not there by chance. He's been sent for Neferhotep by his god, Set. Iunmet is Set's high priest and Set has stated Neferhotep has information that will prevent an assassination attempt on the pharaoh by the followers of Amun. Besides following Set's orders, Iunmet is the brother of the pharaoh and has an interest in keeping him alive. For his own reasons Neferhotep agrees to accompany Iunmet back to Thebes.
I am amazed by the world this book is set in. Ancient Egypt comes alive with its culture including way of dress and relationships within the classes. Neferhotep and Iunmet are equally fascinating characters. They have their own ideas, their own baggage (Neferhotep eats people and Iunmet has a very demanding god), and goals for the future. They have a grudging admiration for each other until one day Neferhotep asks Iunmet to go to bed with him basically because Neferhotep is bored. Iunmet refuses but once the idea is out there neither can forget it. The tension ratchets up as Neferhotep tries to remember what the pharaoh needs to know, assassins come, and Neferhotep makes a choice that changes everything.
The ending is unexpected and simply marvelous.
This is clearly an author I haven't spent enough time looking into. An absolutely wonderful story.
Iunmet is not there by chance. He's been sent for Neferhotep by his god, Set. Iunmet is Set's high priest and Set has stated Neferhotep has information that will prevent an assassination attempt on the pharaoh by the followers of Amun. Besides following Set's orders, Iunmet is the brother of the pharaoh and has an interest in keeping him alive. For his own reasons Neferhotep agrees to accompany Iunmet back to Thebes.
I am amazed by the world this book is set in. Ancient Egypt comes alive with its culture including way of dress and relationships within the classes. Neferhotep and Iunmet are equally fascinating characters. They have their own ideas, their own baggage (Neferhotep eats people and Iunmet has a very demanding god), and goals for the future. They have a grudging admiration for each other until one day Neferhotep asks Iunmet to go to bed with him basically because Neferhotep is bored. Iunmet refuses but once the idea is out there neither can forget it. The tension ratchets up as Neferhotep tries to remember what the pharaoh needs to know, assassins come, and Neferhotep makes a choice that changes everything.
The ending is unexpected and simply marvelous.
This is clearly an author I haven't spent enough time looking into. An absolutely wonderful story.
May 17, 2015
Well, I was in the mood for something different, and this book certainly ticked all the boxes. Completely different settings, unusual characters, customs and attitude to sex that are so alien to us (oh, those lusty incestuous ancient Egyptians...), and at the same time those people remain understandable and relatable.
Strangely enough, despite the small length and urgency, the book feels slow, with lots of sitting in rooms, tents or pools. Also I longed to see some relationships and events, that were only tantalizingly hinted at, in more detail. The ending itself, while satisfying in some way, begs for continuation, what with the new adventures for our main couple and a peek at the dealings between two gods, one of whom isn't even named (but should be pretty obvious if you're familiar with Egyptian mythology).
Strangely enough, despite the small length and urgency, the book feels slow, with lots of sitting in rooms, tents or pools. Also I longed to see some relationships and events, that were only tantalizingly hinted at, in more detail. The ending itself, while satisfying in some way, begs for continuation, what with the new adventures for our main couple and a peek at the dealings between two gods, one of whom isn't even named (but should be pretty obvious if you're familiar with Egyptian mythology).
October 30, 2013
This was a good book. It had a diverse cast of characters who were all well-developed and made you care about them just as much as the main characters. It never seemed too long or too short, the typos were minimal, and I really liked the way it wrapped up without the use of the usual cliches.
In fact, I think my only complaint is with the name of one of the main characters: Iunmet. In the font that the book is published in, the capital I looks like a lower case L and I struggled to wrap my head around it the entire book. By the end, I gave up and just called him Lunmet.
In fact, I think my only complaint is with the name of one of the main characters: Iunmet. In the font that the book is published in, the capital I looks like a lower case L and I struggled to wrap my head around it the entire book. By the end, I gave up and just called him Lunmet.
June 6, 2014
I didn't think I would like this as much as I did! ♥
Now I'm even more fascinated with this period! I like reading about Iunmet and Neferhotep! But also about the Pharaoh, the Lord Set, and all the hierarchy and rules and obligations! I have so many questions and won't mind reading more stories like this! I enjoyed it! :)
Now I'm even more fascinated with this period! I like reading about Iunmet and Neferhotep! But also about the Pharaoh, the Lord Set, and all the hierarchy and rules and obligations! I have so many questions and won't mind reading more stories like this! I enjoyed it! :)
December 6, 2015
2014 Rainbow Awards Honorable Mention (5* from at least 1 judge)
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews