The vampire Guild is in shambles. My husband Clive and I might have given more than a few Masters their final deaths—allegedly—so it’s fallen on us to fix the problem. Mostly on Clive, that is, as he’s the Master vampire. I’m Sam Quinn, werewolf book nerd and owner of The Slaughtered Lamb Bookstore & Bar.
Vlad (yes, that one) and Cadmael are the houseguests no one would want, but we’re trying to grin and bear it because the Guild must be rebuilt, and we must make haste as rogue vamps are becoming a big bloody problem.
Finvarra, the fae king who had it out for me even before I helped cause his brother’s death, is coming to do what none of his assassins have managed: end me in as painful a manner as possible.
In other news, Stheno and Vlad have been hooking up and we’re all a little afraid of those two together.
She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband, two daughters, two dogs, and one fish. When she's not dodging her family, hiding in the garage and trying to write, she's working as a high school teacher-librarian. She's an avid reader and re-reader who misses her favorite characters when it's been too long between visits.
She's represented by the delightful and effervescent Sarah E. Younger of the Nancy Yost Literary Agency
I love this series! It’s one of those that just feels like returning and catching up with beloved friends. Of course there is a mystery to solve and action to be had. But always, there is that strong, loving bond, not only between Clive and Sam, but also between the family of friends they have acquired throughout the books. It’s such an enduring bond that it keeps this fabulous series wonderful and fresh, even as they fight all kinds of unique and creative villains. I just hate it every time that last page closes!
Sam and Clive have houseguests. Vlad (yep, that Vlad) and Cadmael. When someone is murdered down by the Bubble Lounge run by the Fae, Sam and Clive step in to solve the strange crime. It looks like a vampire draining, but the scene is off. As more bodies appear, Sam and Clive, along with their friends, must solve it before the vampires are exposed to the world. Did I mention the Guild is in town investigating what happened in the last installment?
I love the world Kelly has created with the Sam Quinn series and the spinoffs in the same world. Sam is a kickass werewolf with unique abilities. She racks up allies and enemies are every turn. That she owns a bar and bookstore endeared me to her from the first audiobook.
The mystery was intense. We’ve got humans drained of their blood, but no vampire scent. In fact, there is no scent at all. Then we have video footage that can’t be right. Add the Guild and the fae to the mix and I couldn’t stop listening.
The romance spans the series, and they are cute together. I love the community and friends they share. Vlad and Cadmael made for interesting houseguests. We learn more about a cat shifter we met in the last installment, which I found interesting. The inner workings of the Guild are creepy and intriguing.
Thanks to lovely preordering it dropped into my Kindle last evening. I didn’t start it because I knew I wouldn’t sleep if I did. Started it this morning after kids got off to school. It felt like visiting with old friends and I had to finish it. Now I’m left waiting on the next one… Loved it! Thank you for creating this magical world that I quite honestly cannot get enough of.
The phrase "may you live in interesting times" was invented for Sam Quinn.
This instalment sees Clive, Vlad and Cadmael still dealing with the fallout from the events in the last book. The remaining members of the Vampire council are travelling to San Francisco to discuss what happened in Budapest and work out how to rebuild the council going forward. Clive is required to attend the council members in the San Francisco nocturne....even though Ronald is now the head vampire. Sam on the other hand has her own problems, she stumbles across a dead body...........two days in a row...........while out jogging..........she gets involved as both victims have bite marks on their throat leading Sam to suspect a rogue vampire is in town......................
This may be my favorite book in the series. The characters are becoming increasingly familiar, and I enjoy the banter. It's refreshing that Sam can follow her golden heart and still come out victorious when so many other novels' protagonists play dirty to triumph. Sam and company continue to ROCK!
I was so happy when this book popped into my library at long last! I love Sam's stories and the many characters she is surrounded by! Collecting and adding to her ever expanding pack! Kicking the villains to the curb like the big hearted baddass she is!
This series, and the associated Sea Wicche series are just so good. I buy them all - ebook and audiobook - as soon as they are announced, and they bear many re-reads and re-listens.
This one has new enemies and, perhaps, new friends, for Sam and Clive. The threat this time seems intangible and invincible but friends and relatives may have ways to help …
I got to the end of this one and it felt like it wasn't done yet, like there could be more included in this story, even as this one was jam packed with things. I think that is because there were so many different things going on.
First we have Sam helping her employee with a couple of things. I loved how feral Sam got with the threat and how she made that go away, also loved how Sam helped figure out a way for the girl to stay safe and be independent afterwards.
Then there was the drama with the vampires and all the changes going on in their world. It was interesting to see those that were nice to Sam and those that weren't.
Finally we had the threat at the great supernatural community at large. That one was a bit of a cluster and it really took many of them working together to figure out what was going on and how to make the threat go away. It was close a couple of times whether they would win or not.
Amidst all of this drama there was a missing child found (20 years at that!) and Sam got to know her uncle, who seems to be enthralled with so much around him, which is always fun to read.
This book is well written and engaging. This book doesn’t add much to the series and seems very much like filler. Still a good read but not as engaging or adding to the character’s growth or story. It felt like a bunch a short stories loosely tied together. All the characters are mature, competent people that don’t act like idiots or teenagers, so still better than most stories in the genre.
The vampire Guild is in shambles. My husband Clive and I might have given more than a few Masters their final deaths—allegedly—so it’s fallen on us to fix the problem. Mostly on Clive, that is, as he’s the Master vampire. I’m Sam Quinn, werewolf book nerd and owner of The Slaughtered Lamb Bookstore & Bar. Vlad (yes, that one) and Cadmael are the houseguests no one would want, but we’re trying to grin and bear it because the Guild must be rebuilt, and we must make haste as rogue vamps are becoming a big bloody problem. Finvarra, the fae king who had it out for me even before I helped cause his brother’s death, is coming to do what none of his assassins have managed: end me in as painful a manner as possible. In other news, Stheno and Vlad have been hooking up and we’re all a little afraid of those two together.
Heather's Notes I listened this time instead of actual reading. I enjoyed the narrator, I thought she did a really good job. I did have some issues. Finvarra did not show up in the book at all, he just sent more assassins and it was just 1 time. I think the scene was like 2 pages. I would like to know how all the vampires ended up in the folly, that was never answered. They also did not answer what was going on with 2 of the vampires and why they hated Sam. The main plot of the book was dealing with the Poca and that is not even in the synopsis. I did not take off points for that as I don't think that is the author's fault, but really....read the book before you tell me what it is about.
I just loved this book and this series is one of my favourites. Each book is completely un-put-downable. The characters are fabulous - Sam and Clive, being the main ones, are such a fantastic couple. They complement each other so well and despite everything Sam has been through in her short life, Clive doesn't hold her back in any way, even while he does his best to protect her!
In this one, when a young woman is killed in what looks like a vampire killing and left in the parking lot of the Mermaid's Bubble Lounge, Nerissa's bar. They go to investigate, but there's is nothing left behind to indicate that it was really a vampire killing. After the second one, a video showing a version of Vlad on the security cameras shows up, but it's obviously not him. Who on earth is it and how is it changing forms?
I loved how everyone worked together to try and defeat this unusual being, even the visiting vampires who have come in to San Francisco to set up the new vampire's Guild are invested in solving this mystery as well. This bunch were intriguing as well - why did Thi hate Sam so much without ever meeting her? There's definitely more to that story and I hope we get to find out more in the next book!
As always a great read and I can't wait for the next one to be out next year!
Another great read in this series, another bizarre threat to be handled
I love the hell out of this series! In this book we have Sam and Clive and their friends and allies trying to deal with yet another new threat. When two murders occur and appear to be the work of vampires, just as the Guild members are due in town to convene and deal with rebuilding the Guild, Sam and Clive need to act fast. We are treated to a very tricky enemy who appears to be nearly impossible to kill. And he’s tricky to detect as well. Add to that stress the fact that the vampire guild is in town to deal with the fall out of what happened in Bucharest and that they are clearly hostile and Sam is not a happy camper. A few other stressors get thrown in just to make things fun.
It’s a great read and I didn’t want to put it down. The ending is clever and interesting and gives us pause to wonder about the future. Then we get the last couple paragraphs which set us up for the next book and it looks like things are about to get a bit more complicated. Can’t wait. Immediately going to check if there’s a pre-order live yet!
Having decimated the original Vampire Guild, Sam and her husband Clive have to help rebuild it; which means hosting the elder vampires in their home city.
To make things just a little more interesting, a killer is on the loose- one whose method looks eerily like a vampire kill, and it’s down to Sam and her friends to find out just who the culprit might be.
We do get to see some old friends in this addition to the series, since Sam and Clive are back in San Francisco; including the members of Clive’s old Nocturne, the dragons, and of course the regulars at the Slaughtered Lamb. There’s a slight crossover from Arwyn’s Sea Wicche Chronicles too, as Uncle Bracken pops in for a visit.
This is a fast paced story (and has a few slightly steamy scenes to it), with plenty of action and adventure, as well as our new foe. Fans of the Corey family will enjoy it a lot, and I know I am probably not alone in wishing the next book wasn’t so far away! It’s a fun world to visit though, and I’m looking forward to Arwyn’s next foray too.
If you enjoy urban fantasy, or contemporary fantasy, with a side of mystery, then this is a series I’m sure you will thoroughly enjoy.
I would read 100 of these books set in Sam’s world. It’s so cozy and fun - all the characters are great, and we’re even starting to scavenge some crossover characters, too!
Coming off Sam’s inadvertent destruction of pretty much the entire vampire guild in the last book, Clive and some of his closest guild vampire friends are trying to figure out how to fill the gaps. It might sound like that’s the big plot here, but it totally is not. Instead, Sam doesn’t get a break because there appears to be a string of supernatural murders happening at the bubble lounge and of course she’s pulled into it.
This book managed to tie together some previous loose ends while also getting to show Sam being the strong heroine she is. We get to learn a bit more about random fae stuff, have fun and not-so-fun in the folly, and spend quality time with Clive. This book felt very quick and easy, with not huge leaps in the larger plot, with a lead in to the next adventure at the end.
I absolutely love this series! It always feels like coming home when I have the good fortune to read a new one. The overall world building and in particular the time spent in San Francisco is beautifully created and very unique. The characters are so plausible, complex and likeable (even Vlad!) within the parameters of the wild and crazy world of Urban Fantasy.
The writing, as always, is delicious. (Love the chapter titles!) I'm glad I re-read the Bloody Ruin Asylum and Taproom since this book was set immediately after they got back. It was great to have Bracken come over to visit from The Sea Wicche Chronicles. He enriches both series with his quirks, knowledge and gifts. It was fun to have no idea who the bad guy was... not what I could possibly have imagined! Very clever...
This is truly one of my all time favorite series... I could read it forever!
First, no summary here and no spoilers. I finished binging the last of the published Sam Quinn series of books last night. What a ride! Book eight has another evil something that needs to be stopped and has the vampires and witches and many of Sam's friends scrambling to figure it out. Ms. Kelly creates interesting supernatural characters, good suspense without lots of angst, action galore and a world of all types of suspicious machinations by suspicious unknown something-or-others. Sam's trials and tribulations along with her strength of character and compassion overlie each book. Sadly, I now have to wait (big UGH) for next Fall until Sam Quinn returns to help keep her world safe from the bad people/characters.
As a life-long reader, especially in love with paranormal books, I was delighted to discover this creative, exciting tale of romance and drama. The two main, married characters, a werewolf/wicche hybrid woman, Sam, and an ancient, loving, supportive vampire man, Clive, were vitally compelling. Further, I was so happy to learn that Sam was featured in a series of books, so my day was truly made. I have already bought the book 1 of this series and in my usual manner of devouring at least a book every day, I look forward to reading each and every book in the series!
The story continues. The "little sister" to great people is named. Her power over evil is shown to be effective. Sam gains more allies and possibly 1 vampire who may in a future book show himself as an enemy either that or a really stupid pawn. Sam and Cleve know how to save each other and thier friends. I love the entry of the (not telling) as the villain of the book it was inspiring. I enjoyed Vlad and all he did. I wish I could see his mouth stash even though it was well described. Great book 8. The sad part is now I have to wait for book 9.
Heroics and fighting for each other. Some recaps of previous books so the reader knows where the story is going and what characters are evolving into. Now Harvey is my most favorite Pooka. From Jimmy Stewart’s Harvey. I’ve always wanted a Pooka in my life till reading this book. But Harvey liked benevolent chaos. Can’t wait for the next adventure helping Meg in Greece! Eeeeee! 👏🏼
This series (and the associated other series and short stories) is just amazing. Sometimes between new releases I forget that it is so astoundingly much more than a wounded-woman meets vampire romance. It’s a complicated, fascinating, simultaneously cozy and chilling world, and I can’t recommend it highly enough. Do start with book 1 in the series to really appreciate the world and characters, and how both develop.
Great book. The characters are still fun and funny. I enjoyed the scenes at the Slaughtered Lamb. Listening to Sam intereact with the customers is always a hoot. While trying to clean up the Vampire Guilde after Budapest, Sam & Clive find trouble at home
Another great entry in this excellent series. I like that Sam is flawed and not instantly perfect once she has a man in her life. She has issues and works through them with help but also still stumbles but she grows. The characters are fun and what’s not to love about a giant wolf hound named Fergus❤️I want my own folly made by dragons 💕💕💕
Alright - while this is a 5 star for me, I'm not sure it will be for others that are not as invested in this world and characters as me Nothing happened in this book, like literally For me it was an enjoyable experience back with characters I love, I am a huge fan of the audiobooks and narr for this series
My favorite book series! A great addition to Sam’s story. All your favorite characters are in this one and can I just say that I loooove Vlad!! I already want the next one.
Seana Kelly is one of my favourite writers, this series should be read from book one and onward. Every book stands on its own, but it's one continous story, and what a story it is! There is a spin-of series as well, should be read before this book! Highly reccomended!
I continue to greatly enjoy this series. Clive and Sam are of course an established couple, but nothing about their bond grows cold. They are in their hometown this time, which I enjoy, but they have some visitors, including a new mysterious villain and the mystery of that was interesting to solve. We get great uncle Bertand (sp?), who I adored from the spin-off series, and I loved the visiting new council and especially their introductions to the folly. I am intrigued especially on this new leopard and the family meeting if its shown.
As usual, the story was too short but Sam kicked butt! I really enjoyed Bracken joining the team. He is very interesting and has hidden depths. Bring on the next adventure.