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The Vampire Legacy #1
Blood Secrets
This first installment of Taylor's chilling vampire series introduces readers to Deirdre Griffin, a sophisticated New York City vampiress determined to find the ruthless vampire who is framing her for his crimes.
304 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1994
3 people are currently reading
358 people want to read
About the author
Karen E. Taylor
44 books75 followersKaren E. Taylor is the author of The Vampire Legacy Series of novels, published by Kensington Books. A voracious reader of vampire/horror novels, Karen first started writing Blood Secrets in January, 1988. She conceived of writing the novel while living across the street from a very large cemetery. It was never intended to be the first book of an ongoing series, but fans who had read the novel demanded a sequel. To date, the series stands at seven titles, and has earned a cult following. Her short stories have appeared in numerous anthologies, including: Love Bites, 100 Vicious Little Vampires, 100 Wicked Little Witches, A Horror Story A Day, and Seductive Spectres. In 2001, she was nominated for the Bram Stoker Award for best short story for "Mexican Moon".
Karen E. Taylor was born and raised in the Pittsburgh suburbs. A graduate of Churchill area High School and later of Grove City College, her first love was the theater, but now she admits that writing is better; "You get to write all the lines and play all the parts." She currently resides outside of Los Angeles, CA with her husband and pets.
Karen E. Taylor was born and raised in the Pittsburgh suburbs. A graduate of Churchill area High School and later of Grove City College, her first love was the theater, but now she admits that writing is better; "You get to write all the lines and play all the parts." She currently resides outside of Los Angeles, CA with her husband and pets.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
May 22, 2011
Today's book review is on Hunger by: Karen E Taylor
This one book actually contains the first two books in the series, and though I have read this book back in May, I have just one word to describe it. WOW!!
Even though the week that I had chosen to read this book was chock full of practices and performances by my two children I still managed to finish the first book, BLOOD SECRETS, in just three days.
The story of Deirde Griffin, fashion designer, and vampire is full of mystery, love, and loss. At sometimes even bringing a tear to my eye's.
There is only one person who knows Deirde's secret, and that is her best friend and former lover Max. For years she has depended on Max for support, comfort, and unsuspecting prey. But now, Deirde realizes that there is another like her roaming the city. She is both excited to learn this but is also angered because this other vampire is draining his prey and leaving a trail that leads police to Deidre.
With surprise Deidre finds that she has fallen in love with Mitch, a detective for the police department working on the case. The scenes with Mitch are erotic without going into to much detail, leaving plenty for the mind to fill in, which is a skill not many writers have.
Towards the end of the first book, Deidre finds that her best friend Max has been keeping something from her all these years. He is the one she has sought all of her immortal life. He is the monster that had created her, and her world comes crashing down when she has to end his live, perhaps at the cost of Mitch's.
4.5 of 5 stars
This one book actually contains the first two books in the series, and though I have read this book back in May, I have just one word to describe it. WOW!!
Even though the week that I had chosen to read this book was chock full of practices and performances by my two children I still managed to finish the first book, BLOOD SECRETS, in just three days.
The story of Deirde Griffin, fashion designer, and vampire is full of mystery, love, and loss. At sometimes even bringing a tear to my eye's.
There is only one person who knows Deirde's secret, and that is her best friend and former lover Max. For years she has depended on Max for support, comfort, and unsuspecting prey. But now, Deirde realizes that there is another like her roaming the city. She is both excited to learn this but is also angered because this other vampire is draining his prey and leaving a trail that leads police to Deidre.
With surprise Deidre finds that she has fallen in love with Mitch, a detective for the police department working on the case. The scenes with Mitch are erotic without going into to much detail, leaving plenty for the mind to fill in, which is a skill not many writers have.
Towards the end of the first book, Deidre finds that her best friend Max has been keeping something from her all these years. He is the one she has sought all of her immortal life. He is the monster that had created her, and her world comes crashing down when she has to end his live, perhaps at the cost of Mitch's.
4.5 of 5 stars
August 10, 2024
This book is a reissue of the original novel BLOOD SECRETS. It is not a new novel. I was given a review copy of the audio edition.
Deidre Griffin is a successful fashion designer in New York City. She is also over a hundred years old due to vampirism. Her business is thriving, her love life non-existent. What she wants most is to hunt down the vampire who brought her into the darkness.
After several murders occur in places she frequents, she meets an intriguing detective. Drawn to one another, Deidre must avoid scrutiny and falling in love. She fails at both.
I won’t spoil the ending but want to say this story is enjoyable. It’s listed on Amazon as vampire horror and paranormal fantasy. While Deidre is tough and confident, she is not as horrific as one might think. Some elements gave me the impression of paranormal romance. That’s not a bad thing, just also speaks to another target audience.
The audio book was a pleasure to listen to. The narrator, Autumn Grumorne, speaks in a clear voice. I understand how difficult it is to speak dialogue from characters of the opposite sex; however, Autumn did a great job with subtle changes in her voice range.
I want to mention this book is part of a series re-release.
Deidre Griffin is a successful fashion designer in New York City. She is also over a hundred years old due to vampirism. Her business is thriving, her love life non-existent. What she wants most is to hunt down the vampire who brought her into the darkness.
After several murders occur in places she frequents, she meets an intriguing detective. Drawn to one another, Deidre must avoid scrutiny and falling in love. She fails at both.
I won’t spoil the ending but want to say this story is enjoyable. It’s listed on Amazon as vampire horror and paranormal fantasy. While Deidre is tough and confident, she is not as horrific as one might think. Some elements gave me the impression of paranormal romance. That’s not a bad thing, just also speaks to another target audience.
The audio book was a pleasure to listen to. The narrator, Autumn Grumorne, speaks in a clear voice. I understand how difficult it is to speak dialogue from characters of the opposite sex; however, Autumn did a great job with subtle changes in her voice range.
I want to mention this book is part of a series re-release.
May 13, 2020
This vampire tale is set sometime in the 90s. Lots of references to 80s/90s fashion and pop culture. The main character, Diedre, is a vampire but she doesn't kill her victims. The story itself wasn't bad and I wanted to know who the "bad guy" was, but some of the plot twists didn't make much sense. I bought the 2nd book in this series at the same time that I bought this one, so I am hoping the writing gets better.
March 26, 2025
I had originally read this when it first came out. This time around, I did the audible version. The story is still so awesome and well done. The characters are fleshed out, and the emotions are real. Props to the narrator. Now I wish a streaming service would turn this into a series.
December 7, 2020
I read this book probably about 10 times as a teenager. That was 20 years ago. I finally found a copy to do a reread and I did not enjoy this book much at all. It is very dated and a little corny.
October 21, 2009
This is the book that introduced me to the vampire novel. I first read this book when I was in High School out of nothing but sheer boredom. Vampire novels weren't the "IN" thing as they are now, and I surprised myself that I loved this book as much as I did. I lost my copy when I moved out of my parents house and soon became obsessed with finding another one. I finally got lucky, finding a used one on bookmooch. I re-read it last year around Halloween, just to see if I still found it as interesting as I did 10 years ago. No such luck. While this book was well writen for its time, it has been outshone by other books in the genre. If you're looking for some cheap form of horror entertainment, look no further than this book. But if you wamt a bigger "Bite" out of your vampire novel, then I would suggest you look elsewhere.
December 3, 2010
Only finished chapter one so far, but I don't like the book or the main character. First person narration requires you to "like" the main character more than 3rd person. I don't like "I" and "overflowing ashtrays" in the same sentence. It physically turns my stomach.
I don't like "why me?" vampires or vampire myths where biting requires hurting the victim. The description of the perfect bar sounds nauseating. Checked the copyright - 1993. This is vampire romance before the influx of urban fantasy. It's not pretty.
Got a feeling the whole series is getting dumped in the charity bin unread. Shame. I think I spent a pretty penny on them.
I don't like "why me?" vampires or vampire myths where biting requires hurting the victim. The description of the perfect bar sounds nauseating. Checked the copyright - 1993. This is vampire romance before the influx of urban fantasy. It's not pretty.
Got a feeling the whole series is getting dumped in the charity bin unread. Shame. I think I spent a pretty penny on them.
July 8, 2016
While I did enjoy this novel it was actually a re-read for me, and I was disappointed in what I'd remembered from the novel versus what was actually there.
The relationship between Mitch and Deirdre to me is barely tolerable, due to the way he acts around her. It comes across as so possessive and perhaps that is supposed to be her draw on him due to her supernatural nature but instead it left me feeling nervous.
While not badly written, the book could've used a little more fleshing out, although I did enjoy reading about vampires written as monsters.
The relationship between Mitch and Deirdre to me is barely tolerable, due to the way he acts around her. It comes across as so possessive and perhaps that is supposed to be her draw on him due to her supernatural nature but instead it left me feeling nervous.
While not badly written, the book could've used a little more fleshing out, although I did enjoy reading about vampires written as monsters.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 15, 2011
Deirdre Griffin, vampire, entrepreneur, fashion designer to the stars doesn't know how she came to be a vampire but is at peace with her lot. She's never even met another vampireHer best friend Max has always been there for her, and will do anything for her. But well he? Her detective lover doesn't believe in vampires. Will he believe in her? And who committing the vampire-like murders around town? Is there someone else like her out there?
October 2, 2008
This is part of a vampire series. It's the second one I've read (although this is the first book in the series). They're not as good as Anne Rice, but still interesting. They go back in time a bit, but mostly focus on today. I'd reccommend it.
June 12, 2009
When I read this series, there were not to many vampire series out there.
This was a vampire with a day job. She gets involved with a cop.
This was a vampire with a day job. She gets involved with a cop.
August 10, 2011
the writing felt very dated and I just couldn't make it past the first 100pgs. bummer! thought I had found a gem! :o(
May 20, 2016
This book had me on the edge of my seat the whole time I was reading it.... To be honest I read it twice now <3
January 29, 2022
Read this book in part of the Hunger, Vampire Legacy novel. Read these books in high school. Loved them then and feels good to re-read them.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews