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Argeneau #22
About a Vampire
In New York Times bestselling author Lynsay Sands’ new Argeneau novel, a vampire accustomed to seducing every woman he meets finds the one determined to resist him . . .
With Immortal good looks and scorching charisma, Justin Bricker has yet to meet a woman he can’t win over. His potential life mate should be no different. But instead of falling into his bed, Holly Bosley runs away and ends up mortally wounded. To save her, he has to turn her. And then Bricker learns the shocking truth: Holly’s already married.
Holly wakes up with a bump on her head, a craving for blood, and a sexy stranger who insists they belong together. She needs Bricker’s help to control her new abilities, even as she tries to resist his relentless seduction. Choosing between the world she knows and the eternity he offers is impossible. But Justin is fighting for his life mate—maybe even his life—and he’ll break every rule to do it...
With Immortal good looks and scorching charisma, Justin Bricker has yet to meet a woman he can’t win over. His potential life mate should be no different. But instead of falling into his bed, Holly Bosley runs away and ends up mortally wounded. To save her, he has to turn her. And then Bricker learns the shocking truth: Holly’s already married.
Holly wakes up with a bump on her head, a craving for blood, and a sexy stranger who insists they belong together. She needs Bricker’s help to control her new abilities, even as she tries to resist his relentless seduction. Choosing between the world she knows and the eternity he offers is impossible. But Justin is fighting for his life mate—maybe even his life—and he’ll break every rule to do it...
357 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published September 29, 2015
426 people are currently reading
4032 people want to read
About the author
Lynsay Sands
124 books12.2k followersLYNSAY SANDS is the nationally bestselling author who is known for her hysterical historicals as well as the popular Argeneau/Rogue Hunter vampire series. With her witty and charming personality, Sands describes books as, “Waking dreams or stories, tales to amuse, entertain and distract us from everyday life.” She’s been writing stories since grade school and considers herself incredibly lucky to be able to make a career out of it. Her hope is that readers can get away from their everyday stress through her stories, and if there are occasional uncontrollable fits of laughter, that’s just a big bonus. Visit her official website at www.lynsaysands.net.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 611 reviews
November 1, 2022
Bricker gets his gal!
The following ratings are out of 5:
Narration: 🎧🎧🎧🎧
Romance: 💙💚🖤💜❤️
Heat/Steam: 🔥🔥🔥🔥
Story/Plot: 📕📗📘📙
World building: 🌎🌍🌏🌎🌍
Character development: 😳🤬😏🥵😍
The heroine: Holly Bosley - she grew up abroad with parents that were archeologists. Her parents and their best friends always traveled together. She grew up alongside their son, James. They were best friends their entire lives and got married after college.
The Hero(s): Justin Bricker - enforcer and rogue hunter, Justin is the youngest of the enforcers at just over 100 years old. He never expected to meet his life mate so early, especially after seeing some of his friends that had been alive for more than a thousand years old waiting for theirs. However, when a human woman catches him throwing bodies in a crematorium, he finds that he can’t read her thoughts.
The Story: Holly runs from Justin and ends up getting hurt. Bricker has no choice but to turn her or lose his life mate forever. Though he doesn’t find out until later that she is already married. Due to the laws for the immortals, Justin can’t use any undue immortal influence to get in between a married couple.
I didn’t think I would like this one as much as some of the others in this series. I usually hate it when one of the protagonists is married to or involved with someone else unless that person is a cheater or abuser, so deserve to be left behind. Though with that said, it was pretty great to see Justin, who has been pretty cocky and arrogant about being a ladies man, try to woo Holly without using immortal life mate powers of persuasion. I really liked Justin and the guys training Holly on being immortal.
I do love this series. It is so refreshing to have a long series like this where each book is basically a stand-alone. Some characters from other books appear in each new book, but I started this series at book 30 and since then have skipped around the series and I am not missing anything. There isn’t a big recurring theme going through the series like a war against another group where you would be lost if you read the books out of order.
The narration was fine, though nothing spectacular. If you have read my reviews in the past, you know that I like dual narration with a man and a woman. I think even if the book is told in one POV, they can still do the narration as dual, just having the male read the man’s part and female read the woman parts. Though I did like this was told mostly from Justin’s POV and Chris Andrew Ciulla did a good job with the narration.
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The following ratings are out of 5:
Narration: 🎧🎧🎧🎧
Romance: 💙💚🖤💜❤️
Heat/Steam: 🔥🔥🔥🔥
Story/Plot: 📕📗📘📙
World building: 🌎🌍🌏🌎🌍
Character development: 😳🤬😏🥵😍
The heroine: Holly Bosley - she grew up abroad with parents that were archeologists. Her parents and their best friends always traveled together. She grew up alongside their son, James. They were best friends their entire lives and got married after college.
The Hero(s): Justin Bricker - enforcer and rogue hunter, Justin is the youngest of the enforcers at just over 100 years old. He never expected to meet his life mate so early, especially after seeing some of his friends that had been alive for more than a thousand years old waiting for theirs. However, when a human woman catches him throwing bodies in a crematorium, he finds that he can’t read her thoughts.
The Story: Holly runs from Justin and ends up getting hurt. Bricker has no choice but to turn her or lose his life mate forever. Though he doesn’t find out until later that she is already married. Due to the laws for the immortals, Justin can’t use any undue immortal influence to get in between a married couple.
I didn’t think I would like this one as much as some of the others in this series. I usually hate it when one of the protagonists is married to or involved with someone else unless that person is a cheater or abuser, so deserve to be left behind. Though with that said, it was pretty great to see Justin, who has been pretty cocky and arrogant about being a ladies man, try to woo Holly without using immortal life mate powers of persuasion. I really liked Justin and the guys training Holly on being immortal.
I do love this series. It is so refreshing to have a long series like this where each book is basically a stand-alone. Some characters from other books appear in each new book, but I started this series at book 30 and since then have skipped around the series and I am not missing anything. There isn’t a big recurring theme going through the series like a war against another group where you would be lost if you read the books out of order.
The narration was fine, though nothing spectacular. If you have read my reviews in the past, you know that I like dual narration with a man and a woman. I think even if the book is told in one POV, they can still do the narration as dual, just having the male read the man’s part and female read the woman parts. Though I did like this was told mostly from Justin’s POV and Chris Andrew Ciulla did a good job with the narration.
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July 19, 2017
what was this proclivity women had to spend so much damned time in the bathroom together? Did they play poker in there? Have tea parties? Book club meetings at the sinks? Napkin-folding practice?
The jig is up, girls! We have been made. Move the napkin-folding practice sessions to private homes from now on.
Hmm, I think I can manage these better than swans.
So, Yay!! I finally hit the book I wanted to read in this series. It was about a male vamp who has been in the series since the beginning and has always made me laugh. We all know how much of a laugh-whore I am, and this book series really put it to the test. Just how many crappy books is Jilly willing to read to get to the one that might make her laugh? And, now we have the answer. 21.
Get a life!
(I meant me, by the way. I need to get a life)
So our guy, Justin, meets a girl who is his life-mate and then promptly scares the crap out of her so that she runs with scissors and falls on them, impaling herself in the heart.
Now, I must point out that this is one of the best ways to die ever. I totally am going to start running with scissors if I ever get a terminal illness. I just want my children to be able to tell everyone that I died that way. It's a gift to all of my future descendants. It's much better than anything else I could leave to them, believe me. As a matter of fact, if I make it to 80, I'll start running with scissors then too. I don't want to die stupidly, like peacefully in my sleep. Where's the fun in that for my descendants?
Actually, this is true. If I make it to 80, I'll start walking with scissors. If I start running then, I will probably die of a boring heart attack and that's not funny at all.
Okay, so now that I've planned my death, on with the review.
Justin turns his life-mate, Holly, into a vampire... and by the way, she immediately loses 20 pounds. So not fair! I want to lose 20 pounds without doing anything but running with scissors like a fool. Although, I guess the running part of running with scissors would eventually make you lose weight. Something to think about...
Alright, I admit that i might be spending a little more time on the running with scissors thing than I should. It really wasn't a huge part of the story. Just a catalyst. And, you see, by using the word catalyst properly in a sentence, I have proved that I'm not quite as idiotic as you are thinking right now.
So, Justin turns Holly and is excited for his happily ever after, but when Holly wakes up, she lowers the boom. She's married, dude! Bummer for you!!
He is so screwed.
You see, there is a vamp rule that they are not allowed to break up mortal marriages. The punishment for doing so is to have their penis shredded, then allowed to heal, then shredded again, for as many years as they have lived. And, Justin is over 100 years old. That's a hell of a lot of shredding.
Oooh, that's gotta hurt!
So, Justin has to train Holly to be a vamp, including pulling her off her husband as she continually tries to bite him, AND he has to stay the hell away so they don't bring out the shredder.
This book was a lot of fun and it had two females that I loved. Holly was hilarious in her bloodlust - which she experienced a few times. And, then there was another vamp girl, named Gia, who was awesome in her feminist powers. You see, Justin was a bit of a manwhore before all of this. Gia calls him on it:
“From your memories and thoughts it seems obvious to me that you think of women as little more than sheaths for your sword, and you’ve had many sheaths”
Then, when another male tries to defend his actions, she is NOT having it:
“Oh, be fair, Gia,” Decker said quietly. “None of them were his life mate. He would hardly treat Holly that way.”
“So, because they were not his life mate, it is all right that he treated them like a commodity?”Gia asked, one eyebrow arched. “That he used them for his own pleasure, got what he could from them, and then tossed them aside like disposable tampons?”
All three men cringed at that analogy and Gia rolled her eyes.
Go Gia! And, way to use our girly-stuff to freak them out!
Between Holly and Gia, along with Justin's very sad attempts at making Holly like him, I thought the book was a lot of fun. The only problem I had with it was the way the married thing was resolved. It was just waaaaay too much. Like, contrived. Like, gimme a break.... But, I could see that the author really was painted into a corner by the end. She was going to have to do something, and whatever it was, it was going to be messy.
Good luck with all of that!
Overall, I am glad I persevered up to this point. And, since I liked it, I am tempted to keep going on the series...
The jig is up, girls! We have been made. Move the napkin-folding practice sessions to private homes from now on.
Hmm, I think I can manage these better than swans.
So, Yay!! I finally hit the book I wanted to read in this series. It was about a male vamp who has been in the series since the beginning and has always made me laugh. We all know how much of a laugh-whore I am, and this book series really put it to the test. Just how many crappy books is Jilly willing to read to get to the one that might make her laugh? And, now we have the answer. 21.
Get a life!
(I meant me, by the way. I need to get a life)
So our guy, Justin, meets a girl who is his life-mate and then promptly scares the crap out of her so that she runs with scissors and falls on them, impaling herself in the heart.
Now, I must point out that this is one of the best ways to die ever. I totally am going to start running with scissors if I ever get a terminal illness. I just want my children to be able to tell everyone that I died that way. It's a gift to all of my future descendants. It's much better than anything else I could leave to them, believe me. As a matter of fact, if I make it to 80, I'll start running with scissors then too. I don't want to die stupidly, like peacefully in my sleep. Where's the fun in that for my descendants?
Actually, this is true. If I make it to 80, I'll start walking with scissors. If I start running then, I will probably die of a boring heart attack and that's not funny at all.
Okay, so now that I've planned my death, on with the review.
Justin turns his life-mate, Holly, into a vampire... and by the way, she immediately loses 20 pounds. So not fair! I want to lose 20 pounds without doing anything but running with scissors like a fool. Although, I guess the running part of running with scissors would eventually make you lose weight. Something to think about...
Alright, I admit that i might be spending a little more time on the running with scissors thing than I should. It really wasn't a huge part of the story. Just a catalyst. And, you see, by using the word catalyst properly in a sentence, I have proved that I'm not quite as idiotic as you are thinking right now.
So, Justin turns Holly and is excited for his happily ever after, but when Holly wakes up, she lowers the boom. She's married, dude! Bummer for you!!
He is so screwed.
You see, there is a vamp rule that they are not allowed to break up mortal marriages. The punishment for doing so is to have their penis shredded, then allowed to heal, then shredded again, for as many years as they have lived. And, Justin is over 100 years old. That's a hell of a lot of shredding.
Oooh, that's gotta hurt!
So, Justin has to train Holly to be a vamp, including pulling her off her husband as she continually tries to bite him, AND he has to stay the hell away so they don't bring out the shredder.
This book was a lot of fun and it had two females that I loved. Holly was hilarious in her bloodlust - which she experienced a few times. And, then there was another vamp girl, named Gia, who was awesome in her feminist powers. You see, Justin was a bit of a manwhore before all of this. Gia calls him on it:
“From your memories and thoughts it seems obvious to me that you think of women as little more than sheaths for your sword, and you’ve had many sheaths”
Then, when another male tries to defend his actions, she is NOT having it:
“Oh, be fair, Gia,” Decker said quietly. “None of them were his life mate. He would hardly treat Holly that way.”
“So, because they were not his life mate, it is all right that he treated them like a commodity?”Gia asked, one eyebrow arched. “That he used them for his own pleasure, got what he could from them, and then tossed them aside like disposable tampons?”
All three men cringed at that analogy and Gia rolled her eyes.
Go Gia! And, way to use our girly-stuff to freak them out!
Between Holly and Gia, along with Justin's very sad attempts at making Holly like him, I thought the book was a lot of fun. The only problem I had with it was the way the married thing was resolved. It was just waaaaay too much. Like, contrived. Like, gimme a break.... But, I could see that the author really was painted into a corner by the end. She was going to have to do something, and whatever it was, it was going to be messy.
Good luck with all of that!
Overall, I am glad I persevered up to this point. And, since I liked it, I am tempted to keep going on the series...
September 28, 2015
This is the 22nd (wow!) book in Sands’ Argeneau series. I’ve read earlier books in this series and enjoyed them but even that amount of familiarity isn’t necessary to follow this story.
Holly Bosley is working part-time at a funeral home when she has an unexpected encounter with Justin Bricker one night at the crematorium. Justin is there to dispose of the bodies of some enemy vampires that he and his partner have just killed. Holly interrupts them and Justin discovers that he is unable to read her mind or control her, which signals that she is his Life Mate.
This book was an easy, comfortable story to read. It is definitely PNR with the main focus of the story being the relationship between Holly and Justin. In fact, outside of their relationship, there is little happening in the way of plot. This is a full length novel but I really think it would have been better as a novella. There was just little to drive the plot forward beyond Holly figuring out if she was going to accept Justin as her Life Mate. Since this is the 22nd book in this series, it is possible that Sands is assuming readers will already have an extensive knowledge of her world and thus didn’t include much world-building in this story. Although well-written and enjoyable, there was little for the reader to “figure out” in terms of the plot and the overall tension and conflict in the story was minimal. In addition, the destined-mate, instant-attraction element felt awkward to me and other authors have definitely handled it better.
What I liked: Sands is an excellent writer and this book was as easy, comfortable read; Holly and Justin were a likable couple; Fans of the series will like the peeks they get of couples from previous novels.
What I didn’t like: Beyond “I can’t read her mind, she must be my Life Mate,” there was little to explain Justin’s attraction to Holly. There was little conflict and so it often felt as though the story was dragging.
Final Verdict: Fans of the series or readers looking for a light, quick PNR will probably enjoy this.
- Jessica
Holly Bosley is working part-time at a funeral home when she has an unexpected encounter with Justin Bricker one night at the crematorium. Justin is there to dispose of the bodies of some enemy vampires that he and his partner have just killed. Holly interrupts them and Justin discovers that he is unable to read her mind or control her, which signals that she is his Life Mate.
This book was an easy, comfortable story to read. It is definitely PNR with the main focus of the story being the relationship between Holly and Justin. In fact, outside of their relationship, there is little happening in the way of plot. This is a full length novel but I really think it would have been better as a novella. There was just little to drive the plot forward beyond Holly figuring out if she was going to accept Justin as her Life Mate. Since this is the 22nd book in this series, it is possible that Sands is assuming readers will already have an extensive knowledge of her world and thus didn’t include much world-building in this story. Although well-written and enjoyable, there was little for the reader to “figure out” in terms of the plot and the overall tension and conflict in the story was minimal. In addition, the destined-mate, instant-attraction element felt awkward to me and other authors have definitely handled it better.
What I liked: Sands is an excellent writer and this book was as easy, comfortable read; Holly and Justin were a likable couple; Fans of the series will like the peeks they get of couples from previous novels.
What I didn’t like: Beyond “I can’t read her mind, she must be my Life Mate,” there was little to explain Justin’s attraction to Holly. There was little conflict and so it often felt as though the story was dragging.
Final Verdict: Fans of the series or readers looking for a light, quick PNR will probably enjoy this.
- Jessica
December 8, 2022
Man. I’ve loved this series for a long time. It’s been quite a while since I’ve read the last book so I jumped into this one ready for some steamy fun. I was so bored. Nothing happened. A girl gets turned. We didn’t even get any real live steamy scenes. They were all dream sequences. And the convenience of how her other relationship ended had me rolling my eyes. I’m really disappointed. I hope I haven’t grown out of this series because I’ve always thought they were so much fun. This was just such a let down for me.
January 10, 2016
This review was originally posted on Addicted To Romance
Summary
Justin Bricker, after killing some rogues, is ordered to dispose of the evidence. While at a cemetery attempting to burn them, he and his colleague are found by a mortal...Holly Bosley. Justin chases after her when his attempt to control her mind fails and she ends up with scissors in her hands and trips and falling on her own "weapon" and Justin is forced to turn her in order to save her. He realizes then that she is his lifemate. Justin has seen enough of life matings to think he can conquer his with little effort. But when Justin attempts to explain who he is and the life that Holly will have to live, he is informed that Holly thinks him "nuts" and should go to a mental hospital. And he realizes that she is married, of all his luck, his lifemate is married to another man. The laws of the immortals forbid him to pursue her while she is married. Her feelings for her husband are genuine and she has loved him since they were kids. For the first time in his life, Justin is at a loss on what to do. Holly's life has turned completely around, and at first she doesn't want to believe what she has become. But after her training, she returns home to her husband and the "easy and comfortable" life she has. But realizes that she has feelings for two men....one whom she loves and another she dreams about. She refuses to betray the one man she has adored and loved since she was a child, but she also can't ignore the powerful feelings she has for Justin.
The Hero
Justin Bricker is quite cocky and arrogant. Despite the fact that he is one of the younger vampires, a little over a hundred years old, he thinks he has a handle on a woman's mind. He knows what women want and when his lifemate comes along, that it will be easy for him to make her fall in love. Justin is an enforcer, and he well learned in the ways of immortals. When he finds Holly and learns of her circumstances, he knows that his hands are tied unless she makes a move. Until he realizes "dream mating". He is sure that is the only way he will be able to seduce her. His instinct is to mate with her, but he can't while she is bound to someone else. Justin Bricker is a character we have seen most of the series and probably the cockiest of them all. I love seeing him finally get a challenge that he doesn't expect and seeing how he handles some conflict that he isn't ready for. I felt like overall his character was quite entertaining, but I really didn't like how he treated the situation of Holly being married. It got me a bit frustrated at times. But he does learn....eventually, respecting Holly and her decisions despite how difficult it is for him to accept Holly and be willing to wait for her.
The Heroine
About A Vampire was quite a bit different than the other books in the series. It had a slightly different feel to the story that was new to me. And it was all due to the circumstances that Justin and Holly find themselves in. Now I normally can't stand the whole one of the main characters being married, but somehow this story worked for me. I honestly didn't know how this book would turn out, but Lynsay Sands always wins me over and she accomplished it with About A Vampire. I don't want to spoil this story too much, but I will say the way that the story turns out was quite perfect, especially when it comes to Gia and her story. I really liked the friendship between Holly and Gia. Despite how different they are from each other, they become like sisters pretty quickly and I loved seeing that bond. The actual romance had quite a bit of conflict, and it turns the reader upside down. And oh the antics with the side characters...most especially Lucian. Lucian is always a favorite and boy did I love him in this book. And the tricks that Bricker's friends play on him is just priceless, because he totally had it coming to him. But I so was on Holly's side in this book, she was just an easy character to love and what a situation to be put in. She tries to make her marriage work, even knowing that its going to be really tough for her. Having to hear every thought her husband has, and just trying to not let it affect her. It was interesting seeing Justin and Holly come together. Because for most of the story, its more building a more emotional intimacy and the physical development of their relationship is focused with the dream mating. It had a love triangle feel to it, but it had a different tone to it than your average love triangle. But boy was this book quite a story and it really worked me well through the emotions. Love how Sands can do that for me and make me fall in love along the way despite my reservations. Bravo!!
The Cover
Out of all the covers...I LOVE this one. It has such a paranormal feel to it, but still sexy too. Love the sunset over the cemetery.
Overall View
About A Vampire is a story that tests the boundaries of love and is packed with heartfelt emotion and a conflict to keep the reader enthralled.
Summary
Justin Bricker, after killing some rogues, is ordered to dispose of the evidence. While at a cemetery attempting to burn them, he and his colleague are found by a mortal...Holly Bosley. Justin chases after her when his attempt to control her mind fails and she ends up with scissors in her hands and trips and falling on her own "weapon" and Justin is forced to turn her in order to save her. He realizes then that she is his lifemate. Justin has seen enough of life matings to think he can conquer his with little effort. But when Justin attempts to explain who he is and the life that Holly will have to live, he is informed that Holly thinks him "nuts" and should go to a mental hospital. And he realizes that she is married, of all his luck, his lifemate is married to another man. The laws of the immortals forbid him to pursue her while she is married. Her feelings for her husband are genuine and she has loved him since they were kids. For the first time in his life, Justin is at a loss on what to do. Holly's life has turned completely around, and at first she doesn't want to believe what she has become. But after her training, she returns home to her husband and the "easy and comfortable" life she has. But realizes that she has feelings for two men....one whom she loves and another she dreams about. She refuses to betray the one man she has adored and loved since she was a child, but she also can't ignore the powerful feelings she has for Justin.
The Hero
Justin Bricker is quite cocky and arrogant. Despite the fact that he is one of the younger vampires, a little over a hundred years old, he thinks he has a handle on a woman's mind. He knows what women want and when his lifemate comes along, that it will be easy for him to make her fall in love. Justin is an enforcer, and he well learned in the ways of immortals. When he finds Holly and learns of her circumstances, he knows that his hands are tied unless she makes a move. Until he realizes "dream mating". He is sure that is the only way he will be able to seduce her. His instinct is to mate with her, but he can't while she is bound to someone else. Justin Bricker is a character we have seen most of the series and probably the cockiest of them all. I love seeing him finally get a challenge that he doesn't expect and seeing how he handles some conflict that he isn't ready for. I felt like overall his character was quite entertaining, but I really didn't like how he treated the situation of Holly being married. It got me a bit frustrated at times. But he does learn....eventually, respecting Holly and her decisions despite how difficult it is for him to accept Holly and be willing to wait for her.
The Heroine
Holly Bosley grew up with parents who traveled the world as archaeologists, and her husband was a boy she practically grew up with as his father was friends and colleagues with her parents. He is her best friend, and she has always loved him. She is content with their life, working and going to school to get her degree and trying to support her husband in his career. Her latest temp job has thrown a curve ball. Holly is shocked to learn about the discovery of vampires and that she has become one. She doesn't truly believe until she actually returns home. Holly was a heroine I admired from the beginning. Most of her reactions I felt were pretty realistic. I love the way that she remains devoted to her husband despite her growing feelings for Justin. Holly seems to be reserved at first, and in some ways she is. But she has spirit and quite a bit of spunk and can be a bit unpredictable which was fun.
About A Vampire was quite a bit different than the other books in the series. It had a slightly different feel to the story that was new to me. And it was all due to the circumstances that Justin and Holly find themselves in. Now I normally can't stand the whole one of the main characters being married, but somehow this story worked for me. I honestly didn't know how this book would turn out, but Lynsay Sands always wins me over and she accomplished it with About A Vampire. I don't want to spoil this story too much, but I will say the way that the story turns out was quite perfect, especially when it comes to Gia and her story. I really liked the friendship between Holly and Gia. Despite how different they are from each other, they become like sisters pretty quickly and I loved seeing that bond. The actual romance had quite a bit of conflict, and it turns the reader upside down. And oh the antics with the side characters...most especially Lucian. Lucian is always a favorite and boy did I love him in this book. And the tricks that Bricker's friends play on him is just priceless, because he totally had it coming to him. But I so was on Holly's side in this book, she was just an easy character to love and what a situation to be put in. She tries to make her marriage work, even knowing that its going to be really tough for her. Having to hear every thought her husband has, and just trying to not let it affect her. It was interesting seeing Justin and Holly come together. Because for most of the story, its more building a more emotional intimacy and the physical development of their relationship is focused with the dream mating. It had a love triangle feel to it, but it had a different tone to it than your average love triangle. But boy was this book quite a story and it really worked me well through the emotions. Love how Sands can do that for me and make me fall in love along the way despite my reservations. Bravo!!
The Cover
Out of all the covers...I LOVE this one. It has such a paranormal feel to it, but still sexy too. Love the sunset over the cemetery.
Overall View
About A Vampire is a story that tests the boundaries of love and is packed with heartfelt emotion and a conflict to keep the reader enthralled.
October 7, 2023
A long-awaited twist to the basic premise of the Argeneau series of paranormal romances, and I think the author handled it pretty well overall. Here's the twist.
In each of the twenty-two novels so far, an immortal (don't call us vampires) finds a life mate, who might also be an immortal but more often is mortal and doesn't know immortals exist. The immortal knows this is The One because the usual mind-reading and mind-control don't work with this person, and other immortals can read and control the person's mind quite well. And the process of getting together with a life mate makes for a whole novel full of often very funny scenes.
But what if an immortal man meets a young mortal woman by chance, can't read her mind, knows she is his life mate, and right away she has a fatal accident, so he turns her into an immortal to save her life (something he's allowed to do only once in his own life)--and it turns out she's happily married to the fellow she grew up with? What then?
Add in a couple of extra premises, just to make it more fun for the reader. (1) The immortal in question is Justin Bricker, who's appeared in several of the Argeneau novels already and left me feeling he's a real jerk, enthusiastically using women for sex only and having fun messing with his comrades' attempts to get together with their life mates. It's payback time, Justin! (2) The happily married woman, Holly Bosley, meets Justin in a scene straight out of a horror movie and flees in terror, so he chases her, which is how she has that accident. (3) Lucian, who gives the orders in this series, makes it clear it's Justin's responsibility to train Holly through the difficult and dangerous first weeks of being a newly turned immortal.
And it's Lucian who drops the bomb on Justin. One glance at Holly and Lucian saw her whole life, so Justin gets the surprise that she's married plus a stern reminder that immortal law forbids any interference in a mortal marriage. And under Lucian's command Justin is one of the Enforcers of immortal law who catch and kill rogue immortals. So far in his young life (only a century or so) Justin has been law-abiding, bedding single women only. So he's doubly committed as an Enforcer to follow the rules now.
Most of the novel is from Holly's point of view as she adjusts to her new way of life. With elaborate teamwork the Argeneaus have used mind control to secure two weeks for Holly away from her job, her husband, and her relatives, so that she can be prepared to fit back in as an immortal among mortals and make it work. Justin will just have to wait for a few decades before it's right to hook up with Holly.
But wait. This is paranormal romance, after all. Happy endings guaranteed by the publisher, or the publisher goes out of business. Doesn't Holly develop feelings for Justin? Are her feelings for her husband James changing? After all, Justin is sure that the prospect of unbelievably hot sex with a life mate will make Holly drop James like an old cold potato.
Here come the sex scenes, then. But Holly stays resolutely faithful to James--morally she is a very strong person. But as we know from 21 previous Argeneau novels, one of the first indicators of life mates is that they have dream sex. So long as they're both asleep at the same time and not too far apart (for example, in separate bedrooms), they spontaneously enter each other's dreams for mind-blowing sex. So the meticulously detailed erotic passages we expect from this series happen only in Justin and Holly's dreams!
The humor varies in these Argeneau novels, from wildly funny to barely there, and this one is more or less in the middle for me. The delightful comedy is tempered by long sections that focus on Holly's distress at her situation, while Justin very gradually becomes a little less of a jerk. (Still not my favorite Argeneau). And the requisite happy ending is produced by a terribly contrived plot twist in the last three chapters. While I admit I didn't see it coming, it felt a little like the author was having fun with her faithful readers!
Three stars, then, for the novel plus the extra half a star to every book in the series for the world-building concept of the immortals (nanobots in the bloodstream! Atlantean technology! science fiction over fantasy!), so 3.5 automatically rounded up.
In each of the twenty-two novels so far, an immortal (don't call us vampires) finds a life mate, who might also be an immortal but more often is mortal and doesn't know immortals exist. The immortal knows this is The One because the usual mind-reading and mind-control don't work with this person, and other immortals can read and control the person's mind quite well. And the process of getting together with a life mate makes for a whole novel full of often very funny scenes.
But what if an immortal man meets a young mortal woman by chance, can't read her mind, knows she is his life mate, and right away she has a fatal accident, so he turns her into an immortal to save her life (something he's allowed to do only once in his own life)--and it turns out she's happily married to the fellow she grew up with? What then?
Add in a couple of extra premises, just to make it more fun for the reader. (1) The immortal in question is Justin Bricker, who's appeared in several of the Argeneau novels already and left me feeling he's a real jerk, enthusiastically using women for sex only and having fun messing with his comrades' attempts to get together with their life mates. It's payback time, Justin! (2) The happily married woman, Holly Bosley, meets Justin in a scene straight out of a horror movie and flees in terror, so he chases her, which is how she has that accident. (3) Lucian, who gives the orders in this series, makes it clear it's Justin's responsibility to train Holly through the difficult and dangerous first weeks of being a newly turned immortal.
And it's Lucian who drops the bomb on Justin. One glance at Holly and Lucian saw her whole life, so Justin gets the surprise that she's married plus a stern reminder that immortal law forbids any interference in a mortal marriage. And under Lucian's command Justin is one of the Enforcers of immortal law who catch and kill rogue immortals. So far in his young life (only a century or so) Justin has been law-abiding, bedding single women only. So he's doubly committed as an Enforcer to follow the rules now.
Most of the novel is from Holly's point of view as she adjusts to her new way of life. With elaborate teamwork the Argeneaus have used mind control to secure two weeks for Holly away from her job, her husband, and her relatives, so that she can be prepared to fit back in as an immortal among mortals and make it work. Justin will just have to wait for a few decades before it's right to hook up with Holly.
But wait. This is paranormal romance, after all. Happy endings guaranteed by the publisher, or the publisher goes out of business. Doesn't Holly develop feelings for Justin? Are her feelings for her husband James changing? After all, Justin is sure that the prospect of unbelievably hot sex with a life mate will make Holly drop James like an old cold potato.
Here come the sex scenes, then. But Holly stays resolutely faithful to James--morally she is a very strong person. But as we know from 21 previous Argeneau novels, one of the first indicators of life mates is that they have dream sex. So long as they're both asleep at the same time and not too far apart (for example, in separate bedrooms), they spontaneously enter each other's dreams for mind-blowing sex. So the meticulously detailed erotic passages we expect from this series happen only in Justin and Holly's dreams!
The humor varies in these Argeneau novels, from wildly funny to barely there, and this one is more or less in the middle for me. The delightful comedy is tempered by long sections that focus on Holly's distress at her situation, while Justin very gradually becomes a little less of a jerk. (Still not my favorite Argeneau). And the requisite happy ending is produced by a terribly contrived plot twist in the last three chapters. While I admit I didn't see it coming, it felt a little like the author was having fun with her faithful readers!
Three stars, then, for the novel plus the extra half a star to every book in the series for the world-building concept of the immortals (nanobots in the bloodstream! Atlantean technology! science fiction over fantasy!), so 3.5 automatically rounded up.
Want to read
March 5, 2015I am delighted that Justin is going to get his book....although I must admit I am suprised that Holly is going to be his life mate. I sort of wanted Stephanie. I was convinced that Justin couldn't read her, cause I can recall the end of one book when he's carrying her into the house when "he looks down at the women in his arms and frown's" or something like that. Oh well go figure. I'm sure it will rock.
September 29, 2015
Kitty's review posted at Guilty Pleasures Book Reviews
Does anyone know how long I have waited for Justin’s book? It seems like forever. And, now that I am reviewing it, I can honestly say that it was worth the wait even though I was totally frustrated with the storyline! Justin finds his life mate and she’s married? Really, Lynsay, really????
I was so looking forward to his book and his HEA and was really surprised with the way she took this story. But, with Justin’s sense of humor, it was only natural that his story would be a little off the beaten path. And, thank God for all the other life mates making his life as miserable as he made theirs as they were trying to gain the trust of their better halves. It was wonderful watching him go through what so many have gone through before him. Anders and Decker letting him know that paybacks are definitely a bitch made this book interesting and hysterical.
As for Holly, well she had a lot of decisions ahead of her. I give kudos to Lynsay for not taking her character where I thought it was heading. She took everything pretty much in stride considering her life as she knew it, was over. So, does she pick the comfortable, unsatisfying life she was living with her husband or move on to what could be an incredible, long, satisfying life with the man who showed her how great sex could be and claims to be the only man in the world for her?
How does Lynsay Sands do it? This is the 22nd book in this series and each and every story is original. That is not an easy task and the sign of one incredible author. What’s even nicer about this series is that you don’t have to read all 21 books before this. Each one can be read as a standalone and you won’t be lost. But, if you truly love Paranormal Romances and enjoy books that are fun, different and not your normal vampire book, then you will want to read the rest of this series.
It’s very easy for me to explain why I keep reading and enjoying the Argeneau Series …. The writing is impeccable, the stories are amusing and the characters are just wonderful. So, yes, I will wait for the 23rd installment of the Argeneau’s, I will read about any one of the interesting and fun characters that she will write about, I will wait to see what Marguerite has up her sleeve and find out if Lucien ever loses his grumpiness.
Review copy provided for an honest review.
Does anyone know how long I have waited for Justin’s book? It seems like forever. And, now that I am reviewing it, I can honestly say that it was worth the wait even though I was totally frustrated with the storyline! Justin finds his life mate and she’s married? Really, Lynsay, really????
I was so looking forward to his book and his HEA and was really surprised with the way she took this story. But, with Justin’s sense of humor, it was only natural that his story would be a little off the beaten path. And, thank God for all the other life mates making his life as miserable as he made theirs as they were trying to gain the trust of their better halves. It was wonderful watching him go through what so many have gone through before him. Anders and Decker letting him know that paybacks are definitely a bitch made this book interesting and hysterical.
As for Holly, well she had a lot of decisions ahead of her. I give kudos to Lynsay for not taking her character where I thought it was heading. She took everything pretty much in stride considering her life as she knew it, was over. So, does she pick the comfortable, unsatisfying life she was living with her husband or move on to what could be an incredible, long, satisfying life with the man who showed her how great sex could be and claims to be the only man in the world for her?
How does Lynsay Sands do it? This is the 22nd book in this series and each and every story is original. That is not an easy task and the sign of one incredible author. What’s even nicer about this series is that you don’t have to read all 21 books before this. Each one can be read as a standalone and you won’t be lost. But, if you truly love Paranormal Romances and enjoy books that are fun, different and not your normal vampire book, then you will want to read the rest of this series.
It’s very easy for me to explain why I keep reading and enjoying the Argeneau Series …. The writing is impeccable, the stories are amusing and the characters are just wonderful. So, yes, I will wait for the 23rd installment of the Argeneau’s, I will read about any one of the interesting and fun characters that she will write about, I will wait to see what Marguerite has up her sleeve and find out if Lucien ever loses his grumpiness.
Review copy provided for an honest review.
October 6, 2017
La historia de Justin Bricker!!!! Me acaban de alegrar la semana. * salta de la felicidad *
********************************************************************************
En About A Vampire de Lynsay Sands conocemos la historia de Justin Bricker ( mi personaje favorito ) y Holly.
Esta novela fue como una montaña rusa, empezo de forma muy agradable, los primeros capitulos eran divertidos, graciosos, adictivos, muy del estilo de la saga pero luego se fue desinflando y las ultimas paginas me parecieron sosas y simples.
La relacion entre la pareja protagonista no me termino de convencer, al inicio me gustaron mucho pero segun fue avanzando la historia fui encontrando cada vez mas cosas que no me gustaba ( ni me creia ) de su relacion.
Eche en falta mas romance entre ellos y tambien que tuvieran escenas mas memorables, su relacion me parecio muy superficial.
Justin fue exactamente como esperaba : dulce y divertido pero Holly no me gusto como protagonista, al principio no me desagrado pero segun fui leyendo me fue cayendo cada vez peor, ademas me harto con su frase de " estoy casada ", en mi opinion Bricker se merecia una mejor novela y una protagonista a su altura y Holly no lo estuvo.
El final me resulto muy precipitado y " conveniente ", me hubiera gustado que Lynsay lo desarrollara mejor y de forma mas lenta.
En fin, esperaba disfrutar mucho con esta lectura, no solo por quien era su protagonista sino tambien por ser una de mis sagas favoritas pero desgraciadamente esta novela me dejo un sabor amargo, no cumplio mis expectativas y aunque fue agil y atrapante, no me convencio al 100%.
2.75 Estrellas!
October 5, 2015
It was OK/good. Some laughs at the end but the chemistry wasn't there between the two, a little attraction but nothing more. Bricker (Justin) seems so immature and gullible, for a over 100 year old... I was mad at the others, Decker and Anders, I don't care how much he teased them, he didn't sabotage their relationships and that is what they were doing. They didn't need to as it was doomed from the start and he could do it for himself especially in the situation that he was in. Sooner or later it would turn around, we knew that as a lifemate, but he doesn't have any patience. She is so stubborn but really isn't told anything but lies so what do we expect. Doesn't make for a very fun story line.
March 14, 2019
This book was funny. Justin is a great side character and it’s great to see his romance.
He falls for Holly, who falls on a pair of scissors while running. Yep. This is almost the dumbest way to die but I did read a vampire novel where the heroine died in a freak ultimate frisbee accident, so there’s that.
But Holly is married and it’s a big no no to break up marriages for life mates, so Justin has to train Holly in vampire ways so she can go home to her husband. There’s a lot of angst, you know, because Holly loves her husband and doesn’t want to commit adultery. For all the angst, it’s resolved nicely, but conveniently in the end.
Four stars, because it made me laugh how clueless Justin was about how to win Holly over and his ideas going horribly wrong.
Free on kindle unlimited, even though the rest of her books aren’t.
He falls for Holly, who falls on a pair of scissors while running. Yep. This is almost the dumbest way to die but I did read a vampire novel where the heroine died in a freak ultimate frisbee accident, so there’s that.
But Holly is married and it’s a big no no to break up marriages for life mates, so Justin has to train Holly in vampire ways so she can go home to her husband. There’s a lot of angst, you know, because Holly loves her husband and doesn’t want to commit adultery. For all the angst, it’s resolved nicely, but conveniently in the end.
Four stars, because it made me laugh how clueless Justin was about how to win Holly over and his ideas going horribly wrong.
Free on kindle unlimited, even though the rest of her books aren’t.
December 1, 2015
**Eye-Roll**
December 27, 2021
Holly ❤ Justin! This book has one my favorite beginnings in the series, and I absolutely loved the ending! I read it again, so I can finally dive into the next book in the series that arrived in the mail just few days ago! Yay!
Re-Read: 12/2021
Re-Read: 12/2021
December 30, 2015
This is the book fans of the Argeneau series have long been waiting for. The handsome Justin Bricker is sent on a mission to do away with the remains of some rogues and as luck would have it, Holly Bosley arrives at the funeral home because she forgot to file some papers. Justin tries to control her but Holly takes off running in fear. When Holly trips and dies by accidentally stabbing herself, Bricker uses his one turn to change Holly into an immortal. It's not a wasted turn however because as luck would have it, Holly is Bricker's soulmate.
Bricker is confident that it will be easy for him to win Holly over. He's never had any trouble with the lades before. Bricker is absolutely handsome and unlike many of the older immortals, he is in touch with what is going on. What Bricker didn't plan on is the fact that Holly is not a single woman. Even if Holly doesn't immediately run back to her husband when she learns about her new status, immortal law forbids Bricker from interceding in a marriage. Apparently the punish involves having one's genitals torn apart repeatedly. Sounds pleasant doesn't it?
Holly quickly accepted the fact that she was an immortal but she did not suddenly fall into Justin's arms as he had hoped. I actually liked the idea that someone would chose to be faithful and not just leap because the grass looked greener on the other side. When Holly did go back to her husband, she found out why we aren't meant to read the thoughts of others. Though her husband continued to be caring and concerned, the thoughts that he had were not always generous.
As a love interest, beyond her faithfulness to her husband, I cannot say that I was enamored with Holly. Holly is yet another human female love interest who is insecure about her looks. Can we just have one love interest who hasn't got body issues please? It was made worse by the fact that of course when the nanos entered her body, they got rid of her muffin top and her few other "problem areas". I suppose the idea that people are perfect as they are is completely and utterly lost on Sands. Humans became instantly attracted to Holly and even her seemingly heterosexual female friend was flirting with her. Not cool Lynsay Sands, considering the erasure of GLBT characters in this series. Holly also took a break in school to put her husband through university and was considering bowing to pressure to put her education on hold again to earn money. So, not only did Holly have low self esteem, she was also the self sacrificing do it all for my man type of woman.
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Bricker is confident that it will be easy for him to win Holly over. He's never had any trouble with the lades before. Bricker is absolutely handsome and unlike many of the older immortals, he is in touch with what is going on. What Bricker didn't plan on is the fact that Holly is not a single woman. Even if Holly doesn't immediately run back to her husband when she learns about her new status, immortal law forbids Bricker from interceding in a marriage. Apparently the punish involves having one's genitals torn apart repeatedly. Sounds pleasant doesn't it?
Holly quickly accepted the fact that she was an immortal but she did not suddenly fall into Justin's arms as he had hoped. I actually liked the idea that someone would chose to be faithful and not just leap because the grass looked greener on the other side. When Holly did go back to her husband, she found out why we aren't meant to read the thoughts of others. Though her husband continued to be caring and concerned, the thoughts that he had were not always generous.
As a love interest, beyond her faithfulness to her husband, I cannot say that I was enamored with Holly. Holly is yet another human female love interest who is insecure about her looks. Can we just have one love interest who hasn't got body issues please? It was made worse by the fact that of course when the nanos entered her body, they got rid of her muffin top and her few other "problem areas". I suppose the idea that people are perfect as they are is completely and utterly lost on Sands. Humans became instantly attracted to Holly and even her seemingly heterosexual female friend was flirting with her. Not cool Lynsay Sands, considering the erasure of GLBT characters in this series. Holly also took a break in school to put her husband through university and was considering bowing to pressure to put her education on hold again to earn money. So, not only did Holly have low self esteem, she was also the self sacrificing do it all for my man type of woman.
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February 16, 2016
I'm soooooo unsure about what to think about this one. HELP! I might need to re-read it (and I did re-read all the previous books that shouldn't be a problem) but there are a few things that I should clear up.
I am happy about the way things turned out for Bricker and Holly. Hell, I am even happy if not happier about Gia and her life mate! What is bugging me is the HOW they got to their present situation.
Justin was always an amazing character. You could count on him to make you laugh and make you miserable if you were in the midst of wooing someone. The truth is, we all love him.
And boy did he deserve what he got! Although Dani and Valerie were right as well, while Justin liked to tease he never did something to ruin their chances.
Holly was very sweet and very understanding despite her life being turned upside down.
It was quite annoying how they all treated the 'marriage' stuff like some germ you can get yourself rid off. I mean, I am mortal and I am going to have a mortal marriage and how was mortal marriage described here just bugged me. And the way it was handled. Justin was constantly trying to interfere. And he couldn't understand why Holly wouldn't just jump his bones. SERIOUSLY? Did you miss the 'I'm married' part? Apparently he did. Big time. Everyone kept telling him that he would have Holly he just had to wait it out. NO. He wants it now, he would take it now. Yeah, crap.
I loved the ending. I just kind of hated the rest of the 200 pages in between. Shocker!
I'm not trying to rewrite the book( but perhaps someone should...) but Holly should have gone back to James sooner. I kept waiting for her to go home. To have some emergency and have Gia help her, find out she can't read James...and go from there? It would have played out more smoothly than it did. I wanted so much more and it could have been.
The last 3-4 books had too much info dumping and little to no conversation. Conversation is needed when you are trying to get to know someone and not just get into her/his pants. I miss the old books with their usual humour and comebacks.
I want the whole bunch of confusion with James and Holly having to deal together with the whole life mate business. Falling in love together with different persons. THAT was what I expected from this book.
I am happy about the way things turned out for Bricker and Holly. Hell, I am even happy if not happier about Gia and her life mate! What is bugging me is the HOW they got to their present situation.
Justin was always an amazing character. You could count on him to make you laugh and make you miserable if you were in the midst of wooing someone. The truth is, we all love him.
And boy did he deserve what he got! Although Dani and Valerie were right as well, while Justin liked to tease he never did something to ruin their chances.
Holly was very sweet and very understanding despite her life being turned upside down.
It was quite annoying how they all treated the 'marriage' stuff like some germ you can get yourself rid off. I mean, I am mortal and I am going to have a mortal marriage and how was mortal marriage described here just bugged me. And the way it was handled. Justin was constantly trying to interfere. And he couldn't understand why Holly wouldn't just jump his bones. SERIOUSLY? Did you miss the 'I'm married' part? Apparently he did. Big time. Everyone kept telling him that he would have Holly he just had to wait it out. NO. He wants it now, he would take it now. Yeah, crap.
I loved the ending. I just kind of hated the rest of the 200 pages in between. Shocker!
I'm not trying to rewrite the book( but perhaps someone should...) but Holly should have gone back to James sooner. I kept waiting for her to go home. To have some emergency and have Gia help her, find out she can't read James...and go from there? It would have played out more smoothly than it did. I wanted so much more and it could have been.
The last 3-4 books had too much info dumping and little to no conversation. Conversation is needed when you are trying to get to know someone and not just get into her/his pants. I miss the old books with their usual humour and comebacks.
I want the whole bunch of confusion with James and Holly having to deal together with the whole life mate business. Falling in love together with different persons. THAT was what I expected from this book.
October 15, 2015
Review courtesy of All Things Urban Fantasy:
ABOUT A VAMPIRE was a strange book with many fun scenes and characters, but there was definitely something missing: an antagonist. A book without a bad guy or even an big dramatic ending sequence feels a bit like a roller coaster that ends at the top of the ride.
This is all a shame, because the opening chapter was killer. It's funny, introduces the characters beautifully and has just enough foreshadowing to make you smile when things inevitably hit the fan.
Holly is charming, no-nonsense and newly a vampire. Bricker is... Bricker. He is a young-ish vampire who has been in most of the recent books, giving everyone who finds their life mate a hard time over how goofy they are acting. He is buff, sexy, and has always given off a devil-may-care attitude. All that disappears in a puff of smoke when he is put into the situation though. Since Holly is married, vampire law and Holly's moral code aren't letting him woo her with the full extent of his prowess. This leads into fun scenes where he tries to be charming and screws up quite a bit. These scenes were totally fun, especially for readers who know the series.
And yet... There was nothing at stake. There was not bad guy trying to keep them apart and no one trying to kill anyone. There was barely a love triangle with Holly's husband, and he got explained away so quickly at the end that I nearly hurt myself rolling my eyes so hard.
The worst thing that could have happened in this book is that Holly decides to stay true to her husband until he dies, and then comes to find Bricker fifty years later. For a series about immortals, that isn't super stressful for readers.
I read this book very quickly; it was a fun read. But without a antagonist or any action scene, it felt like the plot in this latest Argeneau novel never really took off.
ABOUT A VAMPIRE was a strange book with many fun scenes and characters, but there was definitely something missing: an antagonist. A book without a bad guy or even an big dramatic ending sequence feels a bit like a roller coaster that ends at the top of the ride.
This is all a shame, because the opening chapter was killer. It's funny, introduces the characters beautifully and has just enough foreshadowing to make you smile when things inevitably hit the fan.
Holly is charming, no-nonsense and newly a vampire. Bricker is... Bricker. He is a young-ish vampire who has been in most of the recent books, giving everyone who finds their life mate a hard time over how goofy they are acting. He is buff, sexy, and has always given off a devil-may-care attitude. All that disappears in a puff of smoke when he is put into the situation though. Since Holly is married, vampire law and Holly's moral code aren't letting him woo her with the full extent of his prowess. This leads into fun scenes where he tries to be charming and screws up quite a bit. These scenes were totally fun, especially for readers who know the series.
And yet... There was nothing at stake. There was not bad guy trying to keep them apart and no one trying to kill anyone. There was barely a love triangle with Holly's husband, and he got explained away so quickly at the end that I nearly hurt myself rolling my eyes so hard.
The worst thing that could have happened in this book is that Holly decides to stay true to her husband until he dies, and then comes to find Bricker fifty years later. For a series about immortals, that isn't super stressful for readers.
I read this book very quickly; it was a fun read. But without a antagonist or any action scene, it felt like the plot in this latest Argeneau novel never really took off.
October 14, 2015
Such a fun book. I thought this book was going to be sad but it wasn't. It had its usual humor and lightness that I love so much. Justin Bricker, the prankster, the naughtiest and the youngest immortal of all (as he used to think lol) got a book but his life mate who he saved from death is a married woman. And the immortal law states that no one can interfere human marriage and if they do, the punishment is terrible. But that didn't stop Justin Bricker from doing his best to make her see the amazing life she could have with a life mate. His buddies including his boss Lucian, gave Justin a hell as this was their opportunity for payback the teasing Justin gave them when they got their life mates. Justin knows he deserves it lol. With the not-so help from Anders and Decker, Justin started wooing her. But did it work? I enjoyed reading this book. One of my favorites in this series. Till the end, it had a humor. I cannot wait to see more of these two again.
February 20, 2023
Y’all. This is genuinely the worst book I have read in a while. Sophia bought me this as a joke, and I swear I have never read a book this terrible since my wattpad days.
Okay first off. It was so cringey. There were so many lines that literally made me want to gag. For example, “holy fuck a duck” was an actual line. I’m not lying. I wish I was. Oh and then the one that literally made me want to curl up in a ball, throw up, and die was “planting his flagpole in her sweet wet ground.” i’m literally disgusted. like i need to shower off the absolute disgustingness that was the dialogue of this book.
Speaking of disgusting… let’s talk about how fatphobic this book was??? Like it talked about her being a bit overweight but then she got turned and she was hot??? and everyone wasn’t attracted to her until after she lost the weight and she was like chill with it???
Also, like the origins of these vampires (or immortals they like to call themselves - literally gag), does not make sense. So they don’t age but it’s possible for vampires to have babies together? like his parents met and gave birth to three children? does this mean he was born the size of a grown man? or did he age? but aging goes against everything they already had set up.
OH MY GOD. My possible favorite dumpster fire of this book is she literally referenced the wrong name when talking about the main guy Justin. I am not lying, in the middle of a paragraph it says JASON and then goes back to Justin??!! Who edited this? Obviously not a single person.
So overall, I was disturbed and hated this book. I cant believe there are 36 books in this series???? who is reading all of those???
Dumpster Fire.
Okay first off. It was so cringey. There were so many lines that literally made me want to gag. For example, “holy fuck a duck” was an actual line. I’m not lying. I wish I was. Oh and then the one that literally made me want to curl up in a ball, throw up, and die was “planting his flagpole in her sweet wet ground.” i’m literally disgusted. like i need to shower off the absolute disgustingness that was the dialogue of this book.
Speaking of disgusting… let’s talk about how fatphobic this book was??? Like it talked about her being a bit overweight but then she got turned and she was hot??? and everyone wasn’t attracted to her until after she lost the weight and she was like chill with it???
Also, like the origins of these vampires (or immortals they like to call themselves - literally gag), does not make sense. So they don’t age but it’s possible for vampires to have babies together? like his parents met and gave birth to three children? does this mean he was born the size of a grown man? or did he age? but aging goes against everything they already had set up.
OH MY GOD. My possible favorite dumpster fire of this book is she literally referenced the wrong name when talking about the main guy Justin. I am not lying, in the middle of a paragraph it says JASON and then goes back to Justin??!! Who edited this? Obviously not a single person.
So overall, I was disturbed and hated this book. I cant believe there are 36 books in this series???? who is reading all of those???
Dumpster Fire.
May 12, 2015
I have been a fan of Justin since he was first introduced in this series and waiting for his book was serious torture.
Justin Bricker meets his life mate by total accident when he and Anders are taking care of burning rogues at Hollys temp job.
“Yeah, we’re pretty flammable,” Anders commented. “I guess that makes us hot stuff,” Justin said and laughed at his own joke.
She is so freaked out by what she sees and since justin can't control her she runs away. Holly ends up falling on a pair of scissors (of all things) and Justin is forced to change her. Yes she is married but Justin doesn't know and now holly will have to get used to her new life and have to decide if she will stay married to her husband or be a life mate to Justin.
When holly first wakes up Justin tries to be up front and explain things better then anyone from previous books. Let's just say the more he talks the more she thinks he is crazy.
“Well, it’s like winning the lotto or something.” That made her jerk her head toward him with a start. “The lotto?” “Yes,” he assured her. “It’s all good. You’ll never age, never get sick, never have to go to a dentist again. You’ll always be young and healthy.” Grinning, he grasped her arms lightly and said, “Basically you have won a lotto of sorts. The Bricker lotto.”
“Yes, bagged,” he said dryly and then his lips quirked. “Save a man, bite a bag.” Holly shook her head at what she supposed was intended as a joke and turned her attention to threading the belt through her pant loops as her mind wandered.
Justin is still as sexy, confident, and funny as his was in the other books he appeared in. I absolutely love his sense of humor! While dealing with the idea of holly being his life mate holly opens up to decker and Anders about things she doesn't like. Since Justin gave them a hard time while they were "wooing" their life mates they decide to get Justin back by saying she likes fish, flowers, picnics, dogs etc when she really doesn't. Justin pulls out all the stops and oh boy I was laughing so hard!! It was seriously a major highlight of this book.
After the turn holly is still confused but with Justin, Gia and the twins she is getting the training she needs for her new life. I liked holly because she took her marriage seriously and she felt somehow she was being unfaithful to her husband by having shared dreams with Justin. When she finds out that he new about the dreams she kind of freaks out and goes back to her husband. Now that she can read him she is starting to question things and she can't help but think of good looking Justin who makes her passion rise.
The only issues I had with this book was the ending. I wasn't expecting it to go the way it did. Another disappointing thing was they didn't have the fainting sex like the previous books. They only share the dream sex. I was hoping holly would have seen the facts and maybe have them wipe her husbands mind and Justin and her would go on with their lives but I can see why sands did it this way and this other couple finds out they are life mates which means once less book in the series but maybe they will get a novella. Who knows?!
Overall it was a great read and I couldn't put it down. I loved that previous characters made an appearance with their life mates. I also loved how you we get to meet brickers parents. Since Justin has brothers and sisters I hope maybe they will get a book or at least introduced in the series. I knew Justin's book would be funny and it definitely lives up to that.
Full review will be on romance at random close to publication date in September 2015
Justin Bricker meets his life mate by total accident when he and Anders are taking care of burning rogues at Hollys temp job.
“Yeah, we’re pretty flammable,” Anders commented. “I guess that makes us hot stuff,” Justin said and laughed at his own joke.
She is so freaked out by what she sees and since justin can't control her she runs away. Holly ends up falling on a pair of scissors (of all things) and Justin is forced to change her. Yes she is married but Justin doesn't know and now holly will have to get used to her new life and have to decide if she will stay married to her husband or be a life mate to Justin.
When holly first wakes up Justin tries to be up front and explain things better then anyone from previous books. Let's just say the more he talks the more she thinks he is crazy.
“Well, it’s like winning the lotto or something.” That made her jerk her head toward him with a start. “The lotto?” “Yes,” he assured her. “It’s all good. You’ll never age, never get sick, never have to go to a dentist again. You’ll always be young and healthy.” Grinning, he grasped her arms lightly and said, “Basically you have won a lotto of sorts. The Bricker lotto.”
“Yes, bagged,” he said dryly and then his lips quirked. “Save a man, bite a bag.” Holly shook her head at what she supposed was intended as a joke and turned her attention to threading the belt through her pant loops as her mind wandered.
Justin is still as sexy, confident, and funny as his was in the other books he appeared in. I absolutely love his sense of humor! While dealing with the idea of holly being his life mate holly opens up to decker and Anders about things she doesn't like. Since Justin gave them a hard time while they were "wooing" their life mates they decide to get Justin back by saying she likes fish, flowers, picnics, dogs etc when she really doesn't. Justin pulls out all the stops and oh boy I was laughing so hard!! It was seriously a major highlight of this book.
After the turn holly is still confused but with Justin, Gia and the twins she is getting the training she needs for her new life. I liked holly because she took her marriage seriously and she felt somehow she was being unfaithful to her husband by having shared dreams with Justin. When she finds out that he new about the dreams she kind of freaks out and goes back to her husband. Now that she can read him she is starting to question things and she can't help but think of good looking Justin who makes her passion rise.
The only issues I had with this book was the ending. I wasn't expecting it to go the way it did. Another disappointing thing was they didn't have the fainting sex like the previous books. They only share the dream sex. I was hoping holly would have seen the facts and maybe have them wipe her husbands mind and Justin and her would go on with their lives but I can see why sands did it this way and this other couple finds out they are life mates which means once less book in the series but maybe they will get a novella. Who knows?!
Overall it was a great read and I couldn't put it down. I loved that previous characters made an appearance with their life mates. I also loved how you we get to meet brickers parents. Since Justin has brothers and sisters I hope maybe they will get a book or at least introduced in the series. I knew Justin's book would be funny and it definitely lives up to that.
Full review will be on romance at random close to publication date in September 2015
October 15, 2024
About a Vampire is book twenty two in the Argeneau series by Lynsay Sands and it can be read on it’s own. It’s not necessary to have followed the story from the begging to pick this one up.
Holly is currently working as a part-time worker for a funeral home when she unexpectedly encounters Justin one night. Justin is there doing his Hunter job and disposing of the bad vampires that have been killed.
I liked About a Vampire as much as I could, but I was hopping for more. It lacked the humor that I have come to love and enjoy. It didn't have a very good explanation on why Justin is attracted to Holly. The only thing we get is that he can’t read her mind, which is one of the indications that an Immortal has found their lifemate. And, last their was no true conflict and so the story just dragged.
Justin’s lifemate in this one is Holly and it turns out she's married. Is married before her turn and after to a human. I kinda felt bad for Justin having to deal with finding his lifemate and then knowing he can’t have her; because she’s married. Holly on the other hand never wowed me. I get her wanting to be loyal to her wedding vows, but the more we learn about her marriage the more it sounds like it was convent and that they are friends with benefits instead of true husband and wife team. But, what really upset me about this story is Justin’s friends and colleagues. They where deliberately mean to Justin. They gave him very bad advice on what Holly likes. Yes, in the other stories Justin razed them and gave them a hard time when they found their lifemates, but he was never deliberately cruel and the women never got hurt by his antics. It was just so wrong and upsetting to see this. Then their is the ending where everything wraps up nice and easy and it’s all a ok. It was to convent of a way to wrap everything up and make it all turn out for the best.
The only thing that I truly enjoyed was the return of shared dreams. Why? It’s one of the indications of a lifemate and one that we haven’t seen in a while.
About a Vampire was an easy and comfortable read, but disappointing for me as a fan.
Rated: 2.5 Stars
Holly is currently working as a part-time worker for a funeral home when she unexpectedly encounters Justin one night. Justin is there doing his Hunter job and disposing of the bad vampires that have been killed.
I liked About a Vampire as much as I could, but I was hopping for more. It lacked the humor that I have come to love and enjoy. It didn't have a very good explanation on why Justin is attracted to Holly. The only thing we get is that he can’t read her mind, which is one of the indications that an Immortal has found their lifemate. And, last their was no true conflict and so the story just dragged.
Justin’s lifemate in this one is Holly and it turns out she's married. Is married before her turn and after to a human. I kinda felt bad for Justin having to deal with finding his lifemate and then knowing he can’t have her; because she’s married. Holly on the other hand never wowed me. I get her wanting to be loyal to her wedding vows, but the more we learn about her marriage the more it sounds like it was convent and that they are friends with benefits instead of true husband and wife team. But, what really upset me about this story is Justin’s friends and colleagues. They where deliberately mean to Justin. They gave him very bad advice on what Holly likes. Yes, in the other stories Justin razed them and gave them a hard time when they found their lifemates, but he was never deliberately cruel and the women never got hurt by his antics. It was just so wrong and upsetting to see this. Then their is the ending where everything wraps up nice and easy and it’s all a ok. It was to convent of a way to wrap everything up and make it all turn out for the best.
The only thing that I truly enjoyed was the return of shared dreams. Why? It’s one of the indications of a lifemate and one that we haven’t seen in a while.
About a Vampire was an easy and comfortable read, but disappointing for me as a fan.
Rated: 2.5 Stars
May 31, 2017
esta saga o serie ( ya no recuerdo como se dice) es mi favorita. es cierto que para el libro 22 , hay libros mejores que eotros pero nunca decae tanto como para un 4.00 , pues este libro ha sido lo contrario.
tal vez se deba a mis expectactivas , desde el libro 8 o 9 que aparece de formar recurrente bricker . ha sido mi personaje favorito en toda la serie. FAVORITO. he soñado a veces con quien seria su pareja y todo eso. pero que vemos aqui. pues nada.
siempre consideré que bricker era tierno , suave y amable ( con las chicas) pero no tanto con los chicos vampiros.
veamos . el libro no me fascinó como debia , aunque lo lei rapido estuve varios momentos preguntandome era necesario todo esto. holly esta casada y quiere honrar sus votos lo cual esta bien.
pero holly no sabe lo que es amar , solo lo hace porque es correcto. vivio una vida rigida por otros y para otros . la forma en que justin quiso agarrar a holly ha sido muy apresurada. este libro me ha parecido fofo , hueco , vacio. no he tenido los momentos divertidos . solo me ha molestado mucho que holly repitiera a cada rato " ESTOY CASADA" , EN VEZ DE DECIR " AMO A MARIDO" .
justin pues cae en lo ingenuo y lo bobo.
creo que lo que mas molestó fue que no hubiera las debidas interacciones , ella recuerdas las conversaciones de JUSTIN pero yo no recuerdo ninguna profunda . todo se sobreentiende. yo queria ver esas conversaciones torpes y tontas. y ese final como para arreglar la situacion de HOLLY. me pareció sacado de mari mar. un final conveniente para todo.
no me gusta el marido de holly , y peor aun ese final. por respeto a varias cosas le pongo 3 estrellas pero yo le quiero poner 2.
tal vez se deba a mis expectactivas , desde el libro 8 o 9 que aparece de formar recurrente bricker . ha sido mi personaje favorito en toda la serie. FAVORITO. he soñado a veces con quien seria su pareja y todo eso. pero que vemos aqui. pues nada.
siempre consideré que bricker era tierno , suave y amable ( con las chicas) pero no tanto con los chicos vampiros.
veamos . el libro no me fascinó como debia , aunque lo lei rapido estuve varios momentos preguntandome era necesario todo esto. holly esta casada y quiere honrar sus votos lo cual esta bien.
pero holly no sabe lo que es amar , solo lo hace porque es correcto. vivio una vida rigida por otros y para otros . la forma en que justin quiso agarrar a holly ha sido muy apresurada. este libro me ha parecido fofo , hueco , vacio. no he tenido los momentos divertidos . solo me ha molestado mucho que holly repitiera a cada rato " ESTOY CASADA" , EN VEZ DE DECIR " AMO A MARIDO" .
justin pues cae en lo ingenuo y lo bobo.
creo que lo que mas molestó fue que no hubiera las debidas interacciones , ella recuerdas las conversaciones de JUSTIN pero yo no recuerdo ninguna profunda . todo se sobreentiende. yo queria ver esas conversaciones torpes y tontas. y ese final como para arreglar la situacion de HOLLY. me pareció sacado de mari mar. un final conveniente para todo.
no me gusta el marido de holly , y peor aun ese final. por respeto a varias cosas le pongo 3 estrellas pero yo le quiero poner 2.
June 22, 2018
I did not think a book in this series could get any worse than The Accidental Vampire with Victor and Elvi but this takes the cake. I have never been more disappointing in a book and an author. One of the reasons I have continued to read this series even though it has been getting worse with each book, was I wanted Justin's book. This was terrible. The Justin described throughout the series has been a fun, loving and smart immortal. In this book it is like a different person entirely. He was pathetic, dumb and just a straight up tool. And if he didn't piss me off enough I HATE Holly. She is a selfish twit. I could not stand her. The ONLY reason I did not stop reading this after a few pages was I wanted to read about the characters from previous books.
Giving this book one star is being generous. I have never been more disappointed in an author than I am with Lynsay. She had such promise with the first few books in this series and now its gone down the toilet like bad diarrhea. The mistakes she makes like, saying a name of a character that is not the right name, how Marguerite for example her NATURAL hair has changed so many times throughout this series and so has Sam's, Mortimer's mate. I think it is time either Lynsay gives up writing or get some lessons in how to write a series and not make the same mistakes over and over again. Also probably a new editor as well because they should have picked up on it. I am okay with making the occasional mistake but these are REPEATED and BIG mistakes that keep happening.
I would not recommend this series.
Giving this book one star is being generous. I have never been more disappointed in an author than I am with Lynsay. She had such promise with the first few books in this series and now its gone down the toilet like bad diarrhea. The mistakes she makes like, saying a name of a character that is not the right name, how Marguerite for example her NATURAL hair has changed so many times throughout this series and so has Sam's, Mortimer's mate. I think it is time either Lynsay gives up writing or get some lessons in how to write a series and not make the same mistakes over and over again. Also probably a new editor as well because they should have picked up on it. I am okay with making the occasional mistake but these are REPEATED and BIG mistakes that keep happening.
I would not recommend this series.
March 7, 2016
About A Vampire
The Characters:
Justin Bricker
Holly Bosley
The Story:
The Random Thoughts:
4 Stars
The Characters:
Justin Bricker
Holly Bosley
The Story:
The Random Thoughts:
4 Stars
October 14, 2015
I will admit that the last few books in this series have been hit or miss for me. This one was a hit. One of my biggest beefs with the last few novels is that the characters have no chemistry. The author relied on the fact that they were life mates too much. Not so in About a vampire. It was great to see a slow building relationship. I loved that Justin couldn't act on his feelings and it forced him to fall for her outside of the life mates connection.
I was worried about this story line because I'm not a fan of love triangles. Lynsay Sands did an excellent job of handling that part of the story without alienating any of the characters. I thought for sure she would villify the husband so the readers would be okay with relationship, but she surprised me. I didn't expect what happened and I loved how she tied it up. I'm excited again for the series.
September 30, 2015
I really shouldn't have laughed at Bricker when reading this one, but it was hard not to. He has always given the other guys such a hard time when they met their lifemates and gone on and one about how he would do better. Turns out he wasn't any better, although he did have some bad info as Anders sabotaged, which made for some hilarious reading.
I sort of liked Holly from the start, but her attitude did get a bit old fast. I know she didn't know anything about Immortals and her moral core was good, but I was glad when she found out that what Gia and everyone else was right about her husband. I did find it a little to pat that Gia ended up being James's lifemate, each wanted a divorce, no problem, get one and get on with their lives.
I sort of liked Holly from the start, but her attitude did get a bit old fast. I know she didn't know anything about Immortals and her moral core was good, but I was glad when she found out that what Gia and everyone else was right about her husband. I did find it a little to pat that Gia ended up being James's lifemate, each wanted a divorce, no problem, get one and get on with their lives.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 4, 2016
Is it just me who was squicked out more than a little with Bricker's pursuit of Holly?
I really didn't expect that sort of thing from him, but it got more than a little rape-y with his tactics.
For an example: Sleeping close to her and at the same time so they could share dreams--but not letting her know they were shared dreams. Questionable consent at the very least.
Picture my face looking like this:
I really didn't expect that sort of thing from him, but it got more than a little rape-y with his tactics.
For an example: Sleeping close to her and at the same time so they could share dreams--but not letting her know they were shared dreams. Questionable consent at the very least.
Picture my face looking like this:
March 13, 2016
It bored me to tears. I ended up skimming through 50 pages to find out what was going to happen to her marriage.
November 10, 2015
This book is crap. Utter crap. Not bad enough to be considered a piece of shit, but it's still a pretty bad read. Granted, Goodreads doesn't let you give zero stars in a review, which is why some people give one star to what would otherwise be considered zero, so that means I'm technically giving this book one star.
I couldn't even make it in half way before I caught myself scanning over the pages.
Ugh, what a waste of money.
Don't listen to the positive reviews!
The last few of Lynsay Sand's vampire stories were pretty bad, and this isn't much better. I thought it would be; it's only been out for a few months now, and the reviews on here made it seem like she'd picked herself back up. I was mistaken. Sorely mistaken.
The premises of this novel sounded promising, and that's what interested me. I saw the few reviews on Goodreads and many of them even stated how the author seemed to have gotten better from her last few. So with all this in mind, I figured, "Why not?" I picked it up to give it a go.
I never recalled her writing to be so wordy when I read the first few of her series, but Lynsay Sands enjoys using TONS of adverbs to express her dialogue AFTER the characters have already said it. Like all her recent novels, she enjoys using the phrase, "s/he said grimly" so much that if I see it written anywhere else, I'm instantly aggrieved. She doesn't take the time to paint the characters very well, using more quick fixes to throw paint up than to actually use adequate detail to paint a masterpiece. Yes, a writer doesn't have to tell the reader EVERY detail, but keep in mind "thick black lashes" is a lot blander than saying, "black crescents fanned across her cheekbones when she blinked,"--or something like that. There are ways to throw globs of paint onto a canvas, and ways to fine-tune specific details to make the rest of the picture stand out. Karen Marie Moning does this VERY well, as does Kresley Cole in her Immortals After Dark series.
Another thing that's bothering me about this book is the main characters. Can Lynsay Sands NOT write a novel where the main two characters resolve their problems alone? Once again, she has to include outside characters to help the main two fall in love. There is no longer any "you and me fight it out", for she now has everything along the lines of, "I'm here to tell you why my friend is not actually a bad guy". Call me old school, but I don't like people getting in the middle of my personal affairs. If I'm working on some form of relationship with somebody, the last thing I need is for an outsider to tell me how I'm being ill-mannered and need assistance.
Let the characters develop a relationship by themselves!
And what bugs the hell out of me is how these outsiders are influencing things. The girl is married for Christ's sake! You're ripping her away from her husband and taking her away from her home to teach her how to be a vampire, which winds up giving some random guy the chance to put the moves on her, hoping to steal her away from her husband. I don't care if said husband will probably end up being a scum-sucker, as he's probably already cheating on her (I haven't even made it halfway through the book, but I wouldn't doubt this is the generic path the author took), but you're basically THROWING these two characters together, telling them to fall in love. This isn't helping the reader see the characters develop a relationship; this is just telling the reader that "these two are pitted together and little at a time they start developing feelings for one another". There's no heat, no fire, no passion. The earlier books in this series all had heat and fire, specifically Bite Me If You Can with Lucian and Leigh (the culprits of this recent disaster), had TONS of fire burning out of control between the two characters. Was anyone there to put it out? NOPE! Margaret rushed off to go formulate her own novel, leaving Lucian practically alone to deal with the developing relationship between him and Leigh. AND IT WAS HOT!!!!! After nearly every hot flash that book had given me, I'd shoot Lynsay a message on MySpace (back in the day) and tell her, and she'd respond in kind with ways to make those scenes even better.
Lynsay Sands also has an enjoyable tendency to do some SEVERE infodumps. Talk about boring! If I ever need to find a book that puts me to sleep in seconds, I just have to pick up one of hers because all the overwriting of infodumps knocks me out flat. Backstory isn't a desirable story trait. Give us what we NEED to know for the plot, to help it move forward, and leave the rest out!!!!!!
It's pretty clear how Lynsay Sands washed up. She should have quit while she was ahead, before she started the Rogue Hunter series and on. This is a clear example of what happens when a writer rushes out book after book to meet a deadline. There is no love, no time, no substance of any value. It's just words on a paper to push the series on. It's time the series ends. Or at the very least, take a break and slow down. For as much help as Lynsay had given me over my own writing back then, I fear for her as an author today. Like Kerrelyn Sparks, the writing has become lackluster.
This is not a keeper, and it's going in my toss pile.
I couldn't even make it in half way before I caught myself scanning over the pages.
Ugh, what a waste of money.
Don't listen to the positive reviews!
The last few of Lynsay Sand's vampire stories were pretty bad, and this isn't much better. I thought it would be; it's only been out for a few months now, and the reviews on here made it seem like she'd picked herself back up. I was mistaken. Sorely mistaken.
The premises of this novel sounded promising, and that's what interested me. I saw the few reviews on Goodreads and many of them even stated how the author seemed to have gotten better from her last few. So with all this in mind, I figured, "Why not?" I picked it up to give it a go.
I never recalled her writing to be so wordy when I read the first few of her series, but Lynsay Sands enjoys using TONS of adverbs to express her dialogue AFTER the characters have already said it. Like all her recent novels, she enjoys using the phrase, "s/he said grimly" so much that if I see it written anywhere else, I'm instantly aggrieved. She doesn't take the time to paint the characters very well, using more quick fixes to throw paint up than to actually use adequate detail to paint a masterpiece. Yes, a writer doesn't have to tell the reader EVERY detail, but keep in mind "thick black lashes" is a lot blander than saying, "black crescents fanned across her cheekbones when she blinked,"--or something like that. There are ways to throw globs of paint onto a canvas, and ways to fine-tune specific details to make the rest of the picture stand out. Karen Marie Moning does this VERY well, as does Kresley Cole in her Immortals After Dark series.
Another thing that's bothering me about this book is the main characters. Can Lynsay Sands NOT write a novel where the main two characters resolve their problems alone? Once again, she has to include outside characters to help the main two fall in love. There is no longer any "you and me fight it out", for she now has everything along the lines of, "I'm here to tell you why my friend is not actually a bad guy". Call me old school, but I don't like people getting in the middle of my personal affairs. If I'm working on some form of relationship with somebody, the last thing I need is for an outsider to tell me how I'm being ill-mannered and need assistance.
Let the characters develop a relationship by themselves!
And what bugs the hell out of me is how these outsiders are influencing things. The girl is married for Christ's sake! You're ripping her away from her husband and taking her away from her home to teach her how to be a vampire, which winds up giving some random guy the chance to put the moves on her, hoping to steal her away from her husband. I don't care if said husband will probably end up being a scum-sucker, as he's probably already cheating on her (I haven't even made it halfway through the book, but I wouldn't doubt this is the generic path the author took), but you're basically THROWING these two characters together, telling them to fall in love. This isn't helping the reader see the characters develop a relationship; this is just telling the reader that "these two are pitted together and little at a time they start developing feelings for one another". There's no heat, no fire, no passion. The earlier books in this series all had heat and fire, specifically Bite Me If You Can with Lucian and Leigh (the culprits of this recent disaster), had TONS of fire burning out of control between the two characters. Was anyone there to put it out? NOPE! Margaret rushed off to go formulate her own novel, leaving Lucian practically alone to deal with the developing relationship between him and Leigh. AND IT WAS HOT!!!!! After nearly every hot flash that book had given me, I'd shoot Lynsay a message on MySpace (back in the day) and tell her, and she'd respond in kind with ways to make those scenes even better.
Lynsay Sands also has an enjoyable tendency to do some SEVERE infodumps. Talk about boring! If I ever need to find a book that puts me to sleep in seconds, I just have to pick up one of hers because all the overwriting of infodumps knocks me out flat. Backstory isn't a desirable story trait. Give us what we NEED to know for the plot, to help it move forward, and leave the rest out!!!!!!
It's pretty clear how Lynsay Sands washed up. She should have quit while she was ahead, before she started the Rogue Hunter series and on. This is a clear example of what happens when a writer rushes out book after book to meet a deadline. There is no love, no time, no substance of any value. It's just words on a paper to push the series on. It's time the series ends. Or at the very least, take a break and slow down. For as much help as Lynsay had given me over my own writing back then, I fear for her as an author today. Like Kerrelyn Sparks, the writing has become lackluster.
This is not a keeper, and it's going in my toss pile.
May 28, 2017
cute, easy, quick, enjoyable, read,
reminds me of "siblings" the girl tells brother A, that she doesn't like fish, flowers etc.
and brother A tells the groom to be, that she LOVES FLOWERS, FISH ETC.............
feel sorry for bricker and the stress of not being able to "mate".................
poor thing,
all works out in the end,
reminds me of "siblings" the girl tells brother A, that she doesn't like fish, flowers etc.
and brother A tells the groom to be, that she LOVES FLOWERS, FISH ETC.............
feel sorry for bricker and the stress of not being able to "mate".................
poor thing,
all works out in the end,
October 5, 2015
4 stars
This was a very good story. I liked both Justin and Holly. Holly being married made things difficult but it worked out well in the end.
Holly is an accounting student that works at a mortuary. Her parents are archaeologists and she traveled around the world with them as a child. Her husband, James, was the son of her parent's co-workers and they grew up together, first being best friends and then later getting involved and then married.
Justin was born an Immortal and is around 100 years old. He works as an enforcer for the Immortal counsel, taking out rogue Immortals that break the rules that all Immortals have to follow. He's been sort of a ladies man and has given the other enforcers hard times when they've had problems winning their lifemates, thinking he'd have it easy when his time came.
Holly is diabetic and was getting ready to check her blood sugar before bed when she realized she left her purse with her blood meter in it at her work. She drives to the mortuary and while there, finds some paperwork that the night shift guy needs in the crematorium. She goes to take it to the other building but finds something unexpected when she gets there. Justin and Anders are in the area, taking out a nest of rogue Immortals. They're in the crematorium, using it to burn the rogue's bodies when Holly happens to come in. Justin tries to take over her mind and stop her from running (planning to wipe her memory of them) but he can't access her thoughts. This is the main sign of them being lifemates so he's pretty happy and runs after her. She freaks and ends up in an accident that mortally wounds her so Justin is forced to turn her into an Immortal before they can even talk.
Justin sees Holly through her turn but when she wakes up, he doesn't do very well at explaining things and she thinks he's a nut-job that thinks he's a vampire. It's about this time that Justin find out that she's married. He has to take her away for a couple weeks to teach her how to be an Immortal but she wont consider him as a lifemate because she's determined to be true to her marriage vows. Things aren't helped at all by the fact that Decker and Anders lie to them both, making Holly think she's not really Justin's lifemate, insinuating that Justin is just a nut that really wants a lifemate and turned her in a mistaken plea for her to be his. They also tell Justin they're helping him but tell him all sorts of lies about Holly's likes and dislikes so he's constantly doing everything wrong. I have to admit that I felt really sorry for Justin in this...he may have given the other guys a hard time when they found their lifemates but he never purposefully sabotaged their efforts. Regardless of these issues, Holly does find herself attracted to Justin and it's only her determination to be true to her marriage vows that keeps her from being with Justin. Things don't go well for Justin and there's a separation and some pain and drama before things get straightened out in an unexpected twist that allows them to get their HEA together.
I enjoyed this story very much (except when I wanted to kick Decker and Anders in the balls). Holly was a good woman that tried to do the right thing even when she really wanted something else. Justin was a sweetheart and I felt for him when he struggled so hard to win Holly while not trying to put undue pressure on her. I was really happy with how things turned out and relieved that it was handled in a way that was good for all concerned. Id' recommend this story (and the whole series).
* note - I listened to the audio version of the book and the narrator did a really good job.
This was a very good story. I liked both Justin and Holly. Holly being married made things difficult but it worked out well in the end.
Holly is an accounting student that works at a mortuary. Her parents are archaeologists and she traveled around the world with them as a child. Her husband, James, was the son of her parent's co-workers and they grew up together, first being best friends and then later getting involved and then married.
Justin was born an Immortal and is around 100 years old. He works as an enforcer for the Immortal counsel, taking out rogue Immortals that break the rules that all Immortals have to follow. He's been sort of a ladies man and has given the other enforcers hard times when they've had problems winning their lifemates, thinking he'd have it easy when his time came.
Holly is diabetic and was getting ready to check her blood sugar before bed when she realized she left her purse with her blood meter in it at her work. She drives to the mortuary and while there, finds some paperwork that the night shift guy needs in the crematorium. She goes to take it to the other building but finds something unexpected when she gets there. Justin and Anders are in the area, taking out a nest of rogue Immortals. They're in the crematorium, using it to burn the rogue's bodies when Holly happens to come in. Justin tries to take over her mind and stop her from running (planning to wipe her memory of them) but he can't access her thoughts. This is the main sign of them being lifemates so he's pretty happy and runs after her. She freaks and ends up in an accident that mortally wounds her so Justin is forced to turn her into an Immortal before they can even talk.
Justin sees Holly through her turn but when she wakes up, he doesn't do very well at explaining things and she thinks he's a nut-job that thinks he's a vampire. It's about this time that Justin find out that she's married. He has to take her away for a couple weeks to teach her how to be an Immortal but she wont consider him as a lifemate because she's determined to be true to her marriage vows. Things aren't helped at all by the fact that Decker and Anders lie to them both, making Holly think she's not really Justin's lifemate, insinuating that Justin is just a nut that really wants a lifemate and turned her in a mistaken plea for her to be his. They also tell Justin they're helping him but tell him all sorts of lies about Holly's likes and dislikes so he's constantly doing everything wrong. I have to admit that I felt really sorry for Justin in this...he may have given the other guys a hard time when they found their lifemates but he never purposefully sabotaged their efforts. Regardless of these issues, Holly does find herself attracted to Justin and it's only her determination to be true to her marriage vows that keeps her from being with Justin. Things don't go well for Justin and there's a separation and some pain and drama before things get straightened out in an unexpected twist that allows them to get their HEA together.
I enjoyed this story very much (except when I wanted to kick Decker and Anders in the balls). Holly was a good woman that tried to do the right thing even when she really wanted something else. Justin was a sweetheart and I felt for him when he struggled so hard to win Holly while not trying to put undue pressure on her. I was really happy with how things turned out and relieved that it was handled in a way that was good for all concerned. Id' recommend this story (and the whole series).
* note - I listened to the audio version of the book and the narrator did a really good job.
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