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Crimson City #1
Crimson City
Once, this was the City of Angels. The angels are no longer in charge. From the extravagant appetites of the vampire world above, to the gritty defiance of the werewolves below, the specter of darkness lives around every corner, the hope of paradise in every heart. All walk freely with humans in a tentative peace, but to live in Los Angeles is to balance on the edge of a knife. One woman knows better than most that death lurks here in nights of bliss or hails of UV bullets. She’s about to be tested, to taste true thirst. She’s about to regain the power she’s long been denied. And Fleur Dumont is about to meet the one man who may understand her: a tormented protector who’s lost his way and all he loved.
357 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published July 1, 2005
58 people are currently reading
1517 people want to read
About the author
Liz Maverick
34 books472 followersBestselling, award-winning author Liz Maverick is a novelist, adventurer and odd jobs specialist whose contract assignments have taken her from driving trucks in Antarctica to working behind the scenes on reality TV shows in Hollywood.
Liz is known for writing out-of-the-box romance novels with fast-paced, unique plots and lots of kick-butt action. Her previous works include Cosmopolitan Magazine Book Club Pick What a Girl Wants, PRISM/Daphne finalist The Shadow Runners, Golden Leaf winner Crimson Rogue, and Waldenbooks/B&N bestseller Crimson City, the first book in the multi-author continuity series she created.
Liz and her books have been featured on Fox's Geraldo at Large and in USA Today, Cosmopolitan Magazine, San Francisco Magazine, The Chicago Sun-Times, The Toronto Star, and more.
https://www.facebook.com/LizMaverickC...
Liz is known for writing out-of-the-box romance novels with fast-paced, unique plots and lots of kick-butt action. Her previous works include Cosmopolitan Magazine Book Club Pick What a Girl Wants, PRISM/Daphne finalist The Shadow Runners, Golden Leaf winner Crimson Rogue, and Waldenbooks/B&N bestseller Crimson City, the first book in the multi-author continuity series she created.
Liz and her books have been featured on Fox's Geraldo at Large and in USA Today, Cosmopolitan Magazine, San Francisco Magazine, The Chicago Sun-Times, The Toronto Star, and more.
https://www.facebook.com/LizMaverickC...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 106 reviews
June 23, 2022
Nice idea, but very badly executed.
In an alternative Los Angeles, the city is split between three races: the rich, penthouse dwelling vampires, relatively normal humans and the underground werewolves. A tentative truce between the three is destroyed when the leaders of the vampires are assassinated by a mech armed with UV bullets, forcing their disgraced half-sister, Fleur Dumont, to step up to her place as the head of the clan. Meanwhile, damaged, brooding cop Dain Reston is part of the team investigating this issue. So, if you've seen underworld or played any of the White Wolves World of Darkness RPGs you'll probably have a fair idea of the setting.
I had two problems with this book: the first was the brief, awkward way it was written. It was exposition heavy rather than giving us any emotionally or intellectual development, and the plot was very sparse; it was written pretty much as a series of events happening, without the author bothering to create the 'linking scenes' that would've created a decent narrative.
The second was the cheesy, predictable plot. You could argue that people expect certain things to happen in a UF/PNR novel like this, but again it was badly let down by the poor quality of the writing.
So I don't recommend this novel, but will probably continue to read the rest of the series because I have them on my shelf and they're written by different authors, so it's possible I'll find another book in the series more to my taste.
In an alternative Los Angeles, the city is split between three races: the rich, penthouse dwelling vampires, relatively normal humans and the underground werewolves. A tentative truce between the three is destroyed when the leaders of the vampires are assassinated by a mech armed with UV bullets, forcing their disgraced half-sister, Fleur Dumont, to step up to her place as the head of the clan. Meanwhile, damaged, brooding cop Dain Reston is part of the team investigating this issue. So, if you've seen underworld or played any of the White Wolves World of Darkness RPGs you'll probably have a fair idea of the setting.
I had two problems with this book: the first was the brief, awkward way it was written. It was exposition heavy rather than giving us any emotionally or intellectual development, and the plot was very sparse; it was written pretty much as a series of events happening, without the author bothering to create the 'linking scenes' that would've created a decent narrative.
The second was the cheesy, predictable plot. You could argue that people expect certain things to happen in a UF/PNR novel like this, but again it was badly let down by the poor quality of the writing.
So I don't recommend this novel, but will probably continue to read the rest of the series because I have them on my shelf and they're written by different authors, so it's possible I'll find another book in the series more to my taste.
September 21, 2010
Decent idea, terrible execution. The worldbuilding feels a bit like a comic book, in a good way, with vampires living in incredible wealth atop shiny skyscrapers, humans on the ground, and werewolves underground. Unfortunately, I knew all about it in the first chaper via boring exposition.
It begins promising with a fight scene involving the heroine Fleur. I was expecting a fast paced, action heavy read. Instead, the story came to a screeching halt. Unfortunately the entire rest of the first Chapter consists of Fleur dropping a massive infodump covering vampire society and her own past. This includes her inner (dull) monologue of an incident that could have been used more effectively if it had only been hinted at. That way the reader would be compelled to read on. By spilling it before we even care about the heroine, it loses any dramatic potential.
I powered through the giant infodump hoping the book would improve, and my interest slightly revived with Chapter 2's POV switch. The hero, Dain, is introduced and it seemed like the story would pick up, but no everything came to a screeching halt so Dain could infodump all about the human society, his job, and his backstory. Just like Fleur, Dain has something in his past that was reaveled way too early and in expostition.
I read on a bit further, hoping it would improve. There were bits that had promise, but it was ruined by dull, uneven characters telling each other things the reader already knew. I put it down around the 4th chapter and didn't bother to pick it back up.
DNF.
It begins promising with a fight scene involving the heroine Fleur. I was expecting a fast paced, action heavy read. Instead, the story came to a screeching halt. Unfortunately the entire rest of the first Chapter consists of Fleur dropping a massive infodump covering vampire society and her own past. This includes her inner (dull) monologue of an incident that could have been used more effectively if it had only been hinted at. That way the reader would be compelled to read on. By spilling it before we even care about the heroine, it loses any dramatic potential.
I powered through the giant infodump hoping the book would improve, and my interest slightly revived with Chapter 2's POV switch. The hero, Dain, is introduced and it seemed like the story would pick up, but no everything came to a screeching halt so Dain could infodump all about the human society, his job, and his backstory. Just like Fleur, Dain has something in his past that was reaveled way too early and in expostition.
I read on a bit further, hoping it would improve. There were bits that had promise, but it was ruined by dull, uneven characters telling each other things the reader already knew. I put it down around the 4th chapter and didn't bother to pick it back up.
DNF.
July 2, 2010
I had a really hard time finishing this book. The writing was poor, the characters flat and uninteresting and there were simply too many stereotypes to count. Information and scenes are dumped on the reader with the grace of a concrete block.
L.A. aka Crimson city is split into three layers, à la Underworld: Filthy rich vampires on top, humans squished in the middle and dirty werewolves underground.
Sheltered vampire chick gets thrown into position of responsibility that she has not been trained for. Conflicted human cop meets her on case, they fall in lust (instant attraction for no reason, I am so sick of this). Story deteriorates from then on, main focus is on their lust for each other. The only properly fleshed out supporting character, the cop's unit partner, gets disappeared. Her fate as well as most story arcs are not resolved, but then it's just the first of a series. The cheesy happy ending for the main characters was just the tip of the iceberg.
This was my first book by Liz Maverick and will be the last.
L.A. aka Crimson city is split into three layers, à la Underworld: Filthy rich vampires on top, humans squished in the middle and dirty werewolves underground.
Sheltered vampire chick gets thrown into position of responsibility that she has not been trained for. Conflicted human cop meets her on case, they fall in lust (instant attraction for no reason, I am so sick of this). Story deteriorates from then on, main focus is on their lust for each other. The only properly fleshed out supporting character, the cop's unit partner, gets disappeared. Her fate as well as most story arcs are not resolved, but then it's just the first of a series. The cheesy happy ending for the main characters was just the tip of the iceberg.
This was my first book by Liz Maverick and will be the last.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 4, 2016
I'm surprised by all of the negative and not-so-great reviews of this book. I'm also happy that I didn't notice or therefore read them before I listened to Crimson City! I loved this audiobook. I was surprised that I'd never heard of this series and then realized that it's eight years old already. That could be the reasoning. I found the audio version to be entertaining and actually quite quick.
I really enjoyed the grittiness of this novel. Another reader reviewed it as seemingly coming from a comic. I felt the same way - it very much felt like reading a novelized version of a comic book.
I liked the characters of Crimson City. Fleur was interesting - I liked that she kind-of did her own thing, yet constantly wondered about being judged for her thoughts and actions because of who she was. I found her to be quite realistic. I loved Dain - he had such a crazy story!
I really enjoyed the grittiness of this novel. Another reader reviewed it as seemingly coming from a comic. I felt the same way - it very much felt like reading a novelized version of a comic book.
I liked the characters of Crimson City. Fleur was interesting - I liked that she kind-of did her own thing, yet constantly wondered about being judged for her thoughts and actions because of who she was. I found her to be quite realistic. I loved Dain - he had such a crazy story!
January 13, 2019
Another Kindle freebie I picked up ages ago. The premise sounded interesting enough, but the execution left a lot to be desired. Flimsy worldbuilding, massive info dumps, uneven pacing, predictable plot, one dimensional characters made of stereotypes, cliché-laden dialogue... I could go on. As for the romance, the only thing the grand lovestory of fancy vampire heiress Fleur (for all her supposed warrior prowess a naive, weak little idiot) and human cop Dain (he of the oh-so-tragic backstory with the entirely predictable twist) made me feel was annoyed. In the end, the best thing I can say about this is that it was a quick read, so I didn't have to waste overly much of my time slogging through it.
February 11, 2024
So to be upfront I only read this because I was gag gifted the second in the series and I make it a point to try at least to read all books I'm given. Since I hate starting in the middle of a series if I can help it I decided to knock this one out first. Honestly not like terrible world building if you don't poke for holes to hard. Sorta a mix between blade runner and Underworld. I liked it enough I'm not like dreading reading the second. I'm also interested to see what a different author does with the world. I think it's a neat idea to have multiple authors write one series.
December 24, 2011
Free Kindle download. As I read, I was reminded of the Underworld movie series, not just in the world-building but also in how the characters were presented and even how the cover was done (to match that movie poster!). That can be both good and bad.
On the good side of things, it helped me visualize the city — I merely adopted the very dark and gritty production design of the Underworld movies, the slightly desaturated and cold bluish tones of the film, and used that same paintbrush to paint Liz Maverick's world. It's a darkly beautiful world fraught with danger in every shadow, but you know the characters can well take care of themselves. They are very capable and athletic and themselves very beautiful in that dark, cold, and dangerous way.
On the bad side of things, it gave the book a derivative feel for me — as though it was mere fan fiction of the original.
I had a difficult time relating to the main characters, the hero and the heroine; they seemed very cavalier about their lives, always putting themselves in the path of danger by their actions — very self-destructive. I don't seem to remember either of them exercising any significant degree of caution in their dealings with each other. I always feel a little ambiguous about characters like that. I attribute anything good that happens to them, such as happy endings and the like, to extreme good luck and the kindness and whim of the author god.
I also didn't understand their attraction to each other. It's explained in the heroine as being in line with her general fascination for humans, a fascination unique only to her and one other vampire character, a fascination that is actually somewhat discouraged by the vampire society as a whole. It's also eventually explained in the hero when we discover who he really is, but still ... until that revelation, it's very hard to understand their mutual attraction.
All in all, if I were a human living in this world, I would have a hard time staying upbeat. The entire book feels cold and dark — like the Underworld movies themselves — and it is an unrelieved coldness and darkness. The only people who seem to have any say in this world are all like the world itself, cold and dark and dangerous. It made me feel bad for the average innocent morning people, who no doubt would wish for more sunshine and daffodils in Crimson City, a normal outing in a park with their dog or their kids.
I liked the book, but this is not a world I'd choose to live in.
On the good side of things, it helped me visualize the city — I merely adopted the very dark and gritty production design of the Underworld movies, the slightly desaturated and cold bluish tones of the film, and used that same paintbrush to paint Liz Maverick's world. It's a darkly beautiful world fraught with danger in every shadow, but you know the characters can well take care of themselves. They are very capable and athletic and themselves very beautiful in that dark, cold, and dangerous way.
On the bad side of things, it gave the book a derivative feel for me — as though it was mere fan fiction of the original.
I had a difficult time relating to the main characters, the hero and the heroine; they seemed very cavalier about their lives, always putting themselves in the path of danger by their actions — very self-destructive. I don't seem to remember either of them exercising any significant degree of caution in their dealings with each other. I always feel a little ambiguous about characters like that. I attribute anything good that happens to them, such as happy endings and the like, to extreme good luck and the kindness and whim of the author god.
I also didn't understand their attraction to each other. It's explained in the heroine as being in line with her general fascination for humans, a fascination unique only to her and one other vampire character, a fascination that is actually somewhat discouraged by the vampire society as a whole. It's also eventually explained in the hero when we discover who he really is, but still ... until that revelation, it's very hard to understand their mutual attraction.
All in all, if I were a human living in this world, I would have a hard time staying upbeat. The entire book feels cold and dark — like the Underworld movies themselves — and it is an unrelieved coldness and darkness. The only people who seem to have any say in this world are all like the world itself, cold and dark and dangerous. It made me feel bad for the average innocent morning people, who no doubt would wish for more sunshine and daffodils in Crimson City, a normal outing in a park with their dog or their kids.
I liked the book, but this is not a world I'd choose to live in.
July 14, 2008
Pretty good start to a sci-fi/fantasy series, I think!
And that’s saying much, as I’m not big on Sci-Fi. Sure, I like it, but it isn’t a main like. I thought the novel was pretty good!
The author puts an alternate reality spin on a paranormal. Feels a little more in the future as well, something to look forward to. The world has evolved, and while all ’species’ should live HEA, they don’t. While it looks like all’s well on the surface, tension is still high. There is no harmony, period. Whithin the first four chapters, you’re getting a taste of what, I think, the series will be like, and I approve, LOL!
Lots of action, tension, and I thought the climax was pretty good for what it was, even if it was a little on the predictable side.
The main characters, Fleur and Dain, were pretty good on their own. She proved to everyone that she can rule as she was meant to. Strong, she did was she had to, and I wonder if we’ll see her ex in a future novel. I really felt Dain’s pain, it was described well. I was a little surprised by the twist about his life - I truly didn’t see that one coming.
However, together, I didn’t feel the love like a reader is supposed to I think. There was supposed to be romance between them, and while I felt something, it wasn’t a strong feeling like it should have been, I think. Could have been a little better in that department.
All in all, I thought it was pretty good. The descriptions gave you an idea of all living conditions, what their lives are like and why. I’m pretty psyched to see what the next novel in the series brings.
And that’s something else I thought was pretty neat as well. All novels in the series is written by a different author except for the first and last, both written by Maverick. Curious to see what the others bring to Crimson City. Curious enough that I’ve already grabbed A Taste of Crimson from my TBR pile. For those who know me, that’s a pretty good sign.
And that’s saying much, as I’m not big on Sci-Fi. Sure, I like it, but it isn’t a main like. I thought the novel was pretty good!
The author puts an alternate reality spin on a paranormal. Feels a little more in the future as well, something to look forward to. The world has evolved, and while all ’species’ should live HEA, they don’t. While it looks like all’s well on the surface, tension is still high. There is no harmony, period. Whithin the first four chapters, you’re getting a taste of what, I think, the series will be like, and I approve, LOL!
Lots of action, tension, and I thought the climax was pretty good for what it was, even if it was a little on the predictable side.
The main characters, Fleur and Dain, were pretty good on their own. She proved to everyone that she can rule as she was meant to. Strong, she did was she had to, and I wonder if we’ll see her ex in a future novel. I really felt Dain’s pain, it was described well. I was a little surprised by the twist about his life - I truly didn’t see that one coming.
However, together, I didn’t feel the love like a reader is supposed to I think. There was supposed to be romance between them, and while I felt something, it wasn’t a strong feeling like it should have been, I think. Could have been a little better in that department.
All in all, I thought it was pretty good. The descriptions gave you an idea of all living conditions, what their lives are like and why. I’m pretty psyched to see what the next novel in the series brings.
And that’s something else I thought was pretty neat as well. All novels in the series is written by a different author except for the first and last, both written by Maverick. Curious to see what the others bring to Crimson City. Curious enough that I’ve already grabbed A Taste of Crimson from my TBR pile. For those who know me, that’s a pretty good sign.
May 17, 2013
I got to Crimson City via Carolyn Jewels. But as much as I liked CJ's book, I found this lacking.
Both have the set-up of a UF romance, but Crimson City smashes this idea in the first few pages. First we are introduced to Fleur, this warrior class chick who is good enough to train with three other male warriors. A few days later her brothers are killed in front of her and she crawls away...A few days later, this same chick is easily manhandled and put to the wall by a human male...wtf?
Hero: he hates vampires. First time he sees the vamp girl he's all lust, no reason. Where's the hate?
Please be consistent :)
Plot. The idea was really intriguing. Unfortunately I found it weirdly inconsistent (again). She has already been proved a failure in the eyes of vamps. She is all of a sudden thrust into leadership without much training. I do appreciate her trying to avoid a bloodbath, but she really doesn't sound as a leader. She starts trusting for no reason the people that could really be behind her brothers' death. Avoiding war, good. No back-up plan: stupid.
The infodump at the beginning didn't help.
I'm not sure I liked the hero's attitude, but given a kick ass heroine, he would have been bearable. With a doormat that takes it, and gloat too, I couldn't really enjoy the book.
This book has been in my TBR list for years, but I was never able to read more than a few pages. This time I decided "who cares?" and deleted it from my kindle.
I paid it fully, but it's now at .99 cents. Clearly, it's on a price range where I can recommend you make your own mind.
I'm sorry but there are no 5 stars reviews (just ratings) I can offer to balance mine.
Both have the set-up of a UF romance, but Crimson City smashes this idea in the first few pages. First we are introduced to Fleur, this warrior class chick who is good enough to train with three other male warriors. A few days later her brothers are killed in front of her and she crawls away...A few days later, this same chick is easily manhandled and put to the wall by a human male...wtf?
Hero: he hates vampires. First time he sees the vamp girl he's all lust, no reason. Where's the hate?
Please be consistent :)
Plot. The idea was really intriguing. Unfortunately I found it weirdly inconsistent (again). She has already been proved a failure in the eyes of vamps. She is all of a sudden thrust into leadership without much training. I do appreciate her trying to avoid a bloodbath, but she really doesn't sound as a leader. She starts trusting for no reason the people that could really be behind her brothers' death. Avoiding war, good. No back-up plan: stupid.
The infodump at the beginning didn't help.
I'm not sure I liked the hero's attitude, but given a kick ass heroine, he would have been bearable. With a doormat that takes it, and gloat too, I couldn't really enjoy the book.
This book has been in my TBR list for years, but I was never able to read more than a few pages. This time I decided "who cares?" and deleted it from my kindle.
I paid it fully, but it's now at .99 cents. Clearly, it's on a price range where I can recommend you make your own mind.
I'm sorry but there are no 5 stars reviews (just ratings) I can offer to balance mine.
March 18, 2017
BACK OF BOX SAYS:
Once this was the city of angels. The angels are no longer in charge.
Fromt he wxtravagant appetities of the vampire world above, to the gritty defiance of the werewolves below, the spector of darkness lives around every corner, the hope of paradise in every heart.
i listed to this on books on cd, the reader rebecca rogers, doesn't read with too much inflection, so the book stays kinda mona tone reminds me of spike from angel reading the jim butcher books, awful, but rebecca managed to keep my attention some what.
the heroine was a little too weak for me, i prefer stronger female leads, like anita blake or sookie. especially in the beginning when she's fumbling to get into the gun cabinet, the rebecca's voice did not get excited or anxious in anyway, and you'd think a vampire would be strong enough to break into a cabinet..... i almost turned the book off right there, and her rejecting the male when he needed her most, again, did not make me respect fleur at all,
oh and don't let me forget the lack of respect for the vampire fictional tradition, aka being able to go out in the day, eating real food, etc. kinda takes something away from the book,
I ended up giving the next couple of books a chance, a taste of crimson, through a veil, seduced by crimson, before i caved, i could not stand it anymore, the female heroine was driving me crazy, each and everyone making stupid/irrational decisions. i shall add liz maverick and pattie oshea and miss lui, jade lee to my do not read list.
Once this was the city of angels. The angels are no longer in charge.
Fromt he wxtravagant appetities of the vampire world above, to the gritty defiance of the werewolves below, the spector of darkness lives around every corner, the hope of paradise in every heart.
i listed to this on books on cd, the reader rebecca rogers, doesn't read with too much inflection, so the book stays kinda mona tone reminds me of spike from angel reading the jim butcher books, awful, but rebecca managed to keep my attention some what.
the heroine was a little too weak for me, i prefer stronger female leads, like anita blake or sookie. especially in the beginning when she's fumbling to get into the gun cabinet, the rebecca's voice did not get excited or anxious in anyway, and you'd think a vampire would be strong enough to break into a cabinet..... i almost turned the book off right there, and her rejecting the male when he needed her most, again, did not make me respect fleur at all,
oh and don't let me forget the lack of respect for the vampire fictional tradition, aka being able to go out in the day, eating real food, etc. kinda takes something away from the book,
I ended up giving the next couple of books a chance, a taste of crimson, through a veil, seduced by crimson, before i caved, i could not stand it anymore, the female heroine was driving me crazy, each and everyone making stupid/irrational decisions. i shall add liz maverick and pattie oshea and miss lui, jade lee to my do not read list.
could-not-finish
February 23, 2016A prissy high class vampire meets a doofus basketcase cop. Oh, I mean "Fleur Dumont is about to meet the one man who may understand her: a tormented protector who’s lost his way and all he loved" at least according to the blurb. I just could not finish this book. I have noticed the sound quality and the beginning narration of the "Books in Motion" books are not very good, "I will be reading Crimson City. And now let us begin." The narrator was better than some there but not great or maybe her prissy high class female vampire needs a little work. And don't get me started on the dialogue. I didn't recognize Los Angeles, there is this whole day of rain and the heroine was cold at one time and borrowed a jacket. Um, cold and rain don't happen very often in LA, every once in awhile but not enough to have two scenes be described in this way. Maybe she wrote the book and then picked the location without updating it? Perhaps she started with Seattle like a lot of the paranormal books and then thought she'd change the location to be different. She should have changed it to San Francisco then because that place is cold and rainy.
I bought the audiobook series and have a few of the paperbacks too. I'm thinking of getting rid of them but the books are by different authors so I should give the other books a chance. I'll have to think about it.
I bought the audiobook series and have a few of the paperbacks too. I'm thinking of getting rid of them but the books are by different authors so I should give the other books a chance. I'll have to think about it.
March 15, 2009
I've read 3 books from this series (the other two were Crimson Rogue and A Darker Crimson), and while I found all the books terrible, this one is the LEAST terrible. First of all, I find the general writing throughout the series subpar and frequently cheesy. Secondly, I never much care about the characters, and they're all so stereotyped. Thirdly, the world is poorly constructed and plots (and character 'development') are unrealistic. If you read these books out of order as I have, it's particularly apparent and quite confusing; this is a series that definitely must be read in the intended order. But even reading the first book now and having read two others, I still feel the world is barely sketched out and contrived. It doesn't feel real, and much of the detail seems to be there solely to seem edgy, as opposed to actually fleshing out the world. In fact, it has the opposite of effect - confusing and alienating. I tried with this series, I really tried, but I will not be reading another book.
September 7, 2011
I expected a more adultish version of "Twilight" but got something much more deep. The depth of thought that went into the production of this story is amazing; the characters, plot, detail...it was all superb. I'm not a fan of romance novels and generally just read them for comedy's sake, but this book was impressive--there was only a little smut, but a TON of action, which was nice. The only thing that bothered me was some of the loose ends that the book leaves you with (why did he remember the locket if the wife wasn't his? What happened to the partner, really? What about the demons? Why did the author have the character say what they did like THIS, since it's such an odd way to say it? Etc, Etc, Etc...) A nice change of pace when it comes to a romance &/or modern vampire story.
December 6, 2013
Fleur is a royal vampire. Dain is human and a member of B-Ops, a paranormal adjunct to the police department in Crimson City. These are two species that are not supposed to mix. Add in rising tensions between humans, vampires, and werewolves and you have the basis of the first of an eight book series, written by several different authors. The love story between Fleur and Dain is a good one. They seem to have what it takes to make a go of it together. There is mystery, action, and adventure. All in all I think Liz Maverick gave the series a solid start. I’ve gone on to read four more books in the series and I’ve been happy with them so far.
May 23, 2011
I am into this series I have not read them in order but was very excited when I found them at a bargain book store. I liked the plot and characters here. Yeah the main character is not perfect and in fact she really screws up several times but I like that part about her, she is learning what her responsibilities mean and that her actions have an impact. I think both Fleur and Dain are both flawed characters that are struggling. It was well written and their growth as characters was believable.
August 24, 2009
Had to give this one 2 stars due to excessive and repetitive info-dumping. Of the emo-wangst-dwelling-on-the-past sort. It almost made me want to scream, so halfway through I stopped reading.
Damn shame, but I knew going in that this might happen. Series has a great deal of potential but with a different author executing each volume there's going to be fluctuation in the quality of execution.
Damn shame, but I knew going in that this might happen. Series has a great deal of potential but with a different author executing each volume there's going to be fluctuation in the quality of execution.
November 10, 2011
I read about 3/4 of this book then I just got bored with the characters. A story about a high-class royalty vampire who falls for a ruggad detective. Plus theres a bunch of werewolves in the underground subway. The main characters just seemed two dimensional and stereotypical. I might read the other books since the series is written by different authors.
August 19, 2012
This is the second time I have read this book, but it has been a while and a new one came out. I finished the whole series in about two weeks. I liked them the first time I read them and when I read them again. There are books I like better but these are a nice easy read and I will read them again
November 16, 2009
I read this a long time ago. Very edgy and intense. I couldn't put the book down. My introduction to Crimson City!
August 1, 2011
Interesting considering the time period this story was made. I will read the other book and see where it goes.
November 7, 2012
I don't usually read or like Romance book but this is by far my favorite. Strong characters and some great scenes. I still think about this book from time to time, it was memorable.
August 17, 2020
Quand quelqu'un essaye de détruire la paix entre humains et vampires, Fleur Dumont, à la tête de l'assemblée des vampires, collabore avec Dain, un humain, agent du FBI.
C'est un tome assez court, qui présente l'univers et introduit les différents personnages. L'écriture m'a laissée un peu en retrait, je n'ai pas été happée dans l'histoire. Les personnages ne sont pas très attachants, mais ils sont "réalistes" dans le sens où ils ne sont pas parfaits et super puissants, ils ont leurs failles, ils ne sont pas là pour nous faire rêver. Je regrette que la psychologie des personnages soit trop succincte, je n'ai pas compris la relation entre Fleur et Dain. La "romance" arrive comme un cheveu sur la soupe, comme si en cours de route, l'auteure s'était souvenue qu'elle devait en écrire une, dont acte. Aucune séduction, aucun humour, aucun sentiment... et d'un coup attirance irrésistible !
Je sais que les tomes 1 sont souvent un peu lourd car il faut mettre en place l'univers. C'est le cas ici, il y a beaucoup de personnages mais je trouve que tout est survolé. J'attends de lire le tome 2 pour me faire un avis plus complet sur cette série.
C'est un tome assez court, qui présente l'univers et introduit les différents personnages. L'écriture m'a laissée un peu en retrait, je n'ai pas été happée dans l'histoire. Les personnages ne sont pas très attachants, mais ils sont "réalistes" dans le sens où ils ne sont pas parfaits et super puissants, ils ont leurs failles, ils ne sont pas là pour nous faire rêver. Je regrette que la psychologie des personnages soit trop succincte, je n'ai pas compris la relation entre Fleur et Dain. La "romance" arrive comme un cheveu sur la soupe, comme si en cours de route, l'auteure s'était souvenue qu'elle devait en écrire une, dont acte. Aucune séduction, aucun humour, aucun sentiment... et d'un coup attirance irrésistible !
Je sais que les tomes 1 sont souvent un peu lourd car il faut mettre en place l'univers. C'est le cas ici, il y a beaucoup de personnages mais je trouve que tout est survolé. J'attends de lire le tome 2 pour me faire un avis plus complet sur cette série.
December 28, 2020
I was intented to buy "Crimson Rogue" at the thrift store where I worked,because there's a hot cyborg guy on the cover. But I found out that it's the third book after I brought it, I decided to get the previous books in the series. I winded up reading the 1st book, "Crimson City".
I thought this book is pretty good,but I think it's better than "The Last American Vampire" and one of The Vampires: The Masquerade books",but there's no comparison to Anne Rice's beautifully written Vampire books (I love her Vampire Chronicles books. I cherished them so much).
Well, I will tell the plot of "Crimson City" about. It's about a guy who's an agent for organization that hunt down vampires and he is charge of his hunting squad. When a nobel vampire family was assassinated by a "Terminator" (Yeah, I am not kidding. There's actually Terminators in this book,but they called them "Mechs"), the Vampire countess have to turn to the agent guy for help to figure who's sent a "Mech" that assassinated her vampire family.
I thought the Vampire countess is okay,but I like the twist at the end with the agent guy. I thought it was a pretty good book.
I thought this book is pretty good,but I think it's better than "The Last American Vampire" and one of The Vampires: The Masquerade books",but there's no comparison to Anne Rice's beautifully written Vampire books (I love her Vampire Chronicles books. I cherished them so much).
Well, I will tell the plot of "Crimson City" about. It's about a guy who's an agent for organization that hunt down vampires and he is charge of his hunting squad. When a nobel vampire family was assassinated by a "Terminator" (Yeah, I am not kidding. There's actually Terminators in this book,but they called them "Mechs"), the Vampire countess have to turn to the agent guy for help to figure who's sent a "Mech" that assassinated her vampire family.
I thought the Vampire countess is okay,but I like the twist at the end with the agent guy. I thought it was a pretty good book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 18, 2025
This foundation tale from a new to me author introduces a world of humans, vampires and wolves and their tenuous peace that seems to be shaking. New players, mechs are no longer a rumor when a robotic human built for war attacks the heart of vampire territory, killing the co-leaders of vamp security/society. Legacy leadership heir vamp, Fleur Dumont, unprepared to lead, a bad mistake not quite behind her and full of youthful hubris has to ferret out who the vampires need to fight on this.
Broken street cop, Dain Reston, can’t remember anything about his wife that was killed by vamps is assigned to work with Fleur but they’re distracted by their strong mutual attraction as they investigate. The humans definitely created the mech but their leadership denies the attack while the humans prepare for vamp retaliation. Adding to the confusion are murder sites with evidence incriminating all three species or none of them. Where’s the truth?
I liked but didn’t love this outing with the angsty leads, plenty of suspicious actions, trust issues galore and a fairly good premise that took too many detours for this reader’s taste.
Rating: 3stars
Broken street cop, Dain Reston, can’t remember anything about his wife that was killed by vamps is assigned to work with Fleur but they’re distracted by their strong mutual attraction as they investigate. The humans definitely created the mech but their leadership denies the attack while the humans prepare for vamp retaliation. Adding to the confusion are murder sites with evidence incriminating all three species or none of them. Where’s the truth?
I liked but didn’t love this outing with the angsty leads, plenty of suspicious actions, trust issues galore and a fairly good premise that took too many detours for this reader’s taste.
Rating: 3stars
April 9, 2021
I found this a little darker and more violent than I prefer my paranormal urban fantasy. The world was very complex but didn't really get fleshed out as well as I'd prefer. We only get glimpses into 2/3 of the population (human, vampire, missing werewolf) and even that is from the very narrow viewpoints of our main characters. There were some large hints dropped throughout, so I expected the twist at the end, but I was disappointed in how it actually played out.
I will not read on in this series.
I will not read on in this series.
July 29, 2017
This one was okay. Not bad, but nothing special either. A little grittier than I prefer in this genre, but not gritty enough to be truly "dark". Which would have been okay too. I have other books in the series no I'll "read" them, but I won't necessarily be in a hurry to do so.
October 22, 2017
The way this book jumped into action was a little confusing.
August 20, 2022
Interesting until 40% when they did something that was the stupidest thing in the world and would have never happened -- but it did, to manufacture drama.
November 17, 2023
Didn’t actually read this book. It’s a placeholder for one not yet in Goodreads: On a Night Like This.
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