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The Brontë Blood Chronicles
Anne Brontë: Nightwalker
In 1849 Anne Bronte died a devout and innocent virgin. Three days later she rose from the dead.
Now, from the jagged wilderness of the Blue Ridge Mountains to a glittering lair buried deep beneath the Biltmore Estate, a lonely Nightwalker fights her eternal hunger as she strives for salvation amidst temptation and blood.
Gea Haff weaves Bronte biography through Book 1 of the Bronte Blood Chronicles.
For mysterious reasons Asheville paramedic, Anne Bell, never lays down ties and only works the night shift. Deputy Santos knows she's not normal. The new ER doc watches her look a wolf. And the handsome Professor Hardcastle, a Bronte scholar, is on the verge of discovering her true identity.
Then just as love bloom in Anne's bloody world, her long-lost sister Emily suddenly arrives, resurrecting memories and bringing her own feral brand of justice to this snow draped mountain town.
It turns out, Anne's going to need all the help she can get. A vicious Alpha predator circles nearby and he wont stop until securing his greatest prize of all: Anne Bronte, Nightwalker.
Now, from the jagged wilderness of the Blue Ridge Mountains to a glittering lair buried deep beneath the Biltmore Estate, a lonely Nightwalker fights her eternal hunger as she strives for salvation amidst temptation and blood.
Gea Haff weaves Bronte biography through Book 1 of the Bronte Blood Chronicles.
For mysterious reasons Asheville paramedic, Anne Bell, never lays down ties and only works the night shift. Deputy Santos knows she's not normal. The new ER doc watches her look a wolf. And the handsome Professor Hardcastle, a Bronte scholar, is on the verge of discovering her true identity.
Then just as love bloom in Anne's bloody world, her long-lost sister Emily suddenly arrives, resurrecting memories and bringing her own feral brand of justice to this snow draped mountain town.
It turns out, Anne's going to need all the help she can get. A vicious Alpha predator circles nearby and he wont stop until securing his greatest prize of all: Anne Bronte, Nightwalker.
- GenresFiction
312 pages, Paperback
First published October 31, 2016
4 people are currently reading
899 people want to read
About the author
Gea Haff
1 book112 followersHello Dear Fellow Goodreaders!
I am a fire chaplain and a writer. I am also a life long student of religion, a passionate lover of story, and am perpetually fascinated by the mysteries of love and death.
I am in love with books. Infatuated. Obsessed. I am haunted by the thought that there are so many wonderful stories to read, essential stories, important, life altering ones, and I shall never have the time to get to them all. I love novels, myths, fairy tales, epics of war, and stories told by firefighters sitting around the kitchen table.
Why do I read? To know that I am alive. To know that hope and humanity exist in the world. To remember that some people spend years of their life, not watching reality TV or pornography, but trying to create something meaningful and lasting and beautiful. I read to know what is possible.
. . .
Here's my official bio:
Originally from California, Gea received an M.A. in Women’s Studies in Religion from Claremont Graduate University, a B.A. in Humanities from University of Southern California, and after moving to Florida, an A.S. in Emergency Medical Services from Miami Dade College. (All this really means is that I know a bit about goddesses and blood!)
She served as a firefighter, paramedic, rescue diver, special ops flight medic and a fire chaplain with Miami Dade Fire Rescue. After 15 years, she retired and now spends her time traveling, writing and exploring the mysteries of life and death.
Gea's novel Anne Brontë Nightwalker is available on Amazon from Firefox Press. She's also written for the Mythic Circle, Fire Rescue Magazine, and the online Journal of EMS (JEMS).
www.geahaff.com
Cheers!
G.
I am a fire chaplain and a writer. I am also a life long student of religion, a passionate lover of story, and am perpetually fascinated by the mysteries of love and death.
I am in love with books. Infatuated. Obsessed. I am haunted by the thought that there are so many wonderful stories to read, essential stories, important, life altering ones, and I shall never have the time to get to them all. I love novels, myths, fairy tales, epics of war, and stories told by firefighters sitting around the kitchen table.
Why do I read? To know that I am alive. To know that hope and humanity exist in the world. To remember that some people spend years of their life, not watching reality TV or pornography, but trying to create something meaningful and lasting and beautiful. I read to know what is possible.
. . .
Here's my official bio:
Originally from California, Gea received an M.A. in Women’s Studies in Religion from Claremont Graduate University, a B.A. in Humanities from University of Southern California, and after moving to Florida, an A.S. in Emergency Medical Services from Miami Dade College. (All this really means is that I know a bit about goddesses and blood!)
She served as a firefighter, paramedic, rescue diver, special ops flight medic and a fire chaplain with Miami Dade Fire Rescue. After 15 years, she retired and now spends her time traveling, writing and exploring the mysteries of life and death.
Gea's novel Anne Brontë Nightwalker is available on Amazon from Firefox Press. She's also written for the Mythic Circle, Fire Rescue Magazine, and the online Journal of EMS (JEMS).
www.geahaff.com
Cheers!
G.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
June 19, 2017
I don't read vampire novels much these days but this one lured me in by tapping a particular weakness I have for the Bronte family, most especially the women. I suspect all of us who are fascinated by the Brontes have a favourite and mine is Emily. Gea Haff is clever to have chosen Anne, though, whom I suspect must be her personal favourite. Anne is the least appreciated and admired and discussed of all the Bronte women, in that her books are realist fiction, rather than high Gothic melodrama, and sociopolitically provocative for their time (even more so than Charlotte's and Emily's because of her realist approach).
I think that Gea Haff handled her subject matter extremely well. I could imagine Anne Bronte struggling, spiritually and morally, in precisely the way Haff has depicted her and making the choices she makes whilst trying to survive and to protect others whom she loves.
Having said that, mainly, the book was just FUN. I am not sure it would be half as fun for readers unfamiliar with the Brontes but even without a deep knowledge of the family, Haff gives readers enough background to make the modern context understandable. I really appreciated that Haff did not tie everything up with a neat, unbelievable bow; but, you will have to read the book to make sense of that comment because any further words on my part would be a big fat plot spoiler.
I will definitely look for the next book in the series. In future, I hope that Haff lends her imagination to other fascinating people of history who would make compelling Night Walkers. My first thought was, 'what would she do with Emily Dickinson?' and wouldn't it be amazing if Haff brought in Emily Bronte's and my favourite poet, Shelley? Surely, Byron and Coleridge would be marvelous vampires too. Can you imagine Coleridge, high on opium and rollicking around the metropolis looking for blood? I think Haff has struck a rich vein that many literary romanticists will enjoy as much as I did.
I think that Gea Haff handled her subject matter extremely well. I could imagine Anne Bronte struggling, spiritually and morally, in precisely the way Haff has depicted her and making the choices she makes whilst trying to survive and to protect others whom she loves.
Having said that, mainly, the book was just FUN. I am not sure it would be half as fun for readers unfamiliar with the Brontes but even without a deep knowledge of the family, Haff gives readers enough background to make the modern context understandable. I really appreciated that Haff did not tie everything up with a neat, unbelievable bow; but, you will have to read the book to make sense of that comment because any further words on my part would be a big fat plot spoiler.
I will definitely look for the next book in the series. In future, I hope that Haff lends her imagination to other fascinating people of history who would make compelling Night Walkers. My first thought was, 'what would she do with Emily Dickinson?' and wouldn't it be amazing if Haff brought in Emily Bronte's and my favourite poet, Shelley? Surely, Byron and Coleridge would be marvelous vampires too. Can you imagine Coleridge, high on opium and rollicking around the metropolis looking for blood? I think Haff has struck a rich vein that many literary romanticists will enjoy as much as I did.
November 20, 2016
Gea Haff pens an extremely passionate and contemporary depiction of the literary stalwart Bronte sisters as "Nightwalkers." A cleverly written, gothic tale of the Bronte sisters' modern lives as victims of their vampire makings while navigating modern society, love and death.
The author's passionate writing and development of the modern Anne Bronte makes the reader fall in love with this tragic hero, immediately, and empathize with the realities of her life since the 19th Century. A truly unique and original character is introduced while bestowing and honoring the literary parallels to the real Bronte sisters' writings, lives and loves.
Anne, as the central protagonist, is leading a life as a paramedic, using her ageless and learned medical skills to help others as a means of rationalizing her inherent need to consume blood for sustenance. Anne is obviously nocturnal by nature and curse and Haff does an incredible job of covering plot gaps to portray a modern vampire in a realistic manner with realistic situations - no coffins between shifts, but rather, a dark home, bed and lonely existence, instead. Anne finds an unexpected love interest and this is where the story and her character truly develops - and where things start coming to light (pun intended).
I was throughly impressed with Gea's take on Bronte, and how an author can demonstrate passion for a character that can only be accomplished by being just as passionate in real life; a welcomed new author to the genre and can't wait for the next book in the series!
The author's passionate writing and development of the modern Anne Bronte makes the reader fall in love with this tragic hero, immediately, and empathize with the realities of her life since the 19th Century. A truly unique and original character is introduced while bestowing and honoring the literary parallels to the real Bronte sisters' writings, lives and loves.
Anne, as the central protagonist, is leading a life as a paramedic, using her ageless and learned medical skills to help others as a means of rationalizing her inherent need to consume blood for sustenance. Anne is obviously nocturnal by nature and curse and Haff does an incredible job of covering plot gaps to portray a modern vampire in a realistic manner with realistic situations - no coffins between shifts, but rather, a dark home, bed and lonely existence, instead. Anne finds an unexpected love interest and this is where the story and her character truly develops - and where things start coming to light (pun intended).
I was throughly impressed with Gea's take on Bronte, and how an author can demonstrate passion for a character that can only be accomplished by being just as passionate in real life; a welcomed new author to the genre and can't wait for the next book in the series!
March 1, 2018
Un libro de género romance vampiril, con narradora en primera persona explicando todos sus pensamientos/sensaciones estilo 50 Sombras de Grey. Que, eh, si eres fan del género, pues puede que le encuentres gracia. Si no lo eres y, además, tienes la consciencia de que no te guste que justifiquen y edulcoren comportamientos violentos/de abuso sexual... pues no es el libro para ti. Igual que no fue el libro para mí.
Si quieres escuchar mi opinión visceral con spoilers, puedes hacerlo aquí
Si quieres escuchar mi opinión visceral con spoilers, puedes hacerlo aquí
May 28, 2018
Written by a firefighter paramedic I met this week at a conference. Looking forward to reading it.
I just finished the book. It's great. I've never been a Bronte fan but now I guess I'm going to have to read a biography and one or two of the sisters: books
I just finished the book. It's great. I've never been a Bronte fan but now I guess I'm going to have to read a biography and one or two of the sisters: books
May 17, 2017
Gea Haff’s debut novel is now available on Amazon and it’s destined to be a cult classic.
If the cover art isn’t enough to peak your interest, read the first 10 pages and I promise you’ll be hooked.
Gea Haff writes beautiful and intelligent prose. The dialog is superb. The characters are well-developed and lovable; and the scene set so perfectly that halfway through the first chapter you’ve already forgotten to read with a critical eye. You’re sucked into the world Haff has created so completely that all your cynicism evaporates despite the unlikely heroine.
I have to admit I was a little hesitant when I read the back cover. But, this is so much more than just another vampire novel; so much more than literary fan fiction! And no, you don't need to be a literary superhero with a bookshelf full of 19th century English classics to enjoy this book.
Set in Asheville, North Carolina, Nightwalker starts out as an action packed vampire thriller before turning full-sail into the classic moral issues mankind has wrestled with for centuries, and finally coming to a edge-of-your-seat climax!
This is an incredibly strong work of fiction from a brilliant author. Even as I write this review I know that I’m not doing her or her book justice.
If the cover art isn’t enough to peak your interest, read the first 10 pages and I promise you’ll be hooked.
Gea Haff writes beautiful and intelligent prose. The dialog is superb. The characters are well-developed and lovable; and the scene set so perfectly that halfway through the first chapter you’ve already forgotten to read with a critical eye. You’re sucked into the world Haff has created so completely that all your cynicism evaporates despite the unlikely heroine.
I have to admit I was a little hesitant when I read the back cover. But, this is so much more than just another vampire novel; so much more than literary fan fiction! And no, you don't need to be a literary superhero with a bookshelf full of 19th century English classics to enjoy this book.
Set in Asheville, North Carolina, Nightwalker starts out as an action packed vampire thriller before turning full-sail into the classic moral issues mankind has wrestled with for centuries, and finally coming to a edge-of-your-seat climax!
This is an incredibly strong work of fiction from a brilliant author. Even as I write this review I know that I’m not doing her or her book justice.
June 20, 2017
I won this book as part of a Goodreads First Reads giveaway.
Anne Bronte is no more. A nightwalker, she now goes by the name of Anne Bell, a paramedic that will only work the night shift. Claiming a skin condition as the reason for her aversion to the sun, Deputy Santos believes there is more to her than meets the eye as does the new ER doctor. But it's Professor Hardcastle who seems the closest to discovering her secret. With an Alpha on the loose killing young women, Anne must decide if she will once again leave, claiming a new identity elsewhere, or will she fight for the town she feels has become her own?
If I was going just by the writing style alone, this book would score a solid 4 stars out of me. The story however only gets 2 1/2 which is why my rating is a 3. I might even be willing to tip it to a 3 1/2.....but I honestly found it to be a pretty standard vampire read for the most part. You have the brooding, lonely, female who hates what she has become, the threat to those she's grown the care about, a love interest, and a sudden turning point that causes our protagonist to embrace and accept who she is. The only difference is our vampire is none other than Anne Bronte. For me, that's the only thing that made this story stand out even though I have never been all that fascinated by the Brontes myself. It is obvious that the author is though and she definitely did her homework. Along with her impressive research, there is obvious writing skills. The book is very well written and the characters are wonderfully crafted. The dialogue is fantastic and you can feel the author's passion. So I guess it's me then. Maybe I'm just over the whole vampire fiction thing, but I just couldn't get into it. As stated prior, the writing is exceptional and I wanted so much to fall into its pages, but it just never took hold. Perhaps you need to be a Bronte fan to truly appreciate this novel but for me this was just ok. The author has some real talent and I wish her success, but I doubt I will read any further in this series.
A copy of this review has been posted on my blog at Once Upon A Book
Anne Bronte is no more. A nightwalker, she now goes by the name of Anne Bell, a paramedic that will only work the night shift. Claiming a skin condition as the reason for her aversion to the sun, Deputy Santos believes there is more to her than meets the eye as does the new ER doctor. But it's Professor Hardcastle who seems the closest to discovering her secret. With an Alpha on the loose killing young women, Anne must decide if she will once again leave, claiming a new identity elsewhere, or will she fight for the town she feels has become her own?
If I was going just by the writing style alone, this book would score a solid 4 stars out of me. The story however only gets 2 1/2 which is why my rating is a 3. I might even be willing to tip it to a 3 1/2.....but I honestly found it to be a pretty standard vampire read for the most part. You have the brooding, lonely, female who hates what she has become, the threat to those she's grown the care about, a love interest, and a sudden turning point that causes our protagonist to embrace and accept who she is. The only difference is our vampire is none other than Anne Bronte. For me, that's the only thing that made this story stand out even though I have never been all that fascinated by the Brontes myself. It is obvious that the author is though and she definitely did her homework. Along with her impressive research, there is obvious writing skills. The book is very well written and the characters are wonderfully crafted. The dialogue is fantastic and you can feel the author's passion. So I guess it's me then. Maybe I'm just over the whole vampire fiction thing, but I just couldn't get into it. As stated prior, the writing is exceptional and I wanted so much to fall into its pages, but it just never took hold. Perhaps you need to be a Bronte fan to truly appreciate this novel but for me this was just ok. The author has some real talent and I wish her success, but I doubt I will read any further in this series.
A copy of this review has been posted on my blog at Once Upon A Book
November 9, 2016
Wonderful! Full review to come.
August 3, 2017
I've always liked Charlotte Bronte and her style of writing, not so much the other two. Haff's style fits my idea of Anne. That being said, it was entertaining.
I won this book as a Goodreads giveaway.
I won this book as a Goodreads giveaway.
July 27, 2017
Haff dies a wonderful job of putting a unique spin on the genre of fiction that is epitomized by Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by making Anne Bronte the creature herself.
November 21, 2016
So, I am rating my own book! And I am giving it five stars (I know, I know--Anne would never do such a thing!) because I've read it at least a hundred and ninety nine times and I am still utterly transfixed by Anne.
With a trio of Bronte sisters to choose from, two of whom are perennial favorites, plus their wildly wayward brother Branwell, why write a novel about Anne? Grave, quiet, serious Anne? Why not Charlotte of Jane Eyre fame? Or Emily, creator of the savagely gothic Wuthering Heights? Why little Anne, author of the less popular and more realistic novels, Agnes Grey and The Tenant of Wildfell Hall?
Let me tell you!
Because there’s so much more to Anne Bronte than meets the eye. Because Anne was a dark horse. Pure stealth. She was the littlest sibling, the sickest one, the quietest and shyest, the girl everyone thought was the most fragile and delicate when in reality she was FIERCE. Anne didn’t cave. She never surrendered to the people around her. She didn’t argue or scream or stamp her feet. She simply did what she wanted to do, very quietly, and before anyone realized what had happened she’d written two subversive novels by the age of 29, worked the longest and hardest of anyone in her family besides Papa, and never EVER complained.
Anne could keep secrets. Big, juicy, dangerous secrets. Secrets that could bring an entire house down. She knew the dark night of the soul. It almost swallowed her whole when she was seventeen. Anne fought demons and won. She fought just to breathe. At times she was so shy she could barely speak, and so she watched and listened, learning about all manner of things a gentle virgin in the 1800’s wasn’t supposed to know. Things like sex and bastards, alcoholism, heroin addiction, and betrayal.
Anne paid attention. She saw through masks and noticed the details everyone else missed. She wrote about the dark side, but she loved the light, and when she died at 29, on the heels of Bran and Em, Anne went out with the courage of a lion. No crying for her. Instead a deep, calm grace.
As I read Anne Bronte’s books over the years, she quietly slipped up on me. She reminds me of a thief in the night, stealing up behind you, sliding an arm around your throat to pull you close and whisper in your ear. I couldn’t forget her voice. It haunted me. Her spirit stole into my head and heart and wouldn’t leave. And then to my utter surprise she rose from the dead to embark upon a new and dangerous adventure. So I wrote it down and now, in Anne Brontë, Nightwalker, sweet, gentle Anne will show you just how fierce she truly is!
With a trio of Bronte sisters to choose from, two of whom are perennial favorites, plus their wildly wayward brother Branwell, why write a novel about Anne? Grave, quiet, serious Anne? Why not Charlotte of Jane Eyre fame? Or Emily, creator of the savagely gothic Wuthering Heights? Why little Anne, author of the less popular and more realistic novels, Agnes Grey and The Tenant of Wildfell Hall?
Let me tell you!
Because there’s so much more to Anne Bronte than meets the eye. Because Anne was a dark horse. Pure stealth. She was the littlest sibling, the sickest one, the quietest and shyest, the girl everyone thought was the most fragile and delicate when in reality she was FIERCE. Anne didn’t cave. She never surrendered to the people around her. She didn’t argue or scream or stamp her feet. She simply did what she wanted to do, very quietly, and before anyone realized what had happened she’d written two subversive novels by the age of 29, worked the longest and hardest of anyone in her family besides Papa, and never EVER complained.
Anne could keep secrets. Big, juicy, dangerous secrets. Secrets that could bring an entire house down. She knew the dark night of the soul. It almost swallowed her whole when she was seventeen. Anne fought demons and won. She fought just to breathe. At times she was so shy she could barely speak, and so she watched and listened, learning about all manner of things a gentle virgin in the 1800’s wasn’t supposed to know. Things like sex and bastards, alcoholism, heroin addiction, and betrayal.
Anne paid attention. She saw through masks and noticed the details everyone else missed. She wrote about the dark side, but she loved the light, and when she died at 29, on the heels of Bran and Em, Anne went out with the courage of a lion. No crying for her. Instead a deep, calm grace.
As I read Anne Bronte’s books over the years, she quietly slipped up on me. She reminds me of a thief in the night, stealing up behind you, sliding an arm around your throat to pull you close and whisper in your ear. I couldn’t forget her voice. It haunted me. Her spirit stole into my head and heart and wouldn’t leave. And then to my utter surprise she rose from the dead to embark upon a new and dangerous adventure. So I wrote it down and now, in Anne Brontë, Nightwalker, sweet, gentle Anne will show you just how fierce she truly is!
February 14, 2017
very good read!! I liked this book
December 29, 2016
In retrospect, I’m not entirely sure how Haff pulled this story off…but she most assuredly did. And doing so was no small task. Beyond my assumptions that the author is a well-read fan of the Bronte family (the 19th century literary family credited with such classics as Wuthering Heights and Jane Eyre) I have no clue what inspired such an interesting hybrid of genres. Whatever the inspiration, I’m glad it took hold and compelled Haff to see this project through.
Set in the wilderness of the Blue Ridge Mountains, the story follows Anne Bell, a third-shift paramedic whose true identity is Anne Bronte, unwillingly thrust into the world of the undead just days after her death more than 150 years before.
The story is filled with surprises and unfolds at a pace that makes it hard to put down. Haff obviously researched Bronte’s work extensively and managed to successfully and believably coax it into a novel of an entirely different genre. A great read.
Set in the wilderness of the Blue Ridge Mountains, the story follows Anne Bell, a third-shift paramedic whose true identity is Anne Bronte, unwillingly thrust into the world of the undead just days after her death more than 150 years before.
The story is filled with surprises and unfolds at a pace that makes it hard to put down. Haff obviously researched Bronte’s work extensively and managed to successfully and believably coax it into a novel of an entirely different genre. A great read.
December 6, 2016
Gea Haff does a wonderful job of interweaving an exciting, fast-paced Vampire story, with accurate historical flashbacks on Anne Bronte and her siblings. Obviously she is quite knowledgable about the Brontes and her information on them is quite accurate. This book is a delight to read, especially if you are a Bronte fan, as her insights into their personal lives back in England are deep and insightful. The story is based in Asheville, North Carolina and Gea does a nice job of setting the story in this beautiful area. The book moves, and was hard to put down...especially the last third of the book. Great ending!
April 21, 2017
I won this book from Goodreads First Reads giveaway and I’m so glad I did. I enjoyed reading this book and couldn’t put it down. I loved every bit of it and highly recommend it to others. Ms Haff did an excellent job of showing off the Blue Ridge Mountains and Asheville area as well as bring vampires and Anne Bronte together in the same story.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews