Ruxandra Dracula, a 250-year-old vampire, wants nothing to do with the fallen angel that created her. But when fellow vampire Kade tells her a group of magicians in Moscow is going to summon that angel, Ruxandra knows she must try to stop them.
In Moscow, Ruxandra finds herself caught in a web of political and supernatural intrigue. Empress Anna of Russia wants the vampires to be her spies. Her secret police have magic that is nearly impossible to defeat. A cadre of Russian nobles wants them to kill the empress.
And the Alchemist, the beautiful, whip-smart leader of the magicians, wants Ruxandra as more than just an experimental subject.
As the magicians prepare to summon the fallen angel, Ruxandra must choose: will she kill them to keep the angel from coming, or face the angel and find out her purpose on the earth?
John has always had a taste for wanderlust and adventure. As a young man, he travelled the world with little but what he could carry on his back. He has climbed Denali, hiked the Amazon, and even spent a year in Japan, teaching English and feeding deer in the famous Nara Park. His love of Asian history and philosophy has led him to become a master at Jeet Kune Do and a practicing Taoist.
John now divides his time between two homes, one in New York City, the other in London. He is married with a beautiful little girl who inspires and captivates him. They share their homes with a loyal, loving, German Shepherd. A man of many interests and talents, John has been a world-ranked tennis pro, a ballroom dancer, chef... and of course, he remains, and always will be a writer. All of John's many interests and adventures have inspired his writing. In addition, his imagination is so vivid and dear, it is almost as if he lives part-time within a third home in his mind, an inner world his readers glimpse when they read his novels.
Unfortunately, he's still unable to get verified on Twitter and Facebook.
Here is the thing, the book had what could have been considered a good plot and the main character was kind of… nice? It’s not an unreadable character and is an awesome fighter. I even liked her name, Ruxandra. BUT. BUT. BUT. The sex scenes, the sex narration, expression, everything. IT WAS TOO MUCH. It distracted me (in a terrible way) from the plot.
I enjoy reading about romance and sex and all that stuff, but this felt different. TOTALLY DIFFERENT. There were so many sex scenes or sex-related stuff. Even the plot twist or devices were sex scenes, and they were lacking at best, weird at most. It was used as a character trait or for descriptions! They made me feel uncomfortable while reading the book.
A real shame, because both the cover and the premise are eye-catching. The cover is BEAUTIFUL and the plot is really interesting. I’m truly disappointed. I was expecting something really different, and even when the plot was promising and the characters brilliant, the writing style and extremely used of sex as descriptions or plot device ruined everything for me. I couldn't even finish this book.
Ruxandra is fierce! She is 250 years old and though she is the most lethal thing on the earth, she still remains compassionate and kind to those who deserve it. She only kills those who murder and rape or are dying from illness. Then Kade shows up and of course everything turns to a bloodier course. There are Some magicians going to raise Ishtar and Rux can't have that, so she agrees to go with Kade to Russia to stop them. Then enter Anna, Ruler of Russia who has one up on the vampires, a spell that vanishes people from the vampire eyes. Its hard to fight an enemy you can't see. Anna has forced the magicians into summoning Ishtar for political gain. To have everyone fear Anna. To obey. Ruxandra knows its a suicide mission, but no one will listen. They succeed in summoning Ishtar, and though Ishtar doesn't kill them on site, she of course has a plan.
I loved the blood and gore, the shock value was amazing. Can't wait for book 4!
The story tries to be darker, bolder—but instead it becomes disjointed and rushed. Character motivations make no sense, and plot twists feel forced or laughable. The stakes (emotional and literal) are never clear, and by the end, you’re not rooting for anyone—you just want it to be over. The attempt at tragedy or gravitas falls flat when it hasn’t been earned. Even the romance threads, which could’ve anchored the story, are awkwardly written and emotionally hollow.
It's been 100 years since Ruxandra left Kade, Elizabeth and Dorotyas saying that she never wanted to see them and would never forgive them. Since then she has managed to keep the Beast under control and she only kills criminals who prey on others and occasionally those who are about to die. She is currently posing as a wealthy young when Kade track her down. He wants her to come to Russia with him because a group of magicians who are his friends are going to summon Ishtar so they can find out who she is and what she wants. They know that Kade is a vampire but not her. Ruxandra knows that despite them believing they will be able to contain her and just get the information they want, that she either kill them or turn them all and she is determined to convince them not to attempt to summon her.
Once they reach Russia they discover all the magicians are missing and it's obvious they were taken by either the church of the officials at the Kremlin. Kade and Ruxandra begin a dangerous game that involves the empress, the nobles that oppose her and the secret police who have the magicians in their custody where they have been forced to cooperate with the empress to find a way to summon the angel. Ruxandra tries to convince them not to but she is told that if they don't the empress will have them killed and they believe that they have more of a chance living through the summoning.
There was more of a twist to this book than the previous two which I enjoyed. It was another quick read. This book is for adults, there is graphic violence and sexual content.
3/5 STARS: I received a free digital ARC in exchange for a honest, unbiased review. I sincerely thank the author and/or publisher for providing an ARC through Netgalley,.**
I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Mother of Chaos is the third installment in the Princess Dracula series. I hadn't read any of the previous two books before picking this one up. I did feel like there was some backstory I was missing, but it was more of understanding why certain characters felt the way they did towards others as opposed to major events for me, which made me feel like I wasn't too lost. This book is graphic, both in a violent and sexual sense. It's definitely not your young adult, Twilight vampires. Readers should also be aware that the main character, Ruxandra, is bisexual. When readers meet Ruxandra in this book, she seems to be in a state of her immortal life where she's trying to settle down and have a sense of normalcy after some really traumatic events in her life that were covered in the previous book. Unsavory characters from her past rear their ugly heads and interrupt that dream. She gets pulled into the world of magicians and secret police in Moscow and is forced to face her origins via the fallen angel that created her. Her inner Beast still haunts her. Overall, I enjoyed the concept of the story, but had a hard time with the storytelling. I felt like it dragged at times. It was one of those books where you knew big things were going to happen, but it felt like it took too long to get there. Ruxandra herself did not come across to me as a very complex character, so I found her predictable. I'm still intrigued enough about Elizabeth Bathory playing a role, so I anticipate I will be picking up other books in the series to get that side of the story.
When I saw that this book was available I could not wait to read it. I knew I was going to get another great story. Ready again to hear what our Princess was doing. As a lover of vampire stories, I love how John stays within the boundaries yet made his own rules at the same time.
I was not disappointed!! This story grabbed me from the beginning and I did not want to put it down. There was a new set of magic rules that she had to learn about in hoping to stop them from bringing the angel that made her back. That is all I will say about specifically about this story arc for I do not wish to ruin it for you. I will only say that the characters are as they should be. Full of life just as the story itself is. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
If you have not read the previous books it is not necessary but I believe it will make it more enriching. Enjoy!!!
This is the third book in the Princess Dracula series, we meet Ruxandra Dracula, who is your average vampire who only kills criminals, people who are close to death, and evil doers...Ruxandra is living her life under the radar minus what she does at night, but then someone from her past shows up...Not only is her invading her life, and sense of normalness but he brings bad news...The Empress, had decide to raise/summon an angel but not just any angel one who Ruxandra never wants to see again....Enter said trap, magic, and more evilness! Haha I don't want to give away too much, so you definitely have to read the book now. Also check out the other books in the series before you begin this story! Please note: I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is an honest and unbiased review.
It's been a while since I finished book 2 so expectations were high
... And, I must say, Kennedy didn't disappoint! Book 3 clipped along with just as much vivid action as 1 and 2 did. Sadly, I noticed that the old habit of leaving sloppy typos and grammatical errors behind has stuck around as well, though they seem to have improved or lessened a little at least.
This was an excellent return to Ruxandra's unending adventures, challenges and conquests. I'm glad that I think I saw Book 4 was already out maybe also by the time Book 3 caught up with me and I, with it. I look forward to more Princess Dracula shenanigans.
I get that what the Magicians are trying to summon is bad. I get that Ruxandra disapproves; I don't need to read for 9 chapters about it. Seriously, most of the first half of the book is Ruxandra telling everyone the summoning is bad and noone listening to her. The only difference between the chapters is the events in between and those events were not enough to distract me from the repetitive whine of Ruxandra saying "Don't summon evil" and everyone else saying "You can't guarantee it'll be evil". From Chapter 12 or 13 the story actually moves forward instead of stagnating like the chapters before.
I have been enjoying Princess Ruxandra’s story quite a while. They are fill with mystery and beautiful, sometimes sad, things. I hope to see more of her an how she will surprise me. This time was Russia and it left quiere bing impact on everyone involved in this adventure. I enjoyed seein Ruxandra’s growth as a vampire. I would have wish she has acquired more knowledge about her past, but as they said in the book “There is a lo of time to do so”
This book was the worst of the series because the story seemed to drag painfully. The author appears to be trying on an alternative style of writing that ultimately resulted in a boring story. Because of the total disappointment experienced here, I was planning to end my adventures with Rux. However, the positive reviews with the promise of much more action has persuaded me to take another ride.
I’m glad I decided to stick with this series because this book was much better. There was far less needless sexuality, and the plot was more intriguing. It was full of action and politics. I still think the author is a bit too obsessed with boobs, but what can ya do?
This storyline has captured my heart in a way that makes me eager to read more. I am reading even after long days at work when too tired to keep my eyes open. Because i mist have more
Honestly, I don't know how I fully feel. I enjoyed that the series has continued, but at the same time this really wasn't needed when you look at it. I did enjoy that it just added onto Ruxandra's life. Like a look into what adds to her continued existence.
I love that this author makes strong female leads. It's easy to become wrapped up in the story and characters around the main character. Can't wait to read the next book to this series.
I really hoped this would be a culmination of the last two books, but sadly, this 3rd installment is just boring. I got about halfway through, and I gave up.
A little disappointed with thus book. It felt like it was a Disney movie compared to the first 2 princess Dracula books. The blood and guts and goes was needed more