What do you think?
Rate this book
Dale Bruyer #2
Love Song for a Vampire
Dale Bruyer kills bad things that go bump in the night, or at least he used to. Now he owns a bar in small town Louisiana and granted, it has become a hang-out for the same creatures he used to track down, but they tip in gold and diamonds, so he can't really complain. He's retired (sort of) and out of the game until a friend starts him a blog without his permission and brings him a new case: vampires in New Orleans.
He's skeptical at first, but he discovers vampire blood making the rounds on the street as the newest cheap thrill and comes face to face with a monster from legend and it's not so unbelievable anymore. Except things aren't always what they seem, especially in Dale's world, and it's up to him to figure out what's actually happening and ultimately decide which side he's really on.
He's skeptical at first, but he discovers vampire blood making the rounds on the street as the newest cheap thrill and comes face to face with a monster from legend and it's not so unbelievable anymore. Except things aren't always what they seem, especially in Dale's world, and it's up to him to figure out what's actually happening and ultimately decide which side he's really on.
386 pages, Unknown Binding
First published January 31, 2015
9 people are currently reading
92 people want to read
About the author
J.L. Aarne
16 books114 followersJ.L. Aarne currently lives in the Northwest United States. She was born in Washington, but she has moved around a lot and lived in many other places. She has two cats, Jack and Wally, and she is a compulsive collector of notebooks and coffee mugs, which she drinks tea out of. Aarne studied English and literature at the University of New Orleans. Her favorite fictional characters always seem to be the villains.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
October 20, 2017
3.5 Stars
Review:
I ended up enjoying this book even more than the first!
For one thing, it was funny. Possibly funnier than the first, but I admittedly don’t remember exactly how funny the first one was. It also got pretty intense and dark right near the end. Then it wrapped up with mostly good feelings again. So I wouldn’t say it was too dark overall, and I like when books can balance both humor and intensity.
For another thing, the story was more focused, interesting, and entertaining, and I’m not just saying that because it involved vampires. However, I do like vampires, so that was a plus. And it was fun seeing this author’s version of Dracula and the Dracula story.
The characters were more likeable too. Dale was significantly less of a misanthrope, James seemed less unnecessarily mysterious, and Coyote was less of a troll (not literally, I mean the kind of person who likes to screw with other people) and more lovably playful. All the main characters in this series are imperfect but mostly lovable (well, if you ignore some of the things they’ve done in the past, especially James). Seeing the dynamic between Dale and Coyote as friends was nice too. And I gotta say, I think Coyote and Daphne may be an even cuter couple than Dale and James, haha. Poor Coyote doesn’t understand the nuances of modern human dating, but he tries.
There were a couple things I didn’t like though, the main one being the head hopping, again. It’s something that’s especially frustrating to me in these books because, aside from that, the writing is really good and does draw me in. I guess I’ve decided that it’s worth it to just deal with the head hopping since it doesn’t happen too often, and I like the characters too much to stop reading now.
I also didn’t care much for any of the POVs other than Dale’s, but other people might enjoy them. I did at least understand why the author gave us Abraham’s POV.
The other thing I didn’t like was that they cured James’s mental illness with magic, at least temporarily. In real life though, there is no insta-cure, so I don’t like seeing this in books because it can lead to harmful misunderstandings. I don’t actually know what illness it is that he had, but before they fixed it, it had seemed realistic in the sense that, even though he knew he was being irrational and that he was going to face serious consequences if he didn’t get back to his job, he just couldn’t get past it, he couldn’t will it away and force himself to get over it no matter how much he wanted to.
So overall, I had a problem with the head hopping and the mental illness cure, but I really liked the characters and the story.
Recommended For:
Anyone who likes M/M urban fantasy, humor, a bit of mystery, and imperfect but mostly likeable characters.
Original Review @ Metaphors and Moonlight
Review:
I ended up enjoying this book even more than the first!
For one thing, it was funny. Possibly funnier than the first, but I admittedly don’t remember exactly how funny the first one was. It also got pretty intense and dark right near the end. Then it wrapped up with mostly good feelings again. So I wouldn’t say it was too dark overall, and I like when books can balance both humor and intensity.
For another thing, the story was more focused, interesting, and entertaining, and I’m not just saying that because it involved vampires. However, I do like vampires, so that was a plus. And it was fun seeing this author’s version of Dracula and the Dracula story.
The characters were more likeable too. Dale was significantly less of a misanthrope, James seemed less unnecessarily mysterious, and Coyote was less of a troll (not literally, I mean the kind of person who likes to screw with other people) and more lovably playful. All the main characters in this series are imperfect but mostly lovable (well, if you ignore some of the things they’ve done in the past, especially James). Seeing the dynamic between Dale and Coyote as friends was nice too. And I gotta say, I think Coyote and Daphne may be an even cuter couple than Dale and James, haha. Poor Coyote doesn’t understand the nuances of modern human dating, but he tries.
There were a couple things I didn’t like though, the main one being the head hopping, again. It’s something that’s especially frustrating to me in these books because, aside from that, the writing is really good and does draw me in. I guess I’ve decided that it’s worth it to just deal with the head hopping since it doesn’t happen too often, and I like the characters too much to stop reading now.
I also didn’t care much for any of the POVs other than Dale’s, but other people might enjoy them. I did at least understand why the author gave us Abraham’s POV.
The other thing I didn’t like was that they cured James’s mental illness with magic, at least temporarily. In real life though, there is no insta-cure, so I don’t like seeing this in books because it can lead to harmful misunderstandings. I don’t actually know what illness it is that he had, but before they fixed it, it had seemed realistic in the sense that, even though he knew he was being irrational and that he was going to face serious consequences if he didn’t get back to his job, he just couldn’t get past it, he couldn’t will it away and force himself to get over it no matter how much he wanted to.
So overall, I had a problem with the head hopping and the mental illness cure, but I really liked the characters and the story.
Recommended For:
Anyone who likes M/M urban fantasy, humor, a bit of mystery, and imperfect but mostly likeable characters.
Original Review @ Metaphors and Moonlight
July 18, 2015
Full 5 stars yet again for the next Bruyer book from me!
After reading the first one, I was left in love with the characters, the situations, the way their story felt and couldn't rest until I got the second book of the series.
Usually one goes cautiously after reading a really good first book from a new author, somewhat expecting the next one to not live up to the expectations of the previous. Well I can surely say, this was one of the rare cases where this wasn't the case. 'Love song for a Vampire' kept me reading whole night, until the very end of the book. The story was complex, unusual and well-balanced; the characters well-developed and the reader could feel the driving force behind each of them. The story arc continues the dark thematic from the previous book, but in different and diverse way; one could not pick which of the two books is darker, they seem to have equal amount of angst and moments handing heavy in the air, but those are in two different perspectives. While the first book follows the inner circle of pain, loss and new-found hope of Dale and James, the second book shows the pain and suffering of others, running parallels between the events in the two books, yet keeping them distinctly separate. The empathy elements serves as the bond between the characters, leaving the reader feeling what they feel as well. It takes truly elaborate characterization in order to capture sensation in such vivid manner, and there were truly plenty of scenes that send a shiver down my spine. Both the horror and sensual elements were strongly present, though the horror was the dominating one for sure. This book, and the one before it, are what people like me often search for but its proven rather hard to find- story that keeps you all night, deep and complex but with unusual characters and presenting way more taboos and situations popular authors these days seem to avoid like the plague. Often when I pick a book, the story/mystery element is often shortly shifted away, and the focus is on the inevitable man-meets-woman-they-form-inevitable-sexual-tension. It is so often I'm tired of this that I deny reading many titles because of it being a trend among the most known authors. While the Dale Bruyer series keep the focus on the story and the love, passion and devotion interlaced so finely and naturally, the way they should truly be in life.
I hope if you're wondering what to read next, and this book is an option, give it a go. I promise it'll truly be a worthwhile read.
I'm hoping we'll see more of James and Dale in the future, among with their friends, acquaintances and righteous fighting spirit.
Greetings, and big thanks to the author, because these are perhaps the two best books I've read so far in 2015.
After reading the first one, I was left in love with the characters, the situations, the way their story felt and couldn't rest until I got the second book of the series.
Usually one goes cautiously after reading a really good first book from a new author, somewhat expecting the next one to not live up to the expectations of the previous. Well I can surely say, this was one of the rare cases where this wasn't the case. 'Love song for a Vampire' kept me reading whole night, until the very end of the book. The story was complex, unusual and well-balanced; the characters well-developed and the reader could feel the driving force behind each of them. The story arc continues the dark thematic from the previous book, but in different and diverse way; one could not pick which of the two books is darker, they seem to have equal amount of angst and moments handing heavy in the air, but those are in two different perspectives. While the first book follows the inner circle of pain, loss and new-found hope of Dale and James, the second book shows the pain and suffering of others, running parallels between the events in the two books, yet keeping them distinctly separate. The empathy elements serves as the bond between the characters, leaving the reader feeling what they feel as well. It takes truly elaborate characterization in order to capture sensation in such vivid manner, and there were truly plenty of scenes that send a shiver down my spine. Both the horror and sensual elements were strongly present, though the horror was the dominating one for sure. This book, and the one before it, are what people like me often search for but its proven rather hard to find- story that keeps you all night, deep and complex but with unusual characters and presenting way more taboos and situations popular authors these days seem to avoid like the plague. Often when I pick a book, the story/mystery element is often shortly shifted away, and the focus is on the inevitable man-meets-woman-they-form-inevitable-sexual-tension. It is so often I'm tired of this that I deny reading many titles because of it being a trend among the most known authors. While the Dale Bruyer series keep the focus on the story and the love, passion and devotion interlaced so finely and naturally, the way they should truly be in life.
I hope if you're wondering what to read next, and this book is an option, give it a go. I promise it'll truly be a worthwhile read.
I'm hoping we'll see more of James and Dale in the future, among with their friends, acquaintances and righteous fighting spirit.
Greetings, and big thanks to the author, because these are perhaps the two best books I've read so far in 2015.
April 16, 2017
Still entertaining with more action and magic showdown and many delightful characters (especially Dracula with his sweet tooth and his incestuous triplets). It's refreshing that this time Dracula was the "good guy" and Van Helsing the "bad guy".
What I'd like to have was more interactions between Dale and James and for Dale to drink less. Yeah, it means this book's not really a romance story, and I'm actually a bit afraid to read the next book.
What I'd like to have was more interactions between Dale and James and for Dale to drink less. Yeah, it means this book's not really a romance story, and I'm actually a bit afraid to read the next book.
August 5, 2016
Love Song for a Vampire - это своеобразный ретелинг "Дракулы". Жили, значит, в счастливых полигамных отношениях Дракула, Мина и Джонатан. Жили они, не тужили, пока их семейную идиллию не разрушил Доктор ВанХельсинг...
Из-за вампирской тематики книга понравилась меньше, чем первая часть. Еще один минус - это решение автора отодвинуть романическую линию главных героев на задний план. Понятно, что они вместе уже ни один десяток лет и ничто их чувствам не грозит, все же мне не хватало их совместных сцен (это я даже не про эротику, а в пинципе).
Тем не менее, очень надеюсь на продолжение, намеки на него вроде как есть.
P. S. Я тащусь от обложек этой серии.
Из-за вампирской тематики книга понравилась меньше, чем первая часть. Еще один минус - это решение автора отодвинуть романическую линию главных героев на задний план. Понятно, что они вместе уже ни один десяток лет и ничто их чувствам не грозит, все же мне не хватало их совместных сцен (это я даже не про эротику, а в пинципе).
Тем не менее, очень надеюсь на продолжение, намеки на него вроде как есть.
P. S. Я тащусь от обложек этой серии.
December 31, 2018
The second book in the Dale Bruyer series. Dale and Coyote went to New Orleans to help with a vampire problem, and end up helping Dracula. It was a very good book, but I did not like the sudden change in POV, and sometimes I had to reread a paragraph to see from which POV it was written. It was also very violent and shocking, but that is not always a bad thing. I would like to have read more about James and Dale, because James is more of a secondary character at this stage. That being said, I love the secondary characters like Coyote, Dracula and the Triplets, even Van Helsing was a well rounded character. It is well written, and I couldn't put it down, but I feel worried about James and Dale and fear for their happiness.
May 27, 2019
A new look at Van Helsing, Mina, Jonathan Harker and Dracula and his three sons. A good story starting with Belladonna, Summer, Nightmare, Raven and Saint they need Dale’s help. Dale gets some help from his friends. A fantastic story- already starting book three. Reading from 3book set.
May 7, 2017
4.2 stars. A very engaging and well crafted sequel, which I enjoyed even more than the first book.
January 12, 2020
Less Wincest, way more Dracula. Writing was still only so-so.
February 24, 2017
3.5 STARS
August 14, 2016
This is the sequel of
and, for once, it does not disappoint even if it is quite different in tone from the first episode.
The first novel was primarily about self-distruction and loss and had a heavy claustrophobic tinge to it. All three elements are here gone and have been replaced by a rather dark, sometimes cruel fantasy adventure with touches of overt humour.
The main character was and remains strong even in his newly attenuated circumstances and the plot is just right, being neither overly complicated nor irritatingly simple. The villains have their own depth and are capable of unspeakable evil without their souls being pitch-black.
Flaws and assets in writing and style have remained the same: I have found myself wishing for a sharper writing, here and there, but what we get is nonetheless above average and enjoyable. The only risk I see in this series' future is its becoming "anedoctical", the supernaturally powerful main and side characters becoming less characters motivated by thoughts and emotions and more dei ex machina solving difficult situations with a twist of their mighty hand.
P.S. it is not really important, but I dislike the cover art.
and, for once, it does not disappoint even if it is quite different in tone from the first episode.
The first novel was primarily about self-distruction and loss and had a heavy claustrophobic tinge to it. All three elements are here gone and have been replaced by a rather dark, sometimes cruel fantasy adventure with touches of overt humour.
The main character was and remains strong even in his newly attenuated circumstances and the plot is just right, being neither overly complicated nor irritatingly simple. The villains have their own depth and are capable of unspeakable evil without their souls being pitch-black.
Flaws and assets in writing and style have remained the same: I have found myself wishing for a sharper writing, here and there, but what we get is nonetheless above average and enjoyable. The only risk I see in this series' future is its becoming "anedoctical", the supernaturally powerful main and side characters becoming less characters motivated by thoughts and emotions and more dei ex machina solving difficult situations with a twist of their mighty hand.
P.S. it is not really important, but I dislike the cover art.
August 13, 2018
Vampires!! More great world building from J.L. Aarne. Dale has settled in to living his life and running his bar now that James isn’t quite so dead but is admittedly a little bored. Coyote, ever the troublemaker brings Dale a plea for help and Dale finds himself in a cliched case of hunting vampires on New Orleans.
Poor Dale gets his ass beat, more than once. He also finds himself in that grey area between right and wrong. What do you do when the most notorious monster needs your help saving his love?
The author doesn’t pull any punches when it comes to violence and I do enjoy that. These are vampires that don’t sparkle and witches with power.
I’m moving on the read The Watcher's Son now because I can’t get enough of Dale, James, Coyote and the rest!
Poor Dale gets his ass beat, more than once. He also finds himself in that grey area between right and wrong. What do you do when the most notorious monster needs your help saving his love?
The author doesn’t pull any punches when it comes to violence and I do enjoy that. These are vampires that don’t sparkle and witches with power.
I’m moving on the read The Watcher's Son now because I can’t get enough of Dale, James, Coyote and the rest!
January 22, 2017
Maybe better than the first book
This is just as good as the first book, maybe better.
I don't generally like books that use clichéd historical or mythological figures. This series is bad enough with the angels and werewolves, but this book also adds vampires, including Dracula.
It's been done so many times, but this book retains the charm of the first, with Dale's irreverent dialog and more character development through both dialog and internal monolog. Dale and Jimmy are still growing.
This is just as good as the first book, maybe better.
I don't generally like books that use clichéd historical or mythological figures. This series is bad enough with the angels and werewolves, but this book also adds vampires, including Dracula.
It's been done so many times, but this book retains the charm of the first, with Dale's irreverent dialog and more character development through both dialog and internal monolog. Dale and Jimmy are still growing.
October 3, 2020
Kept my attention
Very interesting premise that I haven't previously come across. I enjoyed the story but could have done without some of the gratuitous sexual scenes.
Very interesting premise that I haven't previously come across. I enjoyed the story but could have done without some of the gratuitous sexual scenes.
April 18, 2017
3.5 stars.
A twist on the Dracula tale and Dr. Abraham van Helsing as one of the villains- how can this not be interesting?
The book is fast paced and thrilling. Dale gets hurt too many times.
A twist on the Dracula tale and Dr. Abraham van Helsing as one of the villains- how can this not be interesting?
The book is fast paced and thrilling. Dale gets hurt too many times.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews