Obsession

Royal Blood #1

by Alexis Calder

I hate everything about the Vampire King. So why did I let him have a taste?

A momentary lapse of judgment in a coat closet leads me into the arms of the smoking hot Vampire King. In my defense, I didn’t know it was him. He’s not allowed in shifter territory and I’m not allowed near him. As a human living in a supernatural city, I’m near powerless around these monsters. The shifters protect me because they own me. Which means, I have to follow their rules.

If anyone finds out what I did, I’m screwed. Again. You know what I mean.

Nobody can know what happened, but the king isn’t going to let me forget. The Vampire King doesn’t like to be told no and for my rejection, he’s determined to make me pay.

Now I’m stuck in the middle between the shifters and the vampires. To the Vampire King, it’s a game; but it could cost me my life.

Obsession is book one in a dark, steamy, hate to love vampire romance trilogy. If you like dangerous monsters who take what they want, this book is for you. There are no good guys in this story. Mind the cliff. 17+ for dark themes, steam, and violence

Genres: Paranormal, Vampires, Fantasy, Romance, Paranormal Romance, Supernatural, Shapeshifters

236 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 31, 2022

About the author

Alexis Calder writes sassy heroines and sexy heroes with a sprinkle of sarcasm. She lives in the Rockies and drinks far too much coffee and just the right amount of wine.

Reviews

[astarion's bhaal babe (wingspan matters) · Rating 3 out of 5]

"I don't know your name."
"I have been called many thing,"
"Is cocky asshole one of them?"
"In fact, it is."

I know what you're all thinking.
How can a book cover be terribly cringey and impossibly hot, at the same time?



🧛𝗢𝗕𝗦𝗘𝗦𝗦𝗜𝗢𝗡 - 𝗕𝗬 𝗔𝗟𝗘𝗫𝗜𝗦 𝗖𝗔𝗟𝗗𝗘𝗥🧛
★𝗙𝗜𝗡𝗔𝗟 𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚𝗦: ⭐⭐⭐½
★𝗬𝗔/𝗡𝗔/𝗔: 🅽🅰/🅰
★𝗦𝗘𝗥𝗜𝗘𝗦: 𝚁𝙾𝚈𝙰𝙻 𝙱𝙻𝙾𝙾𝙳 #𝟷
★𝗚𝗘𝗡𝗥𝗘 𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗨𝗡𝗗𝗘𝗥𝗧𝗢𝗡𝗘𝗦: 𝙿𝙰𝚁𝙰𝙽𝙾𝚁𝙼𝙰𝙻/𝚅𝙰𝙼𝙿𝙸𝚁𝙴 𝚁𝙾𝙼𝙰𝙽𝙲𝙴 - 𝙼𝚈𝚂𝚃𝙴𝚁𝚈 - 𝚄𝚁𝙱𝙰𝙽 𝙵𝙰𝙽𝚃𝙰𝚂𝚈
★𝗣𝗢𝗩: 𝙳𝙾𝚄𝙱𝙻𝙴 𝙿𝙾𝚅 - 𝙵𝙸𝚁𝚂𝚃 𝙿𝙴𝚁𝚂𝙾𝙽 - 𝙿𝙰𝚂𝚃 𝚃𝙴𝙽𝚂𝙴
★𝗧𝗥𝗢𝗣𝗘𝗦: 𝚁𝙴𝙻𝚄𝙲𝚃𝙰𝙽𝚃 𝙰𝙻𝙻𝙸𝙴𝚂 𝚃𝙾 𝙻𝙾𝚅𝙴𝚁𝚂 - 𝙿𝚁𝙾𝚃𝙴𝙲𝚃𝙸𝚅𝙴 𝙰𝙽𝙳 𝙿𝙾𝚂𝚂𝙴𝚂𝚂𝙸𝚅𝙴 𝙰𝙻𝙿𝙷𝙰 𝙼𝙰𝙻𝙴 𝚡 𝙺𝙸𝙲𝙺𝙰𝚂𝚂 𝙵𝙼𝙲 - 𝚃𝙾𝚄𝙲𝙷 𝙷𝙴𝚁 𝙰𝙽𝙳 𝚈𝙾𝚄 𝙳𝙸𝙴 - 𝚆𝙷𝙾 𝙳𝙸𝙳 𝚃𝙷𝙸𝚂 𝚃𝙾 𝚈𝙾𝚄 - 𝙸𝙽𝚂𝚃𝙰𝙽𝚃 𝙲𝙾𝙽𝙽𝙴𝙲𝚃𝙸𝙾𝙽/𝙻𝚄𝚂𝚃 - 𝙲𝙴𝙽𝚃𝚄𝚁𝙸𝙴𝚂 𝙰𝙿𝙰𝚁𝚃 𝙰𝙶𝙴 𝙶𝙰𝙿
★𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗥𝗔𝗖𝗧𝗘𝗥𝗦: 👥👥👥👥/5
★𝗪𝗥𝗜𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚: ✍🏼✍🏼✍🏼/5
★𝗣𝗟𝗢𝗧: 📜📜📜/5
★𝗗𝗔𝗥𝗞 𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗠𝗘𝗦 & 𝗧𝗥𝗜𝗚𝗚𝗘𝗥 𝗪𝗔𝗥𝗡𝗜𝗡𝗚𝗦: 💀💀💀💀/5 (𝚅𝙸𝙾𝙻𝙴𝙽𝙲𝙴 - 𝙼𝚄𝚁𝙳𝙴𝚁 - 𝙱𝙻𝙾𝙾𝙳, 𝚂𝙾 𝙼𝚄𝙲𝙷 𝙱𝙻𝙾𝙾𝙳 - 𝙳𝚁𝚄𝙶 𝙳𝙴𝙰𝙻𝙸𝙽𝙶/𝚄𝚂𝙰𝙶𝙴 - 𝚂𝙴𝚁𝙸𝙰𝙻 𝙺𝙸𝙻𝙻𝙴𝚁 𝙾𝙽 𝚃𝙷𝙴 𝙻𝙾𝙾𝚂𝙴 - 𝙿𝚁𝙾𝚂𝚃𝙸𝚃𝚄𝚃𝙸𝙾𝙽 - 𝙵𝙼𝙲 𝙸𝚂 𝚂𝙾𝙻𝙳 𝙱𝚈 𝙷𝙴𝚁 𝙼𝙾𝙼 𝚃𝙾 𝙰 𝚂𝙷𝙸𝙵𝚃𝙴𝚁 𝙿𝙰𝙲𝙺 𝚆𝙷𝙴𝙽 𝚂𝙷𝙴'𝚂 𝙰 𝙲𝙷𝙸𝙻𝙳)
★𝗦𝗠𝗨𝗧 𝗤𝗨𝗔𝗟𝗜𝗧𝗬: 🔥🔥🔥🔥/5 (𝚂𝙴𝚇 𝚆𝙸𝚃𝙷 𝙼𝙼𝙲 𝙸𝚂 𝙿𝚁𝙴𝚃𝚃𝚈 𝚅𝙰𝙽𝙸𝙻𝙻𝙰 𝙰𝙻𝙻 𝚃𝙷𝙸𝙽𝙶𝚂)
★𝗦𝗠𝗨𝗧 𝗜𝗡𝗧𝗘𝗡𝗦𝗜𝗧𝗬 & 𝗤𝗨𝗔𝗡𝗧𝗜𝗧𝗬: 🚒🚒🚒/5 (𝙵𝙸𝙽𝙶𝙴𝚁 𝙰𝙽𝙳 𝙾𝚁𝙰𝙻 𝚂𝙴𝚇 - 𝙵𝙼𝙲 𝙰𝙻𝚂𝙾 𝙷𝙰𝚂 𝙶𝚁𝙰𝙿𝙷𝙸𝙲 𝙰𝙽𝙳 𝙰 𝙻𝙸𝚃𝚃𝙻𝙴 𝙺𝙸𝙽𝙺𝚈 𝚂𝙴𝚇 𝚆𝙸𝚃𝙷 𝙷𝙴𝚁 𝙴𝚇 𝙸𝙽 𝚃𝙷𝙴 𝙱𝙴𝙶𝙸𝙽𝙽𝙸𝙽𝙶)
★𝗘𝗫𝗣𝗟𝗜𝗖𝗜𝗧𝗡𝗘𝗦𝗦: 🤐🤐🤐🤐/5 (𝙼𝙰𝚃𝚄𝚁𝙴 𝙻𝙰𝙽𝙶𝚄𝙰𝙶𝙴 - 𝙶𝚁𝙰𝙿𝙷𝙸𝙲 𝙳𝙴𝚂𝙲𝚁𝙸𝙿𝚃𝙸𝙾𝙽𝚂 𝙾𝙵 𝚂𝙴𝚇/𝚅𝙸𝙾𝙻𝙴𝙽𝙲𝙴/𝙳𝙴𝙰𝙳 𝙱𝙾𝙳𝙸𝙴𝚂)
★𝗥𝗢𝗠𝗔𝗡𝗖𝗘: 🌹🌹🌹/5 (𝚆𝙴'𝚁𝙴 𝙶𝙴𝚃𝚃𝙸𝙽𝙶 𝚃𝙷𝙴𝚁𝙴)
★𝗟𝗢𝗩𝗘 𝗧𝗥𝗜𝗔𝗡𝗚𝗟𝗘: ✔️❌ (𝙽𝙾𝚃 𝚁𝙴𝙰𝙻𝙻𝚈 𝙱𝚄𝚃 𝙵𝙼𝙲 𝙷𝙰𝚂 𝚂𝙾𝙼𝙴𝚃𝙷𝙸𝙽𝙶 𝙶𝙾𝙸𝙽𝙶 𝙾𝙽 𝚆𝙸𝚃𝙷 𝙷𝙴𝚁 𝙴𝚇 𝙸𝙽 𝚃𝙷𝙴 𝙱𝙴𝙶𝙸𝙽𝙽𝙸𝙽𝙶)
★𝗠𝗔𝗜𝗡 𝗥𝗢𝗠𝗔𝗡𝗖𝗘: 𝙵/𝙼
★𝗥𝗘𝗣: 𝙽𝙾𝙽𝙴 𝚁𝙴𝙻𝙴𝚅𝙰𝙽𝚃
★𝗘𝗡𝗘𝗠𝗜𝗘𝗦-𝗧𝗢-𝗟𝗢𝗩𝗘𝗥𝗦𝗡𝗘𝗦𝗦: 🖤🖤🖤/5 (𝚃𝙷𝙴 𝙱𝙰𝙽𝚃𝙴𝚁 𝚆𝙰𝚂 𝙺𝙸𝙽𝙳𝙰 𝙶𝙾𝙾𝙳)
▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰


I don't know how, but it definitely fits the book in question.
Cringey cover aside (although, let's be honest...we've all seen worse), this was surprisingly really enjoyable.
I read it in a couple days, but only because I had other books I needed to finish, otherwise this could easily be the one-sitting kind, no commitment needed kind of novel you might want to pick up when you're in need of something effortless and spicy.
It's really nothing to write home about and definitely not the most original book I've read lately, but both MCs are very likeable and the plot is entertaining and very well done.
This is my first time reading anything by Alexis Calder and I can tell it won't be my last, because her writing is sexy and super easy to follow. Also, the smut is pretty good and definitely not crass.
If I had to compare this to another book series, I'd definitely recommend it to fans of SJM's Crescent City, because the vibes are really similar. And in Obsession, the shifter's pack Isla belongs to, is called...Crescent Pack. If this isn't a sign, I don't know what it is.

Anyway, I was a little cover-baited into reading this and ended up being pleasantly surprised by how much I liked it. I think I might even read the sequel when I get the chance.



🚩𝙿𝙾𝚂𝚂𝙸𝙱𝙻𝙴 𝙿𝚁𝙾𝙱𝙻𝙴𝙼𝙰𝚃𝙸𝙲 𝙲𝙾𝙽𝚃𝙴𝙽𝚃 𝙰𝙻𝙴𝚁𝚃!*🚩
*𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚋𝚘𝚘𝚔 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚝𝚊𝚒𝚗𝚜 𝚎𝚕𝚎𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚜, 𝚜𝚒𝚝𝚞𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚜, 𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚛𝚊𝚌𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚜 𝚊𝚗𝚍/𝚘𝚛 𝚛𝚎𝚕𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚜𝚑𝚒𝚙𝚜 𝚜𝚘𝚖𝚎 𝚖𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚜𝚒𝚍𝚎𝚛 𝚙𝚛𝚘𝚋𝚕𝚎𝚖𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚌/𝚝𝚘𝚡𝚒𝚌/𝚍𝚊𝚛𝚔 𝚘𝚛 𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚊𝚕𝚕 𝚖𝚘𝚛𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚚𝚞𝚎𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚊𝚋𝚕𝚎.
𝙸, 𝚊𝚜 𝚊 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚛 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚌𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚝𝚘𝚛 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚛𝚎𝚟𝚒𝚎𝚠, 𝚊𝚌𝚔𝚗𝚘𝚠𝚕𝚎𝚍𝚐𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚍 𝚘𝚏 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚒𝚝𝚜 𝚗𝚎𝚐𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚟𝚎 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚗𝚘𝚝𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚜, 𝚊𝚗𝚍, 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚕𝚒𝚖𝚒𝚝𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝚖𝚢 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚝 𝚣𝚘𝚗𝚎, 𝚌𝚑𝚘𝚘𝚜𝚎 𝚗𝚘𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚕𝚎𝚝 𝚒𝚝 𝚊𝚏𝚏𝚎𝚌𝚝 𝚖𝚢 𝚎𝚗𝚓𝚘𝚢𝚎𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚘𝚛 𝚘𝚙𝚒𝚗𝚒𝚘𝚗, 𝚋𝚎𝚌𝚊𝚞𝚜𝚎:
-𝙸 𝚔𝚗𝚘𝚠 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚍𝚒𝚏𝚏𝚎𝚛𝚎𝚗𝚌𝚎 𝚋𝚎𝚝𝚠𝚎𝚎𝚗 𝚏𝚒𝚌𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚕𝚒𝚝𝚢;
-𝙸 𝚍𝚘𝚗'𝚝 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚍𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚌𝚎𝚛𝚝𝚊𝚒𝚗 𝚋𝚎𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚒𝚘𝚛𝚜 𝚒𝚗 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚕 𝚕𝚒𝚏𝚎;
-𝚊𝚗𝚢 𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚞𝚊𝚕 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎 𝚘𝚛 𝚍𝚒𝚜𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎 𝚝𝚘𝚠𝚊𝚛𝚍𝚜 𝚌𝚎𝚛𝚝𝚊𝚒𝚗 "𝚙𝚛𝚘𝚋𝚕𝚎𝚖𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚌" 𝚋𝚘𝚘𝚔𝚜/𝚛𝚎𝚕𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚜𝚑𝚒𝚙𝚜/𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚛𝚊𝚌𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚜, 𝚍𝚘𝚗'𝚝 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚜𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍𝚗'𝚝 𝚍𝚎𝚏𝚒𝚗𝚎 𝚖𝚎 𝚊𝚜 𝚊 𝚙𝚎𝚛𝚜𝚘𝚗;
-𝚜𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚝𝚒𝚖𝚎𝚜 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚓𝚞𝚜𝚝 𝚐𝚘𝚝𝚝𝚊 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝙾𝙽𝙴 𝙾𝙵 𝚃𝙷𝙾𝚂𝙴 𝙱𝙾𝙾𝙺𝚂, 𝚢'𝚔𝚗𝚘𝚠?

[Naia Pard · Rating 5 out of 5]

It took me by surprise. I did not expect for this plot to be so thought-through (for a paranormal book, it was akin to a puzzle-making contest).

I mean, the protagonist had some intriguing background, the way she met with the love interested was … interesting, too, and what followed was also, … interesting.

(I am not making inuendos with the interesting over-usage, it`s just that the routes taken by this book were a bit off from the beaten path, and I appreciated it).

Maybe this book is one of the many other examples that come to demonstrate a phenomena that is happening amongst the paranormal/fantasy books. They are increasingly better, plot-wise, romance-wise and character-wise.

That, or my brain is broken to no return.

If there is no more hope for me, please do not save me because I want to see where this journey is going to take me to.

I await the second book in this instalment. I am curious how the “interesting” will evolve into “fascinating” (or at least, I hope so).

Quote from said book:

“When you are finished with your meeting, you will send a representative to my home to share what I missed. I want an update every day until the perpetrator is caught. Do you understand?” Dante said.

“I’ll find someone,” Henry said, quickly.

“I want her,” Dante pointed to where I was still standing near the trash can.

“Oh, no, you don’t want me,” I said.”

Instagram\\my Blog\\

[Rebecca Dixon · Rating 5 out of 5]

*Bullets with key points are at the bottom of the Emoji Review!*

I just finished reading ‘Obsession,’ Book 1 of Royal Blood Book Series by Alexis Calder and it was super FAB 🤩! (FYI, I’m not affiliated with the author, not in the book biz, reading is just a HOBBY, and I’m just a regular reader that is super passionate 💗 about spreading the word on GREAT books!) There are NO spoilers! 🙌🏻

Ok ✅! So it was a Sunday afternoon and I am in the middle of a TONS of series that I really should be reading instead of starting a new series, butttt … well… I LOVE 💕 to start a new series like no other 😂! Ehhhh 😬, I really am a MOOD reader first and foremost and basically, I just had a hankering to try something new! And oh boy 🙌🏻! Am I glad I did 🤗🥳! I read this book in one day!! 😲😲😲

First off, why haven’t I heard of Alexis Calder 😳😳😳???? This chick CAN WRITE ✍️ a GREAT 🤩 page-turner and honestly 👆🏻, this book is right up the alley for those who LOVE books with lots of streamlined movement, like ‘Hot Vampire Next Door’ by Nikki St Crowe! And, I don’t know if it was because the MMC kept calling the FMC “Love,” 😆… but I literally couldn’t stop thinking of Bones 🦴 in the Night Huntress series by Jeaniene Frost 👏🏻! I really loved this MMC! 😍🥵🔥

Alright 👌🏻 already!! So the story! I really LOVED 🥰 it you guys! Starts off with a MMC who is a POWERFUL VAMPIRE KING 👑 who is searching for his DANGEROUS 🔪 brother! We don’t know a lot about what’s going on & why… but we DO know he has to go back to his former home where the Crescent City pack resides! And not only the pack, but OUR GIRL… who is merely human 👩🏻, but somehow has all these guys in this book OBSESSED ❤️‍🔥 with her! Including! The HOT 🥵 alpha of the werewolf pack’s son! Our girl is pretty sexu@lly empowered 💪🏻 and decides to take this dude for a spin 💋, only to be tied up in a coat 🧥 closet… in her BDAY SUIT!... annnnd SURPRISE 😳! In walks mister HOT 🔥 and POWERFUL KING 👑 of the FANGS 🦷 !

Seriously from Chapter 2, I was HOOKED into this story 👏🏻! I just LOVE how this chick has all these different dudes jonesin’ 😍🤤 over her (it’s not really a love “corner 🔺”… it definitely feels like there is a F/M 💘 endgame going on here!) And I REALLY loved her personality 🙌🏻! So pragmatic, but also BALLSY! I love FMC’s that stick to their gutt$ and this chick doesn’t waiver! 🥳🥳

I really love the world 🌎 that is being built with this story 👏🏻! A world where sups rule and humans are basically sl@ves… pledged ✌🏻to them (again, reminds me of HVND a little and I’m HERE FOR IT 🙋🏻‍♀️😁!) I love the DRAMA 🎭 that unfolds throughout the book between the alpha son 🐺 & our FMC 👩🏻! And then the vamp 🧛 king & the alpha son 🐺 & our girl 👩🏻! There was a bit of a murder MYSTERY 🔎 going on, which to be fair, I didn’t really guess ❓ who the bad guy was (which is awesome 👏🏻!) But I was happy how it all went down! 😯😯😯

And what about the SPICE 🌶 ?! This writer can do SPICE 🔥! She is super SMART💡in hitting it EARLY to hook 🪝 us steam-lovers ❤️‍🔥 and then finding a way to fold it into the plotline in a way that continues to work ❤️‍🔥! It’s not overpowering, but it’s HOT 🥵 and I LOVED IT 👏🏻! This is definitely an author who knows what she is doing! 👏🏻🙌🏻👏🏻

Honestly, I’m super STOKED 👊🏻 about Book 2 coming out next month (July!) This was one of those books that I knew early on I’d be writing an Emoji Review 😁😆😅😂😍🥰😘🥵🔥🌶❤️‍🔥🤩🥳👏🏻👊🏻🙌🏻… and then as soon as it finished, I put my Kindle down…fired up my MS Surface and started typing ⌨️ away! 🥳🥳🥳

So if you LOVE a human 👩🏻 FMC thrust into a supernatural world 🌎 where dudes are OBSESSED 😍❤️ with her, some decent HOT 🥵 steam, all kinds of sups 🐺 🧛 🧚‍♀️ 🪄 , and some pretty engaging DRAMA 🎭 … give this a shot! It’s free on KU and you never know, it just may be your next book OBSESSION ❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥.

Key elements for those who like a more streamlined review!
🥀 Paranormal Romance, but takes place in a modern world similar to ours so slight Romance Fantasy
🥀 F/M
🥀 Werewolves 🐺, Vampires 🧛, Witches 🧙🏻‍♀️, Fae 🧝🏻‍♀️, Humans 👩🏻
🥀 Really cool world where humans are essentially pledged to sups as slaves
🥀 Definitely steam 🔥, but it’s not dominate. Pretty perfect amount I thought!
🥀 Starts off with a human FMC that has been sold to a werewolf pack and has the alpha’s son jonesin’ for her! She decides to give him a spin (just for fun) and gets tied up in a cloak closet in her Bday suit for …wait!... a vampire king to stumble upon her!
🥀 Murder mystery
🥀 MMC is like Bones 🦴 from Night Huntress by Jeaniene Frost (so he’s basically smokin’ hot & powerful!)
🥀 FMC is awesome! She is a fighter and sticks to her gut in the name of self preservation!
🥀 No romantic HEA 💘 as series continues
🥀 Book 2 comes out next month and I am DEFINITELY reading it! Super excited 🤩!
🥀 Like how have I not read this author before?????
🥀 Author’s FB Group: Alexis Calder's Court
🥀 At the time of writing this, this book only has 150+ ratings of close to 5 stars (this needs to change, folks! This book is definitely worth folks talking about!)
🥀 FREE ON KU 🥳
🥀 If you love Bones from Night Huntress, Hot Vampire Next Door by Nikki St Crowe, and Reject Me by Kel Carpenter/Aurelia Jane… your gonna love this!

‘Obsession,’ Book 1 of Royal Blood Book Series by Alexis Calder

[Sue · Rating 3 out of 5]

~MF shifter/vampire
~Touch her and 🪦
~Mine!

☑️ graphic violence and gore
☑️ h tstl

2.5 total stars
2/5 smut fast burn, short scenes
1/5 Character Consistency
1/5 Plot Holes

Review of Duet

Like so many books lately, the first half was incredibly well done only to fall apart halfway through. This is the story of Dante, who’s been seeking his brother for revenge for hundreds of years. He meets Isla, a human bond servant to the Crescent Wolf pack and ex girlfriend of the alpha heir, at a party and is instantly smitten.

I love Dante’s character. He’s all about consent while still being OTT JP, protective and you belong to me. However at the end it’s mentioned that he found his bonded mate in Isla, yet still got a BJ from a blood donor named Lily. Maybe vampire bonds don’t work like shifter bonds but it’s not explained in Book 1. In Book 2 his JP personality suddenly disappears and he becomes dull.

We get whiplash with the other characters as well.

Isla: “supposed” to be smart, but continually mouths off. Says she doesn’t care if her ex is with other people, but she left him because he had an orgy after she turned down his marriage proposal. He makes no bones about still wanting her, and he provides protection from the pack, plus we see great steam and chemistry with them. Honestly I wanted this to end Ménage and felt bad for Ryder. However if Isla was truly smart she would have just ridden the relationship out for the two months she needed to leave. Then she follows a woman she met at a bar and doesn’t know on a whim and almost gets killed, of course. She’s Not smart.

Ryder: the alpha heir, his character is pretty consistent until the second book where it’s like he doesn’t have a wolf anymore

Henry: in the beginning of the book he slaps her, threatens her with death, feels her up and offers himself as a bed partner. Then at the end he calls her kiddo and supposedly turns into a good guy. Uhhh….ok.

Maddie: the honorary best friend was boring and I skipped her parts

We spend too much time on Ryders and Islas relationship for a dead ship, even if they are hot together. In the end Dante acts surprised to hear that Henry told her to sleep with him, when I was pretty sure she let him know Henry was expecting her to spy.

Book 2 starts with incorrect character names that continue till the end. Sadly this second book is full of plot convenience and plot holes that inspire eye rolling. The h is again tstl. See my Notes for examples. I only finished it to see what happens.

[Noor · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF at 43%
I had big hope for this book but all went down hill.
The female character Isla very horny and keeps hoping and fu***king Rayder and say’s I’m not your girlfriend anymore then she sees Dante the Vampire and have sex with him and then again goes back to Rayder then Dante.
It’s awful I kept reading because Isla had a backbone and Dante has all the super strong qualities for a vampire, but this mess with cheating made me stop reading it.

[Camilla · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

⭐️: 4/5
🌶 : 1.5/5

Not having read very many shifter books, I wasn't quite sure what to expect. Turns out I love paranormal/shifter romances too! Throw in a bit of murder mystery, some steamy romance and I'm sold.

Our fmc is Isla, a human who was sold as a child to a wolf shifter pack and is now stuck doing their accounts. The alphas son is her ex, and all she wants to do is escape the pack and the town they live in - Lost Harbor. When a bunch of dead vampires turn up she meets Dante the Vampire King, who's more powerful and sexy than anyone she's met. Who's killing the vampires? Can Isla toy the line between her pack and the vampire King without getting killed in the process?

This book was good. The plot had good tempo and set up the world of Lost Harbor nicely. The smut scenes were hot and makes me wish I had a Vampire King of my own. Isla is a great heroine, she's feisty and takes no shit. The ending fell a bit flat for me in regards to their relationship, but leaves me eager to learn more. So many questions!! Can't wait to read the next book in the series.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Royal Blood is Alexis Calder's latest series, the first book is Obsession which centers on a very human Isla in a world dominated by supernaturals. Enter a dangerous vampire king and a possessive alpha and there is bound to be trouble. A dangerous game has started and somehow Isla finds herself right in the middle of it.


Let me set up the world. There are human cities (very few) but most of the world is made up of supernatural cities and the humans are In impoverished, taking crap from the supernaturals, abused, sold, and so on plus the humans can't leave, they're trapped. There are territories but a lot of other supes in the mix.


Isla is human and while she may have been sold to the Cresent Pack is worked hard and did a good job but when things go south for her she gets a little scrappy. She analyzes everything, it's the only way she can stay safe but lately, she's been speaking up because the good outways the bad when it comes to the consequences. With Isla's intelligence, she manages to stay on top of dangerous situations.


The only problem is Dante the vampire king has come to town and has taken an interest in Isla. The chemistry between them is undeniable but Dante is dangerous as hell, everyone is scared of him, and with good reason. However, there seems to be more behind Dante, he may be a jerk at times but he isn't evil. Dante has his motives and while they aren't clear they aren't all bad. Not gonna lie he manipulates Isla a little and I didn't like it even though she knew he did. Maybe he can make up for it. Plus things were very angsty between them by the end.


While the characters' mood swings and treatment of Isla was irritating and confused the heck out of me it was the plot that got me. There was a supernatural council, of course, I hated them, most of the shifters were jerks with attitudes, and the alpha was the biggest jerk. Then there was the vampire king appearing ruffling feather, a drug trafficking ring, and to top it all off a serial killer was on the loose. Not to mention Dante dropped a couple little tidbits one I guessed at, and the other was a surprise and would love to know more about.


Obsession was a good start to the series and left me asking a whole lot of questions. I wanna see where the story goes next. Here's to hoping that Hunger answers more questions than it gives.

[Natalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a series, called Royal Blood. There are two books in this series, the first is called Obsession which is 284 pages and the second is Hunger which is 183 pages It is written by Alexis Calder.

The genre is paranormal and is written in first person POV from the heroine and anti-hero perspective.

I give this series a 4 out of 5. I enjoyed the dialogue between the characters and felt that the reactions and responses were relatable (you know…for a paranormal). The reason for this is the repetitive phrase, “There must be something wrong with me”. It was repeated so many times I started counting and gave up at around 20 halfway through the book.
I get it.

There’s something wrong with you.

General Thoughts/Possible Spoilers
I’ve been on a paranormal kick so for the next few weeks you’ll see a lot of reviews for this genre. On to my general thoughts. The protagonists are Isla and Dante. If you aren’t familiar with the genre paranormal oftentimes they are dark and if you aren’t into fighting or death as being a normal part of your romance reading this genre may not be for you.

1. The world-building was interesting. I appreciated the concept of having “wards” in place to separate a whole magical community from the normal human one (yes, I know, not much different from Harry Potter, but I’m used to reading books where the supernatural is a bit more ingrained in human society)
2. I enjoy series books, but I prefer they can almost be standalone. This one was a saga, so it was two books centered around the same character. Considering the length of book two it felt more like the author just couldn’t tie up the book in one.
3. The sex scenes were…okay. They weren’t frequent (not that they have to be), but they also didn’t feel intense enough for the few that existed.
4. I really appreciated that the author called out the characters had other sexual relationships. Many times it almost feels like the characters aren’t having sex with anyone and then BAM they meet their love interest and it’s just them.
5. 100% preferred the first book to the second. The first one felt more well thought out with flow and story and the second was…well…flatter. Like the author just wanted to end it. lol…as a writer myself I get it. Sometimes you just need it to be over

All in all, I enjoyed the book and I really enjoyed the author. Expect to see more reviews around her.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

more like 3.5 stars!

a little surprised with how highly it's rated, but to each their own. isla falls into a lot of fmc tropes i see within this genre. human amongst supernaturals, so she's bullied and treated horribly. but also, she's super 'feisty' so she talks back to everyone and can't help her impulsive tendencies. and she has that 'specialness' because everyone is attracted to her like literally almost every male character we're introduced to (though not in healthy ways) and most female characters hate/dislike her. and as mean as this might sound, i'm not really sure what her appeal is? she's good at crunching numbers/finances but we don't really see that. and she's tasked to do a lot of dangerous things though i'm not sure why...maybe because she's considered expendable?

ryder is... too much. he can't get over isla and he flip flops between wanting to show her complete devotion and doing stupid things to make her jealous. man can't catch a hint after the multiple times isla tells him no, she doesn't want to be with him. i know dante is supposed to be the swoony mc but even he was just...whatever to me. he's the big bad, but he's sweet to isla. i hate the pissing contest ryder and dante have over isla and i feel bad that isla is just a pawn between many powerful figures in this book.

i kept losing sight what the central plot was, and even when it was revealed who the villain was, idk the climax just didn't hit as much as it should've.

although i've just complained about this book, somehow i read through it really quickly and i just kept reading. which is why i gave it a 3.5 over 3. it still caught my interest and the spice was spicy.

[Kreela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Methinks she doth protest too much. Isla is supposed to be oppressed or a slave. Yet she reacts like an rebellious child and is willful and arrogant. I cannot see anyone making friends with her and I cannot see how she can exist in this world. This is a world where might makes right. Shifters, vampires, even mages, are more powerful. Humans must align themselves with one of the communities to survive. Rather than be a lady of the evening like her mom, Isla learned accounting for the shifter group she is enslaved to. She should be cowed. She should have a reason for being so outspoken without thought.

That said, I could not stop reading. Torn between a former lover and his dominant alpha and a new vampire king arriving in their territory, Isla is caught up in furor. Vampire bodies keep showing up, there is talk of illicit activity, and both groups want to use her. And honestly, she never deeply considered the activity she was handling money for. Suddenly her helpless position and supposed knowledge will help her find the killer, or drugs, or something....help!

I love a good love triangle, and this one works so well. It is really a MF romance, with enough mystery, action, and smut to make all those closet porn lovers crave every page.

#ClosetSteam
• MF, not Reverse Harem
• Murder Mystery
• Clueless Human
• Dystopian paranormal romance
• Unlikeable main character...sorry.

[Jasmine · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's been a while since I read a vampire book, and I enjoyed this a surprising amount. Isla is a human woman who's under shifter pack rule. As a human, you have no rights and have to do whatever the supernatural pack/coven you're sold into tells you to do. But Isla has a plan to get out, and finally be free. All she has to do is stay off the radar for a few more months.... which seems to be surprisingly difficult when her ex boyfriend (who happens go be the Alpha's son) can't seem to take no for an answer, vampires are showing up dead, the Vampire king has suddenly shown up and taken an interest in her goings on, and her Alpha expects her to do whatever it takes to keep said King off the packs backs and out of their buisness.

I liked the meld of Fae, witch, shifter, vampire and human in this world and I am intrigued where the series is going to go. It was dark and violent, with elements of mystery, spice and the possibility of a more complex back story for our MC's.

[samantha • insomniabungalow • · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full review coming soon...
Notes
Absolutely LOVED this 🔥🔥🔥🔥
- Underworld vibes 😍
- Vampires, shifters, fae, humans... Supernatural council, vampire royalty 💀
- Murder Mystery🙀
- Supernatural drama 👀
- Obsessive alpha ex 🤐
- Sort of Love Triangle (twilight for grown ups👀)
- Mistreated FMC 😩 v likeable
- WHO DID THIS TO YOU?😭
- The twists and turns 😫
- Enemies to lovers 😈
- Extremely grey MMC (HOT ASF w TATS) 😍😍😍 THE MAN SCARY ASF
- THE SPICEEEEEE🌶🌶🌶🌶
- Cliffhanger I NEED BOOK 2 😩😩😩😩😩
- Well thought out plot 🤓
- Dirty talk 😏
- At least a 900 year age gap 👀🔥
- Subtle well done world building
- Lots of little nuggets of information leaving you dying for the next one ☝
- Gory and violent 👏👏

Minus ⭐:
🚫🚫 some grammar/spelling/language mistakes - maybe extra beta\proofreads needed (ARC copy so published copy may be different, will check purchased copy)
🕺 more Dante POV in book 2 would be 🙌 I did appreciate how his chapter was first and last, but I NEED MORE 🤷🤷😂😂

[Debs · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fab hot story

I loved this story about human Isla and vampire King Dante. Ten years ago when she was 13, Isla's mother sold her to a wolf shifter pack. The Alpha's son wants her to be his Mate but she says she can't give him what he wants. It still didn't stop them from dating for 2 years and occasionally hooking up.

In comes hot and hunky Dante who has been on vacation for the past 200 years. Vampires keep turning up on wolf property dead and Dante is determined to find out who is the killer. Isla's Alpha wants her to spy on Dane and he the same. They have a spark which they cannot deny but interspecies relationships are forbidden. How are they going to resist each other? 🔥 read.

[Celeste · Rating 4 out of 5]

Riveting

I really enjoyed this story. We have a strong female lead, an intriguing and powerful male lead and plenty of spice.

Our h belongs to a werewolf pack and works at cooking their books. One night of giving into her ex leaves her in a vulnerable position where the H comes to her rescue. Unfortunately for her, not only is being with a vampire forbidden and considered treason but she's also human stuck in a city of supernaturals and unable to leave.

Due to the H handpicking her to debrief him she's thrust into a hunt for a killer murdering vampires and distributing a drug called lotus.

Everyone here has an ulterior motive and this becomes clearer as the story moves on.

It was interesting and I'm off to read the next book in the series.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Isla is a human sold to the Crescent Pack as a child. She's dated Ryder, the Alpha's son for sometime until he git serious and then broke up with him. She only wants to escape Lost Harbour and leave the supernatural world behind. When Dante, the vampire king rolls in town her whole world is turned upside. Dante is hunting his brother Vincent who is a beast in his right and always one step ahead of the king. It's a dangerous game everyone is playing and Isla may pay the highest price yet. A great read with lots of intrigue and drama and of of course heat. Can't wait to see what happens next. I volunteered to read this book via Booksprout.

[Charlotte · Rating 5 out of 5]

Isla is a human that is owned by the Crescent Pack after her mother sold her to them. So shes very much doing their bidding for whatever they want her to. More so with the complications of a determined Ex-boyfriend & Alphas son - Ryder, a spate of murders and one annoying Vampire - Dante. I really liked Isla and Dante's banter together.

You would think that being human in a Supernatural World would make Isla scared of being opinionated but actually it made her way more outspoken and direct. I liked that about her. It was a great dynamic she has with the Wolves and Vampires. Im interested to see where this series will go because i really enjoyed reading this first book. Loved It

[2TNWalkers · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great story, just had some issues with Isla, she started off as a really smart character then she snowballed on her convictions..she was dead set on breaking up with her ex then she is letting him fuck her over her desk..she was complaining about being own by a pack, and planning her escape, but next paragraph she was being loyal to them…she was quite wishwashy..found no redeeming qualities in any of the wolves other than Isla’s roommate…so ending with Isla and her Alpha was weird needless to say. I will read second book, but only for Dante as I am not too sure if I care for Isla…but Anna seems interesting

[Clerissa Sanchez · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. I loved Isla and Dante together they are the cutest! I like how some of the side characters became more likable the farther in the book you got, like Anna. The more she was in the book the more I started to like her. The steamy scenes were amazing and the chemistry between the main characters was so good! I didn’t how much I would enjoy a vampire human relationship. I haven’t really read a lot in this kind of fantasy type genre but it turns out I love it and will definitely look into more books in this genre! I really enjoyed all the characters and I’m excited to get started on the second book!

[Mrs A · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyed this book, easy to read. Action packed and steamy. Told from a dual POV. Isla is Likeable human living in a world where humans have very little value. She cooks the book for her alpha to make his business seem legit and has an on and off relationship with the alphas son. Her chance encounter with the Vampire king puts her on his radar. Dante is a growly but fab character. Ends of a mild cliffhanger, lots of questions still need answering. Can’t wait for book 2.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Shannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This has been one of the few books I have read in months where I didn't think I wish I was reading a different book. I stayed up till 1 reading it and was reading instead of taking a nap at 4 am. It is that good!

I normally don't vibe with humans as property in these type books but it worked in this one. I appreciate messy romances and the first quarter of the book was awesome. I cannot wait for the next book and I really want to know more about these hopeful hints.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Christina Luberts]

I felt the story started out slow, but then it got really interesting. We have different supernaturals, but mostly Werewolves and vampires. We have mystery, suspense and sex. Humans are owned by the supernatural, but Isla wants out. The Alpha son wants her and now a forbidden vamp has his sights on her. Can she trust anyone? Who is selling and who is killing? The King of vamps and the Alpha are playing her against each other can she survive?.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[SBee Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

★ “I didn’t belong here. I wasn’t one of these monsters.” ★

—>>> Isla has been counting down the days until she can leave Lost Harbor; as a human sold by her very own mother to the Crescent Pack wolf shifters, she is trapped with others of her kind by magical wards. Saved from an unexpected predicament during a holiday celebration by a mysterious and self-proclaimed dangerous male later leads to a hot encounter with her rescuer. Great start to this series, with steam, drama, and mystery as dead vampires are discovered on their territory.

[Teresa StokleY · Rating 4 out of 5]

Regardless worth the read

Great story…I enjoyed everything about it til the very end. Several things did NOT add up & felt rushed…. This definitely should be one book, not two separate books. But for the most part this was a great book. Although the ending was ridiculous & wasn’t consistent with what was previously written in book, but ya know, some times these authors do this….when coming up with why the main characters can’t stay together. Drives me mad. But I’m still going to read the next book to see how it ends.

[Jenni · Rating 5 out of 5]

Isla was sold to the wolf pack as a child and she even dated the Alphas son, but all she wants is to escape this world she was dragged into. but getting close to Dante the vampire king isnt the way to go, but they are drawn together like a moth to the flame, Isla can only hope she doesnt get burnt! well written paranormal romance, action, suspense, desire and more.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Cocoas.Bookshelf · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alexis Calder is why I'm not sleeping much the past few days as I devour every book she's ever written.

I rated this one four starts because there were a few things that felt repetitive. Some of it seemed kind of off, like how she gets away from a shape shifter that would kill others on the spot. It seemed a bit out of character for them. It was a spicy book, maybe 3/5 for me. I can't wait for the second book to be released later this month!

Off to read more of her books. :D

[Tracey Stiles]

Too many phrases repeated and overused in this book such as "what is wrong with me?" to use that a couple times is fine but constantly was just silly. The word deadpanned is also used a lot in these books, again once or twice but this and the phrase "what is wrong with me?" is just too much. I found some parts of this book interesting and exciting, but for the most part I was a bit bored which was disappointing. I'm hoping the next one is a bit better.

[Hannah Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an easy read for one of those times where you want something enjoyable but don’t have to try too hard to follow along. The story is good, albeit a teeny bit predictable. I thought the relationship between the MC’s was a little shallow and didn’t feel the tension as strongly as with other similar books in this genre. There were also some editing issues - misspellings, name changes, etc. - that were a little annoying. Overall though, I did like it and am glad I read it.

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm so happy I found another well-written, engaging start to series! This book somehow wraps together supernatural world-building, class struggles, and romance with a backdrop of murder mystery and high-level conspiracy... without the melodrama that sneaks into so many others in this genre. I like the characters, the plot, and the writing. The tropes are handled perfectly, so far. Super well done, and I can't wait to read the rest.

[Kyleigh McCoy · Rating 5 out of 5]

So good!!

You said vampires? Sold!! Vampires are what started my reading journey, so anytime there's a book about them, I have to read it!! This was my second read by Alexis Calder, and she is becoming one of my favorites!! This is a tale of a human who is stuck between vampires and werewolves! This book is smutt and not for the faint of heart. If you like vampires and Forbidden things, this book is a must-read!

[Luna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Spicy & Vicious

Not what I was expecting, but definitely not disappointed. The tension in this book was there, and Calder doesn’t make it obvious who the FMC will choose, and I wouldn’t say it’s a love corner either. There’s also a touch of mystery that keeps things interesting as well. Overall, if you enjoy shifters, vampires, and witches with some spice, then you’d probably enjoy this book.