Bloodlust & Initiation

Vampire Beach #1-2

by Alex Duval

Jason and his sister have just moved to Malibu - to a town full of beautiful rich kids whose lives revolve around money, fashion, cars and parties. But these teens hide a dark - and dangerous secret . . .


Bloodlust
Jason gets swept along by the excitement of his new crowd and is flattered to be included - and also very flattered by the apparent interest of the stunning Sienna. But when he finds out the truth behind his new friends, Jason has to decide if he can accept the status quo. Everyone else seems to be able to - and it might just mean he could get closer to Sienna . . .


Initiation
Something happens to take Jason's mind of the gorgeouse Sienna when he realises that there's something weird going on in De Vere Heights. Could his Aunt Megan be involved somehow? And when his old friend Tyler turns up too, and starts to mess with the wrong people, Jason starts to understand that they're all playing with something much more dangerous than it first seemed . . .

Genres: Vampires, Young Adult, Paranormal, Fantasy, Romance, Urban Fantasy, Fiction

435 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

Alex Duval is a pseudonym for two seasoned YA writers.

Reviews

[Briar's Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I originally bought this YEARS ago (and then lost it...) I was informed this was the long form version of a famous anime. It's not. So I went in being so excited and then looked further into it and realized the sales person tricked me years ago.'

Regardless, I loved this! Very 2010s-esque YA novel. A great book to disappear into and just not have to think. This book has the first and second novel in the series in it, which made me happy since I didn't have to go looking for book 2.... But now I want the rest of the series. I'm intrigued. It's easy to read and has lots of high school drama.

Four out of five stars.

[Liz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovely double decker bus 🗣🗣🗣

[Cambria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Title: Vampire Beach
Series Review : Book one: Bloodlust ; Book two: Initiation ; Book three: Ritual ; Book four: Legacy
Author: Alex Duvall
Publisher: Released in 2006 by
Genre: Young adult paranormal
Format: Paperback

Jason Freeman is completely stoked when his family moves from cold and frosty Michigan to the exclusive DeVere Heights neighborhood in Malibu, California.
He is even happier when his new class-mates are friendly and welcoming. Soon he is on the school swim team and going to the best parties and surfing the waves like a native.
But not everything is as perfect as it seems in DeVere Heights. There is something different about the A-list people that have befriended him. At first he tried to ignore it but when things start happening – like when one of his classmates body washed up on the beach – he realizes that he can’t hide his head in the sand anymore – no matter how beautiful it might be.

This series was published back in 2006 so it’s an older series but one that I am just now finding and reading. So let’s blow the dust off the covers and take a peak at this vampire world.
I found this book when my local Books A Million was going out of business. They were having a big sale and I wandered in to see what I could score. I saw Vampire Beach for around 3$ and I remember hearing a bit about it so I snagged it up.
And keeping it real here doesn’t the title just sound like an easy, kind of trashy beach read? Well, to me that’s the way it seemed. I was looking forward to a good ole gossipy tale of those among us that bite. 
The book that I bought had the first two books in one and when I finished reading it I went and found the last two books also published together as one book.
So were they as trashy and gossipy as I hoped? No. But I still liked them. ;) They were a nice light read and they were entertaining enough that I kept reading to find out what happened with all the characters.
I can tell you that as I read they reminded me SO much of 90210. You know the show back in the day with Donna and Brandon and Dylan? Lol. So it was kind of a blast from the past for me. I mean they were set in sunny, gorgeous Cali and it centered around a group of friends that a brother (Jason) and a sister (Dani) fell into after they moved there from Michigan…. It’s pretty much 90210 re - created right? Oh, and yes I liked that show back then.
The story lines were fairly simple but still enjoyable. Basically the series is told from the POV of Jason. It was interesting reading it from a teen guys perspective. Sometimes, I admit, I found him a little more wholesome than the teenage guys I have met but hey this was wayyyy back in 2006. LOL.
I liked all the characters, even the mysterious ones like Zach. I really liked Jason’s younger sister Dani and her flare for the dramatic and her fashion sense.
I think my favorite book in the series was the third book, Ritual, which was centered around a crossbow killer. It was an original idea that kept me guessing and I liked the way it played out.
I also enjoyed the setting – Malibu. I liked the pretense that even in the most perfect and beautiful of places that things weren’t always what they seemed. Reading about the characters on the beach was also fun and relaxing. I just pretended I was lying in the sand among them and it was a great escape.
I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to read something that will entertain and be a fun, light read. It’s also actually a great blast from the past. If you enjoyed the old TV show 90210 you will like this… except remember the characters of this Cali show bite.
So there you have it. My opinion.

[Kate]

I admit, I only bought this because I thought it was a Twilight rip off so I wanted to see the mess the author made of it.
It was in fact published way before Twilight, so I was wrong.
I really enjoyed it, despite the lack of love between Sienna and Jason.

[Allison Barnhill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun, easy, entertaining...three perfect adjectives for a summer read....onto Vampire Beach 2.

[Sassy Sarah Reads]

Let's face it, I'm not into cheesy vampire love stories anymore. My Twihard days have been long over. I don't know why I still have this book since I'm never going to read it.

[Meredith · Rating 2 out of 5]

Cheesy vampire romance was cheesy no way! Anyway, wtv it was a fun read. Will probably give away

[Amy Dale · Rating 1 out of 5]

Omg...I know the name is impossibly lame but the back sounded good... These books are not good,I'm 60 pages off the end of book 2 in this omnibus and I may not go back. I was expecting a Twilight reversed sorta deal with the girl as the vampire. Oh no.
So the vampires were barely acknowledged in book 1 and he basically had a suspicion and the girl was just offhandedly like "Oh yeah,I'm a vampire." No mystery,no magic no big climactic moment. The vampires all go to his school and act normal and live in the same gated community in Malibu. (The fact that it takes place in Malibu was another reason I read it)

If you're thinking,as I did,that this might be a neat vamp romance, it's not, there's no romance At All,he wants to kiss the girl and does and feels kinda guilty because she has a boyfriend and that's it. Book 2 doesn't progress any further, again a kiss he regrets.

The complete and total lack of anything vampire or romance related leaves it as being a rather lame modern day Hardy Boys novel, it's basically the guy and his friend trying to figure stuff out. It's a basic slice of life/school life style book and I like those when it's what I've knowingly picked. I just thought this would be so much more. It's basically endless house parties and swimming class. Book 2 is centered on his childhood friend coming to visit.

Not worth the time,I speed read through it looking for the cool stuff but it's not there. However the descriptions of Malibu and LA are really nice.

[Emilija · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bloodlust is a pretty decent start to a YA/teen vampire series. I really like that it's quite different to all the other vampire fiction that I read in my vampire reading phase, even though the characters really annoy me sometimes. Except Zach, because hes enigmatic and cool.


Initiation, I liked much less. This isn't a great book but it's not a bad book. It's just a little bland. It was predictable and a little boring compared to the first book.

I liked Jason in book 1, but the fact that hes literally chasing a girl with a boyfriend is really turning me away from his character, and the rest of the characters are all a little two dimensional (except for Zach, because I like Zach). Sienna is still the it-girl, Belle is still the craving attention girl, Brad is still the good guy, Zach is still the mysterious but helpful guy, Adam is still the film nerd guy, the characters don’t seem to be moving anywhere.

The plot itself was a little... well, does anybody really expect a human to get into a high security house owned by vampires with very sensitive ears by swinging up the ivy tresses and not get caught? The whole book kind of existed on that sort of suspension of disbelief.

[Holly Jolly · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars because I enjoyed this book and can't wait for the next one. The characters are tangible and the writing flows nicely. It's very well written and it was just fun.
There was one cheesy part with a over the top face caress and a ridiculous goodbye but other than that, this was exactly what I needed in my life at this moment. Can't wait for the next one.

[Angelina Bird · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book 1 : 2 stars
it was a quick read but very predictable, there wasn’t much happening in the book it was more focused on setting up the series and characters.

Book 2 : 3 stars
Book two was still a quick read and predictable but there was more happening, it was enjoyable to read and because it’s only 215 pages it’s quite short so you don’t feel like it’s dragging on.

[Carla · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun, light read. Very tame with no sex scenes, which is a refreshing change for a vampire novel. I enjoyed Bloodlust more than Initiation, it was a bit more believable and a better plot. I'll definitely continue on to the next books in the series... I'm hoping the sister Dani gets featured a bit more.

[Taylor]

So my ex boyfriend’s mum gave me a heap of books after I broke up with her son and this was one of them? 2009 was a wild time

[Lauren Desai · Rating 2 out of 5]

Charity shop find. Tame soap opera feel to it but with the smallest hint of vampires.

[Rachael · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great little book not much going on but great for young teens

[Zoe · Rating 2 out of 5]

Vampire Beach (Bloodlust and Initiation) by Alex Duval is a paranormal love story. Jason and his family move to an exclusive neighborhood in Malibu. He likes this one girl, Sienna, who is dating Brad. There is some high school drama, some saving of people, and some dead people. The normal vampire love story book.I feel the book was kind of copy and paste. There didn’t seem much that was original. The main character moves. The main character falls in love. The person that the main character falls in love with doesn’t return it in some way. There’s some hero action. Then they fall in love. How many books can this describe? I can tell you, most of the ones I read as a preteen.

For example there is the whole love at first site. Jason was in the lunch line when he spotted Sienna and “He suddenly felt alive in a way he never had before. And life was full of possibility” (7). Stereotypical love at first sight love style. Kind of old. Kind of unoriginal. It’s the same old same old as with every teenage love story.

The unattainable aspect is that she has a super popular boyfriend that she loves and would never leave. He was devastated. He likes a girl, whose boyfriend he later becomes friends with. Jason even expresses at one point that, “he felt guilty just watching Brad in the pool, knowing how he felt about the dude’s girlfriend” (156). Another cliche. Nothing original. It reminds me of soap operas and shows like 91210 and Gossip Girl.  

The main character faces off with the evil vampire and saves someone else's life. The normal stuff. He faced off the killer vampire, “No matter what the guy was, he killed an innocent girl” (186). He risked his life. And the girl thanked him for it. Jason saved his friend from the vampires that were going to kill him. His friends were thankful. He got the girl. Again all heard multiple times before in multiple books.



There wasn't much extraordinary. It was set up as a standard book, it was written as a standard teenage love story.

There seemed to be no purpose behind it that I could fine. There didn't seem to be a meaning behind it. I don't know if I just didn't understand it, or if it was a foreign idea for me.

I didn’t like it because it’s just a review of many books I’ve read before. It’s everything I’ve read in other books. There was no originality. It might have been original at one time but not now

[Mar · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a story about a family that moves from Michigan to Malibu, California. Jason and his sister Danielle "Dani" Freeman attend DeVere High an elite high school full of high society teens. Jason quickly joins the elite group and and starts going to the social events but soon tragedy strikes. He finds himself along with his friend Adam trying to uncover a mystery but they get more than what they bargained for. They get a unbelievable truth in which there's no going back from, vampires do exist. In both part one and two Jason is thrown into vampire problems in which he would rather not be. The only problem is that it would mean he would have to stay away from Sienna and unfortunately he's head over heels for her. In part two we get introduced to some vampire politics and a new secret that hits close to home for Jason. During both parts Jason is still attracted to Sienna and we get small instances of romance between them but what's going on between them is still up in the air and has Jason completely at a loss.

This was an easy read with good pace but yes it was a bit predictable and on the cliche side with the wholesome new kid in school falls for the irresistible vampire. It was a nice story considering it was in a male perspective. I also thought the author introduced the fact that there are vampires quite easily to the main character with all the answers he wanted, when in fact it should have been a bit harder since it's supposed to be a big secret. I like the twist with Scott and Luke when it comes to solving the mystery that was unexpected and interesting. I did like that we get more insight to the vampire world and politics in the second part. I will be reading the next volume to see where the author will take the story now with what Jason has learned at the end and to see if anything happens with Sienna. Overall it was okay not great but good for some light reading.

[Kristen My Bookish Fairy Tale · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought that Bloodlust and Initiation were a really nice YA paranormal read. I absolutely adored the character's. It's your typical YA vampire story with a little bit of an edge. Secret societies and a group of wealthy good looking teenager's who happen to have a little secret about themselves that they try to hide, but when a new boy comes to town things start to shake up for this relatively peaceful existence.

I thought the storyline was really good. It didn't take me long at all to fall into the story. I really enjoyed the plot and the character's. I thought the main character Jason was really sweet. He falls for the girl who he can't have but it turns out that she might be more into him than he thinks. He pines of over her and he has this magnetic pull towards her that he cannot quiet explain.

Sienna has a secret all her own. She is a good character. I found that I was a little skeptical of her at the beginning. I thought she was just trying to play around on Jason. I didn't believe that she was serious about her feelings but the further I read on, the more my opinions of her changed. I believe that she was trying to protect Jason but couldn't help but get herself involved as well.

I was pleasantly surprised and pleased with Vampire Beach 1. I definitely want to continue the series and see where the world of the DeVere Height's goes. It was not hard at all to keep interested in the story. Alex kept the story interesting and kept me excited to see what would happen next. If you want a nice, quick YA paranormal read this is definitely a book that you should pick up.

[Kate Robins · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book and look forward to reading the others.

[Rina · Rating 3 out of 5]

If I should choose one word to describe the Vampire Beach series, I would say: "sweet".
Sure, the story pace is slow and predictable. But the idea of rich Vampires calling themselves Beautiful People and living on Malibu Beach is just sweet...

In Bloodlust, a girl turns up dead. People think it is because she was drunk and fell overboard from a Yacht Party. But Jason Freeman knows the girl's blood was sucked out of her body before she fell.

In Initiation, a Vampire has his house robbed during a party. Jason is somehow involved and he has to find a way out of trouble.

I normally don't like cliché, predictable stories, but I like how this book is arranged in short sentences - it's so easy to just keep on reading!! (and suddenly I'm already staring at the back cover! Ha! Time flies)
What's weird is that I actually like the characters! They are all sweet (even the Vampires are nice people), sometimes innocent (Jason always believes whatever Tyler tells him... geez), have 'fun' parties all the time, and don't take life seriously. It looks like living in Malibu Beach is nothing but having parties after parties!!
And wow! I never imagined myself liking this type of characters (and this type of book). I normally would loathe shallow characters with nothing other than great physical appearances. So I surprised myself by saying that I actually enjoy the book! Perhaps the idea of laid-back life itself appeals to me...

Anyway, I think this book will make a great beach reading! You don't have to push yourself to ... err... think...

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the first 2 stories in the Vampire Beach series by Alex Duval combined into 1 book but overall it is probably about the same size as a normal book. The covers caught my eye as they reminded me of the Twilight Saga of which I'm a big fan. The books are written from 17 year old Jason's perspective which made a change. I found the books very easy to read but they didn't capture me in the same way that other YA series I've read recently have. There is a lot less romance in this series than you find in the Twilight Saga but that isn't too surprising considering it is written from a male perspective.

Jason and his family move to Malibu after his Dad gets a new job with the help of his Aunt Bianca. She also helps them find a new house in the exclusive DeVere Heights gated community. Little do they know when they move in that all their new neighbours are vampires. When Jason first sees Sienna he is immediatley attracted to her but she already has a boyfriend, who just happens to be one of the first people who befriended Jason when he started at his new school. The attraction is mutual but will Sienna break up with her boyfriend so they can be together? Add the boyfriend to Sienna's big secret that she is a vampire & things don't look too good for Jason.

Overall I enjoyed the book unlike a lot of the books I read I doubt that this will end up in my read-again pile.

[Sejla · Rating 4 out of 5]

My Book Report
In Vampire Beach 1 by Alex
Duval, a boy named Jason Freeman moves into Malibu, and right away he’s a part of the “inn crowd”, and when he meets the most beautiful girl in DeVere Heights his world turns upside down… Will Jason get caught by vampires, or will he save his friend from the vampires?
I really liked Vampire Beach 1 by Alex Duval. Jason was very noble and courageous because he was on a mission to save his friend from vampires. The book was very suspenseful because there was always apart where you were hanging off the edge of a cliff. I think the author’s writing style was descriptive because while I was reading I was playing a movie in my mind. All of the vampire stuff was happening at wild parties, so human’s wouldn’t know they were vampires, and I love that kind of mystery books!
If you love mystery, vampire and romance books, this is the book for you, but read this warning first, the scenes in the book might not be suitable for younger audiences because of the violence and romance in the scences.

[J.Elle · Rating 1 out of 5]

Is Alex Duval 12 years old? I swear these books were written by a child. They are terrible. Also, I am SO OVER the "I just laid eyes on you for the first time, we're both 17, and I am trembling in an effort not to touch you because we must be together for eternity and I am in the depths of love with you, now, to learn your name". It's unrealistic anyway, so it takes a really talented writer to get it right. The thing I hate the most about these books is how they end. It's like someone told the authors that they could only fit 12 more words into the entire books and he/she (could be either, could be both, thank you Simon and Schuster for this tidbit "Alex Duval is a pseudonym for two seasoned YA writers.") had to quickly wrap things up. Might I suggest that two, in this case, is not better than one and add that I don't think my idea of "seasoned" and Simon and Schuster's idea of "seasoned" means the same thing. I had checked out Vampire Beach: Volume 2 at the same time and I didn't even crack the cover this one was so bad.

[Panda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well so far it's like Vampires meets the OC / Gossip Girl, good thing i liked the OC. the POV is Jason Freeman who has just moved onto what seem to be the right side of California. but he just went to a party where uh-oh perple are acting strangly, but he just thinks it's just drugs or that borba water they drink.

a day later - Finished the two in one books and i was a little disapointed with the Initiation book when Jason's friend comes for a sudden "visit"
i found my self skipping over his Tyler's parts because it was kind of pointless and leading the story to a more teen drug drama direction, rather then the reason why we are reading this book, the vampires. and to me it doesnt matter how long you were friends, if you friend is lieing about their addiction pills, lieing about why they suddenly came to visit you and started becoming very attention seeking, needy and moody, and not only that gets your house trashed as they stole somthing so pay from Vampires for their drug habbit...ah then well sorry i would say "get the hell out of my house!" it would of been better if Jason just let his Aunt kill him ><;; cause of him they had less Siena moments!!!!!!

[Jacqui · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bloodlust introduces Jason Freeman, the new kid on the rich kid block. When he moves to Malibu with his family, he never expects to fall in love with the hottest girl in school on the first day. Sienna is stunningly beautiful, and so are her friends, the in-crowd of posh rich kids at the top of the food chain. Literally. These kids are vampires from some of the oldest, most powerful families in America. When a body washes up on the beach, it seems the vampires are responsible, but all is not what it seems.

Initiation sees Jason enjoying all the privileges of his new friends lifestyles. When an old friend Tyler comes to visit, Jason thinks life couldn't get any better. The pair are invited to the birthday of the century, where a priceless artifact is stolen and all signs point to Tyler. Jason fights to save his friend before he is brought before the Vampire High Council to answer for his crime.

These books are an easy, fun read, best enjoyed with a cocktail on the beach. Malibu beach to be exact.

[Luke · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first volume in the Vampire Beach series by Alex Duval. The first two books—Bloodlust and Initiation—are included in this omnibus.

Jason has just moved to Malibu—home to rich kids and fabulous parties. He’s flattered to be included—and very flattered by the interest of the stunning Sienna. But Sienna and her friends hide a dark secret…and Jason is risking his life by falling for her.

Bloodlust was a good introduction. It has a strong plot, teenage characters who act like teenagers, a writing style that held me and had enough humour and action in the end. And Initiation was a great sequel, with its strong plot, realistic teenage character, a gripping writing style and funny drama between the characters, but instead of action there was suspense to take over.

It's strange the way it compels me to read more and more. Pretty soon I’ll be finished it, then I'll crave for the next one. The vampires are obviously the one's to blame for this. lol

[Ash · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well, our story starts off semi-predictable in the beginning, but after awhile we aren't to sure what to expect or who to trust. There are these moments where you know exactlty what's going to happen. Then, their are some where just like WHOA!!! Ecspecially when it comes to, Jason and Sienna. They lacked some love near the beginning of the story, but you had these moments that just showed how much they loved each other. Thank goodness to otherwise without Sienna these Vampire Beach books would be nothing. The end is where our story gets at its most AMAZING and highest point. We have a bit of a cliff hanger ending, though. Which is good and keeps you interested for the next book. This book had love, dark secrets, mystery, supense, and so much more that just grabs you into the book. So, yeahh, it was pretty AMZING.

[Natalie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Vampire Beach (Vampire Beach, #1)
by Alex Duval
7028776
Natalie's review
Jun 19, 13 · edit

2 of 5 stars
Read from June 16 to 19, 2013

This ISBN actually goes to a book that is actually books 1 & 2 of the series in the same volume and that's what I read. Book 1 is Bloodlust and Book 2 is Initiation.
Well, this book was as cheesy as the title and cover made it seem. Definitely a different twist on the whole teen vampire thing and from the guy's point of view also. It wasn't a bad book but it wasn't very good either. Too risque for younger YA readers - nothing graphic just a lot of background sex and a whole lot of upfront teen drinking. I have no interest in finding out what else happens in this series although it was super quick light summer read. There are better YA paranormal novels out there.

[Emma (BelleBooks) · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a bind up of the first two books in the Vampire Beach series by Alex Duval.

I hadn't heard much about this series, and came across the books while browsing Amazon for some new reads, all the books in the series were going cheap, so I bought them all.

I only gave this book 2 out of 5 stars. As much as I enjoyed the main storyline, I did not think the characters were well enough developed and the plot was a bit sketchy at times.

Think of The Hills, then add in vampires. Thats exactly what the Vampire Beach series is! I had higher hopes for this book bind up, I thought it would be a hidden gem. I think if more time was spend in character development rather than talking about high school and shopping it may have bee a three star book.

[Tracey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is the first two novels in the series merged into one. It was a good book and yet was different to read as the main character was male. Most vampire books thses days have female leads. I found this to be a nice change. These books were a great start to the series introducing us to the characters and the story line. The story line is different compared to most vampire novels which is diffently a plus as I love reading vampire books but its nice to have a change from the normal female human falls in love with male vampire or the forbidden love stories. Although the books starts off predictiable that soon turns around once you get into them keeping you hooked and wanting more! I recommend this book to those who are interested in vampire books but wanting a change. :)