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Castle of Dark Dreams #4
My Wicked Vampire
The actors at the Castle of Dark Dreams are accustomed to making all kinds of erotic fantasies come true, and when a night feeder with absolutely no inhibitions meets the woman of his dreams, the resulting thrill ride is not for the faint of heart.
312 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published September 1, 2009
19 people are currently reading
961 people want to read
About the author
Nina Bangs
43 books673 followersTalk about misspent youth. What did I do during those lazy summer days of childhood when I could’ve been honing my writing skills? Nothing. Okay, so I spent a lot of time dreaming I was a cowgirl with a trusty black stallion. Oh, and I read every Walter Farley horse novel. I was an only child so I relied on my imagination to supply the excitement in my life.
By high school, I’d decided to trade in my lariat for a trench coat. I was into dark and dangerous. As an intrepid foreign correspondent, I’d stalk the mean streets of the world. Did I actually write anything? No, but I did read all of Agatha Christie’s mysteries.
I worked at a department store during college. My short stint in the accounting department taught me a lot about math. Three hundred-dollar shortages plus hysterical tears equaled instant move to gift-wrap. A career in math was not in my future. I didn’t care because I’d discovered “real” literature. I plowed through James Joyce’s Ulysses and Tolstoy’s War and Peace. If it didn’t make my eyes cross then it wasn’t worth reading. Yes, I admit it, I was a literary snob.
Nina and best buddy, Barbara Joyce.
Folk singers extraordinaire.
But there’s just so much “real” literature one person can take. I graduated from Rutgers University with a degree in English Literature and a determination to avoid books that induced eye crossing or had tragic endings. The only things I managed to write during those years were research papers.
I taught second grade for several years then spent two years in Dublin, Ireland. A friend and I supported ourselves by singing folk songs in Irish pubs. We weren’t great, but we were young, enthusiastic, and wore short skirts. It was obviously my destiny to be the next Judy Collins. I spent a lot of time poring through music books.
Returning to New Jersey and reality, I taught elementary school until I grew restless again. My cross-country odyssey included stays in Arizona, California, and Texas. Along the way, I indulged my love of horses. No black stallions, but I did have several beautiful Arabian mares. I read tons of books on breeding and showing.
Somewhere between California and Texas I grew addicted to romance novels and cats. The cat’s independent attitude was exactly the quality I admired in my romance heroes. And once I decided to try writing my own romances, I made sure a cat crept into each story.
Texas is my permanent home. I’ve come full circle. Born in San Antonio, I spent most of my life in New Jersey. Maybe the Texas in my blood accounts for my attachment to strong men, fast horses, and wide-open spaces. My love of cats? Haven’t a clue.
By high school, I’d decided to trade in my lariat for a trench coat. I was into dark and dangerous. As an intrepid foreign correspondent, I’d stalk the mean streets of the world. Did I actually write anything? No, but I did read all of Agatha Christie’s mysteries.
I worked at a department store during college. My short stint in the accounting department taught me a lot about math. Three hundred-dollar shortages plus hysterical tears equaled instant move to gift-wrap. A career in math was not in my future. I didn’t care because I’d discovered “real” literature. I plowed through James Joyce’s Ulysses and Tolstoy’s War and Peace. If it didn’t make my eyes cross then it wasn’t worth reading. Yes, I admit it, I was a literary snob.
Nina and best buddy, Barbara Joyce.
Folk singers extraordinaire.
But there’s just so much “real” literature one person can take. I graduated from Rutgers University with a degree in English Literature and a determination to avoid books that induced eye crossing or had tragic endings. The only things I managed to write during those years were research papers.
I taught second grade for several years then spent two years in Dublin, Ireland. A friend and I supported ourselves by singing folk songs in Irish pubs. We weren’t great, but we were young, enthusiastic, and wore short skirts. It was obviously my destiny to be the next Judy Collins. I spent a lot of time poring through music books.
Returning to New Jersey and reality, I taught elementary school until I grew restless again. My cross-country odyssey included stays in Arizona, California, and Texas. Along the way, I indulged my love of horses. No black stallions, but I did have several beautiful Arabian mares. I read tons of books on breeding and showing.
Somewhere between California and Texas I grew addicted to romance novels and cats. The cat’s independent attitude was exactly the quality I admired in my romance heroes. And once I decided to try writing my own romances, I made sure a cat crept into each story.
Texas is my permanent home. I’ve come full circle. Born in San Antonio, I spent most of my life in New Jersey. Maybe the Texas in my blood accounts for my attachment to strong men, fast horses, and wide-open spaces. My love of cats? Haven’t a clue.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 78 reviews
April 15, 2021
1.5 stars. Holy shite this was a strange book! It was ALLLLLL over the place and just bizzarro with the goofy-ass, underdeveloped characters. I am not sure how I managed to finally finish it, but I did. I think I just needed to SEE if it would get better but alas-it did not.
This type of campy-far out paranormal romance is just not for me.
This type of campy-far out paranormal romance is just not for me.
October 17, 2022
October is usually about thrillers, suspense, and the supernatural for me. I enjoy getting this from a variety of genres, rather than just horror, so a search of my bookshelves found this one that had been languishing for a while. Even though it's a romance, it has all manner of supernaturals in it - from the titular vampire (Dacian) to a few folks described as cosmic troublemakers to a woman who influences / breeds plants with some unusual abilities. As much as this sounded like a fun, light-hearted read, the reality was that it is a slog. At one-third through, twice the usual 50 pages I give a book to grip me, I am calling it. The characters are wooden and, with the possible exception of Dacian, uninteresting. The action is nonexistent. I like humorous paranormals - but the humor here felt forced and fell flat for me. I cannot for the life of me comprehend how this averages over a 4 - and can only think that perhaps reading the first 3 in the series might have made a difference. But there's no way I'm going back for another root canal. File this one under "don't bother."
November 6, 2009
Wow, I don't even know where to begin with the idiocy of this book! The plot was crazy, the characters where stupid, plants have feelings and there were "cosmic troublemakers." And I still don't know what the hell a "cosmic troublemaker" is. The good thing was that it was so stupid, it was almost hilarious... And someone already swapped me for it on Paperbackswap.com.
June 17, 2010
Light-hearted, funny read. Not to be taken too seriously. Familiarity with previous characters will help in enjoying this book.
October 23, 2020
I've read better written fanfiction. The characters just sounded really dumb. I don't know what to say, the synopsis looked fun
Read
January 21, 2023UNREAL. Truly Unreadable. Perhaps shockingly artistic in how unsexy it made sex seem???? Pros: vampires. Cons: all the cats. Mixed bag. Read at your own risk!!
June 29, 2020
...What was that!? I haven't read anything this bizarre since Claiming Sleeping Beauty. The synopsis on the back has absolutely nothing to do with the story except for like 1 page, and it sounded so good!
What you really get is a bizarre, ridiculous story that I think was meant to be comical but never made me laugh. Honestly it felt like a story for 10 yr olds with a couple of steamy scenes thrown in. There's a plethora of characters,all strange, petty,bratty and completely pointless. Then it's essentially all about strange plants in a greenhouse and nothing much else. I skipped past scenes that didn't further the story or had that stupid wizard guy in.
So why did I keep going? Well,I was waiting for the romantic scenes, obviously. Dacian was an ok guy but I liked Bain and Edge better. The steamy parts were inventive and good. I liked Sparkle and Ganymede. I liked that even though Sparkle is the hottest woman ever Dacian doesn't give a hoot and thinks Cinn is utter perfection instead,that was nice and inspiring. And I give the author an A for creative wackiness,it just wasn't what I expected though.
What you really get is a bizarre, ridiculous story that I think was meant to be comical but never made me laugh. Honestly it felt like a story for 10 yr olds with a couple of steamy scenes thrown in. There's a plethora of characters,all strange, petty,bratty and completely pointless. Then it's essentially all about strange plants in a greenhouse and nothing much else. I skipped past scenes that didn't further the story or had that stupid wizard guy in.
So why did I keep going? Well,I was waiting for the romantic scenes, obviously. Dacian was an ok guy but I liked Bain and Edge better. The steamy parts were inventive and good. I liked Sparkle and Ganymede. I liked that even though Sparkle is the hottest woman ever Dacian doesn't give a hoot and thinks Cinn is utter perfection instead,that was nice and inspiring. And I give the author an A for creative wackiness,it just wasn't what I expected though.
December 11, 2020
This...was a truly terrible book. The sex was comical, and unnatural. More than a romance novel already is. The characters were depthless and boring. The dialogue was monotonous and the story never truly arc’d. Once we finally got to the anticipated fight scene, it was over immediately. I finished it because it was too easy of a read. This book will definitely be going to a Goodwill.
July 17, 2017
Great
I love everything Nina Bangs writes. I had all her books in paperback but with all the moving I had lost some. I am so happy that this book is in the kindle store. I highly recommend all her books.
I love everything Nina Bangs writes. I had all her books in paperback but with all the moving I had lost some. I am so happy that this book is in the kindle store. I highly recommend all her books.
March 12, 2021
1.5 stars. Totally not my sort of book. I was hoping for paranormal erotica and instead got a paranormal comedy. Fun story with quirky characters and a quick light read but not up my alley. Won't be reading more by this author.
July 24, 2017
Happy great reading
Such a great story. So much fun and so many laughs. Adding plants as one of the stars genius. A really great story.
Such a great story. So much fun and so many laughs. Adding plants as one of the stars genius. A really great story.
September 23, 2017
Awesome book! It was a very quick read but totally amazing.
October 4, 2018
I loved it
July 23, 2020
Just another goofy vampire romance. It's a fun read. It's an in between book from heavier fare.
June 23, 2021
Love vampire books. Loved this one.
🔥⭐🔥⭐🔥⭐🔥⭐🔥⭐🔥⭐🔥⭐🔥⭐
🔥⭐🔥⭐🔥⭐🔥⭐🔥⭐🔥⭐🔥⭐🔥⭐
July 8, 2021
Love this series, it never disappoints! Nina Bangs has a way with writing that doesn't disappoint. I love how these characters all mesh together!
August 24, 2009
Read the review on my blog:
http://bookreviewsbyjess.blogspot.com...
Plot: 3
Setting: 4
Writing: 5
Originality: 5
Characters: 4
Passion: 5
Overall: 26/30 = 86% - B
Cover/Title Bonus: 2
Dorchester Pub sent this to me a few weeks ago to be reviewed.
Plot:
Cinn is the newly hired attraction at The Castle of Dark Dreams. She has a talent with plants. She doesn’t know what’s she’s gotten herself into, wants to leave but is forced to stay for at least two weeks per her boss: Sparkle Stardust. She’s thrown into the castle managers who turn out to be wizards, demons, cosmic troublemakers, and vampires. Oh, there are also talking cats and plants! :) And because of the plants there’s an angry Goddess after Cinn!
Setting:
The Castle of Dark Dreams is like a theme parks for adults wishing to live “fantasies” that just so happen to be real supernatural beings living amongst each other. A lot of the story takes place in Cinn’s greenhouse, the dungeon, and various rooms of the Castle. There’s a shopping trip to a well known super store chain that is rather adventurous. One character has a talent to make dream fantasies which are pretty cool.
Writing:
This was my first book by Nina Bangs. She did very well at keeping my attention. The detail used in the plants and the castle were very well done. The tone was light yet realistic.
Originality:
The setting made this book incredibly original. The plants were out of this world! I had not read a book with the main character being a botanist or rather a gifted botanist who creatures plants that mature into having feelings, talking telepathically, and even moving!
Characters:
This was the first book I’ve read that a few of the characters were plants! Vince was a not so normal periwinkle. I actually looked at him as a character and not just a plant. How cool is that?
Cinn was a pretty normal girl, besides having the wicked green thumb.
Sparkle was such an overbearing nonsense character. I felt like smacking her a few times.
Dacian is a vampire that suffers from bouts of rage cast onto him by his maker Stephan, who is trying to create an army of vampires loyal to him. Dacian refuses to join forces, which brings all hell down on the occupants of The Castle of Dark Dreams.
Oh, and how exactly do you say his name: Dacian? I was angry by how I could not pronounce his name in my head! I ended up just calling him D. I did NOT like his name!!!
Ganymede is a cat by choice and Sparkle’s other half. He consumes enormous amounts of junk food and has a ton of the troublemaker power. And breaks out into a gorgeous, ass kicking human form at the end of the book.
There are a few other characters that have minor roles and are very cool.
Passion:
Cinn and Dacian are the major characters of the book. They end up bonding because Dacian has the role of protecting Cinn from the plant Goddess. Their relationship does turn sexual and very romantic actually. Dacian is a true gentleman in his own way.
Overall:
Overall I was pleasantly surprised by how entertaining this book was. I still can’t believe how much fun it was to have plants, cats, vampires, Goddesses, and the troublemakers all thrown together as a big happy family. It was weird yet fascinating at the same time.
Cover/Title:
The title seems to follow the rest of the series with the word wicked being included. The cover image however is being shared with another book that was recently released: The Eternal Kiss.
Eternal Kiss
I like the cover of My Wicked Vampire oh so much better than The Eternal Kiss but it wouldn’t be my first pick for this book. Something with a castle and maybe PLANTS on it would have been entirely more appropriate than a picture of a lady with multiple ear piercings. It shows nothing of what to expect in this book what so ever.
http://bookreviewsbyjess.blogspot.com...
Plot: 3
Setting: 4
Writing: 5
Originality: 5
Characters: 4
Passion: 5
Overall: 26/30 = 86% - B
Cover/Title Bonus: 2
Dorchester Pub sent this to me a few weeks ago to be reviewed.
Plot:
Cinn is the newly hired attraction at The Castle of Dark Dreams. She has a talent with plants. She doesn’t know what’s she’s gotten herself into, wants to leave but is forced to stay for at least two weeks per her boss: Sparkle Stardust. She’s thrown into the castle managers who turn out to be wizards, demons, cosmic troublemakers, and vampires. Oh, there are also talking cats and plants! :) And because of the plants there’s an angry Goddess after Cinn!
Setting:
The Castle of Dark Dreams is like a theme parks for adults wishing to live “fantasies” that just so happen to be real supernatural beings living amongst each other. A lot of the story takes place in Cinn’s greenhouse, the dungeon, and various rooms of the Castle. There’s a shopping trip to a well known super store chain that is rather adventurous. One character has a talent to make dream fantasies which are pretty cool.
Writing:
This was my first book by Nina Bangs. She did very well at keeping my attention. The detail used in the plants and the castle were very well done. The tone was light yet realistic.
Originality:
The setting made this book incredibly original. The plants were out of this world! I had not read a book with the main character being a botanist or rather a gifted botanist who creatures plants that mature into having feelings, talking telepathically, and even moving!
Characters:
This was the first book I’ve read that a few of the characters were plants! Vince was a not so normal periwinkle. I actually looked at him as a character and not just a plant. How cool is that?
Cinn was a pretty normal girl, besides having the wicked green thumb.
Sparkle was such an overbearing nonsense character. I felt like smacking her a few times.
Dacian is a vampire that suffers from bouts of rage cast onto him by his maker Stephan, who is trying to create an army of vampires loyal to him. Dacian refuses to join forces, which brings all hell down on the occupants of The Castle of Dark Dreams.
Oh, and how exactly do you say his name: Dacian? I was angry by how I could not pronounce his name in my head! I ended up just calling him D. I did NOT like his name!!!
Ganymede is a cat by choice and Sparkle’s other half. He consumes enormous amounts of junk food and has a ton of the troublemaker power. And breaks out into a gorgeous, ass kicking human form at the end of the book.
There are a few other characters that have minor roles and are very cool.
Passion:
Cinn and Dacian are the major characters of the book. They end up bonding because Dacian has the role of protecting Cinn from the plant Goddess. Their relationship does turn sexual and very romantic actually. Dacian is a true gentleman in his own way.
Overall:
Overall I was pleasantly surprised by how entertaining this book was. I still can’t believe how much fun it was to have plants, cats, vampires, Goddesses, and the troublemakers all thrown together as a big happy family. It was weird yet fascinating at the same time.
Cover/Title:
The title seems to follow the rest of the series with the word wicked being included. The cover image however is being shared with another book that was recently released: The Eternal Kiss.
Eternal Kiss
I like the cover of My Wicked Vampire oh so much better than The Eternal Kiss but it wouldn’t be my first pick for this book. Something with a castle and maybe PLANTS on it would have been entirely more appropriate than a picture of a lady with multiple ear piercings. It shows nothing of what to expect in this book what so ever.
July 26, 2011
I haven’t yet read a lot of Nina Bangs’ books, just a few, one or two from a couple of her series. However, I should know better than to second guess her when I start reading one of her books. I usually think the story starts out a little silly, should I really keep going, and then POW! She throws that tortured but oh-so-handsome hero into the mix at just the right time, along with a mysterious plot, and I’m hooked again. Maybe after this book I will have learned my lesson.
And Ms. Bangs is very good at giving a reader something different in her books. This time we have a botanist who has taken her gift with plants a step beyond normal care and has come up with plants that are sentient. Cinn, the heroine, calls them her weed warriors. She’s been hired by Sparkle Stardust to work at the Castle of Dark Dreams, supplying their rooms with plants that give some oomph to couples’ sex lives. Little does Cinn know her life is about to be flung fast and furious into the paranormal world.
Dacian is a vampire, an old one who is quite powerful. So powerful he can keep his maker at bay, though he’s thrown into an insane frenzy each time he does. He faked his death 200 years ago to keep those he loves safe from his sire, his brother first and foremost. And that’s what has brought him out of hiding now, his need to keep his sibling out of his enemy’s hands. Chained to a dungeon wall is how he first meets Cinn.
Sparkle is introducing her to the other worldly and what better introduction than an out-of-control, ancient vampire. Though Dacian knows to stay away from women no matter what, there’s something about Cinn that calls to him and he just can’t seem to resist her. In the meantime, they work together to bring Dacian’s sire into the open to be rid of him once and for all.
There’s always a huge variety of secondary characters in these books and that’s half the fun of reading them. Sparkle and her significant other, Ganymede are always a riot, especially now that Sparkle is trying not to be so shallow and self-indulgent to please the Big Boss. Ganymede and his treats never stop, and this is one character you don’t want to underestimate one iota. Demons, wizards, goddesses, and vampires aplenty add to the story, along with Cinn’s plants. They do come to life and evolve in an amazing way.
One thing that Ms. Bangs does in this book that’s so satisfying for me is the reunion between Dacian and his brother, Taurin. It’s been 200 years for them and when they come face to face again after so long, the emotion is high and runs the gamut from disbelief to anger to love and actions are backed up by words between them. This is what I look for when I read about brothers and so few authors actually get it just right on paper. It’s done beautifully in this book.
This series is connected to Ms. Bangs’ Mackenzie Vampires series, so it wouldn’t hurt to read them together if you’re just now starting to read this author. And if you haven’t read her Gods of the Night series, put that on your wishlist. Talk about something different. I’m slowly becoming a huge fan of Nina Bangs. She hasn’t let me down yet.
See my complete review at http://www.goodbadandunread.com
And Ms. Bangs is very good at giving a reader something different in her books. This time we have a botanist who has taken her gift with plants a step beyond normal care and has come up with plants that are sentient. Cinn, the heroine, calls them her weed warriors. She’s been hired by Sparkle Stardust to work at the Castle of Dark Dreams, supplying their rooms with plants that give some oomph to couples’ sex lives. Little does Cinn know her life is about to be flung fast and furious into the paranormal world.
Dacian is a vampire, an old one who is quite powerful. So powerful he can keep his maker at bay, though he’s thrown into an insane frenzy each time he does. He faked his death 200 years ago to keep those he loves safe from his sire, his brother first and foremost. And that’s what has brought him out of hiding now, his need to keep his sibling out of his enemy’s hands. Chained to a dungeon wall is how he first meets Cinn.
Sparkle is introducing her to the other worldly and what better introduction than an out-of-control, ancient vampire. Though Dacian knows to stay away from women no matter what, there’s something about Cinn that calls to him and he just can’t seem to resist her. In the meantime, they work together to bring Dacian’s sire into the open to be rid of him once and for all.
There’s always a huge variety of secondary characters in these books and that’s half the fun of reading them. Sparkle and her significant other, Ganymede are always a riot, especially now that Sparkle is trying not to be so shallow and self-indulgent to please the Big Boss. Ganymede and his treats never stop, and this is one character you don’t want to underestimate one iota. Demons, wizards, goddesses, and vampires aplenty add to the story, along with Cinn’s plants. They do come to life and evolve in an amazing way.
One thing that Ms. Bangs does in this book that’s so satisfying for me is the reunion between Dacian and his brother, Taurin. It’s been 200 years for them and when they come face to face again after so long, the emotion is high and runs the gamut from disbelief to anger to love and actions are backed up by words between them. This is what I look for when I read about brothers and so few authors actually get it just right on paper. It’s done beautifully in this book.
This series is connected to Ms. Bangs’ Mackenzie Vampires series, so it wouldn’t hurt to read them together if you’re just now starting to read this author. And if you haven’t read her Gods of the Night series, put that on your wishlist. Talk about something different. I’m slowly becoming a huge fan of Nina Bangs. She hasn’t let me down yet.
See my complete review at http://www.goodbadandunread.com
October 2, 2012
I had a big change from love to hate with this book. Things like the main characters personality seemed to just change randomly. Logic seemed to be ignored in a lot of places. In the end, I enjoyed the book but I only gave this book a 3 stars 'cause I didn't see the literacy value.
The author seemed to build up a conservative or at least just an introvert type of character who liked keeping to herself. She didn't like surprises, was quite stubborn in her ways and had a love for her plants like it was her own child. For about half way through the book a lot of this changed, not dramatically, but noticeably. The first sex scene seemed like it was just fitted in because it was already half way through the book. The main character, Cinn, suddenly became very open about the idea of having sex with a handsome guy and some of her words seemed like she really didn't care who it was, as long as he was vaguely trustworthy and extremely hot. The story didn't even build up a strong sexual tension between each other by then! It was just individual characters thinking, "wow he's hot" or "wow she's hot", there was one surprise kiss and then BOOM action? Their first time was in the greenhouse for god sake!! o_o All Cinn was concerned about was whether the plants were looking at them or not. IT'S A BLOODY GREENHOUSE NEXT TO A HOTEL!! GREENHOUSES ARE MADE OF GLASS!!!! That's not the point, but I thought Cinn loved her plants like it was her babies. One of them can even sense emotions and talk. I'm sure any sensible mother would be quite conscious of doing it in front of her babies. Yeah sure, they can't "see". But some of Cinn's plants are known to feed off sexual energy. Wouldn't that be a big sign to her that plants can sense what's going on? And all that dirty talk she did... It just totally felt out of character. Cinn hasn't shown many signs of affection or interest until then, but suddenly she can talk dirty to Dacian. She never really worn sexy cloth before and it seems like she hasn't really been fully comfortable or sexy with a man and suddenly she's all comfortable about the whole ordeal.
The other disappointing factor was the logic in some minor incidents. For example, when the whole crew woke up the gargoyle to protect the castle, the wizard only said "keep all night feeders other than Dacian and Taurine Veris out of Live the Fantasy"... wait what? There're other Vampires in there like Edge, Eric, Taurine's wife etc are there....
Other ridiculous logics were when people acted so slowly of a strong sorcerer among them. It's in the bloody building for God Sake!! Do something about him!
And other things like Airmid not knowing about plants feeling or how she changed her mind about the plants within seconds after being all angry at it. It's been scientifically proven that plants do 'feel' and react to their feelings.
The whole book seemed to build up to a huge fight... that ended in 2 pages.... where were all the vampires that were going to attack?? ABRUPT ENDING!!!!...
Anyways. Other than those minor things, the book was nice. A good engaging action book
The author seemed to build up a conservative or at least just an introvert type of character who liked keeping to herself. She didn't like surprises, was quite stubborn in her ways and had a love for her plants like it was her own child. For about half way through the book a lot of this changed, not dramatically, but noticeably. The first sex scene seemed like it was just fitted in because it was already half way through the book. The main character, Cinn, suddenly became very open about the idea of having sex with a handsome guy and some of her words seemed like she really didn't care who it was, as long as he was vaguely trustworthy and extremely hot. The story didn't even build up a strong sexual tension between each other by then! It was just individual characters thinking, "wow he's hot" or "wow she's hot", there was one surprise kiss and then BOOM action? Their first time was in the greenhouse for god sake!! o_o All Cinn was concerned about was whether the plants were looking at them or not. IT'S A BLOODY GREENHOUSE NEXT TO A HOTEL!! GREENHOUSES ARE MADE OF GLASS!!!! That's not the point, but I thought Cinn loved her plants like it was her babies. One of them can even sense emotions and talk. I'm sure any sensible mother would be quite conscious of doing it in front of her babies. Yeah sure, they can't "see". But some of Cinn's plants are known to feed off sexual energy. Wouldn't that be a big sign to her that plants can sense what's going on? And all that dirty talk she did... It just totally felt out of character. Cinn hasn't shown many signs of affection or interest until then, but suddenly she can talk dirty to Dacian. She never really worn sexy cloth before and it seems like she hasn't really been fully comfortable or sexy with a man and suddenly she's all comfortable about the whole ordeal.
The other disappointing factor was the logic in some minor incidents. For example, when the whole crew woke up the gargoyle to protect the castle, the wizard only said "keep all night feeders other than Dacian and Taurine Veris out of Live the Fantasy"... wait what? There're other Vampires in there like Edge, Eric, Taurine's wife etc are there....
Other ridiculous logics were when people acted so slowly of a strong sorcerer among them. It's in the bloody building for God Sake!! Do something about him!
And other things like Airmid not knowing about plants feeling or how she changed her mind about the plants within seconds after being all angry at it. It's been scientifically proven that plants do 'feel' and react to their feelings.
The whole book seemed to build up to a huge fight... that ended in 2 pages.... where were all the vampires that were going to attack?? ABRUPT ENDING!!!!...
Anyways. Other than those minor things, the book was nice. A good engaging action book
September 18, 2012
Why I chose it: Okay, so the title has the words “wicked” and “vampire” and the cover has a rather pale lady with many ear piercings (ooh! a rebel!) and dark red lips, making the whole vaguely erotic. I imagine that’s pretty typical, but I found it attractive enough to pick up.
I don’t think that this book will make it into my hall of fame of best books ever, but it was… entertaining. It certainly taught me about the lengths to which implausibility is stretched in the paranormal romance world.
“So, here’s the deal. Yes, vampires do exist, along with lots of other nonhumans. Edge and I are cosmic troublemakers. My specialty is creating sexual chaos throughout the universe. Edge is the cosmic troublemaker in charge of death. You can guess what he does. Bain is a demon, and yes, Holgarth is a real wizard.” She held up her hand to stop Cinn from interrupting. “Let me finish.”
So, this is the world I’m walking into? Okay fine, I’ll play.
Cinn, the main character, is a botanist who makes… special… plants. Telepathic plants, plants that make you fall in love, plants that grow off of sex and not water and sun. Let me repeat: telepathic plants, and plants that sacrifice themselves out of love.
I am serious.
Aside from the ridiculous plot (the goddess of medicinal plants is after Cinn because of her unnatural experiments), I found the heroine to be rather flat. She has not much of a personality aside from worrying about her plants and wanting to sleep with a vampire. It all felt a bit… I don’t know, too much, like the author had run out of ideas and simply put random ideas together to build her plot. It didn’t quite hold water for me, even from an internal perspective. And I didn’t quite believe that a vampire like Dacian would actually fall in love with anyone. Sleep with Cinn? Sure. But I didn’t get his motivation for actually being emotionally attached to her.
Lessons learned: Don’t push the envelope too much. People can suspend their disbelief for vampires and wizards, but not for telepathic or self-sacrificial plants. Too much weird doesn’t make a book original; it just makes it weird.
I don’t think that this book will make it into my hall of fame of best books ever, but it was… entertaining. It certainly taught me about the lengths to which implausibility is stretched in the paranormal romance world.
“So, here’s the deal. Yes, vampires do exist, along with lots of other nonhumans. Edge and I are cosmic troublemakers. My specialty is creating sexual chaos throughout the universe. Edge is the cosmic troublemaker in charge of death. You can guess what he does. Bain is a demon, and yes, Holgarth is a real wizard.” She held up her hand to stop Cinn from interrupting. “Let me finish.”
So, this is the world I’m walking into? Okay fine, I’ll play.
Cinn, the main character, is a botanist who makes… special… plants. Telepathic plants, plants that make you fall in love, plants that grow off of sex and not water and sun. Let me repeat: telepathic plants, and plants that sacrifice themselves out of love.
I am serious.
Aside from the ridiculous plot (the goddess of medicinal plants is after Cinn because of her unnatural experiments), I found the heroine to be rather flat. She has not much of a personality aside from worrying about her plants and wanting to sleep with a vampire. It all felt a bit… I don’t know, too much, like the author had run out of ideas and simply put random ideas together to build her plot. It didn’t quite hold water for me, even from an internal perspective. And I didn’t quite believe that a vampire like Dacian would actually fall in love with anyone. Sleep with Cinn? Sure. But I didn’t get his motivation for actually being emotionally attached to her.
Lessons learned: Don’t push the envelope too much. People can suspend their disbelief for vampires and wizards, but not for telepathic or self-sacrificial plants. Too much weird doesn’t make a book original; it just makes it weird.
December 3, 2009
The latest entry in the Castle of Dark Dreams. Like the others it's fun - the landscape peopled with unusual characters with strange problems and a sense of humor. Sparkle Stardust and Ganymede reprise their cosmic troublemaker roles although Sparkle is undergoing an identity crisis - in her attempts to swim out of the shallows of her character she actually goes shopping at WalMart. We have a new bunch of hunky guys [loosely speaking:] to replace Eric, Brynn and Conall. There's Bain [demon lord:], Edge [cosmic troublemaker specializing in death:] and of course our hero, Dacian, a nightfeeder with severe anger management issues. Tuarin [Dacian's brother and misguided villain from Wicked Nights:] and Eric [the hero from Wicked Nights and a friend of Dacian's in the past:] both show up along with their wives.
The heroine is Cinn - a botanist with a penchant for developing truly weird plants and the source of the sex energy feeding Jessica and Sweetie Pie plants in the previous books - is hired by Sparkle to devlop more plants of interest. At least that's what the contract she signed says... But why is there a mostly naked man with fangs chained to the wall and some weirdo claiming to be a wizard in the hall? And then there are the talking cats...
Sparkle explains: “So here’s the deal. Yes, vampires do exist, along with lots of other nonhumans. Edge and I are cosmic troublemakers. My specialty is creating sexual chaos throughout the universe. Edge is the cosmic troublemaker in charge of death. You can guess what he does. Bain is a demon, and yes, Holgarth is a real wizard.” She held up her hand to stop Cinn from interrupting. “Let me finish.”
Cinn had no intention of interrupting. No way could she talk with her jaw dragging on the floor.
And that's before she finds out there's a very pissed off Celtic goddess after her...
Castle of Dark Dreams
1. Wicked Nights (2005)
2. Wicked Pleasure (2006)
3. Wicked Fantasy (2007)
4. My Wicked Vampire (2009)
The heroine is Cinn - a botanist with a penchant for developing truly weird plants and the source of the sex energy feeding Jessica and Sweetie Pie plants in the previous books - is hired by Sparkle to devlop more plants of interest. At least that's what the contract she signed says... But why is there a mostly naked man with fangs chained to the wall and some weirdo claiming to be a wizard in the hall? And then there are the talking cats...
Sparkle explains: “So here’s the deal. Yes, vampires do exist, along with lots of other nonhumans. Edge and I are cosmic troublemakers. My specialty is creating sexual chaos throughout the universe. Edge is the cosmic troublemaker in charge of death. You can guess what he does. Bain is a demon, and yes, Holgarth is a real wizard.” She held up her hand to stop Cinn from interrupting. “Let me finish.”
Cinn had no intention of interrupting. No way could she talk with her jaw dragging on the floor.
And that's before she finds out there's a very pissed off Celtic goddess after her...
Castle of Dark Dreams
1. Wicked Nights (2005)
2. Wicked Pleasure (2006)
3. Wicked Fantasy (2007)
4. My Wicked Vampire (2009)
August 7, 2012
My Wicked Vampire is the latest Castle of Dark Dreams paranormal romantic adventure featuring Cosmic Trouble Makers Sparkle Stardust and Ganymede (who spends most of his time in cat form). The two are trying to reform themselves for the Big Guy In Charge... not always successfully.
Sparkle has just hired botanist Cinn Airmid for her amazing Talent with plants! She had previously sent two over that feed off sexual energy. She's got other interesting plants that have some unique talents. As she's being introduced to some of the other staff members, for some reason one is in the dungeon and chained to a wall - crazed out of his mind! Dacian has led his brother Tauren to believe he's been dead for these past 2 centuries. It's mostly due to the fact that his maker has brought on killing rages on him every time Dacian has refused his summons.
He has surfaced again because he thinks his maker is going after his brother... when he comes out of his latest rage, he finds himself captivated by this plant lady that Sparkle has brought to see him. Poor Cinn is reeling with all the paranormal beings around her, and then also discovers that the Goddess Airmid is pretty upset with her for her genetic manipulation of plants that the Goddess considers abominations. She also cannot believe that she is growing attached to, and feels safest with the crazed vampire!
This is another fun book in this series. Totally enjoyed it!
Sparkle has just hired botanist Cinn Airmid for her amazing Talent with plants! She had previously sent two over that feed off sexual energy. She's got other interesting plants that have some unique talents. As she's being introduced to some of the other staff members, for some reason one is in the dungeon and chained to a wall - crazed out of his mind! Dacian has led his brother Tauren to believe he's been dead for these past 2 centuries. It's mostly due to the fact that his maker has brought on killing rages on him every time Dacian has refused his summons.
He has surfaced again because he thinks his maker is going after his brother... when he comes out of his latest rage, he finds himself captivated by this plant lady that Sparkle has brought to see him. Poor Cinn is reeling with all the paranormal beings around her, and then also discovers that the Goddess Airmid is pretty upset with her for her genetic manipulation of plants that the Goddess considers abominations. She also cannot believe that she is growing attached to, and feels safest with the crazed vampire!
This is another fun book in this series. Totally enjoyed it!
January 14, 2017
I came across this supernatural series quite a while ago. It used to be a trilogy but I’ve currently got my hands on number four in the series and that’s not the last one. Not all are about vampires, though (but Mr. Google says there is a spin-off series focused only on the vampires).
You are sucked into a world where gods and goddesses, cosmic troublemakers, plants which feed off sexual energy and other unheard-of creatures interfere with mortals’ lives. The mortals are usually guests of a theme castle run by a certain troublemaker who has a real wizard as her right hand and the shows and fantasies are performed by vampires, demons – just name it.
It is a very light read and the storyline doesn’t leave the centre couple. That’s probably the weak spot. Not too much story building – everything happens within the boundaries of the castle or somewhere very close to it and it all happens in a very short time. But some may find it an advantage – depends on what you seek.
I wanted to give it just three vampire kisses for its lack of the settings and other stuff mentioned above but then I realized that every book made me laugh because it introduced some kind of unusual character (thumbs up for the warrior cactus in this one) so four kisses it is then.
March 12, 2010
Pages Survived: 37
I wasn't even able to give this book the standard 60-page chance. That's how off the wall it seemed! In all reality, I found the paranormal/mystical concepts of this book just too confusing, unexplained, and atypical to enjoy. I'm all for originality, but when you're incorporating concepts that are new, an author needs to explain these to some degree. I didn't at all connect with the characters, and granted, I know 37 pages isn't much of a chance to start connecting, but neither Cinn or Dacian grabbed me from page one.
As such, I don't have much to say for this book other than just noting the fact that I just couldn't let my mind get into the story. Cosmic trouble makers? Plants that feed off sexual desire? Both book concepts in this story that were merely brushed over at their first appearance, and again in their second and third, etc. I felt like the characters were all over the place and that once one emotion or point was noted in a character, it was quickly passed over for something else. Rinse and repeat. Nothing felt real, nothing felt explored. All very chaotic and confusing.
I wasn't even able to give this book the standard 60-page chance. That's how off the wall it seemed! In all reality, I found the paranormal/mystical concepts of this book just too confusing, unexplained, and atypical to enjoy. I'm all for originality, but when you're incorporating concepts that are new, an author needs to explain these to some degree. I didn't at all connect with the characters, and granted, I know 37 pages isn't much of a chance to start connecting, but neither Cinn or Dacian grabbed me from page one.
As such, I don't have much to say for this book other than just noting the fact that I just couldn't let my mind get into the story. Cosmic trouble makers? Plants that feed off sexual desire? Both book concepts in this story that were merely brushed over at their first appearance, and again in their second and third, etc. I felt like the characters were all over the place and that once one emotion or point was noted in a character, it was quickly passed over for something else. Rinse and repeat. Nothing felt real, nothing felt explored. All very chaotic and confusing.
October 24, 2009
Fourth book in the Castle of Dark Dreams series. Oh, how I have missed the Castle!!!
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Wicked Pleasure - which is the second book in the Castle of Dark Dreams series - was the first paranormal romance novel that I ever read. I feel deeply in love with the fantasy aspects and started gobbling up everything that I could get my hands on. A match made in heaven.
So I was so thrilled when I heard there was another entry in this "trilogy" coming out.
Sadly, this book just didn't live up to expectations. About half-way through the book, I set it down and went on to other books. I tried to finish it after about three weeks of it gathering dust, but gave up.
I bet I could come up with a really good analogy between my love for fantasy being started with this series and the disappointment with this book if I really worked on it. Maybe I'll update this review when I figure one out... :)
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Wicked Pleasure - which is the second book in the Castle of Dark Dreams series - was the first paranormal romance novel that I ever read. I feel deeply in love with the fantasy aspects and started gobbling up everything that I could get my hands on. A match made in heaven.
So I was so thrilled when I heard there was another entry in this "trilogy" coming out.
Sadly, this book just didn't live up to expectations. About half-way through the book, I set it down and went on to other books. I tried to finish it after about three weeks of it gathering dust, but gave up.
I bet I could come up with a really good analogy between my love for fantasy being started with this series and the disappointment with this book if I really worked on it. Maybe I'll update this review when I figure one out... :)
July 4, 2011
This is going to be my second Nina Bangs experience. I’m none too excited, since the last one was so awful. But I’m committed to this market research project, so I’m giving this book its own chance. The cover art looks like something I would pick up. A pale white partial bust and bold red typeface just reinforce it’s a vampire book. Also, this is a New York Times Bestselling Author.
Again, we start with dialogue. Sigh. We find the location in “West Texas” in a blizzard. Is that a growing problem, blizzards in West Texas? Again with the word “butt.” Twice. We finally upgraded to ass at the bottom of the 2nd page. I abandoned ship before page three, saving myself from another book of the same complaints.
Again, we start with dialogue. Sigh. We find the location in “West Texas” in a blizzard. Is that a growing problem, blizzards in West Texas? Again with the word “butt.” Twice. We finally upgraded to ass at the bottom of the 2nd page. I abandoned ship before page three, saving myself from another book of the same complaints.
August 30, 2015
Okay, a lot of mixed emotions with this book. It was slow starting and at first I thought to myself, what the heck am I reading.... then the story finally started to pick up and I started to really enjoy it and got invested. Then towards the end, I was a bit disappointed with the "fantasy" part and then the ending came and had me again. So it deserves the 4 stars if it can provoke that kind of reaction by the end. I have not read the others in the series but I was able to keep up with everything most of the time.
Light hearted, funny vampire romance that gets you with the emotions in the end. Worth a shot to read. I saw many reviews that said they did not finish and that I understand. If you can just get past the first part of the book, it truly is worth it in my opinion.
Light hearted, funny vampire romance that gets you with the emotions in the end. Worth a shot to read. I saw many reviews that said they did not finish and that I understand. If you can just get past the first part of the book, it truly is worth it in my opinion.
February 5, 2014
This book was good from beginning to end. Two people that truly needed each other feel in love. It was love at first sight for both of them.
The trouble was one was a vampire. The girl didn't know at the time if she wanted a relationship with a vampire. She was scared because when she first met him he was in rage and it scared her. So she tried to avoid it all costs.
But the boss where she was working with the plants which is her job kept putting him in charge of watching of her at night The more the got to know each other the more she was drawn to him. She started to fall in love in with more and more.
The book is great. Nina Bags did a good job.
The trouble was one was a vampire. The girl didn't know at the time if she wanted a relationship with a vampire. She was scared because when she first met him he was in rage and it scared her. So she tried to avoid it all costs.
But the boss where she was working with the plants which is her job kept putting him in charge of watching of her at night The more the got to know each other the more she was drawn to him. She started to fall in love in with more and more.
The book is great. Nina Bags did a good job.
August 16, 2015
My Wicked Vampire fit the formula of all the rest of Bangs' Castle Dark Dreams books, but I was a little disappointed with it. The transition of the leading man from brooding tortured hero was too easy and the starring pair's decision to 'hook-up' was so out of nowhere that I went back and checked to make sure I hadn't skipped some pages.
Bangs did set up two more deliciously dark males, so it looks like there will be two more books in the series. But I am really waiting for he next God's of Midnight.
Bangs did set up two more deliciously dark males, so it looks like there will be two more books in the series. But I am really waiting for he next God's of Midnight.
March 9, 2014
I received this one by mistake from a book-swapping site. I figured I might as well read it, even though it was 4th in a series and I hadn't read 1, 2, or 3.
The concept was original and had potential; however, some of the characters didn't ring true. I have read so many well-written PN novels that I just felt this one paled in comparison. I would have rated it only 2 stars, but there were a few humorous moments that made me smile. I don't think I'll be reading the rest of this series, though.
The concept was original and had potential; however, some of the characters didn't ring true. I have read so many well-written PN novels that I just felt this one paled in comparison. I would have rated it only 2 stars, but there were a few humorous moments that made me smile. I don't think I'll be reading the rest of this series, though.
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