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Fanged Love #1
Saving Valor
When Master Vampire Valor goes to the animal shelter to get some guard dogs he rescues werehound Caden. Little does he know that a pair of gold eyes was going to change his life.
54 pages, ebook
First published November 1, 2009
11 people are currently reading
322 people want to read
About the author
Amber Kell
180 books1,285 followersAmber Kell has made a career out of daydreaming. It has been a lifelong habit she practices diligently as shown by her complete lack of focus on anything not related to her fantasy world building.
When she told her husband what she wanted to do with her life he told her to go have fun.
During those seconds she isn't writing she remembers she has children who humor her with games of 'what if' and let her drag them to foreign lands to gather inspiration. Her youngest confided in her that he wants to write because he longs for a website and an author name—two things apparently necessary to be a proper writer.
Despite her husband's insistence she doesn't drink enough to be a true literary genius she continues to spin stories of people falling happily in love and staying that way.
She is thwarted during the day by a traffic jam of cats on the stairway and a puppy who insists on walks, but she bravely perseveres..
She also writes under the name Mikela Q. Chase
When she told her husband what she wanted to do with her life he told her to go have fun.
During those seconds she isn't writing she remembers she has children who humor her with games of 'what if' and let her drag them to foreign lands to gather inspiration. Her youngest confided in her that he wants to write because he longs for a website and an author name—two things apparently necessary to be a proper writer.
Despite her husband's insistence she doesn't drink enough to be a true literary genius she continues to spin stories of people falling happily in love and staying that way.
She is thwarted during the day by a traffic jam of cats on the stairway and a puppy who insists on walks, but she bravely perseveres..
She also writes under the name Mikela Q. Chase
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews
March 11, 2010
This story started out rather strong and raised my expectations but then could not seem to deliver. The characters were not firmly molded and seemed to sway with the wind of the story instead of holding firm. I believe some of the problems with this read had to do with its shortness. It felt rushed, with true love coming after one hurried coupling, giving way to the sudden ability to know a person well enough to give such statements as 'he would never do such a thing.'
Another thing that bothered me about this book was that the author mixed the names of the characters up on quite a few instances that made me pull out of the story to examine what was going on.
Another thing that bothered me about this book was that the author mixed the names of the characters up on quite a few instances that made me pull out of the story to examine what was going on.
January 23, 2012
This story, with a master vampire getting guard dogs so he couldn’t be killed in his sleep, pulled me in from the start. I had to laugh when he ended up ‘rescuing’ a werehound from the kennel – little did he know how much of a challenge he was in for.
Valor is powerful, short-tempered and in command at all times. Or so he likes to think. Most of that is true, but the short tempered can be fixed and the ‘in command’ was at last questionable in parts of the book. Like any typical alpha male, for Valor, a lot is in the perception of how people see him. Appearance is everything. Thank God he is able to drop the pretence with Caden! It would be exhausting, even for him, to be in control at all times.
Caden is a werehound with a terrible secret, a penchant for getting in trouble and, deep-down, a really sweet guy, He doesn’t even let himself see that side of him, so it takes some getting used to for him until he can accept Valor sees him that way. Since the advantages seem to outweigh the problems, he is at least willing to give it a try.
It was interesting to see the give-and-take concept taking hold in these men’s minds, and I liked the occasional sense of humor that peeked through. While this is a ‘typical’ shifter/werewolf story in many ways, the unique bond between Valor and Caden and its effect on the vampire is a new angle and I enjoyed their banter and battle for dominance. If you like paranormal stories where different species interact, if you like a bit of D/s (all very mutual) spicing up the proceedings and if you appreciate hot man-on-man action, you may like this book.
NOTE: This book was provided by Silver Publishing for the purpose of a review on Queer Magazine Online.
Valor is powerful, short-tempered and in command at all times. Or so he likes to think. Most of that is true, but the short tempered can be fixed and the ‘in command’ was at last questionable in parts of the book. Like any typical alpha male, for Valor, a lot is in the perception of how people see him. Appearance is everything. Thank God he is able to drop the pretence with Caden! It would be exhausting, even for him, to be in control at all times.
Caden is a werehound with a terrible secret, a penchant for getting in trouble and, deep-down, a really sweet guy, He doesn’t even let himself see that side of him, so it takes some getting used to for him until he can accept Valor sees him that way. Since the advantages seem to outweigh the problems, he is at least willing to give it a try.
It was interesting to see the give-and-take concept taking hold in these men’s minds, and I liked the occasional sense of humor that peeked through. While this is a ‘typical’ shifter/werewolf story in many ways, the unique bond between Valor and Caden and its effect on the vampire is a new angle and I enjoyed their banter and battle for dominance. If you like paranormal stories where different species interact, if you like a bit of D/s (all very mutual) spicing up the proceedings and if you appreciate hot man-on-man action, you may like this book.
NOTE: This book was provided by Silver Publishing for the purpose of a review on Queer Magazine Online.
January 19, 2012
4.2
I really liked the first version. I have re-read it enough times to practically know it by heart.
Took away 1/2 to 1 star on this version, cause there really isn't much added to it. (like some of her other redo ones). This one had a few added sentences here and there, but unfortunately nothing really big new here.
imo, if you are going to redo a story and want people to buy it again, more needs to be added to it.
I really liked the first version. I have re-read it enough times to practically know it by heart.
Took away 1/2 to 1 star on this version, cause there really isn't much added to it. (like some of her other redo ones). This one had a few added sentences here and there, but unfortunately nothing really big new here.
imo, if you are going to redo a story and want people to buy it again, more needs to be added to it.
October 20, 2012
3.5 stars
I liked the idea behind the story and felt if it was a little longer and they didn't have sex within 5 minutes of meeting, I would have liked it much better.
Valor is an ancient vampire and Caden is a werehound. Caden is being hunted by his pack so that his older brother can remain alpha. Turns out his brother had no idea and even killed the were's that tried to kill Caden. It was a female, of course, who was behind the attacks.
Caden is much smaller than Valor but he is very powerful and even magically locked Valor in a closet to protect him. That was funny because Valor is feared by everyone, including his own vamps.
I have a feeling Jamie's story is next. Jamie is Caden's brothers.
I liked the idea behind the story and felt if it was a little longer and they didn't have sex within 5 minutes of meeting, I would have liked it much better.
Valor is an ancient vampire and Caden is a werehound. Caden is being hunted by his pack so that his older brother can remain alpha. Turns out his brother had no idea and even killed the were's that tried to kill Caden. It was a female, of course, who was behind the attacks.
Caden is much smaller than Valor but he is very powerful and even magically locked Valor in a closet to protect him. That was funny because Valor is feared by everyone, including his own vamps.
I have a feeling Jamie's story is next. Jamie is Caden's brothers.
May 8, 2020
I enjoyed this book and the beautifully, intense, romance between Valor and Caden. I loved how much they cared for each other and how they both also had their own personal strengths. Valor was Caden's mate and he (Caden) had the wonderful power of calming the rage within Valor. This story was enthralling as well as it was hot and steamy. This would have made a fascinating series. I will definitely be reading more by this author. Loved it.
January 15, 2012
2.5 stars
I really enjoyed Amber Kell’s last book, Trials of Tam and I was hoping Saving Valor was in the same league. While both books have a paranormal storyline, Saving Valor just didn’t have the same upbeat and humorous vibe that Trials of Tam did. But, if you are looking for a darker, angsty book about shape shifters and vampires, then Saving Valor will be right up your alley.
While the plot had a lot of potential (vampire finds a werehound at the local shelter and takes him home to be his bedmate), unfortunately the execution of the storyline didn’t live up to the blurb. Yes, Caden and Valor were hot together, but their instant love/bonding/mating plot wasn’t fully fleshed out and felt rushed, so much so I was not buying into their relationship. Plus Valor went back and forth about his feelings for Caden so much that I thought I was watching a tennis game at Wimbledon. These issues, combined with a lack of character development and world building in this universe meant I was not drawn into Caden and Valor’s world as I could have been.
Reading Saving Valor was frustrating because I could see the seeds of a great novel in between the clichéd dialogue. I liked the idea of a vampire and werehound soul bonding and finding eternal happiness together, but in the end the plot had more negatives than positives going for it and I cannot rate it any higher.
Dark Divas Reviews
I really enjoyed Amber Kell’s last book, Trials of Tam and I was hoping Saving Valor was in the same league. While both books have a paranormal storyline, Saving Valor just didn’t have the same upbeat and humorous vibe that Trials of Tam did. But, if you are looking for a darker, angsty book about shape shifters and vampires, then Saving Valor will be right up your alley.
While the plot had a lot of potential (vampire finds a werehound at the local shelter and takes him home to be his bedmate), unfortunately the execution of the storyline didn’t live up to the blurb. Yes, Caden and Valor were hot together, but their instant love/bonding/mating plot wasn’t fully fleshed out and felt rushed, so much so I was not buying into their relationship. Plus Valor went back and forth about his feelings for Caden so much that I thought I was watching a tennis game at Wimbledon. These issues, combined with a lack of character development and world building in this universe meant I was not drawn into Caden and Valor’s world as I could have been.
Reading Saving Valor was frustrating because I could see the seeds of a great novel in between the clichéd dialogue. I liked the idea of a vampire and werehound soul bonding and finding eternal happiness together, but in the end the plot had more negatives than positives going for it and I cannot rate it any higher.
Dark Divas Reviews
October 20, 2012
This just feels really rushed.
I don't like the whole "pet" thing and always calling him pet
They meet, have sex, and are in love. It was just like instant everything.
The bad guys they fear and need hairs dogs to protect themselves from we're a joke. If I understand it right they attacked, with insider help and had an advantage but just kidnapped one werepup and retreated. So much for the advantage. They the. Go to their base, were its apparently evil and they torture people. We know because we heard them scream "no" but before we see any of that the good guys show up and defeat them in like a minute. But reader sees none of that action. And Sam dies, same who we just met the page before he dies.
They were using the pup as bait? How does that make any sense? They knew the vamps and wolves both would come for the bait but they didn't actually have a trap? Or a defense? I still don't get why they walked away from the attack they had the advantage for
Yeah then the end everything again felt like it just happened way too fast and too easy. And the guys started to really bore me. I got it they were mates they didn't have to say it all the time
I don't like the whole "pet" thing and always calling him pet
They meet, have sex, and are in love. It was just like instant everything.
The bad guys they fear and need hairs dogs to protect themselves from we're a joke. If I understand it right they attacked, with insider help and had an advantage but just kidnapped one werepup and retreated. So much for the advantage. They the. Go to their base, were its apparently evil and they torture people. We know because we heard them scream "no" but before we see any of that the good guys show up and defeat them in like a minute. But reader sees none of that action. And Sam dies, same who we just met the page before he dies.
They were using the pup as bait? How does that make any sense? They knew the vamps and wolves both would come for the bait but they didn't actually have a trap? Or a defense? I still don't get why they walked away from the attack they had the advantage for
Yeah then the end everything again felt like it just happened way too fast and too easy. And the guys started to really bore me. I got it they were mates they didn't have to say it all the time
May 17, 2010
Another story I thought well told by Kell, especially in the short amount of pages, less than 60. This story tells an instant attraction between a werehound and a Master vampire. Although they quickly fall in love I find this pretty typical of paranormal romances. It was also very interesting to see the how Kell dealt with two Alpha's in a relationship.
Kell's stories are short and sweet, but they will always be "must buys" when she come out with new stuff.
Kell's stories are short and sweet, but they will always be "must buys" when she come out with new stuff.
October 11, 2012
3.5 stars
This was a really short book, but it was still fun and cute. Great for a quick read. Caden is a wereshifter that is hiding from his pack. When Valor finds him at a dog pound/sanctuary, he knows that Caden is not as he seems and takes him home. Yes, there was the insta-love theme which is not my favorite, but what are you going to do in just a handful of pages? I think I could have easily given this 4 stars or more if there was more development and length to the story.
This was a really short book, but it was still fun and cute. Great for a quick read. Caden is a wereshifter that is hiding from his pack. When Valor finds him at a dog pound/sanctuary, he knows that Caden is not as he seems and takes him home. Yes, there was the insta-love theme which is not my favorite, but what are you going to do in just a handful of pages? I think I could have easily given this 4 stars or more if there was more development and length to the story.
January 16, 2012
It was fun to re-read this simple developed story. The plot wasn't much, to be truthful, but it was enjoyable enough.
February 1, 2012
Nothing much to say about this one except that it's more or less a typical Amber Kell paranormal story. It's light, funny and with an interesting plot concept.
August 12, 2017
Awesome book
This is a well written love story with a twist, a paranormal male awesome twist. It's always heaven to find ones mate at the best of times but even better at the worst
of them as these two characters find out. Knowing there's always danger around you makes it some how better with your mate there ,even if the danger comes from
someone you would never expect. These two learn that the hard way in this tale. Really really hoping there's more to their story . Getting to know each other and their
races could would be a fun book 2.
This is a well written love story with a twist, a paranormal male awesome twist. It's always heaven to find ones mate at the best of times but even better at the worst
of them as these two characters find out. Knowing there's always danger around you makes it some how better with your mate there ,even if the danger comes from
someone you would never expect. These two learn that the hard way in this tale. Really really hoping there's more to their story . Getting to know each other and their
races could would be a fun book 2.
February 27, 2018
I wanted to like this so much and the beginning maybe 10 pages set up the story so nicely. Yet it just didn't deliver. Maybe it was just a little rushed especially when a third of the book is sex and only 50 pages long. Doesn't leave a lot of room for explanations.
August 21, 2019
Re-read: August 2019
Rating: 4 stars
Enjoyable shifter/vampire short story. Liked both Valor and Caden as the MCs. Definitely had some insta-love going on, which is to be expected with a mating. A bit predictable, but enjoyable none the less.
Rating: 4 stars
Enjoyable shifter/vampire short story. Liked both Valor and Caden as the MCs. Definitely had some insta-love going on, which is to be expected with a mating. A bit predictable, but enjoyable none the less.
August 5, 2022
Początek fajny i wciągający, podoba mi się pomysł, ale bardzo szybko się zrobiło 'mate-love you forever!' i ich relacja w ogóle mnie nie kupiła, wydaje się bardzo powierzchowna
fajny motyw, ale niewykorzystany
fajny motyw, ale niewykorzystany
December 16, 2016
2.5 stars
I wanted to really like this so much - the set-up, the character backgrounds and attitudes, the plot, and the potential heat all are right up my alley. The writing, however, just didn't work for me, especially the dialog between the characters and even more the "inner-dialog" of the protagonists' reactions. I'm not a huge fan of insta-love, but can swallow it o.k. when it's done well, but often times (including this story) it just comes across as too manufactured.
Caden (the werekin) especially seemed all over the place to me: captured in a dog pound, but manipulating the kennel keepers to be treated royally; resentful of being treated like a puppy, yet quickly forgiving those slights and sometimes reveling in it; extremely desirous of escaping, but quickly overwhelmed by vampire heat; sometimes acting like a scared pup, sometimes acting like a spoiled, entitled pup, and sometimes acting like an over-protective alpha mate. Valor wasn't quite so inconsistent, but still was a bit overly contradictory as he is an uber-scary and harsh vampire Lord, a feared leader, a despised leader, as well as a sometimes gentle/sometimes firm/sometimes harsh lover and master. All of those conflicting threads make the characters potentially very interesting, but the prose and flow was just too choppy that the wide range in each protagonist seemed to me to be just plain inconsistent and contrived than interesting and nuanced.
Still, I can't resist a vampire and pup story, especially with some sizzle, so that theme elevates it to be a bit on the positive side "just o.k." for me.
I wanted to really like this so much - the set-up, the character backgrounds and attitudes, the plot, and the potential heat all are right up my alley. The writing, however, just didn't work for me, especially the dialog between the characters and even more the "inner-dialog" of the protagonists' reactions. I'm not a huge fan of insta-love, but can swallow it o.k. when it's done well, but often times (including this story) it just comes across as too manufactured.
Caden (the werekin) especially seemed all over the place to me: captured in a dog pound, but manipulating the kennel keepers to be treated royally; resentful of being treated like a puppy, yet quickly forgiving those slights and sometimes reveling in it; extremely desirous of escaping, but quickly overwhelmed by vampire heat; sometimes acting like a scared pup, sometimes acting like a spoiled, entitled pup, and sometimes acting like an over-protective alpha mate. Valor wasn't quite so inconsistent, but still was a bit overly contradictory as he is an uber-scary and harsh vampire Lord, a feared leader, a despised leader, as well as a sometimes gentle/sometimes firm/sometimes harsh lover and master. All of those conflicting threads make the characters potentially very interesting, but the prose and flow was just too choppy that the wide range in each protagonist seemed to me to be just plain inconsistent and contrived than interesting and nuanced.
Still, I can't resist a vampire and pup story, especially with some sizzle, so that theme elevates it to be a bit on the positive side "just o.k." for me.
November 29, 2009
Vampire finds hurt were in the pound and takes him home to be his pet. Vampire and were have hot sex. Were realizes the vampire is his fate determined mate. Vampire and were take turns playing protector towards each other.
As you can guess by my summary, it came off a bit formulaic to me. The fated mate thing. The were that likes playing dinner snack and pet. It's all just too convenient. Like most things in the urban fantasy/paranormal romance genre, it sounds like what Laurell did, only Laurell did it better. Not copying, per se, but going with what sells and missing the magic spark. Caden is no Jason, and Valor is no Jean-Claude.
Now I'd love to see Jason and Jean-Claude have sex at least once, so that desire made me pick a book that echoed their relationship, but added intimacy. Only, again and again these echos turn out to be pale shadows of the real thing, and the intimacies don't make up for all the rest that is missing.
So, for me, a decent read, but not a world or characters I fell in love with, because the world and the characters carried too many echos of the same thing written more to my tastes.
As you can guess by my summary, it came off a bit formulaic to me. The fated mate thing. The were that likes playing dinner snack and pet. It's all just too convenient. Like most things in the urban fantasy/paranormal romance genre, it sounds like what Laurell did, only Laurell did it better. Not copying, per se, but going with what sells and missing the magic spark. Caden is no Jason, and Valor is no Jean-Claude.
Now I'd love to see Jason and Jean-Claude have sex at least once, so that desire made me pick a book that echoed their relationship, but added intimacy. Only, again and again these echos turn out to be pale shadows of the real thing, and the intimacies don't make up for all the rest that is missing.
So, for me, a decent read, but not a world or characters I fell in love with, because the world and the characters carried too many echos of the same thing written more to my tastes.
December 11, 2014
2014 Re-read:
This is such an old story, yet still so lovely.
It packed a lot more into its moderate length than I anticipated. True, some of these older stories by this author aren’t quite as detailed. This one’s just fine. (As long as you ignore the lack of proofreading, which under the circumstances I easily can.) It would have made a nice series, too, although in this case things feel resolved and settled. Not too much mushiness but a satisfying amount of revelling in it at the end there. Not a bad plot in general, actually.
The thing with , despite its brevity, struck me as both shocking and terribly sad.
Ah, this was just such a nice snack to return to.
This is such an old story, yet still so lovely.
It packed a lot more into its moderate length than I anticipated. True, some of these older stories by this author aren’t quite as detailed. This one’s just fine. (As long as you ignore the lack of proofreading, which under the circumstances I easily can.) It would have made a nice series, too, although in this case things feel resolved and settled. Not too much mushiness but a satisfying amount of revelling in it at the end there. Not a bad plot in general, actually.
The thing with , despite its brevity, struck me as both shocking and terribly sad.
Ah, this was just such a nice snack to return to.
October 22, 2012
I was very excited about this story, but it didn't take long before I realized it just wouldn't be what I was hoping. Aside from the rushed, insta sex deal, the biggest issue I had was with the dialog. It seemed like it was being written in a somewhat old fashioned way, to match up with the 2,000 year old vampire, but then would throw sentences in that were more modern and just seemed out of place. This happened enough to throw me off enough that it just didn't read very smoothly for me.
I liked the idea of the story though, and the characters had potential, but just didn't quite have enough to grab my attention.
I liked the idea of the story though, and the characters had potential, but just didn't quite have enough to grab my attention.
July 15, 2011
This story could be the start of a great long line of stories.. Nicely done but after catching up on my reviews this morning I have to admit I really like amber's writing so I could be biased...
Story and characters started off well, took a bit of a dive, but then picked up again as the story continued. I think it would be good to see some more character interactions not just sex scene's. Building up the story isn't an issue in this book.
Take a moment to read a shifter/vampire romance.. hehe
Story and characters started off well, took a bit of a dive, but then picked up again as the story continued. I think it would be good to see some more character interactions not just sex scene's. Building up the story isn't an issue in this book.
Take a moment to read a shifter/vampire romance.. hehe
January 15, 2012
I enjoyed this book - I really liked the excerpts that were on her blog, and really liked the two main characters that were introduced, that did not change with the full story, although a few surprises came out with the secondary characters and a few twists! I was hoping for something miraculous with the brief intro with Sam, but there are quite a few characters I hope to read about in future releases!
i would recommend this book - although as I've said before, I'm biased 'cause I'm a huge Amber Kell fan!!!
i would recommend this book - although as I've said before, I'm biased 'cause I'm a huge Amber Kell fan!!!
February 20, 2014
Not bad. At least it was more creative than most books. I still didn't like how Caden was always supposed to defer to Valor but it wasn't obnoxious so I dealt with it. Besides...Caden did kick ass with Eliza. And Valor really seemed to like him. Two other things I found unnecessary: Sam's death and those two weeks Caden spent away from Valor. Those two scenes didn't really serve a point in the story and were unnecessarily cruel.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 17, 2014
Awesome
Awesome
I really feel it's a 3 or 4 star rate but since I can't get half of the 4th star I will give it a 3. I loved it the book was good and the pair were on fire right from the get go.
I had this read in a UK text to speech, even if I had changed it, I probably still would have given it a 3 or 4 star rating. Loved It.
Awesome
I really feel it's a 3 or 4 star rate but since I can't get half of the 4th star I will give it a 3. I loved it the book was good and the pair were on fire right from the get go.
I had this read in a UK text to speech, even if I had changed it, I probably still would have given it a 3 or 4 star rating. Loved It.
April 23, 2015
This story is great. A mating between a vampire and a werehound that turns into a rare soul bond mating. I loved this book and thought the characters were great. But I'm really disappointed that this book is a stand alone and not part of a series. The author obviously wrote the book with a series in mind so I wonder why she didn't continue with that plan.
June 20, 2015
I loved this book, a short story of love, care and protection between 2 alpha males - a vampire and a werekin. I really enjoyed the fact that Caden wouldn't submit to his ancient Vampire mate, and that by the end they both knew how reliant on each other they were; as we all are in a committed relationship. A lovely HEA. I would love to see Jameson get his mate one day!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 25, 2016
This was an extremely cute little story. I loved the characters and the plot was very good, especially for a short story and I certainly didn't see the twist coming.
It was a bit insta-love, but it worked because it was a paranormal romance.
All in all: great characters, good plot, good romace between MCs, all right sex, nice little twist
3.5 stars
It was a bit insta-love, but it worked because it was a paranormal romance.
All in all: great characters, good plot, good romace between MCs, all right sex, nice little twist
3.5 stars
July 4, 2013
I really liked this book. It was sweet and funny and a little different. I would read about anything written by Amber Kell. I enjoy all I have read a little more or less than the previous book. But I always really like them.
June 1, 2018
Good story
I gave it four stars for two reasons. The first reason is the length of the story. The second is the fact is that there is not a book two yet. I hope it comes out soon.
I gave it four stars for two reasons. The first reason is the length of the story. The second is the fact is that there is not a book two yet. I hope it comes out soon.
October 22, 2011
2.5 stars
August 27, 2016
Hopefully the editing will be better in the re-release and there will be more from Valor and Caden in the future.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews