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Dance on Fire #1
Dance on Fire
Two Kingsburg police officers have been butchered in an attack as ferocious as it is mystifying. Now two detectives and their families are being drawn into a battle that threatens to destroy them and those around them. In a marriage of horror and Christian themes of good conquering evil and redemption, Dance on Fire is the fictional account of characters drawn into the fire by supernatural forces.
- GenresVampiresParanormal
ebook
First published February 6, 2010
8 people are currently reading
100 people want to read
About the author
James Garcia Jr.
6 books193 followersUpon discovering the likes of Stephen King, Clive Barker and Michael Slade while in his teens, James Garcia Jr. soon began creating his own dark worlds. Not prepared to write and be a mature husband and father, that passion was boxed away for nearly twenty years. Then, not wanting to allow regret to fester, he finally removed that box from the attic of his heart and opened it. He now has four novels: the stand-alone paranormal romance "Seeing Ghosts" and the three volume (so far) "Dance on Fire" crossover vampire series.
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
unfinished
October 25, 2012I could not finish this book - I just could not connect with the characters and every time I would spend any significant amount of time reading I would, as a result, start to fall asleep. The editing issues I could have lived with, for the most part, but I need to be able to connect to the characters. So sorry to the author.
If you enjoyed this book, the sequel is due out any time now, so please watch for it.
I did want to share this little tidbit from my notes for the review I had planned to write but it ended up being too mean - but I thought this bit was sort of funny:
Nathaniel is supposed to be a good vampire, but you know what? He’s a filthy cat murderer! At least Vincent sticks to verminous humans, not murdering regal and wonderful cats! And sure, Nathaniel stops Vincent from eating a couple babies, but really, who can resist babies anyway? I hear they taste like chicken.
If you enjoyed this book, the sequel is due out any time now, so please watch for it.
I did want to share this little tidbit from my notes for the review I had planned to write but it ended up being too mean - but I thought this bit was sort of funny:
Nathaniel is supposed to be a good vampire, but you know what? He’s a filthy cat murderer! At least Vincent sticks to verminous humans, not murdering regal and wonderful cats! And sure, Nathaniel stops Vincent from eating a couple babies, but really, who can resist babies anyway? I hear they taste like chicken.
May 9, 2010
This is a great novel which excellently mixes the intimacy of small-town life and likable characters (who become your friends) with the worldly, centuries-old evil that no one can believe actually exists. I highly recommend it, especially if you like novels with a spiritual or Christian tone to them.
December 30, 2010
I think it took me too damn long to write!?! Ha! Thankfully the first two drafts of the sequel only took 8 months.
March 21, 2025
Oh death, where is your victory? Oh death, where is your sting?
This is a debut novel 20 years in the making. I am so glad that the author allowed it to come to fruition and to be published. It is a different take on the vampire story but a welcome one. It is amazing that though it has quite a bit of blood and gore, that’s not the center of the story at all. This is a story about humanity, and love, and about redemption. I look forward to reading the sequel. Well done, James Garcia Junior. This is a very fine book.
This is a debut novel 20 years in the making. I am so glad that the author allowed it to come to fruition and to be published. It is a different take on the vampire story but a welcome one. It is amazing that though it has quite a bit of blood and gore, that’s not the center of the story at all. This is a story about humanity, and love, and about redemption. I look forward to reading the sequel. Well done, James Garcia Junior. This is a very fine book.
April 20, 2011
The thing I enjoyed the most about this book was how charcter driven it was. Sure, there were vampires, both good and bad, but it was the people that made me keep wanting to pick up the book. The relationship between the two main characters was honest and real and totally believable.
Saying that, there were parts of the book scary enough to have my eyes popping out of my head and my heart thudding.
Though there is a Christian theme to the novel, it ceratinly wasn't overdone, which I was relieved about.
Overall, a good read that I recommend. I'm looking forward to the sequel.
Saying that, there were parts of the book scary enough to have my eyes popping out of my head and my heart thudding.
Though there is a Christian theme to the novel, it ceratinly wasn't overdone, which I was relieved about.
Overall, a good read that I recommend. I'm looking forward to the sequel.
December 9, 2011
I didn't like this novel at first because it started out like a choppy crime novel - you know where you get a piece of the story for each character and it goes back and forth with short paragraphs. Eventually the writing became elegant, especially when the flashbacks and vampire details were included. I enjoyed that quite a bit. I thought it was a strange combination though. It took a while to get into it, but I did end up liking it in the end.
July 30, 2012
I really got into this book because of the characters, they were well developed and believable. The action is intense and relentless. An epic tale of good vs. evil. I don't want to put any spoilers out there, but a "couple" of the characters has me baffled and I am hoping to read the sequel very soon to see what happens. Well done!
November 26, 2014
A unique and interesting twist to vampire mythology.
Well-written story about Nathaniel, a vampire seeking redemption and Vincent, his maker and force to be reckoned with. A classic good vs. evil tale with richly developed characters and a complex plot. If you like crime stories with a touch of mystery, horror and the paranormal, this book will hit the spot.
Well-written story about Nathaniel, a vampire seeking redemption and Vincent, his maker and force to be reckoned with. A classic good vs. evil tale with richly developed characters and a complex plot. If you like crime stories with a touch of mystery, horror and the paranormal, this book will hit the spot.
December 10, 2012
I enjoyed this book and found the characters deep, well crafted and believable. The story moved at a pace and kept me hooked 'til the last page. A well plotted novel.
January 21, 2013
Exceptionally well written. I will definitely pass this one on to my friends.
April 22, 2025
An Intriguing Read
I became interested in this book after seeing an advertisement for it stating “brings Christianity and vampires on a collision course”, which sounded outside-the-box for sure.
Overall, I liked it. I liked the characters and the idea that there could be a vampire who’s searching for redemption and escape from “the creature of the night” that he’s become. The writing itself kept my interest. It was well paced and reminiscent of 80’s horror – like The Lost Boys. Overall, a good story.
One thing I must mention, although Christianity plays a role in this book, I noticed on Amazon that it isn’t categorized as “Christian fiction”. I think this is accurate. By secular standards, it’s a fairly clean novel. However, there is some language offensive to many Christians, including misuse of the Lord’s name. I state this, not to discourage one from reading it. Like I say, it’s a good read overall, and not categorized as Christian fiction, but wanted to note this as a possible trigger warning.
I became interested in this book after seeing an advertisement for it stating “brings Christianity and vampires on a collision course”, which sounded outside-the-box for sure.
Overall, I liked it. I liked the characters and the idea that there could be a vampire who’s searching for redemption and escape from “the creature of the night” that he’s become. The writing itself kept my interest. It was well paced and reminiscent of 80’s horror – like The Lost Boys. Overall, a good story.
One thing I must mention, although Christianity plays a role in this book, I noticed on Amazon that it isn’t categorized as “Christian fiction”. I think this is accurate. By secular standards, it’s a fairly clean novel. However, there is some language offensive to many Christians, including misuse of the Lord’s name. I state this, not to discourage one from reading it. Like I say, it’s a good read overall, and not categorized as Christian fiction, but wanted to note this as a possible trigger warning.
December 8, 2010
I’ve just finished reading Dance on Fire by James Garcia Jr. What a read! I thoroughly enjoyed this book and definitely recommend it!
Not too long ago I had Jimmy as a Featured Author on my blog. His description of the story is just perfect, so here it is again:
“Two vampires descend upon an unsuspecting small town; Nathaniel is “good” and Vincent is not. They know each other intimately since Vincent “made” Nathaniel. Vincent has been pursuing his “son” over centuries and fully intends to reclaim what was lost to him. The story is not only the battles between the two of them, but how the entire community is affected, including two police detectives and their families. The title is one that I always thought that I would change, but never could find anything that pictured the story better. We are all taught as children to stop, drop and roll should we get caught on fire. Unfortunately, in that moment of panic, we all act differently. That was the picture that I was going for; these events take place and we watch how each one reacts.”
I loved how the author has you immediately pulled into the story. Though a good sized book at over 100,000 words, there is a wonderful pace to it which keeps you reading, drawing you into the story with every word. You’ll find yourself quickly immersed in the story, wondering what would happen next, feeling for the amazingly developed characters. The plot is superbly written, I loved how it also took the form of a mystery while you follow the detectives trying to solve the bizarre murders. You won’t be disappointed in the growing tension which builds up to a dramatic climax.
Don’t let the genre titles of horror or Christian put you off, if you love vampire stories, you’ll enjoy this book!
Not too long ago I had Jimmy as a Featured Author on my blog. His description of the story is just perfect, so here it is again:
“Two vampires descend upon an unsuspecting small town; Nathaniel is “good” and Vincent is not. They know each other intimately since Vincent “made” Nathaniel. Vincent has been pursuing his “son” over centuries and fully intends to reclaim what was lost to him. The story is not only the battles between the two of them, but how the entire community is affected, including two police detectives and their families. The title is one that I always thought that I would change, but never could find anything that pictured the story better. We are all taught as children to stop, drop and roll should we get caught on fire. Unfortunately, in that moment of panic, we all act differently. That was the picture that I was going for; these events take place and we watch how each one reacts.”
I loved how the author has you immediately pulled into the story. Though a good sized book at over 100,000 words, there is a wonderful pace to it which keeps you reading, drawing you into the story with every word. You’ll find yourself quickly immersed in the story, wondering what would happen next, feeling for the amazingly developed characters. The plot is superbly written, I loved how it also took the form of a mystery while you follow the detectives trying to solve the bizarre murders. You won’t be disappointed in the growing tension which builds up to a dramatic climax.
Don’t let the genre titles of horror or Christian put you off, if you love vampire stories, you’ll enjoy this book!
April 8, 2013
This is definitely NOT your typical vampire tale. Nathaniel is a rogue vampire in that he actually has a good heart and does not want to hurt humans. Apparently he escaped from his creator, an evil vampire named Vincent. Vincent is now on a quest to find Nathaniel. When he finds him in a small California town, all hell breaks loose. The annual Swedish festival is about to take place, but grizzly murders begin showing up in the otherwise peaceful town. Vincent manages to implicate Nathaniel and an all out ‘witch’ (or in this case, vampire) hunt ensues. The underlying Christian message is a prevalent theme; something that also makes this vampire tale atypical.
The book is long and can be daunting at times, simply because of its length. There is a large cast of characters, many of which we just get to know before they come to their demise. Also, the book is written from an omniscient point of view, so we often see inside the heads of more than one person at a time. It doesn’t distract, though, like head hopping might normally do. For some reason it seems to work and I think helps us have more sympathy for the victims. If you enjoy paranormal tales, you will like this book. Readers need to understand up front that the gospel is an important part of the book, but also need to be prepared for some graphic language and scenes that might not typically appear in mainstream ‘Christian’ fiction.
The book is long and can be daunting at times, simply because of its length. There is a large cast of characters, many of which we just get to know before they come to their demise. Also, the book is written from an omniscient point of view, so we often see inside the heads of more than one person at a time. It doesn’t distract, though, like head hopping might normally do. For some reason it seems to work and I think helps us have more sympathy for the victims. If you enjoy paranormal tales, you will like this book. Readers need to understand up front that the gospel is an important part of the book, but also need to be prepared for some graphic language and scenes that might not typically appear in mainstream ‘Christian’ fiction.
August 31, 2012
Ok, so I love books involving vampires, therefore have read quite a few. I've always thought of vampires as sexy & dangerous. Don't think I have ever considered one as an "angel" or a "guardian", like I did in Dance on Fire. What a pleasant, pleasant surprise. I truly enjoyed this book. James gave vampires an entirely different view to me. I immediately fell in love with Nathaniel. Captured as a child, imprisoned, then turned against his will. He has lived his life alone, feeding on stray animals, never on humans. His life changes the day he saves Barbara & her babies lives. This story not only showed how evil & despicable a vampire could be, but how wonderful, God worthy people they also are. You have drama, mystery, horror, & just intense suspense, plus spirituality, nothing over the top, but just enough to make the story work really, really well. Highly recommended, will be thoroughly enjoyed. Can't wait for the sequel, I need to know more about Nathaniel, the man deserves a happily ever after.
February 21, 2012
At first I had a difficult time reading this. It is about the town I grew up in. Yes I know it is fiction but with my imagination and Garcia's great writing skill. I felt I was there seeing it all. This book was well written. It had an order of smaller events culminating in the big finish at the end. My only complaint is it had a little too much of the bible in it. I am more spiritual than religious. so those are my personal thoughts. The characters are loveable and believable. I love it that they were still angry and swore not like many of the church goers I know and I liked that about them. It showed that christian or not when it comes to matters of the heart we are only human after all. Excellent read! I am glad I own it so I can re read it later. I hope the sequel lives up to the first book.
August 8, 2012
Fascinating read about a couple of vampires in California: one seeking the other and bent on leaving as large a body count as he can manage.
The book was captivating. I was drawn into the characters. Even within their mundane lives that were soon to be turned upside down, they had depth to them that really pulled you into their world.
The scenes were very detailed as well; some of which you wish there would be more left to the imagination, but it wouldn't be a horror story if it didn't have the gory details.
You can also see a divine influence throughout the pages. Seeing how the events turn for one particular vampire, you can see Someone else was very interested in these people's lives and survival.
Great read! Looking forward to the sequel.
The book was captivating. I was drawn into the characters. Even within their mundane lives that were soon to be turned upside down, they had depth to them that really pulled you into their world.
The scenes were very detailed as well; some of which you wish there would be more left to the imagination, but it wouldn't be a horror story if it didn't have the gory details.
You can also see a divine influence throughout the pages. Seeing how the events turn for one particular vampire, you can see Someone else was very interested in these people's lives and survival.
Great read! Looking forward to the sequel.
November 15, 2012
Dance on Fire by James Garcia Jr. is a vampire novel - a thriller, not a romance. There is a lot of interesting relationship interplay between the characters, but the focus is really more good vs. evil, along with tackling the question of whether a vampire *can* be good in any way or not. It's a book of many layers that flows well even while telling both the story of a vampire from his (literal) childhood and the story of a town under attack. Very intriguing, all around.
April 13, 2010
I read this ebook for two reasons: 1. the author's wife is a friend of mine, and 2. it's set in our little "hometown" of Kingsburg, CA. Add to this the fact that it involves vampires bringing havoc to my beloved little Swedish town, and for his first book, the author does a GREAT job of developing characters and weaving his story, make this a fun read!!!
May 27, 2013
A fun weekend read where vampires struggle with their own damnation. So glad they don't sparkle and are kinda scary!
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews