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Preternaturals #1
Blood Lust
Blood Lust: The Preternaturals, Book 1
This is an anthology of: Kept, Claimed, and Mated.
KEPT:
… The enemy of my enemy is my lover. Is that how it goes?
No one should have to be on the run from their family. Family is who you can trust, right? Dark magic users are the ones on the don’t trust list. Yet, when Greta learns the werecat tribe plans to sacrifice her on the full moon to steal her potent magical blood, she ditches common sense in favor of running to the one man who can protect her. Will Dayne kill her as he has so many others of her kind, or is his grudge against her family strong enough to save her?
CLAIMED:
… Vampires claiming amnesiacs is the new black.
Anthony is cold, ruthless, undead, and hard to like. Yet, all it takes is one human with amnesia, to soften his heart. Ever since being bitten, Charlotte hasn’t been the same. More than anything, he wants to return to a time when she saw him for the man he is, instead of the monster she’s discovered. A time before she feared him.
In the midst of a power struggle for vampire king, it soon becomes clear that the only way to protect a fragile human in his care is to claim her as his mate. Meanwhile, his deepest wish is to have his lover awakened from the memory loss that took everything... not just the memories he meant to erase.
MATED:
A classic, sweet werewolf love story. Or maybe not.
Be small. Be invisible. It’s an odd life mantra for a human woman in a world of monsters. But Jane’s blood contains a touch of vampire magic, making her their victim over and over. With her faster-than-normal healing time, she’s an ideal punching bag for the abusive vampire she’s been living with, the one she thought might protect her this time.
Paul owes a debt to the werewolf alpha, and Cole doesn’t care how he gets paid: flesh or coin. $10,000 or Jane? The human is a small price for the vampire to pay to be debt-free.
Cole is attractive and warm---so different from the coldness and death Jane has grown used to. If the werewolves didn’t have a worse reputation than the vampires, being taken by the alpha might feel like rescue, but Cole’s growing possessive nature, makes Jane fear he’ll only abuse her like the others. If he doesn’t, could becoming an alpha’s mate free her from the vampires for good?
This is an anthology of: Kept, Claimed, and Mated.
KEPT:
… The enemy of my enemy is my lover. Is that how it goes?
No one should have to be on the run from their family. Family is who you can trust, right? Dark magic users are the ones on the don’t trust list. Yet, when Greta learns the werecat tribe plans to sacrifice her on the full moon to steal her potent magical blood, she ditches common sense in favor of running to the one man who can protect her. Will Dayne kill her as he has so many others of her kind, or is his grudge against her family strong enough to save her?
CLAIMED:
… Vampires claiming amnesiacs is the new black.
Anthony is cold, ruthless, undead, and hard to like. Yet, all it takes is one human with amnesia, to soften his heart. Ever since being bitten, Charlotte hasn’t been the same. More than anything, he wants to return to a time when she saw him for the man he is, instead of the monster she’s discovered. A time before she feared him.
In the midst of a power struggle for vampire king, it soon becomes clear that the only way to protect a fragile human in his care is to claim her as his mate. Meanwhile, his deepest wish is to have his lover awakened from the memory loss that took everything... not just the memories he meant to erase.
MATED:
A classic, sweet werewolf love story. Or maybe not.
Be small. Be invisible. It’s an odd life mantra for a human woman in a world of monsters. But Jane’s blood contains a touch of vampire magic, making her their victim over and over. With her faster-than-normal healing time, she’s an ideal punching bag for the abusive vampire she’s been living with, the one she thought might protect her this time.
Paul owes a debt to the werewolf alpha, and Cole doesn’t care how he gets paid: flesh or coin. $10,000 or Jane? The human is a small price for the vampire to pay to be debt-free.
Cole is attractive and warm---so different from the coldness and death Jane has grown used to. If the werewolves didn’t have a worse reputation than the vampires, being taken by the alpha might feel like rescue, but Cole’s growing possessive nature, makes Jane fear he’ll only abuse her like the others. If he doesn’t, could becoming an alpha’s mate free her from the vampires for good?
360 pages, Paperback
First published August 2, 2010
159 people are currently reading
1606 people want to read
About the author
Zoe Winters
26 books504 followersAuthor of paranormal romance and urban fantasy.
Book 6 in the Preternaturals series Available for Pre-order now at Amazon Kindle and Kobo Books.
Author Bio:
Zoe Winters writes quirky and sometimes dark paranormal romance and fantasy. Her favorite colors are rainbow and clear.
She is known for her preternaturals series which combines romance front story with larger urban fantasy back story which develops over the course of several books.
Her world contains: demons, vampires, werewolves, werecats, and other shapeshifters, magic users such as witches and wizards, angels, and humans who are unaware of the magical world around them.
Zoe can be found at zoewintersbooks.com To subscribe to her newsletter, fill out the contact form.
Fun supplementary material for the preternaturals series can be found at theriantype.com
Book 6 in the Preternaturals series Available for Pre-order now at Amazon Kindle and Kobo Books.
Author Bio:
Zoe Winters writes quirky and sometimes dark paranormal romance and fantasy. Her favorite colors are rainbow and clear.
She is known for her preternaturals series which combines romance front story with larger urban fantasy back story which develops over the course of several books.
Her world contains: demons, vampires, werewolves, werecats, and other shapeshifters, magic users such as witches and wizards, angels, and humans who are unaware of the magical world around them.
Zoe can be found at zoewintersbooks.com To subscribe to her newsletter, fill out the contact form.
Fun supplementary material for the preternaturals series can be found at theriantype.com
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 98 reviews
October 2, 2010
Kept - Enjoyed it. Great read. Greta is a strong heroine and the interaction with Dayne was funny and sexy. I liked how Dayne was trying to not lose his rep as a "bad boy" sorcerer.
Claimed - Charlee was too stupid to live and got on my nerves. I liked her in Kept and at the beginning of Claimed but as the book progressed, I became more and more frustrated with her character. I would have bought the HEA for her and Anthony more if she wasn't such a psychotic wench during most of the story. Honestly, if I was Anthony, I would have kicked her to the curb. I don't think vampires have the mating issue as werewolves. So why he stuck by her, I have no idea. I guess his guilt got the best of him.
Mated - We find out more about Jane who we were introduced to in Claimed. Cole is the sexy alpha male of his pack and sees Jane and immediately is drawn to her. He is her protector even though she has trust issues. Enjoyable read. I'm a werewolf girl so of course I loved this one. Out of the 3 novellas, this one had the most sex, which isn't saying much.
Flutter factor:
There isn't much smexing going on in each novella. There's chemistry between the characters, some dirty talk. It's kind of like when you're watching a TV show and the characters start kissing and then they go in to the bedroom and then the next scene is the afterglow moment. It's implied what happened but you don't see it happen. Not every book has to contain smex in graphic detail but I don't like being teased either.
Claimed - Charlee was too stupid to live and got on my nerves. I liked her in Kept and at the beginning of Claimed but as the book progressed, I became more and more frustrated with her character. I would have bought the HEA for her and Anthony more if she wasn't such a psychotic wench during most of the story. Honestly, if I was Anthony, I would have kicked her to the curb. I don't think vampires have the mating issue as werewolves. So why he stuck by her, I have no idea. I guess his guilt got the best of him.
Mated - We find out more about Jane who we were introduced to in Claimed. Cole is the sexy alpha male of his pack and sees Jane and immediately is drawn to her. He is her protector even though she has trust issues. Enjoyable read. I'm a werewolf girl so of course I loved this one. Out of the 3 novellas, this one had the most sex, which isn't saying much.
Flutter factor:
There isn't much smexing going on in each novella. There's chemistry between the characters, some dirty talk. It's kind of like when you're watching a TV show and the characters start kissing and then they go in to the bedroom and then the next scene is the afterglow moment. It's implied what happened but you don't see it happen. Not every book has to contain smex in graphic detail but I don't like being teased either.
May 9, 2015
3 novellas in 1.
Kept was the first one. Greta is a shifter, Dayne was a wizard. She needs help, he can give it.
This was pnr and I liked it, omg. But I do think it was because there was no instalove, no alpha ahole. Just a woman on the run, and yes she was in heat so yes they got it on. But that was not love, that was lust. It worked. I enjoyed the story.
Claimed was at it seems now the weak one of the bunch. And it was all cos it was the most pnr one. Anthony was a total alpha-hole. I mean seriously. He attacked, almost killed her, held her hostage. Then at the end they were in love. Ugh. But it was still a good story, with weak points.
Mated was the last one an about Jane who can see vampires, and therefore is spending her time with them. For good and bad. She was with an asshole and that is how she ends up with Cole, the werewolf alpha. And you know the story, they will be mated. I enjoyed this one, he was not an alpha-hole. He wanted to protect her, and the love was the mated kind.
So yes behold, I liked a paranormal romance. Nice stories.
Kept was the first one. Greta is a shifter, Dayne was a wizard. She needs help, he can give it.
This was pnr and I liked it, omg. But I do think it was because there was no instalove, no alpha ahole. Just a woman on the run, and yes she was in heat so yes they got it on. But that was not love, that was lust. It worked. I enjoyed the story.
Claimed was at it seems now the weak one of the bunch. And it was all cos it was the most pnr one. Anthony was a total alpha-hole. I mean seriously. He attacked, almost killed her, held her hostage. Then at the end they were in love. Ugh. But it was still a good story, with weak points.
Mated was the last one an about Jane who can see vampires, and therefore is spending her time with them. For good and bad. She was with an asshole and that is how she ends up with Cole, the werewolf alpha. And you know the story, they will be mated. I enjoyed this one, he was not an alpha-hole. He wanted to protect her, and the love was the mated kind.
So yes behold, I liked a paranormal romance. Nice stories.
August 22, 2012
I'm embarrassed to even admit I read this...
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April 22, 2017
3 good stories! Vamps, werewolves, cat shifters, sorcerers and humans..
Part One: KEPT
Wow! What a great little story. I absolutely loved Dayne and Greta. Well, except for the part where she took the raw steak out of the fridge and ate it. I thought that was pretty gross. But mostly, I really liked the story. It was all about her running to Dayne, a sorcerer, to protect her from getting sacrificed. And, even though Jaden wasn’t in it too much I liked her, too. And Simon got exactly what he deserved, the jerk. Anthony was kind of cool, too.
Yes, there was some pretty heated and explicit sex in this story.
Part Two: CLAIMED
So, Anthony messed up with Charlee and had to find a way to fix it. And then icky Linus shows up and ruins things, since he wants to go back to killing humans. Eventually, Anthony has to tell Charlee the truth, and overall that goes over pretty well, although Charlee trusts him even less now, thanks partially to the crap Jane told her. And Gregory should have given up on the tournament to choose who would be king of the vampires. LOL, he was pretty funny sounding in the audible version.
Hmmm, I don’t remember any sex in this story.
Part Three: MATED
OK, I love Cole right off the bat, but it could just be the voice the narrator gave him. And I did like Paul in the other book but he turned into a real a-hole in this one. Wow, I just wanted him dead. The other thing I didn’t like about this is when Cole and Jane started to make love, they’d been together for weeks and never even kissed, and as soon as they finally started kissing she put her hand between the two of them and started to stroke him. Really? How unromantic is that? Suddenly, I didn’t care if they had sex or not, I was so bummed about Jane’s actions. At this point I just wanted to story to end. I know, I’m really weird!
Anyway, Rhonda and Anthony were taken care of. Cole and Jane, Greta and Dayne, Charlee and Anthony, lived HEA and this was a good book. I’ll have to see what other books go with this one.
There was explicit sex in these stories and swearing and the F-bomb was released 43 times.
As to the narrator: Chet Williamson is new to me and overall I really liked him. The funny things in the book were even funnier the way he read them. His women’s voices weren’t very good, so he needs to practice that, as they are masculine. I did listen to him at 1.25 and that seemed to be perfect.
Part One: KEPT
Wow! What a great little story. I absolutely loved Dayne and Greta. Well, except for the part where she took the raw steak out of the fridge and ate it. I thought that was pretty gross. But mostly, I really liked the story. It was all about her running to Dayne, a sorcerer, to protect her from getting sacrificed. And, even though Jaden wasn’t in it too much I liked her, too. And Simon got exactly what he deserved, the jerk. Anthony was kind of cool, too.
Yes, there was some pretty heated and explicit sex in this story.
Part Two: CLAIMED
So, Anthony messed up with Charlee and had to find a way to fix it. And then icky Linus shows up and ruins things, since he wants to go back to killing humans. Eventually, Anthony has to tell Charlee the truth, and overall that goes over pretty well, although Charlee trusts him even less now, thanks partially to the crap Jane told her. And Gregory should have given up on the tournament to choose who would be king of the vampires. LOL, he was pretty funny sounding in the audible version.
Hmmm, I don’t remember any sex in this story.
Part Three: MATED
OK, I love Cole right off the bat, but it could just be the voice the narrator gave him. And I did like Paul in the other book but he turned into a real a-hole in this one. Wow, I just wanted him dead. The other thing I didn’t like about this is when Cole and Jane started to make love, they’d been together for weeks and never even kissed, and as soon as they finally started kissing she put her hand between the two of them and started to stroke him. Really? How unromantic is that? Suddenly, I didn’t care if they had sex or not, I was so bummed about Jane’s actions. At this point I just wanted to story to end. I know, I’m really weird!
Anyway, Rhonda and Anthony were taken care of. Cole and Jane, Greta and Dayne, Charlee and Anthony, lived HEA and this was a good book. I’ll have to see what other books go with this one.
There was explicit sex in these stories and swearing and the F-bomb was released 43 times.
As to the narrator: Chet Williamson is new to me and overall I really liked him. The funny things in the book were even funnier the way he read them. His women’s voices weren’t very good, so he needs to practice that, as they are masculine. I did listen to him at 1.25 and that seemed to be perfect.
January 14, 2014
This book is a compilation of three PNR novellas all by Zoe Winters. The characters do intersect and there is overlap, as you expect in a PNR series. Whether you listen or read this story, you get three romances for the price of one.
Kept is the first novella. It consists of Greta who is a cat therian (another word for shifter), and Dayne, a sorcerer with a very bad reputation. Greta is sentenced to be a sacrifice. Her mother, who is refusing to save her, but helps her to escape and sends her to Dayne for help. Dayne is in a bind because he needs therian blood to go after the head of cat shifter clain, but can't get it from his normal online source. When Greta shows up to his door, Dayne agrees to protect her until the full moon. There are several hilarious moments between the two. There is also many misunderstandings between the two.
Claimed is the second novella in this book. It contains the story between Anthony, a vampire running to be king vampire for the next century, and Charlotte (Charlee) a human friend of Greta. In a drug induced blood lust, Anthony drinks from Charlee and then attempts to wipe her memories, but completely erases her entire memories of herself. Anthony is forced to care for her while trying to win the tournament, to keep it from Lucas who is evil.
Mated is the last story in this book. We meet Jane in Claimed when she is trying to stay alive in the vampire world. She has been able to see vampires for what they really are, which is part demon, since she was a child. Vampires don't like that much. They are also not able to control her mind, like they can with normal humans. Jane is given to the alpha werewolf, Cole, as payment for a debt. We learn a lot about Jane's past, which is truly horrific.
This is a great PNR series. I can't wait to read more. I would highly recommend this series to people who like PNR stories. The sex does exist in these stories, but not to the graphic detail as in many other PNR stories. I don't this this subtracts from the story in anyway.
I listened to this story after reading it. I have to say, it was done well and I enjoyed going back and revisiting the characters. I think the narration is great. He does a great job with not only the different male characters, but the female as well.
Kept is the first novella. It consists of Greta who is a cat therian (another word for shifter), and Dayne, a sorcerer with a very bad reputation. Greta is sentenced to be a sacrifice. Her mother, who is refusing to save her, but helps her to escape and sends her to Dayne for help. Dayne is in a bind because he needs therian blood to go after the head of cat shifter clain, but can't get it from his normal online source. When Greta shows up to his door, Dayne agrees to protect her until the full moon. There are several hilarious moments between the two. There is also many misunderstandings between the two.
Claimed is the second novella in this book. It contains the story between Anthony, a vampire running to be king vampire for the next century, and Charlotte (Charlee) a human friend of Greta. In a drug induced blood lust, Anthony drinks from Charlee and then attempts to wipe her memories, but completely erases her entire memories of herself. Anthony is forced to care for her while trying to win the tournament, to keep it from Lucas who is evil.
Mated is the last story in this book. We meet Jane in Claimed when she is trying to stay alive in the vampire world. She has been able to see vampires for what they really are, which is part demon, since she was a child. Vampires don't like that much. They are also not able to control her mind, like they can with normal humans. Jane is given to the alpha werewolf, Cole, as payment for a debt. We learn a lot about Jane's past, which is truly horrific.
This is a great PNR series. I can't wait to read more. I would highly recommend this series to people who like PNR stories. The sex does exist in these stories, but not to the graphic detail as in many other PNR stories. I don't this this subtracts from the story in anyway.
I listened to this story after reading it. I have to say, it was done well and I enjoyed going back and revisiting the characters. I think the narration is great. He does a great job with not only the different male characters, but the female as well.
March 16, 2011
I enjoyed this book. It gave me three good novellas in one book: Kept, Claimed, and Mated. Kept starts her series and each builds upon the other. All the characters know one another.
"Kept" introduces the world. The heroine is a cat therian named Greta. Therians are shapeshifters. The hero is a wizard named Dayne. He's gotten a bad rep, undeserved but much cultivated. Greta is wanted for her blood because she was born in animal form. Dayne is the only being powerful enough to save her. This book introduces the hero and heroine of "Claimed."
"Claimed" starts the same night that "Kept" ends. The vampire Anthony is drunk on Greta's blood--he had to drink to draw the poison from her. He visits Charlees--Greta's best friend--is overwhelmed by her scent, and attacks her. Ashamed of almost killing her, he wipes her memory. When she wakes she doesn't know her name, the name of her dog, or anything about herself. That's where the fun begins. Anthony now has to save Charlee from himself and his kind and find a way to restore her memory.
"Mated" deals with Charlee's newfound friend Jane. She has the ability to see the demon that possess the vampires. They want her dead or as their pet. Cole, the leader of the werewolf pack, takes her froma fledgling vampire to satisfy a gambling debt. Once in Cole's world she learns the truth behind her blood, the history of the vampires and werewolves, and just how important she is to Cole's world.
Also, in the Claimed we are introduced to a incubus named Cain. I can't wait to see him in other stories.
"Kept" introduces the world. The heroine is a cat therian named Greta. Therians are shapeshifters. The hero is a wizard named Dayne. He's gotten a bad rep, undeserved but much cultivated. Greta is wanted for her blood because she was born in animal form. Dayne is the only being powerful enough to save her. This book introduces the hero and heroine of "Claimed."
"Claimed" starts the same night that "Kept" ends. The vampire Anthony is drunk on Greta's blood--he had to drink to draw the poison from her. He visits Charlees--Greta's best friend--is overwhelmed by her scent, and attacks her. Ashamed of almost killing her, he wipes her memory. When she wakes she doesn't know her name, the name of her dog, or anything about herself. That's where the fun begins. Anthony now has to save Charlee from himself and his kind and find a way to restore her memory.
"Mated" deals with Charlee's newfound friend Jane. She has the ability to see the demon that possess the vampires. They want her dead or as their pet. Cole, the leader of the werewolf pack, takes her froma fledgling vampire to satisfy a gambling debt. Once in Cole's world she learns the truth behind her blood, the history of the vampires and werewolves, and just how important she is to Cole's world.
Also, in the Claimed we are introduced to a incubus named Cain. I can't wait to see him in other stories.
May 3, 2015
While the writing was passable (though the editing could use a little attention) what the author considers a satisfying romance differs significantly from mine. In fact, I'm fairly sure they're diametric opposites. As a result, I hated the female leads in each of these stories and was wholly disgusted by the situations the author placed them in to be rescued by the heroes. They're all victims who can't seem to control their own impulses. These are the sort of 'romances' I think do nothing more than support an abusive romanticisation of patriarchal norms and expectations, i.e. normalizes control and subjugation of women. Yuck. To each their own, of course, but not at all for me. I've gone ahead and written individual reviews for Kept, Claimed and Mated.
Kept 1✮
Claimed 2✮
Mated 2.5✮
1+2+2.5=5.5÷3=1.83
Kept 1✮
Claimed 2✮
Mated 2.5✮
1+2+2.5=5.5÷3=1.83
February 16, 2015
Kept, Claimed and Mated...Greta, Charlee and Jane...Ridiculous, Clueless and Pathetic could have been the titles for these tales. This trilogy made a complete mockery of being a woman in the preternatural world. The more I read the worst it was. Jane's story being the absolute worse with her being passed around from one faction to the next. The author wants us to believe any of this dribble could lead to "happily ever after" with any of the monsters in this book?! Not happening. The female leads are weak and lack interest. The male leads are poorly written and boring. Definitely not what I would recommend to those who were looking for a story with bite and a woman with a spine. On my Were Scale of Hotness, 1.5 stars.
April 8, 2015
Surprisingly good.
December 10, 2023
This book is a compilation of three PNR novellas all by Zoe Winters. The characters do intersect and there is overlap, as you expect in a PNR series. Whether you listen or read this story, you get three romances for the price of one.
Kept is the first novella. It consists of Greta who is a cat therian (another word for shifter), and Dayne, a sorcerer with a very bad reputation. Greta is sentenced to be a sacrifice. Her mother, who is refusing to save her, but helps her to escape and sends her to Dayne for help. Dayne is in a bind because he needs therian blood to go after the head of cat shifter clain, but can't get it from his normal online source. When Greta shows up to his door, Dayne agrees to protect her until the full moon. There are several hilarious moments between the two. There is also many misunderstandings between the two.
Claimed is the second novella in this book. It contains the story between Anthony, a vampire running to be king vampire for the next century, and Charlotte (Charlee) a human friend of Greta. In a drug induced blood lust, Anthony drinks from Charlee and then attempts to wipe her memories, but completely erases her entire memories of herself. Anthony is forced to care for her while trying to win the tournament, to keep it from Lucas who is evil.
Mated is the last story in this book. We meet Jane in Claimed when she is trying to stay alive in the vampire world. She has been able to see vampires for what they really are, which is part demon, since she was a child. Vampires don't like that much. They are also not able to control her mind, like they can with normal humans. Jane is given to the alpha werewolf, Cole, as payment for a debt. We learn a lot about Jane's past, which is truly horrific.
This is a great PNR series. I can't wait to read more. I would highly recommend this series to people who like PNR stories. The sex does exist in these stories, but not to the graphic detail as in many other PNR stories. I don't this this subtracts from the story in anyway.
I listened to this story after reading it. I have to say, it was done well and I enjoyed going back and revisiting the characters. I think the narration is great. He does a great job with not only the different male characters, but the female as well.
Kept is the first novella. It consists of Greta who is a cat therian (another word for shifter), and Dayne, a sorcerer with a very bad reputation. Greta is sentenced to be a sacrifice. Her mother, who is refusing to save her, but helps her to escape and sends her to Dayne for help. Dayne is in a bind because he needs therian blood to go after the head of cat shifter clain, but can't get it from his normal online source. When Greta shows up to his door, Dayne agrees to protect her until the full moon. There are several hilarious moments between the two. There is also many misunderstandings between the two.
Claimed is the second novella in this book. It contains the story between Anthony, a vampire running to be king vampire for the next century, and Charlotte (Charlee) a human friend of Greta. In a drug induced blood lust, Anthony drinks from Charlee and then attempts to wipe her memories, but completely erases her entire memories of herself. Anthony is forced to care for her while trying to win the tournament, to keep it from Lucas who is evil.
Mated is the last story in this book. We meet Jane in Claimed when she is trying to stay alive in the vampire world. She has been able to see vampires for what they really are, which is part demon, since she was a child. Vampires don't like that much. They are also not able to control her mind, like they can with normal humans. Jane is given to the alpha werewolf, Cole, as payment for a debt. We learn a lot about Jane's past, which is truly horrific.
This is a great PNR series. I can't wait to read more. I would highly recommend this series to people who like PNR stories. The sex does exist in these stories, but not to the graphic detail as in many other PNR stories. I don't this this subtracts from the story in anyway.
I listened to this story after reading it. I have to say, it was done well and I enjoyed going back and revisiting the characters. I think the narration is great. He does a great job with not only the different male characters, but the female as well.
December 16, 2019
Gretta is a Therian, or Werecat, and her pack leader wants to sacrifice her at the full moon of her 28th birthday just to seek revenge on some warlock who went on a killing spree of her kind years before she was born. Now the same warlock is her only hope of safety...and possible more?
When Gretta is poisioned by her pack master for the sacrifice Dwayne, the warlock, calls upon Anthony the vampire to draw the poision from her body. The poision has an adverse reaction with him though making him seemingly drunk and he stumbles off to find Charlee, Gretta's best friend and the object of Anthony's lust. When he takes too much he wipes her memory, but can he give it all back to her with everything he has done wrong?
When Charlee is forced to accept her current life of living with a vampire while trying to get her memory back she meets Jane who can see vampires, a dangerous trait to have, and they become great friends. But when Paul, Anthony's minion gives Jane away to a werewolf everything is far from okay. Can she really give up all of the survival instincts she has had to hone over the years and just let herself feel something for the mysterious Cole?
This is one of those rare three part presents where it is three complete stories wrapped up under one title just waiting to be unwrapped and enjoyed. Amazingly the story flows together, one picking up just as the other left off leaving you no room to wonder where the transitioning came from. All around a great read.
When Gretta is poisioned by her pack master for the sacrifice Dwayne, the warlock, calls upon Anthony the vampire to draw the poision from her body. The poision has an adverse reaction with him though making him seemingly drunk and he stumbles off to find Charlee, Gretta's best friend and the object of Anthony's lust. When he takes too much he wipes her memory, but can he give it all back to her with everything he has done wrong?
When Charlee is forced to accept her current life of living with a vampire while trying to get her memory back she meets Jane who can see vampires, a dangerous trait to have, and they become great friends. But when Paul, Anthony's minion gives Jane away to a werewolf everything is far from okay. Can she really give up all of the survival instincts she has had to hone over the years and just let herself feel something for the mysterious Cole?
This is one of those rare three part presents where it is three complete stories wrapped up under one title just waiting to be unwrapped and enjoyed. Amazingly the story flows together, one picking up just as the other left off leaving you no room to wonder where the transitioning came from. All around a great read.
February 26, 2018
I was going to review each novella individually but I lost some memos after a factory reset so it'll just be general impressions. This author has a writing style that I greatly enjoy which makes the fact that 2/3 of the heroes were creepy, controlling if not full on abusive, and rapey all the more disappointing. The first two were so unenjoyable that I'm frankly amazed I made it to the last. above and beyond the gross heroes there were other issues. I find the idea of a were cat (yes a domestic cat) interesting. If there are weres that are wild animals why not domestic types? Were dogs, cats, and goats oh my! I think they might be better suited for a lighter comedy type read than a dramatic romance. Also the whole her being in heat thing was creepy because I kept picturing what my cat did before I got her fixed and it made the resulting sex scenes very uncomfortable. In the second story the relationship nevermade sense it seemed more like Stockholm syndrome than love.
The last story though....If they had all been that sweet and non creepy I would actually read others by this author. But this book showed me that she knows how to write an actual romantic hero but chose to write gross rapey one's for the others.
tldr: though I like the author's writing style and loved the last story the heroes of the first two are skeezy enough that I won't read this author again
The last story though....If they had all been that sweet and non creepy I would actually read others by this author. But this book showed me that she knows how to write an actual romantic hero but chose to write gross rapey one's for the others.
tldr: though I like the author's writing style and loved the last story the heroes of the first two are skeezy enough that I won't read this author again
September 16, 2010
Blood Lust is the first book in the Preternaturals series by Zoe Winters. This book actually consists of 3 paranormal romance novellas that are also available as ebooks. Zoe sent me all 3 novella ebooks for review (& I also now own the paperback) and I love the world that she has created - it is packed full of paranormal species but everything fits together really well and you can see how much thought has gone into it. Just check out the website that she created for a store featured in the series & you'll see what I mean!
Considering the books are novellas Zoe has done a fantastic job of creating characters you can care about and I can't wait to see what she will do with a full length novel! Please see below for my reviews of each novella.
Kept:
I really liked Greta, she is a cat shifter who is on the run after she finds out that her tribe is planning on sacrificing her. The only person who is strong enough to protect her is Dayne but she is wary of him as he is a dangerous sorcerer who previously killed members of her tribe. I'm not usually a big fan of sorcerers but Dayne was a great character - he isn't a typical "good guy" but the more you get to know him the easier it is to understand why he acts the way he does. By the end of the story I really wanted him & Greta to have their happy ending.
This is the first glimpse at the world Zoe Winters has created and I read the whole novella in one sitting. Although the main characters are a werecat and a sorcerer we are given hints at a wide range of characters and species that left me keen to continue reading the series. I was impressed at the amount of detail Zoe managed to pack into just 86 pages, I would have loved to read a longer story but for a free introduction to an author this was a great quick read. Although I love books where the sex scenes are more fleshed out I still felt the passion between Greta & Dayne but also connected to them on a more emotional level. A great start to the series & I'd recommend this to any paranormal fan.
Claimed:
I loved both Anthony & Charlee when they were introduced in Kept so I was really pleased to see that they got their own story which continues the events right after the ending of Kept. When Anthony is drunk on magical blood he almost drains Charlee when he feeds from her - not wanting her to remember and be afraid of him he wipes her memory of the event. However, it soon becomes clear that he didn't just remove her memory of that night, she remembers absolutely nothing - not even who she is. When he is trying to help restore her memory he unwittingly draws human Charlee into the vampire world and ends up having to protect her from other vampires who want claim her as their pet.
After enjoying Kept I was looking forward to Claimed and thoroughly enjoyed it. I continue to be amazed at how much Zoe Winters can pack into a novella. Claimed is full of action and I loved watching the relationship between Anthony and Charlee develop. Charlee is a feisty character full of quick come backs that will have you laughing out loud. She has every reason not to trust Anthony after what happened the night he nearly killed her and several things happen that cause her to trust him even less but everything he does after the first night happens when he is trying to protect her. Being a vampire fan I couldn't help but love Anthony - he really is great hero material & I loved how everything was resolved at the end of the story. I'd definitely recommend giving this series a try but I would recommend reading them in order. If you're a fan of the paranormal I'm sure you'll enjoy this - Zoe has a great writing style that is full of humor, action and romance.
Mated:
Jane has been able to sense vampires since she was a child and this has meant she has lived her life in danger from the vampires who don't like the fact that she can see them. She has been forced to become a vampire groupie in the hope that one of them will turn her so her life will no longer be at risk. Abused and beaten by the vampire she had hoped would protect her it only gets worse when he gives her to the werewolf alpha Cole as payment for his gambling debt. She knows the rules of the vampire world and knows how to survive but finding herself at the mercy of a werewolf she has no idea what will happen to her. She has always believed that the werewolves are even worse than the vampires but can Cole prove she was wrong? And what will happen if the pack member who wants Jane dead manages to get hold of her?
Although I loved the first 2 novellas in this series I have to say that Mated was my absolute favorite. We were introduced to vampire groupie Jane in Claimed when she became friends with Charlee. I didn't think she was a particularly interesting character but as soon as I got to know her better in Mated she quickly became my favorite heroine in the series. She has been to hell and back but is a survivor and desperately wants to find somewhere she is safe and accepted. I absolutely adored Cole! He is a strong alpha who quickly recognises that Jane is his mate and wants to protect her. Understanding what she has been through he doesn't want to rush her or force her into anything so goes against all of his instincts by not immediately marking her as his mate. He is so sweet as he tries to gain Jane's trust & I dare you not to fall for him yourself.
Overall I would definitely rate this as a must read trilogy for fans of paranormal romance. Even if you're new to this genre I'd recommend giving it a try. I love Zoe's writing style and having seen what she can accomplish with these novellas I can't wait to get my hands on the full length novel that is due out this winter. I love the world she has created and am looking forward to immersing myself in it again in the future. My only warning would be not to start reading unless you have time to finish the whole story - I've read each of these novellas in just 1 sitting and devoured all 3 in less than 24 hours!
Considering the books are novellas Zoe has done a fantastic job of creating characters you can care about and I can't wait to see what she will do with a full length novel! Please see below for my reviews of each novella.
Kept:
I really liked Greta, she is a cat shifter who is on the run after she finds out that her tribe is planning on sacrificing her. The only person who is strong enough to protect her is Dayne but she is wary of him as he is a dangerous sorcerer who previously killed members of her tribe. I'm not usually a big fan of sorcerers but Dayne was a great character - he isn't a typical "good guy" but the more you get to know him the easier it is to understand why he acts the way he does. By the end of the story I really wanted him & Greta to have their happy ending.
This is the first glimpse at the world Zoe Winters has created and I read the whole novella in one sitting. Although the main characters are a werecat and a sorcerer we are given hints at a wide range of characters and species that left me keen to continue reading the series. I was impressed at the amount of detail Zoe managed to pack into just 86 pages, I would have loved to read a longer story but for a free introduction to an author this was a great quick read. Although I love books where the sex scenes are more fleshed out I still felt the passion between Greta & Dayne but also connected to them on a more emotional level. A great start to the series & I'd recommend this to any paranormal fan.
Claimed:
I loved both Anthony & Charlee when they were introduced in Kept so I was really pleased to see that they got their own story which continues the events right after the ending of Kept. When Anthony is drunk on magical blood he almost drains Charlee when he feeds from her - not wanting her to remember and be afraid of him he wipes her memory of the event. However, it soon becomes clear that he didn't just remove her memory of that night, she remembers absolutely nothing - not even who she is. When he is trying to help restore her memory he unwittingly draws human Charlee into the vampire world and ends up having to protect her from other vampires who want claim her as their pet.
After enjoying Kept I was looking forward to Claimed and thoroughly enjoyed it. I continue to be amazed at how much Zoe Winters can pack into a novella. Claimed is full of action and I loved watching the relationship between Anthony and Charlee develop. Charlee is a feisty character full of quick come backs that will have you laughing out loud. She has every reason not to trust Anthony after what happened the night he nearly killed her and several things happen that cause her to trust him even less but everything he does after the first night happens when he is trying to protect her. Being a vampire fan I couldn't help but love Anthony - he really is great hero material & I loved how everything was resolved at the end of the story. I'd definitely recommend giving this series a try but I would recommend reading them in order. If you're a fan of the paranormal I'm sure you'll enjoy this - Zoe has a great writing style that is full of humor, action and romance.
Mated:
Jane has been able to sense vampires since she was a child and this has meant she has lived her life in danger from the vampires who don't like the fact that she can see them. She has been forced to become a vampire groupie in the hope that one of them will turn her so her life will no longer be at risk. Abused and beaten by the vampire she had hoped would protect her it only gets worse when he gives her to the werewolf alpha Cole as payment for his gambling debt. She knows the rules of the vampire world and knows how to survive but finding herself at the mercy of a werewolf she has no idea what will happen to her. She has always believed that the werewolves are even worse than the vampires but can Cole prove she was wrong? And what will happen if the pack member who wants Jane dead manages to get hold of her?
Although I loved the first 2 novellas in this series I have to say that Mated was my absolute favorite. We were introduced to vampire groupie Jane in Claimed when she became friends with Charlee. I didn't think she was a particularly interesting character but as soon as I got to know her better in Mated she quickly became my favorite heroine in the series. She has been to hell and back but is a survivor and desperately wants to find somewhere she is safe and accepted. I absolutely adored Cole! He is a strong alpha who quickly recognises that Jane is his mate and wants to protect her. Understanding what she has been through he doesn't want to rush her or force her into anything so goes against all of his instincts by not immediately marking her as his mate. He is so sweet as he tries to gain Jane's trust & I dare you not to fall for him yourself.
Overall I would definitely rate this as a must read trilogy for fans of paranormal romance. Even if you're new to this genre I'd recommend giving it a try. I love Zoe's writing style and having seen what she can accomplish with these novellas I can't wait to get my hands on the full length novel that is due out this winter. I love the world she has created and am looking forward to immersing myself in it again in the future. My only warning would be not to start reading unless you have time to finish the whole story - I've read each of these novellas in just 1 sitting and devoured all 3 in less than 24 hours!
July 16, 2021
This is a collection of 3 intertwining novellas that start a series and Kitty just never disappoints. They are packed with magical beings such as werecats, vampires, sorcerers, witches, werewolves, and the troubles they run into along the way. Love the world building and information about the Preternatural societies, especially the Therians, had never heard of werecats being called that before. Besides world building and background information there was quite a bit of humor that I thoroughly enjoyed. Especially Greta and Dayne's banter, of course Charlee lets loose on Anthony quite a bit as well. Love Jane and her story about why she had to stay with vampires, couldn't believe how Paul turned out. Her werewolf savior was a hot surprise though. This is a more light read compared to some others I have read, while there are definitely conflicts, it's not suffocating and nerve wrecking like some of the darker books. I thought this was a great happy medium book that was highly enjoyable and a nice palette cleanser after just finishing a dark series.
June 30, 2021
This is my first experience with Kitty Thomas’ work under her pen name and I’m glad I have it a try! I normally love her darker work so I wasn’t sure how much I would enjoy “lighter”. But I’m happy to say that I loved it! The world as well as the characters are very intriguing. I wish they were full length novels! Each book is better than the last. My favorite couple is Jane and Cole but Greta and Dayne, Charlee and Anthony were also great. I guess I have a soft spot for wolf shifters.
While each story can be read by themselves, I suggest reading them in order so you get the full background. I also loved the preview of the next book, Incubus Awakened. You find more about that in the last book. I can’t wait to read it!
If you’re on the fence about reading something “lighter” from Kitty Thomas, I say go for it! There’s sorcerers, therians (don’t call them weres), vampires, and demons. Lots of preternaturals to keep you company!
While each story can be read by themselves, I suggest reading them in order so you get the full background. I also loved the preview of the next book, Incubus Awakened. You find more about that in the last book. I can’t wait to read it!
If you’re on the fence about reading something “lighter” from Kitty Thomas, I say go for it! There’s sorcerers, therians (don’t call them weres), vampires, and demons. Lots of preternaturals to keep you company!
July 7, 2018
Blood lust is made up of three basically unrelated short stories. They're cute and light. The first book is by far the steamiest and my favourite of the three, and I'd probably give it a 4/5. The second two stories are okay, but there's not as much tension between the characters as I like, and the pacing drags a bit. Anyway - decent summer romance read.
July 17, 2020
Greta, a werecat, falls for Dayne who might be able to protect her. Charlee has had her mind wiped by vampire Anthony, will she ever get her memories back? Jane has always been able to see vampires and other magic users. Will being a former forced vampire groupie hinder her from a relationship with Cole, the Wolf pack's Alpha?
May 26, 2017
I couldn't even finish - bad storyline
February 1, 2020
Three pretty good stories in one book. Loved that they were a little different to the norm.
February 22, 2020
Cute, sexy, a little cliche at times but still enjoyable
I liked the three short stories, they flowed well as one. U was a very enjoyable read with likable characters
I liked the three short stories, they flowed well as one. U was a very enjoyable read with likable characters
July 28, 2020
The different communities
Enjoy this genre and thought this had a great plot that all came together at the end of this collection.
Enjoy this genre and thought this had a great plot that all came together at the end of this collection.
February 22, 2023
Tired of Werewolves and Vampires being put forth as romantic creatures. They are by legend scary, and hunt men and women for food.
July 22, 2022
I'm kind of at a loss to figure out what to write. I first read this back in 2013 and it really impressed me. I found it highly original and a very creative take on the paranormal species that usually populate the genre. I hadn't really read anything like it before and I enjoyed it. And rereading it, I still think it's a unique twist on the genre - the problem is I'm not sure what else it was I liked about this book.
None of the characters really interacted or got to know each other. I think the passage of time was more than what it seemed, but it felt fast. Too fast. Which is something you kind of have to overlook with most novels these days, so fair enough.
Greta and Dayne are the first couple that are introduced. I didn't mind either character. But I also didn't really love them. The romance between them was beset by her heat cycles and his wavering over whether or not he was bad. Dayne mainly thought about sex and wanting her and Greta wavered between wanting him and thinking he would kill her. My biggest issue with Greta was how all over the place she was. She was a bit whiny and she couldn't seem to make up her mind - but she was in heat I guess. So the plot is pretty much they jump into bed with each other. There's a tiny bit of action at the end and a lot of dancing around each other but nothing much really happens. There are hints at love and permanency but it's not explicitly stated. Which makes the novel better for it. Love declarations often sound ridiculous when the characters have just met.
The second couple are Anthony and Charlee. I enjoyed Charlee's humour and personality in the first novella. In the second, I just felt sorry for her. Leading on from Kept, Anthony was high and accidentally wiped her memories of well everything. Anthony feels guilty but he's definitely more of a realistic vampire than human friendly. I did like that Charlee's default personality was rational and willing to question, I just hated pretty much everything else. It was all over the place. Charlee was all over the place. She was attracted to him. She liked him. She's terrified of him. She hates him. It was a rollercoaster. What's worse, she had no idea what she was thinking. Every time she did get herself sorted, he kept influencing her emotions. I'm seven years older than I was when I first read this and although I don't think I've ever supported abusive relationships, this felt a lot more horrifying. Maybe because I've seen how often it happens. Before they were just words on a page.
The last couple are Jane and Cole. I think I may have liked this one least. Cole is okay, sort of a nothing character. Jane was a tough cookie. She's survived a lot but frankly I didn't like her. She just rubbed me the wrong way and it really annoyed me when
The sex is all pretty tame, a lot of it is kept "off page". The first novella had the least amount of action but the other two had more. I rated five stars back in 2013. Today I feel it's more a 3 star read. Maybe 2.5. I didn't hate it but I struggled to read it through and the romance isn't as all consuming as I remember it. That said, it is a creative twist on the paranormal genre and does stand out from the pack with the world building. Best to just read and make up your own mind.
None of the characters really interacted or got to know each other. I think the passage of time was more than what it seemed, but it felt fast. Too fast. Which is something you kind of have to overlook with most novels these days, so fair enough.
Greta and Dayne are the first couple that are introduced. I didn't mind either character. But I also didn't really love them. The romance between them was beset by her heat cycles and his wavering over whether or not he was bad. Dayne mainly thought about sex and wanting her and Greta wavered between wanting him and thinking he would kill her. My biggest issue with Greta was how all over the place she was. She was a bit whiny and she couldn't seem to make up her mind - but she was in heat I guess. So the plot is pretty much they jump into bed with each other. There's a tiny bit of action at the end and a lot of dancing around each other but nothing much really happens. There are hints at love and permanency but it's not explicitly stated. Which makes the novel better for it. Love declarations often sound ridiculous when the characters have just met.
The second couple are Anthony and Charlee. I enjoyed Charlee's humour and personality in the first novella. In the second, I just felt sorry for her. Leading on from Kept, Anthony was high and accidentally wiped her memories of well everything. Anthony feels guilty but he's definitely more of a realistic vampire than human friendly. I did like that Charlee's default personality was rational and willing to question, I just hated pretty much everything else. It was all over the place. Charlee was all over the place. She was attracted to him. She liked him. She's terrified of him. She hates him. It was a rollercoaster. What's worse, she had no idea what she was thinking. Every time she did get herself sorted, he kept influencing her emotions. I'm seven years older than I was when I first read this and although I don't think I've ever supported abusive relationships, this felt a lot more horrifying. Maybe because I've seen how often it happens. Before they were just words on a page.
The last couple are Jane and Cole. I think I may have liked this one least. Cole is okay, sort of a nothing character. Jane was a tough cookie. She's survived a lot but frankly I didn't like her. She just rubbed me the wrong way and it really annoyed me when
The sex is all pretty tame, a lot of it is kept "off page". The first novella had the least amount of action but the other two had more. I rated five stars back in 2013. Today I feel it's more a 3 star read. Maybe 2.5. I didn't hate it but I struggled to read it through and the romance isn't as all consuming as I remember it. That said, it is a creative twist on the paranormal genre and does stand out from the pack with the world building. Best to just read and make up your own mind.
September 21, 2010
I won a copy of Blood Lust via Cynthia Eden’s blog. All I saw was something about shifters and I was sold! I didn’t realize at first that the three novellas were linked; I was anticipating three, non-connected stories. Wrong! The three lead into each other, starting with Greta’s tale.
Kept was interesting in the manner of the shifters, therians, that populate the world. I was imagining something big, bad and bad ass. Greta was not that. And I totally dig having my expectations put on their head and spun around. I think the one thing that hung me up on this was Greta’s easy acceptance of the big bad news she gets. Maybe it’s just me, but I would have tried to ferret out answers, so I was a bit disappointed. That said, the interaction between Greta and Dayne was believable – and you want them to work. You also want to bash their skulls into a wall until they’ll just talk to each other!
Claimed was the one I was cringing about reading. Anything vampy makes me skittish about reading it; there are only so many ways you can romanticize a vamp before it’s just not interesting any more. I liked that the vampires weren’t romanticized; yes, Anthony has some very redeeming qualities, but he is what he is. The situation that gets Charlee and Anthony thrown together actually kicks off in Kept, and creates a huge mess. I liked the mess. I liked Charlee’s spunk. I liked Anthony being thrown off kilter and still having to juggle a large amount of stuff going on. I think I would have liked to see more of the romance play out on the page; you see a lot of the struggle between them over the mess that happens, but not a lot of the two coming to the conclusion of romance. The end and epilogue made me cheer though. Claimed totally won me over, even with the vampies.
Mated was undeniably my favorite. I think I have it big for redemption type stories. Jane plays a role in Charlee’s vamp education and fills a much needed role at the end of the book, but is mostly left to her own devices – which considering what she is, that’s bad. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I don’t like reading things that feature abusive situations in them, but I’m such a sucker for stories that show the girl getting back up on her feet and grabbing hold of her life. Okay, so Jane is sort of tossed into a situation where she’s left with few choices, but Cole will win your heart over. Heck, I might have fallen in love with Cole just reading about him.
The world of the Preternaturals is layer on layer of races and things just outside of the normal human’s perception. It’s full of politics, old grudges, and complexity I really didn’t expect in three novellas. I found myself reading each of these novellas and wishing there was more. I wanted to know more about Greta’s situation, what happened to her mother, why did she get help to escape? I wanted to see more of the romance and drama with both Carlee and Jane. But ya know what? Sometimes it’s more fun to not be told what happens and just fill in the blanks for yourself. Kept and Claimed both have some really great wit that I loved – if you can give me a good romance and a laugh you’re on my faves – and then you’re turned around and given a beautiful story that’s about overcoming the past and seizing the future. Blood Lust wasn’t anything I was way more than I expected it to be.
Kept was interesting in the manner of the shifters, therians, that populate the world. I was imagining something big, bad and bad ass. Greta was not that. And I totally dig having my expectations put on their head and spun around. I think the one thing that hung me up on this was Greta’s easy acceptance of the big bad news she gets. Maybe it’s just me, but I would have tried to ferret out answers, so I was a bit disappointed. That said, the interaction between Greta and Dayne was believable – and you want them to work. You also want to bash their skulls into a wall until they’ll just talk to each other!
Claimed was the one I was cringing about reading. Anything vampy makes me skittish about reading it; there are only so many ways you can romanticize a vamp before it’s just not interesting any more. I liked that the vampires weren’t romanticized; yes, Anthony has some very redeeming qualities, but he is what he is. The situation that gets Charlee and Anthony thrown together actually kicks off in Kept, and creates a huge mess. I liked the mess. I liked Charlee’s spunk. I liked Anthony being thrown off kilter and still having to juggle a large amount of stuff going on. I think I would have liked to see more of the romance play out on the page; you see a lot of the struggle between them over the mess that happens, but not a lot of the two coming to the conclusion of romance. The end and epilogue made me cheer though. Claimed totally won me over, even with the vampies.
Mated was undeniably my favorite. I think I have it big for redemption type stories. Jane plays a role in Charlee’s vamp education and fills a much needed role at the end of the book, but is mostly left to her own devices – which considering what she is, that’s bad. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I don’t like reading things that feature abusive situations in them, but I’m such a sucker for stories that show the girl getting back up on her feet and grabbing hold of her life. Okay, so Jane is sort of tossed into a situation where she’s left with few choices, but Cole will win your heart over. Heck, I might have fallen in love with Cole just reading about him.
The world of the Preternaturals is layer on layer of races and things just outside of the normal human’s perception. It’s full of politics, old grudges, and complexity I really didn’t expect in three novellas. I found myself reading each of these novellas and wishing there was more. I wanted to know more about Greta’s situation, what happened to her mother, why did she get help to escape? I wanted to see more of the romance and drama with both Carlee and Jane. But ya know what? Sometimes it’s more fun to not be told what happens and just fill in the blanks for yourself. Kept and Claimed both have some really great wit that I loved – if you can give me a good romance and a laugh you’re on my faves – and then you’re turned around and given a beautiful story that’s about overcoming the past and seizing the future. Blood Lust wasn’t anything I was way more than I expected it to be.
November 15, 2010
Previously Published on my blog: Welcome to Larissa's Bookish Life
Blood Lust is a compilation of three Paranormal novellas, all part of Zoe Winters’ The Preternaturals Series. Each one tells the story of a couple and their journey into their Happily Ever After. All the stories are set in the same world and some characters cross over between them at times.
I have to say that I was very pleasantly surprised by this book. I tend to enjoy a shorter story now and then but I do prefer full length novels. I feel it is hard to make a HEA work in less than that.
However, I feel that Zoe has done an amazing job in introducing us to these characters, this world and telling their stories. I loved the mix of supernatural races that Zoe has written. We have Vampires, Cat Shifters, Werewolves, Witches, Warlocks, Demons and so much more.
Kept is the story of Greta, a cat therian (shifter), and Dayne, a very dangerous sorcerer. Greta’s life is in danger when she finds out that her tribe plans to sacrifice her because of something she has no control over, Dayne is the only one who can keep her safe. Dayne is HOT and his bad boy reputation gives him the privacy he needs, that is until Greta comes into his life and steals his heart.
Claimed is all about Anthony and Charlee. Charlee is Greta’s best friend and co-worker and for a while she has been flirting almost daily with this very hot man that keeps showing up at the store where she works. Anthony can’t seem to resist stopping by and flirting with Charlee, specially since her blood seema to draw him more than any other person’s blood has. But one night, Anthony loses control and does the imaginable, he drinks from Charlee. Ashamed of what he has done, Anthony erases her memory of the night, but something goes wrong and she wakes up the next day not remembering anything at all. Now, the only one who can help her claim her life back is the Vampire who took it all away in the first place.
We meet Jane in Claimed, when Greta meets her as one of Anthony’s adversaries’ girl. In Mated, Jane is now the being mistreated by another vampire and Cole, the local Werewolf Alpha, saves her by taking her as payment for gambling debts. Jane has been in Vampire’s radars for as long as she can remember, something about her just attracts them, but now she has the chance to leave that all behind. However, she is not sure how safe she is, hiding away in a Werewolf den, where one of them seems to be enjoying human meat.
I really enjoyed all these stories, but my favorite was Mated! I love a shifter and Cole is just a great specimen of the race LOL.
All in all, Blood Lust is a full plate for any Paranormal Romance lover out there! The romance is great, but it never overshadows the story, I think Zoe did a great job in balancing that out and I can’t wait for more books from her!
Blood Lust is a compilation of three Paranormal novellas, all part of Zoe Winters’ The Preternaturals Series. Each one tells the story of a couple and their journey into their Happily Ever After. All the stories are set in the same world and some characters cross over between them at times.
I have to say that I was very pleasantly surprised by this book. I tend to enjoy a shorter story now and then but I do prefer full length novels. I feel it is hard to make a HEA work in less than that.
However, I feel that Zoe has done an amazing job in introducing us to these characters, this world and telling their stories. I loved the mix of supernatural races that Zoe has written. We have Vampires, Cat Shifters, Werewolves, Witches, Warlocks, Demons and so much more.
Kept is the story of Greta, a cat therian (shifter), and Dayne, a very dangerous sorcerer. Greta’s life is in danger when she finds out that her tribe plans to sacrifice her because of something she has no control over, Dayne is the only one who can keep her safe. Dayne is HOT and his bad boy reputation gives him the privacy he needs, that is until Greta comes into his life and steals his heart.
Claimed is all about Anthony and Charlee. Charlee is Greta’s best friend and co-worker and for a while she has been flirting almost daily with this very hot man that keeps showing up at the store where she works. Anthony can’t seem to resist stopping by and flirting with Charlee, specially since her blood seema to draw him more than any other person’s blood has. But one night, Anthony loses control and does the imaginable, he drinks from Charlee. Ashamed of what he has done, Anthony erases her memory of the night, but something goes wrong and she wakes up the next day not remembering anything at all. Now, the only one who can help her claim her life back is the Vampire who took it all away in the first place.
We meet Jane in Claimed, when Greta meets her as one of Anthony’s adversaries’ girl. In Mated, Jane is now the being mistreated by another vampire and Cole, the local Werewolf Alpha, saves her by taking her as payment for gambling debts. Jane has been in Vampire’s radars for as long as she can remember, something about her just attracts them, but now she has the chance to leave that all behind. However, she is not sure how safe she is, hiding away in a Werewolf den, where one of them seems to be enjoying human meat.
I really enjoyed all these stories, but my favorite was Mated! I love a shifter and Cole is just a great specimen of the race LOL.
All in all, Blood Lust is a full plate for any Paranormal Romance lover out there! The romance is great, but it never overshadows the story, I think Zoe did a great job in balancing that out and I can’t wait for more books from her!
August 1, 2019
Actual rating is 3.5 out of 5 stars.
I’ll freely admit that I love me some supernatural stories. I like other genres, but the supernatural has and will always hold a special place with me. I stumbled across the Preternaturals series a few years ago and then didn’t read it right away.
Blood Lust was interesting right off the bat because it’s really 3 novellas showing very different perspectives of the same overall world. It’s actually in a straight timeline of events too, which was intriguing (a lot of things I’ve read lately jump around). So I’ve decided to separate my review by each novella, since you can buy them separately or as a whole (the whole is called Blood Lust).
Kept – 3.5 out of 5: I enjoyed Kept, but it left me with expectations for more. Dayne and Greta have great chemistry and there’s plenty of action (ha, that works both ways), but it still felt like something was missing. I think the condensed time period had a lot to do with that. It was too close to insta-love for me to really fall in love with the story. I did think it was very interesting that the shapeshifters do keep animal qualities (like going through a heat cycle). I’ve never read a supernatural book that pulled in elements like that.
Claimed – 2 out of 5: I didn’t really care for Claimed. It’s hard to truly enjoy a story when you really don’t like one of the main characters. That’s actually being nice. I didn’t like Anthony, at all. I think this particular perception of a vampire is more realistic than Twilight, but I still didn’t like him. Charlee was less than thrilling. She felt like a weak character at best. They did have chemistry because Zoe Winters can write chemistry like there’s no tomorrow, but I just wasn’t impressed with their story.
Mated – 4.5 out of 5: Holy crap, Mated was definitely my favorite. Cole and Jane were amazing! We meet Jane in Claimed, but I didn’t really have feelings about her character one way or the other. She seemed tougher than Charlee, but that wasn’t exactly difficult. Jane and Cole had electric chemistry, but they also had such sweet moments together that I rooted for them right from the beginning. Their story felt the most complete for me. They had the chemistry and the believable love story, but there was also action to get your heart pumping.
Overall, I really enjoyed reading Blood Lust. It was a very solid start to the series. I’ll be honest with you guys, I’ve already read books 2-4, so be on the look out for those reviews soonish. I know I have the warning at the top, but there is a lot of sex in this series so if that’s not your thing, you’ve been warned. If you’re looking for an adult supernatural romance, I would recommend you take a chance on Blood Lust.
For more reviews, check out Reviews In A Pinch today!
I’ll freely admit that I love me some supernatural stories. I like other genres, but the supernatural has and will always hold a special place with me. I stumbled across the Preternaturals series a few years ago and then didn’t read it right away.
Blood Lust was interesting right off the bat because it’s really 3 novellas showing very different perspectives of the same overall world. It’s actually in a straight timeline of events too, which was intriguing (a lot of things I’ve read lately jump around). So I’ve decided to separate my review by each novella, since you can buy them separately or as a whole (the whole is called Blood Lust).
Kept – 3.5 out of 5: I enjoyed Kept, but it left me with expectations for more. Dayne and Greta have great chemistry and there’s plenty of action (ha, that works both ways), but it still felt like something was missing. I think the condensed time period had a lot to do with that. It was too close to insta-love for me to really fall in love with the story. I did think it was very interesting that the shapeshifters do keep animal qualities (like going through a heat cycle). I’ve never read a supernatural book that pulled in elements like that.
Claimed – 2 out of 5: I didn’t really care for Claimed. It’s hard to truly enjoy a story when you really don’t like one of the main characters. That’s actually being nice. I didn’t like Anthony, at all. I think this particular perception of a vampire is more realistic than Twilight, but I still didn’t like him. Charlee was less than thrilling. She felt like a weak character at best. They did have chemistry because Zoe Winters can write chemistry like there’s no tomorrow, but I just wasn’t impressed with their story.
Mated – 4.5 out of 5: Holy crap, Mated was definitely my favorite. Cole and Jane were amazing! We meet Jane in Claimed, but I didn’t really have feelings about her character one way or the other. She seemed tougher than Charlee, but that wasn’t exactly difficult. Jane and Cole had electric chemistry, but they also had such sweet moments together that I rooted for them right from the beginning. Their story felt the most complete for me. They had the chemistry and the believable love story, but there was also action to get your heart pumping.
Overall, I really enjoyed reading Blood Lust. It was a very solid start to the series. I’ll be honest with you guys, I’ve already read books 2-4, so be on the look out for those reviews soonish. I know I have the warning at the top, but there is a lot of sex in this series so if that’s not your thing, you’ve been warned. If you’re looking for an adult supernatural romance, I would recommend you take a chance on Blood Lust.
For more reviews, check out Reviews In A Pinch today!
July 16, 2016
I picked this book up for free via a daily deal through Book Bub, with my interest skewed towards reading it in order to pick up writing techniques and narrative structure ideas.
This book is made up of three short stories, however unlike one of the books I read recently where the characters were linked together only by the paranormal organization they worked for, in Blood Lust, the characters overlap because they all live in the same community. The first story introduces readers to a werecat and a sorcerer, the second a vampire and a human, and the third a werewolf and a "kindred" vampire (a human with some vampire blood). I thought the overlap of characters from one story to the next worked very well and heightened my enjoyment of each story.
Winters provided more physical description of each character, whereas I believe the trend is to provide less so the readers can fill in more of the gaps with their own preferences. Her technique reminded me of Sherilyn Kenyon's style of writing and I did not feel my enjoyment and engagement with the characters and the story were stifled. Instead, Winters omitted a lot of extraneous details - the community, supporting character descriptions for example - so she could focus on telling a good story that focused on the two main characters and perhaps a small number of additional characters. In fact, Anthony and Charlee were support characters in the first story and became the central characters while the main characters, Greta and Dayne, from the first story became supporting characters in the second and third story. I thought it was an excellent structure for building depth in the stories by "re-using" prior characters that readers have already come to know.
I thought the variety of paranormal characters worked well. Winters did not just focus on vampires, but shapeshifter, sorcerers, demons, and kindred people, so if vampires were not necessarily the readers' interest, the short was not a lengthly reading commitment and could elect to skim through or skip the story altogether.
The romantic interludes were brief - you are not going to get constant love scenes. Usually, there was main scene that sealed the deal for the characters. Winters stoked the spark and described the passion well.
Winters did a rather clever bit with Anthony's character. As a vampire, there were not mirrors in his penthouse, however when he is honest with Charlee, he allows her to see him in a mirror. His true self was quite different from the facade and it worked as a prop to shed light on another facet of character. Of course, all of the characters had some flaw which made them "human" even if they were not.
Winters pulls everything together nicely, so I would definitely read more from this series (Blood Lust is book one of a six book series I believe).
This book is made up of three short stories, however unlike one of the books I read recently where the characters were linked together only by the paranormal organization they worked for, in Blood Lust, the characters overlap because they all live in the same community. The first story introduces readers to a werecat and a sorcerer, the second a vampire and a human, and the third a werewolf and a "kindred" vampire (a human with some vampire blood). I thought the overlap of characters from one story to the next worked very well and heightened my enjoyment of each story.
Winters provided more physical description of each character, whereas I believe the trend is to provide less so the readers can fill in more of the gaps with their own preferences. Her technique reminded me of Sherilyn Kenyon's style of writing and I did not feel my enjoyment and engagement with the characters and the story were stifled. Instead, Winters omitted a lot of extraneous details - the community, supporting character descriptions for example - so she could focus on telling a good story that focused on the two main characters and perhaps a small number of additional characters. In fact, Anthony and Charlee were support characters in the first story and became the central characters while the main characters, Greta and Dayne, from the first story became supporting characters in the second and third story. I thought it was an excellent structure for building depth in the stories by "re-using" prior characters that readers have already come to know.
I thought the variety of paranormal characters worked well. Winters did not just focus on vampires, but shapeshifter, sorcerers, demons, and kindred people, so if vampires were not necessarily the readers' interest, the short was not a lengthly reading commitment and could elect to skim through or skip the story altogether.
The romantic interludes were brief - you are not going to get constant love scenes. Usually, there was main scene that sealed the deal for the characters. Winters stoked the spark and described the passion well.
Winters did a rather clever bit with Anthony's character. As a vampire, there were not mirrors in his penthouse, however when he is honest with Charlee, he allows her to see him in a mirror. His true self was quite different from the facade and it worked as a prop to shed light on another facet of character. Of course, all of the characters had some flaw which made them "human" even if they were not.
Winters pulls everything together nicely, so I would definitely read more from this series (Blood Lust is book one of a six book series I believe).
August 15, 2016
This introduction into the preternatural world of Cary Town is an anthology of three novellas.
KEPT tells the story of Greta and Dayne. She is werecat and he is an evil sorcerer. He is also her only hope of hiding from her own people who are planning to sacrifice her. She is not welcome In his house after her mother nearly got him killed years ago. This trap Jayden lead him into, lead to a near annihilation of her people and his reputation as an evil and powerful sorcerer. Together, they have to put their distrust aside to save her life and their hearts - of course.
CLAIMED tells the story of Anthony, the vampire who stalked and then saved Greta, and Charlee. Charlee was briefly introduced in KEPT, as Greta's co-worker and friend who is secretly in love with Anthony but unaware of his vampiric status. In this story, we learn that he is competing in a tournament for the centennial title of king of the vampires. After saving Greta, he was on such a high from the richness of her blood combined with the drugs in it, that he nearly killed Charlee and then wiped her entire memory instead of just the event. Now he is a day away from the tournament, and saddled with his mistake. Can he keep her alive after she regains her memory?
MATED completes the introduction to this world through the choices made by werewolf alpha Cole and Jane, the girl who can see vampires for the monsters they are, not the charming shells other humans see. After becoming king, Anthony and Charlee spend less time with Paul, his fledge, and fail to notice the way he brutally abuses Jane. When Paul gives her to Cole to cover his gambling debts, Jane fears for her life and future in the hands of the Number One Evil. Cole is not an abuser of women and after seeing all her scars he risks war with the vampires to keep Jane out of the vampires' hands. Can he keep her safe from the human hunting werewolf, the vampires and the demons he has an allegiance with?
This anthology reflects the distrust and misinformation the species believe and their uncertain alliances rather than to work together. My assumption is that in this series, these leaders and their women will overcome the distrust and discrimination to work together for all of their benefits.
MATED was definitely my favourite of the three with CLAIMED my least favourite. Anthony and Charlee were just not strong enough as individuals or a couple, whereas Cole's clear concern for his pack as well as Jane makes him a clear favourite. His strength and her courage made them a clear alpha team.
This is definitely recommended if you like HEA, preternatural romance and no explicit sex scenes.
KEPT tells the story of Greta and Dayne. She is werecat and he is an evil sorcerer. He is also her only hope of hiding from her own people who are planning to sacrifice her. She is not welcome In his house after her mother nearly got him killed years ago. This trap Jayden lead him into, lead to a near annihilation of her people and his reputation as an evil and powerful sorcerer. Together, they have to put their distrust aside to save her life and their hearts - of course.
CLAIMED tells the story of Anthony, the vampire who stalked and then saved Greta, and Charlee. Charlee was briefly introduced in KEPT, as Greta's co-worker and friend who is secretly in love with Anthony but unaware of his vampiric status. In this story, we learn that he is competing in a tournament for the centennial title of king of the vampires. After saving Greta, he was on such a high from the richness of her blood combined with the drugs in it, that he nearly killed Charlee and then wiped her entire memory instead of just the event. Now he is a day away from the tournament, and saddled with his mistake. Can he keep her alive after she regains her memory?
MATED completes the introduction to this world through the choices made by werewolf alpha Cole and Jane, the girl who can see vampires for the monsters they are, not the charming shells other humans see. After becoming king, Anthony and Charlee spend less time with Paul, his fledge, and fail to notice the way he brutally abuses Jane. When Paul gives her to Cole to cover his gambling debts, Jane fears for her life and future in the hands of the Number One Evil. Cole is not an abuser of women and after seeing all her scars he risks war with the vampires to keep Jane out of the vampires' hands. Can he keep her safe from the human hunting werewolf, the vampires and the demons he has an allegiance with?
This anthology reflects the distrust and misinformation the species believe and their uncertain alliances rather than to work together. My assumption is that in this series, these leaders and their women will overcome the distrust and discrimination to work together for all of their benefits.
MATED was definitely my favourite of the three with CLAIMED my least favourite. Anthony and Charlee were just not strong enough as individuals or a couple, whereas Cole's clear concern for his pack as well as Jane makes him a clear favourite. His strength and her courage made them a clear alpha team.
This is definitely recommended if you like HEA, preternatural romance and no explicit sex scenes.
November 10, 2014
I originally read The Preternaturals series a few years back but decided with the new release I need to take a trip down memory lane. By the time I finished chapter one of Kept I knew I made the right decision. I forgot how much I enjoyed it!
Kept
Less human and more cat-like is what I like seeing in a cat therian and Ms. Winter has a great job done with Greta. Dayne originally reminds me of the Carl from UP! Old guy, stay away! But in reality he's just grumpy and in need of a pet...err...mate. And BTW...he may be old in years but in looks he certainly is hot - once you get past the grumble-grumble. Between the drama and the heat there is the perfect amount of tension to keep me hooked
Claimed
Claimed, the second book in the series had me in stitches! We initially meet Anthony and Charlee in Kept. Previously I thought he was a DoucheNoodle and her, a flake. Turns out neither are what they appear to be. Anthony actually has some caring depth to him. Okay…so maybe he did a big oopsie, but drugs were involved. He redeems himself when he does go to bat for her even though she doesn’t know it. And in the end, so does she. Charlee, hee-hee! She is mine kinda a girl. I totally would have done what she did when he was asleep.
Mated
Mated has a sweet spot in my heart. I tend to like the bad boys and IMO, werewolf are the ones in the PNR world. We met Jane in the previous book and I had the original opinion that she was a pretty tough chick. In Mated, I see a completely different side to her and she’s a bit more fragile than I originally thought. Cole is supposed to be this big bad Alpha wolf but when it comes to Jane, I think he’s a sweetie. There’s action and danger and it isn’t all caused by Jane’s special skills. This story is my favorite because we get to see a little bit of what has happened in the past as well as a taste of what is yet to come in the Preternaturals.
Now I’m all warmed up and ready to really get on with the complete series. Anyone who plans on following this series needs to read this trilogy.
The opinions and rating of this review are solely mine and in no way was I compensated.
Stars– 4, Flames – 3
Kept
Less human and more cat-like is what I like seeing in a cat therian and Ms. Winter has a great job done with Greta. Dayne originally reminds me of the Carl from UP! Old guy, stay away! But in reality he's just grumpy and in need of a pet...err...mate. And BTW...he may be old in years but in looks he certainly is hot - once you get past the grumble-grumble. Between the drama and the heat there is the perfect amount of tension to keep me hooked
Claimed
Claimed, the second book in the series had me in stitches! We initially meet Anthony and Charlee in Kept. Previously I thought he was a DoucheNoodle and her, a flake. Turns out neither are what they appear to be. Anthony actually has some caring depth to him. Okay…so maybe he did a big oopsie, but drugs were involved. He redeems himself when he does go to bat for her even though she doesn’t know it. And in the end, so does she. Charlee, hee-hee! She is mine kinda a girl. I totally would have done what she did when he was asleep.
Mated
Mated has a sweet spot in my heart. I tend to like the bad boys and IMO, werewolf are the ones in the PNR world. We met Jane in the previous book and I had the original opinion that she was a pretty tough chick. In Mated, I see a completely different side to her and she’s a bit more fragile than I originally thought. Cole is supposed to be this big bad Alpha wolf but when it comes to Jane, I think he’s a sweetie. There’s action and danger and it isn’t all caused by Jane’s special skills. This story is my favorite because we get to see a little bit of what has happened in the past as well as a taste of what is yet to come in the Preternaturals.
Now I’m all warmed up and ready to really get on with the complete series. Anyone who plans on following this series needs to read this trilogy.
The opinions and rating of this review are solely mine and in no way was I compensated.
Stars– 4, Flames – 3
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