Liquid Crimson

Neo's Realm #1

by Carol Lynne

Neo Manos, son of Zeus, was to become King of the Realm, governing the Blessed Creatures that roamed the earth. Everything changed when Neo was kidnapped and tortured for over four hundred years at the hands of a vampire. After being turned into one of the monsters he'd come to despise, Neo refused to take his rightful place as king. How could he fairly govern the Realm if he hated what he'd become? In an attempt to make amends to his son, Zeus created a perfect mate for Neo. Michael was everything Neo had ever wanted and everything he knew he didn't deserve. With blood designed only for Neo, Michael quickly becomes the target of Neo's enemies. Soon it will become a daily battle to keep his mate safe and deal with his increasing addiction to the blood flowing from Michael's veins.

Genres: M M Romance, Vampires, Paranormal, Romance, Fantasy, Shapeshifters, Gay

242 pages, ebook

First published November 1, 2010

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.

erotic & gay romances

Reviews

[Honey]

I'm sorry; did I inadvertently read the wrong blurb and somehow manage to read a 17th century m/f romance novel? Nope, this is actually Carol Lynne's Liquid Crimson. So how is it that Neo can use the excuse of being afraid of hurting his lover to have sex with someone else then? I gave up reading m/f novels for a reason and it’s somehow managed to find its into m/m novels.

I’ve enjoyed many of Carol Lynne’s books and this is definitely not one of them. Did Michael really have to be in the next room listening to his mate having sex with someone else? Why is that ok? Why did Michael even put up with it?

Neo being some poor tortured soul is no excuse for me, as far as I’m concerned, the total lack of respect for the man he’d grow to love added nothing to the story and the cherry on top was when Neo called Michael a slut because of some big misunderstading with Gunnar. He would have been in his complete right to be with someone else after what Neo put him through. Yet he didn't and that was his reward.

I wish there were some way for this type of thing to be tagged, so that I could abstain from reading this and many other novels like it.

[Natsroshan]

Carol, bravo.
From the first pages I knew it was a winner. Neo, the vampire who self-flagellate himself and Michael his salvation. And a plethora of intriguing secondary characters ...
The plot is well paced, the story fascinating, captivating. It was impossible for me to stop reading, but when I got to the end I had no choice! (lol)
I spent the whole day checking my watch. Now that I'm at home and finally bought and loaded the sequel in my Ereader... Yesss. Never the time zone difference had so much bothered me _ Total-e-bound should adjust its release dates by country! (okay, I'm being stupid I know)
I'll stop rambling. All that to say WOW, I loved it.

[Nik]

Liquid Crimson was a good book. I like this new world Carol Lynne’s created. It was very interesting, reminding me a little of Draco being created specifically for Michael in Storming Hell’s Gate, but I liked the addition of wolf shifters, cat shifters, vampires, and Gods. I was a little disappointed how Rafi was talked about at the beginning of the book but then nothing was said of him after he made the threats to Michael. Maybe there will be more about him in the next book? *shrugs* I just feel kind of cheated about it. Anyway, I did do a double take when Michael started getting all insecure and selfish complaining about how Neo wasn’t there after Michael was saved. It was slightly annoying when at the end Michael starting getting all angry because Neo wasn’t focused on him 100%.

Regardless of that, I really liked this book. I’m kind of sad the sequel will be a ménage (I think?) because I don’t much like them but I’ll still read it. Audric seemed cute and broken and he’ll be mostly the reason I’ll read it. I especially enjoyed Neo’s fits of temper and his jealousy when it came to Michael. I just love possessive alphas. Gunnar has to be my favorite character and I was sad when he was tortured into a vampire but I’m looking forward to his book. I think this has to be one of my favorites from Carol, even if Michael was a tad annoying at the end. 4 1/2 stars. :D

For spoilers go here.

[Betryal]

This story is: Intoxicating, extraordinary and eternally blew me away.

I'm ready for more of these from Carol.

[Serena Yates]

This new fantasy world Carol created for the Neo's Realm series is a fascinating one. Uniting the 'old world' of Greek gods and the newer world containing vampires, fae, and shifters provides a rich backdrop to the unfolding story of Neo's and Michael's lives.

Neo starts out as a selfish, dominating bastard. One who has been tortured and had a difficult life, granted, but I still had a very hard time liking him. As Michael puts it somewhere near the end: shit happens and you're not the only one who's suffered, get over it. However, Neo does learn, albeit slowly, and fully redeems himself as far as I'm concerned.

Michael, on the other hand, starts out as 'the victim'. Created for Neo's needs (and who wants THAT on their resume?), thrown into the deep end by his father, he can't help himself and falls in love with Neo. Interestingly, my opinion about him also changed somewhat when he turns out to be just as selfish, if in a different way, as Neo.

I liked that both characters are flawed, and really have to struggle to find their balance with each other. External forces also interfere, and they plus the fascinating secondary characters make for a complex setting and an interesting story. I definitely look forward to the next installment!



NOTE: This book was provided by Total-E-Bound for the purpose of a review.

[Sarah]

The story of Neo and Michael was brilliant. This new fantasy world Carol Lynne has created is as interesting and intriguing as all her others. The support characters are all brought to live with great detail and I can't wait to read their stories in particular Gunnar Neo's head of security and Kern Haig and Audric. Neo is a tortured soul who was turned into a vampire against his will and despises himself. The story begins with Neo meeting his mate and with the help of Michael coming to accept who he is. There are plenty of twists and turns in the story and external conflicts to keep the story moving at a quick pace. Yet another great book from Carol Lynne who's imagination knows no limits and who style develops with every books she writes. Can't wait for the next one.

[Janean]

QGB Q2 Challenge read recommended by AJ. Awesome beginning of a series. It has a little of everything and I am interested in learning more about the secondary characters and about Neo's Realm! Neo is the perfect brooding hero, Michael a perfect compliment to tame him. Though their bond is machinated by the powers that be, it was not all hearts and flowers. A great read.

[Bubbles Hunty Honest & Direct Opinions]

This book started off really great but then the MC did stuff i hated and he kept getting worse but I kept reading and I am really happy i did. I really enjoyed the story overall even if i never really warmed up to the main characters, i enjoyed the secondary characters and look forward to the next books (after I check with Carol and make sure they are safe)

[Cherie Noel]

Another keeper by Carol Lynne. She once again managed to both satisfy me and leave me wanting more, more, more!!

[Karen K]

Another great series by Carol. I love Neo and Michael and the whole premise of this series. Passion, angst, love great writing and great secondary characters make this a total winner.

[Courtney]

I'm still fanning myself. Phew.

[Judy & Marianne from Long and Short Reviews]

Four hundred years of torture would turn even the kindest heart cruel. The only thing that helped him survive was liquid crimson ... until Michael showed up.

From the beginning the author did a great job of showing Neo’s inner turmoil. He seemed like a compassionate man at heart, but could not or would not show that to those around him. I was happy to see that Michael helped bring out the man that I knew was inside. The character development was really remarkable all the way through the very end of the story. You could clearly see the growth directly and indirectly throughout which I appreciated. Neo is a vampires, vampire and I loved that about him as well as the vampire sub characters as well.

I think that Neo’s inner conflict really enhanced the relationship development between Michael and Neo. It pretty much explained everything that took place between them, even Michael's creation. Though Michael was created to be the perfect mate for Neo, even that can have draw backs. It also leads to a lot of secrecy and twists within the story that really left me guessing. Even after I got some of the answers I was still thinking and wondering if there wasn’t more, which evidenced great writing ability on the author's part.

This story also had a wide array of secondary characters. I especially liked Gunnar. I would love to see him get his own story, which I am sure he will since he is in a need of a great big hug (and maybe a little more). I do not want to say too much about him and ruin it, but I'm sure you'll fall in love with him and a few other characters.

Trust me when I say: do not waste any time in picking up this story.

Originally posted at http://whippedcream2.blogspot.com/201...

[Meg Kinch]

This read was just a good read for me. It wasn't great, but it wasn't awful either. I didn't particularly care for the way Neo reacted when Michael gave Gunnar a hug, when all along Neo had been having sex with Rafi in the bedroom next to his supposed mate. My interpretation of mate is one that should be that one person or persons above all else, whether there are two mates or three. The fact that Neo slept with Rafi at all made it seem to me that Michael wasn't his mate, whether or not Michael was made for him. And even though they said they cared and they loved each other, it lacked a certain oomph for me. The emotions seemed kind of shallow and each of them had their self-center issues, but that doesn't give a person the right to act like a two year old. This relationship really lacked a foundation of communication and trust. I hope the others in the series are better.

I am looking forward to Haig, Kern, & Audric's book, but I have a feeling I might get a wee bit angry with that story. Breaking up a previously mated couple, to me, just seems wrong.

Gunnar & Ramiro's book is also one I am looking forward too and I hope they can pull through and improve a wee bit from this one.

[Traci]

4.5 stars Great series by Carol Lynne. If you like her "The City" series, you will love Neo's Realm. It has werepanthers, vampires, Fae's, Gods and DemiGods. The first one is about Neo and Michael. Michael has been created by the Gods or especially Zeus, Neo's father for forgiveness because his father did not rescue Neo sooner when he was previously captured by a psycho group of vampires. He was turned and so was not able to go into the light and he loved the day. He lived on a vineyard and became "cranky" when he could not be one with the earth. Spiro, Neo's half brother, also half fae, raised Michael son of the God of light and day, to train to be a mate for Neo.

Michael works hard to break Neo out of his funk while other things start happening to the beautiful creatures, (vamps, faes, weres, and so on). Neo is meant to be the leader of the beautiful people and Spiro, now the leader wants him to take on the roll.

This book is a great start to a new series. The books are about 240 pages long, but they are very descriptive and leave you wanting the next one.. Great series.

[Karel]

One of those books that should never have been published, and hopefully the author's gotten better at writing since.

Threadbare plot, and it makes those old Mills and Boons books I used to read look like Tolkien in comparison. It's sappy, angsty, annoying, and the worse part is that the author took what could have been decent in a long story, stripped out all the flesh, and gave us a bare bones story. This reads like a summary of a book, not an actual book. Which is just as well, because I don't think I can stomach even an extra page.

[Lioness7]

I have had this book for a long time and just kept putting off reading it because I was getting tired of vampires. It fit with a challenge and I decided to give it a try. I was happily surprised and can’t wait to read the rest in the series. Yes, the vampires are similar to others. This isn’t what makes the book good. It is the interactions amongst the characters. I thoroughly enjoyed reading how everyone got along. Right now I can’t wait to see what happens to the rest of the people. I so hope that this series is a long one and keeps getting expanded.

[Janie]

Very different take on vampires, gods, werecats and werewolves. I truly liked it. I wasn't sure I was going to like Neo after the way the beginning of the story started out, but I really do like him with Michael and think they are so loving together. I'm very concerned for Gunnar and can't wait to find out what happens to him now. I'm anxious to read the rest of the series, but hate ménage books and that's what book 2 is. So I guess we'll see where the story goes now.

[Meggie]

I didn't like this story. The plot focused to much around who loves whom and who has fallen in love with whom. It felt shallow and emotions were not true. It was strange story. But then I don't like to read threesome books, because it's hard to love one person in life and to share your live with two equally doesn't seems right for me.

[Ale Rivero]

Esta primera entrega me ha dejado un poco fría, es probable que sea porque no estoy acostumbrada al lado paranormal de las letras de Carol Lynne, y los personajes no me llegaron del todo. Sin embargo, el tema que plantea la autora es bastante interesante y deja algunas dudas que es inevitable querer saber qué pasará después. Recomendable

[CB]

I really enjoy Carol Lynne books and this series was no exception. There are 4 books currently and I recommend all 4 of them. Sexy paranormals and intriguing stories make for some very entertaining reading! I could just with they were longer - there is definitely enough story to fill many more pages!!

Liquid Crimson #1
Blood Trinity #2
Crimson Moon #3
Royal Blood #4

[Dark Divas]

4.5 Delightful Divas. ...Liquid Crimson is a romance about two men who have been thrown together rather than finding each other and building a relationship based on mutual attraction. To read this review in its entirety, please visit http://www.darkdivasreviews.com/?p=5425

[Byron]

Ok up front I've got to say I'm a HUGE Carol Lynne fan... I love her stories... and KNOW that I can't do unbiased reviews.. SOOO in lieu of that I'm just going to say that this SERIES is of the standard that I would expect from her!

[Ana]

I'm surprised of how much I liked it. The writing was very good and the main characters were captivating. I also find myself curious to learn more about the other characters like Ramiro, Haig, Kern and etc.

[Vikki]

Brilliant start to what i hope will be a long series of books...I loved this.

[Alyosha]

The paranormal gay romance that read like an old regency het bodice ripper.


- an entertaining guilty pleasure.

[Marsha Spence]

LOVED this book! I loved the relationships between Neo and the other folks at the vineyard as well as with Michael, his mate. Good amount of tension between them and good outside tension as well.

[Jo Ann]

Just started it

[Jora]

Well written, but the emotions seem a little off, and events happen for no apparent reason, interesting events, but I was left wondering why.

[Yaris12]

love this books is so romantic and sexy

[Emily]

3.5 stars