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House of Comarré #2

Flesh and Blood

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With the Ring of Sorrows still missing, and the covenant between othernaturals and mortals broken, Chrysabelle's life outside the realm of vampire nobility is about to take another downhill slide. She's vowed to help the outcast Malkolm find a way to lift his curse, but that means returning to the home city of the vampire who's trying to kill her. The breaking of the covenant has also activated an ancient organisation designed to protect mankind — the Kubai Mata.

And when Kubai Mata Thomas Creek comes to Paradise City, Chrysabelle finds herself torn between the need to save Malkolm and the desire to stay on the path of light. Finally fulfilling her vow to Malkolm proves devastating for Chrysabelle. If she survives, what's left of her life will never be the same.

320 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2011

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2346 people want to read

About the author

Kristen Painter

177 books3,405 followers
Kristen Painter likes to balance her obsessions with shoes and cats by making the lives of her characters miserable and surprising her readers with interesting twists. She currently writes award-winning paranormal romance, paranormal women's fiction, and cozy mysteries. The former college English teacher can often be found on twitter @Kristen_Painter, Facebook at www.facebook.com/KristenPainterAuthor where she loves to interact with readers and her blog: http://kristenpainter.com/blog/.

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Displaying 1 - 30 of 301 reviews
Profile Image for Mithrendiel.
123 reviews23 followers
December 20, 2011
I thoroughly enjoyed Blood Rights, but sadly its sequel, Flesh and Blood, had some story elements I found exceedingly irksome.

Before we get into anything that resembles ranting, let's review the book's premise. Flesh and Blood takes place a few months after Blood Rights. Chrysabelle has yet to fulfill her promise to enlist the aid of the Aurelian for Mal, and this breach of her vow has created barriers between them. Tatiana is back and hunting the Ring of Sorrows. She's not the only one, either. So while Chrys and Mal work to resolve their differences, their adversaries close in, eager to claim the power of the ring.

Whow, I just had a bit Lord of the Rings flash there.

Okay, so let the ranting commence.

#1 on my hate last is the introduction of a completely unnecessary love triangle. As if Mal and Chrysabelle didn't already have enough romantic tension and issues in their relationship - we somehow needed more?! Grr. A new vampire hunter comes on the scene - Creek. He's from some ancient class of super humans, and is equally determined to get the Ring of Sorrows for his order, protect Chrysablle, and bed her (and not in that order - bedding seems of paramount importance to him). I think he was intended to be the light hearted bad boy type, but with little to no character development, it's hard to tell. He's just sort of thrown into the story, and promptly starts making the moves on Chyrsablle. And she encourages him! In fact, she goes ahead and makes out with him just one POV chapter after he's introduced. Despite all the history she and Mal now share, despite knowing how women have betrayed him in the past, she acts like a little girl in a candy story - eager to sample every flavor.

And it gets worse - Not only are we subjected to an out of the blue love triangle, but this is the worst kind of triangle: One where the men agree to SHARE the woman. So basically Chrysabelle gets to have her cake and eat it to. Never mind that Mal is not the sort to share.

Which brings me to hate element #2: The introduction of this triangle causes everyone involved to act like three year olds. Chrysabelle is stomping around slamming doors, pissed that the men she's playing want to kill each other. She's indecisive, and, instead of doing right by either man, she decides she wants both of them. She has the nerve to tell them so, and then wonders why they want to kill one another? I'd had some concerns about her maturity in Blood Rights. I thought she was a bit stereo typically brash, in a slice-first-ask-questions-later urban fantasy chic kind of way. I also felt that she acted a bit immature for a 100+ year old vampire courtesan, but I was willing to cut her some slack in book 1 because it was the author's first book and, lord knows, first book syndrome affects most authors. But Crysabelle did not grow at all in book 2. If anything she regressed, acting even more immature.

The men in her life are at each other's throats acting like jealous babies. I don't mind the jealousy part - Mal has a reason, but the way he acts it out... gah! The Mal we knew in Blood Rights was 100% pure, dark vampire awesomeness, yet he seems somehow emasculated by the events of this book. He wants Chrysabelle, loves her even, but spends half the book repressing anger and spouting ineffectual threats at Creek, and then the rest of the book unhappily bowing to Chrysablle's wishes to share her with another man. He didn't' feel like the same character at all.

Another element that bugged but does not make the Hate List is this - there are FAR too many character perspectives in this book. There were a lot in Blood Rights, but we get even more here. I continue to puzzle at why Ms. Painter subjects us to Tatiana chapters as well. The only reason I can see to give us the villain's perspective is to attempt to make them a sympathetic character - I can respect this tactic. Brandon Sanderon makes me love his antagonists almost as much as his protagonists which makes their defeat feel more personal. But there's nothing likeable about Tatiana - and I'd prefer to never read another one of her chapters.

Okay so enough of hate. What was good in the book? The story continued to be solid and interesting. I enjoyed the world, and definitely cared about the characters (Creek excluded). I'm hopeful Bad Blood will redeem this series for me. The first book had such promise, and because of this I know Ms. Painter has the writing chops to pull off a great conclusion to the series. Sadly I think the only way I'll be able to avoid hurdling Bad Blood across the room is if Creek gets himself offed in the first part of it. Everything bad in this book can be tied back to him. What was Ms. Painter thinking?!
Profile Image for Nikoleta.
727 reviews340 followers
March 14, 2017
Το δεύτερο βιβλίο ακολουθεί ακριβώς το ίδιο μοτίβο με το πρώτο. Πολλοί ήρωες, δράση κ.λ.π. Έχουμε βέβαια κ την Κρισαμπελ να ψάχνει να βρει την νέα της θέση στον κόσμο, να βρει ποια είναι τελικά και όλα αυτά τα ωραία. Κ πως αποφασίζει να γιορτάσει το κορίτσι μας την καινούρια του ελευθερία; Με δυο αγόρια! Όχι ένα, αλλά δυο! Έχουμε δηλαδή την εμφάνιση ενός ερωτικού τριγώνου στο βιβλίο! Κ κατά την γνώμη μου είναι ένα κακό, πολύ κακό ερωτικό τρίγωνο. Όπου τα δυο μας αγόρια αποφασίζουν να έχουν την Κρισαμπελ από κοινού, παρά να την χάσουν τελείως. Έχουμε φυσικά κ την αλανιάρα Κρισαμπελ να αναφωνεί «σας θέλω κ τους δυο, πειράζει;» Ναι κούκλα μου πειράζει, πειράζει εμένα που σε διαβάζω κ είσαι η πρωταγωνίστρια μου κ αντί να συμπάσχω μαζί σου για όσα περνάς, στην πραγματικότητα θέλω να σου σκάσω χαστούκι! Τεσπα… τι τρέχει με τους συγγραφείς και τα ερωτικά τρίγωνα; Άμα το πάρουμε βάση ψυχολογίας δηλαδή, και σκεφτούμε την πιθανότητα να είναι κάποια βαθιά κρυφή επιθυμία του ίδιου του συγγραφέα, με την συχνότητα, την οποία παρουσιάζονται στα βιβλία από ένα ερωτικό τρίγωνο (η οποία είναι πολύ μεγάλη) τότε κλάφτα Χαράλαμπε…
3,5/5 αστεράκια
Profile Image for Devon.
351 reviews13 followers
July 18, 2017
A love triangle? Seriously, I am done with this book.

This book was one disappoint after another.
1.) The love triangle. We are introduced to Creek who is some not quite human vampire slayer (hello Buffy rip off). Of course, Chrysabelle starts lusting for him right away and she just "wants to get to know him". I find love triangles to be an overused trope and I dislike books that uses them.

2.) Mal! What the hell?! There was a complete reversal of his character. What happened to his character from the first book?

3.)Predictable. This whole entire story was highly predictable and I found myself not enjoying it one bit.
Profile Image for Chichipio.
159 reviews130 followers
January 17, 2012
This quote is the perfect example of why this book is getting one star:
She closed the door, confident of only one thing. She wanted Mal and Creek in her life. How she would accomplish that without destroying them both remained to be seen.
The emphasis is not even mine. Anyone who have ever read one of my reviews knows that I hate love triangles with a fiery passion. I don't understand why writers use them or what they like about them, but I accept the fact that they do. As long as they are upfront about it, I don't mind. I respectfully stay away from their works and everyone's happy. Now, to be sucker punched with one in the second book of a trilogy is just not right. I feel cheated. I'm not sure if that simple word can encompass the magnitude of what it means to me. It couldn't be worse if I had started a steampunk series set in Victorian England only to find out that, in the second book, the characters uncover a weird device that allows traveling through time and space so, after accidentally activating it, they all end up in a galaxy far far away, millions of years ago, training with Yoda to become Jedi.

This detracted from my liking the characters quite a bit, but it wasn't the only problem:
• Again there were stupid choices all around, as if they good guys wanted to lose and were trying to make things easier for the other side; secrets, half-truths and outright lies from the beginning that even as they backfired and complicated things for everyone involved didn't seem to teach anyone anything, since as soon as another opportunity would arise they went right back to keeping more secrets and telling more lies.
• That foolishness with the ritual to visit the Aurelian? Come on, lowering your characters' IQ is not the right way of furthering the story.
• Then there's the way in which some characters behaved, going completely against the personalities given to them in the first book. Dominic from Book 1 is a ruthless bastard, sure, but a clever one. Here, he's just petty. That whole business with Doc and the witches was dreadful, and again, from what happened at the very end, it proved to be just another way of advancing the story with no care at all for what the characters had to do to get there.

I could go on, but at this point it would be like beating a dead horse. Suffice it to say, I didn't like it and I can't recommend a series that changed its very nature mid-stride.
Profile Image for Shelley.
5,598 reviews489 followers
December 7, 2011
*Rating* 4.0
*Genre* Paranormal Romance

*Review*

Flesh and Blood is the second book in the House of Comarre series. The year is 2067, and vampires, varcolai (shifters) and fae are prevalent in all walks of life. Paradise City, Florida is located in what is now the Southern Union. Ever since the covenant has been broken, more and more othernaturals are suddenly appearing in public to the chagrin of the humans in charge who didn’t believe they existed before now.

It has been two weeks since the events of Blood Rights. Chrysabelle LaPoint is 115 years old and she is a Comarre who was bred for the sole purpose of feeding vampires. Previously, she was set up as a murdered of her patron and went on the run.

After the events of Blood Rights, she still owes vampire Malcolm for helping her out in her rescue of her own mother which she thought was her aunt. In the meantime, she has been busy looking at her mother’s notes, and comes across a startling note; Chrysabelle has a brother. This puts everything in prospective for her. Her promise to Mal is secondary in locating her brother. She needs to find a way to speak to the only person who has this information; The Aurelian. She also needs to find a way to kill Tatiana for murdering her mother before things end up south in a hurry.

Flesh and Blood continues the evil ways of Tatiana the vampire Elder of the House of Tepes, and Mal’s own wife whose power grab caused him to be cursed and held in a prison for 50 years. She goes through great lengths in her attempt at not only regaining her status with the Castus Sanguis after she failed to grab the Ring of Sorrow from Chrysabelle. She is also still trying to rid herself of her Dominus Lord Ivan so that she can take his place among the powerful vampire elite. One of these things actually does happen.

Painter introduces readers to a new character named Creek (a vampire slayer) who belongs to a super-secret organization called the Kubai Mata. They are supposed to protect humanity from the othernaturals and kill those who step out of line. Here is where I get a little disheartening with the story. Naturally, Painter decided to allow Chrysabelle to have sincere feelings for not only Mal, but Creek as well after he saves her life after Tatiana closes in on her. Then, she decides to make them allies and frenemies who are both looking out for Chrysabelle’s life. Have I said how I absolutely hate 3-way storylines?

The one character I think readers will enjoy more than the main characters is Doc. Doc goes through a lot in order to find a way to bring Fiona back to life. If you haven’t read Blood Rights yet, please do so that you can understand why he is trying so hard to get her back. I’m not sure I wouldn’t have done the exact same thing if I were in his shoes. Doc also learns a hard truth about why fringe vampires have been turning up in ashes near Dominc’s club; a shocker that hopefully will be played out the next installment.

Whereas Mal and Creek’s actions in a pivotal scene towards the end of the book when Chrys is trying to find answers to not only Mal’s curse, but her brother’s name, nearly cost Chrysabelle her life. Even now, I am not sure what will happen in the next book. Chrys is basically disavowed as a comarré and Mal does something that goes against everything she stands for and I can’t see that she will be too happy about what transpired.

There are two other important characters named Aliza and Evie who also play an important role in the search for the Ring of Sorrow. It appears that they have been scheming for a long time to gain unlimited dark powers .This is where the cliffhanger comes in to play when they refer to Doc, and unlimited power, and call upon the original Castus Sanguis for help.

I’m actually glad there’s not a long wait till the next book comes out. Gives me something to look forward to in a few weeks instead of months, or a year.

Book#3 is called Bad Blood which released on December 1, 2011.
Profile Image for Mizuki.
3,368 reviews1,399 followers
August 10, 2017
Review for book 1: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Huhh, I have mixed feeling for this book. On one hand I really like the parts about the male lead gets out of control and acts lunatic, I also like the sexual tension between the lead couple, I like the fact that these two have barely ever kissed throughout these first two book. Plus the villains (the vampiress and the fallen angel mostly) are very cool too.

But! I'm seriously getting a bit tired of all these supporting characters (e.g. Doc and Fi) and new characters (e.g.)!!! Not to mention, the ending of this volume is a bit weak too. 3.7 stars.
Profile Image for Haidoulina.
777 reviews110 followers
January 4, 2016
I liked this one even less than the first book... I only managed to finish it because I skipped enough.... My only interest lays on Mal,every other character is simply white noise.... I can't follow all the characters' pov.... Believe me they are plenty... Even though it's in third-person narration it follows every character and it's boring to death.... The other thing it was the non existent love triangle... I don't have a problem with love triangles in stories as long as the author gives reason for that.. Here there was no reason, there was no point, there was no love triangle, it was just me with raising blood pressure....
Profile Image for Patrícia.
557 reviews87 followers
July 10, 2013
Opinião do blogue Chaise Longue: http://girlinchaiselongue.blogspot.pt...

Tem experimentando os mais diversos géneros, desde à poesia ao steampunk, mas quando chegou a hora de escrever uma série foi na fantasia urbana que apostou, pois esta permitia-lhe a liberdade criativa desejada. Kristen vive na Flórida com o marido, antigo piloto da Força Aérea, e uma gigantesca quantidade de felinos. Era professora de Inglês quando começou a ser publicada mas anteriormente já tinha tido os mais diversos e diferentes empregos, desde maître a vendedora da Christian Dior.
Escreve artigos, é co-fundadora do website Romancedivas e, é a autora da série A Casa das Comarré, o seu trabalho mais conhecido e elogiado por autoras como Patricia Briggs ou Gena Showalter, apesar de já ter escrito outros quatro romances. Começou a escrever em 2009 romances paranormais com Vikings mas foi com os vampiros que alcançou o sucesso.
Sacrifício de Sangue é o segundo volume da série, foi publicado em 2011 e traduzido pela primeira vez para o nosso país. O último volume da série irá ser publicado no final deste mês nos EUA.
Tudo mudou para Chrysabelle. Está longe de ser quem era mas também já não sabe quem ou o que é e isso complica ainda mais a sua vida já demasiado complicada. Segredos desvendados trazem outros segredos, promessas obrigam a não esquecer quem magoa e tenta, sentimentos nunca sentidos avassalam a sua essência e, pelo meio, um perigo que destruirá tudo a sua passagem, espera nas sombras pelo ambicioso mais sedento de caos e poder, aquele que é capaz de o libertar, o que não tem escrúpulos em destruir e matar. Por entre armadilhas, maldições e alianças dúbias, a comarré e Malkolm têm de parar Tatiana e sobreviver a tentação que os une.
Depois de um primeiro volume que ultrapassou em muito as minhas expectativas, foi com bastante ansiedade que comecei a ler o segundo volume e, mais uma vez, Kristen não me desiludiu, aliás, Sacrifício de Sangue é ainda melhor que o seu antecessor. Com uma escrita crua, envolvente e marcadamente gótica, a autora leva-nos numa viagem cheia de adrenalina e sedução onde a vingança e as maldições, bem como o amor proibido, são os grandes protagonistas. Através de um enredo mais desenvolvido mas que mantém a complexidade, este livro desbrava alguns segredos e traz-nos novas revelações como lendas que afinal são bem reais e novas personagens alternaturais. A contribuir para uma acção fluída temos vários POV’s, em que a história de algumas personagens é mais desenvolvida, criando assim um ritmo em que a nossa curiosidade está sempre a ser aguçada por mais, e os vários pormenores deste mundo fantástico e sedutor que a autora nos vai revelando a pouco e pouco e que encaixa na perfeição com cenas ora perigosas ora sedutoras.
Diz-se que a vingança é um prato que se serve frio. Que corroí por dentro, que traz o pior de nós ao de cima. A vingança é um vício que unida à sede de poder nos faz ser capazes de tudo menos sentir. Ofusca-nos a visão, faz-nos perder a orientação até que sangue e dor mil vezes aumentada nos saciem a fome de retaliação. Mas quando nada é suficiente, nada a acalma nem a trava, a loucura é a sua companheira, a sua amante, a sua alma gémea. A vingança acompanha muitas das personagens deste livro nas suas várias facetas e cada uma delas vai desenvolvê-la a sua maneira, quer de forma cruel, cega ou mais racional. Este sentimento vai provocar muitos dos actos que iremos encontrar neste livro e a forma como a vingança marca as personagens vai trazer ou de cima várias situações que podem ser irreversíveis.
Novos elementos vão mudar muita coisa, ou melhor, abrir os nossos olhos para as muitas possibilidades que este mundo ainda nos pode trazer, desde as maldições de Doc e Malk aos Kubai Mata e ao triângulo amoroso que se começa a formar muito por causa das dúvidas existenciais de Chrysabelle que já não sabe bem quem é e o que terá de mudar na sua vida e o que ela realmente quer. O triângulo acaba por servir para evidenciar estas dúvidas e para mostrar o que Malk e a comarré realmente sentem um pelo outro e, apesar de eu dispensá-lo, percebo o que a autora pretende com ela mas espero que isto não demore muito mais até porque a relação do vampiro com a menina das tatuagens douradas parece-me mais fortalecida neste livro, mais perigosa e intensa, onde muitas cenas de sedução ou mais ternas demonstram bem que dúvidas a existirem, elas não vão durar muito mais.
Um grande ponto positivo deste livro acaba também por ser o maior desenvolvimento das personagens, que apesar de continuarem misteriosas começam a deixar cair as máscaras e deixam antever facetas mais ousadas, mais fortes e perigosas. Como protagonistas, Malkolm e Chrysabelle estão melhores, apesar de eu dispensar mesmo as dúvidas amorosas dela, e Doc mostra uma faceta mais desesperada mas que continua interessante. O pessoal do Sete é mais desenvolvido neste livro com muitas reviravoltas interessantes e Tatiana continua uma das vilãs mais fantásticas que eu já tive oportunidade de ler. Algumas famílias são mais desenvolvidas mas outras continuam um completo mistério e acaba por ser nas novas personagens que encontrámos os maiores pontos de interesse. As bruxas vão mudar muita coisa e Creeck ainda mais apesar de eu esperar que não demais.
Kristen Painter dá-nos um mundo que se vai desvendado e tornando-se ainda melhor a cada livro, um mundo onde perigo e intensidade nunca nos deixam parar de ler. Sacrifício de Sangue é a continuação certa, um livro que nos satisfaz e nos faz salivar por mais e, agora, por favor, que venha o terceiro.
Profile Image for Suz.
2,293 reviews73 followers
October 29, 2011
The story is interesting enough, but this one was a bit of a downgrade from the first. It's a trilogy and there are new people, new powers, new plots still being revealed. The introduction of the love triangle was disappointing to see, it's a stereotypical trope that I could have done without.

The cliff hanger ending at this book is heinous and insulting. The only reason I didn't grade down for it is because the third is due out in one month (Dec 1). I would have been very upset if I'd had to wait a year or more with this intentionally manipulative ending.

This books used the term "every fiber of his/ her being" several times. It's a personal pet peeve of mine and it was disappointing to see in this trilogy. Over all I'd say this was not as good as the first book led me to believe this one would be.

Or maybe I'm just feeling pissy about the cliff hanger and the seemingly unnecessary love triangle.

Incidentally, there are no set POV with this book. You get to see the story from just about every perspective. POV jumps around a lot, but in fairness to the author it's not too difficult to follow.
Profile Image for Sarahdactyl ♥.
687 reviews277 followers
April 12, 2017

♥ Find my reviews on Blogger ~ Reviews by Bookish Sarah

- - -

* If you haven't read Blood Rights, I don't recommend reading this review unless you don't mind spoilers!

I enjoyed Flesh and Blood even more than Blood Rights! Much more! I guess it could be because there was much less explaining of things. Painter just delved right on in.

This book takes place not long after the events of Blood Rights. Chrysabelle is living in her deceased mother's home now, and Mal is still living in his dilapidated barge on the water - with Doc, of course.

Chrysabelle still owes Mal for helping her. She promised him that she would help lift his curse by visiting the Aurelian, and eventually she finds out the only way left for her to do that requires a blood sacrifice: her own blood.

Mal still refuses to drink from Chrysabelle, and neither of them are even sure that he owns her blood rights now that Fi is dead. Not to mention the weird sexual tension going on! These concerns are pushed to the back burner once these two are brought back together for a greater purpose. Not only do they have to make the sacrifice required to go see the Aurelian, but Tatiana has gained more power, and with the covenant broken - she is free to wield it against anyone she wants. Not only that, but issues with Dominic arise, issues that involve Doc.

Doc has problems of his own. Fiona is dead, yet he still sees wisps of her ghostly form floating around the barge, and eventually finds out that she is reliving her death at the hands of Mal every single night. Doc makes it his goal to bring her back, and has to visit the witch (a voodoo witch who lives out in the swamps, eck!) who cursed him to do it. In finding out what she wants in return, Doc is faced with an impossible task.

We also have a brand new character in this book. Creek. Oh, Creek. I love him! He is part of the Kubai Mata, a group that vampires think is nothing more than a myth. Super-human vampire slayers. Creek has been deemed with the task of protecting Chrysabelle and getting the Ring of Sorrows from her. The Kubai Mata claim this ring has always been theirs, and that is must be brought back into their possession. Of course, things are never that easy! Creek ends up having feelings for Chrysabelle - feelings that go way past protection. Soon, we have a love triangle in the mix of this already intricate plot line. Ah, how I love it!

I just loved everything about Flesh and Blood.

SO much happens in this book.

More and more secrets and intricacies in the plot were introduced. It was crazy! I couldn't stop reading, and I am dying for book 3. I need it NOW.

The love triangle was not annoying or obvious, as they frequently are. Creek and Mal - I honestly couldn't decide which I liked more. Most often in love triangles, you automatically count someone out of the game, but that didn't happen here at all. I sort of think these guys will end up sharing (they, in fact, make a sort of agreement along these lines) Chrysabelle. I'd be totally okay with that outcome! They both have things to offer her. Creek is human, for one thing. Chrysabelle has wanted to escape the vampire world for a very long time, so this is a huge deal to her - and the electricity filled moments between them were quite intense... but there is no denying the deep bond between Chrysabelle and Mal - not to mention the fact that he may own her blood rights.

Then we have Doc. Poor Doc. He's so in love with Fiona, and he's determined to do whatever it takes to free her from her prison of deathly torment; maybe even lose his own life in the process. I love him so much. I have to say, he is my second favorite character (after Creek).

Then we have Tatiana with her insanely evil plans. The swamp witch whose trying to manipulate Doc into doing her bidding (the outcome of this is completely unexpected). We have Dominic and the goings-on at Seven. All sorts of crazy things happening here. Katsumi is up to no good, and learns her lesson - that's for sure.

During all of this, everyone is still trying to get the Ring of Sorrows from Chrysabelle. In this book, we finally find out why everyone and their mother wants this thing. It's big.

One thing I am confused about is that this book is categorized as YA/Teen, but it is set an a very adult world. The characters are all at least in their mid-20's, or older. There are very adult ideas, but nothing is graphic AT ALL. I can't decide if this is a YA or Adult series. It's like this odd mixture of the two. I just feel like I should mention that.

If you've read the first book in the series and were "iffy" on reading book 2, you really need to read book 2. I loved Blood Rights, but this book is 10x better. A fantastic follow-up! There's just too much going on to even touch down on all of it in this review. Just read it. I promise you won't be disappointed. :)
Profile Image for Christal.
941 reviews68 followers
September 17, 2012
See this review and others like it at Badass Book Reviews!

Flesh and Blood is the second in the House of Comarré series. It picks up about two weeks after the events of Blood Rights. I didn't find this book to be quite as strong as the first, but I still really enjoyed it and my actual rating would be 3.5 stars. One of the main reasons this book didn't work as well for me was the amount of POV changes. There seemed to be twice as many narrators in this book and the switches always occurred right when something big was about to go down. It pulled me out of the story and made the different plots feel jarring instead of neatly weaving within one another.

Malkolm and Chrysabelle haven't spoken in weeks. Chrysabelle is still grieving the loss of her mother, while Malkolm is trying to put his life back together after learning Tatianna is really his wife. Chrysabelle made a promise to Mal, to help him find the cure for his curse, and she intends to pay up. While reading her late mother's journals, she stumbles across a note mentioning a brother. Desperate to find out if he still lives, she begins researching a risky ceremony to contact The Aurelian. If successful, she could find out the answers to both her and Mal's questions. If she fails, it could cost her life. All the while, Tatianna is lurking on the background with a plan to kidnap Chrysabelle and get the Ring of Sorrow back for herself.

I still enjoyed the characters of Chrysabelle and Malkolm. They are both damaged and tortured, but know they have to buck up and get stuff done. The person that I didn't care for much this time around was a new character, Creek. I didn't find him that integral to the story and really disliked the love-three-way that seems to be happening. I found his order, the Kubai Mata, interesting but he didn't seem to offer much to the plot as a single character.

I absolutely loved Doc in this book and sympathized with his plight to save Fiona. The lengths that he went to were pretty heart-wrenching, and I'm still not sure if they will get their HEA or not. They are terrific together though. Their love for one another shines through in each scene.

Tatianna is a bit of an enigma. She's this vampire badass, who cons other vamps easily, but she is constantly foiled by Chrysabelle. In the scenes were she is scheming alone, she seems so devious and... just evil. When it comes down to show time though, it seems like she has always missed some small thing that causes her plan to fail.

Chrysabelle's search for answers was really intriguing and I hope we learn more about her family in the next books. The new conflict with the witches seems like it will be another layer added onto the broken covenant. Will Aliza and Evie become new power players? Chrysabelle's condition and Malkolm's actions at the end of the book are sure to have repercussions in Bad Blood and I am interested to see how they change both characters.
Profile Image for Yana (the duchess).
42 reviews1 follower
July 20, 2012
I have dilemma with Kristen Painter's books. While I end up speed reading through a whole book, when I finish I always wonder why. Don't get me wrong, her writing is good and I enjoy her characters, but I can't seem to shake the thought that the books are still missing something. Case in point, I just finished the second book and have the third one in hand but can't seem to be bothered to read it right now. When I absofreakinglutely love a book, I'll devour it and all the books in the series the second I have them. And yet, with this book, I can't. I don't know, maybe it's the way I waited a whole book for *SPOILER* Chrysabelle and Mal to get together, only for Painter to throw the damned love triangle in and screw it all up. Or even the way that the closest romance you really get is a little kissing. Don't get me wrong, I really like Creek, I just don't like him and Chrysabelle together because she belongs with Mal. Or maybe it's the weird way that I can't stop thinking of Chrysabelle as young, maybe even a teenager, only to be reminded randomly that she's actually over a century. Or the way the viewpoint constantly shifts, which I'm never a big fan of. Anyway, all in all, not bad and I did enjoy it and I will read the next one. So that's something.
Profile Image for Maria Lavrador.
510 reviews33 followers
November 3, 2014
Mais um livro da Saga "Casa de Comarré" que foca o tema dos vampiros, que está muito na moda, de uma forma um pouco diferente. Gosto da forma como a autora escreve, da história e claro, fico em pulgas para saber o que vai acontecer a seguir, pois para variar o final do livro deixa-nos com água na boca (ou deveria dizer quase um sabor a sangue, devido ao tema) para saber o que se vai passar a seguir
Profile Image for Joanna.
339 reviews24 followers
April 15, 2020
I really did not enjoy this one. Everyone was out of character and making the stupidest out of all available choices. The whole love triangle thing - please, enough of this tired plot line already! I'm all for angst and drama, but this was just annoying.
Profile Image for Louisa.
8,843 reviews99 followers
August 5, 2018
Man, this book was so fantastic! A lot happens, and we get to meet Creek, and yeah, that ending was pretty brutal! I can't wait to read more!
Profile Image for Janet.
3,330 reviews24 followers
June 9, 2019
I've enjoyed this series so far. Looking forward to the last book to see how it all ends.
Profile Image for Charlotte.
Author 9 books4 followers
June 28, 2021
Unfortunately you cannot tear out pages from an ebook and burn them. Everyting about Tatiana was just sooo annoying and one dimentional.
Profile Image for Valerie.
97 reviews
June 20, 2025
Why is this series so good 😭 I'm literally so entertained it's ridiculous!
Profile Image for Jenny.
472 reviews110 followers
December 13, 2011
This second installment in the House of Comarre series builds beautifully on the events of the first book, returning us to a blindingly gorgeous pair of opposites who, for all their differences, are both struggling to escape the confines of a life not of their choosing. Ms. Painter is extraordinarily aptly named–an artist exquisitely capable of crafting characters who are carefully rendered studies in contrasts–wielding black type on a white page as opposed to brushstrokes on a canvas but creating a work of art just the same. In this tale we begin to see some interesting shading take place, where Chrysabelle and Malkom were pretty clearly delineated light and dark in book one we now begin to see them blend, highlights and lowlights combining to create a picture with more depth and detail than we saw previously, and we stand back appreciatively to search each new shade of gray for meaning we know is there waiting.

For all that Chrysabelle is glittering gold filigree to Malkom’s tortured blackness, we get the pleasure of watching them tentatively step away from their opposite ends of the spectrum and hesitantly move toward middle ground and perhaps the comfort and sanctuary for which they’ve both long been searching. They are such stunning contradictions: the purity of the comarre versus the perceived stain of a cursed vampiric soul, with Chrysabelle's air of royalty and desired rank versus Malkom's displaced nobility making their pairing all the more fascinating to read as they slowly try to shed the roles that have defined them previously and find a new beginning. Watching as Chrysabelle flounders a bit trying to figure out who she is if not wholly and completely comarre and as Malkom dares to put his faith in someone else when all the hands that received his love and loyalty previously have spread their fingers wide to let those gifts sift through is both exhilarating and painful, but their difficult journey ensures our unwavering interest through to the very end.

The introduction of a new possible romantic interest is initially a bit of a detraction to the overall story, our love for Malkom based the time spent with him already as well as our knowledge of the brutal betrayals that make up his past forcing our hackles up as though he and Chrysabelle are ours to protect from any unwanted influence. Vampire slayer Creek is nearly impossible to dislike however, and Ms. Painter does an admirable job of not turning this story into a competition for Chrysabelle’s affections, but rather she works him into events in a way where his importance extends far beyond that of mere romantic foil character for the main couple. We know some things about him but certainly not all, and there is enough about him left in the unknown category to keep us on our guard and suspicious of his motives despite his status as an ally to both Malkolm and Chrysabelle.

As with Blood Rights, Flesh and Blood is teeming with interesting twists and turns, alliances made and dissolved quickly and easily to keep our minds churning as to exactly who we can trust, who could be playing us and those we care about, and who is the biggest bad of them all. Ms. Painter has a gift for writing characters who epitomize both good and evil but who also prove there are varying degrees to such categorization, making each classification far broader in scale than we might think before reading. We are left with not a cliffhanger per se, but definitely with events left unresolved and some very large questions looming so that our need to pick up the next book and start it is one that will not be ignored.

Rating: 4/5
Profile Image for Francesca the Fierce (Under the Covers Book Blog).
1,886 reviews504 followers
January 4, 2012
This review was posted at Under The Covers

Did I mention already how much I love the covers for this series? Yes? They are awesome!

Now onto the book. Chrysabelle has stayed away from Malkom since coming back to Paradise City and the events at Corvinestri. This annoyed me a bit. She had made a promise to him to go the Aurelian to try and break his curse but with everything that happened she can't go back to Corvinestri. Does she realize what he did for her? So she just sends him blood with Doc in the meantime.

And then there's Doc. He's devastated over the death of Fiona but turns out she's not really all the way dead again. Wow this girl has gone through so many stages of death I can't begin to describe it. So he's looking for a way to bring her back to life.

While all this is going on Tatiana comes to Paradise City now with her new abilities she can sort of shapeshift into anyone she wants and she uses that ability to her advantage to try and find Chrysabelle and the Ring of Sorrows.

And that Ring has brought yet another player into the mix. Creek is a human vampire slayer for the Kubai Mata. Everyone seems to think this group is a fairytale. I actually really liked Creek as a character but of course, this wouldn't be a good UF series if you don't introduce a good ol' love triangle, right?

Yep! You got it. Creek wants Chrysabelle. Even though his job is to protect Chrysabelle and get the Ring of Sorrows back to the Kubai Mata. And even though now Malkom wants to stake his claim on her, which by the way I thought was really cute! The bickering and arguing between Malkom and Creek was entertaining but what I don't get is how these two very obviously possessive alpha males are ok with Chrysabelle saying that she basically wants both of them. How is that going to work? I'm extremely curious to see this part of the story unfold in the next book.

And then there's Tatiana. Truly a great villain, she's evil, most of the time things go her way and it's kind of disturbing to read her point of view. She has no care to destroy people's lives of those around her or just whoever gets in her way. I can't wait for her to get her own.

And for the grand finale, well not quite the ending, but what Chrysabelle did at the end was wrong even though was the only thing she could do. It was a bit of a betrayal. The actual ending was a bit anticlimactic but I guess that's because the next book released very close to this one so it's almost like continuing the story.
Profile Image for Alice - Sombra dos Livros.
174 reviews12 followers
July 11, 2013
Em Fevereiro li o primeiro volume desta saga e , ainda que não tenha adorado, decidi ler este segundo volume porque havia alguns aspectos do mundo criado pela autora que me tinham agradado bastante. Ora, foram precisamente esses aspectos que foram suprimidos neste volume (sou mesmo uma rapariga cheia de sorte!!!).

Pelo que já consegui perceber no GR e nos blogues que sigo, não sou a única que pensa que este volume deixa muito a desejar em relação ao primeiro e àquilo que aquele prometia. A fluidez da narrativa e a escrita simples mantém-se mas também se mantém o enredo previsível e estereotipado - para resolver alguns problemas, em que previamente se envolveram, os já nossos conhecidos personagens, metem-se em embrulhadas difíceis de ultrapassar. Tudo isto enquanto são perseguidos por uma louca vingativa que não olha a meios para atingir os fins. Se antes parecia que a Buffy, a Mercy e a Sookie se tinham encontrado com um misto de Edward e Mr. Hide no Paço dos SaDiablo, desta vez uma Sookie desejosa de ajudar e a Bella Swan encontram-se com alguém que não consigo precisar bem num triângulo amoroso para lá de muito irritante. Pois é, a Chrysabelle está muito apagada e perde aqueles traços de bad ass que me tinham conquistado e torna-se numa tonta que não sabe o que quer. Os dois jeitosos do livro são ambos para ela e sabem-no, concordam em partilhá-la numa cena algo estranha tipo "de dia para mim e de noite para ti" (W.T.F????!!!!!).

O livro acaba por sobreviver às custas da maldade da Tatiana e das maquinações que ela engendra (que a bem da verdade lá para o meio se torna enervante. Ninguém extermina aquela cabra vingativa??); da personalidade negra do Malk, ainda que o moço passe por umas fases estranhas; das estórias paralelas e... do final. Pois é, a autora este o livro todo a encher chouriços, não se passou mesmo nada de importante por mais de 30 capítulos e quando a coisa começa a aquecer e o leitor já está contente porque vai finalmente ver alguma acção, o livro acaba. (Maravilha!!). Claro que isto serve para aguçar o apetite e deixar o leitor esperançado no que respeita ao retomar da linha que tínhamos visto no primeiro volume da saga porque as questões que se levantam são todas bastante entusiasmantes. Espero sinceramente que este seja apenas um volume de ligação e que no próximo já possamos saber mais sobre alguns mistérios e a trama recomece a desenvolver.

Em resumo, é um volume que não faz jus ao seu antecessor e que não adianta muito à saga. No entanto, quem gostou do primeiro vai gostar de reencontrar alguns personagens e a leitura é fácil e rápida.
Profile Image for Steph.
2,157 reviews305 followers
August 29, 2012
Flesh and Blood, the 2nd book in House of Comarré, picks up shortly after Blood Rights left off. Malkolm helped Chrysabelle, but she's not yet ready to return the favor. She's given her word though, so he's trying to be patient. She's dealing with the recent changes and surprise revelations, but she hasn't forgotten her promise to help Mal find a way to lift his curse.

With the covenant (veil between othernaturals and humans) gone, "Paradise City was only beginning to wake up to the new reality the whole world now faced". More and more people are noticing odd things. Fringe vamps are getting killed, but no one is quite sure who's doing the killin'.

Dominic takes a chance on Katsumi. Ronan fancies himself a king. Doc is determined to do whatever he can to reunite with Fi. Even if that means approaching the witch who cursed him and asking for help. Tatiana continues to get her demented on, wreaking havoc while trying to gain more and more power.

A new character and secret vampire-slayer organization is introduced - Creek, who is a member of the Kubai Mata (KM). Creek is an interesting character, as is the KM, but have I mentioned how much I dislike love triangles? The KM have remained in the shadows, apparently since others thought the group was a myth, but now that the covenant is gone, Creek's out to protect humanity against the othernaturals.

The constant POV changes throughout the book are at times frustrating. It's frustrating not only because the switch inevitably happens right when something big has or is about to happen but also because I like reading the male's POV. Definitely having a love/hate relationship with her POV switch-ups.

I have been enjoying my House of Comarré series-read and have jumped into book 3, Bad Blood. And, I won't have long to wait until the release of book 4, Out for Blood, which is due out on 30 Oct 2012.

[Full Rating ~ 3.5★]
Profile Image for Christi Snow.
Author 69 books739 followers
November 16, 2011
My Review:
hmmm, book #2 in this wonderful series was....just as freaking good as book #1. If not even better because there was an intro to a yummy new character, a human Kubai Mata member, Creek. The Kubai Mata are a legendary group set out to defend humans from the vampires. Most people don't even think that they actually exist, but with the fall of the covenant (book #1,) they are re-establishing their place in this war. Creek's job is to protect Chrysabelle and locate the ring of sorrows. This is definitely setting up a love triangle to the series, but what I like about this triangle is the relationship that is developing between Mal & Creek. I really like these two guys together and although they don't trust each other, they respect the fact that they are both trying to keep Chrysabelle safe. It really added an interesting twist to the whole feel of the book.


This book was full of the same intrigue and adventure from the first book. There is an amazing group of characters. Many that you love, many that you love to hate and a few that you just hate, but there is tons of action that keeps the book moving at an astounding pace. There were some twists at the end that I can't wait to see how they play out in the coming book/s. I love how Chrysabelle is continuing to grow as she learns to live outside the Comarre society. She has always been a kick-ass chick, but as she comes into her own and is realizing how to live her life, she is becoming even more so and you can't help but to cheer her on.


I continue to absolutely adore Mal. He is such a tortured hero, that my heart simply bleeds for him...and even better, he adores Chrysabelle with all of his being. He simply won't give into that passion though, because he knows that she deserves better. This is a character who thinks that he's beyond redemption, but he cares so deeply for those around him....Doc, Fi, and Chrysabelle. Even with Creek, whom he hates because of the connection between him and Chrysabelle, he treats with total and complete fairness that most guys with jealousy issues would never be able to pull off.


I am LOVING this series...the world, the characters, the intrigue. It is all so good and so well-written!! The world is so complete and has so many levels. I cannot wait for book #3, Bad Blood, coming out at the end of the month. Yippee!
Profile Image for Marina.
213 reviews12 followers
February 28, 2012
I expected much more from this book and I was truly dissapointed!

In Blood Rights we read an original story but in Flesh and Blood the author uses two tools which I particularly don’t like a love triangle and cliffhanger .

Chrysabelle and Mal have a strong connection and the other part of the affair Creek isn’t a strong one to unbalance that no matter how much he tries.

Creek is a member of the Kubai Mata a secret organization to protect the humans from all the othernaturals, they are trained and capable of facing all kinds of dangers and they have a deep knowledge of things, he is actually a cool character but around Chrysabelle he acts like a love sick puppy. Oh and I forgot to mention that the Kubai Mata wants the ring of sorrow!.....

In the beginning of this book Chrysabelle and Mal are mad with each other but soon they accept the fact that once more they must work together not only to visit the Aurelian to get the answer to Mal’s curse but also to save Doc from Dominic.

Tatiana is still a bitch!

Other than that, the way this books ends is the main reason for the two star review. I understand when a cliffhanger is necessary; I know when the author needs some loose ends to continue the story. In this installment everything is left unanswered, we have so many things unresolved that the final act with the witches was totally unnecessary .

The unfortunate thing is that I have already bought the third one of the series Bad Blood and it's the only reason I’m going to continue reading.

P.S I really like Mal!
Profile Image for Stacy.
1,335 reviews61 followers
November 5, 2011
I gave it 3.5 stars

I love that these books are being released back to back. Book 1 BLOOD RIGHTS was released Oct 1, and Book 3 BAD BLOOD is scheduled to release Dec 1. I would recommend reading BLOOD RIGHTS before you pick up FLESH AND BLOOD so that you don't miss out on some important back story.

FLESH AND BLOOD picks up shortly after the events of BLOOD RIGHTS. Chrysabelle is back at home and trying to get over the loss of her mom. She has a promise to keep to Malkolm and is finally ready to help him. There is a lot that happens and a lot is introduced in FLESH AND BLOOD your mind will be all over the place taking it all in. The storyline is still very interesting and I really like the world that Painter has written (I almost said painted but thought you might laugh at me). All of the main supporting characters are easy to like and follow. I can not stand Tatiana, she is beyond ridiculous and I can not wait until she gets what she deserves. There are quite a bit of different POVs involved in the book and it can get a little disappointing at times as you will really want to see what someone is thinking and it will switch to someone else. My biggest dislike? The love triangle. I mean WHY? What is the point of it? I think it is completely unnecessary. I really like Chrysabelle and Malkolm and they really like each other, there is a ton of lead up to their relationship so why bring in Creek? Now don't get me wrong I do LIKE Creek I just think the whole love triangle 3 way (yes they agree to share Chrysabelle) relationship is silly. Maybe it will get better in BAD BLOOD? I don't know. Didn't care for it though. FLESH AND BLOOD ends on a gigantic cliffhanger so there is no doubt that you must read BAD BLOOD when it comes out.
Profile Image for Melissa.
1,007 reviews35 followers
November 7, 2011
Okay, I know that people haven't read the first one, so again, I will do my best to be un-spoilery (yes, it is a word! I insist! LOL).

This book is, to me, geared more toward the PNR than the fantasy of the first book. So, the relationship of the main characters become a bit more developed toward each other. There is also the introduction of a new suitor, Creek who I wouldn't mind meeting myself. *fans self* There are also introductions to some minor characters which fit into what is going on. Some of them are quite interesting. There is also more about Doc, Mal's best friend, but I have to say that even though he is a central character within this series, he didn't seem as connected within the group as the first. It was like his problems and his solutions were done solo rather than part of the group. That really was my biggest complaint in this book. I like Doc as part of the group and did not like him separate at all.


Now what else can I say so I do not spoil anything? Only that there is a cliffie, and the set up that I did not see coming! Normally this would have bothered me as you usually have to wait a year to see how this set up works out in the next book. However, the next book is scheduled for Dec. so I think I can deal. I hope.... I. Want. The. Next. One. Now. Oops... guess not. ;)

I give this book 4 stars. I loved it but do warn others of a love triangle which can be solved by giving me Creek. Easy! ;)
Profile Image for Rebecca.
589 reviews34 followers
December 3, 2011
I'm really enjoying Ms. Painter's urban fantasy series, House of Comarre. This second book is just as good as the first and introduces a new love interest, setting up a love triangle. I'm not a big fan of love triangles in general, but it definitely works here.

The book is action-packed, and it'll keep you turning the pages. For some reason I find my mind wandering with the "Tatiana" (villianess) sections, but I think this is a personal failing, as I do the same with Ward's BDB series and the baddies in those books.

I was a little frustrated with the ending, as the two males managed to mess up bigtime in a TSTL moment, but it set up the next book in the series nicely. I thought this was a trilogy and was looking forward to seeing the resolution of the story arc in the third book, but now it looks like there is a fourth book coming, so I'm not sure how all the love triangle business is going to work. Should be fun reading!
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