Blood Red

Alliance Vampires #8

by Heather Graham

When a fortune-teller shows bridesmaid Lauren Crow anomen of her gruesome death, she and her friends laugh itoff as cheesy theatrics--until women begin disappearingin the night.

Even as the streets become more dangerous, Lauren findsherself lusting after a man who is himself dangerous--and quite possibly crazy. Mark Davidson prowls the cityby night armed with crosses and holy water, in searchof vampires, whose existence, he insists, is real. He is asirresistibly drawn to Lauren as she is to him, and not onlybecause she's the image of his murdered fianc�e. ButMark's frightening obsession with finding his lover's killermerely hides a bitter vendetta that cuts deeper than griefover a lost love.

As Lauren wrestles with desire and disbelief, sinistershadows lengthen over New Orleans, threatening herfriends and foretelling a battle that may spell the end ofthe city's uneasy truce between the living and the undead.

Genres: Paranormal, Romance, Paranormal Romance, Vampires, Fantasy, Fiction, Romantic Suspense

352 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published June 19, 2007

About the author

Also published as Heather Graham Pozzessere and Shannon Drake.

New York Times and USA Today best-selling author Heather Graham majored in theater arts at the University of South Florida. After a stint of several years in dinner theater, back-up vocals, and bartending, she stayed home after the birth of her third child and began to write, working on short horror stories and romances. After some trial and error, she sold her first book, WHEN NEXT WE LOVE, in 1982 and since then, she has written over one hundred novels and novellas including category, romantic suspense, historical romance, vampire fiction, time travel, occult, and Christmas holiday fare. She wrote the launch books for the Dell's Ecstasy Supreme line, Silhouette's Shadows, and for Harlequin's mainstream fiction imprint, Mira Books.

Heather was a founding member of the Florida Romance Writers chapter of RWA and, since 1999, has hosted the Romantic Times Vampire Ball, with all revenues going directly to children's charity.

She is pleased to have been published in approximately twenty languages, and to have been honored with awards frorn Waldenbooks. B. Dalton, Georgia Romance Writers, Affaire de Coeur, Romantic Times, and more. She has had books selected for the Doubleday Book Club and the Literary Guild, and has been quoted, interviewed, or featured in such publications as The Nation, Redbook, People, and USA Today and appeared on many newscasts including local television and Entertainment Tonight.

Heather loves travel and anything have to do with the water, and is a certitified scuba diver. Married since high school graduation and the mother of five, her greatest love in life remains her family, but she also believes her career has been an incredible gift, and she is grateful every day to be doing something that she loves so very much for a living.

Reviews

[Megan]

Wow. I am ashamed to have this book in my update. Let me just say that I tried to sign up for badreads.com to appropriately describe Blood Red by Heather Graham, but they rejected my review due to sexual content and language.

To sum up, main character Lauren Crow (again with the auburn hair, ugh) and her two imaginatively-named friends Deanna and Heidi go to New Orleans for a bachelorette party weekend. They run into Mark Davidson who [SPOILER ALERT] predictably turns out to be a vampire and [/SPOILER] warns them of an "evil" vampire lurking in the post-Katrina city. Besides the three girls conveniently being a perky blonde, serious brunette, and redheaded ingenue, every single possible male love interest is described as "tall and dark." Every. One.

Girls are being beheaded and dumped in the river, Lauren sees a fortune teller who gives her the creeps, etc. etc. uninteresting plot. But SURPRISE! All is well in the end, except that the book never addresses the fact that [SPOILER ALERT] Mark and Lauren get married and [/SPOILER] since he's a vampire, he will clearly outlive her by thousands of years.

The book fails as a suspense novel (every "fight" ends up being "dark evil shape" fighting against "dark evil shape," and "Ha! Sprayed you with a water gun filled with holy water"), as a vampire novel (there's the general "daylight's okay but they're stronger at night" cop-out, as well as abundant cliches like garlic and silver crosses), and it even fails as a romance novel. Sandra Brown is able to weave in sexual encounters for at least two separate couples; "Heather Graham" (if that is her real name; she's been around so long I'm suspecting ghostwriter) manages to squeeze in two fucks and one lovemaking, only between Mark and Lauren, and the situations are so uncompelling that I skipped the scenes anyways.

I don't like to rate romance novels, but I give this one a B-minus. Haha, no, just kidding. F!!!

[Kathy Hiester · Rating 5 out of 5]

My Mom dropped off Blood Red by Heather Graham and it is exactly what I would pick up for myself. Three friends are in New Orleans for a bachelorette weekend and they become involved in Vampire intrigue. A Vampire decides they are his prey and pursuits them almost succeeding in killing them but a vampire hunter (who I imagine as looking like Danny Pino) saves them. At first the women don't believe his stories of vampires but then they see the evidence with their own eyes.
5 Stars

[Georgina · Rating 1 out of 5]

I thought I'd give Heather Graham another chance but again was disappointed. I couldn't finish Blood Red. The story is uncompelling, the characters bland and the dialogue awful. Some authors just shouldn't attempt paranormal romance.

[Stacy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not really my genre, but o.k.

[Gina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't think this was part of a series, but now I'm not quite sure what to put it under. Some of the characters are recurring, especially from the novels that Graham wrote as Shannon Drake.

Nevertheless, this was another awesome book! Terrific cast of characters! I could understand Lauren's predicament. Going to a city you and your best friends adore, just to become scared out of your mind and be told that vampires really do exist. Yeah, I think I'd have reacted the same way. 'Reality' gave her a good smack upside the head, but she moved forward just the same. I think her friends could have used a little more help, mind you, but they weren't the main characters, so they were fine.

Mark was a great character, strong, handsome, a quick mind. He was definitely a match for Lauren.

However, I do wish there had been more between the forces of good and evil. There should have been more between Lauren (good) and Stephan (super evil) than what there was. Sure, the battle at the end was a good one, but there should have been more of a fight between Lauren and Stephan, not just Mark and Stephan. And I think that's the only reason why I can't give the novel a full 5 stars this time around.

[Marta hoelscher · Rating 4 out of 5]

Blood Red is not your typical romance/thriller. It wasn't what I'd normally pick up, but I really enjoyed it. Three women are in New Orleans for a wild batchelorette weekend and find themselves the target of a vampire. The Vampire chases them and almost succeeds in killing them all, except for a tall, dark and handsome vampire chaser. At first the women don't believe his tales of vampires-until they see the evidence with their own eyes. What follows is a battle between good and evil where everyone is not what they seem. This book is a great read

[Laurie Garrison · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book starts out good. You have a spooky prelude and first chapter start, then you go in to reading about three women having a bachelorette party in the New Orleans, they go to see a voodoo queen or a fortune teller, they get spooked there and the teller tells them to leave town, but you know predictable they stay. I kept reading for a while and got to board with the storyline, it was way to predictable and just didn’t have enough boost to keep me interested. Plus the vampires was not like I expected.

[Kristina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Es startete an sich sehr vielversprechend. Nette und sympathische Charaktere mit einem seichten Schreibstil.
Doch nach 100 Seiten verlor sich das Mystische, ja das Unheimliche, was solche Geschichten für mich ausmachen.
Es kommt zu zahlreichen Kampfszenen. Den großen Plottwist erahnt man bereits bei der Hälfte, wodurch die Spannung fehlt. Nettes Urlaubsbuch....zu mehr reicht es nicht.

[Brianna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I actucally really enjoyed this one. Thought at times, i really wanted to hit Lauren in the head at the beginning for her being so stupid, then again you never know what going to happen. and Heidi....stupid blonde. I wonder if her and her fiance decide to get married or not.

[Harlequin Books]

Categories
Contemporary Romance, Romantic Suspense, Suspense, Thriller

[Lauren · Rating 3 out of 5]

When a fortune-teller shows bridesmaid Lauren Crow an omen of her gruesome death, she and her friends laugh it off as cheesy theatrics--until women begin disappearing in the night.

Even as the streets become more dangerous, Lauren finds herself lusting after a man who is himself dangerous--and quite possibly crazy. Mark Davidson prowls the city by night armed with crosses and holy water, in search of vampires, whose existence, he insists, is real. He is as irresistibly drawn to Lauren as she is to him, and not only because she's the image of his murdered fiance. But Mark's frightening obsession with finding his lover's killer merely hides a bitter vendetta that cuts deeper than grief over a lost love.

As Lauren wrestles with desire and disbelief, sinister shadows lengthen over New Orleans, threatening her friends and foretelling a battle that may spell the end of the city's uneasy truce between the living and the undead.

I really like the character of Lauren (and not just because she has my name), she was witty and skeptical in all the right points. Mark was so-so, he annoyed me by his haughty style demeanor.

[Danielle Urban · Rating 5 out of 5]

Blood Red by Heather Graham is part of an older series that I just discovered when reading this book. I love Heather Graham's paranormal romantic suspense writing style. She includes plenty of suspense, action-packed scenes, and deadly moments. I never know how a book will end but I love digging through the intense dark moments. There are moments of laughter, teasing, and camaraderie too. Trust is a huge step. Humans unknown of the dangers that live in their world. One time of fun can lead to a dangerous journey of survival. An old enemy comes back to haunt and torment the hero of this story. The heroine is frightened and skeptical at first. That is believable especially, with what is to come. Then, as the plot unfolds, she's tired of being the victim. She knows the enemy won't stop and she won't give in...readers are in for an interesting fight. Overall, this novel has all of Heather Graham's brilliant trademarks. I highly recommend her books to all readers. There is plenty to love...

[Betty Lambert · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. Lauren Crow is New Orleans with her 2 friends for a bachorlette party for the weekend. They go to this fortune teller and she tells Lauren of her gruesome death. They all laugh it off as a cheesy theatrics until women begin disappearing in the night and dumped in the town they are in. Mark Davidson prowls the city looking for vampires but a pretty specific one, the one that killed his fiancée. He meets up with Lauren and her friends and he knows right away that this vampire will be out for Lauren's blood as Lauren looks almost exactly like his late fiancée. The two of them squabble about whether or not she is really being stalked, but after a few close calls, she begins to believe him. Mark also has a big secret. It kept me guessing right from the word go and lots of suspense and kind of creepy in spots but great plot. Highly recommend.

[Melody · Rating 3 out of 5]

Trio of girls on bachelorette weekend in New Orleans go to a fortune teller and one of them sees a man in a crystal ball and the fortune teller warns of danger and tells the girls to leave immediately. But it’s all just a good story right? The girls feels as though they are followed on their way home and then one of them starts sleep walking. They meet a couple of guys at a bar and one of them escorts them to their band b and low and behold he is the cabin next to them. Then a woman’s headless corpse is pulled from the river and he tells them they are in danger from a man who murdered his fiancee that just happens to be the spitting image of the girl who saw the image in the crystal ball. So begins an adventure a that is very predictable and formulaic. Not the best from this author but still entertaining.

[Anna McFadden · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lauren Crow returns to New Orleans with her two best friends on a bridalshower trip. They decided to have the futures read and when the fortune-teller shows Lauren an omen of her gruesome death, they brush it off as nothing more than theater tricks(even though Lauren is having creepy and uneasy feelings) then the bodies shows up In the Mississippi River.
And then there is Mark Davidson. He is determined to keep Lauren and her friend and hunt down the killer. But at the same time take our as many creatures as he can. All the while knowing that Lauren looks just like his finance that was murder years ago and he holds the same killer responsible. But can he at the same time as falling in love with Laurn can he keep her and her friends alive and take out this vicious killer.

[Carrie Marshall · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an Okay vampire romance novel. It took me a while to get into it. But I’m glad I finally finished it. It was worth reading. It’s set in eerie New Orleans and of course has fortune tellers and vampire bats! It also has a strong female lead. Can’t say much for the other 2 female friends, but I like Lauren. I also like the police captain and deputy Bobby. They play good parts. Mark is the romantic savior of the book. Tall dark blue eyed handsome! Like I said it started off slow then speeds up to a great end.

[Sharon Gallup · Rating 5 out of 5]

i have never been a fan of vampire stories but this one had a little of every thing
in it. in fact the author wrote this story so well that i actually felt like i was right
there experience the horror along with the women . this story had twists and turns
and suspense. The bit of romance was just little enough without taking away the
story of murder and suspense. good read.

[Tammy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was super intrigued by the description on the back of the book and it was a good storyline. However it did get a little annoying that Lauren could never believe in vampires or the underworld. I understand not believing at first but once you see it with your own eyes that is all the proof that you need. Very old school vampire though. Deterred by garlic, holy water, and crosses.

[Kathleen Messmer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book! Set in New Orleans, you can feel the otherworldly vibe from page one. The action kept me thoroughly engaged and cheering them on continuously. If you want a read that keeps you engaged, read this book!

[Plum-crazy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have enjoyed some of Heather Graham's books in the past but to be fair I'm not really a fan of vampire novels....& this has done absolutely nothing to improve my opinion. It was okay & that's about all I can be bothered to say about it.

[LESIA RENIKER · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stunning!

This book keeps you so on edge you will not want to put it down.
It has love,mystery, and yes vampires. Good verse evil.
Heather Graham is outstanding out keeping you wanting more.

[Pia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mit meinen eigenen Worten:
Die drei Freundinnen Deanne, Heidi und Lauren besuchen als Jungeselinnenabend ihre Lieblingsstadt New Orleans. Auch wenn Deanne und die Braut Heidi einen drauf machen wollen, fühlt sich Lauren immer unwohler. Wieso hat sie dauernd das Gefühl, beobachtet zu werden? Und vorallem - was soll sie denn von dem Wahrsagerbesuch denken?

Außerdem erscheint auch noch der gutaussehende junge Mann Mark, der sich an die Fersen der drei heftet. Die merkwürdigen Ereignisse häufen sind und schnell stellt sich heraus, dass jemand hinter Lauren her ist. Mark versucht alles, Stephan von ihr wegzuhalten...

Das Urteil:
Der Schreibstil war ansich relativ gut. Nicht zu lange Beschreibungen, klar, strukturiert. Besonders toll fand ich das die Autorin zwar nicht in der Ich-Perspektive geschrieben hat, dennoch aber auch andere Sichten beschrieben hat (Im Grunde genommen nur von Mark und Lauren, ab und zu gibt es aber auch was von Charakteren wie zum Beispiel Heidi, Deanne oder Stephan).
Etwas was mir stellenweise aufgefallen ist und mich auch ein bisschen gestört hat, waren die Wiederholungen. Oft werden viele Wörter wiederholt, was auf Dauer einfach ziemlich nerven kann. Ich habe auch nicht verstanden wieso manche Gedanken richtig ausgelutscht wurden.



Ich kann selber nicht sagen, woran das liegt, aber der Roman hat sich bei mir etwas gezogen. Auch wenn der Schreibstil nicht langatmig ist oder die Autorin irgendetwas benutzt, was ich nicht mag, musste ich das Buch wegen meiner Konzentration mal öfters zur Seite legen. Leider habe ich auch oft gemerkt, dass dem Leser dadurch die Lust auf das Buch ein bisschen vergeht.


Spannung kommt in diesem Buch auf garkeinen Fall zu kurz. Ich fand die Idee des Jungeselinnenabends wirklich toll und wie die Mädchen dort in die Geschehnisse gewissermaßen "verwickelt" wurden, hat mir manchmal ganz schön einen Schrecken eingejagt. Shannon hat es aufjedenfall geschafft, eine düstere Athmosphäre für den Leser zu schaffen.
Zwar konnte mich die Autorin mich stellenweise wirklich überraschen, leider fand ich das Buch dennoch ein wenig vorhersehbar.

SPOILER!!!!!
Etwas, was mich leider sehr enttäuscht hat, war Marks Geheimnis. Man ahnt schon von Anfang an etwas - er ist ziemlich schnell, sehr stark...
Die Autorin erzählt dem Leser außerdem noch, wie Mark seine Katie verloren hat. Und als Lauren dann einen Zeitungsartiktel über den Fall liest und der aus dem neunzehten Jahrhundert stammt, wusste ich irgendwie sofort, ddass Mark kein Mensch ist. Wie sonst hätte er Stephan - wenn er denn SO mmächtig ist - umbringen können?



Ich muss auch sagen, dass ich die Sache mit Katie im Endeffekt nicht ganz verstanden habe. Anscheinend soll Marks Vater sie ermordet haben, da er ahnte, dass sie ein Vampir war. Und dann ist Mark doch sauer auf Stephan? Hatte Stephan jetzt auch was mit Katie? Bzw. war das freiwillig oder wurde sie durch seine hypnotischen Fähigkeiten gezwungen? Ich fand die Idee der Geschichte WIRKLICH toll, ich fand es nur so schade, dass das ganze so vorhersehbar und vorallem verwirrend war.



Etwas, was mich außerdem gestört hat, war die Sache mit Lauren und Mark. Ich fand, dass sie ein tolles Paar waren, ja. Aber das ganze ging mir entschieden zu schnell - Lauren findet eigentlich, dass Mark nicht mehr alle Tassen im Schrank hat. Dann spaziert sie in sein Zimmer im Montresse House und zuckt nicht mit einer Wimper, sich direkt von ihm flachlegen zu lassen. Ganz zu schweigen davon das Mark nur mit einem Handtuch bekleidet war und sie das natürlich KEIN BISSCHEN störte.
SPOILER!!!!

Besonders mit der Gerissenheit von Stephan konnte mich Frau Drake oft richtig überraschen. Der Vampir spielt alles und jeden gegen Lauren auf, obwohl mir bis dato immer noch nicht klar ist, wieso er sie denn so dringend haben will. Gelüste? Rache an Mark? Weil es ihm Spaß macht?
Auch wenn in dem Buch klargestellt wird, dass Stephan nicht mehr ganz bei sich ist, hätte ich einen Grund für sein Interesse noch viel besser gefunden. Für mich war das aber nicht SO schlimm, dass ich das Buch deswegen schlechter bewerten würde.


Bei Lauren hat mich ihr Verfolgungswahn ein wenig gestört. Dauernd hängt sie ihren Freundinnen wie so eine riesen Glucke im Nacken und ermahnt sie, vorsichtig zu sein. Ich hätte es viel besser gefunden, wenn sie nicht dauernd merken würde, wenn jemand sie verfolgte - dann wäre die Überraschung stellenweise noch viel größer gewesen.
Die anderen Charaktere habe ich jedoch sehr ins Herz geschlossen. Mark, Heidi und Deanne waren aufjeden Fall sehr interessant und haben mich schnell für sich gewonnen. Natürlich fand ich die dunkle Seite - Stephan - auch sehr gut charaktisiert.

Mein Fazit: Das Buch zeigt sicherlich seine Macken auf, dennoch habe ich mit Fürst der Dunkelheit von Shannon Drake für mich einen kleinen Schatz gefunden. Wenn man sich nicht zu sehr auf die kleinen Fehlerchen konzentriert, kann man mit dem Buch aufjedenfall ein paar schöne Stunden verbringen. Hier vergebe ich gerne knappe vier Sterne.

[Sharon Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ok- probably would have liked it more if I had read the ones before it first.

[Sandra Randall · Rating 4 out of 5]

Had me wondering during the whole book. Loved it

[Veronica Lindsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good paranormal romance.

[Amy Phelps · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the story very much. The characters were intriguing & the plot was easy to follow but not boring. The ending was sappy and I honestly don’t think the epilogue was needed.

[SaraJean · Rating 2 out of 5]

Definitely worth reading on a beach with a piña colada in my hand.

[Debra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ok, but I would not intentionally seek out another one. However, it I stumbled upon another book by the author cheap I would probably give her another try.

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good

[AngryPixi · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was ok. It gets an extra star because I read the whole book without realising it was book 8 I'm a series.