Vampire for Christmas by Felicity Heaton

Hello to all,

 The world isn't ending today it seems (even if the electricy keeps going down) and i prefer that because i still have a lot to share with us so today you will get 2 posts because i'm really really happy now.
Last month i discovered Felicity Heaton with Heart of Darkness , a book i really loved; but she also wrote a novella " Vampire for Christmas" and i couldn't miss to read it this month.

So here is my opinion on "Vampire for Christmas" not to be confused with the anthology " A vampire for Christmas" ;)

Happy reading!

Publisher: felicity heaton

Publication: 2010

Genre: paranormal romance, erotic, holiday romance
Violence: strong
Language: normal
sex: really strong
Public: 18+

Short description from goodreads :

It was one last mission. Shannon, a demon hunter with the agency, is looking forward to leaving behind the small town and the vampire she’s been stuck with for the past two years. Things are getting complicated fast and she wants out. A fresh start, free of her vampire partner, awaits her if she can survive their final mission and the lonely Christmas holidays.

It was one last mission. Rafe, a vampire doing time with the agency, watches it approach with dread weighing heavily in his stomach. Two years of working with Shannon has been difficult, especially since he started falling for her, but he doesn’t want their partnership to end. He has barely a few days to make her face her feelings and stop her from leaving, and he intends to do just that.

When a slimy demon threatens the season of peace and goodwill, it’s the chance Rafe has been waiting for and the moment Shannon secretly fears. Rafe’s determination to prise open her heart and her own resolve to keep it closed clash as violently as they do with the demon, and threatens to end as messily.

Can Rafe make Shannon see that his love for her is real and that she feels something for him too? Can Shannon face her fears and her past, and stop herself from running away from both? Will a wish on a star bring her what her heart truly desires—a vampire for Christmas.

My opinion:

          Felicity Heaton offers us a good erotic paranormal holiday romance.  I didn’t enjoy it as much as Heart of Darkness that I’ve read last month though but it’s still a really pleasant read.

The relation between Shannon and Rafe is interesting; I loved to see how patient he was as well as how disturbed by the idea of their separation he is. The fact that he is studying in hope to protect her better was really cute too. Now we get more information about him a little to late for my taste, we learn that he is obligated to work for the agency and why but the reality is really harder and that we learn only at the end even worse seems like nothing will be done about it either and that disappointed a little. I would have loved if Shannon took the decision to do something about it so he could works for the agency perhaps but really on his free will not because he must too.

Also Shannon‘s behaviour is understandable only when we learn her past and when we know of it let’s said the agency’s decisions can seem really strange. After all they couldn’t be sure of the result but perhaps they even didn’t care. I guess I would have liked to have more information about that but this being a novella I can understand that not everything can be said, just it’s regrettable in my opinion.

The way they tiptoes around each other most of the time is touching but also frustrating until we learn they reason and even then, Rafe’s reaction is moving, perfect…Shannon I don’t know I get the feeling she is a bit jumping the steps, yes she is trusting him since a longer time that the one she admit but it’s different that overcome a real fear in matters of hours.

Felicity’s writing style is still really easy to read and the idea of the story is excellent but perhaps it would have been better in a novel to space and explain more things because I liked it yes, even lot but I wasn’t drawn in the story like with her other books and that disappointed me a little.

To recommend to the lover of erotic paranormal romance, above 18 of course, who want a little story for Christmas.

Score:  3/5

Disclaimer: All opinions are my own and no compensation was received in exchange for this review

Challenges:

This book enter in the Romance and Me Challenge

Book read for the 2012 TBR reading

To join in, copy and paste these rules and the above banner into your Fanged Mania post and add your link to this week’s Fanged Mania post at Elisabeth Wheatley’s Blog. Fanged Mania is a Friday meme counting down to the release of Fanged Princess and displaying all things vampire and awesome. Fanged Mania posts can be a review of a vampire book, a quote from the latest Vampire Diaries episode, a showcase of a cool vampire book’s cover, or whatever you like so long as it is vampire related. Don’t forget, participants will be entered in the drawing to win a fanged-abulous prize pack!

Heart of Darkness by Felicity Heaton

Hello to all,

 Last day of November so last review of the month, today i will share with you Heart of Darkness by Felicity Heaton, a paranormal erotic romance. I will certainly review a few more books ogf this category since i still have 2 or 3 of them, from authors i already introduced to you, but it will be for later because starting tomorrow i will be in Holidays books ( not only i think but it will be my main focus)

Enjoy!

Publisher: Felicity Heaton

Publication: 2011

Genre: paranormal romance, erotic romance
Violence: strong
Language: normal
sex: strong
Public: 18+

Source: won

Short description from goodreads :

 A vampire prince on a four hundred year old mission to avenge his murdered sister...

Aleksandr Nemov won't stop until the last of the vampire hunter’s progeny is wiped from the Earth. Each kill has stolen a piece of his humanity, pushing him towards the black abyss all vampires hold within their hearts. Now he is teetering on the edge, close to devolving into a beast, and time is running out as he tracks the last hunter to Prague. There he finds a beautiful woman who could be his one chance for salvation, but is it already too late for him?

A vampire guard who will do whatever it takes to protect those she loves...

Elise is dedicated to her duty. It's the only thing she has left. All that changes when she meets Aleksandr in Prague and her master grants him permission to stay at her bloodline's mansion. She knows all about Aleksandr but none of it prepares her for how she feels when the legendary prince's hunt becomes one for her heart. Elise battles him with all of her strength but can she stop herself from falling for the handsome hunter? When he reveals the depth of the corruption in his soul, will she have the strength to face the pain in her past and do whatever it takes to save him?

My opinion:

          A romance so well written, in perfect concordance with the story. I loved it. Felicity Heaton created an interesting world and I was easily swept by it, we get soon a background of the vampire society even if the author focuses on the romance. The balance is just as it should be, we have enough to understand the situation, the characters’ reactions and such but not too much s to concentrate on it. We delve more on the political ties and Aleksandr’s past later in book when we get his side of the story and the insight of Elise on the hierarchy and such.

I loved to see how Aleksandr starts to understand Elise and is unsure how modern women like to be treated. He thinks of his past and start doubting or to be more exact he becomes conscious that he had doubts about his chosen path for some time now. His sanity is compromised and he didn’t see he needed someone to believe in him, to accept what he is doing. Alone for so long with his desire for vengeance, he forgot to live. Felicity Heaton really described well his psyche so we can understand him and take a liking to him no matter how bloodied he can be.  Elise is different, she is not trying to catch his interest, doesn’t flatter him, she even tries to elude him however she sees him for what he is, a noble man, honourable who takes high risks to protect his own. As a female guard, she always put her duty before everything else, trying to be perfect but she was unprepared to be seen as a woman and a beautiful one. Strong and fragile at the same time, she can’t believe he could have real feelings for her and since she refuses to be a plaything she tries to avoid him and his flirtations even if she is far from unresponsive to his charm.

They are playing a bit the cat and mouse and the roles are inversed more than once but it’s wonderfully described and I was completely in it.

There are some steamy scenes…gradually steamier even but it fits the story, the terms are well chosen, not vulgar at all and I liked those, not necessarily my favourite parts of the story but they didn’t  bother me at all coming when it was needed for the main plot and not just for fun of it ( in a way).

Really a good book to recommend to lovers of erotic paranormal romance above 18.

Score:  4/5

Disclaimer: All opinions are my own and no compensation was received in exchange for this review

Challenges:

This book enter in the Romance and Me Challenge

Book read for the 2012 TBR reading

To join in, copy and paste these rules and the above banner into your Fanged Mania post and add your link to this week’s Fanged Mania post at Elisabeth Wheatley’s Blog. Fanged Mania is a Friday meme counting down to the release of Fanged Princess and displaying all things vampire and awesome. Fanged Mania posts can be a review of a vampire book, a quote from the latest Vampire Diaries episode, a showcase of a cool vampire book’s cover, or whatever you like so long as it is vampire related. Don’t forget, participants will be entered in the drawing to win a fanged-abulous prize pack!