A Drop Of Red by Chris Marie Green

Chris Marie Green brings us the fourth book in the Vampire Babylon series A Drop of Red. Dawn, Kiko and Frank are back again this time they are in London England, on the trail of the next vampire underground, and to find out why some girls have been disappearing. Dawn is still struggling with her new life and how it has changed. Their Boss is actually two beings in one Costin who is a soul traveler, Costin needed a healthy host to survive. His arrangement with Jonah had gone awry when Dawn decided to save Costin’s life and trap him in Jonah’s body. Costin is in a constant struggle with Jonah to keep him at bay. This is something else Dawn must struggle with since she made him this way, since it was the only way she could save him was to turn him and when she killed Benedict it changed her back to almost human again. Costin brings in a new person to the team as sort of a replacement to Bresei, who is now one of their spirit friends due to an accident in the previous underground hunt. Dawn doesn’t know quite what to think, but Kiko doesn’t like her at all and perceives her as a threat to him & his job since she is a psychic as well. Although her field of expertise is tailored to hearing, and sensing spirits, and Kiko’s is seeing visions through touch of objects or people. Through Kiko’s vision and some of the sounds that Natalia was hearing they are led through a few interviews to an all girl school. They get a tour of the school by pretending they are scouting schools for their sister for when they move to England from the United States. They bring the friends with them to keep an eye out for vampires or a possible underground entrance. The friends’ find four vampire girls and Kiko doesn’t get a reading off of the ones he bumps into as they are walking down the hall. They planned a reconnaissance mission for that same night to the school. Frank, would scout ahead using his vamp senses for danger and any underground openings, Dawn & Kiko would bring up the rear, and Natalia would stay behind monitoring with Costin since she had not been trained in combat fully yet. Costin has them start at a vacant building as an easy access point to the campus. Frank clears the building first while they have the friends keeping an eye on the girls; which are napping in a common room. The team started moving slowly up the tree line when they were notified that Della had gone to her room to get a book. Della looked out the window which was cracked sniffed and then opened the window sniffed again and looked directly in the team’s direction which was over 800ft away. The other girls joined her in the room she was gesturing and pointing in the team’s direction with no lips moving denoting that they had telepathic abilities. The team started hearing dogs barking in the background when they did one of the friends told them that the needed to get back to the car as soon as possible that the dogs had been summoned. They didn’t get to get back to the car they made it back to the abandoned building and Breisi helped them to the roof letting them know that there were feral animals at the car. A friend then lets them know the girls have left the dorm room and that they couldn’t slow them down because. The girls stopped ten feet from the building and started questioning the team, Frank played it off as if he were the teams master and they were the servants. He was an American vampire looking for others of his kind. The girls still didn’t like them being there and there was a small argument among the girls and then one of the girls starts to change into something tailless sphinx cat-wolf like creature. Dawn mind pushed her and bound her hands above her head. Natalia broke the communication silence saying she heard the front door but it was shut but the house alarm was disarmed. This alarms Dawn thinking about Costin, and what could be going on now. Chris Marie Green will have you riveted to your chair with this book in the Vampire Babylon series. You won’t realize you have read as much as you have until the book is done. This was a great addition to the series and I cant wait for the next book in the series if there is going to be one.

Vampire Academy

Vampire Academy is about a Vampire princess and her guardian, both who are teens and have not finished with high school. They are both special in their own ways. Lissa Dragomir, our Vampire, is a mortal Moroi who has special powers of earth magic. Rose Hathaway is Lissa’s guardian and best friend. She is also a Dhamphir, which is a blend of human and vampire blood. Lissa and Rose also have a special mental bond with each other, which makes them even more special. Both are rebellious and are in St. Vladimir’s Academy to hone their survival and magic skills. They both also have runaway because of some things that scared them and they think it is safer for them in the outside world. Lissa and Rose make it running on the outside world for two years, surviving on their own until they are caught and returned to the academy and punished. Once settled back in the school they get into the social scene again and weird things start happening.Dead animals start showing up along with notes to Lissa, which has her scared out of her wits. Rose has been punished worst of all because she is Lissa’s Guardian. She has to train night and day and before and after classes to make sure she is up for the task. Rose finds it hard to comfort Lissa and keep her safe. She wants to take Lissa and run away from the Academy, but Lissa talks her into staying because she has so many new people around her now. Rose knows there is a big problem, but Lissa doesn’t see it yet. Rose’s instructor is also Lissa’s assigned guardian until Rose has graduated fully and is assigned to her full-time. Each time that she needs to see what is going on with Lissa she concentrates really hard and is slipped into Lissa’s mind. Once there she can see out of Lissa’s mind. She sees that Lissa is using part of her magic for things she shouldn’t and confronts her about it. Lissa says it is only for the good of the two of them and she can stop at any time. But upon checking and watching she notices that Lissa is doing it more and more. She must stop her before it gets worse. Richelle Mead holds readers in suspense and keeps their attention through this whole novel. I could not put it down, as with any of her books she really knows how to put depth and character into each and everyone one of her characters. They really jump out at you as if they were in the same room as you. This one is definitely for the keeper shelves.

Bled Dry

Bled Dry is a charming little story about Brittany Baldizzi who goes to her Doctor because she thinks she has the flu. When she talks to her dr. it is not the flu but she is eight weeks pregnant which is very much a shock. She can only think of one person she has had intercourse with in the past six months and she didn’t think his boys could swim in that sense, that person was vampire Corbin Atelier. When she lets her sister and her brother in law, who are also vampires, know about it her sister guesses on who it is. Her brother-in-law Ethan is outraged and wants to know if he used protection or not. She hasn’t seen Corbin since that night although she thinks she may have the night she was very sick. He seems to have disappeared off the face of the earth, although her sister Alexis seems to know where he is which, happens to be right there in Vegas in the casino that her brother-in-law owns. Alexis tells her what room he is in and she goes to Corbin and tells him the news. When she tells Corbin the news he wants to do the right thing by her and marry her but that is not what she wants to do at this time. Because they barely know each other, he also explains to her the child will be a three-quarter vampire baby. This scares her because of the way he explains it, even though he leaves out a lot of the information, that he doesn’t want her to know at this time. Brittany explains to him that it doesn’t matter that they wouldn’t be married because she didn’t know who her father was, her mother was a stripper. Corbin is a scientist and has been collecting DNA from each vampire for his research and he will be able to know who Brittany’s father is. They agree to raise the child together to protect it from uncertainties etc. Corbin however does tell Alexis and Ethan about his concerns and the full information disclosure to them so that he can hopefully get their help in protecting the child and to get their help with Brittany. They are also going to keep the identity of who the child’s father is a secret until after the child is born and Ethan’s election since he is a major political power in the vampire community. When a rehabbing vampire drug addict overhears Brittany’s claim to Corbin about the baby the cat is let out of the bag and Brittany and the baby are in danger. Corbin goes through everything he can to make Brittany the happiest momma without letting on about any problems that could arise. Erin McCarthy takes our mothering and vampirism to a whole new level. While reading this it made me think how interesting that would be to have to deal with that ordeal. Erin helps put you right in the midst of what you are reading and gives it to you hot and steamy, with just the right touch of humor. This is one that will stay on my keeper shelf for a long time to come and I will definitely read more of her books.

Vampire Queen's Servant

The Vampire Queens Servant is about a Vampire, Lady Elyssa who is in the process of looking for a new servant when she needs to have a manicure and her old servant sends a new servant prospect, Jacob Green to her. What her previous servant Thomas did not tell Jacob was that she was sick which he finds out the first night he meets her. Jacob gives Lyssa a letter from Thomas which lets her know that he has sent Jacob to her that states he would be perfect as a new servant for her. Jacob does in fact go above and beyond the call of duty for her when she has a episode of her affliction and he takes care of her without question and quickly. Jacob has something going for him he is a precog he can sense what someone will need or can do before they do it. Lyssa doesn’t really think that he is going to be up to the task of being her servant. She needs more care than a normal vampire usually needs because of her affliction and is not willing to tell him all of her problems or open up to him fully to let him in. She feels strangely attracted to this human and doesn’t know why. He is a alpha male which means he is not accustomed to being submissive to a woman’s wishes. Although all he knows it that he has been born to serve her from the moment he saw her he knew. Just when she thinks she is getting him broke in he turns it around on her. He shows her that the bond between master and servant can go ways that she may not have even wished or thought of. Joey W. Hill takes us into a whole new world with The Vampire Queens Servant showing us the love between a Mistress and her Servant can be give and take and can also be beautiful. The story was written in great detail so that if you closed your eyes to imagine what was going on you could see the room or what was going on. Hill takes the passion between Lyssa and Jacob to a rollercoaster ride that you will love. I will definitely be looking forward to the next book in line and anything else that Joey W. Hill writes.

Aluve' my friends
Zollyanna