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| First Blood | 
| Authors: Susan Sizemore, Erin Mccarthy, Chris Marie Green, Meljean Brook
Publisher: Berkley
Category: Book
List Price: $7.99
Buy New: $1.25
You Save: $6.74 (84%)
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Avg. Customer Rating:  4 reviews
Sales Rank: 74637
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 336
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.4
Dimensions (in): 6.7 x 4.2 x 1.1
ISBN: 0425224007
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.0850806
EAN: 9780425224007
ASIN: 0425224007
Publication Date: August 5, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: PERFECT CONDITION, FAST SHIPPING!
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Product Description
Four all-new stories of forbidden passion and dark desire.
You never forget your first blood...Susan Sizemore returns to the universe of her Laws of the Blood novels with a sizzling story of the relationship between a vampire enforcer and a werewolf.
Erin McCarthys Sasha Checkikov flees the bright lights and dangerous slayers of Vegas for New Orleans, where she is saved by a vampire haunted by his pastand hungry for passion.
Set in the Vampire Babylon world, Chris Marie Greens story puts the bond between twin female vampires to the test when one of them falls for her prey.
Meljean Brooks vampire Annie Gallagher needs help to save a young human girl, but she doesnt expect the help to come from the FBI agent she lovedand had to give up when she was transformed.
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| Customer Reviews:
4 1/2 stars solid vampire anthology October 8, 2008
First Blood by Susan Sizemore, Erin McCarthy Chris Marie Green and Meljean Brook
**** 1/2 stars
Usually with anthologies the reads are uneven or do not maintain a consistent theme. All of the authors wrote stories which were well thought out and got this reader involved! In this anthology all these stories were good to excellent reads. The theme of each involves vampires in the Urban Fantasy genre.
Susan Sizemore's Cave Canem is a continuation of her vampire Enforcer series. This story mentions some of her previous characters but is really focused on the hero and heroine. Conover is a vampire and Tess is a werewolf. Since both groups have a history of animosity there is a lot of tension. To find a thief they must work together and they, of course, are strongly attracted to each other. Their relationship is very believable. This story was really interesting to read because it adds another layer to the history of Susan Sizemore's Enforcer series, back to Roman times when Conover was a gladiator. And for those who love the series, you won't be disappointed; it kinda reminded me of scenes of Russell Crowe in Gladiator. There are flashbacks to Rome and these glimpses of the past are always fascinating. In previous Enforcer stories between vampires the pairing is bittersweet but this one ends on a very high note. I enjoyed reading it and hope she continues writing more of this series!
Russian Roulette by Erin McCarthy
Erin McCarthy already has 2 vampire series out. This story is not as light-hearted like her Vegas series. Sasha is a beautiful woman who has been newly turned into a vampire. She has been abused by her vampire husband and being held against her will by more vampires. Suffice to say she really doesn't like them! However, who should come to her rescue her but another vampire that she is very attracted to.....These two have a very convincing relationship and Alistair (her rescuer) is very patient with her history of trauma. Both had a great chemistry but the ending seemed somewhat anticlimactic. I understand why the author wanted the heroine to stand up for herself but unfortunately it seemed somewhat tacked on.
Double the Bite by Chris Marie Green
This story is very solid read. I was a bit skeptical since I had read this author's previous book and not been able to involve myself in the storyline. In this book, that was not the case. Both characters are deadly hunters. Ginny is a vampire and Ben is part of a force determined to exterminate vampires. Ben is attracted to Ginny but doesn't know the human murders are not due to Ginny but her twin Geneva. They are able to overcome these misunderstandings during a fast and furious relationship. A very thrilling read. But as with many Urban fantasies there is always some plot twist that is unexpected. I won't give away the ending, it makes sense, but I had mixed feelings.
Thicker Than Blood by Meljean Brooks
Meljean Brook's books always have a lot of depth and insight. Since her books tend to be thicker than most authors I wondered if this short might too short for her. This was not the case, amazingly enough this had tons of back story which I loved! This story was my favorite of the bunch. Annie is a vampire who left her fiancee once she turned. I really felt the angst between the 2 characters. Jack has tried to move on with his live but without Annie he is lost. By chance Annie finds Jack and they team up to find a little girl. The joy I felt when both of the characters finally accepted each other.... All I can say is this was a wonderful, satisfying read.
Reviewed by Steph at Bookaholics Romance Book Club
 Love is much like a wild rose, beautiful and calm, but willing to draw blood in its defense.- Mark Overby August 14, 2008
9 out of 9 found this review helpful
This is a paranormal anthology containing 4 stories by 4 authors about vampires, demons, werewolves and a few others.
Cave Canem by Suzanne Sizemore - Someone has stolen a hellhound. A vampire enforcer and a witchy werewolf team up to find the dog.
This story is part of a series and I admit to being a little lost and confused at times. It wasn't written so a newbie could easily follow along.
3 Stars
Russian Roulette by Erin McCarthy - Once a vampire slayer, newly turned vampire, Sasha, finds herself in trouble in New Orleans. She is rescued by a vampire named Alistair and together they try to keep Sasha safe.
This is a story that is linked to a series, Vegas Vampires, but written in a way that the reader would not be lost. I am a huge Erin McCarthy fan and I was loving every minute of this story...until the end. The ending was extremely rushed and very anticlimactic.
3 stars
Double the Bite by Chris Marie Green - Trying to find answers to his brothers death, police deputy Ben Tyree finds himself in New York city and at the mercy of two twin vampires, one good and one a little evil.
This is also apparently part of a series, but written in a way that I was not lost at all. A dark and sensuous tale, this sexy book was emotionally deep and very entertaining.
4 stars
Thicker Than Blood by Meljean Brooks - Annie is a vampire and is looking for a missing human child that is in her care. She finds unexpected help from the man she had to leave behind when she was made vampire.
Definitely the highlight of this book, this story was by far my favorite. The characters are well developed and the storyline captivating. Watching Annie come face to face with the human life she had to leave behind was heartbreaking and very real.
5 stars
Erin McCarthy is the reason I bought this book as I have never read anything by the other authors. The book was good, not great, and the last two stories were the best of the bunch, to me. There weren't any stories that I didn't enjoy but like all anthologies definitely stories I enjoyed a lot more than others. This is a decent collection of stories about our blood thirsty friends.
Cherise Everhard, August 2008
Take a quick trip to the vampire worlds of Brook, Green, Sizemore and McCarthy August 10, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
This quartet of vampire `quickies' take advantage of the authors' established universes. My favorites were the stories by McCarthy and Brook. I admit I might be a bit biased because I follow both McCarthy's Vegas Vamps and Brook's Guardian series, but I thought that they did the best job of telling their stories in the novella length space.
"Cave Canem" - when two Hellhound pups are stolen, Dan, who for centuries has been the protector of the Hellhounds after making a vow to their mother, will need his skills as vampire enforcer to find the pups. Werewolf Tess' duty is also tied to the missing hounds, it is the job of her clan to make sure their full demonic potential is never unleashed on the world. Though at odds on how to resolve the hellhound problem -- at least one of the pups is living up to its evil potential and killing humans and drinking their souls -- Dan and Tess experience an unexpected connection even though werewolves and vampires are normally not attracted to each other and they do not become mates. 3.5 stars - This was an okay story, the hellhound history was interesting though some readers may find it squicky. But Dan and Tess' hookup and a secondary romance worked into the story really would have benefited from a bit more space than what's allotted here. I haven't read Susan Sizemore's Laws of the Blood series, but I suspect that fans may recognise Valentine and Olympias who have cameo roles -- they have the feel of characters that the reader is expected to know -- which will likely make this story more fun for you if you follow the series.
"Russian Roulette" - New Orleans vampire musician and bar owner Alistar, takes a risk to rescue a kidnapped newbie vampire Sasha from certain death. A vampire slayer before her turning, Sasha is slated to be given over to her former allies. Alistar soon discovers that he's not getting any gushing gratitude for his efforts to save Sasha. Sasha has not had a easy or pleasant life and doesn't trust easily but Alistar is a truly nice and decent guy and takes care with this damaged, attractive, intelligent survivor. 4.5 stars - A spin off from Erin McCarthy's Vegas vampire series, I really liked this story. The relationship between the pair is grown nicely and I loved both Sasha and Alistar. But I do wish it had been a bit longer because the extremely short time frame, only two days, is really too short for Alistar to have overcome the weight of Sasha's abusive past.
"Double the Bite" - Disillusioned police detective Ben heads to the Big Apple to try and get closure on the exsanguination murder of his idealized older brother. Ben is haunted by the final image of his dead sibling and the blissful expression so out of sync with the violent death. Ben's search for the killer leads him to twin vampiresses and knowledge of a world that he never expected existed. Ben fascinates the eldest twin Ginny who is drawn to his noble core as she invades his innermost thoughts and he is equally enchanted by her and the dark promise of her bite. But her twin Geneva won't tolerate any one challenging the bond with her sister and Ben may not survive her jealousy. 3 stars - This was my least favorite of the stories. The twins are refugees Green's Vampire Babylon Hollywood and though these books are in my TBR pile I haven't gotten to them yet. I didn't really care for the stereotypic debauchery of the vampires in this universe and the darker undertones of Ben's desire kept me from being pulled into his relationship with Ginny, though I liked the ending.
"Thicker than Blood" - Annie and a Jack were in love and on the verge of being lovers before Annie's death. But Annie didn't stay dead, she became a vampire but her shame with the unavoidable side effects of her blood hunger kept her away from Jack until she follows a stranger that reminds her of her beloved and the broken man actually turns out to be Jack. Jack lost everything when he lost Annie, and now that he has her back he will let nothing neither her bloodlust or the demon who is try to wipe out every vampire in the city keep him from Annie ever again. 4.5 stars - Meljean Brook's Guardian series tie-in was my favorite of the four stories. Her story actually makes the most effective use of this short format mostly because she takes advantage of an established connection between her leads. This one works so well because of the depth of Annie and Jack's previous history and love they already had for each other. I am not sure whether a reader new to the series will pick up on everything that the fans bring to the story, because Annie lets Jack figure out her secrets for himself. Fans will also appreciate the cameos by Lilith and Guardian Jake (who's up next in Demon Bound).
 fine vampire romantic suspense collection August 7, 2008
2 out of 4 found this review helpful
"Cave Cane" by Susan Sizemore. In the Laws of the Blood universe, vampire law enforcer Dan Conover and werewolf Tess Sirella form a reluctant team seeking to rescue kidnapped pups.
"Russian Roulette" by Erin McCarthy. After losing her "day" job, former vampire slayer born again vampire Sasha Checkikov flees Vegas for New Orleans in order to jump start her undead life, but needs rescuing by vampire Alistair Kirk.
"Double the Bite," by Chris Marie Green. In the Vampire Babylon world, twin vampires stalk mortal Ben Tyree until one of the siblings Ginny falls in love while her sister claims ownership of the human.
"Thicker Than Blood" by Meljean Brook. When Annie Gallagher was human she loved FBI Agent Jack Harrington; but when she became a vampire she gave him up though she still loves him. Now they team up to rescue an abducted young girl.
Vampire romantic suspense fans will enjoy biting into these four well written novellas; with the added treat of the return visits by fans of Ms. Sizemore and Ms. Green to their renowned realms.
Harriet Klausner
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