Stacia Kane - Downside Series

Good news for all the fans of Stacia Kane's Downside series. Book four
Read the PVN review of book one below:


Unholy Ghosts (Downside Ghosts, Book 1)
by Stacia Kane
Del Rey; Original edition (May 25, 2010)


Unholy Ghosts is a dark, mesmerizing tale with a heroine, Chess Putnam, who has always felt different and alone. She stumbles through life and gets through the hours with a wide assortment of drugs. Her only true haven, the one place she feels safe, is at the Church of Real Truth. This is an organization that preaches "there is no god". The Church runs the country since the horrific time when the dead rose and walked the earth destroying the living in their wake.

After a blistering upbringing in a series of foster homes, each one more horrible than the last, the Church took an interest in her because she had the valuable gift of magic. She was shown how to enhance her powers and began working for the Church as a Debunker.

A true haunting is rare anymore now that the church is in control, but there are often people willing to run a a con hoping they can make the Church pay them money. That's where Debunkers like Chess come in. She can feel the power when a ghost is involved and knows how to use her magic to exorcise it. She can also easily spot a hoax.

Chess does her job reasonably well. The pay isn't great but it keeps her supplied with drugs. Too bad her dealer decides to quadruple the amount she owes him and informs her that the only way she can pay off her debt is by doing a dangerous job for him - get rid of whatever is haunting the small airport just outside of town. He needs it for his business.

Terrible, yes, that's his name, is a big, muscular guy with a sacred face and broken nose. He is designated as her body guard. Chess doesn't care much for him but overtime she changes her mind. He is fearless in guarding her even in the face of strong, spine-chilling black magic.

It took me several pages to get into this story, but at some point in the second chapter I became hooked. Chess may not be a character to admire, but she has a deep vulnerability that makes you care what happens to her. The character of Terrible as well as Lex, another fearsome man in her, life are just as vividly depicted. The action sequences, and the plot, are so well done I scribbled in my notes, "at times I feel like I'm watching a 3-D Cinemax movie. I was completely captivated."

Lots of darkness pervades this story yet there are rays of something like hope for Chess and the others. Life may actually be worth living. I can't think of enough great things to say about Unholy Ghosts. It is Urban Fantasy with a difference.

Sequels:

Unholy Magic (Downside Ghosts, Book 2)
Del Rey (July 6, 2010)

City of Ghosts (Downside Ghosts, Book 3)
Del Rey (July 27, 2010)

Barbara Bretton's Paranormal series

Something you should know about Barbara Bretton (besides being an excellent writer) is that she is a an avid knitter who has also been known to pick up a crochet hook from time to time. In the Sugar Maple Chronicles, Chloe Hobbs, the heroine, owns a yarn shop, Stick & Strings,  gives knitting workshops, and gets to open sumptuous boxes of the loveliest yarns. This shop and its owner are rather extraordinary.

The setting is the charming Vermont town of Sugar Maple, a place surrounded by magic. All sorts of paranormals reside - ghosts, troll, vampires, werewolves, shapeshifters, fae, etc. To the many human tourists, however, it remains simply a lovely place populated by extraordinarily good-looking people. (Chloe bears a strong resemblance to Uma Thurman).

As the first novel begins Chloe, a half human, has yet to come into the powers left to her by her sorceress mother. Complicating everything is Chloe's love for the fully human police detective Luke MacKenzie.

Book one is Casting Spells (Berkley, 2008). This novel sets the stage for what comes in the following Laced with Magic (Berkley, 2009) and Spun By Sorcery (Berkley, 2010)

In Laced with Magic the evil Isadora returns threatening to seize Sugar Maple and move it to another realm. Chloe had banished her once before in Casting Spells but this powerful fae is not ready to give up. She has harnessed her powers and is ready to battle Chloe by using the spirit of Luke's dead daughter as bait. Spun By Sorcery continues where Magic leaves off. The town of Sugar Maple has disappeared. A forest remains in its place as if it had never existed. Chloe immediately suspects Isadora, but her friend Janice does not agree and neither does Luke. Only a trip to Salem, MA will sort out this problem.

Each book has knitting patterns and advice as an appendix from Barbara and her knitting fanatic pals. Lots of fun. I am such a beginner at this craft yet when reading Chloe's chapters her love for it comes through so strongly that I want to pick up my needles and make something - something simple of course. Usually I put that off because the story is so engrossing that I don't want to stop reading. I have yet to find a way to do both things as once.

Note: Book four Spells and Stiches will be out in December of this year.

Review of Casting Spells

Review of Laced with Magic

Justin Gustainis Author of Hard Spell - Contest

A few days ago I posted a review of Hard Spell (Occult Crimes Unit Investigation) by Justin Gustainis, a favorite author of mine in the UF genre.

As a special treat for PVN readers Justin is offering a copy of this terrific new novel to one lucky commeter.
[see contest details at end of post]

To wet your appetite read the following excerpt:

FROM "HARD SPELL"

     We got a radio call that a female vamp was using Influence on some of the customers at Susie B's, our local lesbian bar.  A lot of vampires have powers of fascination.   That "Look into my eyes" stuff you see on TV is real, although it’s exaggerated – like everything else on TV.  Despite what you hear, Influence can't take away somebody's free will — but a proficient vamp can weaken it quite a bit.  And sometimes, that’s all they need.

     Karl and I dropped in at the bar and talked to the owner, Barbara Ann, who’d called in the complaint.  She wasted no time pointing out the bloodsucker among her clientele.  "She's the one at the corner table sitting by herself — but she won't be alone for long," Barbara Ann said.

     We went to have a word with the young lady (who was probably neither very young nor much of a lady), ignoring the hostile glances from some of the other customers.  Men aren't popular in Susie B's, and cops even less so.

     The vamp said her name was Lucretia.  It might even have been true — she had an old-country Italian look about her: midnight-black hair, dark eyes, pale skin, and red, red lips.  Nice tits, too – for a vamp.

     I was surprised that she found it necessary to use Influence in order to get laid – here, or anyplace else.  Of course, she was probably in the habit of using her beautiful mouth for more than cunnilingus.  Most ladies who’ll happily spend a few hours trading orgasms with another woman will draw the line when it comes to giving up a few pints of the red stuff.

     Karl and I took turns explaining to Lucretia that the law prohibits the use of Influence to secure consent for any kind of transaction, whether sexual, commercial, or vampiric.

     “I really don’t know what you’re talking about, officers,” she said, all wide-eyed innocence.  “I wouldn’t do a thing like that.  Now I think you should both leave.”  Her words seemed to echo inside my head, and she looked right at me as she said them, those coal-black eyes burning into mine irresistibly....

     She must have been pretty old.  Her Influence was strong.  I actually felt my feet begin to move under my chair, before my will reasserted itself and made them stop.  If I’d had any doubts that Miss Lucretia been using her power improperly, they’d just been staked, but good.

     I smiled at her and shook my head.  “Nice try, Vampirella, but no sale.”

     Our police training includes the use of deep hypnosis to make us immune to that kind of stuff, and we get boosters twice a year. 

     Then, mostly to see what would happen, I said, "You know, I don't think Vollman would approve of you taking advantage of people this way.  It doesn't exactly reflect well on your kind, does it?"

     Her heart-shaped face grew very still.  "You know Mister Vollman?" she asked, in a tight, quiet voice she hadn't used before.

     "Sure," Karl said, with a shrug.  He'd picked up on what I was doing.  "We do favors for him sometimes – and vice versa."

     "You don't want us to ask him for a favor that has your name on it, do you, honey?" I said gently.

     She shook her head stiffly.  In a quick rush of words she said, "No, I'm sorry, I won't do it any more, I have to go now, g’night."

     She stood up and quickly walked out of the place, without once glancing back in our direction.

     "Guess Vollman wasn't shitting us," Karl said, as he watched the beautiful vamp's departure.  Maybe he was checking her ass for clues.

     "Nope," I said, and pushed my chair back.  "Looks like he really is The Man."

 CONTEST

* Justin is offering a copy of Hard Spell to one lucky reader.

* Leave a comment for Justin about this post for a chance to win.
 
* Be sure contact information is included with your comment.

* Contest ends August 5, 2011 at 11:59pm EST

* Contest is international!

Applewood - Vampire Book Review

Applewood   
by Brendan P. Myers
By Light Unseen Media, May 2011


[a review by Sandy Rainey]

The smart vampire thriller Applewood, by relative newcomer Brendan P. Myers, has a lot of appeal built into its DNA. At times it will remind the reader of  'Salem's Lot, The Lost Boys, and even the brand-new movie Super 8, which could not possibly have been an influence considering its release date relative to the novel's. I mention these narrative kinfolk not to imply that Applewood is some sort of ho-hum derivative, but to entice more readers into giving this strong effort a chance. In the words of the old Alka-Seltzer commercial: Try it, you'll like it!

The novel is off to a quick start with the discovery of a horribly mutilated corpse in the Massachusetts town of Grantham. The local authorities presume that the damage to the body was done by wild animals—except for Sergeant "Moon" Lombard, who knows a vampire mauling when he sees one. Moon gives the signal, and a tight-knit group of friends from junior high days, long since scattered to the winds, reassembles to confront the danger that bitter experience has equipped them to recognize. One of the friends who answers the call is Scott Dugan, the novel's principal viewpoint character. He returns to his old suburban neighborhood, Applewood, now a rotting and utterly deserted ruin. And his thoughts spool back to that distant junior high time when a plague of nightmare creatures wiped Applewood right off the map.

The bulk of the novel is an extended flashback to those long-ago years, and the late-70s vibe is so tangible you could swear you were there again. (It is the age of the protagonists, their relationships with one another, and the historical and pop culture references that invite comparisons with Super 8, and Myers' handling of the period details compares nicely with that of Abrams and Spielberg.) You need not, however, be a child of the 70s to relate to the experiences of Dugan and his friends: dealing with the loss of a parent, the heartache of first love, the menace of a gang of bullies, the terror of not fitting in—these are the universal rites of passage so faithfully recreated here. The dialog is right on pitch, and Myers' young protagonists react to situations with adolescent authenticity. As we get to know Dugan and his pals, we come to care very much about them. This is Myers' secret weapon, one reason we keep turning the pages as fast as we can.

The other reason? Myers has constructed a tight plot that dashes along at top speed. When three of the boys' classmates turn up missing and the town cemetery is desecrated, strange things start to happen. One by one, the town's citizens begin to disappear. Pooling their knowledge, Dugan and his friends begin to piece together what has happened. A local history project proves invaluable in zeroing in on the threat (Kids: do your history homework!). It turns out that Grantham's Civil War hero, Colonel Alexander Pope, came back from the war a changed man, and brought home a lot more than old war stories. Somehow that old danger was laid to rest; somehow it has come back to life. Knowing that no one will believe their story (if there is even anyone left to lend a hand!), the boys strike out alone to combat a powerful and rapidly expanding evil that threatens to swallow their town and everyone in it.

There are three distinct time frames in the novel, and the reader might wish Myers had spent more time fleshing out the Civil War-era scenes, as well as wrapping up the present-day face-off of the old gang against their long-time nemesis. (To be fair, Myers may be planning a sequel.) But these are minor quibbles. Myers has crafted a suspenseful story alive with period detail and populated with authentic, relatable characters. His is a talented  voice with a lot to offer a genre that can always use an infusion of new blood. 

Sandy Rainey, July 2011

Hard Spell - Urban Fantasy Book Review

Hard Spell (Occult Crimes Unit Investigation)
by Justin Gustainis
Angry Robot Books, July 26, 2011

Scranton, PA is home to an assortment of supernatural creatures - weres , vampires, trolls, witches, etc - mostly due to the confluence of magical ley lines that run through the city. Detective Sergeant Stanly Markowski and his partner Kurt Renfer are assigned to the squad that investigate crimes involving "supes". It is the wise cracking Stan who narrates this gripping, humor laced, urban fantasy, crime novel. He works closely with members of SWAT  (Sacred Weapons And Tactics unit) and always carries a crucifix, wooden stakes, a large vial of holy water, and a 9 mm Beretta with silver bullets. You can't be too careful!

Stan and Kurt's most recent case involves the wizard George Kulick who suffered brutal torment before finally being murdered. The killer wanted something very badly, but what? After intense investigation the case goes nowhere. Stan decides to enlist the help of  a friend, Rachel Proctor, a witch and licensed practitioner of magic. He convinces her to use her knowledge to contact the dead victim which means using the dangerous art of necromancy. Rachel's reluctance was a reasonable response especially considering the terrible consequences that can occur and unfortunately do.

Help of a sort comes from an unexpected source. An elegant, older gentleman by the name of Ernst Vollman, who also happens to be a vampire and a wizard, introduces himself to Stan. He doesn't know who killed Kulick, but he is certain he knows why. This is the lead the cops have been waiting for.

There is a "noir" edge to this entertaining story.

"This is the city - Scranton, Pennsylvania... My name is Markowski. I carry a badge."

Hard Spell is fun to read from start to finish and is book one in a promising new series. I look forward to more adventures with Stan and the variety of fascinating characters he works with, lives with and fights.

Read an excerpt

Black Heart Loa by Adrian Phoenix - Publication Celebration and Contest

To celebrate the publication of Black Heart Loa by Adrian Phoenix PVN has been honored with a guest post by the hot and hunky Layne Valin who plays a very important part in the Hoodoo series. I love the long, blond dreads!!

There is also a contest with prizes for THREE lucky winners! [see details at end of post]

Many thanks to Layne (and Adrian) for the following:

Vessel for the Dead. Ghost ship. Spirit cabinet. Crazy

I’ve been called them all. And the only one that ain’t true—yet—is the crazy tag. But supposedly that’s my fate. The end of the road for all Vessels—insanity and/or a desperate, usually messy, suicide by the time you hit your late teens or early twenties.

Me, I’m twenty-five. And working hard on kicking fate’s ass.

So, hey. Good to meetcha. My name’s Layne Valin and I’m a Vessel for the Dead. (Laughs) And no, this ain’t a Vessels Anonymous meeting. No such thing since this ain’t an addiction—Vessels are born, not made, and death seems to be the only cure.

Most people don’t know that Vessels even exist, not even when trying to wrestle one into a straitjacket. A Vessel looks like anyone else—like you or your little brother or maybe your best friend—no way to spot one, not even when you’re the poor bastard trying to wrestle the tweaker into that goddamned straitjacket.

But to a wandering ghost, lost spirit, or a furious shade, human Vessels are one huge open door with a WELCOME sign winking above in moonlight-gilded neon. A never-ending invitation to the dead from the moment you’re born until the moment you die. A Vessel can’t refuse a ghost. Can’t turn them away. A Vessel has no say, period.

Most Vessels lose control of their bodies whenever a ghost slips inside, becoming little more than bound and gagged stowaways shanghaied by ethereal, uncrossed-over body pirates hoping to say goodbye to loved ones, to seek revenge for their murder, to finish a final task, or simply clinging to flesh out of denial, y’know? That paralyzing fear of the unknown.

You know what’s ironic? A possession’s most dangerous moment happens when the ghost splits the Vessel’s body. When the dead depart sometimes they hook into your memories—accidentally or otherwise—and unravel a few. Forever.

No say in ghosts taking over your body for whatever purpose and for whatever length of time until they cross over. Possible permanent personality meshing. Lost memories. Quite a few straws piling up on that insanity-camel’s back, yeah?

I aim to change all that. Hell, I am changing it. Just look at me. Twenty-five and I ain’t been wrestled into a straitjacket once. (Yeah, yeah. Don’t say it.) I’ve also learned that there is a way to communicate with our ghostly passengers, a way to work together.

I believe we’re born Vessels for a reason. And that reason ain’t insanity and suicide. I hope to pass the shit I’ve learned onto other Vessels, teach them how not only to survive intact, but to make a difference in someone’s life—even if they’re dead.

Sure, I think being born nomad, as well as a Vessel, gives me an edge over non-nomad (otherwise known as in-town squatters. I know sounds judgmental, and trust me, it is) Vessels. For those of you who don’t know, nomads are a pagan cross between Gypsies and outlaw bikers. We travel. We respect nature. We believe in the things most people no longer do: werewolves, vampires, elementals, old and young gods . . . ghosts.

And magic. I also believe that a certain hoodoo apprentice with black hair, café-au-lait skin and tilted violet eyes, fierce and compassionate and brimming with magic, a woman named Kallie Rivière, helps sharpen that edge.

Me, I’m hoping that together, Kallie and me, we can find a way to transform a curse into true destiny and fate into purpose. I’m also hoping for another taste of those soft lips. (Winks) Sure as hell can’t hurt.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Here’s the first chapter of Black Dust Mambo. (Hoodoo Book 1)

And the first two chapters of Black Heart Loa. (Hoodoo Book 2)

Black Heart Loa is also a July featured read on BN.com’s Paranormal and Urban Fantasy online book club!

And feel free to check out The Maker’s Song series (A Rush of Wings, In the Blood, Beneath the Skin, Etched in Bone—and in 2012, On Midnight Wings). 

Here’s the first chapter of A Rush of Wings.

You can also find Adrian at:

Website,  Facebook , Facebook Fan Page,  Twitter,  MySpace,  Goodreads
Dante's Club Hell Forum
Dante's Club Hell Yahoo Group
Pocket After Dark

CONTEST

* For the first prize Adrian is offering one signed set of the Hoodoo books (Black Dust Mambo and Black Heart Loa) to one reader.

*Two other winner's may choose from any one of Adrian's titles. (See http://adrianphoenix.com/ for a list.)

* Leave a comment for Layne or Adrian about this post for a chance to win.
 
* Be sure contact information is included with your comment.

* Contest ends August 2, 2011 at 11:59pm EST

* Contest is international!

Etched In Bone - Vampire Book Review

Etched in Bone (The Maker's Song)
by Adrian Phoenix
Pocket (February 22, 2011)

Etched in Bone brings together the threads forged by the three worlds vying to capture Dante for their own purposes: The Shadow Branch whose scientists experimented in an attempt to turn him into a psychotic killer; the vampire Nightkind who see him as the prophesied True Blood; and the Elohim who believe Dante to be the long awaited Creawdwr.

Dante's tortuous childhood has caused him continued physical and mental anguish. Some of those closest to him often fear for his sanity. At the same time Dante is like a young god coming of age as his supernatural powers increase. Although many seek to control Dante he is determined to forge his own path with the love of his life, Heather Wallace, at his side. Heather has bonded with Dante in a way no other has been able. Her touch is often the only thing that can bring him relief, and sometimes even that doesn't work.

The Maker's Song series should be read in publication order beginning with A Rush of Wings: Book One of The Maker's Song. Each succeeding book builds the story and fleshes out the many characters. Etched In Bone has a cliffhanger ending which makes waiting for the next installment of this engrossing urban fantasy very difficult. I can't recommend this series highly enough.


The Maker's Song

A Rush of Wings

In the Blood: Book
Beneath the Skin

Etched in Bone

Interview with Hellhound Lore & Contest Sponsored by Author Sharon Ashwood

PVN is delighted to welcome Lore, Alpha Hellhound of Fairview, a town of intense supernatural activity and the location of The Dark Forgotten series by Sharon Ashwood. Although Lore has appeared in all books of the series it is in the most recent, Frostbound, where readers get to know Lore, up close and personal.

[See contest info at end of post]

Lore, many thanks for taking time from your very busy schedule for this interview!

Hello, Patricia, and thank you for inviting me to PVN. 

Do you like being temporary sheriff of the supernatural community while Alessandro is out of town?

Yes and no. I get to beat up a lot of vampires. That’s entertaining. Despite working for Alessandro from time to time, hellhounds and vampires don’t get along all that well. We put in a hard day’s work, maybe grab a beer.  They’re all about the politics and fashion.

But I’m getting off topic. This is a busy time in Fairview. There’s an election on—the first time a non-human has stood for office—and a lot of people from out of town are showing up and causing trouble. And then there’s this freak snowstorm. And the free-floating evil, arson, and you know how it goes. Suddenly the calendar is fully booked.

What exactly does it mean being the Alpha Hellhound?

The Alpha is the pack leader and can be male or female. It is a position of great responsibility, because ensuring the pack’s welfare and happiness is your primary purpose. That could be anything from defeating an infestation of ghouls to setting up a baseball team. You are the go-to person for all decisions, great and small. There’s little time for a personal life, but it’s a great gig if you have control issues.

The biggest challenge I have is teaching the pack to fit into modern human society. We are newcomers here, and there are different customs to learn. For instance, I understand that taking females captive is not typical behavior in your society. There’s a new discovery every day.

Many PVN readers know little about Hellhounds. Would you tell us a bit about your group - anything you feel comfortable sharing.

Hellhounds were bred in ancient days from the guardians of the dead. We are half-demons and have power over all passages between one state and another, especially the ways between birth and death. We hunt down evil to keep those sacred roads safe. We can take the form of a hound or a human at will.

For the record, and because so many have asked, fleas are not a problem and no hellhound has ever drunk out of a toilet.

Why is it essential that as Alpha you choose a lifetime mate?

The hellhound belief is that there must be a strong, mated Alpha pair before a pack can breed. It is also believed that we reincarnate and seek out our mates from lifetime to lifetime. As Alpha, I am expected to take one of the females of the pack as my mate.

There are plenty of grandmothers in the pack who have nothing better to do than to play matchmaker. I swear they’ve got a betting pool going.  No place is safe from ambush.

I understand that it is impossible for Hellhounds to lie. Doesn't this sometimes cause uncomfortable moments?

Um, yes. More than I can say.

You also have a gift for prophecy. How does that manifest itself?

Usually in dreams, or sometimes with what humans call a migraine headache. I don’t find it a particularly helpful talent. For instance, last night I dreamed that I was cleaning the fridge and found a baby dragon in the vegetable crisper. Outside of the fact that maybe it’s past time to clean the fridge, what do I make of this? That dragons will eat all my carrots? I haven’t a clue.

There was a time when you ran a smuggling operation within the Castle. Why was that?

When the pack first escaped from the Castle, many were left behind. I was one of the few with the means to slip through the Castle entrance, and many goods are rare inside the Castle walls. Putting those two facts together, I saw an opportunity.

I bartered for the freedom of the lost hounds. A pair of shoes and a bottle of wine for a life. It was crazy. There was a danger that I would be recaptured, but I could not leave even the least of my pack behind. What kind of a leader would I be?

If it's not too painful would you mind describing life in the Castle?

The Castle is an ancient, interdimensional prison for supernatural creatures. The hounds were shut inside it thousands of years ago. It is a place of stone and torchlight, a lawless hell where demon warlords roam free and fight for territory. Many of them made us their slaves and soldiers. I did not see the sun or breathe free air until I was a grown man.

How is your friend Sylvius, a former incubus, adjusting to life outside the Castle?

My young friend has been recruited by a modelling agency. As a former love god who is not yet twenty years of age, I think he has a bright future in front of the camera.

Do you have a preference for which form you take - human or hound?

Both are entirely natural to me. I spend more time in human form, because so many tasks are easier that way. Opposable thumbs and all that. However, I do like to go out with friends and chase Frisbees if the weather is good.

What are your plans for the future?

The future is uncertain. I have met a beautiful vampire named Talia Rostova. At first, I thought she was a killer and took her prisoner. I’m still not sure if she’s innocent, and I can’t let her go until I know the truth. Honestly, I suspect she’s in more trouble than she’s admitting. I know it’s against every hellhound law, but what would be the harm in getting to know her a little better? If I could convince her to trust me, I might be able to help her.

Tell us about your Boswell  - Sharon Ashwood.

She’s patient and works hard, but she’s only a human. It would help if she had superpowers.  Then she could write our stories down much faster. She’s also slow in other ways. I had to keep at her and at her to write my story. I had to be, pardon the reference, like a dog with a bone! But once readers started asking for my story, she finally got with the program.

Anything else you would like to add?

If anyone is interested in Frostbound, but has not read the rest of the series, please know that this book can be read as a stand-alone novel. If you like it, you can catch up with the others afterward.



Excerpt of Frostbound

CONTEST

*Leave a comment on the blog to win one of the Sharon Ashwood's Dark Forgotten books—reader’s choice.

     Ravenous: The Dark Forgotten
     
     Scorched: The Dark Forgotten

     Unchained: The Dark Forgotten

     Frostbound: The Dark Forgotten

*Be sure to leave contact information.

*This contest is open internationally.

*Contest ends June 22, 2011



Visit Sharon's website to read excerpts and see the trailers!
 




Trailer for Frostbound

Hot Hellhound Alert!

On Wed. June 15 Lore, the fabulous Hellhound featured in Sharon Ashwood's Frostbound, will be visiting PVN for a fun filled interview.

In addition Sharon will offer a book from her Dark Forgotten series to one lucky reader!

Read a review of Frostbound

Save the Date - June 15, 2011

Anno Dracula - Vampire Book Review

To celebrate the tenth anniversary of the publication of Kim Newman's Anno Dracula Titan Books has reissued this classic novel which posits the question, what if the Count (as imagined by Bram Stoker) had survived?

Below is my review written when the book was first released.

Anno Dracula

Newman offers a vivid recreation of the Victorian era, but with a sly twist. Jack the Ripper prowls Whitechapel killing prostitutes in a most brutal manner. But, as it turns out, this madman is Jack Seward, one of the vampire hunters known to devotee’s of Bram Stoker’s Dracula. In Newman’s universe, however, Seward and his pals, Harker and Van Helsing, are defeated by Dracula. This Prince of Wallachia,  also known as Vlad Tepes is now Prince Consort, Lord Protector and, husband to Queen Victoria. For the elite of society it becomes important to cultivate prominent vampire friends of the Prince, and if possible to convince one of these creatures to “turn” them. This social game goes on at all levels. Even the prostitutes killed by Jack the Ripper are vampires - although a diseased, sickly variety -  whose lives remain as hellish as before.
   
There are many characters mixed up in the race to find the Ripper and stop the killings. Among these are two of note, one a “warm” police detective, McKenzie, who does his duty while cringing at the brutality of Dracula’s minions, and the other, Kostaki, a soldier companion of the Prince who “turned” at the same time, and goes about doing Dracula’s bidding - impaling still the  punishment of choice.  Yet in their efforts to track the Ripper, Kostaki and McKenzie find a grudging respect for one another.  Kostaki even demonstrates a glimmer of a conscience reawakened through his association with the mortal detective.
  
One of the most charming characters in recent vampire fiction is Genevieve,  who received her dark kiss 500 years before, making her even older than Vlad Tepes. This gives her a bit of an advantage in society for among vampires age is greatly revered. She works as a nurse among the poor, a ministering angel loved by warms and vampires alike. It is she along with her mortal lover Beauregard, who must in the end confront the evil Prince Dracula.
  
This story engages on many levels. Besides being literate and witty it describes the social swirls that pervaded the late nineteenth century. Newman  also gathers an ensemble of Victorian characters - historical and fictional. Part of the fun of reading this novel is seeing where they will pop up.  The author has created an engrossing, entertaining story that will appeal to a wide variety of readers. (A shorter, earlier version of this story appeared under the title Red Reign in the anthology, The Mammoth Book of Vampires, edited by Stephen Jones.) Review by Patricia Altner.
                                               

[Kim Newman wrote about the inspiration for Anno Dracula on Io9.com]

Frostbound - Vampire/Urban Fantasy Book Review

Frostbound: The Dark Forgotten
by Sharon Ashwood
Signet (June 7, 2011)

In the Urban Fantasy genre brimming with tales of kick butt heroines, Sharon Ashwood has managed to create something unique with the Dark Forgotten series. Yes, her heroines know how to strongly motivate others, but so do her heroes. Each book has a paranormal hero and heroine but never the same main characters twice. Primary characters become secondary in succeeding stories which means each book can stand on its own, but, as with most series, you get a better taste of the author's imaginary world and its populace by reading the novels in order.

Lore is the Alpha male leader of the Hellhounds. These half demon creatures bred to protect and serve can assume the hound or human form. They also have another special trait. It is impossible for any one of them to tell a lie. To help out in tight conversational situations Lore has learned the art of dissembling.

To insure good behavior on the part of the nonhuman population of Fairview, aka supernatural central the handsome vampire Alesandro Caravelli (Ravenous) was named sheriff. Now, however, Lore has been temporarily deputized to take Alesandro's place while he, his witchy wife Holly, and their baby daughter take a much needed vacation. Naturally this is the time when anything that can go wrong does. A freak snowstorm hits town closing all the roads; tensions are already high because for the first time a nonhuman (in this case a vampire) is running in the municipal elections; worst of all is the appearance of a necromancer who has used a blood sacrifice to carry out his malevolent plan.

A beautiful, young (human) woman who lives in Lore's building is brutally murdered by decapitation. The main suspect is Talia Rostova, the woman's look-alike cousin who happens to be a vampire. To prove her innocence Talia reluctantly agrees to accept Lore's help in tracking down the killer. But she also keeps from him a dark secret from her past that might be linked to the killing.

Magic plays an important part in many of the strange manifestations (even for the supernaturally charged town of Fairview) that occur.

Lore and Talia have an immediate attraction for each other although neither wants to admit it. Soon enough in the midst of solving a tangled mystery they fall in love. There aren't a lot of bedroom scenarios in Ashwood's books, but those that appear definitely sizzle. The lovemaking between Lore and Talia is no exception.

Frostbound is a wonderful blend of adventure, mystery and romance. I have enjoyed all the books in the Dark Forgotten series. I truly hope there will be many more.

[This book was sent to me by the author. Thank you, Sharon]