Guest Post: Katie Salidas

Girl (Vampire) Power!  

In a lot of love stories you see the same thing, the alpha male has to protect and win over the female lead of the story. I’m not saying there is anything wrong with that, but I wanted to turn things around a little. It’s fun to shake up the system and see things from another angle.

In Karma & Melodies (one of the stories in the Vampire Bites anthology), I give the girl the role of the vampire. Ultimately, it is Kendra who will decide her and Marcus’s fate.

The concept of that really spoke to my somewhat feminist side. Don’t get me wrong, I’m no militant feminist. I just like to see women in positions to use their strength. Its empowering seeing a woman with brains, strength, and skills in a leading role. And that’s exactly why I wanted to explore this with Kendra. She has the capability to be all of these things. But, it is something Kendra has to learn she has within. It’s part of her character arc. Even though she is a vampire, she is still vulnerable. Her master, Hector, is a force to be reckoned with. Throughout her last ten years as a vampire, Hector has consistently broken her down and made her feel weak and powerless. When we start the story, she is just that, but through her reunion with Marcus, she begins to see just how strong she can be. And to be able to freely love Marcus, she will have to face Hector and destroy him.

So, in essence, Kendra must take up the mantle, albeit reluctantly, of the Alpha Female, and learn how to use her own strength and smarts to get what she wants, and to keep her man safe.

But don’t you worry, you die hard romance lovers, I didn’t want the leading male to be a wuss. Though human, and powerless against a vampire, Marcus has his own strength (and a hot body too). 

So, while this is a romance between a vampire and a human, it is also so much more. It’s an entertaining and I hope, empowering tale of strength, and love. 

And that’s only one of the three stories in the Vampire Bites anthology. =) 

If you’d like to check out any of my work, including Vampire Bites stop by www.katiesalidas.com and read a sample or two. If you like what you see, all of my novels and novellas are available in every ebook format! 

Search for me on any of your favorite ebook retailer’s website.
Amazon.com

Amazon UK
Barnes & Noble
Smashwords 

About the Author

Katie Salidas is a Super Woman! Endowed with special powers and abilities, beyond those of mortal women, She can get the munchkin off to gymnastics, cheerleading, Girl Scouts, and swim lessons. She can put hot food on the table for dinner while assisting with homework, baths, and bedtime… And, She still finds the time to keep the hubby happy (nudge nudge wink wink). She can do all of this and still have time to write.

And if you can believe all of those lies, there is some beautiful swamp land in Florida for sale…

Katie Salidas resides in Las Vegas, Nevada. Mother, wife, and author, she does try to do it all, often causing sleep deprivation and many nights passed out at the computer. Writing books is her passion, and she hopes that her passion will bring you hours of entertainment.

You can find Katie at her website, Facebook, LinkedIn or Twitter

NEXT STOP OF THE BLOG TOUR

July 21 – Coffee Table Reviews 

FULL SCHEDULE OF BLOG TOUR

The Bookish Snob Promotions

And don't forget the final stop of the fabulous blog tour

Teaser Tuesday: The Tudor Throne

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

Grab your current read

Open to a random page

Share two "teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page!

That was enough to tell me that these were the ingredients of a new stew Northumberland was brewing. Better to stay here, safe in my bed, I reasoned, and contemplate the position of the pieces on the chessboard of the nation before I made my move.~pg. 169

Review: Vampire Bites by Katie Salidas

Vampire Bites
by Katie Salidas
Available Now
Publisher: Rising Sign Books, LLC
Source: The Bookish Snob Promotions
Format: e-Book

Vampire Bites consists of three novellas by Katie Salidas. The first novella, House of Immortal Pleasures, was my favorite of the three. Daphne has just come out of a bad relationship and her friends want her to get back on the wagon and fulfill a few of her fantasies. They take her to the House of Immortal Pleasures, a vampire brothel. There she meets Connor who after a little coaxing does fulfill every fantasy she has had. This is Connor’s last night (unless his pimp, Alexander, has anything to say) as a slave to the House of Immortal Pleasures and after meeting Daphne is more than ready to resume his normal life.

The next novella, Karma & Melodies, is the story of Kendra who has been turned by a very nasty vampire and she finally is able to break free. On the run she seeks out Marcus, the lead singer of Normal Paradox, who she has carried a torch for. Unbeknownst to her, he has loved her also. Now that she is back in his life, Marcus and his bandmates are in danger from her sire.

The last novella, Halloween Fantasies, is full of moments when you might need a fan to cool off. Sasha dresses up as a vampire hunter and attends a party with her friend. She meets a very sexy vampire, Dante and his brother, Trevor (also a vampire). Her friend who is not into vampires passes on Trevor and since Dante doesn’t want him left out, he requests that he join him and Sasha.

This a very adult only read. I didn’t find anything unique but all are quick, fun, steamy reads. 

Rating: 3 STARS-Good

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*Book was provided free by author through The Bookish Snob Promotions as part of a blog tour. This has in no way influenced by review and my opinions are my own.

Review: Hunger by Karen E. Taylor

Hunger
by Karen E. Taylor
Series: The Vampire Legacy, Books 1 & 2
Available Now
Publisher: Kensington Publishing Corp.
Format: Print

Source: Publisher

Hunger consists of two books, Blood Secrets and Bitter Blood (originally published 1994). I have tried not to include spoilers but the second book, Bitter Blood does contain a few from Blood Secrets.

In Blood Secrets we are introduced to Deidra Griffin, owner of Griffin Designs. She is a vampire that has been around for 100+ years. She has never met her maker and has lived her entire existence thinking she was the only vampire around.  Ten years ago she met a man named Max and she shared her secret with him. Max now the owner of Ballroom of Romance has helped Deidra with her undead life by supplying donors for her. Deidra has always struggled with the taking of blood from her victims. She abhors it but knows she must otherwise she turns into a crazed animal. Murder begin happening around her and usually they are her latest donors. The victims are found drained of blood with two puncture wounds in their neck. The lead detective Mitchell Greer falls hard for Deidra and Deidra for him but she is the main suspect right now. Deidra knows that she isn’t the murderer but now she definitely she isn’t the only vampire out there and she must find him first. In the end it is the ultimate betrayal that opens Deidra’s eyes to the violence that a vampire can really bring upon those around them.

In Bitter Blood we flash forward to two years later. Deidra has left town and is currently living in England starting a new life. She has left Mitch behind and hopes that he will move on with his life. She is still haunted by the betrayal of Max and the horrors of what Larry did. But now Chris, Mitch’s son has come pleading for Deidra to come home. Mitch needs her help. He is being tormented by vampires appearing to him and now he is an insane asylum. Deidra must face the past but in taking this step she now must face the The Cadre who will pass judgment upon Deidra for her hand in killing Max.

Hunger fell short for me. I didn’t connect with any of the characters and I found the main character Deidra very shallow and one dimensional. She doesn’t grow from book one to book two and I couldn't believe that she has lived over 100 years but still doesn't learn anything. She still can’t seem to come to grips with having to drink blood and for some reason she still just can’t believe that there are more vampires then just she. Mitch’s character is pretty typical. He is absolutely in love with Deidra and flies off the handle every time she speaks to another man. I found that I was able to guess who the bad guy was so in the end it wasn’t much of a revelation. Very PG-13 for the most part and just didn’t work for me.

Rating: 2 STARS-Alright

PURCHASE HUNGER

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*Book was received free from publisher in hopes of an honest review. It has in no way influenced my review and my opinions are my own.

Review: Crusade by Nancy Holder and Debbie Viguie

Crusade
by Nancy Holder and Debbie Viguie
Available Now
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Format: Hardcover
Source: Purchased

The Cursed Ones have come out, under the leadership of Solomon, and at first the proclaimed that they only wanted peace. But as time goes by, they start taking over and creating strongholds. Most countries have succumbed but others are training hunters and fighting back.

Father Juan has put together a very unique group to help defend humanity against The Cursed Ones. Normally a hunter hunts along but Father Juan is determined to change that. The members of Team Salamanca consist of Jenn and Antonio, Skye and Holgar, and Eriko and Jamie. Each have their own uniqueness that brings strengths to the team but it also brings weaknesses. Jenn is human and chose to train as a hunter against her family’s wishes. She is teamed up with Antonio, a Cursed One but one that is unique and fights on the side of good (swoon worthy!!). They are an item and are deeply in love with each other. Antonio fights every day with his evil side and unfortunately Jenn makes it harder for him to control that side. Skye is a powerful white witch with a few secrets of her own. Her partner is Holgar, a Dutch werewolf. Jamie, human also, the troublemaker of the group hates all non-humans and lumps Antonio and Holgar into the monster category even though they help fight the evil. His jabs against them at times are hilarious mainly because Holgar jabs right back. Jamie’s infatuation is Eriko, the leader and chosen Hunter. Eriko has a tough time keeping this group together. She is unsure how to juggle the team members and make them into a cohesive unit. If she doesn’t get her act together she will lose and so will everyone else.

 

Crusade focuses on Jenn and her struggle with her family to accept her. She must return home for a funeral only to find that her father has betrayed her to Aurora, an evil vampire who is looking to take over Solomon’s rule. Now Aurora has kidnapped her sister and she must save her. To do that she must travel to New Orleans and she also needs her team to come together.

Crusade contains lots of action and struggles within each of the characters. I was just fascinated and did not want to put this book down! Definitely looking forward to the second book, Damned, and I highly recommend this one to all YA fantasy lovers!

Rating: 5 STARS-INCREDIBLE

PURCHASE CRUSADE

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BLOGOVERSARY WINNERS

Once again I just want to thank EVERYONE for the support that you have given me over the last year! Without further ado I want to announce to winners of all of my Blogoversary contests. I used Random.org to choose all the winners and all of them have already confirmed!

Giveaway #1-Urban Fantasy

Winner of Tangled Threads by Jennifer Estep and Dayhunter by Jocelynn Drake

#7-Brooke 

Giveaway #2-The Vampire Diaries

Winner of The Awakening, The Struggle and The Fury and Dark Reunion by L.J. Smith

#5-Erin L.

Giveaway #3-Historical Fiction

Winner of The Hidden Diary of Marie Antoinette and The Last Wife of Henry VIII by Carolly Erickson

#3-Ricki @ Reading Challenge 

Giveaway #4-Historical Romance

Winner of ARC of The Devil in Disguise by Stefanie Sloane and The Countess by Lynsay Sands

#14-Patricia @ Patricia's Particularity 

Giveaway #5-Signed Wicked Lovely + Swag

Winner of Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr (signed) + Swag

#19-Ashley @ Books Obsession

Winner of the Swag Package

#6-Angie 

I also had someone that wished just for a few bookmarks if she didn't win...so I granted that wish..:D Congrats to Cassandra H.

Review: Mercy by Joshua Grover-David Patterson

Mercy
by Joshua Grover-David Patterson
Published by Amazon Digital Services
Source: Author
Format: E-book

I have a love hate relationship with this book…I didn’t like the first half all that well mainly because it was nothing original and we are very limited in what can happen since it is all happening on an island. Once the action switches to America it becomes more interesting. Mercy is written in diary format which once again limits what we know about what is actually going on. The main heroine is Georgina Fulci and the writer of the diary. She becomes stranded on an island after her plane crashes into the ocean. She and the other survivors must figure out what has happened. No one can quite believe what happened and once they start talking they know they aren’t crazy. Zombies are real. The ones affected on the plane are coming out of the ocean after them and they must defend themselves. Eventually a ship comes with some suspicious men on board. The group as a whole decides to take the chance and go with them in hope of getting to America where apparently the virus has been contained.

For the majority of this book I had no idea how Georgina’s daughter Mercy plays into the all of this except for Georgina writing about her adopted daughter and giving examples of what she had to do to integrate her daughter into society  and how one of the survivors, Tracy, reminds her of Mercy. In the end it does make sense and shows a mother’s undying love for her child who she doesn't know is dead or alive. That love is what keeps Georgina going.

As I said before I had a love-hate relationship. On one hand Mercy kept my captivated with the mystery of what is actually going on. You are on the island and only know what Georgina knows. On the other hand, Mercy is tedious in parts and Georgina includes some diary entries that just have no relevance to the story.

MY RATING: 3 STARS-Good

PURCHASE MERCY (ONLY $2.99)

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*Book was received free from author in exchange for an honest review. This in now way influenced this review and my opinions are my own.