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Love Bleeds (Only After Dark, #1)

by Maggie James (Goodreads Author)

3.23 of 5 stars 3.23 · rating details · 26 ratings · 15 reviews

There’s no such thing as vampires…
Straight-laced Katarina Renót is well educated, logical and doesn’t believe vampires truly exist. But when a well deserved holiday in Europe turns into a torrid game of cat and mouse with a handsome stranger and her best friend is exhibiting signs of being allergic to daylight-Kat doesn’t think her life can get any stranger.
Every man has a...more

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Published March 6th 2011

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Apr 28, 2011 Ollie rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: paranormal-romance, book-review-request

Review by Ollie For bittenbyparanormalromance

When I read the synopsis that this book is about vampires playing in a rock band wearing black leather pants and speaking with a British accent I was excited to read it. I couldn't wait to read all the enticing details that this image conjured up in my mind. Though I enjoyed the premise of the book and the whole rock and roll thing I felt at times something was missing.

I loved how the author described some of the vampires and mortal males in the stor...more Review by Ollie For bittenbyparanormalromance

When I read the synopsis that this book is about vampires playing in a rock band wearing black leather pants and speaking with a British accent I was excited to read it. I couldn't wait to read all the enticing details that this image conjured up in my mind. Though I enjoyed the premise of the book and the whole rock and roll thing I felt at times something was missing.

I loved how the author described some of the vampires and mortal males in the story as drop-dead sexy who could make you melt with their eyes. However I did have problems with the inconsistent and irrational behavior of the leading females in the story, Kat and Nina. Without spoiling the plot I found myself confused by Kat's reaction to the situations around her. One moment she fears the vampire before her and in the next moment she wants him and then gets angry when he turns away from her at one point. This was just one example of how Kat's behavior didn't flow smoothly and how some of the scenes had holes in terms of transition.

There were points in the story that I wondered who was the lead character as at times the secondary characters took center stage. It made it difficult to really get into the characters' mind and develop a connection with them. Yes the characters "did" alot in terms of situations in the story but I never got the sense of "who" they were and "why" they behaved the way they did.

Kat and Nina are two females who at the start of the novel were quite independent and capable of handing any situation, but later on loose that strength in their personality. I never really got to know them. I knew their background and what they did, but beyond that I didn't know what they thought and felt. Their were times they reacted in a knee-jerk fashion to situations that didn't resonate with their earlier image at the beginning of the story.

Joe and Philip are the two sexy, British vampires that front the rock band and gain the attention and affection of Kat and Nina. While I loved the sex scenes that each couple had I couldn't help feel that something was still missing. The way that both Kat and Nina fell for the vampires just seemed to fast and lacked substance in understanding the development of their attraction. A particular situation between Philip and Nina confused me. In the story we are introduced to Philip's "need" for this mysterious woman in his dreams that he must find in order to help him gain his strength and for his survival. Why Nina, what is the connection and how they have that connection is never explained. It would have been interesting to know the how and why of this connection since we find out a little later on that Nina has been having the same dreams of Philip. Again how and why?

Despite the flaws in the story I do hope the author continues with this series, but puts more emphasis on developing the characters and allowing them to grow and to tell their story. (less)

4 likes · like · see review

Jul 07, 2011 Smash added it

Shelves: read-2011, paranormal-erotica, book-reviews, review-request-complete, read-own-ebooks

Read this review at Smash Attack Reads! http://www.smashattackreads.com/2011/...

Love Bleeds was a smexy, steamy read. I don’t usually read erotica because I find myself wondering where the plot went. And while I like smex just as much as the next lady, I need plot more. However, I enjoyed Love Bleeds’ blend of steamy romance and good action.

Kat and Nina are the two main females in the book. Nina, whose personality is pretty great upfront, is a believer of vampires, while Kat, level-headed and st...more Read this review at Smash Attack Reads! http://www.smashattackreads.com/2011/...

Love Bleeds was a smexy, steamy read. I don’t usually read erotica because I find myself wondering where the plot went. And while I like smex just as much as the next lady, I need plot more. However, I enjoyed Love Bleeds’ blend of steamy romance and good action.

Kat and Nina are the two main females in the book. Nina, whose personality is pretty great upfront, is a believer of vampires, while Kat, level-headed and strong-willed, scoffs at such ridiculous ideas. Kat and Nina are vacationing in Dublin and stumble upon a club, which just so happens to be home to a rock band of vampires. Joseph is the lead man and Phillip is the guitarist. Joseph has been around for some time, but Phillip is still fairly new to his afterlife and is not happy about his situation, at all. Until he meets Nina, of course. A woman can soothe a savage beast, right? Joseph is an interesting, serious, vampire who acts cool and collected, but he’s obviously lonely and unfulfilled. He’s instantly attracted to Kat, who then instantly looses her cool points. She becomes a wimp pretty quickly, which was disappointing. I know it’s just a story and the plot needs to be moved along, but the ‘instantaneous love’ was very unbelievable, especially coming from Kat. The relationship development is minimal, but that is pretty common in erotica. Who needs relationship drama when you have smutty activities to keep you busy?

The characters I enjoyed most had minute roles and I found myself yearning for more of them. Nigel, the Irish bartender, has quite the personality and even performs a little bar dance for our entertainment. I was instantly interested in Lucas the bouncer, but he’s in a scene or two, and gone like the wind. Max, the band’s manager, is Irish and probably the most believable character of them all. He was very Papa Bear-like and I enjoyed all of his commentary and concern. As far as characterization goes, it’s pretty minimal. However, the author did a fantastic job of creating a villain that makes your skin crawl and sends you whimpering in to a corner. Vampire Slade is a character that you don’t want to meet in a dark alley. He is a malevolent, vindictive, merciless bastard who gets his kicks by terrorizing humans and preying upon women. We are confronted with a SOB who is out for blood and determined to take down as many people with him. He is a sick, disgusting, foul creature.

The author uses multiple POVs, which I don’t have a problem with. However, there are a few instances where you are in one character’s head and within the same paragraph/page, you are in another character’s head. It was quite confusing. Another thing I found odd was the use of the setting. The story is set in Dublin, and I was all ready for some hot Irish speak, yet we’re given minimal accent and really no cultural application. All in all, this book is not one you will pick up for substance, but one you will pick up for steamy scenes and a few laughs.(less)

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Jul 09, 2011 Nicki Markus rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-paranormal

This was a fairly pleasant read and I enjoyed the fact that the setting was different from some other vampire books I have read lately, even though the sense of place didn't come across as strongly as I would have liked. On the whole, I found the plot captured my attention and I wanted to know how things would work out for the characters.

The characters themselves were OK, if a little stereotypical. Joe was suitably brooding as the male lead, as most male vampires seem to be these days. Katarina...more

1 like · like · see review

Feb 28, 2012 Sofia Grey rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: did-not-finish

Love Bleeds (Only After Dark #1) by Maggie James

This book, on paper, ticked some major boxes for me.
Rock stars – check
Vampires – check
Hot sex – check

I skimmed through the reviews on Amazon, figured it was a new author and worth splashing out the $5.99 Kindle price tag. Mistake.

The book has a sound premise, a bunch of potential characters for a series and… that’s about it. I’m always keen to support and encourage new writers, but I really struggled with this. It’s a great example of how fiction...more

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Aug 12, 2011 Donna rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011-books-read, 2011-ebooks-read, 2011-new-authors

When I first read the description of this book I knew I had to read it. As a vampire story lover it was just calling out to be read. I recommend it to any vampire lover out there.

This is the first story by Maggie that I have read. It was well written and the story moved along at a fast pace. At times I did think it moved along a little too fast but it definitely did not drag out, which I really liked.

I loved Kat and Joe and Nina and Phillip. I thought they were great characters. Well developed a...more

1 like · like · see review

Jun 01, 2011 VampireRomanceBooks ThatsErotica rated it 4 of 5 stars

Love Bleeds, the first book in the Only After Dark series, is an alluring story of family, passion, danger, and rock ‘n’ roll. With a band made up of vampires and humans playing seductively, sexy music, (think Steward Townsend in Queen of the Damned singing love songs - YUM!) James takes the vampire romance genre in a completely different direction with this story. These powerful and sexy vampires live along side human band mates acting as a family unit. Sure the vampires are more powerful and c...more

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May 21, 2011 Amy rated it 5 of 5 stars

MY THOUGHTS: What can I say about this book?!!! It is so HOTTTT!!! I loved it! Couldn't put it down until I finished it and cannot wait for the next one in the series! This book is a perfect combination of rock 'n roll, vampires, lust, and action! The story takes you through Kat and Joe's rocky relationship and eventually giving into their lust and falling head over hills in love. Along the road, Kat has to deal with her best friend falling for a vampire, groupies trying to get her man, and an e...more MY THOUGHTS: What can I say about this book?!!! It is so HOTTTT!!! I loved it! Couldn't put it down until I finished it and cannot wait for the next one in the series! This book is a perfect combination of rock 'n roll, vampires, lust, and action! The story takes you through Kat and Joe's rocky relationship and eventually giving into their lust and falling head over hills in love. Along the road, Kat has to deal with her best friend falling for a vampire, groupies trying to get her man, and an evil vampire cult trying to take them all out. Maggie James doesn't disappoint in this book. Highly recommended read!

AMAZON EXCERPT: There’s no such thing as vampires…
Straight-laced Katarina Renót is well educated, logical and doesn’t believe vampires truly exist. But when a well deserved holiday in Europe turns into a torrid game of cat and mouse with a handsome stranger and her best friend is exhibiting signs of being allergic to daylight-Kat doesn’t think her life can get any stranger.
Every man has a weakness…Even an immortal…
Joseph Markus is an arrogant, wealthy entrepreneur who spends his free time as the raspy lead singer for the rock band “Slang” and seducing beautiful women. After decades of mourning the tragic death of the only woman he ever loved, vying to save his best friend from an unrelenting death wish- now he is accused of being a murderer.
An undeniable twist of fate…
Kat learns her Prince Charming is actually the “Prince of Darkness” and though she can’t resist falling for this sultry vampire, she still lives in denial. But when the lines are drawn, and Kat finds herself caught in the middle of a deadly plot for revenge she has only one choice--trust the seductive vampire who has captured her heart.
Despite his own arrogance, Joe finds himself inexplicably drawn to Kat. Her stubborn will to resist his seductive charms coupled with her endearing naiveté prove to be more than he bargained for and Joe soon realizes he is in way over his head.
But will love be enough to save their immortal souls from the grips of a twisted obsession? (less)

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May 14, 2011 Book Chatter-Cath rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: reviewed

I wanted to read this book because of a review it got....a bad one.
Thats right. I wanted to read a book that got a 1 star rating.
Why? you ask.
Well, the reviewer tore into the characters, pointed out their flaws, and generally said that other than the sex the book wasn't worth the read.
So I was intrigued.
But the clincher, the reason that I HAD to read this book was the author, Maggie James.
Even though she had just received a bad review she very calmly and graciously thanked the reviewer in the...more

1 like · like · see review

Apr 25, 2011 Paranormal Haven rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: reviews-by-beth-guest-reviewer

Kat and Nina travel to Dublin on vacation. One night they happen into a club where a band is playing. Joseph, the club’s owner, and lead singer along with Philip, the band’s guitarist sees the women and are instantly attracted. Joseph and Philip are both vampires, Philip the younger of the two struggles to cope with his bloodlust. Nina might just be the exact thing to help him cope. Joseph’s past catches up with him and put the others at risk.

I will start this with Kat and Nina. Kat starts out a...more Kat and Nina travel to Dublin on vacation. One night they happen into a club where a band is playing. Joseph, the club’s owner, and lead singer along with Philip, the band’s guitarist sees the women and are instantly attracted. Joseph and Philip are both vampires, Philip the younger of the two struggles to cope with his bloodlust. Nina might just be the exact thing to help him cope. Joseph’s past catches up with him and put the others at risk.

I will start this with Kat and Nina. Kat starts out as a strong logical minded woman and ends up cowering behind Joseph at every turn. I had a very hard time believing her, or liking her in general. The scenes with Joseph are hot, but this doesn’t make up for her lack of a back bone. At least she tries once or twice to stand up to Joseph. Nina on the other hand is ready to shove away the ‘love of her life’ at the suggestion that Philip did something wrong. Some of the POV runs together. One moment you are in Kat’s head and the next Nina’s which was very confusing to me.

The story itself, set in Dublin, doesn’t seem set anywhere near Dublin. A lot of American phrases are used, and some Irish, but it sounded very American pop-culture to me. No clear rules or beliefs were given to our vampire race. It is clear that they drink blood, but as for anything else I still am wondering. The biggest thing that bugged me was not knowing if the existence of vampires was a secret or not. At the start of the story Nina tells Kat that they are real, and supposed to be excellent lovers. Kat says there not, and wouldn’t you know it, Nina was dead on the money.

The danger doesn’t come in until the end leaving the majority of the story to Kat and Joseph’s relationship. Joseph is a super alpha male that constantly made me mad, unless he was bedding Kat. The scenes are hot, but that was where the good stopped for me. Everything happens far too easily for the characters. The drama was based more on everyone’s relationship with Joseph. I couldn’t figure out why they all wanted a relationship with him.

Other than the sexy scenes I wasn’t a huge fan.
-Beth (Guest Reviewer)(less)

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Jun 09, 2011 1000 + rated it 4 of 5 stars

Kat and Nina's vacation turns down a dark path as Nina becomes entranced with a guitarist they saw playing at a local club. Nina's strange addiction throws Kat together with the handsome lead singer, Joe.

In the house of the band, Kat can't ignore her feelings.
Can Kat resist the lure of Joe before it leads her to a path filled with blood and death? Or will love override it all and make her fight by Joe's side?

Lets Talk About It:

What a book!

Maggie James paints such a vivid picture I felt like I...more

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May 21, 2011 Melissa rated it 3 of 5 stars

What a sexy read this was! I love the originality of this story. A hot man in leather pants and an accent Sign me up! The world/setting of the book rocked. Pace was good. The plot and storyline I can really see a series in the works. Has to! However I did had a little confusion and hard time reading some parts of the book. Characters could use a little more developing. The Writing style could be a little more clear as to who the main character is in some spots. But over all I would recommend tha...more

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May 16, 2011 Maggie James rated it 5 of 5 stars · (Review from the author)

I'm forwarding this review from "Coffee Time Romance"..it was posted on their blog May 14, 2011. Just in case you want to stop by and take a look--here's the link- http://www.coffeetimeromance.com/Book... is NOT my personal review!! But I was so thrilled that I wanted to share it with all of you!
Many thanks to Cherokee for such an awesome review!!

LOVE BLEEDS
Only After Dark Series, Book One
MAGGIE JAMES
ISBN#: 0012187399
March 2011
Smashwords Edition
www.smashwords.com
E-book
$4.99
309 pages
Paranorm...more

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Jul 23, 2011 Deandre rated it 5 of 5 stars

omg when i read this book i actually felt like Katarina the ways she felt about him was so sweet maggie did a great job with this book she really did love it

1 like · like · see review

May 26, 2011 Katrina rated it 3 of 5 stars

post review In june when Book blog hop is on Via Bewitching book tours .

1 like · like · see review

Aug 12, 2011 Marion rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: getting-from-v, paranormal, 2011-read, 69-day-challenge-read

Trade Paperback

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Jun 19, 2013 Maayan Nahmani marked it as to-read

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Mar 08, 2013 Asena Arıç rated it 5 of 5 stars

Dec 21, 2012 Natasha Morgan marked it as to-read

Apr 10, 2013 Amanda marked it as wishlist

Sep 02, 2012 Michele Monico is currently reading it

Jun 27, 2012 Penny marked it as to-read

Jun 19, 2012 Leigh rated it 1 of 5 stars

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Mar 18, 2012 Angela Starkey rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012

Feb 20, 2012 Debb marked it as to-read

Shelves: kindle-lendable

Feb 05, 2012 Andrea rated it 4 of 5 stars

Jan 03, 2012 Wendy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Dec 31, 2011 Julie marked it as to-read

Dec 20, 2011 Carissa marked it as to-read

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Love Bleeds (Only After Dark, #1)

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