Break Out (Blood Hunter, #1)

Jul 07, 2011 Ana rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: z-read-in-2011, futuristic-romance, vampire

Rico is a vampire born in the 15th century. He's a mercenary with his own ship, with a strange crew, and he uses sex as a substitute for his darker cravings. Those cravings are the reason he got entangled with Skylar, it became known throughout the universe that he has a weakness for pretty women.

Skylar needs someone to help her extract a prisoner from a maximum security prison. Rico looks ideal for the assignment. If only she could stop fantasizing about him. There's just something about him th...more

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Jun 28, 2012 Tracy rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: scifi-futuristic-romance

Fell a Little Flat For Me
In a universe over a thousand years in our future, the wealthy have achieved immortality and secured their power base by selling it to those who can meet their price. They are the Collective and they rule all they survey.

Well...not all. There are some who eschew both the Collective's laws and their immortality. In fact, when you've already lived a couple of thousand years as a vampire, you don't really need an obscenely expensive shot of radioactive mineral in your veins...more

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Sep 10, 2011 Mini rated it 5 of 5 stars

I finished this book and have to say what fun it was to read. I think the author is very imaginative and talented.

The premise of the book is a space pirate vampire with a crew of mismatched mutants are offered a near impossible job of breaking someone out from a space prison. Rico, the space pirate vamp, is immediately drawn to the lady who offers to employ him and his crew. Lots of lust and heavy breathing transpire before they make it to the prison planet.

This book was a very fun read and I d...more

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Apr 03, 2012 Gemma rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: ebook, 5-star-reads, paranormal-romance, bcc-reviewed

A great start to an interesting series which managed to keep my interest from beginning to end. It can be read as a stand alone but it does leave you wanting to find out about the rest of the characters on the ship. My only gripe is that I would have loved for it to be longer. Luckily, for the Mass Market Paperback issue, Croft promises that there will be more Rico...

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Sep 14, 2012 Dark Faerie Tales rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: reviewed-by-sheila

Review courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales

Quick & Dirty: Paranormal Romance meets Science Fiction in this adrenaline-laced take on a crew of smugglers taking on a seemingly suicidal mission for an obsene amount of money.

Opening Sentence: Rico hurled himself behind the huge trunk of a tree and stood, back pressed against the rough bark, as the missiles whizzed past.

The Review:

Visions of stars and worlds beyond our imagination are part of the appeal of the science fiction genre. Now add in some unfo...more

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Feb 05, 2012 Romancing the Book rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: futuristic, paranormal, romance, sci-fi

Break Out is the first novel in the Blood Hunter series which is a sci-fi romance set in the year 3048. At first, while reading I was a bit confused on what what was going on and trying to get all the characters straight in my head. The world building is great in that the concept is completely new and not something tired. Yes, there is a vampire as the hero but he is not the normal vampire. He is more nostalgic of when he was human. This is definitely a series for a reader that likes to read som...more

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Dec 13, 2011 Jo (Mixed Book Bag) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: paranormal, science-fiction-romance, science-fiction, space-opera, ebook

Science Fiction with a Vampire space ship captain. I could not resist when I read a review of the second book in this series, Deadly Pursuit. I went over and purchased the first book Break Out.

Richardo Sanchez is a two thousand year old vampire who really knows how to change with the time. In 3048 he is the Captain and owner of the space ship El Cadazor. Skylar Rossaria is on a rescue mission to break a assassin from the most secure prison in the galaxy. She is not what she seems. Her mission is...more

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Dec 04, 2011 Marlene rated it 3 of 5 stars

Vampires in space. And not some genetically engineered aliens, but at least one earthly (or unearthly), honest-to-Lucifer bloodsucker, born on earth of human parents circa 1452. Piloting a spaceship circa 3050.

Break Out, by Nina Croft may be the first paranormal science fiction romance I've ever even seen, let alone read. It's also the first book in the series Blood Hunter. Why Blood Hunter? The space vampire again. He is Ricardo "my friends call me Rico" Sanchez, and he became a vampire in the...more Vampires in space. And not some genetically engineered aliens, but at least one earthly (or unearthly), honest-to-Lucifer bloodsucker, born on earth of human parents circa 1452. Piloting a spaceship circa 3050.

Break Out, by Nina Croft may be the first paranormal science fiction romance I've ever even seen, let alone read. It's also the first book in the series Blood Hunter. Why Blood Hunter? The space vampire again. He is Ricardo "my friends call me Rico" Sanchez, and he became a vampire in the days of the Spanish Inquisition. He doesn't just pilot that spaceship, he owns it. And that gives him the right to name it. So even though Spanish is a dead language by 3050, his ship is El Cazador de la Sangre, in other words, Blood Hunter, just as he is.

But what about the story? The premise is fairly simple. A woman named Skylar Rossario hires Rico and his ship to rescue her boyfriend from a maximum security prison before "Jonny" is transferred to a death-sentence planet. Both Rico and his ship's captain Tannis know that the woman is scamming them, the only question in their minds is why. Tannis wants the payday. Rico wants the entertainment, and the woman.

In this universe, immortality can be had, for a price. Treatment with the drug Meridian is expensive. Mining and processing of the drug kills everyone who comes in contact with the unrefined product in two years or less. Membership in the "Collective" of those who have taken the drug requires a loss of self that sounds like a halfway trip to being a Borg.

So when Rico convinces Skylar to tell them that the man she wants to rescue murdered a high-ranking member of the immortal "Collective", and that he is her brother, and not her boyfriend--he and Tannis decide to go through with the plan. The money is too good, as is the lure of pulling off a supposedly impossible job.

Rico is in this for the excitement. Not just the rescue, but the thrill of discovering all of Skylar's secrets. What he doesn't count on discovering is that he might still have a heart and not just a raging libido and a thirst for blood.

Escape Rating C+: My verdict on Break Out is somewhat mixed. The romance part of the story works. As odd as the idea was of a vampire surviving until the year 3000, it actually was part of the plot for a lot of reasons. Rico needed to be who and what he was. At the same time, I kept wondering if there were any others like him. It's a big galaxy.

But the science fiction parts, well, that was different. The world building about the Collective, and the rebels against the Collective, and how all of that came about, needed some development for it all to make sense for me. I recognize there simply wasn't time or space in a 99 page book, but still, if this is science fiction, the world needs to get built. I hope that happens in later books in the series. I'd like to see more.(less)

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Nov 12, 2011 Claire rated it 5 of 5 stars

It is 3048 and the very rich people in society now have immortality from a radioactive mineral called Meridian. Those who can afford the treatment get the characteristic violet eyes and become what is known as the Collective and they rule the universe. Ricardo Sanchez is a sexy two thousand year old vampire originally from the now uninhabitable Earth, he is a rogue and pilots the El Cazador. Skylar Rossario is a beautiful undercover blonde who has a mission to rescue a prisoner from the maximum...more It is 3048 and the very rich people in society now have immortality from a radioactive mineral called Meridian. Those who can afford the treatment get the characteristic violet eyes and become what is known as the Collective and they rule the universe. Ricardo Sanchez is a sexy two thousand year old vampire originally from the now uninhabitable Earth, he is a rogue and pilots the El Cazador. Skylar Rossario is a beautiful undercover blonde who has a mission to rescue a prisoner from the maximum security prison that is Trakis One. She approaches the crew of El Cazador and offers them lots of money to help her with her mission. No one has ever attempted such an impossible task but there are three things the crew of El Cazador can’t turn down, beautiful women, impossible missions and lots of money.

I had seen quite a few 5 star reviews before I started reading this book so I thought it was a pretty safe bet that it would be good, plus I loved the cover too. But then I started it and it seemed to be PNR and I was a little turned off and at one point thought about putting it to one side, but I kept reading and I am so glad I did because it turned out to be fantastic. Break Out is a mix of PNR and Sci fi havin vampires, laser guns and space ships. It isn’t a very long book but one that kept me entertained throughout. It is a fun read and I loved the characters Rico and the Captain of the El Cazador Tannis they are both funny and come out with great one liners. In fact I have a bit of a crush on the sexy vampire Rico. The plot was a little predictable but Skylar is an interesting character who kept me guessing what she is and what her undercover mission was right until the end. Being PNR there are quite a few sex scenes in the story but nothing that I didn’t feel fit in with the plot. I really liked Nina Croft’s writing style and I will keep an eye out for other books that she has written, I will definitely be purchasing the second Blood Hunter book Deadly Pursuit. I too am going to give this book 5 stars, it is only 74p or $1.15 from Amazon for the kindle at the time of writing this and I really recommend this if you like PNR or SFR or vampires. (less)

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Jul 28, 2011 Dahlia (yadkny) rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Erotic Sci-Fi Lovers

In a universe where immortality, religious beliefs, and credits are consistently warred over, is there room for love?

Hunting, fighting, and womanizing are things that come naturally to Rico; being thrown into a confusing mass of feelings over a mysterious woman is not. He’s definitely not one to back down from any sort of challenge though, so when an offer is made for dangerous mission work, Rico decides an additional “reward” is necessary before he accepts. The problem is that “reward” may be m...more In a universe where immortality, religious beliefs, and credits are consistently warred over, is there room for love?

Hunting, fighting, and womanizing are things that come naturally to Rico; being thrown into a confusing mass of feelings over a mysterious woman is not. He’s definitely not one to back down from any sort of challenge though, so when an offer is made for dangerous mission work, Rico decides an additional “reward” is necessary before he accepts. The problem is that “reward” may be more than he can handle and comes with one too many secrets.

Skylar is on a secret mission with a destination most people wouldn’t dare accept, which is why only one particular ship and crew will do. The catch is that she can’t blow her own cover, so she sets up a disguise and story. However, one look at Rico and she’s beginning to have doubts and the tempting counteroffer Rico makes is just too much to resist.

From the beginning of the story, the reader is thrown into the midst of action already in progress. The quick pacing of the story is immediately felt and the character voices are clearly cut. It is important for the reader to pay attention to the different factions of peoples described and understand how they interact or not with each other. Instead of a traditional Earth struggle between separating church and state, this story falls more along the lines of the struggles in the separation of church and space. Beliefs long forgotten are making a comeback and with it a struggle for universal dominance. Immortality and genetically mutated or enhanced beings play a major role in the on-going battles.

There is plenty of other ‘action’ as well and not all of it in a bedroom. Rico and Skylar have a great push and pull chemistry that definitely keeps things interesting. Rico was a tad bit too confident for my taste and Skylar perhaps not confident enough, but overall quite entertaining. My favorite character in the story was Al. Not sure where Al is going in the next adventure, but I will absolutely be there to read it.

Sci-Fi erotic romance fans should absolutely check out this author’s new series!

Review also posted @ Night Owl Reviews:
http://www.nightowlreviews.com/nor/(less)

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Jul 21, 2011 Laurie Jenkins rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: action, adventure, aliens, fantasy, fiction, futuristic, kindle, read-in-2011, paranormal, romance, science-fiction, vampires

This novella was a fast, fun read for me. It starts off strong and keeps getting better. I loved the action scenes and the dialogues with the secondary characters. This crew truly shines as far as I am concerned, each had distinctive personalities and quirks, and I couldn’t help but love them – Tannis and Daisy, especially. Skylar, also, (a devious, conniving, kick-ass liar) is remarkably easy to like and empathize with. I would have preferred her to have given Rico more of a chase before beddin...more

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Jul 15, 2011 Kristen rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: paranormal-romance, sci-fi-fantasy

Another interesting cross between the PNR and scifi space adventures. It was a fun little read. Predictable as all in this genre are, but fun nonetheless. One of the interesting things about this book was the lack of profession of undying love. Skylar stays with the crew to be with Rico and she wants to be with him and he wants to be with her, but there was never the "I love you" scene. And it was sort of refreshing, and leaves me wondering if book 2 and 3 will be about others in this universe o...more

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Jul 10, 2011 Amanda Ryan added it

Redonk Nutshell: A vampire takes on a woman who is harboring secrets, and together they plot to do the unthinkable and break into an impenetrable prison

First thing's first: I'm loving this cover. Dead sexy. I mean c'mon. A man in a black trench coat, carrying a sword. And a crazy ass gun. Me likey.

I thought this could be a fun read, a futuristic sci-fi/fantasy thriller. Though flawed, it proved a fun ride.

Rico is a very, very old vampire. He owns his own ship and counts on the crew to keep it r...more Redonk Nutshell: A vampire takes on a woman who is harboring secrets, and together they plot to do the unthinkable and break into an impenetrable prison

First thing's first: I'm loving this cover. Dead sexy. I mean c'mon. A man in a black trench coat, carrying a sword. And a crazy ass gun. Me likey.

I thought this could be a fun read, a futuristic sci-fi/fantasy thriller. Though flawed, it proved a fun ride.

Rico is a very, very old vampire. He owns his own ship and counts on the crew to keep it running, taking on mercenary jobs as their primary source of income. Rico is a blood-starve sex manic, to put it plainly. In Nina Croft's world, this is a given for a vampire. Rico basques in his skin, and takes pride in his conquests. When sexy and mysterious Skylar Rossaria hires them to take on their most dangerous task yet, Rico becomes intrigued. He knows there is more to this woman than meets the eye, and before long he finds himself wanting to know more about her than what her "O" face looks like. *snort*

Skylar is attracted to Rico, and it takes everything in her arsenal to keep him at arm's length. She has her priorities, and her secrets are likely to surface if she allows the vampire to get close.

Break Out is a face paced thriller through space. Rico and Skylar's relationship, if you could call it that, moves a bit too fast for my tastes, on the whole "I've never felt like this about anyone before and I think I want to spend my life with you" scale. The sex scenes are smokin, and the air between these two sizzle. Unfortunately, the rest took a back seat to the physical relationship. I thought there was a lot of potential here - Croft has built a fascinating world, and I wanted to know more about The Collective and how Skylar's actions will affect it.

Break Out was reminiscent of Grimspace or Sherrilyn Kenyon's League series, what with the band of rogue space mercenaries traveling under the radar in times of duress. Only with a dash of blood drinking.

A fun read, though lacking a bit in depth, Break Out was a first step in a hopefully rich new series.

Rating: C

Romance: 1/5 Raunch: 4/5(less)

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Jul 08, 2011 Beverly rated it 5 of 5 stars

Science Fiction meets Paranormal Romance - - Don't miss out on this one!
My thoughts:
I have never read a book like this before. Nina Croft has crafted a tale of suspense with a vampire as a main character set in a science fiction world! Oh - and she added a spicy romance as well!!!
The story is both clever and original. The characters are fantastic. They are creatively developed with both well constructed personality traits and appearances. Rico, who is portrayed as a shallow womanizer, becomes m...more

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Jul 07, 2011 Kathy Martin rated it 5 of 5 stars

I went into this story not quite knowing what to expect. At first the banter between Rico and Tannis and the set up of a crew filled with misfits of one kind or another reminded me of Firefly. Then the womanizing by Rico reminded me of Captain Kirk in Star Trek. But soon these characters became themselves and nicely too. Rico is a vampire who has lived over 2000 years. He remembers Old Earth. But he hasn't lost his curiosity and love of life.

Skylar comes to them with some sort of scheme. She wa...more I went into this story not quite knowing what to expect. At first the banter between Rico and Tannis and the set up of a crew filled with misfits of one kind or another reminded me of Firefly. Then the womanizing by Rico reminded me of Captain Kirk in Star Trek. But soon these characters became themselves and nicely too. Rico is a vampire who has lived over 2000 years. He remembers Old Earth. But he hasn't lost his curiosity and love of life.

Skylar comes to them with some sort of scheme. She wants to rescue someone from a very secure Collective prison. We know that she has some sort of ulterior motive but we wait for most of the book to find out what it is. Rico is immediately attracted to her looks, her strength, and her competence. He knows she is keeping secrets but he is willing to go along with the plan in hopes of gaining her trust. Tannis is especially interested in the proposed fee that is being offered.

Rico is a vampire who is as hungry for sex as he is for blood. The story takes a quick turn to the erotic and is definitely for the older (read adult) reader. Skylar is interested too but she fears what Rico will learn if he tastes her blood. This leads to lots of erotic episodes.

The story was well-written. The characters were engaging and interesting. I want to know more of their back stories and more about the world. There seem to be a number of factions of interest. The Collective are the rich ones who have taken the drug Meridian and who are essentially immortal. There is the Church which has brought a new inquisition into being this time targeting those who have had genetic modifications. And there are also the Rebels. We just get a taste of each of these groups. I am eager to find out more.

I am especially interested in knowing more about the teaser at the end of the story about one of the crew of El Cazador who is a young girl masquerading as a boy. I recommend this stories for interested in science fiction and like their romances very spicy. I know I'm putting the author on my "must buy" list. (less)

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Jul 05, 2011 Vanessa theJeepDiva rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011, aliens, vampires, science-fiction, romance, ebook

Great start to what looks to be an exciting new series. Futuristic space travel, vampires, genetically enhanced humans, religious fanatics, hybrid humans, and an overpowered overbearing ruling society. I loved the mix characters. Rico has been around for close to sixteen hundred years, can’t really say he’s lived that long he’s a vampire. His long life has taught him to never get bored. To keep himself entertained he enjoys the company of a variety of different women and accepts high risk jobs....more

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Mar 02, 2012 Tracey rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction-paranormal, xx-2012-reads, fiction-romance, fiction-shifters

Written as a cross between PNR and Sci-Fiction I was surprised at how well this worked. I must say that it often reminded me of the old TV series 'Firefly' or movie 'Serenity' in parts due to the overriding council and religious undertones, but that only managed to build on my imagery of the sci-fi scenes.

So we are in the year 3048 when Earth is no longer inhabited and a small number of earths population were moved out into space to live. We then have some humans (The Collective) who want to co...more

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Nov 29, 2011 Jessica rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: great-universe, supernatural-vampires, space-opera

Originally reviewed at Erinyes - the Book Furies

I received a copy of Deadly Pursuit by Nina Croft the other day, which I was very excited about. Unfortunately, it’s the second book in a series and I hadn’t read the first one. Needless to say, I quickly tracked down a copy ($0.99 on Amazon Kindle right now) and tore into it. I’m really happy I did, too.

The book opens to introduce us to Rico, our male lead who also happens to be a vampire, and his crew aboard the spaceship El Cazador. Rico came on...more Originally reviewed at Erinyes - the Book Furies

I received a copy of Deadly Pursuit by Nina Croft the other day, which I was very excited about. Unfortunately, it’s the second book in a series and I hadn’t read the first one. Needless to say, I quickly tracked down a copy ($0.99 on Amazon Kindle right now) and tore into it. I’m really happy I did, too.

The book opens to introduce us to Rico, our male lead who also happens to be a vampire, and his crew aboard the spaceship El Cazador. Rico came on a little too strong for me in the beginning. He was a little too debonair Casanova, especially with heavy-handed innuendo that was constantly littered throughout the first couple of chapters, but he grows on you.

Tannis, the captain of Rico’s ship, brings forth not only the job that introduces us to the female lead, but she also adds the opportunity for some good one-liners and a great expansion on the universe. Tannis, along with another member of the crew, is a human hybrid. It was never mentioned what Tannis was mixed with but Daisy, the other crew member, is a plant hybrid. I liked this concept and wish it would have been explored/explained beyond how it changes the appearance of a character but, hopefully, the next book will take this concept and run with it.

Skylar Rossario is an undercover agent who comes to the crew of the El Cazador with a challenge; break into the high-security prison to release an assassin before he’s sent to work at the poisonous mines. Sidenote, these mines contain a radioactive mineral called Meridian that allows for immortality. It’s a nice little twist, one that definitely plays big in this universe.

We’re purposely put on the trial of suspicion with Skylar immediately which works for me because I like a little bit of intrigue. However, much as with Rico, Skylar came off a bit strong right away in the first couple of pages. Unlike Rico, I didn’t warm to her quite as much despite this, even by the end of the novel. During her first scene interacting with the crew of El Cazador and Rico, I kept hoping for her comeuppance. I like strong female characters, but there was just something about her attitude that put me off.

Rico takes the job on the condition that, as a bonus, there’ll be smexy biting times. To be honest, this is one of my least favorite plot ploys/developments. I prefer good old-fashioned seduction versus bartering for smut.

The author still builds the tension between the Skylar and Rico and manages to get in a few smutty scenes before the big bonus showdown at the end, so that does make this plot development a little easier to go along with. The only thing is, I was so enthralled with the universe that I was almost rushing through the smut scenes just to get back to the action. Fortunate for me, the next book is twice as long which, hopefully, promises twice as much action.

On an end note, one of my friends happened to ask me what I was currently reading when I was in the middle of this book. I told her the name and then informed her that it was about a vampire named Rico who was a space pirate. She paused, seemed to think about this, almost as if she didn’t believe me, then said, “That’s freaking awesome.” It’s now in her TBR pile because, in addition to being a good read, how many times in your life can you say you’re reading a book about a vampire who’s a pirate in space?(less)

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Jul 17, 2011 Steph rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: author-웃, series-ongoing, 2011, series-book1

Per Entangled Publishing site, Book #2 is called Deadly Pursuit , due out Oct 2011. Can't wait!! :D

WARNING: The synopsis for Book#2 contains some spoilers for Book#1.

(view spoiler)...more

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Jan 05, 2012 Dana Alma rated it 4 of 5 stars

Break Out by Nina Croft is a paranormal sci-fi symphony! It is a literary fantasy set in the future that is believable and imaginative. Croft sets these two genres up in an unbelievable story of a space traveling vamp, altered humans, and the forces at play. The story carries you through space with characters who all have a story to be told. An exciting new world appears before your eyes, compelling you to read through the night. Rico will captivate you with his suave, commanding, and sexy ways....more

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Jul 07, 2011 Cherie rated it 5 of 5 stars

Nina Croft’s Break Out spins a vampire, space, and romance into a sexy fun-filled ride that sure to please.

Rico Sanchez is a vampire who seeks out beautiful women and dangerous tasks, and he finds both in Skylar Rossaria. She commissions his crew and him to break out a prisoner. It sounds simple, but no one has escaped Trakis One before and they only have one shot to get it right, if Rico and Skylar can ignore their sexual chemistry long enough to come up with the perfect plan.

Break Out throws t...more

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Jul 05, 2011 Xulieta NeveraDeLibros rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: vampires, romance

A sexy, good-looking, adventurous vampire called Ricardo is the main character of this amazing book that makes your imagination works quickly and with pleasure to be a part of the crew of the space cruiser, "El cazador", in which Ricardo is a pilot.

I love the writen style of Nina Croft, this is the first book that I read from her and I was amazed at the letters. I could read without problems and it was a pleasure to fell in her created universe.

She present our characters with a clear and precise...more

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Jan 01, 2012 Fallon rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: kindle, paranormal, series, pnr, vampire

Break Out is a Sci-Fi Paranormal Romance involving a nearly 2000 year old vamp as a pilot in space with some very interesting crew members. By interesting, some examples include, the Captain is a human/reptile hybrid and another of the crew is a human/plant hybrid. The church in this world (which had once been all but extinct) is now very strong against the 'impure' hybrids going so far to purge them, but that's just a side story. The main story involves Skylar, a mystery woman who hires Rico an...more

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Dec 01, 2011 Crystal ♥ RBtWBC rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: best-of-2011

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. SERIES REVIEW, BOOK 1 & 2
**May contain spoilers for the second novel**

Race through space on a heart-pounding, out-of-this-world adventure with a dark and sexy vampire, a brooding werewolf and the courageous women that stand by them throughout it all in the Blood Hunter series!

In the first book, Break Out, Skylar Rossaria is on her first solo mission for the Corps. The Corps is a specialized military unit that is part of the Collective, a group of immortals that rule the universe. She enlists...more SERIES REVIEW, BOOK 1 & 2
**May contain spoilers for the second novel**

Race through space on a heart-pounding, out-of-this-world adventure with a dark and sexy vampire, a brooding werewolf and the courageous women that stand by them throughout it all in the Blood Hunter series!

In the first book, Break Out, Skylar Rossaria is on her first solo mission for the Corps. The Corps is a specialized military unit that is part of the Collective, a group of immortals that rule the universe. She enlists the El Cazador and her crew to break a prisoner out of a maximum security prison, an impossible task but one she is determined to complete. What Skylar didn’t plan on however was the sizzling attraction she feels for the El Cazador’s sexy owner and pilot. A two thousand year old vampire with magnetic sex appeal, Ricardo Sanchez, accepts the job, looking forward to a large payment and an even better bonus. He knows Skylar is hiding secrets and keeping him at a distance because of that, but refuses to let her get too far. Will danger catch up with them before Rico has a chance to collect though?

Break Out was a fiery novella that I didn’t want to end! Full of sexual tension, mystery, humor and flaming hot sex scenes it kept me turning the pages until the very last. The story flowed perfectly for its length and the characters were superbly written. I loved Skylar and Rico, and the dynamics of their relationship. The secondary characters are just as loveable and I couldn’t wait to see more them in the second installment!

The Blood Hunter series continues with Deadly Pursuit and the prisoner that the crew of the El Cazador freed from Trakis One’s maximum security prison, Jonathon Decker, a lone werewolf assassin with a bad attitude. With the Collective hot on their tails, returning Jon is no longer an option, so the group must find out what the Collective thinks Jon knows and hope that they can trade that information for their lives. When the Church adds to the El Cazador’s list of pursuers though, cabin boy Al must step forward and reveal her true identity as the missing high priestess. Suppressed by the Church and her duties for the last twenty four years, Alex yearns for adventure and finds it, and the family she has missed out on, aboard the El Cazador. With her days of freedom and excitement drawing to a close, Alex is determined to experience everything she can in the short time, including seducing the magnificent werewolf who seemingly wants nothing to do with her. But despite the fact that Jon gave up on being close to anyone ever again he can’t help the protective instinct that the small red head brings out in him. Will Alex be able to experience the promise of passion she sees in Jon’s eyes before the Church catches up with them or will their enemies find them first?

Not very often you find a second novel for a series that is just as fantastic as the first but Nina Croft delivers with Deadly Pursuit. Drama and romance is perfectly balance in this intergalactic full novel adventure, and Nina Croft expertly weaves a fun tale that you won’t be able to put down! With an assortment of entertaining characters and a longer story this time around, readers will find fuller character development and more to love here. Jon is a bad-ass hero sure to make you swoon with plenty of inner demons to grab at your heart while Alex is a heroine with a fierce heart and warrior spirit. All the previous characters are back and really shouldn’t be classified as secondary since they each play their own capacious role in the story. Deadly Pursuit does make a good stand-alone but better read in series order, imo.

If you like a mix of sci-fi, urban fantasy and paranormal romance then Nina Croft’s Blood Hunters is the series for you! Action, intrigue, an immersing plot and captivating characters I loved every second of Break Out and Deadly Pursuit. Nina Croft is a new-to-me author but has quickly turned into a must-read author! I look forward to more installments in this fantastical series! (less)

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Jul 13, 2011 Scooper Speaks rated it 2 of 5 stars

Favorite Lines: “Is this some weird vampire shit? Do vampires even have sex? Everlasting Hell, don’t tell me you’re impotent.” (p. 45, e-galley)

I’ve been dreading this review. I’ve read nothing but stellar reviews and know I’m going to catch grief for not rating this $1 book higher on GoodReads. It’s not that I didn’t like the story; I didn’t love the characters.

Break Out is an erotic Star Trek meets Stargate story. Not a bad thing, right? Well, I found Ricardo to be a lazy jerk. He slowly began...more

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Sep 21, 2012 Anissa rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: paranormal-and-supernatural, science-fiction-and-fantasy, series, romance-and-erotica

I found out about this book by reading an article about women who write scifi romance. There was a bit of an interview with the author & mention of the second book in the series debut. Scifi with some romance & I was already interested. Vampires in space? What the hell, I'm game. So off I went to get the first book.

I have to say that it was far less scifi serious than I expected but as soon as I just went with the story, I had a good time with it. The hints given about the Collective, th...more I found out about this book by reading an article about women who write scifi romance. There was a bit of an interview with the author & mention of the second book in the series debut. Scifi with some romance & I was already interested. Vampires in space? What the hell, I'm game. So off I went to get the first book.

I have to say that it was far less scifi serious than I expected but as soon as I just went with the story, I had a good time with it. The hints given about the Collective, the Church & the bio-engineering company along with the rest of the general society snippets left me wanting more. I wanted to know more about this world the characters move around in (hopefully that's expanded in book 2) & how these huge players came to be just that. There were mentions of a lot of cool things but as there wasn't much delving in, it all remains fairly surface. The escape & fight/battle scenes were very well done. I loved the showdown on the space station orbiting Trakis Five near the end. It was fairly brutal.

Now to the characters. The supporting characters were interesting but much like the big organizations I mentioned above, there is no deep getting to know them. They had good banter & definitely displayed some interesting characteristics but there's no getting to know them here. (view spoiler) They're all likable enough but there's not much to connect to with them.

Skylar & Rico had good lust. I bought the lust. The turn to everlasting one true love? No. I never bought into it because the whole premise is based on her lying to the entire crew for her mission. For all her angsting & whinging about keeping her mind on her mission but being attracted to Rico, all I could think was that she was terribly suited to this job & the Collective had made an error sending her in the first place. It kind of got on my nerves. I wanted her to just get on with both things & shut up about it. Also, (view spoiler) That's not redemptive or altruistic. Tannis, is given some toothless threat moment & the rest of the crew says absolutely nothing. It's all good & there's the happy ever after. Even all the Collective are rendered inert as threats now that she's gone against the group. The Collective angle seemed really convenient & only to serve to prop Skylar's absolution. Everything is just fine. She gets a big ring from Rico & they're both going to give it an eternal go. M'mkay.

But as I said, Skylar & Rico had good lust. I really wanted to know more about them both. This is partly why I suppose I didn't buy into the whole love thing between them. I didn't know enough about them & couldn't see how either of them knew enough about each other to have anything deeper yet. The mentions & remembrances of Daniel seemed genuine but never amounted to much revelation about Skylar. I was a little peeved that Rico conveniently had the dearly departed wife he grew to "care for" but had not, in his over 1000 years of life experienced true love until Skylar ambled in on her high heels. And everyone in the crew notices that he's so changed since Skylar's arrival after mere days. That she was peeved when he mentioned that he'd had a wife once, peeved me. I don't like insecurity in my immortals about things that happened lifetimes before even they were born & more to the point, didn't know the current paramour. And to the same point, Rico wanting to sex her into forgetting every man before him was equally sad.

I'll definitely read the next in the series because I truly want to know what will happen next. It was a fun read & while I have listed my problems with the story, it all circles around the fact that in the end, I wanted to know more about everything & everyone. As series beginnings go, it's a good set up for things to come. And by the way, in case I haven't mentioned it before, Skylar & Rico... they had really good angsty lust.(less)

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Aug 09, 2011 Debbie (at) I Heart YA Books rated it 5 of 5 stars

Break Out is wild, funny, and sexy—a fantastic, out of this world read. I don't remember the last time I laughed more at a couple. Rico and Skylar are just as funny as they are sexy. Rico is a great guy. What's not great about a cocky, womanizing, and gorgeous, bad-ass vampire? He's every woman’s dream. A very bad, bad, but good, vampire. But Rico meets his match in Skylar. She’s tough, independent, and a kick-butt, beautiful woman. Skylar is the one woman that might just tame Rico's womanizing...more

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Jul 08, 2011 Christi Snow rated it 4 of 5 stars

My Review:
I don't know why I don't read more sci-fi romance because I really do love this sub-genre and this book was a fabulous example of it.

Rico is a vampire in the year 3048, but he's been alive since the 1400's on earth. He's not necessarily a nice guy and is very upfront about that...
"I don't eat everyone I come into contact with--I'm very selective. But humans are fragile, and I've learned not to become too attached."
He also tends to be a bit of a man-slut, but he's pretty up-front about...more My Review:
I don't know why I don't read more sci-fi romance because I really do love this sub-genre and this book was a fabulous example of it.

Rico is a vampire in the year 3048, but he's been alive since the 1400's on earth. He's not necessarily a nice guy and is very upfront about that...
"I don't eat everyone I come into contact with--I'm very selective. But humans are fragile, and I've learned not to become too attached."
He also tends to be a bit of a man-slut, but he's pretty up-front about that too. The sex helps to curb his more natural vampiric predatory leanings. He owns the spaceship the El Cazador, but he's hired Tannis to act as Captain and to handle the crew. She's his best friend, but overall, he's pretty much a loner and likes it that way.

Skylar is a soldier and she's on a secret mission which brings her on board the El Cazador. She's there completely under false pretenses. Normally, she is a soldier with the Collective, which means that she's constantly connected to them through her mind. This is the first time in a very long time that she's been disconnected from the Collective mind. As such, she starts to question some of the things that she has always accepted with the rhetoric that has always floated constantly through her brain.

Skylar is incredibly drawn to Rico, but knows that if he drinks her blood, he'll know that she's not who she says that she is. So she colludes with the crew of the El Cazador to keep her out of his clutches. It's really funny to see Rico continually frustrated, but even he is surprised at how much he's enjoying spending his time with Skylar without the physical aspect of their relationship.

There really is a lot of humor to this book, which I really loved. Tannis has a seriously smart wit. Rico can always be counted on for his dry humor and even Skylar has a bit of snark to her...
A horrible idea occurred to her. "Is this some weird vampire shit? Do vampires even have sex? Everlasting Hell, don't tell me your impotent?"

"Impotent?" He repeated the word as though he wasn't sure what it meant.

"Please don't tell me the big come-on is all an act--your overcompensating for the fact that you can't actually do it."

This book was really fabulous, but I felt like the story was just truly beginning when the book ended because finally all the secrets were out in the open. This is going to be a fabulous series. I can't wait to see what comes next for Skylar & Rico.(less)

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Jul 07, 2011 Rhianna rated it 4 of 5 stars

The Future of Immortality

In Entangled Publishing's launch title, Break Out, we get our first taste of the Blood Hunters series. In this futuristic series Earth is a planet people no longer call home. Toxic before refined, a mineral known as Meridian has become the key to life eternal to those who can afford the exorbitant cost. Those who have been so blessed have become known as the Collective. Meridian has not only changed their bodies to withstand the tests of time but connected them on a deep...more The Future of Immortality

In Entangled Publishing's launch title, Break Out, we get our first taste of the Blood Hunters series. In this futuristic series Earth is a planet people no longer call home. Toxic before refined, a mineral known as Meridian has become the key to life eternal to those who can afford the exorbitant cost. Those who have been so blessed have become known as the Collective. Meridian has not only changed their bodies to withstand the tests of time but connected them on a deeper level.

But the Collective aren't the only immortal—nor enhanced—beings in the galaxy. Vampires like the roguish Rico Sanchez have made their mark and with the new rise in the popularity of the Church this is one fascinating new future. When Rico and the crew of his ship, El Cazador, are lured into an impossible but lucrative prison break by the lovely Skylar Rossaria readers are only going to get a little taste of the potential from Nina Croft's Blood Hunters.

It's no secret that I personally HATE when a series of novels starts with a novella. Patricia Briggs' Alpha and Omega series and Marjorie M. Liu's Hunter Kiss are excellent examples of this sort of thing just not working very well. Break Out definitely is not going to change my mind in that regard but what it did manage to do was give me a taste of what to expect. The world of the Blood Hunters series is not as well established, explained or developed in this novella as I needed to be satisfied. A lot of concepts and things were introduced and much like a certain television show that frustrated viewers for six seasons it leaves a lot of questions unanswered. If you enjoy both space-centered science fiction romances and fantasy elements like vampires and shapeshifters this novella is kind of like an appetizer made up of these.

If you're reading it more as a romance reader I have to admit I didn't care for the hero in this one. I've never been able to quite figure out what was an essential characteristic for me in a hero but this novella helped me pinpoint it. Rico is... a lone wolf. Not the kind of lone wolf who keeps his distance to protect others or himself. The kind of lone wolf who comes off as arrogant and aloof in all the wrong ways. His interest and "love" for Skylar at the end felt completely contrived. Their love scenes were alright, I'd probably have enjoyed them more if I didn't want to punch Rico in the face through all but one section of the entire novella. Skylar on the otherhand is pretty mysterious. Her attraction to Rico seems to be completely sexual. Even still I liked her personality and how she intereacted with the secondary characters.

On the whole this was an enjoyable but not lovable novella and an interest piqueing introduction to a series I am very much anxious to truly dive into. It does a nice job of building up to the second Blood Hunters book, Deadly Pursuit, which is due out in January 2012. I'd recommend this one to scifi romance lovers who need a quick read and vampire enthusiasts who have an interest in scifi romances but haven't been sure whether they'd like them or not.(less)

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Jul 06, 2011 Jess the Romanceaholic rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: short-story-or-novella, book-bargains, vampires, futuristic-off-planet-or-au, secret-identity, military-or-special-ops, space-opera, second-or-more-marriage, promiscuous-hero, reformed-rake, celibate-heroine, 2011-read, kindle-lendable

This is a Quickie Review. For the full review, please visit The Romanceaholic.

Expected Release Date: July 1, 2011 (Available Now!)
Publisher: Entangled Publishing
Imprint: N/A
Author’s Website: http://www.ninacroft.com/
My Source for This Book: Amazon.com
Part of a Series: Yes, Book 1, Blood Hunter series
Series Best Read In Order: N/A
Steam Level: Steamy

In the year 3048, Planet Earth has become inhabitable, and humans have joined with other space-faring species. For the very rich and elite, the Meridi...more

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Break Out (Blood Hunter #1)

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