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Blood Wager (Blood Destiny #1)

by Connie Suttle (Goodreads Author)

4.09 of 5 stars 4.09 · rating details · 990 ratings · 109 reviews

"I agree to pay Sergio Velenci one million pounds if the female takes less than nine days to fully turn."

Lissa's life as a vampire begins on the day her husband is removed from life support. Turned by rogues who wager her life, Lissa is running from her maker who is determined to kill her, hunted by the Council who has branded her a rogue and blackmailed by werewolves, who...more

Kindle Edition, 235 pages

Published June 27th 2011 by Connie Suttle

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Community Reviews

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Aug 31, 2011 Joe Scholes rated it 5 of 5 stars

Recommended to Joe by: Connie Suttle

Shelves: ebook, read-in-2009, read-in-2011, connie-suttle

This is the first novel in a series, about Lissa Workman, a middle-aged woman thrust into the "unlife" of a vampire after being turned on the very day her husband passed away. She's turned without any education or help from her assailants, and just left to die. She struggles to adapt to her new situation, resorting to previously undiscovered talents, and refuses to live the stereotypical life of the vampire.

This story is told from a different perspective, and I think the characters are extremely...more

8 likes · like · see review

Dec 09, 2011 Gordon rated it 4 of 5 stars

We (meaning Ilona and me) got this on the kindle and so far it's really quite good.

8 likes · like · see review

Dec 07, 2011 Dan rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: indie, signal

The theme of this series seems to be indignation. Every significant character screws the protagonist over at least once. I would guess that she suffers major betrayals at a rate of four or five per book. When she finds out, she generally cries a little, and the character in question explains that he's very, very sorry. No revenge is ever extracted, apparently because she's not the sort of person who would do that. Eventually she forgives him, mostly. The story continues on.

For a while I was conv...more

2 likes · like · see review

Jan 13, 2013 Paddy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Poor Lissa is turned at 47 years old on the same day that her husband dies by a pair of vampires for a bet.Above all odds she survives the change and is left all alone to fend for herself and teach herself how to live her new life.
This book treats the vampiric race and the were-wolf race as secrets that live along side mankind without interfering or harming man so as not to attract attention to themselves.
I thought the book was action packed with all the best ingredients thrown in, betrayal,viol...more

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Aug 23, 2012 Kimberly rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: paranormal, vampire

I have read all nine books in this series before I could even think of stopping to write a review. Yes, they were that good. Ms. Suttle has an amazing ability to draw the reader into the character's world. She also knows how to write a series. I had almost decided to never read a series again because too many will leave you with a cliffhanger only to start the next book in the series at a much later time. I cannot stand to start a book hoping to find out what happened to a favorite character onl...more

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Apr 04, 2012 Nicole rated it 2 of 5 stars

This book had an interesting premise and I found it hard not to keep reading... There were several things that bothered me early on: 1. Lissa wakes up and automatically knows she's a vampire, but goes to her old house and immediately thinks 'I'm thirsty... This OJ should definitely do the trick'.. Um hello!! 2. Turning her into a vampire automatically means she has skills to fight, when she had nothing of the sort before the turn.. 3. It's supposedly next to impossible to have a female turn, but...more

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Mar 20, 2012 Roxanne rated it 2 of 5 stars

"That must be nice, to live in a guilt-free world," I observed.
"I said if you can make me feel guilt. I didn't say I didn't feel it."
"Ooh, excuse me. Tarzan not feel guilt Jane heaps upon him," I said. He turned his head but not before I saw a corner of his mouth quirk a little.

2.5 Stars

I won't lie this book had many flaws. One of the major problems I had with this book was the lack of information. Not a lot is explained about...anything really so I was left feeling unsatisfied about most of t...more

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Feb 25, 2012 Angela Wallace rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: urban-fantasy

The first time Lissa went to a bar to get drunk was the night her husband was taken off life support. It was also her last. Two vampires make a wager on how many days it would take Lissa to turn. They never expected her to actually survive--female vampires are incredibly rare. But Lissa escapes, and now she's on the run from the vampires who want to cover up their crime, and trying to figure out how to be a vampire. As she remarks repeatedly, there isn't a manual for this sort of thing.

Lissa man...more

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Feb 18, 2012 Sylvie rated it 5 of 5 stars

This is book one of the Blood Destiny series by Connie Suttle, and know I'll be devouring the others ASAP!
Lissa is having a tough time. Her husband of several years has died suddenly, and to make matters worse, she becomes a pawn in a stupid bet. She is killed by two vamps and turned just to bet on how long she'll survive. Fortunately she is smart enough to escape and figure out what has happened to her. She knows she's a vampire, and through trial and error learns what she's capable of - great...more

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Jan 08, 2012 Melindeeloo rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: friendable, vampires, urban-fantasy

Deciding to get drunk for the first time, newly widowed forty-something Lissa thinks that she's at the lowest point in her life, but things are about to get much worse when two vampires disgusted by Lissa's bedraggled state decide to make her the subject of a deadly wager with Lissa as the biggest loser.

Blood Wager ended up being a real surprise to me. Even with the interesting hook - two vampires kill Lissa and bet on how long it will take her to turn into a vampire - Blood Wager was pretty slo...more Deciding to get drunk for the first time, newly widowed forty-something Lissa thinks that she's at the lowest point in her life, but things are about to get much worse when two vampires disgusted by Lissa's bedraggled state decide to make her the subject of a deadly wager with Lissa as the biggest loser.

Blood Wager ended up being a real surprise to me. Even with the interesting hook - two vampires kill Lissa and bet on how long it will take her to turn into a vampire - Blood Wager was pretty slow to get going. In fact, I had actually given up on the kindle sample about half way through, and if a forum friend hadn't later recommended this to me, that would have been that. But instead I heeded my friend's advice, plunked down my .99 and gave it a shot, and I have to say that by half way through the actual book I was totally snared.

Lissa actually ends up being a pretty appealing character as she tries to figure out the rules to her new life all the while lamenting the lack of a vampire manual, but even without a guide Lissa actually does a pretty good job of muddling through. And as Lissa gets unknowingly drawn into the paranormal world just when she developing some pretty awesome vampire mojo, things get pretty interesting and there is a good deal of action to keep the story rolling along. And the level of my frustration when Lissa is finally introduced to the vampire world and we suffer through with Lissa as she is rendered completely powerless with her fate once again in the hands of vampires and with no voice in her future, serves to show just how involving the story was for me.

While I did really enjoy Lissa and the story and thought the mix of first person for Lissa and third person for others worked fairly well, there were just some small inconsistencies and a few places in the story where elements could have been developed a bit better. And just a nit, I would have liked to have seen just a bit more of what was going on with Gavin (the vamp enforcer sent to terminate Lissa but who becomes enchanted with her) and I am hoping that Lissa doesn't let him off the hook - the Lissa who withholds cookie privileges as retribution for others that have done her wrong, would require some major major groveling for what Gavin put her through.

Bottom line though is that even with my nits, Blood Wager is really a diamond in the rough and while a bit of polish would have allowed it to shine more brightly, it still is enough of a gem to have me downloading the next one. (less)

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Dec 30, 2011 Sheyla rated it 3 of 5 stars

Lissa Haddon is in the wrong place at the wrong time.

She is in a bar trying to get drunk after her husband dies. Unfortunately for her, two vampires are there and decide to turn her lifespan into a wager. Females usually don't survive the turn. She is left in a basement to die. Surprisingly, she survives.

She doesn't act as a regular new vampire. She is able to feed without killing her victims. Out of instinct she starts running for her life and ends up working as a bodyguard for William Winkler,...more

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Dec 30, 2011 Mara rated it 3 of 5 stars

Recommended to Mara by: Ilona Andrews

Shelves: urban-fantasy

Pro:
- The story hooked me in an heartbeat. I loved the plot and the writing.
- The world-building was in depth, the characters plenty and interesting.

Cons:
-Well, there's only one big con I found: character consistency.

Above all, Lissa and one of the lead men acted like a seesaw, Jackyll and Hyde. Gavin is clearly and rightly depicted as such, given his role. I had a problem in understanding Winkler, who isn't well rounded. Least of all I understood Lissa who came out with the strongest Stockho...more

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Dec 27, 2011 Dian rated it 2 of 5 stars

I found this book cause Ilona Andrews mentioned it in a goodreads blog and since I am a fan of the couple I figured I'd atleast read the description. Well it didn't strike me as something I had to read so I kept it in the back of my mind. And although I have some nitpicking on what i diiked about the book I am glad that I downloaded it. It was a good read deserving more of a 2.5 rating. The characters are interesting enough with plenty of action throughout. What this whole book needed was a good...more

3 likes · like · see review

Dec 13, 2011 Chantal Halpin rated it 4 of 5 stars

I downloaded this as it kept coming up in my amazon recommended list and I had some pennies left over from a voucher. The cover put me off a bit but the reviews were good so I figured it was worth a go.

The writing style is very unusual as the main character is all first person point of view - but most other characters get third person point of view sections. I don't think I've read anything like that before but surprisingly it didn't annoy. Also the writer constantly tells you everything yet som...more

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Dec 11, 2011 Madame X rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: paranormal-urban-fantasy, vampires

I picked up BLOOD WAGER based on Ilona Andrews' recommendation & unfortunately, that was a mistake. Yes, at its best the book has a vibrant bleakness that reminds me a little of Ilona Andrews. But Suttle's writing is short on description, with very little in the way of imagery or scene-setting. She keeps the action rolling, but I wished she'd cut out a few scenes and focused more on making me care about her characters instead.

The book starts with the lead character, Lissa, being turned into...more I picked up BLOOD WAGER based on Ilona Andrews' recommendation & unfortunately, that was a mistake. Yes, at its best the book has a vibrant bleakness that reminds me a little of Ilona Andrews. But Suttle's writing is short on description, with very little in the way of imagery or scene-setting. She keeps the action rolling, but I wished she'd cut out a few scenes and focused more on making me care about her characters instead.

The book starts with the lead character, Lissa, being turned into a vampire as part of a wager. This is an example of the brilliant and bleak part of Suttle's writing. Forty-six year old Lissa walks into a bar in tears because her husband has just died, and these two vampires laugh because she seems so old, aged by grief. This whole scene just squeezed at my heart.

But then Lissa wakes up, and that's when things start to go wrong. She figures out she's a vampire quickly and doesn't have time to be shocked - she needs to escape. She has to leave her identity behind, her home and her city, because she knows those two vampires will track her if they can. She learns to feed and ends up working security as a night guard in Texas.

The way she described her new boss, the other guards, I assumed that this was just another stop on the way before she's discovered by the vampires. The other characters are flat and don't do anything interesting. I couldn't visualize them and didn't think any of them had any personality. Including her boss. But, as I kept reading and Lissa keeps working security for this guy, I realized that actually this gig wasn't just a temporary thing. We find out things about her employer that make him a really important character; and Lissa integrates herself into his world by saving lives and baking cookies.

Soon enough Lissa is acquiring rare powers and doing battle against impossible odds - like twenty-to-one, where she's the one - but coming out victorious. I started to get a bad, Mary Sue sort of feeling. The other characters don't emote very well but it starts to seem like they're all infatuated with Lissa, and the ones who aren't turn out to be villains.

I didn't hate BLOOD WAGER but I didn't like it, either. The writing style just doesn't work for me, and while I liked some of the story elements I saw a few red flags as well. Not a series I'll continue with.(less)

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Oct 31, 2011 J.A. Ball rated it 4 of 5 stars

Okay to start I must say I loved this book. I don't usually take the time to write a full review but for this one I will. It was special. This author has talent! BUT... oddly enough I found all kinds of things about it bothersome. I found this on Kindle and it sounded interesting so I read it. Simple. As I continued reading though, I found myself frowning and thinking..."Is this author self-published?" (I honestly had no clue at the time). Now however, I have since discovered that, yes, this is...more Okay to start I must say I loved this book. I don't usually take the time to write a full review but for this one I will. It was special. This author has talent! BUT... oddly enough I found all kinds of things about it bothersome. I found this on Kindle and it sounded interesting so I read it. Simple. As I continued reading though, I found myself frowning and thinking..."Is this author self-published?" (I honestly had no clue at the time). Now however, I have since discovered that, yes, this is a self-published author. Unfortunately it had all the trappings that seem to be tied with self-published authors.

First though, I will start with the good, because that was the overall impression it left on me. It only took me a partial day to read this. That in and of itself is a great thing; to be able to hook the reader on every turn of the page. Suttle has a great opening line and paragraph that instantly grabs you and entices you to read more. Her characters are interesting and likeable with real life vulnerabilities and preternatural/supernatural abilities. Her world is well developed and built and her plot is well thought through. She does a great job at foreshadowing and leading. Her writing voice is entertaining and sarcastic and her pacing is spot on. Her character dialog is also great and entertaining.

The bad: Soon after starting, I was able to tell it was self-published. The biggest thing being that this author broke the "cardinal rule" of writing: Show, don't tell your reader. Sutter narrates through the ENTIRE novel. Narration is usually boring. Amazingly, I continued to read because of her pacing, there was always something happening. Character descriptions were sometimes spotty as well as scene descriptions. I was left wanting a better painting of the mood of the scene, rather than being grabbed by the collar and drug through the story with more narration. It was in places like reading a journal entry. Like a stone that has been skipped across a pond as it yanked you through the story. Publishing house editors usually catch this kind of thing and help the new author to develop their writing skills through that. Sutter also leaves a bit to be desired on character development as far as personalities go. She never gets too deep inside their heads.

I'm not listing this as a con as I've done it in my own writing and it is actually a point of congratulations. Suttle breaks another "rule" (and I hate to even call them that) in that she switches frequently between first person and third person. Most writers will tell you that to switch POV's (point of views) in the story is jarring to the reader and it is not to be done. However, I feel that Sutter has pulled it off successfully and done a wonderful job of weaving the story using the POV switch. Here's the reason I don't like to call it a "rule of writing". These "writing rules" exist because it is a format for a successful novel. But it's not a hard and fast rule. There is always a out of the box success story that don't follow the "cardinal rules". Sutter has proved that. She's kept me reading, made me like her characters, and kept the action rolling.

For all the negatives I listed I will most definitely read more of her work! Good job Connie!(less)

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Aug 13, 2011 Sherri rated it 4 of 5 stars

The most unlikely setting for a vampire story has to be Oklahoma yet this somehow works. A woman, still in shock over the death of her husband, wanders into a bar. She does not notice two men watching her and while her guard is down she is turned into a vampire. Then things get interesting.

The local settings are well done, Flaming Lips Alley, Bricktown and even the wheat fields of central Oklahoma are described in great detail. Though I wonder if there is really a bar out there called Tipsy's bu...more

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Dec 22, 2011 Shelley rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: paranormal-romance

Lissa Workman is a middle aged, overweight, shortass frump who decides to get blitzed after leaving her husband's death bed. Unfortunately, these attributes are the very ones that lead to her human demise. Mistaken for a sixty year old, she is turned into a vampire for a bet and left to get on with it by the vampires who attacked her.
I have throughly enjoyed Ms Suttle's series and am at book 4. Her use of the first and third person narratives to move the story along works well. After all, Lissa...more

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Feb 21, 2013 Yui rated it 2 of 5 stars

Really hard to focus but the story is light enough that I'll continue just to fill my short breaks during weekdays.

Edit:

2/21

I finished this last night and now I'm reading the second book, I might bring the rating to 1. I don't really have anything important to add. It's just so hard to get into the book with the juvenile writing. There is no continuity and everything is a tell and no show. Most of the thing that comes out of the characters mouth don't make sense either. A lot of issues bother Li...more

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Oct 07, 2011 jD rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011-read, vamps_1st-book-of-series, vamps-funny, 2011_5-stars

Give me a minue while I make an adjustment to my top 10 vampire series – Vampires In America, Darkyn, Night Huntress, Dark Days, Sookie Stackhouse, Black Dagger, ….. Since Dark Days has wrapped I can move them out. It’s that serious. Blood Destiny needed a slot of honor on the 10 favs list. I can do this because I already read books 1, 2, and 3. Now, to the matter at hand, a review of Blood Wager, Book 1 of Dark Destiny.

The tale begins with the cruel turning of a 46ish-year-old woman whose husb...more Give me a minue while I make an adjustment to my top 10 vampire series – Vampires In America, Darkyn, Night Huntress, Dark Days, Sookie Stackhouse, Black Dagger, ….. Since Dark Days has wrapped I can move them out. It’s that serious. Blood Destiny needed a slot of honor on the 10 favs list. I can do this because I already read books 1, 2, and 3. Now, to the matter at hand, a review of Blood Wager, Book 1 of Dark Destiny.

The tale begins with the cruel turning of a 46ish-year-old woman whose husband just died. Her name is Lissa, not short for Melissa, just Lissa. Her last name doesn’t really matter at this point because she’s on the run for her life.

Lissa has left the hospital after taking her husband off life support and decided to do something she has never done, have a drink in a bar alone. She is devastated by her husband’s death and is not paying attention when two men walk into the bar and begin to study her (and not in a good way). Unknown to Lissa and the other patrons, these two are vampires, nasty ones. The two observe the overweight woman who looks about 60 to them. They make a wager on how long it would take for her to turn. In the parking lot of the bar, they kill her. She awakens in a dark cell days later to discover she is a vampire and a bar napkin with the terms of the bet. She is shocked and realizes what turned means PDQ.

Lissa’s inner dialog reminds me of a cross between Cat and Sookie. The story rotates perspective to third person here and there but mostly, we ride in Lissa’s head. In the early pages, I was happy to learn the basics about Ms. Suttle’s vampires. Right from the get-go, Lissa discovers she is no longer a middle aged, overweight, plain Jane. Oh no, she was now a hot blond in her early twenties with the body to go with it. Lissa learns (on her own) how to survive and what myths are true. She is constantly making jokes about the lack of a vampire manual. Because Lissa is smart, she figures that the two vampires that turned her did not mean for her to live so she hits the road. Lissa’s journey to find a place to be safe while grieving the husband and the life she left behind touched my heart and funny bone. Lissa ends up taking a job as a body guard for a famous tech designer. She has moved from Oklahoma to Texas and is trying to make a life that involves working only at night. In Texas, she meets individuals who will become key characters in her life and the series.

One of the people she meets is her handsome whore of a boss, Winkler. I can’t tell you much about Winkler other than that people are trying to kill him because of a project he is working on. The vampires have a ruling council and they know a rogue has been created. She is the first female in more than 700 years. There are thousands of male vampires but only a handful of female vampires. But rules are rules and Lissa is considered a rogue since she was created without permission and is running around without the guidance of a sire. These vamps are hardcore. They send an assassin to take care of her and to make sure Winkler does not finish what he has started. Gavin is a cold blooded killer. He joins Winkler’s security detail and observes Lissa. He is shocked to learn how much she has learned on her own but mostly he realizes she has no clue that he is a vampire or that Winkler isn’t exactly human either. He reports via email to the council’s leader/Vampire King/Elder/and force-unto-himself – Wlodek. The more Gavin observes Lissa, he realizes she is smart, resourceful, and does not deserve the hand she was dealt. He shares these observations with Wlodek who is working his own angle and agenda. Our next batter up for potential hero and lover is Tony. He is the Director of NSA/Homeland Security. He and Lissa meet innocently enough in a bookstore and go on a couple of dates. He is human and she isn’t plus she is technically on the run with fake ID. So Lissa decides it can never go anywhere and glamours him into letting her walk out of his life.

All the aforementioned men (loosely used term) weave danger and mystery into Lissa’s life without her knowing. There are many other interesting characters and concepts that round out the story. Eventually Lissa has to face many truths including the fact that the vampires have no plans to spare her life. It never occurred to me that she might save herself -- eventually.

I highly recommend this book to UF vampire fans. If you like other paranormals in the mix, this one’s for you too. Lissa is a new kind of heroine for me. She is a mix of all the things I like in a heroine without the TSTL (Too Stupid To Live) aspect. Five stars for the range of emotions this book evoked in me. I had begun to think I might be too jaded and had to settle for entertainment value only. This is a full length novel. There is no sex in this installment but I don’t consider this YA.
(less)

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Mar 24, 2012 Poussinette (Sophie) rated it 5 of 5 stars

Ok I won't be telling you this book is perfect, or even great. I just loved it.

Loved that the heroine is nearing 50 and DOESN'T think like a 20 year old.
Loved that she was clueless about a few things while I wasn't (view spoiler)
Loved the multiple POV even if it was a bit overdo...more

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Dec 19, 2011 Tamara Rose Blodgett rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: action, adventure, dark-fantasy, drama, intrigue, paranormal-urban-fantasy, romantic-tension, suspense, vamps, werewolves

Okay, where is my option to give more than five stars on this book... really? I absolutely loved this book, it was a face-plant-with-the-Kindle guys...a two AM shot for sure. Hubby bought this for me using his secret recipe and does it have fantastic diversity! It's not some tired vamp story with a few cookie-cutter werewolves thrown in for fun. It's an "all-aboard" speeding bullet of action, paranormal and supernatural powers. Most importantly for me it provides an intense connection to the MC....more Okay, where is my option to give more than five stars on this book... really? I absolutely loved this book, it was a face-plant-with-the-Kindle guys...a two AM shot for sure. Hubby bought this for me using his secret recipe and does it have fantastic diversity! It's not some tired vamp story with a few cookie-cutter werewolves thrown in for fun. It's an "all-aboard" speeding bullet of action, paranormal and supernatural powers. Most importantly for me it provides an intense connection to the MC. That was critical to maintaining my interest and Suttle did it.

Lissa is a middle-aged faithful wife that becomes a widow and vampire in the same day. She's been a methodically diligent person her whole life and brings those little-appreciated skills to her new life as a rare female vampire. Her "sire" took a wager that he could turn a human female in a certain number of days and when he was complacent after turning Lissa, she escaped. Through sheer grit, determination and using her keen mind, Lissa proved she could survive the challenges she faced. Suttle is tremendously astute at forcing the reader to feel Lissa's struggles. I had a physical reaction to some of the passages where my guts actually clenched (I didn't know this was possible). I was that struck by her circumstances, that moved by Lissa's agony and feelings of uncertainty and limbo with the circumstances of her existence.

In walks Gavin, who as an older vampire has been assigned to terminate Lissa. Without having been turned "legally" she is now considered rogue. She never knows that he is vampire out of ignorance. Gavin gets an unabashed perspective as to who she is. Gavin becomes troubled at extinguishing a flame that burns that brightly, a rare illumination for their race. From the way she handles herself to her fierceness in protecting those that she's promised to, she is unwavering and brave. I like who Lissa is. Her fragility and tenaciousness were captured perfectly in this story. So perfectly, that I ran out like a one-click spaz and bought the rest of the series!

Although this is really a dark urban fantasy book, I'd say the world-building she accomplishes is more than simply urban. I really felt like the vampire and werewolf "worlds" that she alludes to then begins to construct its framework in book two may appeal to high fantasy lovers as well.

If you like perfect pacing, non-stop action with intrigue throughout, this is the story for you. Suttle IS subtle, allowing the reader to appreciate tension that at times is sprung so tautly you think you'll die, while giving us just enough information to be intrigued and fashion our own precepts. Wonderful!(less)

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Jan 20, 2013 Dawnie rated it 1 of 5 stars

This review will be updated once I've given this book another go. Many of the people I follow/are friends with on GR have given this book great reviews. So I suppose another shot is warranted if my trust is not misplaced.

Why oh why am I the only person who doesn't like this book? The elements of the plot are unique and have immense potential for being something great. Lissa is an older woman grieving the loss of her husband at a bar when two mean bad nasties (vampires) make a wager on how long...more

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Feb 29, 2012 MoonGlitter rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites, read-in-2012, kindle

Connie Suttle is another 'new to me' author that is moving straight up into my list of favorites!

Blood Wager is the first book in the Blood Destiny Series. It is about a middle aged woman who's husband has died. For the first time in her life, Lissa finds herself in a bar drowning her sorrows. Her life is about to drastically change in ways that she could never imagine.

Because of a wager between two vampires who like to play 'games' she is attacked just to see how long it would take for her to m...more

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Jan 30, 2012 Shay Williams rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: ebook, paranormal, vampire

I have to admit that I have been picking up a lot of books for free lately. And I am gradually making my way thru them and trying to leave reviews. I find that it is a great way to be introduced to new authors and there are times that I run across a book that I absolutely love. BLOOD WAGER just happens to be one of those.

The last thing that Lissa expected on the day that her husband died was to be turned into a vampire. But that is what happened and against all vampire laws she was just turned l...more

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May 02, 2013 Siew Ee rated it 5 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed this book, enough to jump on to the 2nd book in the series almost right away. But I did take a pause to find out what was about this book that made it so readable?

No doubt it’s run-of-the-mill. There’s the paranormal element, the romantic element, and there’s the obligatory mystery/suspense element. What made it work, for me at least, is 1) a pacy storytelling that flowed smoothly, with nary a boring chapter; and 2) a very likeable female protagonist who got me standing on her...more

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Mar 19, 2012 Brenda rated it 4 of 5 stars

Ilona Andrews had recommended Ms. Suttle's book on her blog, and I finally remembered to pick it up for my Kindle. Wow. It's an amazing, original read that had me buying the second one before I was even finished with the first book. The only reason I'm giving it a four star rating is that it did take me a few chapters to get into it, but then I read nonstop! I think the main reason I loved the story so much was the main character and heroine. She's in her 40's, has lost her husband, and is turne...more

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Jan 30, 2012 Hitandmiss rated it 3 of 5 stars

*LIGHT SPOILER WARNING*

Book Review - I enjoyed this book, I found the starting premise quite interesting, elderly lady flung into the world of the Vampires with no guide. While you can nit-pick the flaws in this series (she makes basic deductions while 2000 year old vamps don't see them. She’s super powerful straight off the bat. She accepts her new existence pretty easy and is willing to kill with little concern. The Main bad guy has been plotting for nearly 2000 years and is terrible at it) I...more *LIGHT SPOILER WARNING*

Book Review - I enjoyed this book, I found the starting premise quite interesting, elderly lady flung into the world of the Vampires with no guide. While you can nit-pick the flaws in this series (she makes basic deductions while 2000 year old vamps don't see them. She’s super powerful straight off the bat. She accepts her new existence pretty easy and is willing to kill with little concern. The Main bad guy has been plotting for nearly 2000 years and is terrible at it) I found myself enjoying the plot without getting too held up in the flaws.

Series Review - To sum up the first 3 books in a sentence would be;
"A new vampire finding their way in a mystery/adventure plot"
Most of these Vamp/Were books flow into;
“Vampire now takes on Vampire Politics and Political enemies”
While the books do follow this plot with increasingly evil baddies and larger stakes on the line. This series take it one step further and where we had basically just Vamps & Wares for the first 3 books. We suddenly get Elves/Aliens/Time Travel/Gods/Space Travel/Polygamy I found this a bit of a stretch and Lissa’s accepts this with little surprise. While I enjoyed the stories I was finding the chars a little bit of a stretch at this point. Particularly the sudden jump to Polygamy.

Lissa has been in a bit of a relationship dilemma for a while and suddenly she gives up trying to choose and just decides to marry a load of guys. I was disappointed in the author particularly on this, as Gavin has been nothing but a jerk all the way through and has had little in the way of relationship building other than them both having chemistry. With all the betrayals I was certain Gavin was going to be a thing of the past, however weak Lissa just keeps accepting bad situation after bad situation.

The Author has posted on her website that she takes only "...on average, I'd say between one and two months to finish a first draft." I found this particularly revealing, I do not believe you can write a story in 2 months without it having loads of flaws and failings, and thus the story requires constant Deus ex machinas, her growing powers and constant wins give readers little to fear and when she is wounded it’s a human with a gun. She has nearly every power we have come across by the end of book 6.

Overall I enjoyed the series and will finish it when the final 3 books are released and as the books being cheap on kindle (first book was free and following books going for £1-2) they were worth it. However the series will not redefine the Vampire Genre.(less)

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Dec 20, 2011 Raven rated it 5 of 5 stars

Unexpected delight, December 20, 2011
By S. E. Baratta (New Jersey) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME) Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Blood Wager (Blood Destiny #1) (Kindle Edition)
I got wind of this series from Ilona Andrews' site and decided to give it a try...99 cents, why not? Then I caught the beginning of a review on Amazon that started out about how two vampires walk into a bar and see a fat old woman crying over her dead husband and make a bet about the time i...more

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Oct 26, 2012 Mary rated it 5 of 5 stars

Connie Suttle catches your attention from the beginning with Blood Wager. Lissa Beth is a woman who thinks that her life is on the last half and doesn't know if it will improve from the hell she has already been thru. The story begins with her visiting a bar for the first time after her husband dies earlier that day. Lissa Beth has a strong sense of what is right and wrong. A couple of vampires bet whether they can change her into a vampire (this is against the vampire rules). When Lissa Beth wa...more

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About Connie Suttle

Connie Suttle lives in Oklahoma with her husband and three cats.

Connie holds an MFA in Fine Art (film production and animation) and taught courses at the university level before moving on to bookstore management. Nowadays, if she isn't writing or editing, she's dreaming up her next book.

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Blood Wager (Blood Destiny #1)

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