Vampire in Denial (Family Blood Ties, #1)

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Vampire in Denial (Family Blood Ties #1)

by Dale Mayer (Goodreads Author)

3.79 of 5 stars 3.79 · rating details · 72 ratings · 19 reviews

Like being a sixteen-year-old vampire isn't hard enough, Tessa's throwback human genes make her an outcast among her relatives. But try as she might, she can't get a handle on the vampire lifestyle and all the...blood.

Turning her back on the vamp world, she embraces the human teenage lifestyle—high school, peer pressure and finding a boyfriend. Jared manages to stir someth...more

Kindle Edition, 215 pages

Published August 1st 2011 by Valley Publishing

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Jun 17, 2013 Catherine rated it 3 of 5 stars

I liked the idea behind this book - a child born to vampire parents, with human genes. Huh.

Understandably, she's caught between the two groups and doesn't really feel like "part" of either. What confuses me though, is that even after almost 17 years, she hasn't voiced any of her to her family - not even the brother she's closest to. Then she acts all surprised when they finally find out she feels different from them. I guess that's typical teenaged behavior, or even girl behavior for that matter...more

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Aug 19, 2012 Aine Massie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: romance

Vampire in Denial by Dale Mayer is a fresh take on a beloved classic – the vampire. Her vampire heroine, Tessa, is actually half-human thanks to some genetic fluke that only happens every so many generations. She’s also a teen. . . Can you not already see the potential for not fitting in? She’s not really a vampire, per se, and so the vamps shun her. She’s not really a human either.

Sadly, or not depending on how you see it, one of Tessa’s human friends is kidnapped. She, of course, wants to resc...more

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Aug 16, 2012 Andrea rated it 4 of 5 stars

[This review also appears on Andi's Young Adult Books.]

Tessa is part-human, thanks to some weird genetic anomaly that occasionally pops up every few hundred generations or so. She has never been truly accepted by either side, but feels closer to other humans than to other vampires. It seems pretty typical of being a teenager. Many times, you aren't comfortably in your own skin and have to try on different people to find your place.

When her human friend is kidnapped by some rogue vampires, Tessa...more [This review also appears on Andi's Young Adult Books.]

Tessa is part-human, thanks to some weird genetic anomaly that occasionally pops up every few hundred generations or so. She has never been truly accepted by either side, but feels closer to other humans than to other vampires. It seems pretty typical of being a teenager. Many times, you aren't comfortably in your own skin and have to try on different people to find your place.

When her human friend is kidnapped by some rogue vampires, Tessa wants to do the right thing and save him. Of course, she is ridiculed by her fellow vampires. They don't think they should sacrifice themselves to go after a human. Even if they do, Tessa is nowhere near their vampire standards, and probably can't help. Tessa is a typical stubborn teenager, much like myself at that age. Tell us we can't do something, and we will set out to prove you wrong! Tessa hones in on her vampire side and discovers she has more to offer than anyone had previous imagined.

I find Tessa's ability to switch between vampire mode and human mode, particularly in eyesight, to be strange, yet interesting. Put the two together and she can dominate both sides. It's a pity it has taken her so long to realize her strengths, as well as being a shame it took the abduction of someone she cares about to do so. As the series develops, though, I think she is going to take on both worlds by storm and completely rule. Her love interests on both her human and vampire sides, as novel as they both may be, are going to be interesting to watch develop.

The book reads like a TV show or soap opera. The episode goes back and forth between the characters, bringing one scene to a close before moving to another scene. "Meanwhile, back at the vampire mansion..." It keeps the pace flowing and the pages turning. And, just like a TV show or soap opera, it abruptly ends with a cliffhanger that makes you anxious for the next installment. I'm glad I already have book 2 to read!

I received a complimentary ebook in exchange for my honest review.(less)

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Aug 23, 2011 H.Lee rated it 4 of 5 stars

Ms. Mayer had sent me an email asking if I would like to review her work. I took a look at it and thought what the heck, what do I have to lose? As soon as I received the ecopy, I started reading. I have a bad habit of reading the first chapter of books to see if I get hooked or not. Of course, this one hooked me and I had to keep reading til the end.

I love vampire stories! I can never get tired of them and yes! (call me a dork!) I LOVE Twilight! So, as soon as I start reading anything with a va...more Ms. Mayer had sent me an email asking if I would like to review her work. I took a look at it and thought what the heck, what do I have to lose? As soon as I received the ecopy, I started reading. I have a bad habit of reading the first chapter of books to see if I get hooked or not. Of course, this one hooked me and I had to keep reading til the end.

I love vampire stories! I can never get tired of them and yes! (call me a dork!) I LOVE Twilight! So, as soon as I start reading anything with a vampire theme, I am sucked in. This book did exactly what I expected it to do…engrossed me into the story. I loved the little twist that was given to your typical vampire story. You had the not being able to go out in sunlight, but these vampires lived among humans and had their own separate schools and night-time activities. Except, of course for our lovely leading lady, whom is half vampire, half human.

Tess is a great female lead. Very strong-willed and would not give up. Even when she was told that she wasn’t fast enough or strong enough, she was not going to give in! Cody is also amazing and I love reading about the relationship between him and Tessa. It was fun to see how Tessa just blossomed right before Cody’s eyes and it was like he was just seeing her for the first time.

As you all are aware of already, I like reading books with a couple different points of view. We get to see three different POV’s in this book and I absolutely loved it!

Okay, that ending was a total cliffhanger and a shocker! Just when you thought it would be safe and actually, I was expecting an intimate moment between Tessa and Cody. But instead…WHAMO…the end!!! Apparently this is only book one in a series called The Blood Ties Series. I am super excited to know when book 2 will arrive and hoping that maybe I can review that one also!

Highly recommended book for the Vampire lover in all of us! Thanks to Dale Mayer for introducing me to this wacky cast of characters and a great new series!!!

(less)

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Aug 30, 2011 Kelly rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: ebooks, young-adult, 2011-favorites, read-in-2011

Oh, book! You were so FUN! I was getting all tense and worried about how poor Tessa was going to prove herself and it was exciting and I desperately wanted her to realize that her tangled up feelings about a certain someone were not all brotherly. But, but...why did you leave me hanging on such a cliffhanger?!?! I MUST KNOW what's going to happen to her!

In most ways, Tessa is an average teenage girl. Her parents don't really understand her, she feels like she's caught between two worlds and she'...more

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Dec 01, 2011 Jamie Kline rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-for-review

I chose not to read the full synopsis before diving into this one, because I didn't want to ruin anything for myself. Based on the title alone, I thought it would just be about a teenage vampire who would rather be human. I was way off! It's even better!

The main character, Tessa, is 16 years old and a member of a powerful vampire family, but she also has a lot of human characteristics that separate her from her mom, dad, and brothers. This causes her family to severely miscalculate her abilities...more I chose not to read the full synopsis before diving into this one, because I didn't want to ruin anything for myself. Based on the title alone, I thought it would just be about a teenage vampire who would rather be human. I was way off! It's even better!

The main character, Tessa, is 16 years old and a member of a powerful vampire family, but she also has a lot of human characteristics that separate her from her mom, dad, and brothers. This causes her family to severely miscalculate her abilities and also causes her to underestimate herself. She finds it easier to try and fit in with her human friends; that is until a group of vampires kidnap her crush, Jared. She really steps up to the plate at that point because she knows that most vampires look down on humans and see them as little better than animals. She certainly surprised me with her conviction, since at the beginning she didn't want much to do with her vampire traits, but she knew she needed to embrace them to save Jared. She not only showed her family just how strong she was but also discovered that she was more extraordinary than any of them thought. I loved seeing her become more confident and gain more respect, especially from her father. Their relationship at first was rocky, but it strengthens greatly over the course of the book; when she finally fully embraces who she is, they are able to bond over it, which was exactly what she needed to finally feel like she belonged in her family.

I assumed that Jared would be her love interest throughout the entire story, but I was wrong. Her feelings for him get the action rolling, but in the process of searching for him she becomes closer with her brother's best friend, Cody. With her new-found self-confidence, they see each other in a different light, but unfortunately with all of the chaos they aren't able to explore their blossoming feelings. The chemistry is definitely there, however, and I look forward to seeing what develops in the next book.

This book managed to stand out amongst the plethora of vampire novels out there. I liked how vampires had different abilities and how some of them, like Tessa, seemed more human than vampire (i.e. could be out in the daylight, didn't crave blood). It added a bunch of new dimensions to the world and I'm liking where the series is going.

This really was a great read. I was entirely able to relate with Tessa and enjoyed watching her change throughout the story. Just a warning, the author leaves us with one heck of a cliffhanger, so I can only hope that the next book comes out soon! (less)

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Oct 26, 2011 Mlpmom (Book Reviewer) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: kindle-books

This was a really fun different look on vampires and their world.
I really enjoyed reading a different side to vampires, a half vampire trying to both fit into the human world and the vampire world, all while still trying to find out who she is and what she wants out of life.
I love that although Tess didn't quite fit into either world she still went after what she believed was right and did her best to accept who she was and to find out all that she could do and become without letting anyone else...more

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Nov 17, 2011 Gmr rated it 4 of 5 stars

Tessa’s voice in the synopsis simply spoke to me. I could hear her slightly snarky attitude right from the start and the concept of her being an outcast among her “kind” due to “human genes”, begged to be explored. It seems that her “condition” is rather rare, especially coming from a pure blood line and yet, here she is in all her vampire-human glory. It lends several interesting talents to her full arsenal like being able to see normally (human) and enhanced (vampire)…and maybe even something...more Tessa’s voice in the synopsis simply spoke to me. I could hear her slightly snarky attitude right from the start and the concept of her being an outcast among her “kind” due to “human genes”, begged to be explored. It seems that her “condition” is rather rare, especially coming from a pure blood line and yet, here she is in all her vampire-human glory. It lends several interesting talents to her full arsenal like being able to see normally (human) and enhanced (vampire)…and maybe even something halfway between (nope…not telling you…that’s for me to know and you to discover). Even her gawkiness that’s plagued her (she is only 16 after all) turns out to be something advantageous that she has simply yet to understand.

Her relationship with her family was rather interesting as it seemed oh-so-close at times and yet at others like they were from different planets. I suppose that’s not just the vampire issue getting in the way there because let’s face it, teenagers and parents don’t always see eye to eye but regardless of the difference of opinion, they were always there for her …and not just her parents, but her brothers as well. They play minor roles in the story overall, but if she’s ever in the need for some tail kicked, they’ll be there in a flash. Speaking of brother’s there’s one particular friend of a brother that DOES end up playing a rather key role by the name of Cody. In Tessa’s quest to rescue her friend (and human crush) Jared, he ends up playing sidekick, ally, defender…and just maybe something more (I’ll let you read into that what you may).

It’s a fight for their lives as they struggle to uncover just who or what stole her friend and ends up being oh-so-much bigger than they could have imagined. As people…err, vamps too…keep disappearing along the way; you’ll be on the edge of your seat hoping against hope that your favorites won’t be next. But just when the real mystery is starting to reveal itself…BAM…something new is added to the mix…and you know what? It TOTALLY works…and not in a pretentious, I’m-just-saying-that sorta way either. As I drew closer and closer to book’s end, I was completely ensconced in Tessa’s story as well as her character’s growth. At book’s end, my mind was blown…so be prepared. (Don’t say I didn’t warn you!)

To summarize, though relatively short in pages this story packs a YA punch you might not have expected. It explores the value of friendship, the strength family can provide, the glow of your first (and/or second) crush, and the fact that growing up is hard to do, even if you have vampire genes to help you out along the way. We’re all looking for our place in the world, for those we fit in with best to make our lives complete. It’s not always easy an road to that discovery, but the journey makes the reward that much sweeter.

Recommended reading for Young Adult fans in their teens and above…there’s nothing truly controversial here that would limit the book’s audience, but the little kiddos may not fall in love with the evil plans working behind the scenes (best to keep their dreams sweet and happy). Happy reading!(less)

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Sep 19, 2012 Brenda Demko rated it 4 of 5 stars

I recommend that you do yourself a favor and buy the next book Vampire in Distress at the same time. The way the it ends, you will want to start the next one right away. I know I did!

Dale Mayer has taken vampires and made them her own. This is the first book in a YA vampire series that is fantastic.

Tessa has issues. She is the daughter of two full blooded vampires and her brothers are both full blooded but she is not. She doesn't feel that she fits in with her own family and that's sad. She has...more

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Sep 19, 2011 Rea Sinfield rated it 4 of 5 stars

Well you all know I love my chick lit books but I am a secret Young Adult fiction fan. After reading so many Chick Lit books recently I needed a little change so I decided to try Vampire in Denial by Dale Mayer. This is the first book in the Blood Ties series. When I read up on the author I was surprised at the range of books that she has wrote from Young adult to romance and even Non-fiction.

Plot
Blood doesn't just make her who she is...it also makes her what she is.

Like being a sixteen-year-old...more

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Sep 19, 2011 Lisa Lap rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011-books-read, youngadult, paranormal, fiction, fantasy

This book clocks in a 125 pages in PDF format, and I was really looking forward to the premise of this story. The main plot twist, while a bit of a déjà vu idea, had enough intrigue to be interesting. Vampire and humans are living side by side in a somewhat harmonious existence finding a way to all get along and respect each other. Or so it appears on the surface. Tessa, our main character, experiences a more sinister side to the vampire civilization while she’s on a group date with her human fr...more This book clocks in a 125 pages in PDF format, and I was really looking forward to the premise of this story. The main plot twist, while a bit of a déjà vu idea, had enough intrigue to be interesting. Vampire and humans are living side by side in a somewhat harmonious existence finding a way to all get along and respect each other. Or so it appears on the surface. Tessa, our main character, experiences a more sinister side to the vampire civilization while she’s on a group date with her human friends. The date has a tragic end with her boy crush being kidnapped by mysterious vampires. When Tessa takes this horrific event to her family for help, they don’t believe her.

When we meet Tessa, the main character, we’re introduced to a shy, awkward teenage half vampire girl that feels like the odd man out in her own family. Between Chapter One and Chapter Two, Tessa transforms into a sarcastic, fairly disrespectful, super vamp that refuses to listen to anyone if they don’t go along with what she wants to hear. She not only grows confidence, but apparently also grows a figure just by changing into some stiletto boots, a cleavage baring top and outrageous makeup. She can miraculously open doors that no one else can simply by kicking them really hard. She can track people by scent, see the energy lines of people, find openings to secret passage ways, and other fantastical things that other vampires can’t do, and that just a few, short pages ago she, herself couldn’t even do. She’s the youngest character in the book, the baby of her family, and yet she begins to boss the people around her into tracking down the kidnappers.

This is where I started to have some problems with the book. The total 180 degree change in Tessa’s demeanor was like a cold shower. Any sympathy that I felt for Tessa vanished in the face of her newfound attitude. I think that she could’ve discovered her place in the vampire world without the “withering looks” and constant snapping at everyone, including her parents and the elders of vampire society. It made her, at least in my opinion, more than a bit bratty and hard to like. I also found the strong sense of attachment she has for Jared to be unbelievable as they seem to have no connection prior to this group movie date. Wanting to save him from the vampires is admirable, but ditching her family to save a boy she hardly knows without a single worry about what she’s getting into seems strange and out of place, even when factoring in her total personality change.

The biggest problem for me is the number of errors in the book, both in punctuation and grammar. For me, when a book is poorly edited and the errors are numerous – as in this case – it’s hard on the eyes and continually pulls me from the story. I understand that ebook formatting can be a finicky beast, but it’s always important to have a good proofreader and I felt this book missed that mark. There were also several strange descriptive phrases and shifts between slang, more formal vocabulary, and odd words that prevented me from getting lost in the story. If these changes had been between different characters it would have been fine, but having a main character end sentences with the word “not” like a teenager and then wonder how someone is “faring” a sentence or two later seemed disjointed.

As I stated earlier, the plot idea was intriguing, and if given the chance for deeper development instead of rushing into it so quickly – I think there is really something there. I realize that this book is only the first in a series, so perhaps the author was intentionally trying to just whet our appetite. I think there is a lot of potential for this series if the author slows the storytelling down a bit, and provides better explanations for the multiple twists and turns in the plot. Most importantly, find a good editor or proofreader for the next book in the series. It will help immensely.

Overall, I would give Vampire in Denial 2 out of 5 fangs. Slower storytelling will help draw the readers in more fully.

Until next time,
~Lisa(less)

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Oct 12, 2012 Jasmyn rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: nook, fiction, young-adult, urban-fantasy, vampires

Tessa doesn't know what to think of herself. She's not quite human (coming from a family of vampires), but she's not quite vampire (no special abilities). She is caught stradling both worlds until one day her boyfriend disappears from a movie theater. She swears that a vampire is behind it. But hunting humans is banned. Her vampire family and friends are drawn into a mystery to find out who is behind all the missing humans, and their hunt leads them someplace very dangerous. Tessa is forced to c...more

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Oct 25, 2011 Misty rated it 5 of 5 stars

Tessa isn’t your normal vamp but she is your typical teenage girl. She’s sorting through a lot as she uncovers who’s responsible for her friend's kidnapping and leads a group of vampires (who she'd never thought would listen to her) to rescue this friend. In the process she realizes she's more vampire than she thought with skills and talents that surprise her. Who wouldn’t want that?

I love a good vampire story and especially when the vamp in question isn’t cool or confident. No matter what age,...more

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Jun 03, 2013 Kelly Akemann rated it 5 of 5 stars

I picked this up as a freebie - not so sure about the story. I mean Vampires are pretty overdone and some books become cheesy fast. But not so with this story about Tessa. Something else I never do is buy the next two books immediately upon finishing the first. I cannot wait to continue reading this series. Loved how the cliffhanger was so abrupt and intense. Loved the love triangle - very realistic and so intense for them being teenagers.

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Jun 14, 2013 Jasmine rated it 3 of 5 stars

Came across this on Wattpad.
Absolutely adored the first book but I don't think I'll be reading the second.
Enjoyed how she turned out to be an outcast but an outcast that benefits from her abnormalities opposed to being an outcast and changing to conform.
However, she wanted to.

Definitely awesome! (:

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Sep 04, 2012 Johanna Schonberger rated it 5 of 5 stars

This book is awesome, I stumbled across book 2 first read the cover and realized that it is the 2nd book in the series and downloaded book one right away to read it! Nice fresh intake on vampires. Warning: you will not be able to put this book down!

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Jan 21, 2012 Stephanie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Great b ook!!!!Highly recommend..talk about different kinds of vampires..although one part reminded me of Blade...but besides that pretty good!

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Mar 22, 2013 Chinarose rated it 5 of 5 stars

Another Dale Mayer series to get addicted to!
I Love the dynamics in Tessa's life and following her journey of self-discovery.
As it is in real-life, it generally takes a crisis for us to grasp the opportunity to shine and find out what we're really made of, as long as we don't stay in the familiar rut of self-pity.
Having been an outsider/loner, unpopular girl in my teen years, I identify with Tessa's journey.
Cliffhangers make me nuts (just a tad impatient), however it's another Mayer Series I'll...more

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Sep 29, 2012 Andreea rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya

good enough to read on mobile...

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Jun 17, 2013 Kendra marked it as to-read

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Shelves: 200s

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Shelves: new-2read-on-kindle, own

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Shelves: nook

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Shelves: already-downloaded-to-read

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Shelves: e-books, fiction, paranormal, romance, young-adult

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Shelves: kindle-books, part-of-series

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About Dale Mayer

Freelance writer Dale Mayer lives in the beautiful Okanagan valley in British Columbia, Canada. She's multi-pubbed in nonfiction and is currently writing The Essential Series including The Career Essential Series(The Resume, The Cover Letter, The Interview), Lifestyle Essentials (Ergonomics for today's world, Raising the dyslexic child, etc.), and the Gardening Essential Series, (Beginning with Bu...more

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Vampire in Denial (Family Blood Ties #1)

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