The Life and Death of Lily Drake (Lily Drake, #1)

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The Life and Death of Lily Drake (Lily Drake #1)

by T. Michelle Nelson (Goodreads Author)

4.39 of 5 stars 4.39 · rating details · 79 ratings · 34 reviews

For Lily Drake, slaying vampires is easy...Dating them is the hard part.

Lily Drake is your everyday hard-working single mom…until a gorgeous vampire shows up on her front door who she mistakenly assumes is her blind date for the evening. As one crazy scenario after another unfolds, Lily finds herself falling in love with two vampires, slaying the evil ones, and being proph...more

Paperback, First Edition, 392 pages

Published October 2012 by InkSpell Publishing

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Oct 14, 2012 Jamie Manning rated it 5 of 5 stars

LIFE & DEATH OF LILY DRAKE was such a fun, entertaining read that held up to its promise of a vampire tale unlike any other. It starts off with a typical, everyday mom, Lily Drake, who's agreed to a blind date. A late suitor and unexpected visitor leads to Lily going out on said date with super-hot vampire Mathias, who ultimately leads her into a world filled with vampires and royal (or cursed, depending on your thoughts, lol) bloodlines.

Lily is such a great character, strong and independent...more

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Oct 25, 2012 Michelle rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: arc-ebook

Great great book! Review to come for blog tour!

Review originally posted on my blog http://momwithakindle.blogspot.com .

I know most of you remember the time when vampire books were the "thing". Everyone was writing them after Meyer’s Twilight which was obviously a big hit. Now days dystopian has taken over and I do love those. And some people are still writing books with vampires. I have stayed away from vampire books until just recently and I have read three that I have really liked but they ha...more Great great book! Review to come for blog tour!

Review originally posted on my blog http://momwithakindle.blogspot.com .

I know most of you remember the time when vampire books were the "thing". Everyone was writing them after Meyer’s Twilight which was obviously a big hit. Now days dystopian has taken over and I do love those. And some people are still writing books with vampires. I have stayed away from vampire books until just recently and I have read three that I have really liked but they have been on total opposite ends of the literary spectrum...good vampires bad vampires.

I absolutely LOVED this book! It definitely made me open to read more vampire books.

The Life and Death of Lily Drake is about a single mom named Lily who does the every day tasks of being mom and loving and taking care of her 12 year old son. Lily thinks she is going on a blind date but ends up being taken by a vampire to his mansion. These vampires are not your "normal" vampires. They make the comment that Lily had been watching to many movies. Not once did they "hunt" for blood or kill any humans. They don't sparkle and Yes! they can go out in the sun. Unless you knew they were vampires you could never tell.

Lily doesn't start out as a vampire and she really doesn't want to be changed. She doesn't want to be that "chosen" vamp her Aunt Rose is telling her she will be one day. She has more important things to consider like raising her 12 year old son instead of killing the rouge vampires. Then one event changes everything. You know how you hear one sentence during the day that changes the course of your day or even your month, year, etc? That was Lily and the only way to save the one thing she holds closest to her heart in her life she must become a vamp. Lily knew the life she knew would change forever when she made that decision. But sometimes moms have to do things we wouldn't otherwise do for our children. Within just a few moments her life changed for eternity.

Nelson's writing is so realistic. I know that doesn't really sound like a compliment, but it is. I could feel what Lily was feeling for her son. She transfers the reader straight into Lily's life as she meets Mathis, Val, and Rose. We experience Lily falling in love with Mathis and becoming best friends with Val. When once she had no family we are excited to see her now have Aunt Rose in her life. Even if she's a Great Great Great...etc. Aunt Rose. We feel the stress of Lily trying to stay human for her son but learn to fight off the other vamp's that are trying to kill her to keep her from becoming the "prodigal" vampire.

Lily doesn’t want to be a vampire. But love for her family new and old, opens her eyes up in the end. She realizes that she’ll never be free of her destiny, but she can sure make the most of it. This book has surpassed all the other vampire books on my Kindle that are in that same category. Lily is a freaking awesome vampire. She is strong and courageous. I hope that this story continues because I can't wait to see what happens.
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Nov 12, 2012 Marie DeLaRosa rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: reviewed

First I would like to Thank Author T. Michelle Nelson and Inkspell Publishing for allowing me to review the Life & Death of Lily Drake and be apart of this amazing book tour!

Now onto the review, Lily Drake is just trying to live her life with her son, she is divorced, working as a graphic designer and has a annoying yet amazing friend that pushes her to go out on blind dates as she thinks it time that Lily goes out and starts dating again. However, one night Lily’s “date” ends up being someo...more First I would like to Thank Author T. Michelle Nelson and Inkspell Publishing for allowing me to review the Life & Death of Lily Drake and be apart of this amazing book tour!

Now onto the review, Lily Drake is just trying to live her life with her son, she is divorced, working as a graphic designer and has a annoying yet amazing friend that pushes her to go out on blind dates as she thinks it time that Lily goes out and starts dating again. However, one night Lily’s “date” ends up being someone completely different, someone not human…and this is where the fun begins…

Though the beginning seems uninteresting once you get past the first few pages and get to the scene where Mathias reveals to Lily who he is, is when the interest will spike. I rather liked Lily’s character, the Author did a great job in creating the personality for Lily as it was believable though I do have to say Lily was rather stubborn and sometimes I got annoyed by her, but that is what made it great for me, because everything she did was something I could picture someone actually doing. Mathias and Valentine were swoon worthy, the description of them that the Author gives them leave the reader absolutely entranced by them along side of Lily…sadly they are works of fiction.

The overall plot of the story was interesting and kept me locked in the pages, though vampires are a widely loved and overdone genre right now, I found this one “a breathe of fresh air” to be exact. Though the ending does seem as if there is possibility for a sequel, I am unsure since I have no heard any news as of yet, but if there is I look forward to seeing how much more the Author will develop the characters and the next obstacle that will arise in their path. This is definitely a book that is more intended for a mature crowd, in my belief at least because of the content in this book, such as language and sexual content this wouldn’t be suitable for younger readers under the age of 17. Mature YA and Adult Audience suggested.

5/5 Bats
~Marie(less)

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Nov 10, 2012 Angela ReadingCave rated it 4 of 5 stars

Lily is a normal everyday soccer mom, who’s best friend sets her up on a date. The date shows up hot as hades and apparently rich too. She gets date-napped and taken the guy’s house. It is here that she discovers that vampires are real and is offered immortality. The Vamps believing that she is in danger. She turns down the offer and they supposedly wipe her memory of them (but not too good as it comes back).

This is where she meets Mathias and his cousin Val. Mathias is the uppity, Lord of the M...more

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Nov 05, 2012 Ellen rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: arc, blog-tours

Lily Drake is a 35-year-old, divorced mom. She has a son, 12-year-old Keaton, who is her world. She divorced her husband of 15 years after she found out he was cheating on her. Since then, her best friend Angie has constantly been playing matchmaker and setting her up on blind dates, which Lily has absolutely no interest in. After finally agreeing to one of these dates, Lily is perturbed when he arrives 20 minutes early. When she opens the door, the man standing there could hold his own with an...more Lily Drake is a 35-year-old, divorced mom. She has a son, 12-year-old Keaton, who is her world. She divorced her husband of 15 years after she found out he was cheating on her. Since then, her best friend Angie has constantly been playing matchmaker and setting her up on blind dates, which Lily has absolutely no interest in. After finally agreeing to one of these dates, Lily is perturbed when he arrives 20 minutes early. When she opens the door, the man standing there could hold his own with any Greek god, and she is quite taken aback. Thinking this is her date, she calls him Terry, and this man, who is really Mathias Sutton, just plays along. As it turns out, her night with Mathias Sutton changes her life forever. You see, Mathias Sutton is a vampire, and a very hot one at that. He and his "vampire family" have big plans for Lily. The next thing Lily knows she is waking up in a strange bedroom in strange house. When she finds her way downstairs, not only does she find the man who kidnapped her, but he has a super hot guy beside him, along with several otherworldly men, and a beautiful lady who seems to be calling the shots. They have a proposition for Lily, an eternal one, but first they have to convince her that they are who and what they say they are, and she is who they are telling her she is.

This is just the beginning of Lily's adventure. Not only must she choose whether or not to take them up on their proposition, but she has two of the hottest vamps on the planet interested in her. What's a girl to do? On top of that, rogue vamps are trying to kill her because of her destiny, and Lily doesn't take to that too kindly. So, in response to her threat, she learns how to kick some rogue vampire butt, big time, with the help of her new friends. When the threats take on a new level, and someone she loves dearly is involved, Lily is forced to finally make her choice regarding her immortality, and she also must choose between the two men she has come to love.

This was a great book. I really enjoyed it. It is fast-paced, funny, and has some kick-butt action, not to mention some steamy romance. I loved Lily's character. She is really funny, has a great personality, and is pretty badass to. Her love interests, cousins Mathias and Val, are both totally hot. Mathias is more serious, where as Val is more laid back and fun loving. Both of these guys are super hot, not to mention they are both pretty badass themselves. I liked Rose also, and when her relationship to Lily is revealed, she will do anything and everything to protect her. There were also several other characters that we fun to get to know. The action and fight scenes are intense, yet the author also interjects humor into the situation, which makes this for a really entertaining read. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Nelson has a different take on vampires that is fresh, unique, and very interesting. If you are a vampire fan, you will enjoy this action-packed vampire story that is also filled with humor and hot romance, and one kick-butt heroine, who just happens to also be a mom. (less)

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Nov 02, 2012 Aliaa El-Nashar rated it 4 of 5 stars

First off, before saying anything about the book, I should point out I've been dying to read it for the past few months now, but always had a huge review pile. So when I heard there was a book tour for it I rushed to join so I could finally have an excuse to read it straight away and I am so glad I did!

Now, onto the book itself. You clearly see the beautiful cover do you not? Inkspell has these amazing covers, but this one is one of my absolute favorites! In addition to the title in question and...more First off, before saying anything about the book, I should point out I've been dying to read it for the past few months now, but always had a huge review pile. So when I heard there was a book tour for it I rushed to join so I could finally have an excuse to read it straight away and I am so glad I did!

Now, onto the book itself. You clearly see the beautiful cover do you not? Inkspell has these amazing covers, but this one is one of my absolute favorites! In addition to the title in question and the synopsis? It was immediately a must read for me!

Dating life for Lily is hard, so when her friend sends her off on a blind date - knowing her friend's taste - she shouldn't have expected the hot and rich figure she finds at her door. She comes to regret this later as she realizes who it was at her door and the offer he has to make her, turn to a vampire or forget about their existence. She opts to forget... only for some reason she doesn't. If that wasn't enough, a lot of vampires are out to kill her and she's got to start making decisions and soon.

I must admit though, that there were things I did not like about this book. I was not fond of how fast things went the first few chapters, and Lily's character was a bit annoying at times. There's also the matter of the sudden love triangle - I hate those - but these were basically the only things I could actively complain about.

Other than that, I loved reading this book. I loved how particular it was to be turned into a vampire, it was a unique idea. I enjoyed the interactions between the characters - especially the ones between Mathias and Valentine, the cousin's relationship was great at first, so were Valentine's and Lily's. I also admired Lily's motherly instincts, how protective she was of her son and how much of a conflict it was choosing between him and the man she loved. That and, she was so badass and confident I kind of liked that about her. She knew how to fight and be safe, so when her not so great dates go bad and a guy tries to grope her she can defend herself! Not to mention, there were a lot of unexpected surprises in the mix that I did enjoy!

The author's style was really great. I enjoyed the writing immensely and the added humor and wit were a great touch. It added a light air to the book as well as the serious parts. It was also a quick read that I finished in just a few hours!

Rating: 3.5/5(less)

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Oct 15, 2012 Marsha rated it 2 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Adults

When I read the book summary for "The Life and Death of Lily Drake" I was so excited. Too few authors write about mothers as heriones in books. So, imagine my surprise when very little of this book showcased the mother and son relationship between Lily and Keaton.

Our story begins with Lily Drake being set up on a blind date by her best friend, Angie. Her date arrives early and soon she discovers that the man she has gone out with is not the one she was suppose to meet. In fact, the man she is o...more When I read the book summary for "The Life and Death of Lily Drake" I was so excited. Too few authors write about mothers as heriones in books. So, imagine my surprise when very little of this book showcased the mother and son relationship between Lily and Keaton.

Our story begins with Lily Drake being set up on a blind date by her best friend, Angie. Her date arrives early and soon she discovers that the man she has gone out with is not the one she was suppose to meet. In fact, the man she is on the date with is a vampire and is offering to turn her because she has the gene necessary to make her a fierce warrior. Lily of course refuses even though she is extremely attracted to Matthias. He erases her memory and the next night she goes out on the date with the original guy she was set up with. However, he is a drunken pig and soon she is dying to go home. Matthias comes to her rescue and soon her memory of their brief time together returns.

Week after week, Lily has Angie watch her son, while she spends time with Matthias (Some mother for you!). Lily is convinced she is in love with Matthias but is constantly under attack by the Austere vampires who do not want to see her turned. Lily manages to convince her boss she is working with a rich client at one of his companies and she is watched round the block by either Matthias or Valentine, his cousin. This is when Lily's attraction to Val begin to increase although they both realize it is wrong.

Here's the thing, this book bothered me on so many levels. First and foremost, there was little to no dialogue in this story. There were descriptions, explanations and a rushed story line. We saw very little of Keaton and did not get a feel for his relationship with his mother; yet, we are to believe she is so responsible. Often I found that the story line was bogged down in meaningless details and minutia (pizza, ice cream etc.). Then, to believe that a 30+ year old woman could not determine who she wanted to be with was beyond ridiculous.

The world building was weak, the characterizations too superficial, and in the end I'm not sure that I even liked Lily Drake let alone became invested in her story. This plot could have been amazing; but, the execution totally ruined it. Besides, what is a book with great dialogue between characters? Mediocrity! (less)

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May 20, 2013 Abbey Liddle rated it 5 of 5 stars

Title: Life & Death of Lily Drake
Author: T.Michelle Nelson
Publication Date: October 2012
Publisher: InkSpell Publishing

For Lily Drake, slaying vampires is easy. . .Dating them is the hard part.

Lily Drake is your everyday hard-working single mom. . .until a gorgeous vampire shows up on her front door who she mistakenly assumes is her blind date for the evening. As one crazy scenario after another unfolds, Lily finds herself falling in love with two vampires, slaying the evil ones, and being pr...more Title: Life & Death of Lily Drake
Author: T.Michelle Nelson
Publication Date: October 2012
Publisher: InkSpell Publishing

For Lily Drake, slaying vampires is easy. . .Dating them is the hard part.

Lily Drake is your everyday hard-working single mom. . .until a gorgeous vampire shows up on her front door who she mistakenly assumes is her blind date for the evening. As one crazy scenario after another unfolds, Lily finds herself falling in love with two vampires, slaying the evil ones, and being prophesied as the savior of the entire undead race.
Deciding between pizza and Chinese take-out will no longer be one of the hard decisions facing Lily Drake once she is emerged into vampire society. Humanity or immortality? That doesn't hold a candle against this question - which of the two handsome vampire cousins?

The Life and Death of Lily Drake is not your typical vampire love story, Its a tale about the humorous mistakes a woman simply makes trying to survive not only life, but the dating scene. How will Lily manage working full-time, taking care of her young son and fighting the undead at every turn?

Lily will have to figure it out, but who better to save the world than a mom?

First of all, Why haven't I heard this book before or even this author? I adored this book very much, I thank Sharon Goodwin for asking me to be part of Till death do us part book 2 of Lily Drake series and I thought I best read this book first, I am so glad I did. T.Michelle certainly knew how to get her readers hooked with this book.

So we meet Lily Drake is your every day working single mum with a young son Keaton who she protects with her life and when her best friend Angie persuades her to go out dating again, when Lily is meant to be picked up by her date "Terry" a sexy handsome vampire turns up at the door Mathias or Lily thinks he is Terry, however has a lovely date but then everything goes blank, but soon Mathias and his cousin Valentine or aka Val are both in Lily's life and persuading her to be a vampire as she has the genes and everything but Lily doesn't want to leave her son Keaton behind.
who will choose will it be the ever so protective Mathias or will it be the lady's man Val? Lets hope she picks the best vampire and doesn't get her pretty little heart broken.

This book had me hooked from the first chapter and I was always intrigued with what was going to happen next and even had me giggling along with Lily & Val scenes. It is not your typical vampire love story but it is one you will still enjoy even more.
I can't wait for book 2 already tehe! A must read!(less)

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Mar 12, 2013 Ann rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: my-list-of-read-books

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I am amazed how fast I read through this book. It's been awhile since I read a book that I simply couldn't put done for fear of not finding out what would happen next soon enough. When I wasn't reading the book I was thinking about reading it and what would happen next. The writing style of this author just fits me so well. She kept it light but entertaining, dramatic but comedic when necessary, and she chocked this book full of wonderful characters who I enjoyed spending time with.

I think this...more I am amazed how fast I read through this book. It's been awhile since I read a book that I simply couldn't put done for fear of not finding out what would happen next soon enough. When I wasn't reading the book I was thinking about reading it and what would happen next. The writing style of this author just fits me so well. She kept it light but entertaining, dramatic but comedic when necessary, and she chocked this book full of wonderful characters who I enjoyed spending time with.

I think this is also the first book where I actually rooted for and liked both of the romantic interests. Mathias and Valentine were different enough that it didn't feel like one guy just replaced the other yet they had the cousin connection going on so it made sense how Lily would feel an attraction to them both considering she spent time with both of them a lot and they shared some similarities. Also, I liked how both guys did not enjoy the idea of screwing the other one over even when they fought. They still cared for one another and didn't let a woman get between them. I also like that Lily didn't let her later love for Valentine prevent her from maintaining a friendship with Mathias and she felt guilty about her indiscretion with Valentine, not wanting to cause a rift between the cousins. This is something that is really missing these days for heroines with more than one love interest. Usually the female is so focused on caring about "her feelings" that she ignores everyone else, especially the competing love interests. Lily, luckily, is a more mature heroine.

Furthermore, the relationship between Lily and her son, which I thought would completely fall apart later in the story in favor of placing Lily and her love interests as the plot center piece, demonstrated a new kind of story telling in the overloaded genre that is paranormal. The main heroine is a mother of all things and she interacts with her son, IMAGINE THAT!, putting him before everything else, even her own happiness. That, to me, took guts to write. Lately, even adult fiction seems fixated on heroines that are young, immature, and often rather self-centered. I have nothing wrong with females who are young or even a little immature but it is nice to see a change for once. A mother often has more responsibilities, must focus on someone beyond herself, and in some sense is considered more mature because of their life experiences.

The side characters in this book are all unique and interesting. Although I did think that Lily and Rose's relationship as a family developed a little too fast and I want to learn a little more about Bero beyond the fact that he loves Rose and they married. I also felt that Luke got a bit shafted seeing as he is introduced in the beginning then basically disappears for the rest of the book. I know he is not really a central character to what is going on in this book but I would like to get to know him a bit more in further installments.

Overall, this book is a nice read, easy to follow, enjoyable characters, and some actual maturity present in the main heroine is really refreshing :) Also, love the mother/son dynamic. I look forward to seeing how Keaton's abilities develop.

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May 17, 2013 Tien Taylor rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: advance-copies

I received a copy courtesy of Shaz from fictionaddictionbooktours.com

Now, people might get mad at me for saying this, but I HAVE to- The Life and Death of Lily Drake reminds me of Twilight.

Now, I don't mean this in a bad way because it just so happens that I'm a twihard fan. The text-to-text connections I made were the characteristics of the vampires; they're strong, fast, living in secret,a character nicknamed Rose, main character marries vampire, love-triangle, and so on. Just like Twilight,...more

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Aug 11, 2012 Pamela rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

When Lily Drake mistakes a vampire for her blind date her whole word is turned upside down. She wakes up in a strange bed inside of an even stranger mansion, unsure of how she got there and afraid of why she's there. When it is explained to her that she is descended from two powerful vampire bloodlines and that she's needed in order to protect not only human life but vampires as well, she naturally thinks everyone is out of their mind. Vampires don't exist, right? Lily soon learns just how wrong...more When Lily Drake mistakes a vampire for her blind date her whole word is turned upside down. She wakes up in a strange bed inside of an even stranger mansion, unsure of how she got there and afraid of why she's there. When it is explained to her that she is descended from two powerful vampire bloodlines and that she's needed in order to protect not only human life but vampires as well, she naturally thinks everyone is out of their mind. Vampires don't exist, right? Lily soon learns just how wrong she is.

Being turned into a vampire herself is not something that she's willing to do though. She has a 12 year old son to think about. Keaton is the most important person in her life. But when she falls in love with Mathias, she gives a second thought to the idea of turning. And then when spending a lot of time training with Valentine, Mathias' cousin, turns into strong feelings towards each other, Lily's left even more confused. Now she must decide which of the two cousin's she really wants, if either. Then there is the small matter of humans not being allowed to know that vampires exist.

Overall I really enjoyed this book. There were some very interesting twists that I didn't expect nor did I see them coming, particularly a betrayal that I was shocked to learn about. Being a fan of romance, I naturally was rooting for Lily and Mathias. It broke Lily's heart to think that if she didn't turn, she'd have her memories wiped and she'd lose all of the vampires that she's grown to care so much for including Rose, Burchard and Valentine. But then when Valentine fell in love with Lily and she realized she loved him in return, I wasn't sure who I wanted to root for at first. But when I really thought about it, it really wasn't a hard decision. Needless to say I was pleased with the ending.

Now although I did enjoy the book, I did feel as though there were some slow moments. There just seemed to be some instances where the flow of the story was interrupted. I guess maybe, for me, some of those instances was when you were told about the everyday, mundane things that were going on in Keaton's life. I get that the story is about Lily and that her son is very important to her and that she wants life to be normal for her son. It was just that some of what was being told regarding his everyday life slowed the story down for me.

I still very much enjoyed the The Life and Death of Lily Drake! I think the surprises and the twists that I mentioned more than made up for any area I felt slowed down the story. I would definitely read more of T. Michelle Nelson's work.

** I received an eARC copy of the book from InkSpell Publishing for review.**(less)

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Jan 23, 2013 Jeannie Walker rated it 5 of 5 stars

The doorbell rang and standing at the door was Lily Drake's blind date. He arrived twenty minutes early. He was very handsome and dressed like a successful business man. The suit looked like it cost thousands and he filled it out like a gladiator. His voice sounded like velvet. Was this a perfect match for Lily?
Somehow, after two glasses of wine Lily winds up in a mansion and a strange bed. Was there something in the wine? This guy was so suave and good-looking, he didn't have to drug her, if th...more

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May 10, 2013 Andrea Heltsley rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-in-2013, first-reads-books-for-review

WOW, just WOW! This book blew me away. I loved it. This author has just moved up my list of favorites.

The book started out with a punch and then lulled a little through the second third of the book, but quickly got back on track. The writing was flawless.

This series reminds me very much of popular urban fantasy series like Chicagoland Vampires by Chloe Neill, Women of the Otherworld by Kelley Armstrong and even The Hollows by Kim Harrison.

Nelson is really onto something with this book. It has a...more

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Oct 11, 2012 Priscilla rated it 5 of 5 stars

I came across this book in a blog I was reading that recommends good romances. I'm a sucker for a good vampire book, and I wasn't sure about this one until I started reading it.

This author made me experience everything the character, Lily, did. It broke my heart and made me laugh out loud at times. This was the best vampire book I have read all year, and definitely in the top 5 ever. I won't say the absolute best only because I remember loving the first Anita Blake and Sookie Stackhouse books wh...more

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Oct 10, 2012 Josette rated it 5 of 5 stars

Well, I'm Facebook friends with T Michelle Nelson, she's been publicizing this book for awhile ;) and when she posted that she would be in Delaware, OH for a book signing, I couldn't pass up getting a signed copy of her first book! BTW, she is an awesome, friendly person!

So, I took my new book home, excited to get started reading.

The beginning was a bit... different. Wasn't sure if it was the writing style or what... maybe I was just tired. So, after getting home on Monday evening, I decided to...more

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Jan 29, 2013 Megan (Megan Likes Books) rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: vampire, 2012-releases

As someone who reads a lot of young adult, The Life and Death of Lily Drake was a bit of a departure for me as a reviewer. There's a big difference between a angst teenager and a 30-something single mom. That said, I did enjoy the change, there was a lot less beating around the bush than we find in most YA novels.

Let's start with Lily. My favourite things about Lily were how much she cares for her son and how kick-ass she ends up being. While I don't have any children yet, I am a major family p...more

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Dec 14, 2012 Corina rated it 4 of 5 stars

The Life and Death of Lily Drake

The Life and Death of Lily Drake by T. Michelle Nelson was awesome in a completely unexpected way. I’m a fan of vampire book in general so when I first picked up this book I was super excited. It turns out that this wasn’t anything like what I thought it would be like and yet it was still really awesome!

The Life and Death of Lily Drake is about a single Mom named Lily who goes about her days working and taking care of her 12-year-old son, Keaton. Her best and only...more The Life and Death of Lily Drake

The Life and Death of Lily Drake by T. Michelle Nelson was awesome in a completely unexpected way. I’m a fan of vampire book in general so when I first picked up this book I was super excited. It turns out that this wasn’t anything like what I thought it would be like and yet it was still really awesome!

The Life and Death of Lily Drake is about a single Mom named Lily who goes about her days working and taking care of her 12-year-old son, Keaton. Her best and only true friend, Angie sets her up on a blind date and instead of going out with blind date guy; she ends up accidentally going out with Mathis, sexy vampire extraordinaire.

I thought it was so amusing when he showed up at Lily’s house and she thought he was her blind date and he just went along with it. I totally snickered. He wound up taking her out to dinner instead of back to his place right away like he was supposed to. When Mathis excused himself to the bathroom and called his cousin Val, I laughed. Their conversation was amusing.

That’s another thing about this book that Nelson hit on the head. She has a great mixture of emotions going on in this story. It’s very realistic despite the vampires and her characters are strong. I love how the vampire we meet, Mathis, Val, Rose and the rest aren’t anything link vampires I’ve read about before.

The story they tell her about her family, the curse that’s on them, she wants nothing to do with at first. She doesn’t want to chase down Rouge vampires all she wants to do is live her life and be a Mom. But something happens, as it always seems to, and Lily has to make a choice that winds up changing everything.

I don’t want to give too much away, because this is one of those stories you need to read to appreciate how great it is, but Lily as a main character is so awesome. She’s courageous, stubborn, smart and she totally kicks ass. If you like vampire of a different kind, strong female heroines, and good snark The Life and Death of Lily Drake is for you.(less)

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Oct 31, 2012 Chrystal rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 50-book-challenge-2012

The Life & Death of Lily Drake is a vampire story unlike any other - take a single mom, a blind date mix up, some smexy vampires and a will to survive. This is such a great vampire read -no tradionaly vampire stuff like you see in the movies, no sparkles, no preying on humans for the sake of drinking blood - just kick ass action, a love triangle, and a secret vamp society you wouldn't even know existed.

Lily is a very independent woman and knows what she wants and it is not becoming a vampir...more

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Nov 24, 2012 Rachael Woohoo rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: book, arc, ebooks-i-own, ebook, review-copy, reviewed, romance, 2012

This review appeared first on Moosubi Reviews!

In my mind, there are mainly two kinds of vampires. The beautiful, broody, sparkly ones:

Quite shiny, huh?

And the utterly terrifying:

(There was actually an even scarier one that I thought kind of looked like Voldemort, but I'll save that for one's imagination)

Anyways, I'm not quite sure what kind of vampire Rose, Mathias, and Val would fit into. On one hand, they seem like ordinary people, other than the fact that they're utterly beautiful. On the oth...more

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May 04, 2013 Tiffany rated it 5 of 5 stars

I am not a reviewer so when I attempt to write about a book it must have knocked my socks off! I came across this book by accident and I was so glad to finally read a book about an over 30 year old heroine. Not only was she over 30 but she has a son. Lily is one kick ass hard headed female and I fell madly in love with her and Rose and Val and Mathais. This book was everything I have ever wanted in a book! I went and purchased book two right away! Don't miss out!!!! It rocked my world!!!

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Nov 23, 2012 A Voracious Reader (a.k.a. Carol) rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: e-book, inkspell-publishing, review-requested, romance, paranormal

On my blog I rated this a 3.5, rounded up to 4 here.

Lily Drake is a divorced mom in her 30s. She designs websites and is raising her son Keaton. There is no time for dating nor is she really interested in dating, but her best friend insists on setting her up on blind dates. So when a handsome well-dressed man comes to her door one evening, she mistakes him for her blind date. Lily had no idea this man was a vampire coming with an offer she’d find hard to refuse.

The premise for the story drew me...more

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Oct 11, 2012 Linda rated it 5 of 5 stars

I loved the book! It is humorous, exciting and has several unexpected twists. Lily is a normal mom of a 12 year old boy and her world abruptly changes with one blind date. Highly recommend....best vampire book all year. I hope T. Michelle Nelson continues writing about Lily Drake!

1 like · like · see review

Oct 26, 2012 Pat Rockhold rated it 5 of 5 stars

Not my usual kind of read. But I really enjoyed the wit and story of a mom fighting for her family. This book kept me interested and I really enjoyed the time I spent reading this book. Thanks for a fun experience.

1 like · like · see review

Jul 03, 2012 Vanessa E. Leigh rated it 5 of 5 stars

I thought I gave up on the subject of vampires thanks to the Twilight series. But I received my copy of the this book and gave it a try. Holy crap, it's amazing. This is something different for adult paranormal fiction if the person likes to read about vampires. I liked that it wasn't a YA vampire book. You have no idea how tired I was of reading about the ditsy blond walking into a forest and falling in love with the vampire; too over done.

This was such a refreshing new take on vampire books,...more

6 likes · like · see review

Oct 04, 2012 Patricia Yost marked it as to-read

looks and sounds awesome cant wait to read it...

1 like · like · see review

Oct 04, 2012 Patty rated it 5 of 5 stars

looks and sounds awesome cant wait to read it...

1 like · like · see review

May 02, 2013 Dani rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: paranormal

I absolutely adored this book. Great, in depth characters and an awesome story line! Highly recommend to others!

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Oct 11, 2012 Jackie rated it 5 of 5 stars

Awesome book!

1 like · like · see review

Oct 12, 2012 Sasha rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: arc, fantasy-dystopian-supernatural

Hm... Meh.

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Nov 30, 2012 Stephanie Keyes rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: urban-fantasy, romance

From pretty much the first page I knew that Lily Drake was going to be unlike anything that I'd ever read before. After all, how many single moms do you know that have destroyed a vampire with a teaspoon, demonstrated some pretty badass karate moves, and had an intense relationship with not one, but two guys that have a serious hotness level. You'll laugh and sigh, but never cry in this book that makes Buffy look downright timid. A must read! :-)

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