The Nymphos of Rocky Flats (Felix Gomez, #1) by Mario Acevedo

Oct 27, 2008 Lori Whitwam rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: vampire

I bought this on impulse (I should not be allowed in book stores). It sounded quirky and funny. Imagine, if you dare, an outbreak of nymphomania among female emploees of Rocky Flats, a nuclear weapons research facility near Denver. Felix was an Iraq war veteran, and was turned into a vampire while serving. Now he's a PI, and an old college friend at Rocky Flats asks him to come uncover the cause of this nymphomania.

By the time Felix arrives (and hooks up with the local vampire community), the ou...more

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Feb 27, 2010 Wicked Lil Pixie (Natasha) rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Rounding up from 3.5

The Nymphos of Rocky Flats is the first book in Acevedo’s Felix Gomez series, which centres around the ex-soldier who gets turned into a vampire while on active duty in Iraq. Felix and his company, accidentally kill a group of innocent civilians and the ultimate punishment for Felix was being turned. Because of the guilt he still feels, he refuses to drink human blood instead surving on animal blood. Which begins to take a toll on his powers. Now a Private Investigator Felix’...more

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Feb 05, 2009 Marfita rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: mysteries

I'm not sure what I expected from this ... why I expected the solution to this to be any less silly than the premise. It was a light, frothy read, if "light, frothy reads" can have so much blood in them. I realize that the lead character is a vampire detective b-b-b-but this could have been more ... serious. The beginning lead me to believe that vampire thing was going to be merely incidental (or maybeeeeee more a metaphor). Acevedo, I think, is capable of more weighty efforts. He seems quite ca...more

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Apr 10, 2013 Melinda rated it 2 of 5 stars Recommends it for: NO ONE

Recommended to Melinda by: NO ONE Gladly or I would no longer be their friend.

Shelves: vampires, detective, fantasy

I'm sorry, but this book was a complete waste of time for any true fans of the Vampire. It SHOULD'VE been the end all to end all Vampire stories within the past 8-10 years. But if flopped. (If you're looking for something better than this, try the series by P.N. Elrod) MINOR SPOILERS!

One of the first things that rubbed me the wrong way about this book was the tone in which it was written. There was a lot of specific jargon used that I may not have been familiar with had I not grown up around it,...more I'm sorry, but this book was a complete waste of time for any true fans of the Vampire. It SHOULD'VE been the end all to end all Vampire stories within the past 8-10 years. But if flopped. (If you're looking for something better than this, try the series by P.N. Elrod) MINOR SPOILERS!

One of the first things that rubbed me the wrong way about this book was the tone in which it was written. There was a lot of specific jargon used that I may not have been familiar with had I not grown up around it, as well as references to concepts in different languages (which isn't a problem so long as you can illustrate the point so that people who DON'T speak that language know what you're talking about). Also, the author tended to use WAY too much description where it wasn't needed and not enough where it was needed.

Vampire-wise, I have no idea what was going on in this book. First off, the repeated use of the terms "Vampire Hypnosis" and "anesthetic saliva" throughout the book is a little ...juvenile. It either means that you don't expect the reader to understand what is going on or YOU don't really understand what is going on. You can give the example explicitly, once with clarity and distinction but you don't have to use those terms EVERY SINGLE TIME it happens. Same thing with describing Vampire feeding habits, I don't need to know which animal's blood you're substituting for salsa on your taco EACH TIME YOU EAT. It's great that you have a diverse range of livestock that you feed from but I don't need to know the animal of choice upon each consumption. That makes the story feel "campy" and R.L Stein-ish. Like the author is grasping for emotion behind the switch from cow's blood to rabbit blood on the enchiladas this week. Just brought the ability for me to take this guy seriously down about 97 notches.

Personality Traits, Powers, Obstacles and even Conflicts seemed to pop up inconsistently whenever they were needed. Personality traits should be consistent, flaws and lack of certain traits should be consistent, you can't just have everything at your disposal RIGHT when you need it and compensate by making the protagonist kind of a moralistic wimp.

I also have no idea where some of these powers come from. SOME I had heard of, others flirted with the powers of other supernatural creatures which was a little disrespectful to the Vampire, if you ask me. If you read it, you'll know what I mean when you see it.

Also, by the time we get some solid answers to the mystery (if you can call them that, I'm STILL not sure what happened here) I feel like the author has thrown three separate genres at me just to see what would "stick". And NONE of it stuck. I mean THREE COMPLETELY different genres. And the harmonizing moment - the moment that should've brought it all together was about two sentences long. Malarchy!! It basically said "I did this because I wanted to and otherwise have NO obligation, whatsoever, to the consequences". AND there's not even that much sexuality let alone actual, descriptive sex!

Like I said, had this book been marinated on a little longer it it could've easily turned into three books and been the Vampire series of the decade. How can you go wrong with Vampires, Sex, and Government/Military Conspiracy? The Nymphos of Rocky Flats did with FLYING colors. If you're looking for a better Vampire Detective Mystery, try BloodList by P.N. Elrod. (less)

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Jan 10, 2013 Oni rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: urban-fantasy

Well, I wish I can give this book a zero star.

If you think that vampire and sex can sell well, why not add another ingredient: detective story. This is just what the author do. If you think that extra ingredient can improve the cooking, think harder. The author even spiced it up with another ingredient: Roswell! UFO!

So what you have is a trash novel with plot like this:
investigate - fanged - gather with friends - interrupted sex - attacked by enemy - barely escaped - repeat the cycle from the be...more

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Oct 10, 2011 Alkalinemeow rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Ok, so I really really hate to write this review giving the book the 3 star rating I believe it earned. I bought this book and before I even read it wanted to give it 5 stars. Why you ask? Because it is so freaking original. I mean, come on, aliens, nymphos, and daywalking vampires? Sounds like a sweet read, right? *Sigh* regrettably it wasn't as sweet of a read as I had hoped. The ideas and premise of this book were excellent. They were well thought out (I assume), original, and interesting. Th...more Ok, so I really really hate to write this review giving the book the 3 star rating I believe it earned. I bought this book and before I even read it wanted to give it 5 stars. Why you ask? Because it is so freaking original. I mean, come on, aliens, nymphos, and daywalking vampires? Sounds like a sweet read, right? *Sigh* regrettably it wasn't as sweet of a read as I had hoped. The ideas and premise of this book were excellent. They were well thought out (I assume), original, and interesting. This is something difficult to do in a genre that maintains all of these expectations of how things should be and yet still expects originality, more often than not resulting in the mockery of any such originality a writer brings to the myth and genre. A notable example of this would be the sparkling in day light of the Twilight vampires (Note: this is not an endorsement of the book or the idea, just an easy example. I would perhaps…maybe…possibly consider only endorsing those books for the purpose of escapism and not for their literary merit because of the notable lack of literary merit.)

That having been said, I think Mario Acevedo did several things well namely, originality of the vampire myth, interpretation and application being the most noteworthy (even more so when the original date of publication is taken into account). The pacing of the story is also done well, the story moves along a good and consistent clip throughout the book. I believe Mario Acevedo deserves kudos for this given that good and consistent pacing seems to be a slowly dying art form in the modern novel. The writer also came up with interesting ideas for characters, however, these characters while good in concept and idea lacked the more three dimensional qualities that would have made them excellent characters. In fact, the only character that the reader is really able to connect with beyond the surface is the main character, Felix, and even then it is only a “just past the surface” connection.

This brings me to the main issues I found with the novel that prevented me from giving it the rating I felt the ideas and premise deserved. For the purpose of understanding the rest of my review I feel I need to state this statement of fact and that is that the one and only time where brevity in literature has artistic and literary merit in writing is lyrical poetry, which this novel is not. (Note: I know there are those of you who would undoubtedly argue with this statement. I, as an avid Hemingway fan, used to be one of them but have since learned that the art of saying things between the lines is something completely different than brevity. I stress for you who reject this statement to come up with examples and to please let me know what you come up with.) That having been said I will say this, that this book lacked the detail, explanation, expansion of ideas, and deep characterization that would have made it a great book. In other words, it needed to be longer. The book appears to be over edited, which I find is a common problem for books published in this genre. It seems that editor got ahold of this author’s work and immediately began making buts but instead of a scalpel that a good editor would use, the editor took a hatchet to the piece. It was either that or this book was suffering from the other opposite, yet equally common, problem of under editing. If this was the case then the editor made the mistake of not encouraging the writer to expand and completely form the ideas in their work. While under editing maybe the case, this book has the clipped and hedged feel of a book that has been over edited. I would like to note here that I am referring only to the content editing of the work not the copying editing. I did not find fault with the copy editing of this book. What mistakes there were, if any, did not stand out or take me out of the reading in a way that would have shattered my willing suspension of disbelief. No, the copy editor seemed to be on the ball with this one.

Some of the great new takes on the old myths in this book would have been so much better if they were gone into more instead of the brief explanations that we received that left us going “huh, that’s interesting. Golly gee whiz I sure do wish he would say more about this and how it affects the story and characters.” The book I wanted to love so much left me wanting. I wanted more about the author’s vampire myth. I wanted more from the aliens and red mercury. I wanted to know what happened to the nymphos at the end. I wanted more about the unique characters so I could have actually connected with them. I wanted more about who Felix is because we are not, as humans, one dimensional; meaning that while we are undoubtedly shaped by the large traumatic events in our lives, they are still not the only thing that shapes us. So, while I can understand how shooting an innocent Iraqi girl could forever alter who Felix is as person, it is just that, an alteration. It is not the beginning, middle, or end of who he is as a whole person. We can assume that Felix had a life before he was in the Iraq war, which, given his age, is the vast majority of his life to date. Yet, as readers, we are not given much to go on about who he was as a person before the war that could lend credibility to his all-consuming guilt over shooting the girl. People who were raised and shaped a certain way would act differently and to varying degrees to what happened. I, for example, know two Iraq vets who have similar stories but did not take it the same way Felix did or the same as the other vet took it. This lends credibility to the fact that they are essentially two different people and it is a lot of where they come from and their personality that shaped how they handled something so traumatic and potentially life altering. I felt that there needed to be more of who Felix was as a whole person rather than just the one traumatic event that led to his overwhelming guilt and becoming a vampire. If we received more about him, he would be more three dimensional. I then would have been able to connect with who he was as a character and thus relate with empathy for him and the overbearing guilt that he is dealing with. Instead I found myself thinking “Man up and get over it! Stop endangering yourself and others over one thing that happened in your past.” And I hated myself for thinking that because what happened was a tragedy and shouldn’t be treated the way my thoughts treated it. The issues characterization of Felix is a great example of the overarching problems in the book, in that it needed more substance.

Now, as a person who chooses urban fantasy as one of their chosen genres to write in, I can understand and empathize with the struggle a writer goes through in trying to decided what and how much to explain. On one hand if you explain too much you leave yourself open to flaws in your world building that readers will lock on resulting in the whole 3D world you are trying to create to come crashing down around you. As well as over explaining makes a writer vulnerable the great mistake of repetition and resentment from the audience for the writer treating them like they are stupid and have to reasoning skill of children. However, if you go to light on the explanations you end up with what we have in this book, and that is a great idea that wasn’t executed to the standard that would have done the idea justice. Instead of the 3D world that an urban fantasy needs to thrive in we were left with a 2D world with the some deep puddles. I wanted to like this book, I really did but I can only go so far as to say that it was ok.

I do feel the need at the end of my review to let you know that I will be buying and reading the 2nd book in this series even though I only found this one to be ok. I chose to do this because upon my finishing the 1st book when I found myself let down when my (admittedly high) expectations were not met I went in search of information on Mario Acevedo and found that this is his first published work nor is his background that of a typical writer. Since writers, especially those from atypical backgrounds for writers, tend to improve as their careers progress (Note: I am excluding the notable exceptions to this stereotype *cough*Stephan “I gave up trying a long time ago” King **cough* and *cough*James “I don’t actually write my own books anymore ” Patterson *cough*) I am willing to give the series another chance based solely on the reason I tried so hard to like this book in the first place, the outstanding original premises and ideas on which these books are written. I hope that the execution and over editing/under explaining that brought this book down will not be a problem for Mario Acevedo, a writer with a vast amount of potential, in future books.

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Jul 16, 2011 Cara Lopez Lee rated it 4 of 5 stars

"The Nymphos of Rocky Flats" is about a Mexican-American Iraq war veteran whose guilt about killing an innocent person leads to him becoming a vampire. Felix Gomez goes on to become a detective who uses his vampire skills to solve a mystery at Rocky Flats near Denver. Rocky Flats was once a war contractor that made plutonium triggers for nuclear warheads, and women involved in cleanup at the old site have suddenly been afflicted with nymphomania. Rocky Flats is real, the nymphomania outbreak is...more "The Nymphos of Rocky Flats" is about a Mexican-American Iraq war veteran whose guilt about killing an innocent person leads to him becoming a vampire. Felix Gomez goes on to become a detective who uses his vampire skills to solve a mystery at Rocky Flats near Denver. Rocky Flats was once a war contractor that made plutonium triggers for nuclear warheads, and women involved in cleanup at the old site have suddenly been afflicted with nymphomania. Rocky Flats is real, the nymphomania outbreak is not. I hope.

This book starts with an involving scene in Iraq, where a tightly wound crew on a mission accidentally targets civilians. I found the idea of man so wracked with guilt that he becomes a vampire to be an inspired metaphor for what has happened to many soldiers who've returned from Iraq and Afghanistan unable to cope with ordinary life.

I thought the switch from pathos to hilarity and downright weirdness would give me whiplash, but author Mario Acevedo, himself a war vet, makes it work. Perhaps it's because, while he has a gift for comedy, he's never flip about the serious themes underlying the hilarity. For example, Felix has a dilemma: his supernatural abilities, such as levitating, hypnosis, and superhuman strength, seem to be waning because he refuses to drink human blood, and this may end up costing other vampires their lives. This macabre dilemma calls to mind many of the choices we all face as we try to get our needs met without harming others, from societal decisions about wars or resources, to personal decisions about clients or romance.

As Felix tries to figure out what has turned the women of Rocky Flats into sex-fiends, he encounters the murderous bigotry of vampire hunters, the unexpected love of a beautiful dryad, and a new secret from Area 51. This book is entertaining, with great pacing, a complex protagonist, an engaging mystery, quirky comedy, and a new take on vampires. It's heartening to see a Mexican hero in a genre that has only recently opened up beyond Anglo culture. And of course, the fact that the vampire is the hero only makes him sexier. (less)

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May 10, 2011 bookczuk rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: bookcrossing, great-title, vampires-ghosts-and-other-creatures

It was the opening lines that drew me in to reading this: "I don't like what Operation Iraqi Freedom has done to me. I went to the war a soldier; I came back a vampire." That the book didn't live up to my expectations is not the author's fault. I expected a bit more humor a la Carl Haaisen or something. What I got was a decent enough mystery, with a bit of the paranormal thrown in. It is unique if in only that this is probably the only vampire mystery to have been reviewed and declassified by th...more

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Mar 10, 2011 Amanda rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy

This is a story about a private investigator who "happens to be a vampire" and while mildly entertaining, it is easily forgettable. The outrageous title is not necessarily indicative of the content: there are no gratuitous sex scenes, sex in general, or steamy content. The title is actually a clever marketing idea to lure unsuspecting buyers, which may help or hurt sales depending on reader preferences. Readers preferring a steamy sex content should be warned that the book is more PG-13 than X-r...more This is a story about a private investigator who "happens to be a vampire" and while mildly entertaining, it is easily forgettable. The outrageous title is not necessarily indicative of the content: there are no gratuitous sex scenes, sex in general, or steamy content. The title is actually a clever marketing idea to lure unsuspecting buyers, which may help or hurt sales depending on reader preferences. Readers preferring a steamy sex content should be warned that the book is more PG-13 than X-rated.

Written in the noir tradition, the plotline, while funny, is so ridiculous you cannot possibly take the book seriously. Felix Gomez, retired U.S. Army Iraq war vet, is hired to investigate an outbreak of nymphomania in Rocky Flats. The novel opens prior to Felix's vampire conversion during Operation Iraqi Freedom, but when the mission goes bad and civilians are killed, Felix's guilt makes him a willing victim to an Iraqi vampire.

Gomez is a typical jaded, wisecracking P.I. who wears sunscreen-coated make-up to hide his pale skin from the sun and contact lenses to conceal his reflective eyes from humans. He possesses powers including the ability to walk up buildings, turn himself into animals, etc., but his powers--unlike other vampires--are weakened because he has chosen to drink only animal blood instead of human due to guilt from his combat experience in Iraq.

The mystery is poorly constructed. Felix spends more time making witty observations about his immediate surroundings than contemplating his investigation, so there are not enough bread crumb clues left for readers to anticipate the left-field ending that ties into an Area-51-style conspiracy.

On the positive side, the book is a quick, easy read, with humor and good dialogue. The author's take on vampires is unique, i.e. using blood as a condiment for regular food, and reading people's aura colors to determine their race. Not surprisingly, other supernatural races inhabit Felix's world including a sexy dryad who assists Felix's investigation. The network of underground vampire hunters who impede Felix with periodic assassination attempts sets the tone for future sequels.
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Nov 28, 2010 Sam rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: for-fun

Disclaimer: Any bad puns you find in this review are entirely intentional. :-) .... We now return you to our regularly scheduled program....

This book contains a few of my favorite things (ques up Sound of Music track): Action, Conspiracy Theory and Vampires (oh my). The style is light "tongue and cheek" and flows well on one level. On a deeper level, as sci-fi/fantasy, it does a good job of tying together Aliens, Conspiracy Theories and Vampires (Who knew they were related?). ...more Disclaimer...more Disclaimer: Any bad puns you find in this review are entirely intentional. :-) .... We now return you to our regularly scheduled program....

This book contains a few of my favorite things (ques up Sound of Music track): Action, Conspiracy Theory and Vampires (oh my). The style is light "tongue and cheek" and flows well on one level. On a deeper level, as sci-fi/fantasy, it does a good job of tying together Aliens, Conspiracy Theories and Vampires (Who knew they were related?). ...more Disclaimer: Any bad puns you find in this review are entirely intentional. :-) .... We now return you to our regularly scheduled program....

This book contains a few of my favorite things (ques up Sound of Music track): Action, Conspiracy Theory and Vampires (oh my). The style is light "tongue and cheek" and flows well on one level. On a deeper level, as sci-fi/fantasy, it does a good job of tying together Aliens, Conspiracy Theories and Vampires (Who knew they were related?).

Felix Gomez is an ex-soldier, now PI, who also happens to be a modern day vampire (who thinks drinking blood from the living, leaves a bad taste in his mouth). He is asked to go to Rocky Flats by an old friend and takes on a case to investigate mass nymphomania reports.

If your not familiar with Acevedo's work, at first it seems like a lot of random elements thrown together. But like any good mystery, the pieces start falling together later. Acevedo keeps the action moving and sprinkles in a bit of humor. If your looking for a serious or deeper read, then you need to look somewhere else. (i.e.: In the interest of keeping things moving, Acevedo skimps on some details that other authors might have taken time to flesh out.)

For the rest of you looking for something fun, fast paced, and mildly thought provoking (Acevedo does this neat thing with Chi and explains some things we generally take for granted in a creative way), this might be it.

This is not your typical teen vampire romance/love story that is the popular mainstream fad these days. It's a fast paced, sexy, romp through the eyes of a vampire PI. Will Acevedo be remembered with the likes of Shakespeare, Hemingway or Lovecraft? Not with this series.

But the read is still fun.(less)

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May 09, 2010 Angela rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: detective, vampire

So, I got to meet Mr. Acevedo, and I had him sign this book. Then I decided I should get it read. And it is quite entertaining. It is not a change the world book, but an entertaining detective novel? yes it was.

And I appreciate that some of the scenes take place in the snow! YEAH!! I am so tired of all the CSI shows and the police shows not having any snow. We all know it happens (Law and Order takes place in New York, yet how often have you seen snow on the show?? ask a New Yorker how often the...more

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Feb 28, 2010 Brenda rated it 3 of 5 stars

Felix Gomez is a former soldier, a vampire and he is guilt ridden. He's also a man with convictions, and a hot private detective. Felix is called on by an old friend to figure out why several women who work for the U.S. Department of Energy suddenly came down with a case of nymphomania that cost them their families, their lives and possibly their jobs. Hey, too much sex is not always a good thing people. Felix, despite my first impression from the cover, is not a greaser, and does not take advan...more Felix Gomez is a former soldier, a vampire and he is guilt ridden. He's also a man with convictions, and a hot private detective. Felix is called on by an old friend to figure out why several women who work for the U.S. Department of Energy suddenly came down with a case of nymphomania that cost them their families, their lives and possibly their jobs. Hey, too much sex is not always a good thing people. Felix, despite my first impression from the cover, is not a greaser, and does not take advantage of women. Actually, he's one of the good guys, among humans and vampires.

I had to sneak a peak at a few reviews on Amazon and Barnes and Noble before I wrote this blog post to get a feel for what people were saying. I can tell you this: IF you expect Nymphos of Rocky Flats to be a paranormal romance, an Anita Blake book spin-off, or an erotic supernatural tale of lusty sex, you will be disappointed. However, I'm not sure that anyone who actually reads the summaries provided would be led to these conclusions. We could ask Mr. Acevedo, he might agree to whip up a quick erotic short featuring Felix. I'm just saying...

Seriously though, the Felix Gomez books are part urban fantasy, part detective/mystery with a little conspiracy suspense thrown in for good measure. The author doesn't waste time with lavish descriptions, or complex character profiles. Felix is a straight forward guy, a former soldier who lives his life day to day, bending the "rules" of the vamp world to his lifestyle. He doesn't want to play with others; he just wants to do his job and get paid. Sometimes life doesn't give us what we want though, and he has to face some things on this job that he's been putting off dealing with.

I liked The Nymphos of Rocky Flats for it's straight forward "guy" humor, the action and the mystery solving. I've always loved tough PI's in books and television, so it was a fun read for me. I did give a few cringes when the vampires smothered their food in blood, but it added to the gritty feel of Felix's world. The author has a really cool take on vampires that I had to read over twice once I got to the revealing scene. I wanted to grab someone and say "You are NOT going to believe what Felix just did!".

If you are a fan of Rob Thurman, Simon Green, Jim Butcher or Anton Strout I think you will really enjoy Mario Acevedo's books. I'm tickled that so many of the Felix Gomez books are already published so I won't have any wait time. The fifth book, Werewolf Smackdown, is coming out this March.
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Dec 18, 2009 Nenia Campbell rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: urbane-fantasies, x-series-bk-1, holy-shit-a-vampire-get-in-the-car, x-2006s, reviewed, everyone-hates-it-but-nenia

I remember walking into a bookstore looking for vampire books last summer and seeing one of these books on the shelves (I think it was X-Rated Bloodsuckers). I toyed with the idea of purchasing it, decided it was trash (and poorly-written trash, from the comic-like design of the cover) and decided not to get it. I am now kicking myself over that decision. This series nearly as racy as the title would leave you to believe--one of those SEX!(now that I have your attention...) approaches--but the b...more I remember walking into a bookstore looking for vampire books last summer and seeing one of these books on the shelves (I think it was X-Rated Bloodsuckers). I toyed with the idea of purchasing it, decided it was trash (and poorly-written trash, from the comic-like design of the cover) and decided not to get it. I am now kicking myself over that decision. This series nearly as racy as the title would leave you to believe--one of those SEX!(now that I have your attention...) approaches--but the book does not suffer because of it.

Felix Gomez was in the Iraq war. After he accidentally killed some Iraqi civilians, he felt unbearably guilty and the need to suffer a sort of penance because of it. A vampire grants his wish--but not in the way Felix expects. He left America as a soldier; he comes back as as vampire. The title has to do with a strange outbreak of nymphomania among females who previously worked for a government organization.

A lot of vampire fans will be able to appreciate this book, since I suspect he has drawn from a lot of other books as a source of inspiration. For example, the main character is attractive and only drinks animal blood, because he thinks draining humans is wrong; the vampires are mostly civilized, keeping blood on hand in bottles or packets, and when they do bite humans, its usually erotic; there are vampire bars where wannabe-humans, called "chalices", hang out in the hopes of getting some hot, vampy action ... any of this ringing bells?

However, in spite of these striking similarities, Felix Gomez still manages to be something on its own. The mystery that threads throw the story propels the storyline and never slows it down. Not once. Felix is humorous, but not in the obnoxious "look how witty I am, even in this totally inappropriate situation" way that a lot of gumshoes are.

The back cover says that Mario Acevedo a mix of Anne Rice, Michael Connelly, and Dave Barry, which I didn't think sounded that appealing, in the same way that sushi, pizza, and rice pudding would not be appealing, no matter how much you love (or hate) them individually.

To be honest, it is more like a cross between Charlaine Harris's "Southern Vampire Mysteries" (or Trueblood) and John Dunning's "Cliff Janeway" novels with a dash of Vince Flynn and a hint of Carl Hiaasen's underhanded, ironic wit. It really is an awesome first book and I am looking forward to reading the rest of the series!(less)

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Apr 05, 2013 April Loebick rated it 3 of 5 stars

The Nymphos of Rocky Flats by Mario Acevedo is one of those books that pull you in the very moment you read the back cover. Vampires, Nymphos, and UFOs--sounds like a fun romp, of course I want to read it! And it didn't disappoint on the fun romp side of things. The pace is go-go-go, and doesn't stop until the epilogue. And at the end you're left wondering if anything actually happened that mattered.

Felix Gomez went to Iraq a soldier and came back a vampire. He carries a bunch of guilt after acc...more

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Nov 29, 2009 Paul Eckert rated it 2 of 5 stars

I was intrigued with the premise of this book: a soldier gets turned into a vampire and then comes back as a private detective who is now investigating a case of nymphomania.

This premise is interesting, but I feel the book fails to deliver a whole package. Acevedo's descriptions are weak, and at no point did I feel myself drawn into the story, like I was feeling what it was like to be a vampire detective. The narrator was very nonchalant about his powers and there was little, if any, description...more

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Jul 22, 2012 Jo rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: urban-fantasy

This is a book that could have been amazing. The premise is exciting, the world-building is interesting, and the story is novel and different. (Seriously -- vampires, military conspiracies and aliens all in the same book? Killer.) Felxi Gomez as a character is interesting, and the setting is well-developed. But sadly, the novel fell short of amazing in two distinct ways.

Firstly, there is the book's portrayal of women.

Yes, the book is called "The Nymphos of Rocky Flats" and that should give a cl...more

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May 25, 2009 Patrick Gibson rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: humorous

It has been a long time since I snaggled my tooth into a bloody vampire yarn. It’s time. Since I just acquired the Blu-ray of “Trueblood” and am about to engulf my visceral side in yet more vampire lore, I might as well match it with some reading material.

He’s Hispanic. An Iraq War veteran. A detective working around Denver. And a vampire.

As titillating as the title may be, it is really only the title that is the least but evocative. Vampires aside, this is a solid action/murder mystery. I read...more

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Mar 03, 2011 LinseyM rated it 1 of 5 stars

Curiosity killed the cat. This book has taunted my friends and me for several years as well as the others in the series. These books and their ridiculous titles stare out from the sci-fi/fantasy section of BN bookstore. So, my library has it as a free downloadable ebook and I decided to check it out as a purveyor of vampire fiction.

The premise is intriguing. An American soldier fighting in the Iraqi war is transformed into a vampire after he is overcome with guilt when his troop accidentally mu...more

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Jun 05, 2010 BookMarc rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

There's a lot in this novel to talk about but let me start with the cover of this particular edition of 'Nymphos of Rocky Flats'. There are only three women in the novel who contract nymphomania yet there are five women on the cover. I suppose one could argue that the other two women represent other female characters in the book but I would find that out of context. Even though I do like the cover it appears the artist never read the novel and no-one pointed out the discrepancy. And, as an after...more There's a lot in this novel to talk about but let me start with the cover of this particular edition of 'Nymphos of Rocky Flats'. There are only three women in the novel who contract nymphomania yet there are five women on the cover. I suppose one could argue that the other two women represent other female characters in the book but I would find that out of context. Even though I do like the cover it appears the artist never read the novel and no-one pointed out the discrepancy. And, as an afterthought, wouldn't the nymphos on the cover of the book all be going at it with each other instead of standing around in clichéd poses?
Felix Gomez, the story's main character, is a vampire. I liked that he is actually an Hispanic vampire as most vampires in novels appear to be Caucasian. It made me wonder when we're going to get Latina vampires as the Latin female stereotype of the sexy, hip shaking tamale would fit in perfectly with the stereotype of the sexy female vampire? Gomez also doesn't drink human blood which is slowly, but surely, leading to the loss of his vampire powers as only human blood will suffice to keep those powers in full working order. In fact, it might be prudent to summarize the traits and powers of the vampires in Acevedo's world.

*They can shape-shift. Gomez can transform himself into a wolf. It wasn't made clear whether all vampires can become wolves, or whether they all morph into different animals, or even if Gomez was the only one with this power. In fact, the transformation wasn't even mentioned until Gomez needed a way to escape some vampire hunters and it felt like the author had written himself into a corner and needed a way out of the predicament the main character found himself in.
*They can hypnotize with their eyes. Although a cool power the author constantly had to find ways to circumvent Gomez using his powers of hypnosis just to get what he needed. For instance, it turned out that the nymphomaniacs couldn't be hypnotized due to their nymphomania.
*They can go outside in the daytime. Yep, all they need is to slap on the sunblock, don some shades and cover up as much as possible. Blah.
*They can climb walls. None of them were bitten by a radioactive spider either!
*They can levitate. A great way for them to get down from the top of a building nice and easy...just float to the ground. They didn't appear to be able to levitate upwards so in that respect they could do with some lessons from Chris Angel.
*Their saliva acts as a sedative. No need for cheap wine and roofies then when the hypnosis doesn't work.
*They can be killed by exposure to sunlight (don't forget that sunblock Mr Vampire), decapitation and the good ol' silver bullet. Growing up the silver bullet was always associated with werewolves but now vampires too? I'm guessing it works on Gomez as he can morph into a wolf.

The premise of the story is that Gomez must find out what has caused the outbreak (can three people infected be referred to as an "outbreak"?) of nymphomania. Along the way there are a bunch of other subplots such as vampire hunters, a mysterious assassin and aliens. Yes, you read that last one correct...aliens. Now, I'm a huge sci-fi/fantasy fan but mixing vampires and aliens just takes things a step too far and that sums this book up really. If it had been a tad more contained I think I would have loved it but as it is I only liked it and, even then, at times that liking was borderline. There was one scene in particular which really got on my wick. Felix is facing his assassin and is being shot at when he throws a bottle at the perpetrator which turns out to be a love potion. That potion causes Felix and his would be assassin to start kissing at which point they both come to their senses and the attacker flees because he doesn't want to submit to any more man love. It was just plain stupid.
Perhaps my expectations were too high but I felt let down by this novel. Given the title of the book and knowing it was vampire related I was expecting a book without morals. What I got seemed like a book that had been edited so that it could be made into a movie without anything being left out. It overdosed on the stupidity and shortchanged on the adult content. Somehow, I still liked it but I'm hoping the next book in this series is an improvement.(less)

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Apr 17, 2011 Aaron rated it 1 of 5 stars

Obviously the star rating tells you all you really need to know. What I hated about this book was the break in genre. Fantasy for most of the story, then sci-fi w/ aliens in the end. Bad bad bad.

It didn't look good to begin with, but I support local artists and have tons of music and books that are crap to prove it. I even bought the second book of this series to support the author.

Then, a few years ago, I learn through the author grape vine he purposefully wrote crap because he thought it would...more

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Mar 12, 2012 Jess Haines rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: urban-fantasy

For some reason, I started this book thinking it was the second in the series. Acevedo has been on my radar for a while, but it wasn’t until just recently that I had a chance to read one of his novels.

As the title implies, there are some women who are infected with a type of nymphomania due to something going on at a government facility in Rocky Flats. Felix Gomez, who was turned into a vampire during his tour of service in Iraq, is now a private investigator who has been called in by a friend t...more For some reason, I started this book thinking it was the second in the series. Acevedo has been on my radar for a while, but it wasn’t until just recently that I had a chance to read one of his novels.

As the title implies, there are some women who are infected with a type of nymphomania due to something going on at a government facility in Rocky Flats. Felix Gomez, who was turned into a vampire during his tour of service in Iraq, is now a private investigator who has been called in by a friend to find out just what’s going on behind closed doors and what’s infecting the local women who work there with nymphomania.

I was a bit surprised, and in a pleasant way. Though you wouldn’t think so, the book is not particularly dirty. There is sex, and the sensuality of vampires does come into play to a degree, but overall this is not a book I would call raunchy. It’s something I’m glad of, because the title to this book (as well as the others in the series) put me off starting for a while.

Felix is something of an enigma to the other vampires in town. He doesn’t drink human blood. Though it is obviously draining his vampiric powers, he can’t bring himself to do so–even when he’s biting someone. This is very much to his detriment during the case as he seeks to find clues as to why these women who were exposed to something driving them to have uncontrollable sexual urges. In Felix’s world, vampires can also see auras and influence human minds when they aren’t using contacts to hide their strangely colored eyes. He notes that, every time, the color of the aura for these infected women changes when their “urges” take them. Though he could have easily taken advantage of these women in their more vulnerable moments, Felix is actually a pretty stand-up guy for a vampire and does nothing to harm or abuse them.

The story runs the gamut between murder mystery, romance, and government conspiracy theories. It was very ambitious in that it covered a number of plots and side-stories. Everything wrapped up very neat and pat in the end, and it was certainly not a bad read, but something I can’t put my finger on kept this from being a great read for me. Perhaps the humor was too pat. I’m also not normally much of a fan of war stories or anything that delves too deeply into the nuts and bolts of how the government works, so that may have had something to do with it. The flashbacks to Iraq and the guilt trips Felix embarked upon were not bad, exactly, they just didn’t interest me despite how vital they were to Felix’s growth as a character. Overall, it seemed to waver between taking itself too seriously and going the completely campy route.

There is nothing particularly erotic about this book, so don’t let the title fool you. If you like detective novels with a supernatural flair (that use crude/snarky humor as opposed to light-hearted), chances are you’ll enjoy this story. It wasn’t a favorite for me, but chances are good I’ll pick up the next book at some point in the future.(less)

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Aug 11, 2011 Katy-Del rated it 3 of 5 stars

Felix Gomez is a Gulf War vet who received some instant kharma while in the Middle East and was made into a vampire. Now he is retired from the armed services and making his living as a Private Investigator. An old friend has contacted him to do an investigation at Rocky Flats. The military is cleaning out radioactive material and there has been an outbreak of (da da DUN) nymphomania.

Like any good noir-ish book PI, Felix drives around, asks questions, gets shot at, and gets hit in the head.

Thi...more

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Mar 26, 2010 Pixie rated it 3 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Apr 17, 2010 Deena rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy-paranormal

This was an interesting shift in my recent paranormal/sci-fi/fantasy reading. I learned about Acevedo from Nicole Peeler's blog, having found Peeler on Gail Carriger's blog - so there are at least 3 authors who can be assured that goodreads brings them new readers.

It was interesting to read a paranormal story that wasn't a "romance." There's a certain similarity to A. Lee Martinez in Acevedo's work, although probably the similarities are fairly superficial. I read this very quickly because I sho...more

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Dec 22, 2012 Nick rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2009-challenge, read-but-unowned

Given the current surge of vampire novels that have been flooding the shelves lately I thought I would give the Felix Gomez, Vampire PI, books a try. I was unimpressed with the first story in the series. The title and marketing for this book would lead the reader to think they were in for a raunchy, gruesome vampire adventure, but the book is a kitten with a lion's cover. The language is tame, the sex is fairly non-existent and the the key strength of the protagonist is his "vampire hypnosis". O...more

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Jun 15, 2011 Bandit rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I'm not a fan of series, I don't care for "paranormal" genre, detective fiction and I'm not crazy about vampires, but this book, the whole series actually, was recommended to me, so I thought I'd check it out. As I expected a quick decent read, if I were into the things mentioned in the first sentence of this review, I'd probably love it. I will say that the writing was solid, the pace was good and the characters compelling and interesting enough to warranty me checking out the rest of the serie...more

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Nov 05, 2011 Klarissa Truemper rated it 5 of 5 stars

Feliz Gomez was an solder who accidentlly killed civilians in Iraq and was turned into a vampire to suffer from guilt for eternity. But this book isn't twilight. He can go in the sun as long as he has on sunscreen and he refused to drink human blood. When he returns to the states, his friend wanted him to investigate an outbreak of nymphomania at a secret government facility in Rocky Flats. And this isnt just a normal town with other strange creatures in it. After some investigating, he realises...more

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Jul 06, 2009 Brian rated it 4 of 5 stars

Iraq War veteran, Mario Acevedo's first stab at a book and this is what he comes up with??? Seriously??

AWESOME!

Is it "War & Peace?" "Crime & Punishment?" "The Sun Also Rises?"

Hardly...but it is a fun book and almost impossible to put down. Entirely unique and definitely a book that you're NOT SUPPOSE to take seriously! Part Anne Rice + Elmore Leonard + Playboy's humor pages! Definitely worth reading the other books in the series. Felix Gomez is more of the vampire you would invite to yo...more

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Jan 02, 2009 Russell rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

"Sigh" yet another Vampire Private Detective Novel. I do give the author points for giving his character Felix Gomez a modern back story as a traumatized Iraqi War vet who accidentally kills a young girl and becomes a vampire as penance for doing this. His refusal to drink human blood makes him something of an outcast from vampire society.
The plot that involved female workers at a goverment facility that are mysteriously turning into nymphos was mildly amusing, but nothing about the main charact...more

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Feb 08, 2010 Sandy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: vampire

The first and only vampire book to be declassified
by the federal government . . .

Felix Gomez went to Iraq a soldier. He came back a vampire.

Now he finds himself pulled into a web of intrigue when an old friend prompts him to investigate an outbreak of nymphomania at the secret government facilities in Rocky Flats. He'll find out the cause of all these horny women or die trying! But first he must contend with shadowy government agents, Eastern European vampire hunters, and women who just want...more

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The Nymphos of Rocky Flats (Felix Gomez #1)

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