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Crimson #1
Crimson Kiss
Meghann O'Neill, a psychologist specializing in the treatment of victims of abusive relationships and a vampire! Meghann is an expert in abusive relationships. She knows exactly how her clients feel. She has also been seduced into a relationship of pleasure and pain, excitement and torture. Unlike her clients, her lover turned her into a immortal creature of the night, a vampire. Handsome, dashing, and sophisticated Simon Baldevar claimed to love her body and soul. He enslaved her in an endless cycle of passion and punishment, caresses and cruelty. A dark soul of shifting moods, he seduced her, dominated her, and damned her with nocturnal immortally. Over thirty years ago, Meghann finally freed herself by staking him out on a roof for the dawn to finish off. Not only did he survive, Simon is back and murdering the people Meghann has sworn to help. This time, Meghann has no intention of bending to his sadistic will. This time, Simon will find that his former servant is now a master in her own right!
330 pages, Paperback
First published November 1, 2001
42 people are currently reading
2021 people want to read
About the author
Trisha Baker
6 books93 followers from Amazon
Biography
The best word to describe Trisha Baker is....Gypsy. I've flirted with every occupation from Special Education teacher to exotic dancer. My itchy feet have taken me to Las Vegas, Boston, Savannah, Amsterdam, Prague, and Budapest. I even lived in Sighiosora, Transylvania for a month when my backpacker funds ran low; earning my way by making beds in a hostel and serving boatloads of beer to to thirsty Romanians in a small, mountainside pub. An expatriate New Yorker, I currently make my home in the most beautiful city in the world, New Orleans. However, my itchy feet are urging me to see what new adventures await me on the road. In the meanwhile, I satisfy my tinker blood by reading fortunes in Jackson Square.
Now for the born and bred, blah blah blah portion of the bio. I grew up in Woodside, Queens; a pretty, working class neighborhood. Crimson fans will recognize this as the neighborhood Meghann O'Neill grew up in. Her father's house is based on my foster mother's home. Calvary Cemetery (the graveyard where Meghann gives Simon the boot) is an actual place and has a lovely view of the Manhattan skyline.
Being Irish Catholic, I was forced to endure parochial education. Much to my relief (and perhaps the Vatican's) I was allowed to attend public high school and abandon my vile green uniform for the four foot high hair (thank you, Stiff Stuff!) black lace tights, and catsuits that defined the late eighties.
In 1998, I graduated from Queens College with an utterly useless degree in Political Science. (Hence the need for exotic dancing and tarot reading to support my writing.) One of the happiest days of my life was November 1, 2001. Crimson Kiss hit the bookshelves, gathering rave reviews. Crimson Night followed in April 2002, and Crimson Shadows was published in February 2003. Crimson Resurrection should be published within the next year.
On the personal side, most of my family still lives in New York but understand my devotion to the liquor soaked swamp I've made my home. No children yet, but I look forward to spawning some demon seeds one day.
Biography
The best word to describe Trisha Baker is....Gypsy. I've flirted with every occupation from Special Education teacher to exotic dancer. My itchy feet have taken me to Las Vegas, Boston, Savannah, Amsterdam, Prague, and Budapest. I even lived in Sighiosora, Transylvania for a month when my backpacker funds ran low; earning my way by making beds in a hostel and serving boatloads of beer to to thirsty Romanians in a small, mountainside pub. An expatriate New Yorker, I currently make my home in the most beautiful city in the world, New Orleans. However, my itchy feet are urging me to see what new adventures await me on the road. In the meanwhile, I satisfy my tinker blood by reading fortunes in Jackson Square.
Now for the born and bred, blah blah blah portion of the bio. I grew up in Woodside, Queens; a pretty, working class neighborhood. Crimson fans will recognize this as the neighborhood Meghann O'Neill grew up in. Her father's house is based on my foster mother's home. Calvary Cemetery (the graveyard where Meghann gives Simon the boot) is an actual place and has a lovely view of the Manhattan skyline.
Being Irish Catholic, I was forced to endure parochial education. Much to my relief (and perhaps the Vatican's) I was allowed to attend public high school and abandon my vile green uniform for the four foot high hair (thank you, Stiff Stuff!) black lace tights, and catsuits that defined the late eighties.
In 1998, I graduated from Queens College with an utterly useless degree in Political Science. (Hence the need for exotic dancing and tarot reading to support my writing.) One of the happiest days of my life was November 1, 2001. Crimson Kiss hit the bookshelves, gathering rave reviews. Crimson Night followed in April 2002, and Crimson Shadows was published in February 2003. Crimson Resurrection should be published within the next year.
On the personal side, most of my family still lives in New York but understand my devotion to the liquor soaked swamp I've made my home. No children yet, but I look forward to spawning some demon seeds one day.
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March 6, 2022
Bodice Ripper, Vampire Style!!!
Meghann
Meghann was a sweet, innocent girl, until she was swept off her feet by Simon Baldevar. She was a nurse with aspirations to become a doctor. She was sassy and full of life, oh, and beautiful. So beautiful and spunky, that the seven hundred year old vamp in the room couldn't get enough of her. But this is Not a Love Story and there is No Happy Ever After!!
Simon Baldevar
Simon is not only an old vampire. He is powerful, evil, and feared by all other vamps. And of course, he is too beautiful for words (David Gandy is as close to that description as humanly possible). So Simon sweeps Meghann off her feet, deceives her into believing he is benevolent and loving, when he is actually a Controlling, Sadistic, Evil Monster!!
He tortures her, drains her of blood to the point of near death, and violently rapes her whenever she needs to be disciplined. He starves her till near death, only to bring her loved ones to feed from and kill. He teaches her nothing of her vampire powers, leaves her weak, dependent, and mere shell of the vital woman she once was. He can read her thoughts, so she isn't even allowed freedom in her own mind to think negative things about him, for fear she will end up staked to a rooftop, awaiting the morning sun. His does all this while showering her with gifts and adoring her publicly. Hey, a vamp has gotta keep a tight fist on his Consort.
I truly hated both the hero and grew to dislike the fickle heroine. Either you love Simon or you don't! But don't have sex with someone that has killed everyone you love, and act as if you were taken over by lust. If someone robbed me of my family and made me drink my previous fiancé dry, I wouldn't quiver at his touch.
I felt that Meghann would have been content to stay with Simone if he hadn't forced her to kill others, and allowed her the freedom to speak her mind. She was stubborn, immature, and ultimately in denial of how much she loved Simon. Though she preaches hate for Simon throughout the majority of the book, she has sex with him at the first opportunity. Be a woman and admit you love him, but hate his actions! I then, could have enjoyed this book and would have liked the heroine.
Oh the manipulation, the torture, the mind games, the hypocrisy, the lackluster sex, and the ANGST!! I hate ANGST!!!
I was originally torn between a 1 star or a 2 star. There were parts that I hated mixed with parts that were just ok. This would have been a DNF until a friend encouraged me to finish this book. I will not, however, be continuing the series!!
Meghann
Meghann was a sweet, innocent girl, until she was swept off her feet by Simon Baldevar. She was a nurse with aspirations to become a doctor. She was sassy and full of life, oh, and beautiful. So beautiful and spunky, that the seven hundred year old vamp in the room couldn't get enough of her. But this is Not a Love Story and there is No Happy Ever After!!
Simon Baldevar
Simon is not only an old vampire. He is powerful, evil, and feared by all other vamps. And of course, he is too beautiful for words (David Gandy is as close to that description as humanly possible). So Simon sweeps Meghann off her feet, deceives her into believing he is benevolent and loving, when he is actually a Controlling, Sadistic, Evil Monster!!
He tortures her, drains her of blood to the point of near death, and violently rapes her whenever she needs to be disciplined. He starves her till near death, only to bring her loved ones to feed from and kill. He teaches her nothing of her vampire powers, leaves her weak, dependent, and mere shell of the vital woman she once was. He can read her thoughts, so she isn't even allowed freedom in her own mind to think negative things about him, for fear she will end up staked to a rooftop, awaiting the morning sun. His does all this while showering her with gifts and adoring her publicly. Hey, a vamp has gotta keep a tight fist on his Consort.
I truly hated both the hero and grew to dislike the fickle heroine. Either you love Simon or you don't! But don't have sex with someone that has killed everyone you love, and act as if you were taken over by lust. If someone robbed me of my family and made me drink my previous fiancé dry, I wouldn't quiver at his touch.
I felt that Meghann would have been content to stay with Simone if he hadn't forced her to kill others, and allowed her the freedom to speak her mind. She was stubborn, immature, and ultimately in denial of how much she loved Simon. Though she preaches hate for Simon throughout the majority of the book, she has sex with him at the first opportunity. Be a woman and admit you love him, but hate his actions! I then, could have enjoyed this book and would have liked the heroine.
Oh the manipulation, the torture, the mind games, the hypocrisy, the lackluster sex, and the ANGST!! I hate ANGST!!!
I was originally torn between a 1 star or a 2 star. There were parts that I hated mixed with parts that were just ok. This would have been a DNF until a friend encouraged me to finish this book. I will not, however, be continuing the series!!
January 2, 2009
I read the rave reviews about Trisha Baker's Crimson trilogy and I was intrigued but the price of the books held me off. No way was I paying that much for a set of books! Well, I broke down and finally got them and I must say, I am so glad I did! This book is FANTASTIC!!
It starts off with our heroine, Meghann O'Neill who is a psychologist who treats battered women, saying goodbye to the last living person who knew her as the mortal Maggie O'Neill. As she says goodbye to her friend who has not seen her in decades, she envies her her mortal life, the life that ended for her the night she met Simon Baldevar and became a vampire. After thirteen years under his thumb she thought she had left him for dead on the roof of their home, with a poker through his heart and the dawn approaching. She left him and her old life behind that night, working for the next thirty years to atone for the atrocities she had committed while under Simon's influence. Since Simon had not taught her anything, probably fearing she would turn on him and use her powers against him, she had to work to develop her vampiric gifts. Telepathy, telekenesis, the gift of summoning spirits and Druid magic. The magic is particularly strong with her and she is becoming powerful. So powerful in fact, she is now the accepted Priestess for her coven. Life is going pretty good for Meghann O'Neill, until she hears that Simon Baldevar is back. Since she is under the protection of another powerful vampire, Meghann is safe for the time being. In order to get to her, Simon must go around her and through her friends. And he does so. With relish. He steals her lover and tortures him, using his screams to bring her to him. There the two fight each other and their feelings for each other. Feelings that neither one want. She, because he's evil and soulless. He, because she spat on his love and left him for dead. In the midst of their battle, Simon tells Meghann he will leave her alone and walk away forever if only she can tell him that she doesn't love him and mean it. She can't. Some part of her has always loved her master, and will always seek him out. He made her and she will always be a part of him.
This book was simply fantastic. Sensational. Amazing. WOW!! I have never read anything this emotional, this deviant, this in depth. Crimson Kiss is as thrilling a vampire romance can get. It is a realistic, gritty, gory and seductive novel that absolutely dragged me in. Simply amazing.
The violence of course has to be talked about. You can't talk about Crimson Kiss and not acknowledge it. The violence in this book is probably as sadistic as it can get without turning into snuff. Simon Baldevar has been alive for over four hundred years and in that time, he has hurt and killed a lot of people. Because as he puts it, he needs the diversion. There is no rhyme or reason to his sadistic pleasures. We are given a tiny glimpse into his past, before he was made a vampire, and there are no sad tales of abuse. He is just a cruel person who was given immortality and lived to enjoy it to it's fullest. He is so powerful that other vampires fear him and give him a wide berth, engaging in a kind of Cold War. He meets Meghann O'Neill one night and is fiercely attracted to her. Thinking to use her and kill her, as he has done with all the others, he is bemused when he realizes he doesn't want to kill her. He instead transforms her. Since she is quite young, she is overwhelmed by him and his power over her. He controls her easily, until the inevitable moment comes when she tires of his tyranny and fights back. This is when the beatings start. The descriptions of the abuse is quite horrific. Simon Baldevar is a vicious, cruel man who alternately beats and makes exquisite love to his chosen consort, Meghann. He also heaps devastating emotional abuse on her. Even at the end of the book, when he is trying to regain her love, he is still working his way into her mind. Insidiously, like a snake. I wouldn't trust this vampire as far as I could throw him. Which means never.
But despite all that, I absolutely loved this book and Simon. He comes alive across the pages. He is so charismatic and seductive and when he meets Meghann he sweeps her off her feet, the consummate suave gentleman. He even fools her father. I know he is a despicable creature. He is evil, soulless, amoral. Everything about him is vicious. His moods are mercurial and I found myself holding my breath, alongside Meghann, wondering at his next move. I really felt for Meghann as well, her uncertainty and her own disgust when she realizes that despite everything she knows about Simon, she loves him.
"You know what happened last night?" she asked the fiend rhetorically. "I had this patient whose husband beats her. Nothing like you of course--no boiling water, no crucifixtions, or dead partners. And I had the nerve to advise her!" Meghan screamed shrilly at the top of her lungs, tears still pouring down her face. "The unmitigated gall to tell her that if it was me, I would certainly never love anybody who hurt me or snatched my dignity." She cackled, completely hysterical. "I said it's not love if it makes you miserable.....and that's all you do, Simon Baldevar! My life has been nothing but one miserable episode after another since I met you. That is not love!" Now she was crying again. "But if it's not, why do I love you so much? Why can't I say I don't love you and mean it? What the hell is wrong with me? How can I love some sociopath with no conscience? What does that say about me?"
Trisha Baker holds nothing back and makes no apologies. You will either love this book or hate it. I don't think you can be ambivalent about it.
This story is continued in the next book by Trisha Baker titled, Crimson Night, which is told through the eyes of Simon. I can't wait to read it.
It starts off with our heroine, Meghann O'Neill who is a psychologist who treats battered women, saying goodbye to the last living person who knew her as the mortal Maggie O'Neill. As she says goodbye to her friend who has not seen her in decades, she envies her her mortal life, the life that ended for her the night she met Simon Baldevar and became a vampire. After thirteen years under his thumb she thought she had left him for dead on the roof of their home, with a poker through his heart and the dawn approaching. She left him and her old life behind that night, working for the next thirty years to atone for the atrocities she had committed while under Simon's influence. Since Simon had not taught her anything, probably fearing she would turn on him and use her powers against him, she had to work to develop her vampiric gifts. Telepathy, telekenesis, the gift of summoning spirits and Druid magic. The magic is particularly strong with her and she is becoming powerful. So powerful in fact, she is now the accepted Priestess for her coven. Life is going pretty good for Meghann O'Neill, until she hears that Simon Baldevar is back. Since she is under the protection of another powerful vampire, Meghann is safe for the time being. In order to get to her, Simon must go around her and through her friends. And he does so. With relish. He steals her lover and tortures him, using his screams to bring her to him. There the two fight each other and their feelings for each other. Feelings that neither one want. She, because he's evil and soulless. He, because she spat on his love and left him for dead. In the midst of their battle, Simon tells Meghann he will leave her alone and walk away forever if only she can tell him that she doesn't love him and mean it. She can't. Some part of her has always loved her master, and will always seek him out. He made her and she will always be a part of him.
This book was simply fantastic. Sensational. Amazing. WOW!! I have never read anything this emotional, this deviant, this in depth. Crimson Kiss is as thrilling a vampire romance can get. It is a realistic, gritty, gory and seductive novel that absolutely dragged me in. Simply amazing.
The violence of course has to be talked about. You can't talk about Crimson Kiss and not acknowledge it. The violence in this book is probably as sadistic as it can get without turning into snuff. Simon Baldevar has been alive for over four hundred years and in that time, he has hurt and killed a lot of people. Because as he puts it, he needs the diversion. There is no rhyme or reason to his sadistic pleasures. We are given a tiny glimpse into his past, before he was made a vampire, and there are no sad tales of abuse. He is just a cruel person who was given immortality and lived to enjoy it to it's fullest. He is so powerful that other vampires fear him and give him a wide berth, engaging in a kind of Cold War. He meets Meghann O'Neill one night and is fiercely attracted to her. Thinking to use her and kill her, as he has done with all the others, he is bemused when he realizes he doesn't want to kill her. He instead transforms her. Since she is quite young, she is overwhelmed by him and his power over her. He controls her easily, until the inevitable moment comes when she tires of his tyranny and fights back. This is when the beatings start. The descriptions of the abuse is quite horrific. Simon Baldevar is a vicious, cruel man who alternately beats and makes exquisite love to his chosen consort, Meghann. He also heaps devastating emotional abuse on her. Even at the end of the book, when he is trying to regain her love, he is still working his way into her mind. Insidiously, like a snake. I wouldn't trust this vampire as far as I could throw him. Which means never.
But despite all that, I absolutely loved this book and Simon. He comes alive across the pages. He is so charismatic and seductive and when he meets Meghann he sweeps her off her feet, the consummate suave gentleman. He even fools her father. I know he is a despicable creature. He is evil, soulless, amoral. Everything about him is vicious. His moods are mercurial and I found myself holding my breath, alongside Meghann, wondering at his next move. I really felt for Meghann as well, her uncertainty and her own disgust when she realizes that despite everything she knows about Simon, she loves him.
"You know what happened last night?" she asked the fiend rhetorically. "I had this patient whose husband beats her. Nothing like you of course--no boiling water, no crucifixtions, or dead partners. And I had the nerve to advise her!" Meghan screamed shrilly at the top of her lungs, tears still pouring down her face. "The unmitigated gall to tell her that if it was me, I would certainly never love anybody who hurt me or snatched my dignity." She cackled, completely hysterical. "I said it's not love if it makes you miserable.....and that's all you do, Simon Baldevar! My life has been nothing but one miserable episode after another since I met you. That is not love!" Now she was crying again. "But if it's not, why do I love you so much? Why can't I say I don't love you and mean it? What the hell is wrong with me? How can I love some sociopath with no conscience? What does that say about me?"
Trisha Baker holds nothing back and makes no apologies. You will either love this book or hate it. I don't think you can be ambivalent about it.
This story is continued in the next book by Trisha Baker titled, Crimson Night, which is told through the eyes of Simon. I can't wait to read it.
Read
December 30, 2021Read for the URR Halloween 2017 Reading Challenge: a romance novel with blood on the cover.
This, this is what I was looking for when I picked up Blood Destiny! True monsters: yay! Remember when vampires were actually scary - vicious, decadent creatures of the night (and not, like in Tessa Dawn's book, judgy demigods who play vigilantes and waste their immortality away pining over some chick)? Well, here you have it.
Trisha Baker isn't playing around - Crimson Blood is a deeply unsettling read, and not because of its violence - I'm actually rather blasé when it comes to brutality in fiction so I didn't mind it one bit: what I found really hard to digest is how good she is at putting her readers in Meghann's shoes (definitely not a comfortable place to be, FYI), so we, like Meghann, are falling for Simon's schemes over and over again, all the while being fully aware of what his true colors are.
Crimson Blood is, first and foremost, the story of an abusive relationship: yes, Simon, is a vampire, but what really defines him is that he’s a cruel, controlling sociopath - one that hung out with Elizabeth I and Shakespeare, dabbled in alchemy and dark magic and has to drink blood to survive, but what takes center stage here is his “love story” with Meghann - and that story is one of abuse. Both Simon and Meghann are fantastically portrayed - a fact which, in the specific instance of this book, where one is the torturer and the other the victim, doesn’t make for an easy read. I found Meghann’s character particularly well-written: you actually see her change from the self-assured, outgoing, naïve (and a little cruel, like many teenagers can be) 18 years old girl living the dream in New York to Simon’s broken, fearsome puppet and, again, to the grown, strong woman we meet at the beginning of the book.
Unfortunately Baker doesn’t score as high with her secondary characters, which are merely instrumental to the plot: Jimmy is especially implausible - I couldn’t for a second believe that 1998-Meghann could suffer a dumbass man-child who yells “whore! cunt!!” at her any time things don’t go his way. It’s a pity because a better fleshed-out character could have given some depth and credibility to the love triangle: as things are is weird enough Simon doesn't simply LOL at the dude and swats him out of his way (and ours: Jimmy really is an insufferable asshole).
I also found Simon’s backstory too cartoonishly villainous: it really doesn’t add anything to the character - if anything, I thought it diminished a bit the great work the author did with him up to that point - and what little information we gain from it could have been conveyed differently, BUT!
Baker’s slips aside, this was a great read, perfect if you like your vampires to be the fanged stuff of nightmares and not, you know, stalkerish and creepily moody teens.
Will I read the rest of the series? Nope. According to Nenia, in #2 and #3 Baker does the one thing that can really screw up a story like this: romanticize Simon. Luckily Crimson Kiss works perfectly as a standalone, so my black little heart is content as it is.
This, this is what I was looking for when I picked up Blood Destiny! True monsters: yay! Remember when vampires were actually scary - vicious, decadent creatures of the night (and not, like in Tessa Dawn's book, judgy demigods who play vigilantes and waste their immortality away pining over some chick)? Well, here you have it.
Trisha Baker isn't playing around - Crimson Blood is a deeply unsettling read, and not because of its violence - I'm actually rather blasé when it comes to brutality in fiction so I didn't mind it one bit: what I found really hard to digest is how good she is at putting her readers in Meghann's shoes (definitely not a comfortable place to be, FYI), so we, like Meghann, are falling for Simon's schemes over and over again, all the while being fully aware of what his true colors are.
Crimson Blood is, first and foremost, the story of an abusive relationship: yes, Simon, is a vampire, but what really defines him is that he’s a cruel, controlling sociopath - one that hung out with Elizabeth I and Shakespeare, dabbled in alchemy and dark magic and has to drink blood to survive, but what takes center stage here is his “love story” with Meghann - and that story is one of abuse. Both Simon and Meghann are fantastically portrayed - a fact which, in the specific instance of this book, where one is the torturer and the other the victim, doesn’t make for an easy read. I found Meghann’s character particularly well-written: you actually see her change from the self-assured, outgoing, naïve (and a little cruel, like many teenagers can be) 18 years old girl living the dream in New York to Simon’s broken, fearsome puppet and, again, to the grown, strong woman we meet at the beginning of the book.
Unfortunately Baker doesn’t score as high with her secondary characters, which are merely instrumental to the plot: Jimmy is especially implausible - I couldn’t for a second believe that 1998-Meghann could suffer a dumbass man-child who yells “whore! cunt!!” at her any time things don’t go his way. It’s a pity because a better fleshed-out character could have given some depth and credibility to the love triangle: as things are is weird enough Simon doesn't simply LOL at the dude and swats him out of his way (and ours: Jimmy really is an insufferable asshole).
I also found Simon’s backstory too cartoonishly villainous: it really doesn’t add anything to the character - if anything, I thought it diminished a bit the great work the author did with him up to that point - and what little information we gain from it could have been conveyed differently, BUT!
Baker’s slips aside, this was a great read, perfect if you like your vampires to be the fanged stuff of nightmares and not, you know, stalkerish and creepily moody teens.
Will I read the rest of the series? Nope. According to Nenia, in #2 and #3 Baker does the one thing that can really screw up a story like this: romanticize Simon. Luckily Crimson Kiss works perfectly as a standalone, so my black little heart is content as it is.
October 12, 2021
DNF @ 30%
I actually didn't DNF this for the problematic and disturbing content. I DNF'd it for shitty character development and an FMC that makes zero sense. I need to rant.
CW:
Crimson Kiss is a vampire book. But it’s not like just any vampire book, oh no. It’s disturbing, graphic and gory. Plus there’s a “romance” involved. Anyway, this book is certainly not for everyone as the content warnings would allude to. As many of you know, I can appreciate a well-written villain and I’m totally fine with villains as romantic interests. However, the execution needs to be there and unfortunately there were many, many things wrong with this book.
So grab some tea or a glass of wine because I really need to talk about the whole villains as love interests thing.
Crimson Kiss takes place in 1998, where we’re introduced to Megan who’s a psychologist who helps women in abusive relationships. We also learn that Megan is a vampire who was turned by the most sadistic mofo this side of the Mississippi. The book flips from 1944, when Megan meets Simon, said evil vampire, and 1998, when she has to come to grips that Simon is coming after her and is out for vengeance. You see, when Simon turned Megan, he proceeded to rape, torture and physically and psychologically abuse her. At one point Megan manages to free herself, stake Simon, and leave him for dead in the sun. But surprise bitch, Simon didn’t die and after 30 years he’s built up his strength and is coming for Megan with the fires of hell. Because if you’re going to try and kill someone evil, you best be finishing the job.
I was a bit turned off by the disturbing content at first because I was listening to a lot of true crime and it was getting to me, I guess. But I took a little break and came back to it and I was able to handle the content much better. Anyway, that’s to say that this book isn’t for the faint at heart. I can usually handle disturbing content but just know that this book pulls no punches.
Okay. So I don’t have a problem with a villainous love interest. I can read books where the MMC rapes the FMC. I don’t even need a full blown redemption. They can be terrible, but the caveat is it has to be executed well, and when you’re dealing with extremes, as an author you have to really have some finesse in making things like that work.
In this book, Trisha Baker doesn’t operate with a lot of finesse, in my opinion.
I thought that this book was going to go a certain way when I went into it. Simon is back and Megan is much stronger. They are both on a revenge tear and will stop at nothing to bring the other down. However they are both powerful vampires and can’t deny that they can relate to each other on some level, and throw in a little attraction + evil obsession. After much strife, fighting, character development and emotional moments, the end result is the two of them together, and Megan tempers him while he accepts her as someone he can love a little less selfishly.
...That is not where this series is going.
I think a lot of authors who decide to write a villainous MMC put all their effort developing this psycho character, but then put no care or development into their FMC. It takes two to tango in a relationship, and you need an FMC that can stand on their own to the crazy MMC. So often I read about interesting villainous characters but then their female counterparts are so helpless, so one dimensional, and so boring. They just take whatever the MMC does and deals with it. They have no agency. I can’t tell you how much this pisses me off. If you’re going to make a crazy evil MMC, then you better have a well developed and interesting FMC. It’s like authors use all their skill points on the villain and there’s nothing left for the FMC.
Megan as a character sucks. She finds out what’s happening to her, is forced to be a vampire against her will, is raped, and WATCHES HER FIANCE BE TORTURED BEFORE SHE IS FORCED TO FEED FROM HIM AND KILL HIM. You’d think this would, you know, affect her. She’d be traumatized but also angry beyond belief. YOU’D THINK. But no, she cries for 2 seconds and then about 5 seconds later she’s stepping over his body and sad that she can’t look at herself in mirrors. Then she goes out to a bougie dinner with Simon and asks him questions about being a vampire. This makes NO SENSE. No one would ever act like that. It pisses me off. Like what, we’re supposed to buy what Megan is selling? Absolutely not.
Another thing that you need to do when writing any type of love story (toxic or not,) is have the reader care about what’s going on. The thing is, there is absolutely no connection between Megan and Simon. Even when things go to hell in a handbasket, Megan never had a connection to Simon. And Simon just decided he loved Megan the second he saw her. That is not how you develop a relationship between two people.
Take a look at a dark protagonist who engages in obsessive love: Heathcliffe from Wuthering Heights. He’s absolutely a god awful person who deserves to rot. BUT! You see where he’s coming from. You can understand his actions without justifying his actions. I think the key to writing a good villain is making them 3 dimensional. So you can get where they’re coming from while still realizing that this person is going about it in a harmful way.
Crimson Kiss does not do this. Simon just decides he loves Megan. And Megan, for the “romantic” part of their relationship, is just compelled the whole time, so she doesn’t even have any real connection to Simon either. The only thing she notices with her own agency is that he’s attractive. Everything else beyond that, Simon forces and compels her to do. So this relationship is built on nothing.
Let’s look at some other relationships involving villains: Catherine and Heathcliffe bond because Catherine is the one person who treats Heathcliffe with respect while he’s severely abused. Kylo Ren and Rey bond because they are experiencing the pulls of the Force and are two sides of the same coin. The Darkling and Alina Starkov are the only two immortals in existence and are equals yet opposites. Megan and Simon are… ???? Literally none of that, that’s for sure.
Now, this wouldn’t be a big deal if this book + series was a big revenge plot with lots of character growth before they end up together. But after looking ahead at minor spoilers in this series, this is NOT how it goes. Megan is always subservient to Simon and she even tries to say how Simon’s abuse WASN’T THAT BAD. You know, when Simon treated Megan about 100x worse than your favorite serial killer. When he raped, tortured, compelled and traumatized her. Killed the people she loved. But yeah, it wasn’t that bad. Alex has never heard such bullshit before.
And then a lot of this is just explained because… oh vampires! They're amoral. Which, I mean fine, but that’s also kind of BS. Like, I still want a story with character development? Interview With a Vampire somehow managed to make vampires interesting despite their evil selfish ways!
Which brings me to my next point: I hate shock value. I hate when things happen in a book to shock you with no real story implications or meaning. Game of Thrones has triggered me and I really don’t know if GRRM can write an actual, fulfilling story that means something because all he can do is kill off a character when he wants to end their story. But that’s another rant. I bring this up because shock value can be fun, but it’s kind of like taking a shot of tequila. Fun for a hot sec, and fine in moderation, but after too much you wake up and realize that you’re left with a pounding headache, regrets and nothing to show for it. See: Season 8 of Game of Thrones.
Trisha Baker just throws a lot of shock value in her books. She makes Simon the most heinous person, but he's hot I guess and powerful? So we should like it? Nope. Simon is honestly really lame. Like he’s not even hot. He’s just way more powerful than literally anyone and him messing with the humans comes off as a bit pathetic. Like stealing candy from a baby. None of it means anything when you don’t have good character development and your characters are one-dimensional.
I was so disappointed by this book, especially because there was a lot of potential. A lot of vampire books are quite watered down and I was excited to read about a ~true~ villain, but this ain’t it chief. What a bummer.
I actually didn't DNF this for the problematic and disturbing content. I DNF'd it for shitty character development and an FMC that makes zero sense. I need to rant.
CW:
Crimson Kiss is a vampire book. But it’s not like just any vampire book, oh no. It’s disturbing, graphic and gory. Plus there’s a “romance” involved. Anyway, this book is certainly not for everyone as the content warnings would allude to. As many of you know, I can appreciate a well-written villain and I’m totally fine with villains as romantic interests. However, the execution needs to be there and unfortunately there were many, many things wrong with this book.
So grab some tea or a glass of wine because I really need to talk about the whole villains as love interests thing.
Crimson Kiss takes place in 1998, where we’re introduced to Megan who’s a psychologist who helps women in abusive relationships. We also learn that Megan is a vampire who was turned by the most sadistic mofo this side of the Mississippi. The book flips from 1944, when Megan meets Simon, said evil vampire, and 1998, when she has to come to grips that Simon is coming after her and is out for vengeance. You see, when Simon turned Megan, he proceeded to rape, torture and physically and psychologically abuse her. At one point Megan manages to free herself, stake Simon, and leave him for dead in the sun. But surprise bitch, Simon didn’t die and after 30 years he’s built up his strength and is coming for Megan with the fires of hell. Because if you’re going to try and kill someone evil, you best be finishing the job.
I was a bit turned off by the disturbing content at first because I was listening to a lot of true crime and it was getting to me, I guess. But I took a little break and came back to it and I was able to handle the content much better. Anyway, that’s to say that this book isn’t for the faint at heart. I can usually handle disturbing content but just know that this book pulls no punches.
Okay. So I don’t have a problem with a villainous love interest. I can read books where the MMC rapes the FMC. I don’t even need a full blown redemption. They can be terrible, but the caveat is it has to be executed well, and when you’re dealing with extremes, as an author you have to really have some finesse in making things like that work.
In this book, Trisha Baker doesn’t operate with a lot of finesse, in my opinion.
I thought that this book was going to go a certain way when I went into it. Simon is back and Megan is much stronger. They are both on a revenge tear and will stop at nothing to bring the other down. However they are both powerful vampires and can’t deny that they can relate to each other on some level, and throw in a little attraction + evil obsession. After much strife, fighting, character development and emotional moments, the end result is the two of them together, and Megan tempers him while he accepts her as someone he can love a little less selfishly.
...That is not where this series is going.
I think a lot of authors who decide to write a villainous MMC put all their effort developing this psycho character, but then put no care or development into their FMC. It takes two to tango in a relationship, and you need an FMC that can stand on their own to the crazy MMC. So often I read about interesting villainous characters but then their female counterparts are so helpless, so one dimensional, and so boring. They just take whatever the MMC does and deals with it. They have no agency. I can’t tell you how much this pisses me off. If you’re going to make a crazy evil MMC, then you better have a well developed and interesting FMC. It’s like authors use all their skill points on the villain and there’s nothing left for the FMC.
Megan as a character sucks. She finds out what’s happening to her, is forced to be a vampire against her will, is raped, and WATCHES HER FIANCE BE TORTURED BEFORE SHE IS FORCED TO FEED FROM HIM AND KILL HIM. You’d think this would, you know, affect her. She’d be traumatized but also angry beyond belief. YOU’D THINK. But no, she cries for 2 seconds and then about 5 seconds later she’s stepping over his body and sad that she can’t look at herself in mirrors. Then she goes out to a bougie dinner with Simon and asks him questions about being a vampire. This makes NO SENSE. No one would ever act like that. It pisses me off. Like what, we’re supposed to buy what Megan is selling? Absolutely not.
Another thing that you need to do when writing any type of love story (toxic or not,) is have the reader care about what’s going on. The thing is, there is absolutely no connection between Megan and Simon. Even when things go to hell in a handbasket, Megan never had a connection to Simon. And Simon just decided he loved Megan the second he saw her. That is not how you develop a relationship between two people.
Take a look at a dark protagonist who engages in obsessive love: Heathcliffe from Wuthering Heights. He’s absolutely a god awful person who deserves to rot. BUT! You see where he’s coming from. You can understand his actions without justifying his actions. I think the key to writing a good villain is making them 3 dimensional. So you can get where they’re coming from while still realizing that this person is going about it in a harmful way.
Crimson Kiss does not do this. Simon just decides he loves Megan. And Megan, for the “romantic” part of their relationship, is just compelled the whole time, so she doesn’t even have any real connection to Simon either. The only thing she notices with her own agency is that he’s attractive. Everything else beyond that, Simon forces and compels her to do. So this relationship is built on nothing.
Let’s look at some other relationships involving villains: Catherine and Heathcliffe bond because Catherine is the one person who treats Heathcliffe with respect while he’s severely abused. Kylo Ren and Rey bond because they are experiencing the pulls of the Force and are two sides of the same coin. The Darkling and Alina Starkov are the only two immortals in existence and are equals yet opposites. Megan and Simon are… ???? Literally none of that, that’s for sure.
Now, this wouldn’t be a big deal if this book + series was a big revenge plot with lots of character growth before they end up together. But after looking ahead at minor spoilers in this series, this is NOT how it goes. Megan is always subservient to Simon and she even tries to say how Simon’s abuse WASN’T THAT BAD. You know, when Simon treated Megan about 100x worse than your favorite serial killer. When he raped, tortured, compelled and traumatized her. Killed the people she loved. But yeah, it wasn’t that bad. Alex has never heard such bullshit before.
And then a lot of this is just explained because… oh vampires! They're amoral. Which, I mean fine, but that’s also kind of BS. Like, I still want a story with character development? Interview With a Vampire somehow managed to make vampires interesting despite their evil selfish ways!
Which brings me to my next point: I hate shock value. I hate when things happen in a book to shock you with no real story implications or meaning. Game of Thrones has triggered me and I really don’t know if GRRM can write an actual, fulfilling story that means something because all he can do is kill off a character when he wants to end their story. But that’s another rant. I bring this up because shock value can be fun, but it’s kind of like taking a shot of tequila. Fun for a hot sec, and fine in moderation, but after too much you wake up and realize that you’re left with a pounding headache, regrets and nothing to show for it. See: Season 8 of Game of Thrones.
Trisha Baker just throws a lot of shock value in her books. She makes Simon the most heinous person, but he's hot I guess and powerful? So we should like it? Nope. Simon is honestly really lame. Like he’s not even hot. He’s just way more powerful than literally anyone and him messing with the humans comes off as a bit pathetic. Like stealing candy from a baby. None of it means anything when you don’t have good character development and your characters are one-dimensional.
I was so disappointed by this book, especially because there was a lot of potential. A lot of vampire books are quite watered down and I was excited to read about a ~true~ villain, but this ain’t it chief. What a bummer.
March 17, 2011
A Macabre Tale of Love, Lust, Dominance & Horror that Earns 4.75 Stars!
I have forgotten exactly how this landed in my TBR pile though I am grateful it did because Crimson Kiss turned out to be a horrifyingly fascinating tale that held me enthralled from beginning till end. I had a hard time classifying this book because Crimson Kiss though it is a tale of lust and an undeniable love between two vampires, it is also a tale that reeks with power play and dominance that prevents it from being simply classified as a romance. Trisha Baker shows us the dark side of vampire heroes that readers all over the world have come to love from series such as the Night Huntress by Jeaniene Frost and the Twilight Saga by Stephenie Meyer. Lord Simon Baldevar is anything but a hero, whose character nevertheless held my attention hoping to catch even a minute glimpse of any redeemable feature in him when there existed none deep inside of him.
This macabre tale begins on the eve of April 12, 1944 when 18 year old Meghann Katherine O'Neill, engaged to be married to war hero Johnny Devlin finds herself meeting the enigmatic, Lord Simon Baldevar at a party hosted by the mother of an uber rich friend. Meghann with her vivacious red hair and sparkling emerald green eyes captures the attention of the tall, broad shouldered and handsome Simon with his compelling amber eyes because of her zest for life which shines through her. Born and raised Catholic, Meghann is a virgin and naive as they come about the games and rules of seduction between men and women. Simon's sophisticated nature and his obvious charm brings the walls of defense crumbling down, a pathetic defense at best in front of a man who has been having his way with women for the past 400 years.
Meghann's transformation into a vampire from a mortal is a choice that is wrenched out of her by Simon who for the first time finds himself falling in love and needing someone to claim as his own. Binding Meghann to his side by the thousands of ways in which he can make her feel pleasure, Simon starts out to possess and own Meghann heart, body and soul, a price that Meghann is too young to actually comprehend.
13 years pass by with Meghann as the consort of the depraved Simon Baldevar, who demands her complete and utter submission to him as her Master. Hope and salvation comes in the form of Charles Tarleton who makes Meghann understand that life as an immortal can be much more than embroiling in the vile acts that Simon has taught her. Unable to bear any longer the mere state of existing with no will of her own, Meghann defies Simon for the first time, bringing upon her his wrath and punishments much more cruel than anything she has suffered at his hands till now. The final straw comes when Simon moves onto kill a young boy which propels Meghann to find and hone in on her reserves of strength and make use of her rusty gifts and powers as a vampire. Meghann escapes after driving a stake through his heart, leaving him to be finished off by the rising sun.
From December 1957 till March 1998, Meghann finds shelter, peace and solace in the presence of her mentor and priest turned vampire Alcuin, Master of her friend Charles Tarleton. It is Alcuin who teaches Meghann everything she comes to value in her life as a vampire, and allows her to become what she has always wanted to be, a psychologist who specializes in treating victims of abusive relationships, particularly women and children. It is from Alcuin that she begins to piece together just how corrupt, perverted and debased a mortal Simon was before he embraced his life as a vampire. Meghann learns of Simon's history that spans from the 18th century, the era of Queen Elizabeth I and how she resembles Simon's second wife Isabelle whom he subjected to mental and physical abuse of every nature after killing his brother and her husband Roger to come to attain what Simon has deemed rightfully his. An alchemist through and through, Simon has cared for none till his fascination with Meghann takes ahold of him.
Meghann's peaceful existence with her mortal live in lover Jimmy Delacroix comes crashing down the night she learns that Simon survived her attack which leaves behind a sense of foreboding that looms closer by the minute. Before the story is through, Meghann once again finds herself back in Simon's arms, craving the pleasure that he only can give her because even though she sees the darkness that resides deep within her and has been witness to what Simon is capable of, she still loves him with all her heart, body and soul. But that doesn't stop her from being true to herself, to struggle to win against the dark side of her nature that comes alive with a mere stroke from Simon who in the end is as much a slave to needing Meghann as she is to her Master.
I don't think I can adequately describe each and every sensation that coursed through me as I got lost in this tale that had the power to super glue me to the edge of my seat all throughout. Simon's character was the most difficult as he supposedly should be with his sadistic and yet at times an oddly compelling nature when he is with Meghann. But that didn't distract me from all the vile acts that he performs earning him the role of one of the most vicious villains that I have come across. There are no excuses, none at all for what Simon is and was in the past, no tortured history that even remotely makes up for what he is. But at the same time I couldn't help but wait on tenterhooks, begging for even a glimpse of the true nature of his feelings towards Meghann, something which does come to light before this tale is through.
Meghann is a complex and multi-faceted character as well who invoked a lot of mixed feelings in me. From the beginning Meghann is portrayed as a woman who fights for what she believes in, who wants to help others in need with her dream career as a psychologist. However, Simon and his forceful nature together with Meghann's complex reactions to him makes her give up her dreams and force herself into submission for 13 years of her life until she reaches the end of her rope. The woman she transforms herself into afterwards amazed me even though she is still haunted by what she has done in the past under Simon's mastership. And even then, Meghann is no match for the ever powerful Simon she can't help but love; a love many readers might not understand. But it is the strength that she draws from the few of the remaining ones that she loves that proves to be the ultimate weapon that defeats Simon and all his evil powers - for now.
The story ends begging for continuation which comes in the form of the 2nd book in this trilogy Crimson Night which I am going to devour next. I find myself in double anticipation because the second book focuses more on Simon's point of view, something which was missing from the 1st book. I have yet to find book 3 which concludes this series at a reasonable price, but I am guessing even the exorbitant prices wouldn't stop me in my quest to find out how this tale ends.
I recommend this trilogy for fans of horror and those who love vampire stories - not the sappy type because this certainly doesn't deliver on that front.
I finish off the review with a scene that is etched onto my mind from the book, the moment when Meghann surrenders her mind, body and soul to a man who vows to possess everything that she is for himself and leave nothing behind.
I have forgotten exactly how this landed in my TBR pile though I am grateful it did because Crimson Kiss turned out to be a horrifyingly fascinating tale that held me enthralled from beginning till end. I had a hard time classifying this book because Crimson Kiss though it is a tale of lust and an undeniable love between two vampires, it is also a tale that reeks with power play and dominance that prevents it from being simply classified as a romance. Trisha Baker shows us the dark side of vampire heroes that readers all over the world have come to love from series such as the Night Huntress by Jeaniene Frost and the Twilight Saga by Stephenie Meyer. Lord Simon Baldevar is anything but a hero, whose character nevertheless held my attention hoping to catch even a minute glimpse of any redeemable feature in him when there existed none deep inside of him.
This macabre tale begins on the eve of April 12, 1944 when 18 year old Meghann Katherine O'Neill, engaged to be married to war hero Johnny Devlin finds herself meeting the enigmatic, Lord Simon Baldevar at a party hosted by the mother of an uber rich friend. Meghann with her vivacious red hair and sparkling emerald green eyes captures the attention of the tall, broad shouldered and handsome Simon with his compelling amber eyes because of her zest for life which shines through her. Born and raised Catholic, Meghann is a virgin and naive as they come about the games and rules of seduction between men and women. Simon's sophisticated nature and his obvious charm brings the walls of defense crumbling down, a pathetic defense at best in front of a man who has been having his way with women for the past 400 years.
Meghann's transformation into a vampire from a mortal is a choice that is wrenched out of her by Simon who for the first time finds himself falling in love and needing someone to claim as his own. Binding Meghann to his side by the thousands of ways in which he can make her feel pleasure, Simon starts out to possess and own Meghann heart, body and soul, a price that Meghann is too young to actually comprehend.
13 years pass by with Meghann as the consort of the depraved Simon Baldevar, who demands her complete and utter submission to him as her Master. Hope and salvation comes in the form of Charles Tarleton who makes Meghann understand that life as an immortal can be much more than embroiling in the vile acts that Simon has taught her. Unable to bear any longer the mere state of existing with no will of her own, Meghann defies Simon for the first time, bringing upon her his wrath and punishments much more cruel than anything she has suffered at his hands till now. The final straw comes when Simon moves onto kill a young boy which propels Meghann to find and hone in on her reserves of strength and make use of her rusty gifts and powers as a vampire. Meghann escapes after driving a stake through his heart, leaving him to be finished off by the rising sun.
From December 1957 till March 1998, Meghann finds shelter, peace and solace in the presence of her mentor and priest turned vampire Alcuin, Master of her friend Charles Tarleton. It is Alcuin who teaches Meghann everything she comes to value in her life as a vampire, and allows her to become what she has always wanted to be, a psychologist who specializes in treating victims of abusive relationships, particularly women and children. It is from Alcuin that she begins to piece together just how corrupt, perverted and debased a mortal Simon was before he embraced his life as a vampire. Meghann learns of Simon's history that spans from the 18th century, the era of Queen Elizabeth I and how she resembles Simon's second wife Isabelle whom he subjected to mental and physical abuse of every nature after killing his brother and her husband Roger to come to attain what Simon has deemed rightfully his. An alchemist through and through, Simon has cared for none till his fascination with Meghann takes ahold of him.
Meghann's peaceful existence with her mortal live in lover Jimmy Delacroix comes crashing down the night she learns that Simon survived her attack which leaves behind a sense of foreboding that looms closer by the minute. Before the story is through, Meghann once again finds herself back in Simon's arms, craving the pleasure that he only can give her because even though she sees the darkness that resides deep within her and has been witness to what Simon is capable of, she still loves him with all her heart, body and soul. But that doesn't stop her from being true to herself, to struggle to win against the dark side of her nature that comes alive with a mere stroke from Simon who in the end is as much a slave to needing Meghann as she is to her Master.
I don't think I can adequately describe each and every sensation that coursed through me as I got lost in this tale that had the power to super glue me to the edge of my seat all throughout. Simon's character was the most difficult as he supposedly should be with his sadistic and yet at times an oddly compelling nature when he is with Meghann. But that didn't distract me from all the vile acts that he performs earning him the role of one of the most vicious villains that I have come across. There are no excuses, none at all for what Simon is and was in the past, no tortured history that even remotely makes up for what he is. But at the same time I couldn't help but wait on tenterhooks, begging for even a glimpse of the true nature of his feelings towards Meghann, something which does come to light before this tale is through.
Meghann is a complex and multi-faceted character as well who invoked a lot of mixed feelings in me. From the beginning Meghann is portrayed as a woman who fights for what she believes in, who wants to help others in need with her dream career as a psychologist. However, Simon and his forceful nature together with Meghann's complex reactions to him makes her give up her dreams and force herself into submission for 13 years of her life until she reaches the end of her rope. The woman she transforms herself into afterwards amazed me even though she is still haunted by what she has done in the past under Simon's mastership. And even then, Meghann is no match for the ever powerful Simon she can't help but love; a love many readers might not understand. But it is the strength that she draws from the few of the remaining ones that she loves that proves to be the ultimate weapon that defeats Simon and all his evil powers - for now.
The story ends begging for continuation which comes in the form of the 2nd book in this trilogy Crimson Night which I am going to devour next. I find myself in double anticipation because the second book focuses more on Simon's point of view, something which was missing from the 1st book. I have yet to find book 3 which concludes this series at a reasonable price, but I am guessing even the exorbitant prices wouldn't stop me in my quest to find out how this tale ends.
I recommend this trilogy for fans of horror and those who love vampire stories - not the sappy type because this certainly doesn't deliver on that front.
I finish off the review with a scene that is etched onto my mind from the book, the moment when Meghann surrenders her mind, body and soul to a man who vows to possess everything that she is for himself and leave nothing behind.
August 3, 2015
Wow, that was defintely intense.
Vampires, set in the past, on the dark side, bloody and intense. The perfect book for this month and get you in the halloween mood, but definitely not for the faint hearted.
The story starts in the present when Meghan, a vampire psychologist who treats people involved in abusive relationships receives info that Simon Baldevar the ruthless vampire, her ex, who turned her a vampire, and with whom she had an intense, and abusive long term relationship is alive. Meghan for 40 years thought that she had killed Simon, and after all this time it turns out he is alive and back for his revenge.
The book then jumps to the past in the 1930's when Meghan and Simon meet, and continues on showing us about their relatinoship throughout time until we go back to the present. Some scenes, were on the intense side. Simon was definitely a ruthless bastard , In some parts, he showed us a tiny bit of softer side but mostly he was downright ruthless and perverse. Towards the end, we get a sense of his true feelings towards Meghan. Meghan was a strong character, resilient, and determined. She tries to fight her feelings for Simon.
This book was definitely quite the journey and didn't hold back.
February 9, 2016
Well, this one was unique reading.
It's not a vampire love story. But maybe we can say that this is a story how people can see love in different ways and is't possible to love true monster.
When I say a monster I don't think "Beauty and the Beast" monster. It's more like outside-beautiful-inside-ugly monster.And as much as he is a beautiful and a handsome outside, he is three time worse inside.
Lord Simon Baldevar doesn't care about who is he going to kill. That could be his own mother and if he got something good from it, he would do it. People of all ages (and yes, I mean ALL) don't mean nothing to him.They are just a way he can gain something.
On the other side we have a Meghan O'Neal. Beautiful and unusual girl. She can change from one emotion to another very quickly. Don't can say that I blame her-especially when you know that she lived with Simon.
On the beginning of the story you see a Meghan with her mentor (new one) when she learns that Simon is alive. She is very disappointed and very, very in fear.
In chapter one story is in past and it's about how mortal Meghan met vampire Simon.
I have a lot of emotion about Simon .He is cruel and heartless. You can't love him. Things he is doing in story just made me sick of him and all of men population (second one just for a few hours).
But this is one thing with a Simon- he maybe don't care at all about another people, but he loves Meghan. Now the problem is- how can a person how never loved before love now? Well he is not good with showing his love and most of the time he did things to her where even enemy would beg to stop. The worst thing is he don't understand that he is not doing right thing.
There is also a Jimmy (didn't like him) and Charles (liked him).
I'm very curious how this series is going to end because , be honest, I just don't can imagine happy end (and I DON'T want sad one).
Simon is not going to change.
Meghan most definitely won't, not again.
So how does this ends??
It's not a vampire love story. But maybe we can say that this is a story how people can see love in different ways and is't possible to love true monster.
When I say a monster I don't think "Beauty and the Beast" monster. It's more like outside-beautiful-inside-ugly monster.And as much as he is a beautiful and a handsome outside, he is three time worse inside.
Lord Simon Baldevar doesn't care about who is he going to kill. That could be his own mother and if he got something good from it, he would do it. People of all ages (and yes, I mean ALL) don't mean nothing to him.They are just a way he can gain something.
On the other side we have a Meghan O'Neal. Beautiful and unusual girl. She can change from one emotion to another very quickly. Don't can say that I blame her-especially when you know that she lived with Simon.
On the beginning of the story you see a Meghan with her mentor (new one) when she learns that Simon is alive. She is very disappointed and very, very in fear.
In chapter one story is in past and it's about how mortal Meghan met vampire Simon.
I have a lot of emotion about Simon .He is cruel and heartless. You can't love him. Things he is doing in story just made me sick of him and all of men population (second one just for a few hours).
But this is one thing with a Simon- he maybe don't care at all about another people, but he loves Meghan. Now the problem is- how can a person how never loved before love now? Well he is not good with showing his love and most of the time he did things to her where even enemy would beg to stop. The worst thing is he don't understand that he is not doing right thing.
There is also a Jimmy (didn't like him) and Charles (liked him).
I'm very curious how this series is going to end because , be honest, I just don't can imagine happy end (and I DON'T want sad one).
Simon is not going to change.
Meghan most definitely won't, not again.
So how does this ends??
September 28, 2014
DNF
I really hate leaving books unfinished but I really could not stomach this one. I love dark books I really do but sometimes the author has to draw the line. Simon... I liked him at first but after a while he sickened me, I mean between the rapes, abuse towards women (including our protagonist Maggie), his slaughter of innocent children. Forcing women to participate in orgies (once with a dog - may I add) and on top of that threatening to replace the women's child into the sexual act if she did not participate! I couldnt honestly, it was way too much. Now if the author however did go along and had him be the villain all along and had Maggie end with someone better I would not have been this disgusted but it was the romanticisation after, I do not understand how he can be redeemed after all this? And how Maggie was stupid enough to fall back into his arms.
Others might enjoy this, it just went beyond my limits (as an avid dark romance reader I found it too extreme). The writing was very good & I found myself enjoying the first few chapters of the book however Simon deserves to be locked up and kept away from people instead of being woobified.
I really hate leaving books unfinished but I really could not stomach this one. I love dark books I really do but sometimes the author has to draw the line. Simon... I liked him at first but after a while he sickened me, I mean between the rapes, abuse towards women (including our protagonist Maggie), his slaughter of innocent children. Forcing women to participate in orgies (once with a dog - may I add) and on top of that threatening to replace the women's child into the sexual act if she did not participate! I couldnt honestly, it was way too much. Now if the author however did go along and had him be the villain all along and had Maggie end with someone better I would not have been this disgusted but it was the romanticisation after, I do not understand how he can be redeemed after all this? And how Maggie was stupid enough to fall back into his arms.
Others might enjoy this, it just went beyond my limits (as an avid dark romance reader I found it too extreme). The writing was very good & I found myself enjoying the first few chapters of the book however Simon deserves to be locked up and kept away from people instead of being woobified.
February 8, 2023
DNF 30%
so bad i couldnt even make myself finish. the heroine gave me whiplash, all she did was shame other women and have a million different mood swings. it was hard to get a read on her character because she was badly written and all over the place.
hero became obsessed with heroine after seeing her once but its never explained why. they start saying i love you and waxing poetry about each other the same night they meet, it was ridiculous.
so bad i couldnt even make myself finish. the heroine gave me whiplash, all she did was shame other women and have a million different mood swings. it was hard to get a read on her character because she was badly written and all over the place.
hero became obsessed with heroine after seeing her once but its never explained why. they start saying i love you and waxing poetry about each other the same night they meet, it was ridiculous.
nevermind
April 27, 2020DNF @ pg. 178
I wanted to like this, and I do like the idea, but unfortunately I'm rather bored. The way it's presented seems shallow, as far as character development goes, and actually pretty cheesy.
I wanted to like this, and I do like the idea, but unfortunately I'm rather bored. The way it's presented seems shallow, as far as character development goes, and actually pretty cheesy.
April 14, 2013
WOW! I think this is
Macabre at its finest
and I think this is the first time that I stayed up all night up until day break and up until the late morning which means that I was TOTALLY ENGROSSED AND 'GLUED' READING IT and I'm very 'fervently' persisting myself to finish it (well of course with some toilet breaks and the likes LOL :D). I really didn't feel that the night went through and the sun already came up, didn't feel any drowsiness or sleepiness or 'listlessness' and I don't know if I ate or drank something that made me awake the whole time :p. But one thing I was thinking that time is
I WANT TO FREAKING FINISH IT NOW,
I think it's the feeling of adrenaline, the excitement on what's coming next, the intrigue, the confusion, the thrill, the anxiety all mixed up to concoct one very effective and powerful formula to spruce up my adrenaline to stay awake and finish reading it. IT'S THAT HOW MUCH IT AFFECTED ME AND THAT IS HOW GOOD THE BOOK IS and to tell you honestly, I still do feel 'THE EMOTIONAL TURMOIL' WHENEVER I REMEMBER THIS BOOK, quite frankly I really can't produce the 'right words' for this review now. But you have to excuse my profanity for the following 'right words' that I will write on this review because I think there's no better way to
say it right.
And this might contain some SPOILERS meant to be INNOCUOUS.
June 15, 2023
The first half of the book is a strong DNF but if you make it past the well written in a forgettable way 1940s romance and get into the master-servant vampire romance, things get much more interesting.
This book was not afraid to make the hero unsympathetic and not afraid to show the heroine doesn’t want to be with him and for good cause. There is no explanation that ever makes his actions seen in a better light. The only thing that could be said is Simon is loyal to Meghann.
Simon Baldaever reminds me a lot of a Sam Mariano hero: obsessed with the heroine but never learns to be a better person because of his love or change his ways. Instead manipulates heroine into his clutches, and heroine never addresses or really tries to change hero into a better person. And while hero never necessarily cheats or is tempted to on the heroine, he’s not considerate in the traditional ways we see a romance hero. He is never thoughtful or careful about her and never thinks how he loves is misguided.
Some of the violent scenes were worth their shock value. Also some crucial scenes involving Latin chanting and summoning of daemons that felt very scary exorcist times. Author can write erotic horror, and the blood sucking was hot. Heard this series gets more weird with blood and almost tempted to slog through it for that.
Interesting story. An experimental vampire romance as heroine does actively try to kill hero and is separate from him at the end.
This book was not afraid to make the hero unsympathetic and not afraid to show the heroine doesn’t want to be with him and for good cause. There is no explanation that ever makes his actions seen in a better light. The only thing that could be said is Simon is loyal to Meghann.
Simon Baldaever reminds me a lot of a Sam Mariano hero: obsessed with the heroine but never learns to be a better person because of his love or change his ways. Instead manipulates heroine into his clutches, and heroine never addresses or really tries to change hero into a better person. And while hero never necessarily cheats or is tempted to on the heroine, he’s not considerate in the traditional ways we see a romance hero. He is never thoughtful or careful about her and never thinks how he loves is misguided.
Some of the violent scenes were worth their shock value. Also some crucial scenes involving Latin chanting and summoning of daemons that felt very scary exorcist times. Author can write erotic horror, and the blood sucking was hot. Heard this series gets more weird with blood and almost tempted to slog through it for that.
Interesting story. An experimental vampire romance as heroine does actively try to kill hero and is separate from him at the end.
February 24, 2011
Recommended: To anyone who truly loves a good vampire story where the vampire is truly evil incarnate, and it doesn't matter who he hurts to get what he wants. I am not going to try to outdo anyone who has reviewed this story before me. These are just my thoughts alone.
Story: Meghann O'Neill Cameron is a psychologist who treats battered women. She’s also a vampire who was turned April 1944 by a twisted, and sadistic vampire named Simon Baldevar. When we first meet her, she's saying goodbye to her former best friend Bridie Foster, who is dying of cancer. Bridie begs her to end her suffering, and can't believe that Meg came back for her. After she does so, she flashes back to her earlier meeting with Simon, and how he forced her into becoming a vampire at the tender age of 18.
This story tells the story from Meghann's prospective, but done as a third person tale, not POV. Before she was turned, she was a volunteer for the USO, and a softball pitcher who was to be married to Johnny Devlin. Fate, however, intervenes in her plans. While at a party, she meets Simon, who finds himself entranced by her beauty, even though she is 18 years old. Simon ends up luring her into showing her NYC, and before she knows it, she is enthralled by Simon and gets transformed against her will. Later, Johnny ends up on the losing end after she succumbs to her bloodlust after waking as a vampire.
After spending 13 years with Simon, she soon meets a strange vampire by the name of Charles, who tells her there is a better way for her to feed on human blood. Simon never showed her any other way but to kill the person you are feeding for, including a certain scene where she drinks from the victims penis. Needless to say, yes, there are some very graphic scenes. Charles tells her that his master Alcuin, would show her a different way to leave.
In a a bitter fight, she ends up showing a fireplace poker into Simons chest, and then dragging him to the roof of their building in order for the sun to kill him. (Alas, this is not the end of Simon, but Meg doesn't find that out for another 40 years.) Meg then reunites with her brothers in an emotional farewell, and packs herself into a cargo trunk and transports herself to Ireland.
Alcuin is the former bishop of Kent and teaches Meghann all about Telepathy, telekenesis, the gift of summoning spirits and Druid magic. The magic is particularly strong with her and she is becoming powerful. So powerful in fact, she is now the accepted Priestess for her coven. It is later revealed that Simon and Alcuin are related by blood.
For nearly 40 years, Meghann has been living free of Simons influence and now as a good practice helping battered women and children. Then, Simon reappears into her life, and everything changes. Alcuin, Charles and her Mentor, tries to save a bleeding Meg, but ends up decapitated instead. Her boyfriend and vampire hunter Jimmy Delacroix, who previously lost his wife and son to a vampire attack, is taken and brutalized by Simon after he tries to stake Simon in his sleep. Meg, herself, ends up right back under the thrall of Simon, and under his guise once again to the point where she and Simon have sex and she ends up pregnant. Yes, vampires in this series can get pregnant. Simon has been trying for awhile now in order to bring about the philospher stone to bear.
This book tells the back story of both Meg, and Simon, and how they ended up as vampires. Simons story from the outset is a tale of a very sadistic and power hungry villian. He has no redeeming qualities, except for some reason, he finds he loves Meg.
Meg really doesn't have any control over her feelings. Simons blood is in her, and he is her master. He tries to tell her if she can say she doesn't love her (while under a truth serum), then he will leave her alone forever. Not happening. Simon Baldevar is over four hundred years old, and in that time, he has hurt and killed a lot of people, including Isabel, his second wife, and her son. He also turned over 100 people into vampires during the course of his insanity.
This book has romance, in a twisted sort of way (call it stockholm syndrome if you like), graphic scenes, and commentary on what happens to the actual characters, especially Jimmy. I would not recommend this book for children, because of all the blood and gore involved. I would, however, recommend this book for anyone who loves Dark Fantasy novels. I hope I can find the next book in the series, Crimson Night, soon.
If you want to read more about this story, I would recommend reading others who have rated this series 4 stars and above.
Story: Meghann O'Neill Cameron is a psychologist who treats battered women. She’s also a vampire who was turned April 1944 by a twisted, and sadistic vampire named Simon Baldevar. When we first meet her, she's saying goodbye to her former best friend Bridie Foster, who is dying of cancer. Bridie begs her to end her suffering, and can't believe that Meg came back for her. After she does so, she flashes back to her earlier meeting with Simon, and how he forced her into becoming a vampire at the tender age of 18.
This story tells the story from Meghann's prospective, but done as a third person tale, not POV. Before she was turned, she was a volunteer for the USO, and a softball pitcher who was to be married to Johnny Devlin. Fate, however, intervenes in her plans. While at a party, she meets Simon, who finds himself entranced by her beauty, even though she is 18 years old. Simon ends up luring her into showing her NYC, and before she knows it, she is enthralled by Simon and gets transformed against her will. Later, Johnny ends up on the losing end after she succumbs to her bloodlust after waking as a vampire.
After spending 13 years with Simon, she soon meets a strange vampire by the name of Charles, who tells her there is a better way for her to feed on human blood. Simon never showed her any other way but to kill the person you are feeding for, including a certain scene where she drinks from the victims penis. Needless to say, yes, there are some very graphic scenes. Charles tells her that his master Alcuin, would show her a different way to leave.
In a a bitter fight, she ends up showing a fireplace poker into Simons chest, and then dragging him to the roof of their building in order for the sun to kill him. (Alas, this is not the end of Simon, but Meg doesn't find that out for another 40 years.) Meg then reunites with her brothers in an emotional farewell, and packs herself into a cargo trunk and transports herself to Ireland.
Alcuin is the former bishop of Kent and teaches Meghann all about Telepathy, telekenesis, the gift of summoning spirits and Druid magic. The magic is particularly strong with her and she is becoming powerful. So powerful in fact, she is now the accepted Priestess for her coven. It is later revealed that Simon and Alcuin are related by blood.
For nearly 40 years, Meghann has been living free of Simons influence and now as a good practice helping battered women and children. Then, Simon reappears into her life, and everything changes. Alcuin, Charles and her Mentor, tries to save a bleeding Meg, but ends up decapitated instead. Her boyfriend and vampire hunter Jimmy Delacroix, who previously lost his wife and son to a vampire attack, is taken and brutalized by Simon after he tries to stake Simon in his sleep. Meg, herself, ends up right back under the thrall of Simon, and under his guise once again to the point where she and Simon have sex and she ends up pregnant. Yes, vampires in this series can get pregnant. Simon has been trying for awhile now in order to bring about the philospher stone to bear.
This book tells the back story of both Meg, and Simon, and how they ended up as vampires. Simons story from the outset is a tale of a very sadistic and power hungry villian. He has no redeeming qualities, except for some reason, he finds he loves Meg.
Meg really doesn't have any control over her feelings. Simons blood is in her, and he is her master. He tries to tell her if she can say she doesn't love her (while under a truth serum), then he will leave her alone forever. Not happening. Simon Baldevar is over four hundred years old, and in that time, he has hurt and killed a lot of people, including Isabel, his second wife, and her son. He also turned over 100 people into vampires during the course of his insanity.
This book has romance, in a twisted sort of way (call it stockholm syndrome if you like), graphic scenes, and commentary on what happens to the actual characters, especially Jimmy. I would not recommend this book for children, because of all the blood and gore involved. I would, however, recommend this book for anyone who loves Dark Fantasy novels. I hope I can find the next book in the series, Crimson Night, soon.
If you want to read more about this story, I would recommend reading others who have rated this series 4 stars and above.
September 29, 2012
Outstanding...and brutal...outstandingly brutal.
A fantastic story. What, many would argue, a vampire story should be.
How I could love this book so much I do not know. And yet, I could not put this book down. Simon is such a cruel and evil bastard, with page after page describing evil deeds and brutality worse than the ones before them, and still I could not truly hate him. I felt like Meghann at times, when she was trying to understand how it was possible to have such confusing feelings for someone who thrives on nothing but the suffering of others. She never did find the answer, and I couldn't either.
The author never once tried to sugarcoat anything Simon did, or attempt to explain any of it away, and yet still I loved his character. For as many times as I wanted them to kill him, I wanted him to be saved. If it was possible, I would say it's almost like this book forced me to develop a strong case of Stockholm syndrome as I'm ever likely to get without actually being held hostage...and involving a fictional character.
Maybe I should just call it Simon syndrome.
A fantastic story. What, many would argue, a vampire story should be.
How I could love this book so much I do not know. And yet, I could not put this book down. Simon is such a cruel and evil bastard, with page after page describing evil deeds and brutality worse than the ones before them, and still I could not truly hate him. I felt like Meghann at times, when she was trying to understand how it was possible to have such confusing feelings for someone who thrives on nothing but the suffering of others. She never did find the answer, and I couldn't either.
The author never once tried to sugarcoat anything Simon did, or attempt to explain any of it away, and yet still I loved his character. For as many times as I wanted them to kill him, I wanted him to be saved. If it was possible, I would say it's almost like this book forced me to develop a strong case of Stockholm syndrome as I'm ever likely to get without actually being held hostage...and involving a fictional character.
Maybe I should just call it Simon syndrome.
November 12, 2021
HES ONE OF THE MOST EVIL, AMORAL, SADISTIC, SICK CHARACTERS IVE EVER READ BUT I LOVE HIM NEVERTHELESS💗💗
October 24, 2017
The main thing Crimson Kiss has going for it is that it doesn't shy away from the classic evil, predatory monster interpretation of a vampire, complete with brutal blood sucking, mental manipulation and sadistic hunting- even staying resiliently dark after the hallmark twist of one of the most powerful vampires falling for a normal girl. I was really pumped for what I thought was going to be a dark timeline version of the girl meets vamp cliche and turn it on it's head in a really ironic way. The first 1/3 was really suspenseful when it was setting up for the fall of their romance and Simon's true nature.
Where it failed was when it didn't know what to do with the concept once it got there. Simon and Maggie fall into the rut of "I hate you! I love you! I hate how much I love you!" battle cry and instead of developing their relationship into anything interesting, relied on summarizing and telling what they felt and endured rather than showing. Also, Maggie was such a hard character to follow as she can't seem to hold onto an emotion or motive for more than a few sentences. I think there was a scene where she was facing the news that her father had passed away without her knowing and it upset her so much she nearly murdered Simon's servant and only a matter of pages later she enjoyed ice cream and cigarettes with Charles. The last couple of chapters were so unbearably inconsistent and meandering that I skimmed to the end, which was a soapy cliffhanger.
So three stars for the cool concept and creepy first 1/3, and meh on everything that came after.
Where it failed was when it didn't know what to do with the concept once it got there. Simon and Maggie fall into the rut of "I hate you! I love you! I hate how much I love you!" battle cry and instead of developing their relationship into anything interesting, relied on summarizing and telling what they felt and endured rather than showing. Also, Maggie was such a hard character to follow as she can't seem to hold onto an emotion or motive for more than a few sentences. I think there was a scene where she was facing the news that her father had passed away without her knowing and it upset her so much she nearly murdered Simon's servant and only a matter of pages later she enjoyed ice cream and cigarettes with Charles. The last couple of chapters were so unbearably inconsistent and meandering that I skimmed to the end, which was a soapy cliffhanger.
So three stars for the cool concept and creepy first 1/3, and meh on everything that came after.
November 20, 2015
hero is dark. One thing I didn't like is she took another lover. I would have prefered for that not to happen. as evil as Simon is. I kinda like him. I wish the other man in story hadn't happened
September 26, 2014
Wow, what can I say? The description gives you all you need to know what the book is about. Of course, the rest is just my opinion.
What a book! It is a miracle if you can even get your hands on this book, it is very hard to find and I am very blessed to have a friend to get it to me. BUT - It has been re-released lately!!!!
Simon... Oh, Simon is evil, pure evil. Deliciously evil!
He is everything that a true vampire is. He does not sparkle. He does not worry about the all the lives he takes. No! He is vampire and hear him roar!!!! Then he fell in love. Simon isn’t going to let love change him, oh no, he will change her! Or at least that is the plan.
You shouldn’t love Simon, and then you do. Then he will do something horrible (and I mean horrible) and you think I could never love him again, and then you do. The author did a great job of making me feel like an abused wife. I can see it now - why woman suffer through it. The way a man could beat the crap out of you, and then 5 minutes later he would be crooning his love for you and how it was your fault for me having to teach you a lesson.
The author… I thought she was fantastic. She wrote wonderfully and used adjectives that I had to look up several times. I don’t think she ever used an adjective or noun twice except “paramour” and I only remember that twice because I think it is a pretty word for “lover”.
The book was never boring. I loved reading it. It is one of my all-time favorites. I am a little scared to read the next in the trilogy because most of the time the first book is perfect without the others but must continue!!! There was a cliff hanger (of course) so I must find out!!!
This is my 2nd read and loved it as much as the first.
June 3, 2012
This book i must say is one of my favorites this year.....and its one of the most suprising reads for me maybe because i got used to the normal paranormal romance formula of the good hero getting the heroine and saving the day.This is a book that had my attention even after finishing it for days,simon is a horrible character,and i remember reading the first part of the book and thinking klaus is an amateur compared to this,bt the author has a wonderful way of making him appealing to the reader.Maggie or meghann was wonderful heroine,she had legitimate good reasons why she left simon.All in all,this is a book a shall remember and obviously compare my other reads this year with:)
April 26, 2013
I still can't believe this book!!! It was so heartbreaking at times! How can someone be so sadistic and psychotic and call what he did love??? Really?? Lord Simon Baldevar, you are the ultimate evil, yet I still want to root for you but want you dead at the same time!!! WTH??? Maggie I just hope you survive this!!!
July 7, 2019
I LOVE this book! The trilogy is just AWESOME!! I started them when I was in high school (when they were actually still on the shelves and not $30.00 a book!) and I read it for the 2nd time recently and I'll never tire of this series.
February 26, 2015
I've read quite many brutal and gory books SO TRUST ME WHEN I SAY LORD SIMON BALDEVAR MAKES ALL THE VILLAINS/SOCIOPATHS/KILLERS I'VE MET BEFORE SEEM SANE.
March 26, 2018
Well that was bloody brilliant (no pun intended) 😁
Simon was such a POS, I loved him! This was a pretty dark book, I mean he’s abusive as hell, but he’s also a vampire, and it was nice to read about a vampire who didn’t really have many redeeming qualities, apart from his love for Maggie, and even that was dark and twisted. I couldn’t put it down, my house is a total mess! I’ve so much housework to catch up on and that’s the only reason I haven’t bought the next installment yet.
Simon was such a POS, I loved him! This was a pretty dark book, I mean he’s abusive as hell, but he’s also a vampire, and it was nice to read about a vampire who didn’t really have many redeeming qualities, apart from his love for Maggie, and even that was dark and twisted. I couldn’t put it down, my house is a total mess! I’ve so much housework to catch up on and that’s the only reason I haven’t bought the next installment yet.
Read
January 21, 2024Truly, truly deranged. Simultaneously the most disturbing and the most goofy book I have ever read. This book sucked so bad (pun intended) and I am now going to read the sequel. (Side note: people shelving this as a romance are literally nuts and should seek some form of therapy or mental health evaluation as soon as they possibly can🤨)
June 13, 2023
Re-read. Nostalgia glasses lost.
November 26, 2016
Please welcome the magnificent, nineties love child of "Lost Souls" and "Twilight" as raised by Lestat. Maybe that flavor profile of crack fiction and cock-biting with a dash of Eurpean aristocracy doesn't shout your name, but it does mine. And hard.
Our heroine, Meghann, despite her fifties transformation as an adolescent and a Stockholm-shepherding into the world of the undead by her abuser-cum-maker-cum-lover, turns out to be super cool by '97. She uses her experiences on the dark side of the force to become a psychologist and domestic violence counselor (if only Bella Swann or Anna Steele had the self-awareness to withstand such a transition!) and indulges in Lucky Strikes, "punk rock, Good-fellas, and the writings of Charles Bukowski." Our hero is the worst sort of alpha-asshole-sadist (safe-words be damned) that can only exist and wet the palette in the realm of fiction, but Meghann and us readers are woke enough to understand the abusive ramifications of his cruelty even as we bend to his appeal. And a vampire determined not to reform is far more interesting than one obsessed by guilt and repentance; It is good to see Simon Baldevar in the front seat. The second novel seems to be a "The Vampire Lestat"-like revision from the evil Simon's POV, and I'm eager to catch a glimpse of his inner workings or re-remembrances.
Deducting a star for the ridiculous number of flashbacks, because this isn't a shōnen battle anime and we don't need one every ten minutes to beef up an uninteresting plot. Would dock another star for unoriginality if it wasn't authored twenty years ago, preceding and mocking all the paranormal romances since. Shall we see how this tale holds up as a trilogy? Don't let me down, Miss Baker!
Our heroine, Meghann, despite her fifties transformation as an adolescent and a Stockholm-shepherding into the world of the undead by her abuser-cum-maker-cum-lover, turns out to be super cool by '97. She uses her experiences on the dark side of the force to become a psychologist and domestic violence counselor (if only Bella Swann or Anna Steele had the self-awareness to withstand such a transition!) and indulges in Lucky Strikes, "punk rock, Good-fellas, and the writings of Charles Bukowski." Our hero is the worst sort of alpha-asshole-sadist (safe-words be damned) that can only exist and wet the palette in the realm of fiction, but Meghann and us readers are woke enough to understand the abusive ramifications of his cruelty even as we bend to his appeal. And a vampire determined not to reform is far more interesting than one obsessed by guilt and repentance; It is good to see Simon Baldevar in the front seat. The second novel seems to be a "The Vampire Lestat"-like revision from the evil Simon's POV, and I'm eager to catch a glimpse of his inner workings or re-remembrances.
Deducting a star for the ridiculous number of flashbacks, because this isn't a shōnen battle anime and we don't need one every ten minutes to beef up an uninteresting plot. Would dock another star for unoriginality if it wasn't authored twenty years ago, preceding and mocking all the paranormal romances since. Shall we see how this tale holds up as a trilogy? Don't let me down, Miss Baker!
March 30, 2009
Meghann O’Neill is a psychologist that specializes in treating victims of abusive relationships. She is also a vampire and suffered years of brutality, and abuse from the vampire that turned her Simon Baldevar. She became his slave and was subjected to an endless cycle of pleasure, pain, passion, ecstasy, and vile and cruel punishment. She could not think without him constantly invading her mind. She thought she had killed him, but he is back and stronger than before.
Baldevar is one of the most sadistic vampire villains. His twisted obsessive love for Meghann is alarming in its intensity. This book was released in 2001. It’s violent and bloody a far cry from stereotypical vampire romance you read today. My only issue is the method in which the author chose to develop the plot of the story. Instead of being immersed in the moments with the characters things are sometimes told in synopsis styled flashbacks. Time passes and then things are explained later. I would much rather read the action as its happening not have someone wake up somewhere then be told what happened in a few paragraphs. I enjoyed the book overall. It was entertaining. It was both sexy and grotesque.
As much as I liked this book it is very hard to find. It is out of print and extremely expensive. Reading all 3 novels will be a challenge unless you can find it at your local library or you don’t mind paying almost 25 dollars for each book.
Baldevar is one of the most sadistic vampire villains. His twisted obsessive love for Meghann is alarming in its intensity. This book was released in 2001. It’s violent and bloody a far cry from stereotypical vampire romance you read today. My only issue is the method in which the author chose to develop the plot of the story. Instead of being immersed in the moments with the characters things are sometimes told in synopsis styled flashbacks. Time passes and then things are explained later. I would much rather read the action as its happening not have someone wake up somewhere then be told what happened in a few paragraphs. I enjoyed the book overall. It was entertaining. It was both sexy and grotesque.
As much as I liked this book it is very hard to find. It is out of print and extremely expensive. Reading all 3 novels will be a challenge unless you can find it at your local library or you don’t mind paying almost 25 dollars for each book.
March 24, 2013
I recently reread (quickly) this book before giving it to a friend to read. It's been SO long since I'd read it, I wanted to refresh my memory with all that happened in it. I can't quite remember when I read it, but it's been roughly 10 years.
I wanted to try something different with reading, so my friend and I decided to trade books. I would pick a book for her to read from my library, and she would pick one for me to read. Her book choice for me to read is The Distant Hours by Kate Morton. I am nearly almost certain she is going to love this book as much as I did.
I don't want to say too much without giving too much away before my friend reads it but I will say that I think of ALL the evil villians in all of the books I've ever read, I don't think there is anyone more evil, cruel or more charming than Simon was in this book.
The publishers only did one printing of this book and now the books are very hard to find. I am determined to find #2 and #3! I honestly think the book was way ahead of it's time. Had it been published today, it would of taken off soaring. Even self published as an ebook it would of had a great sucess. Despite only the one printing, the book did develop a cult following. I am really hoping the authour decides to republish them again (and write more!!).
I wanted to try something different with reading, so my friend and I decided to trade books. I would pick a book for her to read from my library, and she would pick one for me to read. Her book choice for me to read is The Distant Hours by Kate Morton. I am nearly almost certain she is going to love this book as much as I did.
I don't want to say too much without giving too much away before my friend reads it but I will say that I think of ALL the evil villians in all of the books I've ever read, I don't think there is anyone more evil, cruel or more charming than Simon was in this book.
The publishers only did one printing of this book and now the books are very hard to find. I am determined to find #2 and #3! I honestly think the book was way ahead of it's time. Had it been published today, it would of taken off soaring. Even self published as an ebook it would of had a great sucess. Despite only the one printing, the book did develop a cult following. I am really hoping the authour decides to republish them again (and write more!!).
July 30, 2014
Acks!! Stupid computer for erasing my review!!
Ok... I not writing another one. Smite you computer!
Enjoyed the story more than I thought I would.
Didn't have an uncomfortable amount of 'explicit' sexy times like I thought it would.
The ending is really cool.
Unlike some weenies out there... the graphic horror didn't shock me. Shoot! There is one point where a boob is lopped off hahas! But it wasn't shocking in a 'horror' way. But I commend the author for making this vampire book a horror. That was pretty cool.
This is my Alcuin
And this is the song I kept thinking of when I read the book.
Ok... I not writing another one. Smite you computer!
Enjoyed the story more than I thought I would.
Didn't have an uncomfortable amount of 'explicit' sexy times like I thought it would.
The ending is really cool.
Unlike some weenies out there... the graphic horror didn't shock me. Shoot! There is one point where a boob is lopped off hahas! But it wasn't shocking in a 'horror' way. But I commend the author for making this vampire book a horror. That was pretty cool.
This is my Alcuin
And this is the song I kept thinking of when I read the book.
August 23, 2015
Wow!!! What a book. I am wondering how come I did not read this before.
Not a dull moment in the book. It is fast paced page turner with a strong and likable heroine.
The hero (if you can call him that) is a utter monster. He is a sociopath and has no redeemable quality whatsoever. I think this was the first book I have read where the heroines love interest was sooo evil that I really was worried that they would end up together.
I cant imagine a HEA for them.
I really want to read the next book in the series and really hope that Maggie finds some way to utterly defeat Simon.
Not a dull moment in the book. It is fast paced page turner with a strong and likable heroine.
The hero (if you can call him that) is a utter monster. He is a sociopath and has no redeemable quality whatsoever. I think this was the first book I have read where the heroines love interest was sooo evil that I really was worried that they would end up together.
I cant imagine a HEA for them.
I really want to read the next book in the series and really hope that Maggie finds some way to utterly defeat Simon.
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