Like the Night

Blood Bathory #1

by Ari McKay

Evan St. John, a young fashion photographer running from the pain caused by the death of his younger sister, is thrilled when he is offered a job with House of Nadasdy, a leading fashion house in Paris. What he doesn't know is that Elizabeth Nadasdy, the elegant and powerful owner, is a centuries-old vampire with a penchant for collecting beautiful people. To Evan's horror, he is turned into one of her "children." Unable to bear what he has become, Evan flees to New York and to his best friend, police officer Will Trask. For years, Evan has nursed an unrequited love for Will, but he also knows Will is the one person who might be able to help him. As Evan and Will try to deal with Evan's condition, they are drawn into the world of the theriomorphs: shape-shifters who are guardians of life and the sworn enemies of vampires. Caught in an ancient war between two powerful supernatural forces, Evan and Will find they must choose sides -- because if they are to have any chance of a future together, they must destroy Elizabeth Nadasdy before she destroys them.

Genres: Paranormal, Vampires, M M Romance, Shapeshifters, Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Romance

410 pages, Paperback

First published July 2, 2013

About the author

Ari McKay is the professional pseudonym for Arionrhod and McKay, who collaborate on original m/m fiction. They began writing together in 2004 and finished their first original full length novel in 2011. Recently, they’ve begun collaborating on designing and creating costumes to wear and compete in at Sci Fi conventions, and they share a love of yarn and cake.

Arionrhod is an avid costumer, knitter, and all-around craft fiend, as well as a professional systems engineer. Mother of two human children and two dachshunds who think they are human, she is a voracious reader with wildly eclectic tastes, devouring romance novels, military science fiction, horror stories and Shakespeare with equal glee. She is currently preparing for the zombie apocalypse.

McKay is an English teacher who has been writing for one reason or another most of her life. She also enjoys knitting, reading, cooking, and playing video games. She has been known to knit in public. Given she has the survival skills of a gnat, she’s relying on Arionrhod to help her survive the zombie apocalypse.

Reviews

[Cadiva · Rating 4 out of 5]

I f-loved this book, it had everything I want to read in a paranormal which focuses on the darker side of vampiric life and that it uses the real historical figure of Elizabeth Bathory was icing on the cake.

I've long been fascinated by the rumours about the Hungarian Countess since I was a teenager so the idea of her being involved in parts of history for centuries later was one I naturally got on board with.

There's some gorgeous language in this book too and I love me my flowing prose. I also loved the idea of Gaia and the theriomorphs being the natural enemies of the vampires as they embody life and keeping 'nature' balanced.

It's an interesting twist on shifters and how they find their natural inner animal and the scenes where Will gets his Arctic Wolf were among my faves.

This is, I believe, a re-release and I can't wait to get onto books two and three in the series and find out where Evan and Will go from here and just what Anna is plotting.

#ARC kindly received from the authors in return for an honest and unbiased review.

[Line]

It's free at the zon.com right now: https://www.amazon.com/Blood-Bathory-...

[⚣Michaelle⚣ · Rating 4 out of 5]

More like 3.75 but I wasn't rounding down to 3 for that. (I did originally and reconsidered.)

Definitely interested in continuing the series...

[Gina · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 A good beginning stars


I have read one book from the Ari Mckay team and i enjoyed it very much. And when i discovered they wrote a shifter/vampire book I had to read it! And right off the top I will say I enjoyed it very much, but it was slow at times for me.

This book opens with Evan a fashion photographer, making a daring daytime escape from Elizabeth Nadasdy. The vampire who made him against his will. He knows if he can just get to his friend Will, NYC police officer, he will find help. Quite quickly Evan and Will come to the attention of therimorphs (shape shifters). In this book shape shifters are guardian of life, and soldiers of Gaia. With the therimorphs on their side they all set off to destroy Elizabeth.

I love shifter stories and I like vampire stories, so when they are together in a book i am going to grab it! I enjoyed watching Evan and Will come together, Will trying to protect Evan and finding ways to destroy Elizabeth. During all of this though I found the book slow at times, to much talking between the characters and not enough action at times for my taste. What I really loved about this story it was more plot driven. A lot of shifter/vampire books are all about this sex…and more sex and more sex. And while i love a good hot steamy scene was well as the next reader, I loved that this book was more story.

This is a series of 3, and while the two MC’s get a HFN, the story isn’t over. I happily moved right onto book 2.

[Blue Bayou .]

Characters that make this fantastical statements. Fervently, apologetically, he ducked his head abashed with praise (what?), jumped up to kneel at his feet, Evan rolls his eyes like they are marbles. These two are so dramatic. I'd call them women but I don't know any this theatrical.

The MC's talk to one another like they have had years of therapy to appropriately express every feeling. Essentially they are fully formed psyches, rounded out and perfectly balanced.

The first half of the story is internal monologue that the other doesn't feel the same. (I remember one of my favorite authors said 'if it can be cared for with a phone call, it isn't a real conflict) These two could cut to the chase with the quickness. Phone call would have taken too long, hell pass a note.

I got to 51%, actually right before they declare their perfect undying love that will never shatter or tarnish or stain or crack or crumble. Then make the most unimaginable love imaginable with feelings so intense that they simple become one with themselves and each other and the sheets and the pillow cases and the utter completeness of it all.

I'm worn the fuck out.

Perfect people piss me off apparently.

[Becky Condit · Rating 5 out of 5]

Please leave comments about Pattycake's 5 sweet pea, Recommended Book, review at http://mrsconditreadsbooks.com/index....

All I can say is......WOW, WOW, WOW, WOW, WOW! I just finished reading the most fascinating book that I have read in a LONG time! Written by Ari McKay, Blood Bathory: Like the Night is an absolute thrill ride from beginning to end. The blurb is like an iceberg-what you see is the very tip with 99% of it unseen in the depths. This story is loosely based on the historical account of Elizabeth Bathory-a mad noblewoman made infamous for her habit of hiring young women to be servants in her castle; only to torture them, kill them, then bathe in their blood in the belief that it would keep her young and beautiful forever.

This is a definitely fantastic character AND plot driven story,with a plot that pulls you in, races smoothly from the beginning to the very end, and leaves you breathlessly turning the page to find out what happens next. The backstory is richly detailed and lays a very solid foundation for the book.The characters are so convincing and three dimensional that you feel like a part of their lives despite the paranormal and supernatural aspects. The author has taken the common, ordinary vampire/shape shifter premise and turned it into a new,utterly fascinating, uniquely original, and totally fresh concept. The sex involves hot men, even hotter passion, and enough heat to melt my ereader!

The author's writing style is bold, original, eloquently concise, and utterly captivating. Told in a combination of present day and flashbacks, the hidden world of the vampires and their mortal enemies the theriomorphs-a classy and fresh term for shape shifters-is brought to entertaining and enthralling life. There is absolutely nothing that I dislike and so much that I LOVE about this book! The story does have a HFN ending, with hints that a sequel may be in the future. I totally enjoyed reading this book, and if you're looking for a completely new, action packed thrill ride of a tale, then I can definitely recommend this book to you!

[Cole Riann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review posted at The Armchair Reader.

4.25 stars

These two authors have been one of my favorite writing teams for a while now, and I knew that I wanted to review this book before I'd even heard of it or read the blurb. So when I finally did read the blurb I was even more exited, especially for such a long book. And finishing it took me a couple of days, mostly just because I wanted to enjoy it, so I spent my time reading it totally for pleasure and enjoying every twist and turn.

Evan St. John and Will Trask have a tumultuous past. Roommates their Freshman year of college at Columbia, they soon grow to be friends. Evan is openly gay and an art photography student, always carrying around his camera, while Will is a manly jock through and through. For reasons that Evan never understands, Will sticks by him and the bullying he was experiencing dwindles when people start to realize that Will will aways have his back. As they grow closer Evan starts to understand Will better, including Will's White Knight Complex, his need to protect and care for those he loves, to an almost fanatical, save-the-day to-the-rescue level.

Their dynamic changes when Evan's sister is dying of cancer and their relationship grows during the emotional period -- Evan is distraught and barely keeping himself afloat while trying to understand and come to terms with her turn for the worse. And Will picks up the slack, in more ways than expected. But the grief sends Evan running to Paris and three years go by, where Evan becomes a famous fashion photographer taken on by The House of Nadasdy, run by famous and infamous Elizabeth Nadasdy, and Will becomes an agent with the FBI.

We're first introduced to Evan in Like the Night as he escapes Paris during the day to fly to New York City and seek help from Will. He's a newly made vampire under the gruesome and tyrannical rule of Elizabeth Nadasdy, a modern day remnant of her famous human days as Elizabeth of Bathory. Above all (except herself), she loves beauty and hoards a collection of "children" all turned by her for their extraordinary beauty, which she believes deserves to be preserved for eternity. Evan was a prize for her, and his rejection of her extraordinary "gift" is tantamount to the ultimate betrayal, something she relishes punishing him for. But Elizabeth doesn't expect the trouble it will take to find and deal with Evan. With him, someone whose beauty hides his intelligence and cunning, are a group of allies who seek one common goal: the eradication of Elizabeth Nadasdy. And of course Evan has Will, his White Knight, ready to stand in front of any threat to his best friend.

I really just loved this book. I took a while to read it because it is long, but it is also totally packed with plot and, just about everything under the sun, making the book seem even longer than it is. There's an economy to the writing which gives you SO much story for just the first book of a series that it gave me the time and the opportunity to really sink into the story. What came through in this story most strongly for me was the pervasive mood of fear and impending doom. This is all because of the fact that Elizabeth is built up to such supervillain status that she's made to be almost omniscient, with unlimited power. Add to this a connection between vampires and their sire, or maker, and the fact that Elizabeth could peek in on Evan at any moment and even make him do things or spy on his relationship with Will, or their planned resistance of her make the story suffused with tension.

I found the villainous characters in this novel to be quite interesting. We have Elizabeth who is the typical diabolical character. She relishes in the pain of others and not only causes death and despair because it gets her something (money, fame, power, etc.) but also because she enjoys the suffering of others. She firmly believes that she's more worthy than anyone else to have the status that she does because of her beauty and the vision she has for the future. But, sometimes diabolical is boring. No matter how outrageously cruel Elizabeth can be, she's still a character that doesn't take too much effort to understand. My favorite villainous character is her daughter Anna, who I suspect will become a crucial and central character to the future books. Anna is raised in the shadow of her diabolical mother. She's always second best, but raised to revel in the same cruelties as her mother. She's made a vampire both because of her beauty which is similar to her mother's, but also as a gift from her. But hundreds of years of oppression make Anna rather different from her mother. Though I suspect that they both have similar depth of cruel possibility inherently in them, Anna's choices are governed by her hate of her mother and her acceptance that her only meaning to her mother is what she can do for her. That makes her cruel, but much more interesting than her mother. And of course, it's going to be great when the two really turn on one another ;)

Anyway, I'm super excited for the second book. I hope it isn't too far away. But honestly, I can't really be sad because this is the first book in a while (that is the first book of a series) that actually gives us enough story to satisfy us for the first installment. 123k words is pretty long, yes, but it allows the book to give full and adequate world-building while also giving us a real story that will be carried on in the second part. We have a full and self-standing plot with only a few loose ends to pick up in the next book. If this is the case for the next books as well, then I can only imagine where this story will go before it ends!

Definitely Recommended!

[Merissa (Archaeolibrarian) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a gem of a book! Friends-to-lovers, and gay-for-you, this also manages to bring together vampire baddies, shifter goodies, and those who cross lines.

Absolutely loved it - all of it. The story, the action, the romance, the pacing, no editing or grammatical errors. There is nothing about this book I wouldn't recommend.

[Pixie Mmgoodbookreviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

3 1/2 - 4 Hearts

Review written for MM Good Book Reviews

After the death of his sister Evan distanced himself from all that he loved by moving to Paris to pursue a career as a fashion photographer. Evan is thrilled when he is noticed by Elizabeth Nadasdy, a leading designer in Paris, but his joy is turned to horror when he discovers just what she is and she turns him into a monster. Now Evan has fled to New York to the only person he can turn to, Will his best friend, with the hope that Will will be able to help him destroy Elizabeth. Will has hopes that he will be able to help his best friend Evan, but some parts of Evan’s story are just too hard to believe until he is attacked by a ghoul. Together they discover theriomorphs (shape shifters) who are the vampires sworn enemy and they ask for their help in taking Elizabeth down. Caught in the middle of an ancient war both Will and Evan admit their feelings for each other, but they have to survive the coming confrontation to have a hope of happiness.

Blood Bathory takes us back to evil vampires who care for nothing but their own needs and nature protecting shifters who are mortal enemies. Evan though he was getting his dream when he was offered a job as an in-house photographer for a Paris fashion house, but he was getting a nightmare when the designer set her sights on him. Now Evan is on the run hoping to get help before she sinks her claws in him again, and he turns to the only person he thinks can help: Will. Will is a police office in the Computer Crime Squad and has missed his best friend Evan, when Evan turns up on his doorstep asking for help he won’t turn him down and he is pulled into a world he never imagined.

This story has a lot of detail that brings it to life, we discover a paranormal world that is constantly at war, two sides that are good and evil, each wanting to wipe the other out. Then we have Evan who is determined to make the one who changed him pay, he doesn’t want to be a vampire and sees himself as a monster. Will is a great character who is there for Evan every step of the way, trying to make him see that he isn’t a monster and is as different from his creator as night is from day. The storyline is really good, with the evil Elizabeth taking what she wants when she wants it and revelling in her power over others, the fact that Evan has escaped her and not embraced the great gift she gave him is a smack in the face she refuses to live with.

There are many characters that we are introduced to and who you can see with be linchpins not just to this story but future ones as well, they are what keep you reading as the story comes together and the pieces fall into place. Evan’s and Will’s relationship doesn’t come together until about half way through, when they both acknowledge that their brief fling in college meant more to both of them than the other thought. They are excellent together and Will is the most supportive man you could ever meet, shoring Evan up while he struggles with his new nature.

I recommend this to those who want a more original type vampire, nature loving shifters, two men reconnecting as they race through danger, a great storyline and an ending that has you hoping for the next instalment.

[Colin Hardy · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a hard read but not because of the story. The plot was quite well structured and there was a clear progression from scene to scene and there was internal coherence. The concept of a love between shifter and vampire is not new but the context is interesting. What makes this book difficult is the writing. The most noticeable thing is the excessive use of names. Whilst it is acknowledged that overuse of first-person pronouns can be confusing, the opposite can be equally frustrating. Much of the early part of the book is about the developing relationship between the two lead characters. Unfortunately this became quite repetitive in its approach and used a much-used trope where each character misunderstands the other’s intentions and they circle around each other being pleasant. The characters are fleshed out but offer little with which the reader can empathise or become attached to.

As for the intimate relationship between the two lead characters, sex is dealt with, but there is no real passion. The description is quite sparse and certainly the description of first anal intercourse is physically unlikely. There is a vague idea as to what happens but it seems to lack a full grasp beyond the mechanics. At one point I thought perhaps this was aimed at a younger audience and so tended towards fade to black, but this is not the case and in fact presents unprotected sex with a virgin with the same lightness as being offered a new exciting flavour of ice cream. In line with much young adult literature, there would normally be a moral message underlying the text, but the issues are not even considered. Admittedly this is supposed to be sex between a vampire and a shapeshifter and this might provide some measure of immunity due to their natural resistance, but this is an assumption, as it is not discussed. It is therefore difficult to judge the expected audience of the book.

There is a steady pace throughout the story with a reasonable amount of variation in both location and issue, but nothing much happens that provides tension until towards the end. Here there is some attempt to provide a climax to the book. However, the writing style lacks the necessary tightness that would have raised the tale to a different level. Sadly the other frustrations with the writing remain foremost in the mind of the reader and it is quite hard to get into the swing of things.

By the end of the book this reader had had enough, but there is more to come with the sequel. The storyline ends on a positive note but there are clearly issues outstanding that require further development.

This review is also posted at Gay Book Reviews

[Matthew · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book...absolutely loved it!!! I read it in less than 2 days. I saw online that it is book one of a trilogy and I'm definitely looking forward to the next one.

[Anne Barwell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m a huge fan of urban fantasy, and this story didn’t disappoint. I enjoyed the world building, and its slightly different twist on vampires, plus the rich history that came with it. The ongoing battle has been going on for centuries, and it felt like it. The theriomorphs are interesting, and I liked the different spin on shape shifters. Their philosophy and link to Gaia and life stood out for me, and in particular one line: “you control your beast. It doesn’t control you.”

Evan and Will are both likeable characters, but very different so complement each other well. I liked the way Will didn’t believe Evan at first about his being a vampire. I thought the way he only came round to the truth when he was presented with a situation he couldn’t ignore or explain away felt very realistic. I enjoying seeing Will in action saving a woman from a mugger as it showed how capable he is far better than just being told he is, would have been. I also enjoyed reading about their friendship, with both of them wanting more, yet not believing the other did, but still ready to support the other even if they didn’t get the relationship they craved. It’s a nicely written, believable friends to lovers scenario. I especially liked their banter—it’s fun and it’s obvious they are at ease with and care about each other deeply.

I liked the supporting cast, and hope to see more of them in future books. I loved Shay in particular and the easy friendship she has with Will. There are several strong women in this story, which is something I always appreciate in an MM story. Marielle deserves a mention too. She’s a very cool character who comes across as passionate with a good sense of humour, although I got the impression there’s another more ruthless side to her too, which makes sense considering the battle she’s waged against the Elizabeth for a very long time. Matthew and Stephen were interesting characters and I hope we learn more about them in future books set in this world.

I liked that the theriomorphs don’t just accept Evan. It felt more realistic that many of them would have trust issues about a vampire in their midst. I also appreciated that their initial attempts to help Evan didn’t always work—much more realistic and also showed Elizabeth for the real threat she is. I liked that Evan struggles with being a vampire, and that he doesn’t just accept it.

Elizabeth is a real piece of work, and totally self-centred in the worse possible way. Kudos to the authors who made me feel some sympathy for her daughter, Anna, although I suspect by the end of the next book I’ll change my mind completely about that.

The action scenes were great, and kept me on the edge of my seat. This book is the introduction to this world, and I’m looking forward to more.

I’d recommend Blood Bathory: Like The Night to readers who enjoy urban fantasy with detailed world building, likeable characters, an interesting supporting cast, and an enjoyable story that leaves you wanting more.

[Becca · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anybody who knows me, knows I'm a weirdo. Especially when it comes to things that 'intrigue’ me. History is one of those. Whether it be places, like England or Scotland, events, like WWII, or psycho people, like Elizabeth Bathory. If you don't know anything about her, she's something else. Rumored to kill young women and bathe in their blood for youth and such. Piece of work, huh? So when I learned she played a role in this book, I was definitely interested in seeing how she would be portrayed. And of course, I love these authors, so that helped. ;) And it helped that there were vampires and all those goodies involved. I was not disappointed. I thoroughly enjoyed this book.
Evan has been turned against his will. He is struggling to cope with it. He thought life was hard enough when he watched his sister die. And then leaving the love of his life, thinking Will was straight and would never love him back. So he flees to Paris to escape where he catches the eye of a famous designer/fashion icon, Elizabeth Nadasdy and the Nadasdy House. But his excitement turns to horror as he realizes that something is happening to the models. And then when he is turned by Elizabeth against his will. He begins to realize what a monster she is and how truly evil she is amd plans his escape. He escapes and runs to Will, hoping Will will truly forgive him for running and help him. Will is shocked at Evan’s story and both are immersed in a world they had no idea of. They also realize they need the help of everyone in this world in order to rid the evil known as Elizabeth. Forced to do everything they can in order to complete this task, including risking their own lives in many different ways. While trying to do this, they also realize that they can't live without each other and have to do whatever it takes to stay alive.
Good golly, Evan cannot catch a break. The death of his sister, falling in love with his best friend, who he thinks is straight, and think being turned into a vampire by psychopath, Elizabeth. And she is psycho. She has no regards whatsoever, for anyone other than herself. When Evan escapes, he runs to Will. But with their strained relationship, he's afraid Will won't help him. Or believe him. Or worse, that Elizabeth will find them and kill Will. But he doesn't know what else to do. And this makes me have a sad. Which way does he turn? But little does Evan know, Will is not so straight and he's been pining for Evan as long as Evan has been pining for him. And now I feel sorry for Will, too, because Will is getting his ass handed to him in a world he never thought possible. I mean vampires, Shaman, shapeshifters??? Really?? But he also knows Evan would never lie to him. No matter how hard it is to believe. He just thinks Evan may be a little nuts. Yeah, that goes over real well. But Will gets his proof, and that's funny as hell because big, burly man wants to scream like a little girl. These two have a hell of a lot to go through, but they hold tight to each other. After clearing up the straight thing, of course. Now they just have to pray like crazy they survive to stay together. These two definitely deserve to have each other.
Definitely, definitely recommend this book. And I'm so ready for the next two. Like now lol. I want to know what happens because there are some twists and turns in this book. Lovely little surprises and the ending left me wanting more. Happy reading!


http://lovebytesreviews.com

[Kendra Patterson · Rating 3 out of 5]

ARC received for an honest review.

Evan and Will meet in college and became fast friends. During their senior year Evan's sister Eleanor is dying of cancer and it hits Evan hard. After graduation Evan takes a job as a fashion photographer overseas and Will becomes a computer specialist for the NYPD. Fast forward 3 years and Evan is a vampire turned against his will and very unhappy about it. He escapes to NY knowing that Will will help him. Will doesn't believe Evan is a vampire at first but when he see the truth, he's not bothered by it at all. He just see Evan his best friend.

Will has a friend at work that is a theriomorph (shifter), which he didn't know until Evan comes to him for help. Shay takes them to meet Marielle, who is the leader of the theriomorphs. While finding out about the theriomorphs fight against Elizabeth (the vampire who turned Evan), Evan and Will finally start talking and realize they've both loved each other for years. The theriomorphs decide to take on Elizabeth again since she's encroaching on NY.

Will and Evan have a solid, strong friendship that turns into a physical relationship. I definitely felt the love and connection but it was luke warm. I didn't feel this great passion and I wanted to. The ritual that Will goes through is boring and anti-climatic. It was just "oh okay that just happened." No excitement at all. Then the big battle at the end was short and not very exciting either. Lastly when Evan has to open the box, it's a fast, not very sad journey to the end. The ending felt rushed and left hanging. I'm definitely reading the rest of the trilogy and hoping the world building is more thorough. This is a good first book, I just wanted more excitement. There was minimal punctuation and grammar issues noted.

[Fay MMBookworm · Rating 5 out of 5]

BRILLIANT is a word I can describe this book. This authors have written great story that had me drawn into their world. The characters are fantastic and finally after all there years they get together. all it takes is a little communication. I loved the storyline for Evan, being made a vampire against his will by his boss and maker he has to run if he has any chance away from a monster like Elizabeth. The scenes are fantastic and descriptions are great too. A great story which includes ghouls, vampires and shape shifters all make a fantastic read. I hadn't read a vampire story in awhile and I'm glad I grabbed this one, I'll definitely be getting the next one too.
Elizabeth Bathory was an evil vampire with power she has no feelings nor conscious for living things pure monster.
Evan was a photographer hiding waiting to escape Elizabeth's holdings for the past 3 months. As vampire himself and on the run he needed help and his friend, Will just might help him.
Will worked for the NYPD for the last 3 years as a genius with computers he was valued.

[Melanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words Review

Rating: 4 stars out of 5

For the full review, visit https://wp.me/p220KL-doE

From that review : "Like the Night by Ari McKay is the first in the new Blood Bathory series the authors are creating.  And what a series it looks to be.  Starting out with the historic Elizabeth Bathory herself as the sublimely evil ancient vampire at the core of all misery here, McKay builds the universe out to include an ongoing war with Gaia herself and her soldiers, the theriomorphs against the vampires who would rule.  Caught in the middle are Evan St. John, a vampire turned against his will, and Will, a human police officer and Evan's best friend who is about to find out that the world is much stranger than he ever believed."

For all our reviews, check out http://scatteredthoughtsandroguewords...

[Love Africa Book Club · Rating 4 out of 5]

To escape the pain of the death of his sister, Evan moves to Paris and takes a job at the House of Nadasdy. He inadvertently ends up at prey to a powerful vampire Elizabeth who turns him and makes him one of her children.

Evan hates life as a vampire and plots his escape, running to his best friend Will who is a New York police man. Will is totally unaware of the supernatural world and is shocked by what he finds out as he swears to protect his friend.

Elizabeth will not stop until Evan is caught and duly punished for his disobedience and betrayal.

So Will and Evan are going to need all the help they can get.

In step the theriomorphs who are shaman shape-shifters and are enemies to the vampires.

This is an enjoyable read and a good start to the series. The world-building is good and the characters are layered enough for me to connect with them, even the secondary ones.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

👍 Greàt beginning! Looking forward to Book 2!

BLOOD BATHORY: LIKE THE NIGHT was a great start to Ari McKay's THE GUARDIANS OF GAIA series. This is an intriguing book featuring vampires and shape-shifters.
•The origins of the shape-shifters is interesting and unique. Their purpose is to help battle evil in addition to being guardians of nature and our planet.
•The authors also successfully used some historical events to help give this supernatural story a stronger feeling of reality.
•I enjoyed this book and am looking forward to finding out what happens as the story continues in Book 2.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story was a good spin on the vampire vs werewolves story. Went along at a pretty good clip, except for one section where the main characters seem to have been replaced with a couple of horny teens. Be interested in seeing where the rest of the series ends up going.

[Lillian Francis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ari McKay has created an interesting world that runs in conjunction with our own. A contemporary world with vampires, where ordinary (but worthy) humans can be turned into extraordinary shifter folks to fight the vampire menace. It is trilogy in the overall story arc, but each book contains a complete relationship arc.

Like the Night introduces us to a vampire, Evan, recently turned against his will, whole escapes his vampire sire and returns to the US and his friend, Will, hoping to find help. I liked Will's initial disbelief of the situation Evan 'claimed' to be in. They were both pining for the other, but after things went bad three years previously, they spent the first half of the book dancing around each other. This book is a great introduction to world and sets up the bad guys. It has a cute, but not without problems, relationship, and an interesting band of side characters.

[Sherry F · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think it was more me than anything. The story seemed to drag some and I couldn't really get a good feel for the MC's, sooooo.....no more of the series for me.

[Tori Thompson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story is about Evan and Will, as they find each other after a seperation, and Evan drags Will in to a whole mess of trouble…

Evan has become a vampire against is will, and escapes his maker, Elizabeth. He runs to New York, to Will, for help. What follows is a fairly typical story of good versus evil. Elizabeth has been around for centuries and is a well developed enemy. The group battling against her has been around a while as well, they all seem quite organized and modern. It’s not a bad plot, but I did have some issues. I found myself wanting more action, more drama, and more involvement of Evan and Will in the battle. Things seem to happen around them, and sometimes to them, but I think it would have happened whether they were there or not. Will tries to be a bad-ass, but never quite gets to do much, until the big showdown at the end of the story. And even then, both Evan and Will aren’t that involved. I liked the relationship between them, how we learn of their history and what drove Evan to leave Will. There is a good background story to them, a history that comes out as we go, which I found interesting.

I found the big battle at the end to be somewhat anticlimactic, after this big long wait, with not much visible planning, there is a mad rush, a bit of fighting, and bam! It’s over. There was some action, but it was brief, and everyone took off. It had a good ending, but I found it slightly unsatisfying.

So my thoughts on this book…. It was good, it’s the first book I have read by this author, and I would go look for others by her. The characters were good, the story was interesting. I usually like a longer book, which this one is, but it had too much waiting around and not enough action. Lots of Will and Evan hanging out, talking about how much they love each other, want to be together, wish they hadn’t been separated, etc, etc, etc. On one hand that was sweet and romantic, but a bunch of it could have been eliminated and the story tightened up. The sex was good, once we got to it, but Evan keeps saying he wants Will to dominate him, take him hard, yet that never happens. They have nice, hot sex, but Will never really releases his inner bad-ass and uses Evan as he could. Evan is very whiny about being a vampire. He’s not happy about it, understandably, but spends way too much time worrying about what Will thinks about it. Will’s fine with it, isn’t turned off by Evan feeding, and just seems happy to be with him. Again, eliminating some of that, and giving us a bit more action would have been nice.

I am fond of vampire and shifter stories, this one was enjoyable but not outstanding. I give it 3.5 out of five stars.

A copy of this book was provdied for reviewing. The original review postes at www.sidlove.com.

[NeRdyWYRM · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.25

I wish we could do partials. This book was decent. I only caught a couple of errors on the editing side and small ones at that. As far as I'm concerned that makes today a red letter day. This week has been rife with bad editing in other titles.

If you're wondering, the Countess of Bathory of historical serial killer legend is the villain here. Yay! I like it when real life nightmares get new life in fiction, at least so long as they're not being glorified.

On the whole, the plot was a little superficial. The character development for the MCs had some depth but didn't quite hit the feels threshold for me. For instance, I don't have a good mental picture of these guys physically other than small things like hair or eye color, and I didn't get tingles thinking about them together in any respect.

I believed the friendship but didn't quite buy the chemistry (yet). They were mopers and then they communicated *GASP* finally! and all was hunky dory 4evah. It was molasses sappy in spots and Will's conciliatory behaviors, in particular, were just that bit too OTT.

This could definitely have benefited from some overt UST and should have remained an open HFN. Toning down the emphatic overtures and occasional gushiness would have been a plus, too.

There was room, with this being part of a series, for these guys to have a little longer to come together even if it was in tangential vignettes in later books and not in a dedicated story. This felt pointlessly and unnecessarily rushed in that aspect.

I think Elizabeth came off a little like Cruella de Vil. More than a little, actually. Cruel, ruthless, scary, but also kind of pathetic in that way narcissists usually are. Meh. My brain kept seeing a cliché caricature instead of something truly terrifying. Cruella for sure.

The overall idea is engaging and most aspects of it were entertaining and well-conceptualized. I only had those few minor problems with it because it could have been great instead of just good.

I will read the next one in hopes that these plotlines and relationships get better with age. The foundation is good, it just needs a slight tweak here and there to make it stand a little stronger.

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent writing, characters and story - reads well as a standalone but hopefully will be a series. Hot sex used to advance, not overwhelm, the story.

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

2nd read and I enjoyed it just as much. Great story and characters.