What do you think?
Rate this book
Biting Love #8
Assassins Bite
Only her light can burn away his shadows.
Biting Love, Book 8
On her first night as a police officer, Sunny Ruffles takes down three felons…only to be attacked by a gang of vampires who are a whole new level of hurt.
Then a mysterious shadow man intervenes, saving Sunny before he disappears. She runs after him, telling herself her pursuit has nothing to do with his sharp, stubbled jaw, his powerful shoulders, or his sexy-as-hell, kissable lips.
Rescuing the humans makes Aiden Blackthorne late for a critical meeting with the vampire Nosferatu’s daughter. Yet clompy, bumbling Sunny draws him back like wild honey. He kisses her, and he’s almost got her down to her underwear when a bomb meant for him explodes.
The last thing Aiden wants is to drag Sunny into his hellish conflict with Nosferatu. But Aiden’s a loner whose only friend has mysteriously disappeared, and the woman who smells and tastes like his mate is the only backup he has left. He’ll need her, everything he is, everything he was—and everything he might have been—to defeat his evil master and claim the love he never dared hope to have.
Warning: This book contains shadowy assassins shooping off vampire heads, cops bumbling in at the worst of times and opposites attracting, colliding, and exploding in lust—a.k.a., explicit fighting, humor, and sex.
235 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 11, 2014
7 people are currently reading
428 people want to read
About the author
Mary Hughes
74 books619 followersI write steamy paranormal romances and wickedly fun romantic adventures, stories that crackle with action and love. Challenging, smart alpha men—and women not afraid of a challenge. Oh, do the sparks fly when he meets THE woman guaranteed to infuriate and inflame him most.
In real life I'm a USA Today bestselling author, a spouse and mother, a flutist, a computer geek, and a binge-TV-watcher of The Flash, Elementary, NCIS, and Wynonna Earp.
I'd love to hear from you!
Newsletter http://www.maryhughesbooks.com/Newsle...
Facebook http://www.facebook.com/MaryHughesAuthor
Twitter http://www.twitter.com/MaryHughesBooks
BookBub https://www.bookbub.com/authors/mary-...
Website http://www.maryhughesbooks.com/
Blog http://maryhughesbooks.blogspot.com/
In real life I'm a USA Today bestselling author, a spouse and mother, a flutist, a computer geek, and a binge-TV-watcher of The Flash, Elementary, NCIS, and Wynonna Earp.
I'd love to hear from you!
Newsletter http://www.maryhughesbooks.com/Newsle...
Facebook http://www.facebook.com/MaryHughesAuthor
Twitter http://www.twitter.com/MaryHughesBooks
BookBub https://www.bookbub.com/authors/mary-...
Website http://www.maryhughesbooks.com/
Blog http://maryhughesbooks.blogspot.com/
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
May 14, 2016
This story did not live up to my expectations. See full review atRomancing the Book
September 17, 2019
Reviewed by Nadene
Book provided by the publisher
I am not sure if it was a good idea to begin this series at book 8. I say this because even though the book can be read in isolation, there are some areas which I believe would have had more clarity if I started from the beginning. With that said I was still able to make some sense of how the vampire population of Meier’s Corner functioned.
Assassins Bite tells the story of Sunny Ruffles (pronounced Sun-Hee) and Aiden Blackthorne. Sunny is a police officer with the Redfox Village police. She is a klutz and usually finds herself in precarious situations. It was during one such situation that she met the vampire assassin, Aiden Blackthorne. Aiden is a 200-year-old vampire who was trained to be a cold-hearted assassin from an early age. After years of abuse, he managed to escape his maker’s tyranny and live his life on his own terms. He preferred to be alone and do things on his own. He disliked authority figures and he had few friends. What he did not know was that life as he knew it would change the moment he came to Sunny’s rescue.
The story started out on a high. I was on the edge of my seat as the scenes unfolded. I loved the banter between Sunny and Aiden, it was humorous. All was going well, until the halfway mark where the story took a nose dive. It began to drag to the point where boredom took up residence. It went like this for some time before it regained some of its momentum.
I like the author’s take on vampires. Vampires mating with humans and having children. Their offspring grows at a quicker rate than a human child. It was interesting to note that they did not turn their mates. I am curious to know how that would work out in the long run.
I found the characters to be interesting. Aiden was forced to come to terms with his past. Watching him move from being a loner to a dynamic leader was uplifting. Becoming a leader enabled him to confront his tyrannical maker and in the process, he gained closure. As it relates to Sunny, I thought was a bit melodramatic thereby making it difficult for me to connect with her. I could not figure out if she was brave, stubborn or just plain foolish. In spite of this, it seemed she was good for Aiden. She helped to make him a better person.
The chemistry between Aiden and Sunny was evident from the outset, however, it did not have the effect I was expecting. In other words, it was not off the charts.
Bottom Line: The story did not live up to my expectations. It did not have the wow factor. That being said I will be reading the next book in the series and I am hoping that it will an improvement.
Book provided by the publisher
I am not sure if it was a good idea to begin this series at book 8. I say this because even though the book can be read in isolation, there are some areas which I believe would have had more clarity if I started from the beginning. With that said I was still able to make some sense of how the vampire population of Meier’s Corner functioned.
Assassins Bite tells the story of Sunny Ruffles (pronounced Sun-Hee) and Aiden Blackthorne. Sunny is a police officer with the Redfox Village police. She is a klutz and usually finds herself in precarious situations. It was during one such situation that she met the vampire assassin, Aiden Blackthorne. Aiden is a 200-year-old vampire who was trained to be a cold-hearted assassin from an early age. After years of abuse, he managed to escape his maker’s tyranny and live his life on his own terms. He preferred to be alone and do things on his own. He disliked authority figures and he had few friends. What he did not know was that life as he knew it would change the moment he came to Sunny’s rescue.
The story started out on a high. I was on the edge of my seat as the scenes unfolded. I loved the banter between Sunny and Aiden, it was humorous. All was going well, until the halfway mark where the story took a nose dive. It began to drag to the point where boredom took up residence. It went like this for some time before it regained some of its momentum.
I like the author’s take on vampires. Vampires mating with humans and having children. Their offspring grows at a quicker rate than a human child. It was interesting to note that they did not turn their mates. I am curious to know how that would work out in the long run.
I found the characters to be interesting. Aiden was forced to come to terms with his past. Watching him move from being a loner to a dynamic leader was uplifting. Becoming a leader enabled him to confront his tyrannical maker and in the process, he gained closure. As it relates to Sunny, I thought was a bit melodramatic thereby making it difficult for me to connect with her. I could not figure out if she was brave, stubborn or just plain foolish. In spite of this, it seemed she was good for Aiden. She helped to make him a better person.
The chemistry between Aiden and Sunny was evident from the outset, however, it did not have the effect I was expecting. In other words, it was not off the charts.
Bottom Line: The story did not live up to my expectations. It did not have the wow factor. That being said I will be reading the next book in the series and I am hoping that it will an improvement.
September 28, 2017
Assassin's Bite (Biting Love Series) by Mary Hughes is an excellent book and a wonderful addition to this series. This is another of the Biting Love books that provides everything you need to fall in love with it. Offers familiar characters which add to the small town charm of this series. Feature a well written and highly entertaining storyline that keeps your interest. Main characters share a sizzling chemistry and a powerful passion for each other. Book offers a shocking betrayal, humor, a shocking event, a furnace full of heat, tons of action and all out vampire war. Love this series so much and can't wait for more. I highly recommend this book and this series.
December 16, 2019
Even shadows can be loved
The lone wolf finds his mate and fights it all the way. Sunny has always been a Ruffles, which is someone always messing up or in the wrong place at the wrong time. Once she meets Aiden somethings start to go right. Once Aiden meets Sunny he starts to here his mother’s voice and puts him on the right track. Can the together get Nosy to back off? Will new friendships be made? Will the start a new chapter together?
The lone wolf finds his mate and fights it all the way. Sunny has always been a Ruffles, which is someone always messing up or in the wrong place at the wrong time. Once she meets Aiden somethings start to go right. Once Aiden meets Sunny he starts to here his mother’s voice and puts him on the right track. Can the together get Nosy to back off? Will new friendships be made? Will the start a new chapter together?
April 17, 2020
I had a blast reading this book! Sunny is competent for a Ruffles, Aiden is remarkable for a loner and Mrs. Ruffles should never be allied into a kitchen.
October 11, 2014
Review copy courtesy of the published via NetGalley.
**This review is for a DNF**
I'm going to be honest. I don't know if I disliked this book because I've tried to pick up Book 8 in a series or if it's just that the book is bad. But 8 books in a series? Somebody - a lot of somebodies - must be reading and loving these books. It just wasn't me.
Sunny, or Sun-Hee, seemed like she was a bit of an idiot. On her first night on the street as a cop, she's stomping around while trying to SNEAK up on a mugging in progress. From then on, it was an uphill battle for me to like her. And really, I never did end up liking her. I thought she seemed entirely too boring and too stupid to have her own book.
Aiden is a vampire and he was a pretty decent character. But I only made it through almost 20% of the book so I didn't get a great idea of who he really was. It sounded like he was a former assassin and a damn good one too! He quickly began to care about Sunny and while I didn't really like HER, I did like the fact that he liked her. For me, it put a mark in the plus column as far as he's concerned. He seemed a little dangerous but also just or kind. I think that would be a very intriguing combination in a vampire. I just wish I could have stomached the book a little longer to get to know him better.
I don't really know if Sunny and Aiden had chemistry. She was just such a bumbling fool that it sucked any spark between them right out of their encounters. The secondary characters made an unenjoyable book even worse. For example, was Sunny's brother mentally handicapped? Because he certainly acted like he was mentally handicapped. Was he on the police force? He was carrying scissors in his gun holster. If he is mentally handicapped, I think I might be a little offended by this book. If he isn't, then my apologies. Sunny's mom was very similar to Sunny's brother with her actions and the way she spoke. Like there was something off with them. Maybe the author was going for "quirky" and it just came off as idiotic.
So a big no thank you on this one for me. It's never a good idea to start a series in the middle of that series but this was a train wreck. The wasn't very impressive either. What I assume what meant to humorous just fell really flat. Actually, it felt like a 10-year old's attempt at writing a romance novel. And that's probably the nicest thing I can say about this book.
**This review is for a DNF**
I'm going to be honest. I don't know if I disliked this book because I've tried to pick up Book 8 in a series or if it's just that the book is bad. But 8 books in a series? Somebody - a lot of somebodies - must be reading and loving these books. It just wasn't me.
Sunny, or Sun-Hee, seemed like she was a bit of an idiot. On her first night on the street as a cop, she's stomping around while trying to SNEAK up on a mugging in progress. From then on, it was an uphill battle for me to like her. And really, I never did end up liking her. I thought she seemed entirely too boring and too stupid to have her own book.
Aiden is a vampire and he was a pretty decent character. But I only made it through almost 20% of the book so I didn't get a great idea of who he really was. It sounded like he was a former assassin and a damn good one too! He quickly began to care about Sunny and while I didn't really like HER, I did like the fact that he liked her. For me, it put a mark in the plus column as far as he's concerned. He seemed a little dangerous but also just or kind. I think that would be a very intriguing combination in a vampire. I just wish I could have stomached the book a little longer to get to know him better.
I don't really know if Sunny and Aiden had chemistry. She was just such a bumbling fool that it sucked any spark between them right out of their encounters. The secondary characters made an unenjoyable book even worse. For example, was Sunny's brother mentally handicapped? Because he certainly acted like he was mentally handicapped. Was he on the police force? He was carrying scissors in his gun holster. If he is mentally handicapped, I think I might be a little offended by this book. If he isn't, then my apologies. Sunny's mom was very similar to Sunny's brother with her actions and the way she spoke. Like there was something off with them. Maybe the author was going for "quirky" and it just came off as idiotic.
So a big no thank you on this one for me. It's never a good idea to start a series in the middle of that series but this was a train wreck. The wasn't very impressive either. What I assume what meant to humorous just fell really flat. Actually, it felt like a 10-year old's attempt at writing a romance novel. And that's probably the nicest thing I can say about this book.
November 13, 2014
Kitty‘s review posted on Guilty Pleasures Book Reviews
5 STARS
Review copy provided for an honest review
Welcome back to Meiers Corners. Life is so simple here filled with crazy characters, love, laughter and vampires. Yea, they are supposed to be a secret but more and more residents are immune to that vampire voice that will make them forget about what they saw or heard. The latest one to stand her ground is Sunny and, of all the vampires in all the world, she has to be immune to The Assassin.
The story of Sunny and Aiden was funny at times, serious at times and filled with lots and lots of vampire sex. Aiden, as usual is sexy as hell and Sunny is a Ruffles. We all know that being a Ruffles is not the best thing in the world to be. But, with the help of lots of friends, Sunny overcomes her heritage. Well, Aiden had a lot to do with that, especially after he saved her brother Dirk from an untimely death. Even though he’s a criminal (he didn’t pay a parking ticket) Sunny can’t seem to stay away from him. Aiden feels the same way and, together, they overcome their pasts and start looking forward to the future.
Yes, we have another visit from Nosferatu (will they ever get rid of him?) and his daughter Eloise. The Strongwell’s, Ric and Synnove all make appearances. Of course, Elias has to have his little fun in this book too and makes a deal with Aiden that has him beholden to him for life. But, it’s a life that he can finally enjoy and his mate just makes it better.
Again, Mary Hughes has made us smile and laugh. Her way with words and bringing a story to life in the pages of a book just amazes me. Her stories are not meant to be serious but she does make us stop and think … this lesson: Does the way you were raised really have to shape the man or woman you are today or can you overcome the bad and become someone people can look up to? Can people change with the right guidance and the love of a good person? If you believe in yourself, can good things happen? Well, when Mary tells a story, all of the above do come true. Enjoy Sunny and Aiden, the love that they finally share and the sex that is off the wall.
5 STARS
Review copy provided for an honest review
Welcome back to Meiers Corners. Life is so simple here filled with crazy characters, love, laughter and vampires. Yea, they are supposed to be a secret but more and more residents are immune to that vampire voice that will make them forget about what they saw or heard. The latest one to stand her ground is Sunny and, of all the vampires in all the world, she has to be immune to The Assassin.
The story of Sunny and Aiden was funny at times, serious at times and filled with lots and lots of vampire sex. Aiden, as usual is sexy as hell and Sunny is a Ruffles. We all know that being a Ruffles is not the best thing in the world to be. But, with the help of lots of friends, Sunny overcomes her heritage. Well, Aiden had a lot to do with that, especially after he saved her brother Dirk from an untimely death. Even though he’s a criminal (he didn’t pay a parking ticket) Sunny can’t seem to stay away from him. Aiden feels the same way and, together, they overcome their pasts and start looking forward to the future.
Yes, we have another visit from Nosferatu (will they ever get rid of him?) and his daughter Eloise. The Strongwell’s, Ric and Synnove all make appearances. Of course, Elias has to have his little fun in this book too and makes a deal with Aiden that has him beholden to him for life. But, it’s a life that he can finally enjoy and his mate just makes it better.
Again, Mary Hughes has made us smile and laugh. Her way with words and bringing a story to life in the pages of a book just amazes me. Her stories are not meant to be serious but she does make us stop and think … this lesson: Does the way you were raised really have to shape the man or woman you are today or can you overcome the bad and become someone people can look up to? Can people change with the right guidance and the love of a good person? If you believe in yourself, can good things happen? Well, when Mary tells a story, all of the above do come true. Enjoy Sunny and Aiden, the love that they finally share and the sex that is off the wall.
November 11, 2014
When his friend mysteriously disappears, Aiden will need everything he is, everything he ever was and everything he might have been to defeat his evil master and claim the love he never dared hope to have in this exciting paranormal romance.
A fast pace and smooth plot keeps readers on their toes with lots of suspense, excitement, humor and passion. Mary Hughes brings the story to life with well written scenes and details and strong captivating characters. Well orchestrated suspense adds excitement and draws the reader deeper into the story and ensures that the reader wants to know more.
Aiden and Sunny’s attraction to each other burns hot throughout the story and the sex scenes explode in a fiery inferno of passion, but the relationship has few obstacles to be overcome. Sunny is human and Aiden is a vampire known as the Assassin and the reader can’t help but get caught up in the turmoil that follows this couple as they try to deny their desires or Aiden’s inability to accept that he deserves someone to love, too. The characters are strong and no doubt that their personalities leap off the pages, but I have to say that Sunny while a fun character was just a little overdone.
As the danger escalates and more of the conflict becomes known, excitement and anticipation builds ensuring that the reader never has a dull moment, and the humor adds a few chuckles among the battles, mostly at Sunny’s expense. Also the story leads to the next plateau of the series as it seems Aiden finds an inner strength and confidence with the help of Sunny. I always enjoy this series and I am always engrossed from beginning to end and this one is no different, it just wasn’t my favorite, but I am looking forward to Thor’s book as I believe his is next.
A fast pace and smooth plot keeps readers on their toes with lots of suspense, excitement, humor and passion. Mary Hughes brings the story to life with well written scenes and details and strong captivating characters. Well orchestrated suspense adds excitement and draws the reader deeper into the story and ensures that the reader wants to know more.
Aiden and Sunny’s attraction to each other burns hot throughout the story and the sex scenes explode in a fiery inferno of passion, but the relationship has few obstacles to be overcome. Sunny is human and Aiden is a vampire known as the Assassin and the reader can’t help but get caught up in the turmoil that follows this couple as they try to deny their desires or Aiden’s inability to accept that he deserves someone to love, too. The characters are strong and no doubt that their personalities leap off the pages, but I have to say that Sunny while a fun character was just a little overdone.
As the danger escalates and more of the conflict becomes known, excitement and anticipation builds ensuring that the reader never has a dull moment, and the humor adds a few chuckles among the battles, mostly at Sunny’s expense. Also the story leads to the next plateau of the series as it seems Aiden finds an inner strength and confidence with the help of Sunny. I always enjoy this series and I am always engrossed from beginning to end and this one is no different, it just wasn’t my favorite, but I am looking forward to Thor’s book as I believe his is next.
January 24, 2015
I found the beginning to drag with moments where I wanted to skip ahead. I stuck with the story and in the end my patience was repaid. Sunny and Aiden are fascinating characters and I enjoyed learning of the fascinating world of vampires and humans learning to live together. I recommend Assassin’s Bite with the warning the beginning does have a bit of drag to it, but when it speeds up it is well worth the read. Meeting sexy Aiden made up for the slow start and was the main draw of Assassins Bite.
Delane
Reviewer for Coffee Time Romance & More
Official Review @ Coffee Time Romance & More
Delane
Reviewer for Coffee Time Romance & More
Official Review @ Coffee Time Romance & More
September 17, 2014
I give it a 4.5
November 19, 2014
Love this series. I enjoy the fact that the h is tough, not too cool, and not overly gorgeous.
November 20, 2014
Assassins Bite
Another winner. I absolutely love this series. The hero and heroine are spunky, fun, sexy and brave. Getting to revisit previous characters keeps the story flowing.
Another winner. I absolutely love this series. The hero and heroine are spunky, fun, sexy and brave. Getting to revisit previous characters keeps the story flowing.
November 20, 2014
Really good, but a few formating issues...
January 9, 2016
My favorite of the series thus far! Really loved Aiden and Sunny!
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews