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The Series That Just Plain Sucked #1
Sucked In
Ashley Hawn writes novels where the dark, handsome, brooding anti-hero always gets the attractive mortal girl... that is, until her out-of-her-league boyfriend turns her into a creature of the night. The only problem is, real life vampires are nothing like the creatures of her imagination. Suddenly, she is trapped in in the middle of a supernatural war that challenges everything she thought she understood about the world of fiction, leaving her with the realization that being a vampire actually sucks.
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First published May 5, 2014
79 people are currently reading
283 people want to read
About the author
Charissa Dufour
35 books132 followersMy journey to become a writer began in 8th grade, when I was diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and pulled from school to recover. During this time, I was left alone for hours on end and it was then that I discovered new friends within the pages of books. I also learned the blessing of creating my own friends by writing down the stories that plagued my lonely mind—as demented as that sounds. Therefore at the ripe age of fourteen, I wrote my first novel. It sucked! But I kept going and now I am finalizing my first indie novel, with sequels to come, and two other series along with a fiction based blog. I never imagined that first horrible novel about a man who crash landed on his long lost home world would turn into a lifelong passion.
I now live in the
I now live in the
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews
maybe
November 4, 2016Free on Amazon.co.uk at the time of posting.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B...
November 3, 2016
FREE or Trilogy on Kindle Unlimited
I love this series - great main character, she's a tough, mouthy, contemporary girl who gets bitten on a date.
The supporting characters are good with a wide range of vampires types. No sex in this first one but hints for a romance to come.
If you like vampire novels, this is a good one.
I love this series - great main character, she's a tough, mouthy, contemporary girl who gets bitten on a date.
The supporting characters are good with a wide range of vampires types. No sex in this first one but hints for a romance to come.
If you like vampire novels, this is a good one.
October 22, 2014
You know those books you pick up and can't put down? The ones that you keep saying "just one more chapter, then I'll go to bed". If you were a kid you would have the flashlight under the blankets reading "just one more chapter". Well - here's a perfect example of that book. I guarantee you will read it as fast as you can...and when it is finished be begging for the next installment.
You will fall in love with the heroine of the story - Ashley - and her unusual problems as she goes from Vampire Novelist to Vampire herself. She soon realizes how little she knew about these "mythological" creatures and struggles through what her new life entails...and why she is being hunted.
A little comedy, a little action, a little romance, a little drama, a lot AWESOME. An excellent break out novel from new author Charissa Dufour. I can't wait to see what she does next!!!
You will fall in love with the heroine of the story - Ashley - and her unusual problems as she goes from Vampire Novelist to Vampire herself. She soon realizes how little she knew about these "mythological" creatures and struggles through what her new life entails...and why she is being hunted.
A little comedy, a little action, a little romance, a little drama, a lot AWESOME. An excellent break out novel from new author Charissa Dufour. I can't wait to see what she does next!!!
November 17, 2017
I read this story the first time some time ago and some of what I had thought changed a little … over all I still got the same entertain meant out of it I did when I first read it.
11/17
**edited because I'm a dork and didn't listen to the whole page on amazon to hear if it were actually on KU and the author corrected me. She also was very nice about it.
This was a cute story which was a freebie when I got it. Not sure if I would pay full price for it, but I added the rest of the books to my wishlist. I know what I will save my no rush credits for now~
Another quick read, but well worth it.
It had a nice spin on the vampire lore/mythology. The heroine had just the right amount of snark to her. The humor or other aspects of the story weren't exagerated or over the top either which made it a very entertaining read.
11/17
**edited because I'm a dork and didn't listen to the whole page on amazon to hear if it were actually on KU and the author corrected me. She also was very nice about it.
This was a cute story which was a freebie when I got it. Not sure if I would pay full price for it, but I added the rest of the books to my wishlist. I know what I will save my no rush credits for now~
Another quick read, but well worth it.
It had a nice spin on the vampire lore/mythology. The heroine had just the right amount of snark to her. The humor or other aspects of the story weren't exagerated or over the top either which made it a very entertaining read.
October 6, 2014
We all want fantasy to be reality, but oftentimes don't realize what that would actually entail.
Charissa Dufour's "Sucked In" is a funny and exciting example of that old adage, "Be careful what you wish for."
If you love vampire novels, don't miss out on this debut novel by Charissa Dufour! Readers of Patricia Wrede's "Dealing With Dragons" and any of Terry Pratchett's novels will love this book!
Charissa Dufour's "Sucked In" is a funny and exciting example of that old adage, "Be careful what you wish for."
If you love vampire novels, don't miss out on this debut novel by Charissa Dufour! Readers of Patricia Wrede's "Dealing With Dragons" and any of Terry Pratchett's novels will love this book!
November 8, 2014
Absolutely fantastic book. I enjoyed every minute of it. It flowed really well and introduced vampires quite differently than most vampire books these days. The author did a great job with making the book progress quickly so there were no slow points. I look forward to reading the next book she puts out!
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February 7, 2018
Read as part of the Get Through The Crap On Your Kindle You Stubborn Eejit reading challenge.
Did Not Finish after the first sentence.
Because it's a big ole pile of wank.
Excuse the imagery, but it is accurate.
Very. Very. Accurate.
Did Not Finish after the first sentence.
Because it's a big ole pile of wank.
Excuse the imagery, but it is accurate.
Very. Very. Accurate.
October 22, 2014
I thought this book was very down to earth and real, showing how the main character deals with being suddenly turned into a vampire exactly like a novice would approach it. I read samples chapters 1-5 of it on Amazon, enough to make a assessment. Normally it's extremely difficult to keep my attention even with the first sentence, since I get bored very quickly and easily whenever I do read books. This book was good enough for me to want to buy it. And that's saying something believe me. .
October 24, 2014
Charaissa does a great job of introducing a new twist on the mythological world. Instead of following the status quo, she breaks away from that shows a whole new side of the vampire life. I am not typically into vampires, however do enjoy a good fantasy book from time to time. I look forward to see what happens to Ash as she continues in this newest chapter of her life.
January 17, 2016
I did not enjoy the first half of this story! I don't like Ashley and the story seemed to be a disconnected jumble of characters! I only continued reading because of the ratings, it had to get better! And it did! I found the second half interesting! Wizards, Fae, ghosts! The ending is a cliffhanger!
November 1, 2016
Easy read
This was a quick easy read with a sarcastic main character and a host of supernatural creatures. It really was less about super natural and more about the problem at hand. The ending was also pretty abrupt. Might be worth another read when I need something light, but the series isn't as fleshed out as something like the Dresden files.
This was a quick easy read with a sarcastic main character and a host of supernatural creatures. It really was less about super natural and more about the problem at hand. The ending was also pretty abrupt. Might be worth another read when I need something light, but the series isn't as fleshed out as something like the Dresden files.
September 11, 2019
Ashley Hawn's life is far from glamorous, even if she has written a couple of novels about hunky and romantic vampires. But when her date with Issac ends with him biting Ashley, and she wakes up in a strange place, she is about to learn that everything she thought she knew about vampires was just plain wrong. An ancient vampire named Nick is assigned the task of keeping an eye on Ashley as she adjusts to life among the undead, but when every supernatural being begins gunning for Ashley, she must do everything she can to survive. Can Ashley adjust to her death in time to save her afterlife from sucking even more than it has already?
Charissa has a very good character in Ashley, and we get to experience all of her fears, desires, and WTF moments as Ashley comes to terms with being a vampire. I like that Charissa takes the time to show how Ashley struggles with the need to feed, and the guilt that she feels when her need to feed causes death to regular humans. Ashley is struggling to retain her humanity, and coming to grips with her new reality is quite a shock. Since the story is told from Ashley's perspective, we only get glimpses of the other characters and their perspective on the events taking place. I think that is one area that the story is weakest as getting into the heads of people like Nick and Josh - the two vampires protecting Ashley - would have added a nice balance to the story, especially to see Ashley from their perspective. I also thought there were a couple of contrived scenes, where a plot point or a future story arc was being flagged, but the way it was done seemed out of character for Ashley - or at least something so rude (barging into another vampire's apartment uninvited) that even normal human common decency would scream that it was wrong, but Ashley does it anyway. That whole scene felt forced to me. Otherwise, I enjoyed the book and Ashley's struggle to adjust to her new...death.
If you like urban fantasy with a twist, and stories about vampires that certainly don't sparkle (boy, did Ashley get that wrong in her own books - lol) then I recommend picking up Sucked In.
I listened to the audiobook version available from Audible. I did have some problems with the production of the story as the narrator often gave long pauses where there really shouldn't have been any pauses. I don't think there were extra commas lying around, but I got the impression that as the narrator got to the end of a line she'd take a pause instead of reading through the end of the sentence naturally. It was a bit distracting. Otherwise there was no problem with the audio production.
Charissa has a very good character in Ashley, and we get to experience all of her fears, desires, and WTF moments as Ashley comes to terms with being a vampire. I like that Charissa takes the time to show how Ashley struggles with the need to feed, and the guilt that she feels when her need to feed causes death to regular humans. Ashley is struggling to retain her humanity, and coming to grips with her new reality is quite a shock. Since the story is told from Ashley's perspective, we only get glimpses of the other characters and their perspective on the events taking place. I think that is one area that the story is weakest as getting into the heads of people like Nick and Josh - the two vampires protecting Ashley - would have added a nice balance to the story, especially to see Ashley from their perspective. I also thought there were a couple of contrived scenes, where a plot point or a future story arc was being flagged, but the way it was done seemed out of character for Ashley - or at least something so rude (barging into another vampire's apartment uninvited) that even normal human common decency would scream that it was wrong, but Ashley does it anyway. That whole scene felt forced to me. Otherwise, I enjoyed the book and Ashley's struggle to adjust to her new...death.
If you like urban fantasy with a twist, and stories about vampires that certainly don't sparkle (boy, did Ashley get that wrong in her own books - lol) then I recommend picking up Sucked In.
I listened to the audiobook version available from Audible. I did have some problems with the production of the story as the narrator often gave long pauses where there really shouldn't have been any pauses. I don't think there were extra commas lying around, but I got the impression that as the narrator got to the end of a line she'd take a pause instead of reading through the end of the sentence naturally. It was a bit distracting. Otherwise there was no problem with the audio production.
August 2, 2020
I picked up this book after discarding two other indie books due to poor grammar on the first few pages. As someone who reads indie books, it was a joy to read one that was well edited.
The plot was fantastic. The vampire lore the author created was wonderful - similar enough to standard vampire takes with a bit of her own twist thrown in. The main characters certainly had their own personalities, though occasionally the dialogue felt a bit off - as if the characters were only saying the lines to fit the plot.
*Minor spoilers*
There were a couple of irritants, but nothing horrible. The main character, Ashley has a habit of naming something incredibly specific, then saying, "I mean, that's what it's called, right?" It has the effect of a narrator who is hiding something and trying to act dumber than she actually is. Either that or an author who just can't help but be specific, even if the character wouldn't know the detail. The absolute worst for me was Ashley not knowing what a "sire*" is when she writes vampire novels. Yikes.
The other issue that kept cropping up was repetition - I lost count of how many times Ashley was offered a human to drink from and went through a moral dilemma. It's a great thing to think about, but it can only happen so many times before you stop caring and start rolling your eyes.
Finally, the book does not stand alone, which is a personal pet peeve. Objectively, the book is 4 stars, but personally, it's a 3 because I cannot stand books that draw you in, then leave you hanging. It doesn't feel like the book resolves, but rather that you've been cheated out of a proper conclusion. I'm willing to invest 300 pages into a sorry, but I get irritated when it's a bait and switch, and I'm now only 300/700 pages into the actual tale.
Positives: great characters, awesome plot, well-edited, good pacing.
Cons: repetition, characters behaving out of character, incomplete resolution.
Still, all-around enjoyable. I was undecided about reading the rest of the series.
Note: 745 pages total in series. Overall series rating: 3
The plot was fantastic. The vampire lore the author created was wonderful - similar enough to standard vampire takes with a bit of her own twist thrown in. The main characters certainly had their own personalities, though occasionally the dialogue felt a bit off - as if the characters were only saying the lines to fit the plot.
*Minor spoilers*
There were a couple of irritants, but nothing horrible. The main character, Ashley has a habit of naming something incredibly specific, then saying, "I mean, that's what it's called, right?" It has the effect of a narrator who is hiding something and trying to act dumber than she actually is. Either that or an author who just can't help but be specific, even if the character wouldn't know the detail. The absolute worst for me was Ashley not knowing what a "sire*" is when she writes vampire novels. Yikes.
The other issue that kept cropping up was repetition - I lost count of how many times Ashley was offered a human to drink from and went through a moral dilemma. It's a great thing to think about, but it can only happen so many times before you stop caring and start rolling your eyes.
Finally, the book does not stand alone, which is a personal pet peeve. Objectively, the book is 4 stars, but personally, it's a 3 because I cannot stand books that draw you in, then leave you hanging. It doesn't feel like the book resolves, but rather that you've been cheated out of a proper conclusion. I'm willing to invest 300 pages into a sorry, but I get irritated when it's a bait and switch, and I'm now only 300/700 pages into the actual tale.
Positives: great characters, awesome plot, well-edited, good pacing.
Cons: repetition, characters behaving out of character, incomplete resolution.
Still, all-around enjoyable. I was undecided about reading the rest of the series.
Note: 745 pages total in series. Overall series rating: 3
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 5, 2018
“Sucked In” was certainly not your usual vampire story! Written with a healthy dose of humor, it stands out among other stories written in the same genre, and I really appreciated it! Also, Ashley (the main heroine) being a writer helped me connect with her even faster; that, and her colorful, spunky personality made “Sucked In” a most enjoyable read!
As for the plot, it’s not your usual one either: having written a few books about vampires, Ashley never suspected that one day she would actually be turned into one, and that would be the least of her troubles. Several vampire clans will try to kidnap her; werewolves, faes, and trolls ambushing her and her new protectors seemingly on every step. As Ashley and Nik - a vampire who was tasked with keeping her safe - investigate the reasons for such interest that everyone seems to have in the newly turned vampire, they find themselves facing a truly formidable enemy, who needs Ashley for his more than sinister plans…
I loved how Ashley’s humorous attitude towards certain situations helped ease the tension of the narration and made me chuckle out loud on quite a few occasions. Battle scenes between the clans and other mythical creatures were movie-worthy, and the secondary characters and subplots extremely interesting: the ghost of a dead dog, for example, was absolutely priceless!
I very much enjoyed this first book in the series and I’m already looking forward to reading the following installments. Five stars!
As for the plot, it’s not your usual one either: having written a few books about vampires, Ashley never suspected that one day she would actually be turned into one, and that would be the least of her troubles. Several vampire clans will try to kidnap her; werewolves, faes, and trolls ambushing her and her new protectors seemingly on every step. As Ashley and Nik - a vampire who was tasked with keeping her safe - investigate the reasons for such interest that everyone seems to have in the newly turned vampire, they find themselves facing a truly formidable enemy, who needs Ashley for his more than sinister plans…
I loved how Ashley’s humorous attitude towards certain situations helped ease the tension of the narration and made me chuckle out loud on quite a few occasions. Battle scenes between the clans and other mythical creatures were movie-worthy, and the secondary characters and subplots extremely interesting: the ghost of a dead dog, for example, was absolutely priceless!
I very much enjoyed this first book in the series and I’m already looking forward to reading the following installments. Five stars!
September 18, 2022
This is an interesting one.
On the one hand, it's not that good on the surface.
But on the other hand, there is clearly a deeper underlying understanding of the genre and its tropes that keeps the story interesting in a meta-way.
It's immediately clear from the blurb that there is some sort of genre meta-writing going on but it goes far beyond just being the hook to draw the reader in.
It feels like it was written for people who already understand the patterns in urban fantasy and it at least seems like there is a lot more depth to it than at least 98% of books in the genre have.
I am not sure if I am just projecting my own experience with the genre into the story but it very much feels intentional.
One repeating theme is that the author tries to depict a sort of shocking realism in terms of learning to cope with being a vampire and all the things which this might entail.
And in the moment the author does a stellar job of delivering the emotional impact of many different traumatizing events that a typical heroine would just shrug off (or justify poorly or something of the sort).
But she fails at following through with this in the long run. The almost indifference towards these traumatic events has a kind of delayed onset but ultimately ends up causing the exact same loss of suspension of disbelief anyway.
But because of the implied promise of realism, the negative impact on my enjoyment ended up being much worse.
Definitely worth a read if you are a bit tired of the same old same old urban fantasy/pnr vampire story but be aware that the technical competence is lower than the ambition of the series.
I very much hope she didn't give up on her writing career (as the last publishing date I could find was 2016) because I very much love to see more unique and interesting stories like this and this has potential but I expect she just has to acquire the technical skill first to live up to her ambitions.
On the one hand, it's not that good on the surface.
But on the other hand, there is clearly a deeper underlying understanding of the genre and its tropes that keeps the story interesting in a meta-way.
It's immediately clear from the blurb that there is some sort of genre meta-writing going on but it goes far beyond just being the hook to draw the reader in.
It feels like it was written for people who already understand the patterns in urban fantasy and it at least seems like there is a lot more depth to it than at least 98% of books in the genre have.
I am not sure if I am just projecting my own experience with the genre into the story but it very much feels intentional.
One repeating theme is that the author tries to depict a sort of shocking realism in terms of learning to cope with being a vampire and all the things which this might entail.
And in the moment the author does a stellar job of delivering the emotional impact of many different traumatizing events that a typical heroine would just shrug off (or justify poorly or something of the sort).
But she fails at following through with this in the long run. The almost indifference towards these traumatic events has a kind of delayed onset but ultimately ends up causing the exact same loss of suspension of disbelief anyway.
But because of the implied promise of realism, the negative impact on my enjoyment ended up being much worse.
Definitely worth a read if you are a bit tired of the same old same old urban fantasy/pnr vampire story but be aware that the technical competence is lower than the ambition of the series.
I very much hope she didn't give up on her writing career (as the last publishing date I could find was 2016) because I very much love to see more unique and interesting stories like this and this has potential but I expect she just has to acquire the technical skill first to live up to her ambitions.
May 1, 2018
I must be going through a vampire phase. I've just finished Vampire Diaries and The Originals, so I was ready to read instead of watch.
I thoroughly enjoyed this read. The author was witty in her dialogue and narratives. The plots were full of realism which "sucked me in", and the heroine, Ashley, was endearing.
Not to give away too much of the story, as other readers have in their reviews, I'll just say that the writing was smooth, making this a relaxing read. I loved the story and the way in which Ashley adjusts from Vampire author to Vampire and realising that her imagination is not how it is in real life. And into the mix, she has to deal with other mythical creatures - very clever writing. 5 stars
June 16, 2018
I loved this first book in the Just Plain Sucks series and fully intend to read more in this series. As an author myself, I can only imagine how much fun Chariss Dufour had when writing this series. It is light and refreshing all while the story is sometimes gory and bloody. I very much liked the characters, especially Ash, Josh, and Nik. There was just enough sexual tension between Ash and Nik to make me want to know how their story ends. Again, a rollicking good, fun read!
May 13, 2021
The ending of the book is what is making me so interested in picking up the next book in this series. For a lot of this book the main character came off as very immature which bothered me for much of the book. However when we get closer to end, as the stakes get higher, she actively changes and begins taking a much stronger role in her own story. By the end I was hooked and wanted to know what happened next, so I will definitely be reading the next book.
January 22, 2018
I don't read many vampire stories but I love this author's writing style and so...
Unsuspecting Ashley, a vampire romance novelist, finds her life abruptly and ironically altered, when begins and enjoyable story with plenty of action, mystery and humour.
Great plot and characters, and entertaining dialogue between Ashley and Nik.
Highly recommended.
Unsuspecting Ashley, a vampire romance novelist, finds her life abruptly and ironically altered, when begins and enjoyable story with plenty of action, mystery and humour.
Great plot and characters, and entertaining dialogue between Ashley and Nik.
Highly recommended.
January 24, 2018
I don't read many vampire stories but I love this author's writing style and so...
Unsuspecting Ashley, a vampire romance novelist, finds her life abruptly and ironically altered, when begins and enjoyable story with plenty of action, mystery and humour.
Great plot and characters, and entertaining dialogue between Ashley and Nik.
Highly recommended.
Unsuspecting Ashley, a vampire romance novelist, finds her life abruptly and ironically altered, when begins and enjoyable story with plenty of action, mystery and humour.
Great plot and characters, and entertaining dialogue between Ashley and Nik.
Highly recommended.
April 10, 2018
I love a good vampire story and this one hit the spot. I stayed up reading it most of the night (it is 4:23 am)
Great characters, amazing plot and writing that flowed well from start to finish. Can I give more than 5 stars? I'd really like to! If I wasn't so tired I'd jump into book 2.
Great characters, amazing plot and writing that flowed well from start to finish. Can I give more than 5 stars? I'd really like to! If I wasn't so tired I'd jump into book 2.
June 15, 2017
Sucked in
A adult read for people who are in to the series recommended highly can't wait for the next one of the series
A adult read for people who are in to the series recommended highly can't wait for the next one of the series
July 12, 2017
Great Story That Sucks You In!
I really liked this book. When I wasn't reading it I was thinking about it, wondering what happened next. I loved the fae in the cat body!
I really liked this book. When I wasn't reading it I was thinking about it, wondering what happened next. I loved the fae in the cat body!
June 3, 2016
The author writes with no small sense of wit. The snarky, sarcastic one-liners and the heroine’s inner thoughts, no less humorous, do a lot to certify her late-teen status and mark this as a new adult/college supernatural thriller. There’s also no shortage of irony, which I appreciated. The heroine is writing a vampire story, glamorizing being bitten, only to actually get bitten in real life, and find that she wasn’t exactly doing vamp culture justice by idealizing it.
The story is fast-paced and fun.
My few complaints have to do with narrative structure and character development. I thought Isaac (the vamp who turns our heroine) wasn’t properly set up as a character before he jumps her. We get hints he’s a vamp, but he doesn’t disclose much about himself, which means he’s a relative stranger when he jumps her. It would have been more fun to get inside his head first, see how much he was holding himself back from temptation before he just couldn’t any more… something to give us more a sense of him before the payoff of the attack in the alley. That way the emotional impact would have been greater.
Similarly, when the heroine wakes up after her attack, she finds herself in a coven of vamps. Josh, Nickolai, and the pack leader are just some of the new male vamps the heroine is forced to contend with. We don’t get a strong sense of what drives them, their motivations, or their relation to our heroine besides an initial distrust and dislike from two of the three aforementioned names. Part of the problem is the story is being told from the first person p.o.v., which leaves what’s going on in other characters heads to our imagination, and there just aren’t enough clues left by the author. And while we’re trying to figure out who these new vamps are and what they’re ultimately about, the one who turned our heroine, Isaac, has dropped out of the picture just as mysteriously.
Shortly thereafter a werewolf attack ensues on one of the vamp households, again out of the blue; we have no idea what brought it on. Also, twenty-five percent of the way into the book I still had no idea who our chief antagonist was, and who our heroine was ultimately destined to have a romantic involvement with. At first I thought the love story was to play out with Isaac and her, then with Josh and her, and when Nikolai seemed to be taking over the story by the sheer weight of his presence, I thought maybe it was Nikolai, but by then, having been presented with two red herrings previously, I wasn’t sure. Some of this is just the author’s narrative style, I suspect, preferring to raise questions, keep the reader disoriented, and eventually answer questions later. Still, I kept thinking throughout that better narrative structure and better character development would go hand in hand to making a stronger story.
But liked this book I did; so while I was on the fence between 3 and 4 stars, I rounded up to 4 based on that. And also the fact that the main characters like Nikolai and our heroine started to grow on me.
The story is fast-paced and fun.
My few complaints have to do with narrative structure and character development. I thought Isaac (the vamp who turns our heroine) wasn’t properly set up as a character before he jumps her. We get hints he’s a vamp, but he doesn’t disclose much about himself, which means he’s a relative stranger when he jumps her. It would have been more fun to get inside his head first, see how much he was holding himself back from temptation before he just couldn’t any more… something to give us more a sense of him before the payoff of the attack in the alley. That way the emotional impact would have been greater.
Similarly, when the heroine wakes up after her attack, she finds herself in a coven of vamps. Josh, Nickolai, and the pack leader are just some of the new male vamps the heroine is forced to contend with. We don’t get a strong sense of what drives them, their motivations, or their relation to our heroine besides an initial distrust and dislike from two of the three aforementioned names. Part of the problem is the story is being told from the first person p.o.v., which leaves what’s going on in other characters heads to our imagination, and there just aren’t enough clues left by the author. And while we’re trying to figure out who these new vamps are and what they’re ultimately about, the one who turned our heroine, Isaac, has dropped out of the picture just as mysteriously.
Shortly thereafter a werewolf attack ensues on one of the vamp households, again out of the blue; we have no idea what brought it on. Also, twenty-five percent of the way into the book I still had no idea who our chief antagonist was, and who our heroine was ultimately destined to have a romantic involvement with. At first I thought the love story was to play out with Isaac and her, then with Josh and her, and when Nikolai seemed to be taking over the story by the sheer weight of his presence, I thought maybe it was Nikolai, but by then, having been presented with two red herrings previously, I wasn’t sure. Some of this is just the author’s narrative style, I suspect, preferring to raise questions, keep the reader disoriented, and eventually answer questions later. Still, I kept thinking throughout that better narrative structure and better character development would go hand in hand to making a stronger story.
But liked this book I did; so while I was on the fence between 3 and 4 stars, I rounded up to 4 based on that. And also the fact that the main characters like Nikolai and our heroine started to grow on me.
October 10, 2016
When Ashley Hawn is on date with Isaac; an attractive man she has been dating for a while. She innocently mentions that there were rumours of a wizard in her family’s past. He is suddenly a lot more interested in his date and she painfully finds out what he really is. The next few days see her struggling to hold on to her new vampire life. She is helped by her ‘vampire baby sitter’ Nik as the two struggle to find out who wants to capture and sacrifice her. Despite disliking Nik, Ashley recognises she needs him to stay alive. The banter between the reluctant protector and the hapless but stubborn new vampire is what makes this book so much fun to read. Ashley Hawn, the main character is a writer of vampire novels. The sort of novels I normally hate and in which all vampires are attractive, brooding and uber powerful. Thankfully Charissa Dufour isn’t that sort of writer. She takes the whole genre with a healthy dose of humour and a good pinch of salt. She has created in Ashley a heroine that is flawed but also highly entertaining. I can’t wait to read more about this hapless new vampire.
September 14, 2015
Not your usual vampire novel - Lots of fun!
I have to admit, first of all, that I generally steer clear of vampire novels. They take themselves too seriously for my tastes. But when a "heroine" (and I use that term loosely) with an obvious lack of self-confidence gets turned into a vampire on a date, and then bumbles her way through attacks by other vampires, werewolves, and powerful fae, making a few unlikely friends on the way, we are as surprised as she is that she survives. We're kept guessing as to why Ashley, whose vampire novels are popular with real vampires because of how BAD they are, has somehow become some kind of valuable asset. Why is everybody after her?
There's enough here to satisfy vampire fans for sure, but it's a genuinely fun read. In her debut novel, Charissa Dufour has produced a slyly humorous and openly entertaining read. Even if you don't like vampire novels.
I have to admit, first of all, that I generally steer clear of vampire novels. They take themselves too seriously for my tastes. But when a "heroine" (and I use that term loosely) with an obvious lack of self-confidence gets turned into a vampire on a date, and then bumbles her way through attacks by other vampires, werewolves, and powerful fae, making a few unlikely friends on the way, we are as surprised as she is that she survives. We're kept guessing as to why Ashley, whose vampire novels are popular with real vampires because of how BAD they are, has somehow become some kind of valuable asset. Why is everybody after her?
There's enough here to satisfy vampire fans for sure, but it's a genuinely fun read. In her debut novel, Charissa Dufour has produced a slyly humorous and openly entertaining read. Even if you don't like vampire novels.
March 28, 2016
I really enjoyed this book! Ashley is a snarky 20-something who clerks at the grocery store to supplement her income as a writer of vampire books. I loved the irony of her waking up to learn the guy she'd been dating was a real live (err, dead) vampire who for reasons unknown, decided to turn her. She meets a couple of hot vampire guys who are forced to protect her, leading to a grudging friendship and potential love interest. This book is action packed, with lots of fight scenes between Ashley, her vampire protectors, and numerous supernatural creatures bent on kidnapping Ashley in order to use her for a dark purpose. I'm looking forward to reading the next book in this series. For anyone who enjoys a good vampire story, this one is a winner!
October 11, 2016
I haven't been near a vampire book since I struggled to get into Twilight, but Sucked In looked like a refreshing take on the genre. This is certainly what it proved to be.
The narrative is chatty, funny and predominantly light hearted. I loved the irony of Ashley being a writer of vampire fiction, then discovering how inaccurate the things she'd written were. The story started slowly at first, but picked up speed after Ashley's fateful date and became an engrossing and fun read. It would definitely appeal to fans of vampire fiction, but there's enough humour and adventure to keep others entertained also.
The narrative is chatty, funny and predominantly light hearted. I loved the irony of Ashley being a writer of vampire fiction, then discovering how inaccurate the things she'd written were. The story started slowly at first, but picked up speed after Ashley's fateful date and became an engrossing and fun read. It would definitely appeal to fans of vampire fiction, but there's enough humour and adventure to keep others entertained also.
November 2, 2016
This is going to be a fun series. I love YA paranormal books and Sucked In has a bit of everything, from vampires to werewolves, fae to warlocks and trolls. It's a fast paced, action packed book that follows Ashley, a struggling writer in the week following her being made a vampire. Suddenly a hot commodity, she is wanted by everyone for use in an old ritual, Nikolai and Josh also vampires try in vain to keep her safe but her own stubborn nature leads her from one disaster into another. I was very disappointed when the book finished which is testament to Dufour's writing.
March 12, 2016
Normally, I steer clear of vampire romances because they seem to take themselves too seriously. However, Sucked In is a well balanced mixture of thrills, romance, and humor. I love the clumsy, but well meaning heroine. She seems like someone I'd like to hang out with. The ways she finds to get into trouble is bizarre and funny. I never knew there was so many rules to being a vampire. Excellent novel.
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