Vigilante Vampire

Bo Blackman #5

by Helen Harper, Saskia Maarleveld (Narrator)

Listening length: 8 hours, 22 minutes

It's no more Miss Nice Vampire.

Bo has turned her back on everything that's familiar and is now working for X, the dangerous Kakos daemon who demands that his identity be kept a secret. She's prepared to do just about anything to clean the streets of London of its crime - and she's no longer sure if she cares who gets hurt in the process.

However, the vampire Families aren't going to be that easy to ignore. Lord Medici is continuing with his cold-blooded power bid - while Michael is determined not to let Bo forget him. Add a mysterious case of a missing girl into the mix and chaos is going to follow.

Genres: Urban Fantasy, Fantasy, Vampires, Paranormal, Audiobook, Magic, Demons

Audiobook

First published November 30, 2015

Reviews

[JadeShea · Rating 4 out of 5]

ARC

Vigilante Vampire begins with Bo being extremely different in this one. She's a lot harder now, and she's under X's thumb. She knows that she and Michael have a lot to work through, but with X and the other Families in the way it keeps getting harder and harder to figure out which problem she should work on first. But when things start to go crazy for Bo, and X has her working on a crazy case things start to go out of control even more. Especially with X's threats hanging over her head even more.

This one was really good. It starts out with us learning how much Bo has changed, and what she's going through right now. She's a lot different now, and she's not going to let people push her around, well maybe X, but she's working on get out from his thumb, although that may be easier said than done. But as she and her friends work together to figure out what the humans and vampires are going through things get a little out of hand.

This book ends in a cliffhanger, but it has me super excited for the next book in this series. This one was great. I just wish there will be more Michael and Bo time, especially with all the new problems they have now!

[Carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

Omg loving this series book 5 did not disappoint so good page turner all the way.

[Marianne · Rating 4 out of 5]

~2016 A-Z reading challenge; letter V~

[Gnome Claire *Wishes she was as cool as Gnome Ann* · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really struggled with this- Bo spends the vast majority of the book trying to be some sort of lawless vigilante but she's just acting like a vengeful jerk, she's acting like she has the right to judge people and kill them/drain their blood and runs all over the city doing so. She scares people just for the hell of it and uses her position of power and fear to coerce people into letting her do stuff, sure some of the guys she goes after are bad guys but their transgressions don't give her the right to execute them, she's just so cold. Even when she doesn't have proof that the person has committed a crime she seems happy to let them die.

She also seems unbothered by any collateral and she's so flippant and uncaring. At one point she steals a car because it was be #awkward to ask for a lift- seriously? I just couldn't like her when he was being such an entitled, judgemental, heartless, impulsive idiot.

The book is also kind of dull, while the plot does move forward a lot of the book seems to be spent on a whim, like Bo thinks, "I'll go do some vigilante murdering now, toodaloo" and then runs off.

I probably will read the next book just because it's the last.

[Jeanny · Rating 3 out of 5]

An action packed story. Why 3 stars bc it ended in an especially awful cliffhanger too many threads left unresolved. It felt like a "bridge" book simply bridging one book to the other in an effort to move the reader along the plot with the next book being this books goal. (Hope I explained that right)

Cliterary genius a to z book challenge letter V

[Lydia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just finished the 5th book in the series, and as if I wasn't scratching to get to the next book already! I loved the premise of Michael and Bo swapping characteristics and softness for a more interesting character in Bo. I love that Helen Harper always foreshadows what is going to happen in her writing; It is perfectly subtle. I always have an inkling as to what is about to happen, but I'm still in complete awe when it actually happens! I'm a little nervous for the last book considering how this one has ended, but I'm sure it will be brilliant regardless! I'm fairly certain I have read 14 of Helen Harper's books in about a month and a half, and with a toddler, you can bet how good those books must have been! I just can't stop!

[L.B. · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favourite urban fantasy authors, Helen Harper continues to offer enthralling, creative, and smart mysteries. I enjoy reading bad-a$$ Bo and her take-charge attitude even when her life is full of challenges--becoming a vampire, 'employed' (aka threatened) by a kakos demon, her father in a coma, having left the New Order (triber detective agency), avoiding the loss of a friend, and her romance forcibly on hold, she still manages to stay independent, unaffected, and her witty dry humor as she helps others. A vigilante of the night--whether you want her 'helping' or not--with a strong attitude and with dry, witty comebacks that have a 'sharp bite' so to speak. The tension between Bo and the other characters are a large part of this one reminding us that Bo can be ruthless but underneath it she is still (barely) hanging onto her morals and humanity, with the plot remaining exciting though fairly even paced until that crazy, tortuous, suprising (and somewhat enraging) cliffhanger of an ending, for which I'm still somewhat upset with Ms Harper. The writing is a beautiful balance between vividly detailed and blase brush-offs that are quintessentially Bo (she only notes things she finds important, so those are the things we read about). There is a bit more romance in this one--thank goodness for more Michael--and more interaction with 'friends' that give a social warmth to uplift and offset all the cold death and horror Bo faces. Another great book that left me both in dire need for more while fearful of what next Bo will be put through!

[Tarah Krace · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the darker, grittier Bo. And I'm a big fan of Helen Harpers writing style and humor. She doesn't disappoint and delivers once again a tight, witty story.

Vigilante Vampire is an absolute fun read. I think that everyone who loves the Chicagoland Vampire series will enjoy this book.

[Melinda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Omg. Cliffhanger much!

[Victoria G · Rating 2 out of 5]

The trend of these series taking a nosedive continues... Angsty Bo is so funny though she's like a petulant teenager. Somehow none of Medici's clever set ups work out because everyone knows how good Bo actually is in her heart... or something??? Anyway she continues to be sulky throughout the whole book even though everyone is acting super nice towards her and are practically begging her to return.

I love Rogu3 so seeing more of him on the page was a treat. I like Maria even though she's too two dimensional for my taste but at least we have a woman in this book yes! Huge success for how women hating these past 4 books were.

The sizzling romance makes absolutely no sense. I don't know why is it even in these books as obviously the author had as much interest in it as me (so none). The big love confession in the middle of "preparing for a fight" (that never happened and coming out of nowhere was so ridiculous too?? Just ugh give me a break I've never read about two people less likely to have interest in each other.

The deal with X doesn't make much sense. In light of the "shocking" plot twist it makes even less sense. The plot twist itself fills me with rage because it's such a bad writing but I can't even start to describe what's wrong with it without spoiling the book (or even the series) to other readers so I'll be seething in silence.

I'll read the final book as well just because these are fast and easy to read but it's disappointing and I don't expect much given how Helen basically neutered her series with the ending of this book.

[TP · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well this series started out good.

Although there were a lot of parallels to the "highland magic" series which i read first. Female investigators like Veronica Mars in a magical world. A feisty young female character, who thinks she is the rescuer of the world. Sadly both were too Stubborn, too independent and lying constantly by omission or not so apparently good reasons. The author did not manage to write a constantly engaging story in both series. The concept wasn't bad and it is a good woven net of cases and stories to solve with a strong backbone story to go along. But the humor for example fell flat and barely made me laugh in both books. The stories are both stretched out too long and i was left dissatisfied at the end with both books.
A love story in the background, her being scared of getting hurt. And the romance drags along through the entire series before anything substantial happens if it happens at all, which lacked big time for me and felt like pulling a tooth.

The first 2 books were a nice read, book 3 was at the limit of my patience, then it went fast forward into boring and annoying, i scrolled through book 4 and 5 only to not loose the hang of it and finally read book 6 fully again.
The finale wasn't that bad, but i missed the love from the author. The ending was disappointing and uncaring.

[Celeste · Rating 1 out of 5]

''It's no more Miss Nice Vampire.''

This is the starting line of the book blurb here on Goodreads. I'm thinking whoever came up with that obviously never read the books, because Bo has never been particularly nice.

This was pretty disappointing for me actually not least because character motivations, Bo's and X's especially are trite and ridiculous and unnecessarily over the top (for instance when Bo professes her love to Micheal (at the most inopportune, randomest time), who btw she's hardly ever around so I have no clue how that worked out. She only slept with him that one time and then spent any of the other five minutes she was around him being rude and fighting). Then that ending with the revenge aspect because of pettiness?Pettiness!?! Nope. Just No. Keep that nonsense.

I'm currently reading the last book in this series hoping it gets better but I'm pretty cynical about it.

[CoullCat · Rating 4 out of 5]

So much happens in Vigilante Vampire. I could not wait to read this book after how Red Angel ended, and Harper did it again. She sure loves a cliffhanger. Good thing I don’t mind cliffhangers and that the last book is already released.

Bo is the new Batman in town, working for her ‘benefactor’ she goes after those that the police miss. Bo is definitely in a lot darker place than in previous books, there’s a lot more anger and guilt warring inside her, but at least she’s more accepting of her vampire needs.

It feels as though everything comes to a culmination at the end of Vigilante Vampire. And if I thought everything changed for Bo in the last book, that’s nothing compared to how everything will change after the events in this book.
Cannot wait to find out what happen for Bo Blackman and her friends in the final book.

[Sandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a gritty Bo Blackman, harder, more edgy than previous books. She is working for X, the Kakos Daemon, who has forbidden her to let anyone in on that secret.

Micheal, head of the Montserrat Vampires, is worried about her, and wastes a good deal of his time trying to find her and make sure she is alright.

We have humans, the "tree people", against vamps and missing people & missing vamps. Medici is blindly recruiting for his own ends and the other Families are trying to combat them. We have a mysterious girl, Maria, who has some powers, but has escaped abuse and isn't talking much, now living with Bo.

Definitely a horrible, horrible cliffhanger and I'm so glad I am behind with this series, as the last book is already out and I have it.

[Relina Skye · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Vigilante Vampire" is the fifth book in the "Bo Blackman" series by Helen Harper. Devastated by the events at the end of the last book, Bo can't face the people she left behind at New Order. She's turned a mental page, and is now excepting what she can do as a vampire. Human laws don't apply to her, and she is more than willing to put evil doers in their place. But X has his own agenda, and manipulates Bo into following it. Can Bo salvage her humanity by for-filling a debt owed to a human? Or will she do what ever it takes to bring down Lord Medici before he can lead the rest of the families to ruin?
Overall, this novel took quite a few unexpected turns. The ending is quite shocking, and it makes you want to order the next book in the series to find out what happens next.

[Gemma · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simply brilliant.

OMG this book was brilliant, I will admit it was hard to see Bo becoming a vigilante after trying so hard to do everything in her power to do what was right and in the end getting stabbed in the back in the last book (Red Angel) but as time goes on, this book became better and better. I've loved every minute of it I cannot wait to get onto the next one. I just cannot believe the twist in the Tale towards the end, I was screaming. I just can't imagine what is going to happen next for our brave Bo and the rest of her tight-knit family. Especially Michael.

This book had everything suspense, drama, fighting, deception, ruthless cunning, love, fear, bravery and so much more. Now to the next

[Natalie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Disappointing entry to the series

Bo Blackman has gone vigilante and for the first half of the book oscillates between annoying and teenager level of stropping. There’s a half hearted ‘mystery’ to solve that ends on a cliff hanger. The book feels incomplete and shows up Ms Harper’s weaknesses as an author. When one is forced to not care for the main protagonist then you better hope there’s enough good will in the supporting cast but they were all cut off through other machinations. And I still don’t understand why Blackman and Monserrat have a love for the ages. They barely know one another.

[Lilli Readalot · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well - I am currently listening to these books - not reading them. I really enjoy the narrator, she has narrated all Helen Harpers books. She has the most amazing range of British dialects. I am not sure I would enjoy them just as much reading on my own. The men in her books should be stronger and more persistent and the women should be a bit less standoffish- it quickly becomes old when they keep their love interests at arms length for the most time. But the narrator is amazing and the books entertainment that beats of most what tv has to offer

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

tough to read

This book was hard to get through because Bo was deeply unlikeable and annoying throughout the book. She has always been extremely immature and reactive, but this book is essentially her having a giant temper tantrum, rejecting everyone, and abandoning almost all of her principles. I don’t mind difficult and complicated heroines, but it did make it less enjoyable to read. The book does, however, set up the plot for the final book in an interesting way, so I’m looking forward to reading the conclusion

[Sandy Schleich · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was pretty interesting. Bo gets a little more ruthless in this book and kills a little more than before. She has been trying to keep the secret of X away from her friends, but more and more people keep finding out about him. But she is afraid that ex is going to get upset and killed her friends. I did think the end of this book was very interesting. I can’t wait to see what happens between bow and X in the next book. It seems like her and Michael have finally reconciled a bit in this book too.

[Yunet · Rating 4 out of 5]

First off I'm glad that this was not the last book in the series because if not that would have been a very messed up ending to this series. I'm glad that Michael survived the explosions despite the Kakos
daemon massive betrayal and the fact that he is now a human again. I don't know if Matt, Beth, and Nell survived the explosions as well. I'm hoping they did but we won't know until I read book six and find out how many survivors there were from each house.

[Brittany Duszczyszyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

The storyline is interesting enough but the books are still a little slow, Bo finally put on her big girl pants & used her new found strength. She also finally told Michael the truth about her feelings it’s kinda anticlimactic, this series really didn’t write Michael as a strong character and I wish’s the writer would of. It made there love story unbelievable and boring.
The book okay just nothing special

[Sandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once again, WOW! That was insane. (In a sorta good way.) While I guessed some of what was going on before it played out, it was so well done that if I hadn't been looking for clues, I'd never have noticed. The twists and turns and ups and downs... all of it, a wild ride, for sure. If I could give it more than five stars, I would. Clearly, I recommend this series. That's all I can say for now because I MUST read the final book NOW.

[Leanne Crabtree · Rating 4 out of 5]

Huh...

What a way to end it? I'm like gaping at my kindle right now. But at least Michael survived! Now we just have to find a way to make them pay and boom! Bo Blackman is going to save the day once more.

[Diane Strickland · Rating 5 out of 5]

We all need a little humanity!

In this book, Bo faces the challenges of renewing old bonds and accepting that one person, however strong, cannot do everything, She digs deep to find her humanity and ends up facing X’s punishment.

[Celeste · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really like the author but sometimes the growth of the main character is so slow or missing that I want to skip the chapter- or smack something . But as I said I do enjoy the characters she creates and the range of characters in all her series.

[Tameka · Rating 4 out of 5]

When you snatch the last bit of hope from a person who wants to do good it can back fire. Maducci deserves everything that is coming to her. Enzo was as jerk who couldn't see past his pecker.
Mr. X is just as bad.

[Amanda Schouburgh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant

This is a brilliant series, and I can't put it down, the main character is no push over, and doesn't forget easily, with the way this one ends, I can't wait to see what happens next.

[Corey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Goid book

Bo has ventured out on her own after the death of a friend. She is taking the law into her own hands and only talking to X. Her friends and Michael won't give up getting her to talk to them.

[Jay Collins · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars, This one is a better read and more interesting that the first 4 books