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Blood and Bone #1
Dead Man Stalking
A Blood and Bone Novel
Agent Luke Bennett proved that humans could rise just as high in the ranks as their vampire colleagues—until a kidnapper held him captive for a year and turned him without his consent.
Now he’s a reluctant monster afraid to bite anyone, broke, and about to be discharged from his elite BITERs unit.
When an old colleague suggests he consult on a BITERs case, Took has little to lose. The case is open and shut… but nothing is ever that easy. As he digs deeper, he discovers a lot more than one cold case is at stake, and if he wants to solve this one, he’ll need the help of the BITERs team. Even if that brings his old commander, Madoc, back into his life.
Agent Luke Bennett proved that humans could rise just as high in the ranks as their vampire colleagues—until a kidnapper held him captive for a year and turned him without his consent.
Now he’s a reluctant monster afraid to bite anyone, broke, and about to be discharged from his elite BITERs unit.
When an old colleague suggests he consult on a BITERs case, Took has little to lose. The case is open and shut… but nothing is ever that easy. As he digs deeper, he discovers a lot more than one cold case is at stake, and if he wants to solve this one, he’ll need the help of the BITERs team. Even if that brings his old commander, Madoc, back into his life.
260 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 10, 2019
48 people are currently reading
619 people want to read
About the author
T.A. Moore
46 books387 followersTA Moore is a Northern Irish writer of romantic suspense, urban fantasy, and contemporary romance novels. A childhood in a rural, seaside town fostered in her a suspicious nature, a love of mystery, and a streak of black humour a mile wide. As her grandmother always said, ‘she’d laugh at a bad thing that one’, mind you, that was the pot calling the kettle black. TA Moore studied History, Irish mythology, English at University, mostly because she has always loved a good story. She has worked as a journalist, a finance manager, and in the arts sectors before she finally gave in to a lifelong desire to write.
Coffee, Doc Marten boots, and good friends are the essential things in life. Spiders, mayo, and heels are to be avoided.
Website: www.nevertobetold.co.uk
Facebook: www.facebook.com/TA.Moores
Twitter: @tammy_moore
Coffee, Doc Marten boots, and good friends are the essential things in life. Spiders, mayo, and heels are to be avoided.
Website: www.nevertobetold.co.uk
Facebook: www.facebook.com/TA.Moores
Twitter: @tammy_moore
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 115 reviews
September 15, 2019
Boy, a new urban fantasy series from T.A. Moore and what a fantastic way to start a new series. ❤️ Expansive world and immersive writing, everything I love in a good UF book. 😉
Took aka Luke Bennet, a VINE agent has been barely surviving for the last couple years. After being taken by an unknown vampire and turned without his consent, Took found out that it’s extremely difficult to cope with his new life style of becoming Anakim aka Vampires. He simply doesn’t know who to trust and has no idea about what happened during his captivity. But now he’s in a small southern town consulting a case of disappearing children as a private investigator. And boy, did he open a can of worms he didn’t expect at all. Madoc, a cardinal and also a VINE agent has been in love with Luke since he took this youngling under his wings. But nowadays, Madoc barely recognized the man Luke has become, Took who’s distant, paranoid, cold and untrusting. But Madoc still loves him with all his heart. When an unexpected investigation led Took back into his life, Madoc decided it’s finally time they admit their connection to each other no matter the consequences. If only they can confess before the unknown darkness devour both of them.
I loved both Took and Madoc’s characters. They are complicated, realistic, human and raw. Both of them aren’t perfect but they are definitely perfect for each other. 😍 And the mystery and the investigation behind it, oh boy, was it intricate or what. 😅 I really had no idea what was happening in the beginning but I slowly figured out what’s happening and the story behind the old feuds and stuff. It really was a very engaging and fascinating story. 💚 The romance between the MCs are slow-burn and sensual. This is the kind of book which favors the story rather than the romance. And I’m okay with that because it’s a really good story. 😉👏 The only thing I wish I got in this story is a glossary. It would have made so much sense about the story in the beginning because for like 10%, I was lost. 😅 I can’t wait to get the next book in the series because there’s so much possibilities and hidden stories in this hauntingly beautiful and expansive world building. I’d love to know how Took and Madoc will tread water as a couple now. ☺️ A great book for anyone who loves urban fantasy with healthy dose of paranormal and magic elements. 😌
4 No matter what your name is, I love you and I’ll always love you stars
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Disclaimer: An advanced review copy of this book was provided by the author for an honest and unbiased review.
Took aka Luke Bennet, a VINE agent has been barely surviving for the last couple years. After being taken by an unknown vampire and turned without his consent, Took found out that it’s extremely difficult to cope with his new life style of becoming Anakim aka Vampires. He simply doesn’t know who to trust and has no idea about what happened during his captivity. But now he’s in a small southern town consulting a case of disappearing children as a private investigator. And boy, did he open a can of worms he didn’t expect at all. Madoc, a cardinal and also a VINE agent has been in love with Luke since he took this youngling under his wings. But nowadays, Madoc barely recognized the man Luke has become, Took who’s distant, paranoid, cold and untrusting. But Madoc still loves him with all his heart. When an unexpected investigation led Took back into his life, Madoc decided it’s finally time they admit their connection to each other no matter the consequences. If only they can confess before the unknown darkness devour both of them.
I loved both Took and Madoc’s characters. They are complicated, realistic, human and raw. Both of them aren’t perfect but they are definitely perfect for each other. 😍 And the mystery and the investigation behind it, oh boy, was it intricate or what. 😅 I really had no idea what was happening in the beginning but I slowly figured out what’s happening and the story behind the old feuds and stuff. It really was a very engaging and fascinating story. 💚 The romance between the MCs are slow-burn and sensual. This is the kind of book which favors the story rather than the romance. And I’m okay with that because it’s a really good story. 😉👏 The only thing I wish I got in this story is a glossary. It would have made so much sense about the story in the beginning because for like 10%, I was lost. 😅 I can’t wait to get the next book in the series because there’s so much possibilities and hidden stories in this hauntingly beautiful and expansive world building. I’d love to know how Took and Madoc will tread water as a couple now. ☺️ A great book for anyone who loves urban fantasy with healthy dose of paranormal and magic elements. 😌
4 No matter what your name is, I love you and I’ll always love you stars
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Disclaimer: An advanced review copy of this book was provided by the author for an honest and unbiased review.
tbr-hoopla
November 2, 2019After the utter fiasco with the last TA Moore book that Dreamspinner published -- which I had to return to Amazon for a refund -- there's no way I'm preordering* this one. Typos, continuity errors, a character's name arbitrarily changed mid-book, the MCs' names getting randomly swapped, etc etc etc., turned the otherwise promising Take The Edge Off into an unreadable mess.
I've had it with this crap; either Dreamspinner starts editing manuscripts before publishing them, or they lose my business entirely. Moore in particular has been hit hard -- not only was Take The Edge Off a disaster, but the two books of her excellent Digging Up Bones series were also plagued by a lack of editorial attention.
*Preordering? I'm probably not even going to order this -- I'll sample it, and if it's not a mess, I'll borrow it when it shows up at my library (and judge it on its own merits, of course). In the meantime, Dreamspinner is costing itself, and this author, money. They've developed a reputation for publishing insufficiently-edited books, and I'm simply not going to spend my money on a substandard product.
I've had it with this crap; either Dreamspinner starts editing manuscripts before publishing them, or they lose my business entirely. Moore in particular has been hit hard -- not only was Take The Edge Off a disaster, but the two books of her excellent Digging Up Bones series were also plagued by a lack of editorial attention.
*Preordering? I'm probably not even going to order this -- I'll sample it, and if it's not a mess, I'll borrow it when it shows up at my library (and judge it on its own merits, of course). In the meantime, Dreamspinner is costing itself, and this author, money. They've developed a reputation for publishing insufficiently-edited books, and I'm simply not going to spend my money on a substandard product.
September 9, 2019
Loved it. Here we have the story of Luke who was taken, tortured and turned against his will. He isn’t the same man as he used to be and in his mind Luke died and Took was born. He broke my heart. He hates everything about his new existence. He is barely surviving on supplement tablets given to him by the doctors as he is afraid to drink blood. Madoc was his commanding officer and never stopped looking for him during that year, he is the one that found him. He is also hunting those that were responsible for what was done to Luke. They hook back up on an investigation involving missing children. What was going on angered me to no end. The mystery was good and the growing affection as well as Madoc helping Took navigate his new life. There are enough unanswered questions that have me dying to get my hands on the next book.
ARC provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.
ARC provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.
October 11, 2019
I really liked this. For me, it's hard to find a vampire story I can believe in. It's all too easy to make them evil monsters or so "other" that you can't identify or so human that they have no teeth, so to speak. And though I loved Twilight, *and I did*, vampires are not meant to sparkle, sorry. In this book, my first by T.A. Moore, these vampires were freaking fabulous.
Took is a human VINES Agent who was kidnapped and tortured for a year and turned against his will. Most of that time is a melange of foggy, frightening scraps of memory and nightmares for him and it's broken him, mind, body & soul. He withdraws from life while he recovers from his ordeal and refuses to accept his body's changes, living and existing as "human" as he can.
Madoc is the head Agent of the BITRS unit of VINES, a very, very old and powerful vampire with a legendary and well known brutal history. He was Took's boss & partner, and their relationship has always been complicated, on both sides. Took has been on leave from his unit for 2 years since his rescue, and when a PI side job he has taken on goes bad, it brings him back in contact with VINES. And Madoc.
The characterizations here were amazing, so believable and they had me wrapped up in the story. The plot is pretty damn good too, once I got past my minor issues. These vampires are ruthless, violent and bloody as well as tightly controlled *mostly*, urbane and sharply intelligent. Yet they loved, raged, suffered, worried, had complicated, knotty relationships, and bosses to answer to, making their world our world and I loved it.
My minor issues were that, in the beginning of the story, I felt like I had been dropped into the middle of a movie that had already been playing for an hour. Characters and relationships were in the middle of turmoil with no set up and little explanation, same for the situations and the world. You knew where things were right now, but not why or what it came from. It made the story feel awkward to me and distracted from the narrative while I stopped and questioned everything. But I was interested enough to read past that and, as most things do, answers came as the story progressed. And I say this is minor because beyond that, this was everything I could want from a modern vampire story. I hope this is the start of a new series, because I am so here for that!
Took is a human VINES Agent who was kidnapped and tortured for a year and turned against his will. Most of that time is a melange of foggy, frightening scraps of memory and nightmares for him and it's broken him, mind, body & soul. He withdraws from life while he recovers from his ordeal and refuses to accept his body's changes, living and existing as "human" as he can.
Madoc is the head Agent of the BITRS unit of VINES, a very, very old and powerful vampire with a legendary and well known brutal history. He was Took's boss & partner, and their relationship has always been complicated, on both sides. Took has been on leave from his unit for 2 years since his rescue, and when a PI side job he has taken on goes bad, it brings him back in contact with VINES. And Madoc.
The characterizations here were amazing, so believable and they had me wrapped up in the story. The plot is pretty damn good too, once I got past my minor issues. These vampires are ruthless, violent and bloody as well as tightly controlled *mostly*, urbane and sharply intelligent. Yet they loved, raged, suffered, worried, had complicated, knotty relationships, and bosses to answer to, making their world our world and I loved it.
My minor issues were that, in the beginning of the story, I felt like I had been dropped into the middle of a movie that had already been playing for an hour. Characters and relationships were in the middle of turmoil with no set up and little explanation, same for the situations and the world. You knew where things were right now, but not why or what it came from. It made the story feel awkward to me and distracted from the narrative while I stopped and questioned everything. But I was interested enough to read past that and, as most things do, answers came as the story progressed. And I say this is minor because beyond that, this was everything I could want from a modern vampire story. I hope this is the start of a new series, because I am so here for that!
September 10, 2019
4.5 stars - It has been quite a while since I last enjoyed a paranormal story as much as this. It ticked quite a few of my boxes – low on fluff, plenty of mystery and suspense, bad ass characters, flawed/damaged characters, interesting worldbuilding, etc. There is a lot to learn – but it doesn’t take much to get up to speed. There are dhampirs, those born, and vampires, those made, and Hunters who want to eradicate them, werewolves, politics, both human and vampire, murder mystery, past abduction and much more. Definitely a lot going on. But the characters pulled it all together.
Took is the vampire who used to be Luke, the star agent until he was abducted and turned. He is not coping very well with any of it and feels broken for not being able to remember anything. He has trouble coming to terms with what he now is, he is afraid of who took him but wants to find out just the same, and that fear is basically crippling his life. He is afraid to sleep during the day for one reason and afraid to sleep at night for another. It’s easy to see he can’t keep that up for much longer without having a total breakdown.
Luckily, badass dhampir Madoc is there to pull him back in on the team. He is in love with Took, but having already been rejected before, is a bit cautious. He knows when to push and when to table things. He is clearly much older and wiser with a great deal of patience as he tries to help Took with his issues while, at the same time, trying to solve the other mystery of the murders. I loved their interactions. There are also some other interesting side characters to enjoy. The older dhampirs clearly have more history and I really enjoyed that aspect of things.
As for the storyline? There are twists and deceit, bad people and cover ups, and while all things are not answered by the end of this, I was left excited to continue on and see where things are going. This was a fairly slow read for me, but I felt as though I was savoring it as I went. My only real niggle was the feeling like I missed part of the previous story. I would have liked to have seen Took as Luke and how he and Madoc’s relationship began. But, this is where the story begins, and as I really enjoyed the style and how well it was woven, I can’t wait for the next installment!
Review written for Love Bytes Reviews
August 28, 2019
Took (Luke), is trying to get to grips with his new life. Whatever place he had in the normal world is over, he is living his new reality.
This is a very dark supernatural thriller. It's unlike anything I've read from Ms Moore. It does, to an extent, work, however, I have to say though that I found what happened to Luke very upsetting, to the extent that I almost decided not to finish the story!
The story was, though, quite compelling and I found that I needed to find out what Luke's fate was to be. His and Madoc's relationship was complex and just made me want them to work even more.
The crime/mystery element is intriguing and kept me guessing, I just wanted to wrap Luke up and hug him. Am interested to see where the story will go.
This is a very dark supernatural thriller. It's unlike anything I've read from Ms Moore. It does, to an extent, work, however, I have to say though that I found what happened to Luke very upsetting, to the extent that I almost decided not to finish the story!
The story was, though, quite compelling and I found that I needed to find out what Luke's fate was to be. His and Madoc's relationship was complex and just made me want them to work even more.
The crime/mystery element is intriguing and kept me guessing, I just wanted to wrap Luke up and hug him. Am interested to see where the story will go.
September 9, 2019
Luke was taken and tortured and turned, becoming Took. He hasn't come to touch with his new life and is on leave from the Biters. He is working private consultations and takes a case that gets him in deeper than he dreams of.
Madoc comes when he hears that Took is in trouble. Madoc is an old vampire and very much wants Took, but did he want him enough to be the one that had taken him in the first place? Can he convince Luke he wasn't?
I felt the story had a good premise and I snapped it up because I love TA Moore and loved the Digging Up Bones series and I cannot get enough vampires, especially MM ones.
I felt like I was missing a lot here. It was like I came in the middle of a series. There was a lot of words, and stuff that I wish there had been an index at the front of the book explaining. The world was built and I never figured out some of the things.
It is a good story, it was just hard for me to read since I had a lack of understanding of a lot.
Warning...there is a lot of graphic violence and this is no sparkling vampire love story. now having said that I LOVED the relationship between Took and Madoc. That was the best part of the story for me.
Madoc comes when he hears that Took is in trouble. Madoc is an old vampire and very much wants Took, but did he want him enough to be the one that had taken him in the first place? Can he convince Luke he wasn't?
I felt the story had a good premise and I snapped it up because I love TA Moore and loved the Digging Up Bones series and I cannot get enough vampires, especially MM ones.
I felt like I was missing a lot here. It was like I came in the middle of a series. There was a lot of words, and stuff that I wish there had been an index at the front of the book explaining. The world was built and I never figured out some of the things.
It is a good story, it was just hard for me to read since I had a lack of understanding of a lot.
Warning...there is a lot of graphic violence and this is no sparkling vampire love story. now having said that I LOVED the relationship between Took and Madoc. That was the best part of the story for me.
September 5, 2019
Dead Man Stalking (Blood and Bone #1) by T.A. Moore
3 stars
M/M Paranormal
Triggers: Torture, Kidnapping, Murder
I was given this book for an honest review by Wicked Reads.
Took, formerly known as Luke, is coming to grips with his new life. He was part of a BITER team before, but now, after he was kidnapped and turned against his will, he will have to figure out where he fits. He is in between two worlds - stuck. Took is constantly thinking about his abduction - who can he trust? Why would someone do this to him? What will happen now?
Madoc is leader of the BITER team and has loved Luke/Took for a while. When he realizes that Took is working a case that the BITER team deemed closed, he's a little mad, somewhat confused and a lot curious. Madoc has a new human partner and even though he does trust her, he knows that Took had special skills that nobody else had and wants to see where Took will go with the investigation.
What follows is a lot of strange occurrences and a somewhat disjointed relationship. I had difficulties, at times, comprehending the narrators side. He was suspicious and sometimes with his memories, not very comprehensive in his thinking. And, while it was an intriguing mystery, it just felt very choppy.
However, the mystery of Took's kidnapping did get me interested enough that I want to try book 2 and see if there are questions that are answered. Hopefully the second book will feel a little less disjointed for me.
3 stars
M/M Paranormal
Triggers: Torture, Kidnapping, Murder
I was given this book for an honest review by Wicked Reads.
Took, formerly known as Luke, is coming to grips with his new life. He was part of a BITER team before, but now, after he was kidnapped and turned against his will, he will have to figure out where he fits. He is in between two worlds - stuck. Took is constantly thinking about his abduction - who can he trust? Why would someone do this to him? What will happen now?
Madoc is leader of the BITER team and has loved Luke/Took for a while. When he realizes that Took is working a case that the BITER team deemed closed, he's a little mad, somewhat confused and a lot curious. Madoc has a new human partner and even though he does trust her, he knows that Took had special skills that nobody else had and wants to see where Took will go with the investigation.
What follows is a lot of strange occurrences and a somewhat disjointed relationship. I had difficulties, at times, comprehending the narrators side. He was suspicious and sometimes with his memories, not very comprehensive in his thinking. And, while it was an intriguing mystery, it just felt very choppy.
However, the mystery of Took's kidnapping did get me interested enough that I want to try book 2 and see if there are questions that are answered. Hopefully the second book will feel a little less disjointed for me.
August 4, 2019
Review by Gloria Lakritz Sr Reviewer and Review Chair for the Paranormal Romance Guild
5*****Stars
Book:Dead Man Stalking
Series Blood and Bone #1
Author: T A Moore
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Genre: Paranormal Thriller
Rated: Mature LGTBQ
Pages:275
Release Date: September 10, 2019
I have just finished this newest book by T A Moore and I am speechless!!! From the safety of the Contemporary Romance Genre, Ms Moore has certainly put on her big girl panties and has sharpened her pen. We started seeing that in the Digging Up Bones Series with two books right now featuring Cloister Witt and his K-9 Boureville. I loved both books in that series and I also loved the subtle change in Ms Moore’s writing!
So it is with GREAT excitement, as I just finished her latest Dead Man Stalking that I must say I am grinning from ear to ear and doing happy a dance and many fist pumps ….Tammy Moore you nailed this!
Dead Man Stalking is not an easy one. We find Luke Bennett living in a world where there are many paranormal species. Vampires are still head of the food chain. There are different sects of vampires….some from the Old Country and some the New World, some bitten, some born, all have agendas. Then there are the were wolves lower on the chain.
Luke has many secrets from is past, but has worked himself up through the ranks of an Elite profiler group working for VINE under Commander Madoc. It was then he was ‘taken’ and held captive for a year and turned without his consent while Madoc never stopped looking for him finally finding him broken.
Hospitalized for over a year…This is where we begin, finding Luke now calling himself Took, a shell, afraid of everything, even taking blood to exist…..living on food tablets the doctors give him to subsist. Drained of strength, hating his fangs, hating it all….Took is offered a chance to collaborate on an old case that needs revisiting just opened a closed case. Ha ha remember those words.
Ms. Moore takes us through a dark, dark story of a bloody world of deceit, lies, and redemption. Her writing is spot on, keeping you walking her path of crumbs she drops, so you follow obediently. She has you walking through gory, bloody, scenes that horrify and then thru burning buildings with such description that you smell the wood burning and feel the heat.
Took has a wonderful storyteller to give us his story. Cannot wait for more!
5*****Stars
Book:Dead Man Stalking
Series Blood and Bone #1
Author: T A Moore
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Genre: Paranormal Thriller
Rated: Mature LGTBQ
Pages:275
Release Date: September 10, 2019
I have just finished this newest book by T A Moore and I am speechless!!! From the safety of the Contemporary Romance Genre, Ms Moore has certainly put on her big girl panties and has sharpened her pen. We started seeing that in the Digging Up Bones Series with two books right now featuring Cloister Witt and his K-9 Boureville. I loved both books in that series and I also loved the subtle change in Ms Moore’s writing!
So it is with GREAT excitement, as I just finished her latest Dead Man Stalking that I must say I am grinning from ear to ear and doing happy a dance and many fist pumps ….Tammy Moore you nailed this!
Dead Man Stalking is not an easy one. We find Luke Bennett living in a world where there are many paranormal species. Vampires are still head of the food chain. There are different sects of vampires….some from the Old Country and some the New World, some bitten, some born, all have agendas. Then there are the were wolves lower on the chain.
Luke has many secrets from is past, but has worked himself up through the ranks of an Elite profiler group working for VINE under Commander Madoc. It was then he was ‘taken’ and held captive for a year and turned without his consent while Madoc never stopped looking for him finally finding him broken.
Hospitalized for over a year…This is where we begin, finding Luke now calling himself Took, a shell, afraid of everything, even taking blood to exist…..living on food tablets the doctors give him to subsist. Drained of strength, hating his fangs, hating it all….Took is offered a chance to collaborate on an old case that needs revisiting just opened a closed case. Ha ha remember those words.
Ms. Moore takes us through a dark, dark story of a bloody world of deceit, lies, and redemption. Her writing is spot on, keeping you walking her path of crumbs she drops, so you follow obediently. She has you walking through gory, bloody, scenes that horrify and then thru burning buildings with such description that you smell the wood burning and feel the heat.
Took has a wonderful storyteller to give us his story. Cannot wait for more!
September 4, 2019
I was given a copy of this book to read and review for Wicked Reads.
This is wonderfully dark dystopian Urban Fantasy. In a world where humans and vampires almost manage to coexist without constant bloodshed, Took finds himself torn between worlds when he’s made a vampire against his wishes. This first book sees Took slowly finding his way back to himself, the job he loves and the relationships he needs after his horrific attack. As Took becomes Luke once again, his work with the BITERs has him investigating a string of gruesome murders.
This is an exciting, gory read. Luke is a slightly unreliable narrator and his fear and mistrust forces readers to question everyone in his life. Luke’s BITERs team is fantastic but Luke suspects that someone in the BITERs team had something to do with his kidnapping. Luke’s suspicions make his relationship with his boss, Madoc, complicated, especially as attraction flares between them. Something about the human/vampire investigative pairings within the BITERs team reminds me of Charlie Cochet’s THIRDs books but this book replaces the light humour of that series with angst and layers of dark secrets.
I love the different sides I’ve seen to TA Moore’s writing in the past couple of years. I think I probably prefer the Digging Up Bones books to this new series but I really like Moore’s darker writing and I’m loving the imagination that went into creating this alternate reality. It’s pretty difficult to find a fresh take on vampires in such an oversaturated market but the world Moore builds in this story feels fresh and fascinating - even if it pushes more into dystopian horror than I usually like. I’m really excited to see how this series develops and I’m already keen for the next book.
This is wonderfully dark dystopian Urban Fantasy. In a world where humans and vampires almost manage to coexist without constant bloodshed, Took finds himself torn between worlds when he’s made a vampire against his wishes. This first book sees Took slowly finding his way back to himself, the job he loves and the relationships he needs after his horrific attack. As Took becomes Luke once again, his work with the BITERs has him investigating a string of gruesome murders.
This is an exciting, gory read. Luke is a slightly unreliable narrator and his fear and mistrust forces readers to question everyone in his life. Luke’s BITERs team is fantastic but Luke suspects that someone in the BITERs team had something to do with his kidnapping. Luke’s suspicions make his relationship with his boss, Madoc, complicated, especially as attraction flares between them. Something about the human/vampire investigative pairings within the BITERs team reminds me of Charlie Cochet’s THIRDs books but this book replaces the light humour of that series with angst and layers of dark secrets.
I love the different sides I’ve seen to TA Moore’s writing in the past couple of years. I think I probably prefer the Digging Up Bones books to this new series but I really like Moore’s darker writing and I’m loving the imagination that went into creating this alternate reality. It’s pretty difficult to find a fresh take on vampires in such an oversaturated market but the world Moore builds in this story feels fresh and fascinating - even if it pushes more into dystopian horror than I usually like. I’m really excited to see how this series develops and I’m already keen for the next book.
September 10, 2019
ARC received for an honest review.
Luke "Took" Bennett was a member of the BITER team until he was kidnapped, tortured and turned against his will. He has severe memory loss from that time and doesn't know who he can trust. He seems stuck between his human life and his "Anakim" vampire life.
Madoc is the leader of the BITER team. He's a very old vampire who's seen or done it all; nothing surprises him anymore. He was the leader on a closed case that Luke is currently looking into as a PI for the family of the accused and not really happy that Luke has reason to doubt their closed case.
You realize that people you think are good and trustworthy aren't and those that you thought were bad and untrustworthy aren't. Nothing is as it seems. I really liked the side characters Quick and Pally but I didn't like how the book ends and leaves their ending in question. Actually the book ends with way too many unanswered questions. There's so much odd and unfamiliar words and phrases (to me) that it was really hard to keep reading. Maybe it was partly the terms used for the vampire word or the language from a European author I'm not sure; it was just really distracting. There's also many grammar and punctuation issues to contend with. I also didn't feel like there was any chemistry between Luke and Madoc. The sex scenes were lukewarm and boring. The ending that's supposed to be climatic is just, okay that happened. This was just an okay book for me but I'll definitely read any sequels, just to get answers.
Luke "Took" Bennett was a member of the BITER team until he was kidnapped, tortured and turned against his will. He has severe memory loss from that time and doesn't know who he can trust. He seems stuck between his human life and his "Anakim" vampire life.
Madoc is the leader of the BITER team. He's a very old vampire who's seen or done it all; nothing surprises him anymore. He was the leader on a closed case that Luke is currently looking into as a PI for the family of the accused and not really happy that Luke has reason to doubt their closed case.
You realize that people you think are good and trustworthy aren't and those that you thought were bad and untrustworthy aren't. Nothing is as it seems. I really liked the side characters Quick and Pally but I didn't like how the book ends and leaves their ending in question. Actually the book ends with way too many unanswered questions. There's so much odd and unfamiliar words and phrases (to me) that it was really hard to keep reading. Maybe it was partly the terms used for the vampire word or the language from a European author I'm not sure; it was just really distracting. There's also many grammar and punctuation issues to contend with. I also didn't feel like there was any chemistry between Luke and Madoc. The sex scenes were lukewarm and boring. The ending that's supposed to be climatic is just, okay that happened. This was just an okay book for me but I'll definitely read any sequels, just to get answers.
February 3, 2022
I debated between 4 to 3 stars because there is a lot of good stuff going on in this book, so let's brake it down:
The good:
- Vampires grrr, we need more of them in MM. ❤️🔥
- Detective dudes, another great trope in my book.🤯
- Great writing.💅🏻
- Interesting story and world building.
The bad:
- The book starts like it is a second book of a series, not a first one and that didn't get better with time, the same questions I had at the beginning were still there at the end.😵💫😵💫
- And no, the little pre novela didn't help, I read it. 😤
- The ending felt like another book was coming, but nop, nothing.😤😵💫😤
- The love evolved weirdly, but that's because "the kidnapping" was talked about, but not really explained and a lot of other things were the same. 😵💫😵💫
So maybe if there is a second book I'll change it to 4 stars, but the story felt unfinished and I'm still confused. It's a good one though. 🤣🤣🤣
The good:
- Vampires grrr, we need more of them in MM. ❤️🔥
- Detective dudes, another great trope in my book.🤯
- Great writing.💅🏻
- Interesting story and world building.
The bad:
- The book starts like it is a second book of a series, not a first one and that didn't get better with time, the same questions I had at the beginning were still there at the end.😵💫😵💫
- And no, the little pre novela didn't help, I read it. 😤
- The ending felt like another book was coming, but nop, nothing.😤😵💫😤
- The love evolved weirdly, but that's because "the kidnapping" was talked about, but not really explained and a lot of other things were the same. 😵💫😵💫
So maybe if there is a second book I'll change it to 4 stars, but the story felt unfinished and I'm still confused. It's a good one though. 🤣🤣🤣
February 26, 2020
Picked up purely for the cover. A little different to what I’m used to reading. No humour and the backstory is dark. Mystery with a larger mystery. Took is a heartbreaking character and Madoc needs a break. Vampires, wolves, religion and damphir. Plenty of violence, sex and fangs. Ends on a HFN.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 14, 2021
3.5
Good but needs an editor. Some funky sentences and a bit difficult to follow in some areas.
Good but needs an editor. Some funky sentences and a bit difficult to follow in some areas.
March 12, 2021
Je remercie Laetitia et les Éditions Bookmark pour l’envoi de ce Service Presse ! J’ai demandé ce roman pour l’univers vampirique et je ne suis pas déçu ! L’univers est très bien développé et j’ai eu de bonnes surprises !
Luke Bennett alias Took a accepté un travail d’indépendant pour payer ses factures. Meilleur profileur du VINE, il n’est plus que l’ombre de lui-même depuis son enlèvement. À qui faire confiance ? Qui a orchestré son changement ? Et quand son enquête le place sur les radars de son mentor Madoc, il devra allier vérité et découverte macabre !
Dès le premier chapitre, vous entrez dans l’action, dans un univers méconnu. Les vampires ou plutôt les Anakims vivent au su de tous, mais les relations avec les respirants sont plus que tendus. Plusieurs factions existent, les Hunters et des « guerres » s’enchaînent. C’est très intéressant. J’aime pouvoir être lancé dans ce genre d’histoire sans réponses et essayer de les deviner. Donc c’est une très bonne idée.
On alterne entre les points de vue de Took et Madoc. On comprend rapidement leurs liens et leurs passés même si beaucoup de zones d’ombres persistent. On découvre les sentiments qu’ils se portent et on entre dans une relation compliquée, qui peut se briser en un mot. Découvrir leur évolution fut superbe ! La romance est très présente et vu l’ambiance pesante, j’ai particulièrement aimé ce choix.
J’ai beaucoup apprécié les héros en individuel et en duo. Took est un homme brisé, mais qui a encore tellement de potentiel et beaucoup à offrir. Je suis contente qu’il ait fini par s’ouvrir. On découvre ses origines, mais toute l’intrigue sur son enlèvement n’est qu’aux prémices et j’adore ! Madoc est un vampire puissant. Il respire la peur et la mort. Pourtant il sait se montrer tendre et fidèle envers ceux qu’il chérit. Un héros que j’aime beaucoup ! On sait un peu plus de choses sur lui, mais je ne doute pas que des secrets sont encore gardés !
L’intrigue débute dès le premier chapitre. Il faut être concentré et vigilant dès les premiers instants pour comprendre et essayer de découvrir qui se cache derrière ses meurtres et enlèvements. Vous me connaissez, j’aime le mystère et le suspense et rien n’est bâclé ici. Je suis plus que satisfaite ! Les rebondissements sont multiples et jusqu’à la fin nous sommes sous tension !
Nos héros ne sont pas seuls ! Entre collègues et anciens amants, nous avons du monde à apprendre à connaître. Ils sont secondaires, mais quand même assez mis en avant pour avoir une première opinion !
Un premier opus qui démarre fort et lance une saga addictive. Je ne sais pas si je peux parler de coup de cœur, mais je foncerais à chaque sortie, ça c’est sûr ! Alors sans surprise pour vous, je vous recommande ce premier opus qui m’a régalé autant pour son aspect policier intriguant et haletant que pour le couple sexy et compliqué ! Alors qu’attendez-vous pour vous lancer ?
Luke Bennett alias Took a accepté un travail d’indépendant pour payer ses factures. Meilleur profileur du VINE, il n’est plus que l’ombre de lui-même depuis son enlèvement. À qui faire confiance ? Qui a orchestré son changement ? Et quand son enquête le place sur les radars de son mentor Madoc, il devra allier vérité et découverte macabre !
Dès le premier chapitre, vous entrez dans l’action, dans un univers méconnu. Les vampires ou plutôt les Anakims vivent au su de tous, mais les relations avec les respirants sont plus que tendus. Plusieurs factions existent, les Hunters et des « guerres » s’enchaînent. C’est très intéressant. J’aime pouvoir être lancé dans ce genre d’histoire sans réponses et essayer de les deviner. Donc c’est une très bonne idée.
On alterne entre les points de vue de Took et Madoc. On comprend rapidement leurs liens et leurs passés même si beaucoup de zones d’ombres persistent. On découvre les sentiments qu’ils se portent et on entre dans une relation compliquée, qui peut se briser en un mot. Découvrir leur évolution fut superbe ! La romance est très présente et vu l’ambiance pesante, j’ai particulièrement aimé ce choix.
J’ai beaucoup apprécié les héros en individuel et en duo. Took est un homme brisé, mais qui a encore tellement de potentiel et beaucoup à offrir. Je suis contente qu’il ait fini par s’ouvrir. On découvre ses origines, mais toute l’intrigue sur son enlèvement n’est qu’aux prémices et j’adore ! Madoc est un vampire puissant. Il respire la peur et la mort. Pourtant il sait se montrer tendre et fidèle envers ceux qu’il chérit. Un héros que j’aime beaucoup ! On sait un peu plus de choses sur lui, mais je ne doute pas que des secrets sont encore gardés !
L’intrigue débute dès le premier chapitre. Il faut être concentré et vigilant dès les premiers instants pour comprendre et essayer de découvrir qui se cache derrière ses meurtres et enlèvements. Vous me connaissez, j’aime le mystère et le suspense et rien n’est bâclé ici. Je suis plus que satisfaite ! Les rebondissements sont multiples et jusqu’à la fin nous sommes sous tension !
Nos héros ne sont pas seuls ! Entre collègues et anciens amants, nous avons du monde à apprendre à connaître. Ils sont secondaires, mais quand même assez mis en avant pour avoir une première opinion !
Un premier opus qui démarre fort et lance une saga addictive. Je ne sais pas si je peux parler de coup de cœur, mais je foncerais à chaque sortie, ça c’est sûr ! Alors sans surprise pour vous, je vous recommande ce premier opus qui m’a régalé autant pour son aspect policier intriguant et haletant que pour le couple sexy et compliqué ! Alors qu’attendez-vous pour vous lancer ?
September 6, 2019
This was an amazing read. T.A. Moore drew me into her world of vampires in an unexpected and entertaining fashion. The world building was flawless and not heavy handed, very organically written.
Took is a reluctantly turned vampire and the circumstances of his turning are a mystery. He was kidnapped, tortured, turned and the year that he was missing is a blank spot in his memory. Despite that he still had an agile mind and still wants to help people. His world has been torn apart and he is seeking answers in which to rebuild it with while trying to discover what happened to him during that missing year.
Madoc was Luke (Took) Bennet's commander. He is an old vampire and his morals are definitely not human. He is dismayed with what has happened to Took. Part of the mystery, is Madoc responsible for Took's turning, was he behind it? Or does he know more about it than he's letting on? Can Took trust him or not? Took stumbles across another mystery and reconnects with Madoc to solve that mystery.
The characters are multifaceted and interesting. The mysteries presented, those solved and continuing are well written and paced. Some of these questions are answered in this first book and I am eager to read more. I look forward to the rest of the series and T.A. Moore has been added to my favorite authors list because of this book!
*I received an ARC copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review*
Took is a reluctantly turned vampire and the circumstances of his turning are a mystery. He was kidnapped, tortured, turned and the year that he was missing is a blank spot in his memory. Despite that he still had an agile mind and still wants to help people. His world has been torn apart and he is seeking answers in which to rebuild it with while trying to discover what happened to him during that missing year.
Madoc was Luke (Took) Bennet's commander. He is an old vampire and his morals are definitely not human. He is dismayed with what has happened to Took. Part of the mystery, is Madoc responsible for Took's turning, was he behind it? Or does he know more about it than he's letting on? Can Took trust him or not? Took stumbles across another mystery and reconnects with Madoc to solve that mystery.
The characters are multifaceted and interesting. The mysteries presented, those solved and continuing are well written and paced. Some of these questions are answered in this first book and I am eager to read more. I look forward to the rest of the series and T.A. Moore has been added to my favorite authors list because of this book!
*I received an ARC copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review*
September 11, 2019
‘Dead Man Stalking’ is betrayal and politics, blood and gore, complicated and often confusing worldbuilding, hidden shadows and unrevealed truths, and a fast pace that keeps it all moving in an unending rollercoaster ride. Did I like it? I’d be remiss if I said I didn’t like it, but I also can’t say with 100 percent certainty that I thoroughly enjoyed it, either. It’s not really a story I could just “like”. It is dark and disturbing, sometimes in a good way, but more often than not in a very terrifying manner, and it definitely made an impact.
Took, formerly Agent Luke Bennett, has a lot of secrets and a considerable amount of blank space in his mind from the year he spent being tortured and turned against his will. The secrets he had when he came East from California, and even after all this time, he has never revealed them. As to the holes in his memory? Those are as much due to PTSD as to what he endured during his torture. Regardless, they are things that trouble him constantly and made it difficult for me to get a true understanding of him. Madoc is even more of a puzzle as a four-hundred-year-old vampire, or Anakim, who used to be a cardinal in the Old Country but now is head of the BITERS and in love with Took.
Please find my full review at Rainbow Book Reviews
Took, formerly Agent Luke Bennett, has a lot of secrets and a considerable amount of blank space in his mind from the year he spent being tortured and turned against his will. The secrets he had when he came East from California, and even after all this time, he has never revealed them. As to the holes in his memory? Those are as much due to PTSD as to what he endured during his torture. Regardless, they are things that trouble him constantly and made it difficult for me to get a true understanding of him. Madoc is even more of a puzzle as a four-hundred-year-old vampire, or Anakim, who used to be a cardinal in the Old Country but now is head of the BITERS and in love with Took.
Please find my full review at Rainbow Book Reviews
September 5, 2019
This was wonderful with great characters and very atmospheric world-building. I loved both Took and Madoc and there are some interesting supporting characters as well, Pally for instance, that all have plenty of potential for future storylines even besides Took and Madoc's stories. I really liked the storyline too, it was interesting and kept me wondering what was going to happen. There is so much backstory here that it felt, at times, like the second book in a series and I'd missed the first one. I trust the author to have a firm grip on the complicated mythology underlying this book. However, and this is the negative part of the review, there is so much backstory that some things were left unexplained, things that felt important, things that could not always be inferred from the context. Perhaps a developmental editor should have gone through it again to ensure that readers had access to vital information. It did not spoil my enjoyment but did leave me wondering sometimes if I'd missed something. Nevertheless, I look forward very much to Blood and Bone 2, I can't wait to see where the author takes these characters next and maybe fill in some of their backstories.
September 6, 2019
Absolutely Brilliant
I'm already looking forward to the next book, the dynamic between Took and Madoc had me glued to my tablet. I mystery surrounding why Took was taken and by whom has me desperate for more, he and Madoc were simply amazing characters. This is going on my keeper-shelf for sure.
*I voluntarily reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book*
I'm already looking forward to the next book, the dynamic between Took and Madoc had me glued to my tablet. I mystery surrounding why Took was taken and by whom has me desperate for more, he and Madoc were simply amazing characters. This is going on my keeper-shelf for sure.
*I voluntarily reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book*
June 14, 2023
I was lost for the first quarter of the book. The terms were confusing and so was the story. When I finally started to understand (mostly) it got better. Interesting, different take on vampires. A lot of it was new lore for me. If you are going to read this book you need to give it your full attention with no interruptions.
September 4, 2019
TA Moore has done and amazing job with this book. I have always liked vampire stories, and I found this to be a new and refreshing take on the vampire genre, and I loved it.
I am really looking forward to seeing more of Madoc and Took in the future
I am really looking forward to seeing more of Madoc and Took in the future
May 25, 2021
Took me a while to get used to the verse, the types of vampire, but it is very good, complex plot, interesting characters, action
April 5, 2023
This book is such a special gem that I stumbled on.
I won't resummarise the blurb of the book, but I'll say that while it is somehow reminiscent of the PI urban fantasy genre, it is wholly original, and a cut above.
I have an infinite weakness for good vampire stories. And by good vampire stories, I mean those that are dark, horror-filled and serious. I also have an infinite weakness for a good vampire romance, but not some of the silly romance stuff that proliferates the genre. This is a good vampire romance story.
The world-building and the vampire lore in this book is rich and detailed, which I loved. There is absolutely no exposition in this book, and exposition can be a failing of urban fantasy so I appreciated that. The book is written as if the reader lives in the world already and therefore already knows the answers. Solving the puzzle of the lore is part of the reading experience and I enjoyed it. The lore took me more or less the whole book to figure out. Even now, I am not 100% sure if I have everything understood and some of my answers are shaky. I'm a little on the fence as to whether the book took it a little too far at times. By and large though, it worked very well.
The plot is somewhat similar. I, admittedly, did struggle to follow it at times, although I think I have it largely understood in my head now. That may be due to the speed in which I read the book, as that can happen sometimes when I am racing through the pages. It was a good plot though: clever and gory.
I loved our main characters: they were individual and unique. Also, scary. Madoc was scary. As, I contend, vampires should be. Took was also f*cked up. And I love messed up characters. I like viciousness contrasted with vulnerability, and Took had that dynamic down pat.
The romance between the characters was also just so good. I enjoyed the weight of their history impacting on the romance in the novel. It made it tangible and painful at the same time. It felt like a real romance. They both had sharp edges at the start that they retained, which made the moments of intimacy particularly moving. They even got under each other's skin in a familiar way. A romance where the characters retain their personalities and edge is so refreshing. Yet at the same time, Madoc was so deeply romantic (while being a scary bastard). Top notch stuff.
I actually think that the getting together part of the love story could definitely have been dragged out a little more even - I could have seen that part of the relationship spanning several books.
And I feel like we only scratched the surface of Madoc. The difference in the power dynamic between Took and Madoc is also really intriguing, as Madoc apparently used to be in a position of much authority, and is a very powerful vampire. It would have been interesting to explore that more. In fact, I would have loved to see how that would have worked when Took was human, and it would be interesting to see how it plays out now when Took is a (weaker) vampire.
I do think the sex scenes could have been a little better at times. Sometimes they were too mechanical and not sensual enough for my tastes, especially for a vampire book. In particular, However, the sex scenes weren't bad by any means.
The book really focuses on Took's PTSD from horrific abuse. I appreciated that such a hellish experience was treated seriously. I did, however, think that Took probably functioned a little too well considering the description of his captivity. I also think it would have helped to see some more of his struggles rather than just hear about them (show, don't tell). For example, Also, a few times I wanted to punch Madoc for his takes on PTSD, but I took that in stride.
The secondary charactery, alongside the vampire-human relations, were great additions to the story. I want to spend more time with Pally and Quick.
Took's family was a great addition to the story as a subplot, which really elevated the book and moved it away from a procedural/formulaic format. The scene
The writing in this book is also seriously good. It's the kind of writing I spend all my time looking for. So often great premises fall foul of the weakness of the writing, but T A Moore has a great way of writing: I highlighted so many phrases.
There still seems much more of this story to unravel. Although it's been 4 years since the books release, I have my fingers crossed for a sequel. If you love vampire stories with horror, gore, and real romance, please read this book.
I won't resummarise the blurb of the book, but I'll say that while it is somehow reminiscent of the PI urban fantasy genre, it is wholly original, and a cut above.
I have an infinite weakness for good vampire stories. And by good vampire stories, I mean those that are dark, horror-filled and serious. I also have an infinite weakness for a good vampire romance, but not some of the silly romance stuff that proliferates the genre. This is a good vampire romance story.
The world-building and the vampire lore in this book is rich and detailed, which I loved. There is absolutely no exposition in this book, and exposition can be a failing of urban fantasy so I appreciated that. The book is written as if the reader lives in the world already and therefore already knows the answers. Solving the puzzle of the lore is part of the reading experience and I enjoyed it. The lore took me more or less the whole book to figure out. Even now, I am not 100% sure if I have everything understood and some of my answers are shaky. I'm a little on the fence as to whether the book took it a little too far at times. By and large though, it worked very well.
The plot is somewhat similar. I, admittedly, did struggle to follow it at times, although I think I have it largely understood in my head now. That may be due to the speed in which I read the book, as that can happen sometimes when I am racing through the pages. It was a good plot though: clever and gory.
I loved our main characters: they were individual and unique. Also, scary. Madoc was scary. As, I contend, vampires should be. Took was also f*cked up. And I love messed up characters. I like viciousness contrasted with vulnerability, and Took had that dynamic down pat.
The romance between the characters was also just so good. I enjoyed the weight of their history impacting on the romance in the novel. It made it tangible and painful at the same time. It felt like a real romance. They both had sharp edges at the start that they retained, which made the moments of intimacy particularly moving. They even got under each other's skin in a familiar way. A romance where the characters retain their personalities and edge is so refreshing. Yet at the same time, Madoc was so deeply romantic (while being a scary bastard). Top notch stuff.
I actually think that the getting together part of the love story could definitely have been dragged out a little more even - I could have seen that part of the relationship spanning several books.
And I feel like we only scratched the surface of Madoc. The difference in the power dynamic between Took and Madoc is also really intriguing, as Madoc apparently used to be in a position of much authority, and is a very powerful vampire. It would have been interesting to explore that more. In fact, I would have loved to see how that would have worked when Took was human, and it would be interesting to see how it plays out now when Took is a (weaker) vampire.
I do think the sex scenes could have been a little better at times. Sometimes they were too mechanical and not sensual enough for my tastes, especially for a vampire book. In particular, However, the sex scenes weren't bad by any means.
The book really focuses on Took's PTSD from horrific abuse. I appreciated that such a hellish experience was treated seriously. I did, however, think that Took probably functioned a little too well considering the description of his captivity. I also think it would have helped to see some more of his struggles rather than just hear about them (show, don't tell). For example, Also, a few times I wanted to punch Madoc for his takes on PTSD, but I took that in stride.
The secondary charactery, alongside the vampire-human relations, were great additions to the story. I want to spend more time with Pally and Quick.
Took's family was a great addition to the story as a subplot, which really elevated the book and moved it away from a procedural/formulaic format. The scene
The writing in this book is also seriously good. It's the kind of writing I spend all my time looking for. So often great premises fall foul of the weakness of the writing, but T A Moore has a great way of writing: I highlighted so many phrases.
There still seems much more of this story to unravel. Although it's been 4 years since the books release, I have my fingers crossed for a sequel. If you love vampire stories with horror, gore, and real romance, please read this book.
February 12, 2020
This was difficult to review as there were parts I loved and some that left me blinking and backtracking. I liked it, a whole lot, but felt I’d walked into the middle of story, like this should be book two, not book one. So, I double check, and yup, book one it is. I believe a bit was lost in translation starting where it did because I was a little confused and felt I needed to catch up and that was bit disconcerting and rarely bodes well for me. Plus, Took was took and used to be Luke. That was a mind bending at first.
I think what kept me going was the mystery behind who took Luke, now known as Took, and how much I loved Madoc. I was curious about the kids, but I really wanted to know what happened to Took, I wanted Took and Madoc to get squared away, and I want to know why Took was able to be turned with Gabriel as his father. So yeah, we all want different things, and I got some of what I wanted in this first book, but I will need to read further before I fully commit. We are off to a good start. These are not your normal vamps, but then again, who wants normal. I definitely look forward seeing what’s up next for our dynamic duo, and I hoping to get some closure on Took’s kidnapping and torture. That, more than anything, will keep me reading.
Overall Impression: I really liked it
I think what kept me going was the mystery behind who took Luke, now known as Took, and how much I loved Madoc. I was curious about the kids, but I really wanted to know what happened to Took, I wanted Took and Madoc to get squared away, and I want to know why Took was able to be turned with Gabriel as his father. So yeah, we all want different things, and I got some of what I wanted in this first book, but I will need to read further before I fully commit. We are off to a good start. These are not your normal vamps, but then again, who wants normal. I definitely look forward seeing what’s up next for our dynamic duo, and I hoping to get some closure on Took’s kidnapping and torture. That, more than anything, will keep me reading.
Overall Impression: I really liked it
September 14, 2023
This was published by Dreamspinner which tells you all you need to know about the non-existent editing. It’s a shame because there might be a good book somewhere in here.
September 16, 2019
Originally published at Reading Reality
Dead Man Stalking was a terrific reminder of what makes urban fantasy one of my go-to genres, especially when I’m in a reading slump and need to be knocked out of it! Because this one really knocked me out of my slump – and knocked one out of the park into the bargain.
As with the best of the genre, this is a story that turns some of the usually accepted paradigms around, as it makes heroes out of groups that are normally villains – and vice versa. It’s also, as so much of urban fantasy is, a detective story, where our “cops” have to investigate a series of crimes and figure out who, or what “dunnit.”
Of course, things are not as they seem, and not just because the cops in this case are vampires – not that they call themselves that.
Instead, we have a case that the investigators are positive is all sewn up, and a profiler who no longer trusts his own judgment poking his nose into that case and discovering that either the investigators missed something or that he’s further off the rails than he thought.
Took, formerly Luke, Bennett used to be the best profiler in the agency, until he was betrayed by someone he trusted, held captive for over a year, and changed from one of the few successful humans in the agency into shaky vampire who believes he’s lost his nerve.
Which doesn’t stop him from investigating that supposedly open-and-shut case, and doesn’t stop his former boss – and would-be lover – from racing across the country to get his ass out of the fire yet again.
And again.
Leading both of them deep into a case that gets darker and nastier the deeper they get into it. And exposes more of the fault lines in the trust between them as they dig under the surface of what they feel for each other.
Escape Rating A-: This was an absolute blast – a terrific way to spend a lazy afternoon, lost in a fascinating world, following a deadly investigation and a romance that shifts from cold to hot in the blink of an eye. And the whole world catches fire.
I didn’t even mind the cat on my chest holding me in place. He was doing me a favor, after all, providing an excuse for my reading binge.
One of the things I loved about this one was the way that history had worked in this alternative to our own. The way that the vampires (and werewolves) had always existed, and how that changed history, felt reminiscent of some of my favorites in the genre, like Sookie, and Pentonville, the Black Dagger Brotherhood and surprisingly, The Others.
Several of those series wrap around the idea that vamps have always not just walked among us, but run things either covertly or overtly. Also that vampire politics and vampire grudges are both epic and eternal.
And from The Others, that concept that “original recipe” humans are really hard-headed about their own superiority, in spite of repeated evidence to the contrary.
There’s a sense in Dead Man Stalking that we’ve been dropped into the middle of a case – only because we have – and into the midst of a fully realized world. I kept wanting a bit more background on who the players in the shadows are, and how things got to be the way they are. Although the introduction of the historical figure Elizabeth Bathory certainly added weight and depth and horror to that shadowy history. It’s something I’d love to see more of in future entries in the series.
I keep referring to Dead Man Stalking as urban fantasy, even though sometimes it gets referred to as paranormal romance. Yes, there is a romance, but it doesn’t feel like the center of the story. The case felt like the backbone of this one, at least to me. Your mileage may vary.
Whatever you think is the heart of this one, whether it’s an actual romantic heart or the kind that gets cut out by one’s enemies, Dead Man Stalking is compelling and absorbing and I can’t wait for the next book in the Blood and Bone series. This is a world I want to explore more deeply, and in the company of these characters.
Dead Man Stalking was a terrific reminder of what makes urban fantasy one of my go-to genres, especially when I’m in a reading slump and need to be knocked out of it! Because this one really knocked me out of my slump – and knocked one out of the park into the bargain.
As with the best of the genre, this is a story that turns some of the usually accepted paradigms around, as it makes heroes out of groups that are normally villains – and vice versa. It’s also, as so much of urban fantasy is, a detective story, where our “cops” have to investigate a series of crimes and figure out who, or what “dunnit.”
Of course, things are not as they seem, and not just because the cops in this case are vampires – not that they call themselves that.
Instead, we have a case that the investigators are positive is all sewn up, and a profiler who no longer trusts his own judgment poking his nose into that case and discovering that either the investigators missed something or that he’s further off the rails than he thought.
Took, formerly Luke, Bennett used to be the best profiler in the agency, until he was betrayed by someone he trusted, held captive for over a year, and changed from one of the few successful humans in the agency into shaky vampire who believes he’s lost his nerve.
Which doesn’t stop him from investigating that supposedly open-and-shut case, and doesn’t stop his former boss – and would-be lover – from racing across the country to get his ass out of the fire yet again.
And again.
Leading both of them deep into a case that gets darker and nastier the deeper they get into it. And exposes more of the fault lines in the trust between them as they dig under the surface of what they feel for each other.
Escape Rating A-: This was an absolute blast – a terrific way to spend a lazy afternoon, lost in a fascinating world, following a deadly investigation and a romance that shifts from cold to hot in the blink of an eye. And the whole world catches fire.
I didn’t even mind the cat on my chest holding me in place. He was doing me a favor, after all, providing an excuse for my reading binge.
One of the things I loved about this one was the way that history had worked in this alternative to our own. The way that the vampires (and werewolves) had always existed, and how that changed history, felt reminiscent of some of my favorites in the genre, like Sookie, and Pentonville, the Black Dagger Brotherhood and surprisingly, The Others.
Several of those series wrap around the idea that vamps have always not just walked among us, but run things either covertly or overtly. Also that vampire politics and vampire grudges are both epic and eternal.
And from The Others, that concept that “original recipe” humans are really hard-headed about their own superiority, in spite of repeated evidence to the contrary.
There’s a sense in Dead Man Stalking that we’ve been dropped into the middle of a case – only because we have – and into the midst of a fully realized world. I kept wanting a bit more background on who the players in the shadows are, and how things got to be the way they are. Although the introduction of the historical figure Elizabeth Bathory certainly added weight and depth and horror to that shadowy history. It’s something I’d love to see more of in future entries in the series.
I keep referring to Dead Man Stalking as urban fantasy, even though sometimes it gets referred to as paranormal romance. Yes, there is a romance, but it doesn’t feel like the center of the story. The case felt like the backbone of this one, at least to me. Your mileage may vary.
Whatever you think is the heart of this one, whether it’s an actual romantic heart or the kind that gets cut out by one’s enemies, Dead Man Stalking is compelling and absorbing and I can’t wait for the next book in the Blood and Bone series. This is a world I want to explore more deeply, and in the company of these characters.
September 11, 2019
I would rate this 4.75 stars.
This story features Agent Luke Bennett, aka Took, a member of the BITERs unit of the Anakim (vampire) police known as VINE. The reader is thrown into the action two years after Luke was Taken and turned. He's been in therapy and is acting as a P.I. His case throws him in the path of his old commander Madoc, who wants him back at work, and is in love with him. It seems obvious to say Took has PTSD; he can't remember the night he was taken and his fear seems to be getting worse instead of better, until he becomes consumed by this case and takes back his agency, literally and figuratively. As a former Cardinal for the Anakim, Madoc has always been a type of enforcer. He has a strength that Took finds and matches during the book. It switches between Took's and Madoc's POV. These are complex, three dimensional charcters. They have their blindspots, insecurities, and make mistakes; yet, both of these men can be cold, arrogant and prickly. For as much as these characters are not pleasant people, I loved them so much. Yes, the romance relies on the longer, off-page relationship in order to work, but the love scenes are hot (and bloody) and I love their working dynamic and banter.
I liked this new take on vampires, werewolves, and hunters. There was something called a Goat, but there wasn't much detail about this species. I believe there may be other shifters, but that's not explored in this book. While the political landscape is painted enough for this story to be successful, I wanted more, even if I think this book wasn't quite the right time without info dumps that I wouldn't want. There is also a weird shadow realm that is intriguing and terrifying, but not explained at all. The sorcerers are also not explained very much, but they are not capitalized like everyone else so I guess they are not considered born as their own species. There are times where the chapter or scene starts abruptly and I felt like I missed something until I kept reading and everything was explained: while this is a valid stylistic choice, I found it jarring. Although the secondary characters are all effectively utilized and would be great to build upon in other stories, I would have liked them a bit more concrete. (I did appreciate there wasn't a formulaic meet these characters that will be the couple in the next book type of setup.) These may be minor things, but they did keep me from giving this a 5 star rating. It was a near thing because I loved everything else about this, so let's talk about that. This is a book I will reread and will be on my best of the year list.
For those not familiar with this author, she always describes the scenes in stark details--gross, grimy, gory--but effective. This is brutal, as with any police case involving violence. I don't want to give spoilers, but for trigger warnings and tags you might want to keep these in mind: child abuse, brainwashing, murder, child trafficking, kidnapping, and torture. I found this urban fantasy/police investigation mashup really effective; both the world and the case are interesting and well thought out. The action scenes are really well done. The world-building here is fantastically layered in throughout the book. There is information the reader gleans from the thoughts and instincts of the characters, suppressed memories, flashbacks, dialogue, and the actions and their consequences. All of the events and discoveries lead to logical conclusions, but not always the ones that I thought they would from the beginning, yet I never felt blindsided with too many plot twists. I liked the intricacies of the story that require thought. Now that this world is built, I want so many new cases to be written, but I am also content if they are not. The last sentence of this book was perfect. Don't cheat, you have to read the whole thing.
The cover art is by Kanaxa. I didn't love it, although it is striking and conveys violence and blood, which are main themes of the story.
This story features Agent Luke Bennett, aka Took, a member of the BITERs unit of the Anakim (vampire) police known as VINE. The reader is thrown into the action two years after Luke was Taken and turned. He's been in therapy and is acting as a P.I. His case throws him in the path of his old commander Madoc, who wants him back at work, and is in love with him. It seems obvious to say Took has PTSD; he can't remember the night he was taken and his fear seems to be getting worse instead of better, until he becomes consumed by this case and takes back his agency, literally and figuratively. As a former Cardinal for the Anakim, Madoc has always been a type of enforcer. He has a strength that Took finds and matches during the book. It switches between Took's and Madoc's POV. These are complex, three dimensional charcters. They have their blindspots, insecurities, and make mistakes; yet, both of these men can be cold, arrogant and prickly. For as much as these characters are not pleasant people, I loved them so much. Yes, the romance relies on the longer, off-page relationship in order to work, but the love scenes are hot (and bloody) and I love their working dynamic and banter.
I liked this new take on vampires, werewolves, and hunters. There was something called a Goat, but there wasn't much detail about this species. I believe there may be other shifters, but that's not explored in this book. While the political landscape is painted enough for this story to be successful, I wanted more, even if I think this book wasn't quite the right time without info dumps that I wouldn't want. There is also a weird shadow realm that is intriguing and terrifying, but not explained at all. The sorcerers are also not explained very much, but they are not capitalized like everyone else so I guess they are not considered born as their own species. There are times where the chapter or scene starts abruptly and I felt like I missed something until I kept reading and everything was explained: while this is a valid stylistic choice, I found it jarring. Although the secondary characters are all effectively utilized and would be great to build upon in other stories, I would have liked them a bit more concrete. (I did appreciate there wasn't a formulaic meet these characters that will be the couple in the next book type of setup.) These may be minor things, but they did keep me from giving this a 5 star rating. It was a near thing because I loved everything else about this, so let's talk about that. This is a book I will reread and will be on my best of the year list.
For those not familiar with this author, she always describes the scenes in stark details--gross, grimy, gory--but effective. This is brutal, as with any police case involving violence. I don't want to give spoilers, but for trigger warnings and tags you might want to keep these in mind: child abuse, brainwashing, murder, child trafficking, kidnapping, and torture. I found this urban fantasy/police investigation mashup really effective; both the world and the case are interesting and well thought out. The action scenes are really well done. The world-building here is fantastically layered in throughout the book. There is information the reader gleans from the thoughts and instincts of the characters, suppressed memories, flashbacks, dialogue, and the actions and their consequences. All of the events and discoveries lead to logical conclusions, but not always the ones that I thought they would from the beginning, yet I never felt blindsided with too many plot twists. I liked the intricacies of the story that require thought. Now that this world is built, I want so many new cases to be written, but I am also content if they are not. The last sentence of this book was perfect. Don't cheat, you have to read the whole thing.
The cover art is by Kanaxa. I didn't love it, although it is striking and conveys violence and blood, which are main themes of the story.
November 23, 2019
** I WAS GIVEN THIS BOOK FOR MY READING PLEASURE **
~
Dead Man Stalking (Blood and Bone #1) by T.A. Moore
★★☆☆☆
260 Pages
POV: 3rd person
DNF'd at 5%. This review is to explain why.
Sadly, this book wasn't for me. When I signed on to review it, I didn't know it was horror/gore. It was billed “romantic suspense” and “paranormal romance” however, what I actually got was psychological thriller, horror, and gore. Not really what I signed up for, and not normally my cup of tea anyway.
Then came the writing. T.A. Moore is a new-to-me author, in that this is the first book of theirs I've read. I have others that I've bought, but never had time to read yet. This one doesn't inspire me to start them, to be honest. While the writing style was great in certain aspects, it was also disjointed and a bit all over the place. Small things were over-detailed to the point where a gate – yes, a gate – had an entire paragraph of description, down to the shade of rust and its past history. Whereas important things, like the term Goat – which I presume is some kind of insult, or nickname, or paranormal term – was never explained in the 5% I read, despite being used six times in one chapter.
The entire 5% that I read is another problem. Because that was ONE chapter. That is huge, for a book that is 200+ pages. And, unfortunately, it made the lack of explanation, attention to detail, and worldbuilding all the more obvious. If there had been an introductory chapter – a Prologue or a short Chapter 1 – to build intrigue, interest and suspense, it might have worked better. But, instead, we were thrown right into this Urban Fantasy world with complex terms, ideas and rules, that were never explained. There is one instance where the term VINE is explained in terms of it being an acronym, but the actual meaning of the word, and the department its associated with, has no context, no explanation, and no meaning to anyone who isn't inside the author's head. Similarly, for Goat and the term “breathing rights” as well as multiple others.
For a story that is about vampires, they actually weren't even mentioned by that word until 2%, about 3 pages in, and it was used as though it should be a surprise. That we shouldn't know vampires existed. It felt counter-productive and an odd choice.
I also wasn't a fan of the main character Took, for various reasons. One of which was that he seemed to have a brain that could think and feel for itself. And I'm not joking. I mean that the writing was so disjointed that his brain was often referred to as “it” and acted, thought and behaved independently of himself. Or so you would believe from the writing.
Overall, I felt like I was reading a book that I should have been familiar with before I started. Like I'd already read the previous book, where the worldbuilding had been meticulously set up, and this was just another addition to a world I already knew. Except...it wasn't. The writing style was generally good, but the execution of the plotting, worldbuilding, and attention to detail was lacking. The theme was much darker than advertised, when I agreed to review it, and it lacks the care that would make this a cohesive story, binding all the mismatched pieces together.
If the story can't make sense after 5%, and the author doesn't bother to explain terms used multiple times in that space, I'm only going to find myself confused, irritated and angry, if I venture to read any more. That's counter-productive to both myself and the author.
So, I'm leaving this one at – not my cup of tea – and I'll give the author another shot, in the future. Hopefully, this book is a fluke and I'll love their other work.
~
Dead Man Stalking (Blood and Bone #1) by T.A. Moore
★★☆☆☆
260 Pages
POV: 3rd person
DNF'd at 5%. This review is to explain why.
Sadly, this book wasn't for me. When I signed on to review it, I didn't know it was horror/gore. It was billed “romantic suspense” and “paranormal romance” however, what I actually got was psychological thriller, horror, and gore. Not really what I signed up for, and not normally my cup of tea anyway.
Then came the writing. T.A. Moore is a new-to-me author, in that this is the first book of theirs I've read. I have others that I've bought, but never had time to read yet. This one doesn't inspire me to start them, to be honest. While the writing style was great in certain aspects, it was also disjointed and a bit all over the place. Small things were over-detailed to the point where a gate – yes, a gate – had an entire paragraph of description, down to the shade of rust and its past history. Whereas important things, like the term Goat – which I presume is some kind of insult, or nickname, or paranormal term – was never explained in the 5% I read, despite being used six times in one chapter.
The entire 5% that I read is another problem. Because that was ONE chapter. That is huge, for a book that is 200+ pages. And, unfortunately, it made the lack of explanation, attention to detail, and worldbuilding all the more obvious. If there had been an introductory chapter – a Prologue or a short Chapter 1 – to build intrigue, interest and suspense, it might have worked better. But, instead, we were thrown right into this Urban Fantasy world with complex terms, ideas and rules, that were never explained. There is one instance where the term VINE is explained in terms of it being an acronym, but the actual meaning of the word, and the department its associated with, has no context, no explanation, and no meaning to anyone who isn't inside the author's head. Similarly, for Goat and the term “breathing rights” as well as multiple others.
For a story that is about vampires, they actually weren't even mentioned by that word until 2%, about 3 pages in, and it was used as though it should be a surprise. That we shouldn't know vampires existed. It felt counter-productive and an odd choice.
I also wasn't a fan of the main character Took, for various reasons. One of which was that he seemed to have a brain that could think and feel for itself. And I'm not joking. I mean that the writing was so disjointed that his brain was often referred to as “it” and acted, thought and behaved independently of himself. Or so you would believe from the writing.
Overall, I felt like I was reading a book that I should have been familiar with before I started. Like I'd already read the previous book, where the worldbuilding had been meticulously set up, and this was just another addition to a world I already knew. Except...it wasn't. The writing style was generally good, but the execution of the plotting, worldbuilding, and attention to detail was lacking. The theme was much darker than advertised, when I agreed to review it, and it lacks the care that would make this a cohesive story, binding all the mismatched pieces together.
If the story can't make sense after 5%, and the author doesn't bother to explain terms used multiple times in that space, I'm only going to find myself confused, irritated and angry, if I venture to read any more. That's counter-productive to both myself and the author.
So, I'm leaving this one at – not my cup of tea – and I'll give the author another shot, in the future. Hopefully, this book is a fluke and I'll love their other work.
September 6, 2019
After learning to fight monsters, Luke Bennett has now to learn how to live as one of them....
Luke Bennett was once the golden boy of the BITERS unit, until a year kidnapped by the same monsters he chased left him broken and traumatised. Working as a consultant to keep his mind from dwelling in his nightmares, he crashes into his old unit, and the very vamp he is most terrified of, Cardinal Madoc, the vamp who said he loved him, the vamp who may have turned him into a monster….
So… I have mixed feelings about this story. On the one hand, the characters are compelling. I like my characters flawed and tortured, and both Madoc and Took (Luke) are so. Theirs is a twisted relationship which is mixes anger, desire, suspicion… and ends up sexy as hell. I fell for these two fast and hard, specially for Madoc, a vamp with plenty of secrets and a most intriguing past I would love to read about. The secondary characters are interesting as well. The plot was good, fast paced and intriguing, the mystery solid. What is the problem, then? Well, in my opinion it is in the world building. There are not clear explanations of what’s going on, the world building is reduced to a few clues and relies on the reader being able to infer from them how this society works and what’s going on here. I do not consider myself slow, and yet, I spent most of the story lost, trying to understand why things were happening. Once you get involved in the plot, the world building stops being so important, because the mystery is interesting, but I honestly thing I would have enjoyed it a lot more if I knew what the characters were talking about most of the time (one can always resort to a glossary, in case one wants to avoid explanations slowing the narration).
Despite the issue I had with the world building, I enjoyed this story a lot. TA Moore always delivers a good story, whether it is a light, sweet romance or a darker fantasy like this one
Very entertaining.
Luke Bennett was once the golden boy of the BITERS unit, until a year kidnapped by the same monsters he chased left him broken and traumatised. Working as a consultant to keep his mind from dwelling in his nightmares, he crashes into his old unit, and the very vamp he is most terrified of, Cardinal Madoc, the vamp who said he loved him, the vamp who may have turned him into a monster….
So… I have mixed feelings about this story. On the one hand, the characters are compelling. I like my characters flawed and tortured, and both Madoc and Took (Luke) are so. Theirs is a twisted relationship which is mixes anger, desire, suspicion… and ends up sexy as hell. I fell for these two fast and hard, specially for Madoc, a vamp with plenty of secrets and a most intriguing past I would love to read about. The secondary characters are interesting as well. The plot was good, fast paced and intriguing, the mystery solid. What is the problem, then? Well, in my opinion it is in the world building. There are not clear explanations of what’s going on, the world building is reduced to a few clues and relies on the reader being able to infer from them how this society works and what’s going on here. I do not consider myself slow, and yet, I spent most of the story lost, trying to understand why things were happening. Once you get involved in the plot, the world building stops being so important, because the mystery is interesting, but I honestly thing I would have enjoyed it a lot more if I knew what the characters were talking about most of the time (one can always resort to a glossary, in case one wants to avoid explanations slowing the narration).
Despite the issue I had with the world building, I enjoyed this story a lot. TA Moore always delivers a good story, whether it is a light, sweet romance or a darker fantasy like this one
Very entertaining.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 10, 2019
I really loved this book - I started reading it in a break at work, and couldn't put it down, finishing it in a day. Absolutely amazing!
I don't tend to go over characters or plot in reviews, and I'm not going to start now... Story line wise, it's a bit of departure from the other, contemporary works of TA Moore's that I've read. It features vampires and werewolves and magic, and an alternative USA/world where people and 'monsters' are trying to get along. It's a detective/action adventure with a bit of a horror twist, and Moore writes a breakneck speed plot that had me captivated.
The world building is REALLY impressive, with more a 'show, not tell' style that was immersive. I know some others in these reviews have found it a bit confusing, and it is really fast paced. While I did have to re-read a couple of bits, I personally love that in a story - I hate it when authors spoon feed their audience with the scene setting and give long explanations that interfere with the story line, even if I do have loads of questions about the lore. In this case, TA Moore provides explanations and descriptions when and where they're needed - I imagine that even more will information will be revealed in later books, and at the moment I'm completely happy with some gaps in my world building knowledge.
The imagery is really vivid, and I felt pretty grossed out at some descriptions, but it was AH-MAZING (I do love horror fictions, if not horror movies!). The themes are pretty dark, which again is my preferred area of reading, so I was VERY happy with this turn of style, and I'm considering reading the Wolf Winter series, which previously I'm skipped because the description didn't really appeal to me.
I'm REALLY eagerly awaiting the sequel, as there are still unanswered mysteries, and I cannot wait to be back with the characters and TA Moore's wonderful writing style.
(I was provided an ARC in exchange for an honest review)
I don't tend to go over characters or plot in reviews, and I'm not going to start now... Story line wise, it's a bit of departure from the other, contemporary works of TA Moore's that I've read. It features vampires and werewolves and magic, and an alternative USA/world where people and 'monsters' are trying to get along. It's a detective/action adventure with a bit of a horror twist, and Moore writes a breakneck speed plot that had me captivated.
The world building is REALLY impressive, with more a 'show, not tell' style that was immersive. I know some others in these reviews have found it a bit confusing, and it is really fast paced. While I did have to re-read a couple of bits, I personally love that in a story - I hate it when authors spoon feed their audience with the scene setting and give long explanations that interfere with the story line, even if I do have loads of questions about the lore. In this case, TA Moore provides explanations and descriptions when and where they're needed - I imagine that even more will information will be revealed in later books, and at the moment I'm completely happy with some gaps in my world building knowledge.
The imagery is really vivid, and I felt pretty grossed out at some descriptions, but it was AH-MAZING (I do love horror fictions, if not horror movies!). The themes are pretty dark, which again is my preferred area of reading, so I was VERY happy with this turn of style, and I'm considering reading the Wolf Winter series, which previously I'm skipped because the description didn't really appeal to me.
I'm REALLY eagerly awaiting the sequel, as there are still unanswered mysteries, and I cannot wait to be back with the characters and TA Moore's wonderful writing style.
(I was provided an ARC in exchange for an honest review)
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