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Thicker Than Water #3
Love Heals
Do vampires deserve love?
I should have died, the night I got stabbed. Instead, I was reborn as a vampire. New name, new identity--new master.
My sire treated me like his pet. It was rough, at first, but I learned to adapt, learned to please him. Learned to follow every one of my sire's commands.
Now he's gone, killed by a pack of mortals. Mortals who seem to think they've rescued me. One of them, Jared, claims that he knew me back when I was mortal too. I'm not the person I used to be, though.
Truth be told, after three years with my sire, I'm barely a person at all.
But Jared is stubborn. He doesn't seem to care how broken I am, and I can't resist him. He makes me feel things I didn't know I could feel anymore. He makes me want things I shouldn't want. He makes me feel like maybe I have something to live for after all.
If only I could break my sire's hold on my mind.
I should have died, the night I got stabbed. Instead, I was reborn as a vampire. New name, new identity--new master.
My sire treated me like his pet. It was rough, at first, but I learned to adapt, learned to please him. Learned to follow every one of my sire's commands.
Now he's gone, killed by a pack of mortals. Mortals who seem to think they've rescued me. One of them, Jared, claims that he knew me back when I was mortal too. I'm not the person I used to be, though.
Truth be told, after three years with my sire, I'm barely a person at all.
But Jared is stubborn. He doesn't seem to care how broken I am, and I can't resist him. He makes me feel things I didn't know I could feel anymore. He makes me want things I shouldn't want. He makes me feel like maybe I have something to live for after all.
If only I could break my sire's hold on my mind.
314 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 1, 2020
95 people are currently reading
164 people want to read
About the author
Ann-Katrin Byrde
48 books505 followersAnn-Katrin Byrde is a writing duo comprised of Ana J. Phoenix and Kate Lowell. As a team they strive to bring you the best mpreg stories they can. They both love to write, read and dream. In their spare time, you can often catch them hunting wild plot bunnies in the fields of their imagination.
(Source: Amazon.com)
(Source: Amazon.com)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
February 18, 2023
Silas is a cinnamon roll and definitely deserved better than what he got. Seeing him with Jared, finally learning that he's worth things and deserved to be treated well was a delight. And the way the plot is going! I'm beyond entranced, and so glad this series is fully published because the wait would kill me.
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September 28, 2020🎁 FREE on Amazon today (9/28/2020)! 🎁
June 4, 2020
This book picks up after the events in book 2, so I would probably recommend reading this series in order since so many of the overall plot points and characters are overlapping.
We first met Silas when he was under control of his sire. Now his sire is dead, but Silas is struggling to move on, trying to find his own place in the world, and working on being able to think for himself after such mental, emotional, and physical trauma and torture that his sire put him through. This story focuses a lot on Silas healing and recovering.
A large part of that comes from Jared, one of the human dhampirs and one of the adopted siblings we met back in the first story. Jared remembers Silas before he was a vampire. He sees that Silas is still recovering and is afraid to take advantage of him, despite how badly he wants him. I really like that we have these characters who knew who the other was before one became a vampire. It really gives an interesting dynamic of attraction and falling for that person, whether human or vampire.
Throughout all of this, we also have the overall story of the prophecy, Vlad continuing to show up, and just what will be happening to the vampires. I, for one, can't wait for Vlad's story - there are some revelations at the end of this story that have me really looking forward to his whole story!
Next up will most likely be Remi and Aldrich's story, which I am also looking forward to.
(also, you'll note the mpreg shelf tag - super, super light. So even if mpreg isn't your jam, I think you'll be okay with this series if you love vampires!)
I received an arc in exchange for an honest review.
We first met Silas when he was under control of his sire. Now his sire is dead, but Silas is struggling to move on, trying to find his own place in the world, and working on being able to think for himself after such mental, emotional, and physical trauma and torture that his sire put him through. This story focuses a lot on Silas healing and recovering.
A large part of that comes from Jared, one of the human dhampirs and one of the adopted siblings we met back in the first story. Jared remembers Silas before he was a vampire. He sees that Silas is still recovering and is afraid to take advantage of him, despite how badly he wants him. I really like that we have these characters who knew who the other was before one became a vampire. It really gives an interesting dynamic of attraction and falling for that person, whether human or vampire.
Throughout all of this, we also have the overall story of the prophecy, Vlad continuing to show up, and just what will be happening to the vampires. I, for one, can't wait for Vlad's story - there are some revelations at the end of this story that have me really looking forward to his whole story!
Next up will most likely be Remi and Aldrich's story, which I am also looking forward to.
(also, you'll note the mpreg shelf tag - super, super light. So even if mpreg isn't your jam, I think you'll be okay with this series if you love vampires!)
I received an arc in exchange for an honest review.
October 20, 2020
18+ MPREG- RTC-
Rating: 3 Stars.
Steam: 6 out of 10.
Triggers:
Love Triangle:
Cheating:
HEA:
Rating: 3 Stars.
Steam: 6 out of 10.
Triggers:
Love Triangle:
Cheating:
HEA:
June 4, 2020
Every time I read a book in this series I instantly want the next one! AKB has this was of just dropping bombs that get you completely hooked. It’s not cliffhangers, but rather you become so immersed in the world you just can’t wait to see what happens next. I loved Jared and Silas. There were definitely more elements of hurt/comfort in this one than in the previous books and it was so well done. Silas was in a very damaging relationship and to watch him grow with Jared was beautiful. I can’t wait to see where it all goes with the vampires/dhampirs and prophecies!
June 7, 2020
2/5
N4M
N4M
July 19, 2023
Gotta love a broken spirit x doting caregiver romance. Silas was such a good boy and I’m so happy he got his happily ever after and Jared was so patient.
June 3, 2020
In this book we return to our rag-tag team of vamp/dampires as they recover from book 2's explosive ending. We focus specifically on damphir brother Jared as he nurses the canary shifting vampire Silas. Silas has spent his vampire life trapped in a mind-break-BDSM-sex-slave relationship with his sire Nicolai. I credit Ann-Katrin Byrde for giving the appropriate amount of creepiness such a relationship entails without going too far past the boarder of disturbing. So most of this book follows Silas's mental recovery with the power of love. If I had to name one flaw its that I felt we spent way too much time developing Silas and Jared's relationship while the larger plot of the Damphire Prophecy sat in the background. In other words I'm spoiled and want more explosions like in book 2. But if you love vampires, mpreg, and hurt/comfort romance then this is definitely the book for you.
(Warning this is not a standalone. Read the books 1 and 2 first.)
(Warning this is not a standalone. Read the books 1 and 2 first.)
November 8, 2020
First of all - that cover. Damn. All the covers of this series are gorgeous, but this one...no wonder Jared wanted to be all over Silas.
ANYWAY. I am in love with this series and I'm dreading it being over, even though I need to know how it ends. It's so unique with regard to vampire stories. I mean, I'm a sucker for vampires in general, but I really like the different aspects of this world that separate it from many other stories and how the authors work in tiny details that become more important as the plot thickens.
I found Silas and Jared to be very sympathetic and likeable characters - it was easy to slip into their minds and root for them both. They didn't always make great decisions, but I understood why they did what they did. Also, besides Silas' obvious physical beauty, I understood why Jared wanted to wrap him up, protect him, and put him ahead of anything and everyone else. It was clear that no one had ever done that for Silas.
One other thing I've appreciated in this series is the sex scenes. They don't feel cookie cutter all the time. I used to think people were nuts when they said they got bored with sex scenes, but I've definitely started to understand that sentiment with some books I've read/listened to lately, how some just haven't felt as visceral. I thought perhaps I was just not in the right mental space for them, but this series has definitely gotten my rapt attention through them. It's not like they're doing anything unusual, (beyond some vampiric aspects here & there), or that they're more or less graphic, but just something about them that feels more vivid. It could be John Solo's narration or just me, but there it is.
Speaking of the narration, it is truly excellent. One aspect of Silas' character is that he battles different voices in his head, the voice of what he wants for himself and the voice brainwashed by his sire. John Solo did an excellent job of separating Silas' arguing inner thoughts and his words said out loud. The only tiny thing I found imperfect was that he seemed to have changed the voice he'd given Crimson in the previous book, at least somewhat, in much the same way that he changed Colin's voice slightly after book 1. These books do have a very large number of main male characters, so I can see the reason for having to make slight alterations in order to maintain differentiation as the cast has grown.
To emphasize how much I still absolutely love this series, as soon as the standard "Audible hopes you have enjoyed this program" ended, I started up Love Lives.
ANYWAY. I am in love with this series and I'm dreading it being over, even though I need to know how it ends. It's so unique with regard to vampire stories. I mean, I'm a sucker for vampires in general, but I really like the different aspects of this world that separate it from many other stories and how the authors work in tiny details that become more important as the plot thickens.
I found Silas and Jared to be very sympathetic and likeable characters - it was easy to slip into their minds and root for them both. They didn't always make great decisions, but I understood why they did what they did. Also, besides Silas' obvious physical beauty, I understood why Jared wanted to wrap him up, protect him, and put him ahead of anything and everyone else. It was clear that no one had ever done that for Silas.
One other thing I've appreciated in this series is the sex scenes. They don't feel cookie cutter all the time. I used to think people were nuts when they said they got bored with sex scenes, but I've definitely started to understand that sentiment with some books I've read/listened to lately, how some just haven't felt as visceral. I thought perhaps I was just not in the right mental space for them, but this series has definitely gotten my rapt attention through them. It's not like they're doing anything unusual, (beyond some vampiric aspects here & there), or that they're more or less graphic, but just something about them that feels more vivid. It could be John Solo's narration or just me, but there it is.
Speaking of the narration, it is truly excellent. One aspect of Silas' character is that he battles different voices in his head, the voice of what he wants for himself and the voice brainwashed by his sire. John Solo did an excellent job of separating Silas' arguing inner thoughts and his words said out loud. The only tiny thing I found imperfect was that he seemed to have changed the voice he'd given Crimson in the previous book, at least somewhat, in much the same way that he changed Colin's voice slightly after book 1. These books do have a very large number of main male characters, so I can see the reason for having to make slight alterations in order to maintain differentiation as the cast has grown.
To emphasize how much I still absolutely love this series, as soon as the standard "Audible hopes you have enjoyed this program" ended, I started up Love Lives.
August 30, 2020
Love Heals is the third book in the Thicker than Water series, a vampire/dhampirs mpreg series. These books should be read in order since there is an overarching series plot. Each of the books focuses on a different couple, but all the previous couples and characters from the other books are deeply intertwined with the plot of book 3.
Silas has been the pet of a sadistic vampire coven leader since he was first turned. The abuse he’s gone through on both the psychological and emotional level has been intense and has left a severe mark on his psyche. Jared is drawn to Silas, due both to the past they’ve shared and a future he hopes they’ll have. But first Silas has to heal before anything romantic can really grow between them. While they deal with all the trauma of Silas’ past, things are heating up in the war between the vampires and dhampirs and it’s more imperative than ever that Jared’s family and allies figure out the secrets behind the ancient prophecy that started the war in the first place.
This book was fantastic. Silas had a lot of pain and trauma he had to heal from and at points he had to fight through his previous conditioning to protect Jared. The love between the two of them was sweet to watch develop and grow. Not only did I fall in love with Jared and Silas, but I also enjoyed seeing all the other couples again and I’m so excited to see how Remy and Ulrich’s relationship develops. Ann-Katrin Byrde is a wonderful writing duo and their writing talent is evident in their prose, style, characterization, and plot building.
The audiobook is narrated by the wonderful John Solo. John does an outstanding job with the narration of this book, just like he did the first two books. John keeps his character voices consistent from book to book and all through this narration which made it really easy to follow along in the story. The energy John put into audiobook performance was perfect and really fit each different scene within the book. The audiobook production was well done and really enjoyed listening to it.
Silas has been the pet of a sadistic vampire coven leader since he was first turned. The abuse he’s gone through on both the psychological and emotional level has been intense and has left a severe mark on his psyche. Jared is drawn to Silas, due both to the past they’ve shared and a future he hopes they’ll have. But first Silas has to heal before anything romantic can really grow between them. While they deal with all the trauma of Silas’ past, things are heating up in the war between the vampires and dhampirs and it’s more imperative than ever that Jared’s family and allies figure out the secrets behind the ancient prophecy that started the war in the first place.
This book was fantastic. Silas had a lot of pain and trauma he had to heal from and at points he had to fight through his previous conditioning to protect Jared. The love between the two of them was sweet to watch develop and grow. Not only did I fall in love with Jared and Silas, but I also enjoyed seeing all the other couples again and I’m so excited to see how Remy and Ulrich’s relationship develops. Ann-Katrin Byrde is a wonderful writing duo and their writing talent is evident in their prose, style, characterization, and plot building.
The audiobook is narrated by the wonderful John Solo. John does an outstanding job with the narration of this book, just like he did the first two books. John keeps his character voices consistent from book to book and all through this narration which made it really easy to follow along in the story. The energy John put into audiobook performance was perfect and really fit each different scene within the book. The audiobook production was well done and really enjoyed listening to it.
August 29, 2020
This is a review for the Audio Version.
I appreciate Ann-Katrin Byrde for starting off each book with a recap of events from previous book(s) for those of us who sometimes have foggy mind when it comes to remembering pass events from other books in series.
In book 3 of Thicker Than Water we follow Jared and Silas’ story.
Jared along with the help of his brothers nurse the canary shifting vampire Silas, after he was injured helping Luke and Crimson escape the building before the bomb went off in book 2.
Jared recognized Silas when he was brought to the house after the bombing and volunteered to take care of him through his recovery.
As this story starts it gives us flashback of Silas’ life as Nicolai’s pet, the hurt, the pain, the anquish he suffered. With Jared’s help the healing begins and love blooms for these two.
I recommend this book.
Ann-Katrin Byrde did and excellent job yet again giving these two characters their story. Thank you guys I enjoyed every minute.
Thank you John Solo for narrating this book and bringing these characters to life. I love the voices you give to each character. Without your voice I would have spent two+ days, give or take, getting through the ebook format..LOL
I appreciate Ann-Katrin Byrde for starting off each book with a recap of events from previous book(s) for those of us who sometimes have foggy mind when it comes to remembering pass events from other books in series.
In book 3 of Thicker Than Water we follow Jared and Silas’ story.
Jared along with the help of his brothers nurse the canary shifting vampire Silas, after he was injured helping Luke and Crimson escape the building before the bomb went off in book 2.
Jared recognized Silas when he was brought to the house after the bombing and volunteered to take care of him through his recovery.
As this story starts it gives us flashback of Silas’ life as Nicolai’s pet, the hurt, the pain, the anquish he suffered. With Jared’s help the healing begins and love blooms for these two.
I recommend this book.
Ann-Katrin Byrde did and excellent job yet again giving these two characters their story. Thank you guys I enjoyed every minute.
Thank you John Solo for narrating this book and bringing these characters to life. I love the voices you give to each character. Without your voice I would have spent two+ days, give or take, getting through the ebook format..LOL
September 16, 2020
Love is seeing all the flaws and blemishes and accepting them. Love is accepting the bad habits and mannerisms, and working around them. Love is recognizing all the fears and insecurities, and knowing your role is to comfort. Love is working through all the challenges and painful times. ~Unknown~
This is my favorite book of the series so far. Jared and Silas's relationship was everything!! I love how Jared was like a mountain, holding sturdy & strong through Silas's storms. The way Silas was treated by his Sire made me cringe whenever he had flashbacks. It was hard to listen to his suffering and I wanted to jump inside the book to keep him safe. But, Silas's strength through his healing journey was beautiful. I loved everything about this story! I can't wait to see where Aldrich and Remy's relationship takes us next, there is still so much to deal with between the war brewing and coven issues. I feel like this book left off on a bit of a cliffhanger, if you are an audible only listener you might want to wait on this series until it's fully complete. I'm giving a heads up because of how much I love this series and how quickly I devoured it. 💕
This is my favorite book of the series so far. Jared and Silas's relationship was everything!! I love how Jared was like a mountain, holding sturdy & strong through Silas's storms. The way Silas was treated by his Sire made me cringe whenever he had flashbacks. It was hard to listen to his suffering and I wanted to jump inside the book to keep him safe. But, Silas's strength through his healing journey was beautiful. I loved everything about this story! I can't wait to see where Aldrich and Remy's relationship takes us next, there is still so much to deal with between the war brewing and coven issues. I feel like this book left off on a bit of a cliffhanger, if you are an audible only listener you might want to wait on this series until it's fully complete. I'm giving a heads up because of how much I love this series and how quickly I devoured it. 💕
June 17, 2020
This author did an excellent job at the beginning of this book catching the readers up on the last two books, so we could forge ahead without struggling to remember who is who. Jared watches over Silas, a young vampire who was made into Master Nicolai's "Pet." Knowing Silas when he was a street urchin using sex to survive, he finds his attraction to the Michael he knew still persists as he tries to find a spark of the man he new in the vampire now called Silas. In the meantime Vlad and Puck are still in the picture with their talk of a proficesy that will bring dhampirs into their own again where they will understand their magic that will protect them from the vampires. Danger lurks as the vampires prepare for retaliation after the bomb that Luke set off and the death of their master. Silas and Jared's connection deepen and their love blossoms. Remy is the next up to find his mate and I can't wait to find out what comes next in this exciting series.
June 8, 2020
Jared is my new Book boyfriend I love him! This is book 3 in this serie and is about Silas a vampire and Jared is a Dhampir. Jared and his brother’s are trying to help Silas, he is the vampire who help Luke and Crimson escape the tower in the last book and because of that he thinks he is a traidor, poor Silas his master do horrible things to him and he can help to feel that he don’t deserve good things but Jared will helping him because he knew Silas when he was human... each chapter in this book gets better and better, every time I read a book in this series I want the next one ASAP! There’s not cliffhangers in his serie but you need to read this books in order. This is a hurt/comfort, second chances book. I can’t wait to see where it all goes with the vampires/dhampirs and prophecies, hope the next book is Remy!
August 31, 2020
Sometimes, when you are a huge fan of an author, any book is a must have for you, and an automatic click when possible. Ms Byrde is that kind of author for me. I was expecting this book for so long that as soon as I had the opportunity I got it. And as always Ms Byrde didn't disappoint. The book is the best in the series so far, I know, I said the same with the previous one, but seriously, each book is much better than the previous one. The story is consolidating and every addition, every new character, every new little thing we learned in the complex and interesting plot, made everything just better. This book is totally about Silas and Jared and how they overcame many obstacles to be together, to demonstrate that really Love heals... The world that Ms Byrde created in this series is getting better and better, I can't wait for the next one!
June 9, 2020
The flashbacks to Silas's times with Nicolai were heartbreaking, and I empathized with Silas. Silas was so deeply entrenched in his Stockholm syndrome that I feared he'd never be free from it's tentacles! Nicolai's hold beyond the grave was gutwrenching and mindblowing! It hurt my soul. It was almost painful watching Silas slowly piece by piece reclaiming his free will and his mind. The part with Drizzit broke me and I had to quit reading for a while, because it really affected me. For me, this was an emotional journey with characters I became invested in and needed more of. The ending was a major tease- more please. Loved it.
June 7, 2020
Love Heals is Book 3 in the Thicker Than Water series. I love this beautifully written book and I didn't want it to end. This series just keeps getting better. There's so much to love about this series. In this story Silas is safe or at least his body is. His mind is entirely different. Though with Jared's help Silas's mind also becomes a safe place. I love Silas and Jared together. I'm glad they found their way back to each other. And let me say I just love Silas's spirit animal. The siblings' journey to find the truth continues.
I highly recommend this book and I'm ready for the next one.
I highly recommend this book and I'm ready for the next one.
June 4, 2020
Now I will definitely recommend that you read this series in order. This pick up right where the second book left off. With the that said I know that this story was going to be an emotional rollercoaster. I love Silas and Jared's story. It definitely broke my heart of all the things that Nicolai did to Silas to break him. So I love seeing Silas journey to recover. This is such an amazing addition to this series and I can't wait for the next one.
July 20, 2021
3.5
I really wanted to like this more but I couldn't get over how forced the connection felt, I wish there had been some sort of hints to it beforehand. I will say I'm enjoying this world-building and how things are being discovered and coming together. I was a little overwhelmed at times but not in a bad way, and I'm really interested in Vlad!
I really wanted to like this more but I couldn't get over how forced the connection felt, I wish there had been some sort of hints to it beforehand. I will say I'm enjoying this world-building and how things are being discovered and coming together. I was a little overwhelmed at times but not in a bad way, and I'm really interested in Vlad!
July 9, 2020
Another amazing book. I found the ending of this part way more satisfying. Jared has to be my favourite character as of yet. My only complaint is why did it have to end so soon. I think next book will be remys but I was hoping to see more about Jared’s little addition
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May 5, 2022
This was a struggle to read. It took me about 3 months to finally finish it. It was a struggle to pick it up but I generally do not like DNF’ing books if I got 50% in (it’s either I fully drop it or finish it). My expectations were too high and I don’t think I will read the rest of the series.
September 4, 2020
Yet another great instalment!!
Can’t wait for the next audiobook to be released - hopefully won’t be too long in between 😁
Definitely worth the 5🌟’s as usual 😊
Can’t wait for the next audiobook to be released - hopefully won’t be too long in between 😁
Definitely worth the 5🌟’s as usual 😊
September 19, 2020
3,5/5 stars
October 9, 2020
Wonderful
Another brilliant addition to the series. It will keep you gripped wanting to know what happens next for the family. A must read.
Another brilliant addition to the series. It will keep you gripped wanting to know what happens next for the family. A must read.
Read
October 14, 2020Was curious to read this book but no it's definitely not for me so I didn't finish it.
January 19, 2021
3.5 stars
September 3, 2021
Book 3 is Silas and Jared turn and I was not let down. Great story of healing and love. Read it and enjoy. Must in my mind be read in sequence.
March 16, 2022
really enjoying this series
February 27, 2023
This was so hard to finish. It was honestly impressive how uninvested I was, considering the backstories of the MCs were pretty impressive.
July 3, 2021
The series is getting better
The series is getting better over books. It is improving because the story is getting deeper and the characters more interesting
The series is getting better over books. It is improving because the story is getting deeper and the characters more interesting
Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews