Clichés meant to make one feel better in a time of sorrow. How do these apply when the one you trust most isn’t among the living? Beware of things that go bump in the night when what you really need to fear is life itself. The one thing you will never get out of alive…
Elijah Walker has done his best to blend in amongst humans for centuries, drinking his fill and doing his best not to kill. Humans. Witnessing their digression firsthand, reverting to their caveman beginnings makes it hard to contain the beast lurking inside.
Liam Aldrich has spent his life in his family’s shadow. Never allowed to step out of line and forced into a life made for him rather than one he would have chosen for himself. Now the one time he has a choice that only he can make could end it all.
With Liam’s life and Elijah’s heart on the line, the pair are left at a crossroad forced to determine a path in which they could find may not align.
A portion of this book was previously available in the Virgin Shifters anthology.
TL Travis is the published author of a plethora of LGBTQ+ Erotica and Romance musings that have earned her a “Best Selling Author” flag in the US as well as Internationally.
In her spare time, when she’s not weaving steamy webs, she enjoys fishing, wine tasting and people watching. Everyone has a story to tell, half the fun is conjuring what it is.
TL’s surrounded by her 4-legged rescue family, her sons and adorable grandson. She will continue saving furry friends in need for as long as she can. Tl would like to remind you to “Adopt, not shop.” Saving that lost soul may very well save yours.
The story starts out in England with Elijah being turned into a vampire. He had a wonderful loving mother but his dad was horrible who turned on him and left him for dead. Two hundred years later he is living in Anacortes, Washington. He meets Liam, who is from a controlling family. He tries to get Liam to understand that no one has the right to control and dominate him. I seriously adored Elijah and Liam, their banter was great. They had a wonderful connection. Overall, loved it, sooo good. The story hooked me. The story was really well written and kept me engaged, the pacing flowed smoothly, highly recommend.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Lately, I have read several vampire stories and they all have their own touch of uniqueness. Now, TL Travis brings, “Pity the Living, Not the Dead”, with its own unique vampire and human relationship.
This story opens up in 1821 England. Elijah is a young man, who had a loving mother and wanted the love of his father. At eighteen he had also found love. But with a cruel and abusive father and a betrayal, he only found his freedom and life taken from him. Why he was given a chance at rebirth he will never know. He had a reason to kill centuries ago but all that is in the past. Now, he has survived the human world for two hundred years. He’s remained a solitary vampire, mainly because he has never found the “one” or anyone he can trust.
In Anacortes, Washington in 2021, Liam Aldrich has turned twenty-one. He’s a promising young man, has a college education and already has a career lined up in his family business. But Liam has never had one second to live free. He is controlled by his Irish-Catholic family especially his father and brothers. The only one in his family that he really loves is his sister Olivia. For Liam the only freedom he has is late in the evenings. A walk to the waterfront is his only place of solitude.
Elijah finds himself drawn to the pure and innocent Liam. Liam brings out feelings in Elijah he had not felt in a very long time. Liam too, starts to feel an attraction to Elijah. They start to date and Elijah tries to make Liam understand that he can make his own choices and leave the control of a family that will never give him freedom. There will be important decisions to make and moments of the unknown for both Elijah and Liam.
I think the issue of dominance and control is addressed well in the TL Travis’ “Dedication”. No one has the right to control you and it is a form of abuse. It’s also a story of choices and the unexpected and taking the chance to hope things will turn out for the best.
In my opinion, The frightening one in this tale wasn’t Elijah, it was his evil father and how Liam was treated by his family.
The connection between Elijah and Liam just couldn’t be denied. The banter between them was sweet but there are also serious and emotional moments. The love and support between Olivia and Liam is a very important piece to the story.
This is a well-written story by TL Travis, with outstanding character portrayal and sends a serious message. The “Epilogue” set in 2055, reflects that there is a purpose and reason why survival is important.
💞 I absolutely flippn loved this, yah I'd connected to them. A great fast paced vampire romance to read I loved this book. The start of the story with Elijah in 1821 a young man in love in the wrong times and being caught. Violent scenes but Elijah has his revenge and begins his new life as a vampire. Present day.. Liam celebrating his 21st birthday within family but inside he wanted be alone. A great first meeting for Elijah and Liam and a fast chemistry for both of them. Liam doesn't know it yet but his V card is going to meet another kinda V as in vampire. As soon as I started this book I wanted keep reading way past the Zzzs time..damm so good it hooked me. Beautifully written with both pov's for a sad but loving story. Finding love when Elijah least expected it to have it lost again he couldn't bare. Liam had a choice to make but it comes with consequences for him and for his family. I loved the humour and banter fun as their love grows in this.
Travis pens a grand story in Pity the Living not the dead. I have read work from this author before, a lot of works. and I really enjoyed them all. I did enjoy this story, and really liked the conflicted characters of Elijah and Liam. I think the fantasy part of the story, and bringing in the connection, no matter how they try to avoid it, there is connection. The characters had a lot of depth, and were very realistic. Human or not human, it's a destined connection, that also comes with fear, tragedy and triumphs. It's a great story to follow and try to figure out what will happen next. This author's characters develop and interacts well with the other characters. It is a very well-written story, and I enjoyed it. Impressive story telling. Pity the Living not the dead is a definite recommendation by Amy's Bookshelf Reviews. I look forward to reading many more stories by this author.
This is a story that crosses century and battles families to find love, companionship and someone that cares.
1821 Elijah's finds that the one person he thought loved him, turn quickly to save himself. His father denied him, the town turned on him and left him to die. Only by the fates was he found and turned.
2021 Liam's life is not his own, thought to be the weakest in his family, choices were made as if he was not even there. He could not even tell them the secret he was hiding.
Elijah was looking for some fun when he came across Liam, the more time they spent together, the more he realized the connection and truths.
Great romance that will have your emotions all over the board.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
NOT WHAT YOU THINK I really enjoyed this book. It's unlike any other book I've read in this genre. Liam has just finished college. Being the youngest in a large family his future is basically decided by his family. Unsure and confused he sits by the water trying to make a plan. Elijah finds him their and is immediately drawn to him. These two have to make decisions that will change both their lives. It's going to take complete trust from both. This also has a wonderful epilogue at the end. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS BOOK!!!!!!!!!!
Wow. What an amazing book! This was my first dark romance, vampire story, and I absolutely loved it. I wasn't sure what to expect, and I couldn't put it down. There were so many emotions running through me as I read it, and I loved that it wasn't predictable. I highly recommend this book!
I received an advanced copy and voluntarily gave my honest review.
Pity the Living, Not the Dead is a unique vampire and human love story between Elijah and Liam. The story is well written and contains a very sweet and emotional love story, along with an uncaring family and a spittfire sister. It was a good story and well worth the read. I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I have a lot of TL Travis's books but this is my first read. There are things that I liked and things that I didn't. All in all it was an okay read. The end through me???? Unsure what that was??
Great read, I loved this book! I felt for both Elijah and Liam and cried for them and with them. I found the book emotional, steamy and heartwarming. A Must Read!
This one had potential, but it lacked grit. For me to enjoy a vampire novel, the characters have to be darker, or more complex than the ones in this book.