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The Desire Series #1
Every Dark Desire
Pleasure without limits. . .
Desire without rules. . .
Love without mercy. . . Naomi McElroy's life in Jamaica has always been about the comforts of family and home. But secretly, she yearns for something more. When she surrenders to seduction in a jasmine-scented garden under a full moon, her life is changed forever. In that moment of complete ecstasy, Naomi becomes Belle, one of the undead whose carnal hungers are never sated. . . Now Belle is part of a vampire clan, lost in an existence that strips away all pretenses and lays bare the deep, dark hungers within every soul. But first she must be taught. Through the feel of skin pressed against skin and the skilled manipulations of a powerful lover, Belle craves desire every waking moment. A part of her hates her new life, but another part revels in it--the savagery of her senses, the sway of her body, and the sensual decadence of her new family. What Belle finally feels is a sexual connection like no other she's experienced. But in this exciting new world, there are many dangers that are best left untouched--and dangers that are too intoxicating and enticing to resist. . .
Desire without rules. . .
Love without mercy. . . Naomi McElroy's life in Jamaica has always been about the comforts of family and home. But secretly, she yearns for something more. When she surrenders to seduction in a jasmine-scented garden under a full moon, her life is changed forever. In that moment of complete ecstasy, Naomi becomes Belle, one of the undead whose carnal hungers are never sated. . . Now Belle is part of a vampire clan, lost in an existence that strips away all pretenses and lays bare the deep, dark hungers within every soul. But first she must be taught. Through the feel of skin pressed against skin and the skilled manipulations of a powerful lover, Belle craves desire every waking moment. A part of her hates her new life, but another part revels in it--the savagery of her senses, the sway of her body, and the sensual decadence of her new family. What Belle finally feels is a sexual connection like no other she's experienced. But in this exciting new world, there are many dangers that are best left untouched--and dangers that are too intoxicating and enticing to resist. . .
327 pages, Paperback
First published July 1, 2007
About the author
Fiona Zedde
59 books426 followersJamaican-born Fiona Zedde is the author of several novellas and novels of lesBiQueer love and desire, including the Lambda Literary Award finalists, Bliss and Every Dark Desire. She loves French pastries, English cars, Jamaican food, and currently lives in Spain.
Her novel, Dangerous Pleasures, received a Publishers Weekly starred review and won an About.com Readers' Choice Award for Best Lesbian Novel/Memoir. Her latest book, Just Like Her, is out now. Find out more about her catalog of 30+ books at www.FionaZedde.com.
Her novel, Dangerous Pleasures, received a Publishers Weekly starred review and won an About.com Readers' Choice Award for Best Lesbian Novel/Memoir. Her latest book, Just Like Her, is out now. Find out more about her catalog of 30+ books at www.FionaZedde.com.
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
October 18, 2021
so like. what was the whole thing where sylvija raped belle, & then told her it wasn't rape bc belle was aroused, & then they end up as lovers? hello??
Rep: Jamaican lesbian mc, Jamaican lesbian li
CWs: rape, gore, blood
Rep: Jamaican lesbian mc, Jamaican lesbian li
CWs: rape, gore, blood
August 12, 2016
The characters are unlikable and the sex scenes are repetitive. I love explicit love scenes, but they were excessive and I needed more of a plot.
September 15, 2019
have no idea why my copy ended that early and said i have to pay more to continue but I’m gonna mind my business and mark it as read because it’s not worth extra coin anyway
January 2, 2012
This book was a thrilling crazy love story filled with passion, hatred, and unspoken love. I really enjoyed reading this book though it caught me off guard in the end. Overall it was a great read and very passionate.
October 23, 2008
I loved this book, it was sensual in all the right places and some hot sex scenes diffently got me intersted makes me want to be vampire that's for sure.
February 16, 2012
Best vampire book ever!
September 6, 2016
This book started off a bit slow, but once I got into it it was hard to put down!
November 7, 2015
Hot and entertaining lesbian vampire erotica set in Jamaica.
April 1, 2010
Every Dark Desire by Fiona Zedde (New York: Kensington Books, 2007).
Reviewed by Jean Roberta. 1,248 words.
----------------------------------------------------------
"Dark" has a variety of meanings in Western culture: obscure, hidden, mysterious, unconscious, exotic, violent, dangerous, associated with death or night, richly pigmented. The massacre and exploitation of darker-skinned peoples by Europeans have been rationalized by means of racist theories about who is “savage” and therefore in need of control.
The parallel treatment of women and animals has been justified by parallel theories. The fifteenth-century Christian Inquisition claimed that woman (femina) had "less faith" (fe + mina) than man, and was therefore more inclined to be seduced to the "dark side" by the Devil, envisioned as a black man or a bestial being with horns and hooves.
For centuries, the patriarchal Christian mindset which produced these ideas has also separated "normal" sex (horizontal, heterosexual, marital, procreative) from all the "perversions" of the instinct to mate. Supposedly, these overlapping concepts are no longer taken seriously by the enlightened, but the “darkness” described above still inspires an endless amount of horror literature, art and movies.
Every Dark Desire reads like the worst nightmare of anyone who still lives by a traditional Western value system. All the central characters are lesbian Jamaican vampires who enjoy the kinds of "power exchange" sex that go with blood sports. While they are all equal-opportunity predators when their blood-lust prompts them to hunt mortals, they prefer female playmates.
Silvija, the charismatic leader of a group of twelve vampires, is a 350-year-old survivor of an attempt by white soldiers to hunt down and kill off maroons, escaped slaves living in the hills. By the 1990s, Silvija has created, nurtured and protected her own endangered "family" of the living dead. These vampires literally seem like the dark side of European colonialism, the ones who weren't meant to survive.
This book stands out from the red sea of current vampire erotica and casts its own powerful spell. Although they are repeatedly defined as "beasts" and "fiends," these characters attract the mortal reader as they attract mortal characters in diverse places in the real world: Jamaica and Alaska, with kinky weekends in Los Angeles.
The story begins in Jamaica, a tropical tourist magnet with an ongoing history of violence, where the rich lock their gates against the poor, and where the mortal prey of vampires can easily be disguised as victims of random theft, rape and murder. Life in a Jamaican village, as distinct from the cities, is peaceful enough for Naomi, a young woman who lives in a manless family with her mother and her beloved young daughter.
However, Naomi can't resist another woman who catches her eye in the city of Negril, and she slips away from her mother and daughter for a few hours. Naomi is irreversibly "turned" without her consent. After she escapes, she must come to terms with her transformation. She dreams of what she has lost:
"Naomi dreamed that she was alive. The sun touched her with its soft golden fingers, filtering through her hair left loose and heavy against her shoulders. Its heat snuggled into her bare throat and along her arms like an old friend. She leaned against the iron railing of the terrace, looking down on a gold and green Negril. The breeze was light. Laughter hovered in the air like music and she turned, smiling, to find the source of it. Her baby, Kylie, stood on the terrace, laughing and spinning in a circle, while the sun sparkled on her wheat biscuit skin. Naomi's mama stood nearby, watching. Her look was wistful."
Fiona Zedde is not the first author to use the changing of a mortal into a vampire as a metaphor for "coming out" into a new identity, but Naomi's grief and confusion seem uniquely heartbreaking. Even after she has given herself a new name, Belle, and accepted the necessity of living with others like herself, her love for her child is a connecting thread between her old life and her new one.
The love of parents for their biological children rarely seems to be a feature of vampire fiction, but in this sense Every Dark Desire is parallel to Anne Rice’s first novel, Interview with the Vampire, in which the child vampire Claudia represents the author’s desire to resurrect her actual daughter, who died of leukemia at age five. In Zedde’s version, Belle loses track of passing time while Kylie develops into an innocent teenager, not knowing what happened to the mother who is determined to protect her from “monsters” like herself. Could this story possibly have a happy ending? Read it and decide for yourself.
Separated from her human family by her disturbing blood-lust and her vulnerability to sunlight, Belle is claimed by Silvija, who calls her “puppy” and reminds her of how much she doesn’t know about her new lifestyle. Anyone who has survived adolescence can imagine the humiliation of Belle’s position, and she reacts predictably by resenting and defying her teacher. Belle finds herself unbearably attracted to Silvija. In the tradition of the best BDSM fiction, Belle’s ambivalence and resistance to what seems inevitable lead her to self-knowledge and intimacy.
Spending her first winter as a member of Silvija’s clan in their luxurious dwelling in Alaska (chosen for its long hours of darkness), Belle comes to know her new companions in immortality. She is especially drawn to Shaye, a vampire of approximately Silvija’s age who still seems to have the energy and curiosity of a young girl. Appearances are deceptive, however, and Shaye is not Kylie. As in other vampire fiction, these characters remain physically frozen in the stage at which they were “turned,” but they continue to learn and grow inside.
There is enough hypnotic sex in this novel to satisfy readers who want to skip to “the good parts,” but the sex scenes are not simply a distraction from other kinds of tension. The reader/voyeur learns that the vampires of the “family” sometimes have consensual affairs with mortal women whom they could kill at any time. The reader also learns that the vampire clan has a polyamorous group relationship which changes every time a new member joins the group. Every seduction advances the plot, which includes elements of a whodunit, a romance and a coming-of-age novel.
The sensuality of the narrative style, the intensity of the characters’ emotions, and the complexity of the plot are all satisfying. Several of the physical details, however, seem overdone or inconsistent. Persistent references to the flowery smells of individual vampires become cloying.
Belle’s habit of breathing heavily in moments of passion until she remembers that she doesn’t need to breathe at all (being “dead”) seem unconvincing.
In addition, the reactions of Caribbean vampires to the cold air of Alaska in winter seem inconsistent. Either they are impervious to the cold, being both “dead” and superhuman, or they need to sleep pressed together to conserve the warmth they can only acquire by taking the blood of the living, but it is hard to see how the author could have it both ways.
Aside from these details, this novel shows that there is still some life left in vampire fiction, a genre that refuses to rest in peace. Fiona Zedde has done a remarkable job of adapting the well-worn tradition of Dracula, the archetypal vampire as a European aristocrat in his remote mountain castle, to other places, cultures and desires. The “dark desires” of socially-marginalized characters might simply alienate some readers, but the magic works for me.
-------------
Reviewed by Jean Roberta. 1,248 words.
----------------------------------------------------------
"Dark" has a variety of meanings in Western culture: obscure, hidden, mysterious, unconscious, exotic, violent, dangerous, associated with death or night, richly pigmented. The massacre and exploitation of darker-skinned peoples by Europeans have been rationalized by means of racist theories about who is “savage” and therefore in need of control.
The parallel treatment of women and animals has been justified by parallel theories. The fifteenth-century Christian Inquisition claimed that woman (femina) had "less faith" (fe + mina) than man, and was therefore more inclined to be seduced to the "dark side" by the Devil, envisioned as a black man or a bestial being with horns and hooves.
For centuries, the patriarchal Christian mindset which produced these ideas has also separated "normal" sex (horizontal, heterosexual, marital, procreative) from all the "perversions" of the instinct to mate. Supposedly, these overlapping concepts are no longer taken seriously by the enlightened, but the “darkness” described above still inspires an endless amount of horror literature, art and movies.
Every Dark Desire reads like the worst nightmare of anyone who still lives by a traditional Western value system. All the central characters are lesbian Jamaican vampires who enjoy the kinds of "power exchange" sex that go with blood sports. While they are all equal-opportunity predators when their blood-lust prompts them to hunt mortals, they prefer female playmates.
Silvija, the charismatic leader of a group of twelve vampires, is a 350-year-old survivor of an attempt by white soldiers to hunt down and kill off maroons, escaped slaves living in the hills. By the 1990s, Silvija has created, nurtured and protected her own endangered "family" of the living dead. These vampires literally seem like the dark side of European colonialism, the ones who weren't meant to survive.
This book stands out from the red sea of current vampire erotica and casts its own powerful spell. Although they are repeatedly defined as "beasts" and "fiends," these characters attract the mortal reader as they attract mortal characters in diverse places in the real world: Jamaica and Alaska, with kinky weekends in Los Angeles.
The story begins in Jamaica, a tropical tourist magnet with an ongoing history of violence, where the rich lock their gates against the poor, and where the mortal prey of vampires can easily be disguised as victims of random theft, rape and murder. Life in a Jamaican village, as distinct from the cities, is peaceful enough for Naomi, a young woman who lives in a manless family with her mother and her beloved young daughter.
However, Naomi can't resist another woman who catches her eye in the city of Negril, and she slips away from her mother and daughter for a few hours. Naomi is irreversibly "turned" without her consent. After she escapes, she must come to terms with her transformation. She dreams of what she has lost:
"Naomi dreamed that she was alive. The sun touched her with its soft golden fingers, filtering through her hair left loose and heavy against her shoulders. Its heat snuggled into her bare throat and along her arms like an old friend. She leaned against the iron railing of the terrace, looking down on a gold and green Negril. The breeze was light. Laughter hovered in the air like music and she turned, smiling, to find the source of it. Her baby, Kylie, stood on the terrace, laughing and spinning in a circle, while the sun sparkled on her wheat biscuit skin. Naomi's mama stood nearby, watching. Her look was wistful."
Fiona Zedde is not the first author to use the changing of a mortal into a vampire as a metaphor for "coming out" into a new identity, but Naomi's grief and confusion seem uniquely heartbreaking. Even after she has given herself a new name, Belle, and accepted the necessity of living with others like herself, her love for her child is a connecting thread between her old life and her new one.
The love of parents for their biological children rarely seems to be a feature of vampire fiction, but in this sense Every Dark Desire is parallel to Anne Rice’s first novel, Interview with the Vampire, in which the child vampire Claudia represents the author’s desire to resurrect her actual daughter, who died of leukemia at age five. In Zedde’s version, Belle loses track of passing time while Kylie develops into an innocent teenager, not knowing what happened to the mother who is determined to protect her from “monsters” like herself. Could this story possibly have a happy ending? Read it and decide for yourself.
Separated from her human family by her disturbing blood-lust and her vulnerability to sunlight, Belle is claimed by Silvija, who calls her “puppy” and reminds her of how much she doesn’t know about her new lifestyle. Anyone who has survived adolescence can imagine the humiliation of Belle’s position, and she reacts predictably by resenting and defying her teacher. Belle finds herself unbearably attracted to Silvija. In the tradition of the best BDSM fiction, Belle’s ambivalence and resistance to what seems inevitable lead her to self-knowledge and intimacy.
Spending her first winter as a member of Silvija’s clan in their luxurious dwelling in Alaska (chosen for its long hours of darkness), Belle comes to know her new companions in immortality. She is especially drawn to Shaye, a vampire of approximately Silvija’s age who still seems to have the energy and curiosity of a young girl. Appearances are deceptive, however, and Shaye is not Kylie. As in other vampire fiction, these characters remain physically frozen in the stage at which they were “turned,” but they continue to learn and grow inside.
There is enough hypnotic sex in this novel to satisfy readers who want to skip to “the good parts,” but the sex scenes are not simply a distraction from other kinds of tension. The reader/voyeur learns that the vampires of the “family” sometimes have consensual affairs with mortal women whom they could kill at any time. The reader also learns that the vampire clan has a polyamorous group relationship which changes every time a new member joins the group. Every seduction advances the plot, which includes elements of a whodunit, a romance and a coming-of-age novel.
The sensuality of the narrative style, the intensity of the characters’ emotions, and the complexity of the plot are all satisfying. Several of the physical details, however, seem overdone or inconsistent. Persistent references to the flowery smells of individual vampires become cloying.
Belle’s habit of breathing heavily in moments of passion until she remembers that she doesn’t need to breathe at all (being “dead”) seem unconvincing.
In addition, the reactions of Caribbean vampires to the cold air of Alaska in winter seem inconsistent. Either they are impervious to the cold, being both “dead” and superhuman, or they need to sleep pressed together to conserve the warmth they can only acquire by taking the blood of the living, but it is hard to see how the author could have it both ways.
Aside from these details, this novel shows that there is still some life left in vampire fiction, a genre that refuses to rest in peace. Fiona Zedde has done a remarkable job of adapting the well-worn tradition of Dracula, the archetypal vampire as a European aristocrat in his remote mountain castle, to other places, cultures and desires. The “dark desires” of socially-marginalized characters might simply alienate some readers, but the magic works for me.
-------------
Read
October 28, 2023I won't rate this book given I had to give up halfway through. The writing was beautiful, exquisite even in some parts, but the story itself just kept rinsing and repeating that I struggled to keep going. My enjoyment was jarred, too, when Silvja, a character who presented as masculine 50% of the book, suddenly started wearing dresses and skirts almost to the 50 mark. It was weird and ruined it for me.
As mentioned earlier, beautiful writing.
As mentioned earlier, beautiful writing.
March 2, 2018
lesbian vampire romance novel
I could do without the idealizing of monogamy at the end - this a book you do not read for the plot.
I could do without the idealizing of monogamy at the end - this a book you do not read for the plot.
December 27, 2023
Oow whee whee! Well no wee-wees were involved in this exquisitely written novella ;). I had to stop reading at times and take a break some scenes were a little too spicy as I was casually sitting in the doctor's office lol. If you're looking for some sapphic SMUT (I mean that in the best way possible) then this is for you. The descriptions and acts being played out in these (MANY) scenes are not for the weak.
The enemies to lovers trope between Sylvija and Naomi\Belle had the right pace. The plot of the book was written in an interesting and not the typical cliché format. The twist at the end, I honestly had no idea who was behind the attacks and what was going on so it kept me reading to find out more. Definitely recommend.
The enemies to lovers trope between Sylvija and Naomi\Belle had the right pace. The plot of the book was written in an interesting and not the typical cliché format. The twist at the end, I honestly had no idea who was behind the attacks and what was going on so it kept me reading to find out more. Definitely recommend.
Read
May 17, 2023This is *almost* incredible… but instead it kinda lands on boring? There’s a really excellent level of detail and I can tell the goal is lushness, but I think it needs to… idk, have more precise word choices, or be edited back a bit more, or something? Because ALL the best elements are here and yet I’m left cold (…lol).
I just don’t think I can read 300+ pages of this? DNF @ 10%. Maybe I’ll try something else by this author though. Or maybe try this another time?
I just don’t think I can read 300+ pages of this? DNF @ 10%. Maybe I’ll try something else by this author though. Or maybe try this another time?
February 22, 2026
DNF. let's start there. this book makes no sense at all. I found intriguing the way the story started with the main character already turned into a vampire, but this book is all a huuuge story about sex. As a bisexual woman I have no problem with that, but as a reader I've got tons of problem with a story that lacks everything (plot, descriptions, you name it).
Read
November 10, 2021
Trigger & Content Warnings
Rape
Blood depiction
Rape
Blood depiction
July 27, 2024
The mother and daughter scene was wild 😭. Incest was also peeking its head in the Mercy chronicles right?! Other than that I loved it. Jamaican, Black, lesbian vampires ….ummm yes Yes YEs YES 🙌🏾
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 3, 2015
Before I dig in the reviewing part of this -possibly- long babble about a book I read, I want to give you a little bit of context of who I am so you can understand where I’m coming from with my appreciations, opinions -entirely my own- and decide if you roll with them or away of them, either way I appreciate you’re reading this.
I’m a 26 years old latina woman -race is important, you’ll see a few paragraphs below- sexuality, undefined really but really open so that’s why I am the one reviewing the lesbian vampire novella, I’m a feminist and I’ve been educating myself in gender and sexuality issues for 5 years now so there’s that little thing too, now on to the book!
This is a story about a woman called Naomi, she’s from a close knitted community in Jamaica, has a daughter whom she adores and she’s also been struggling keeping in secret her sexuality, the interest she has for women that goes beyond admiration and dip more into the “i-want-to-be-drinking-from-between-your-legs” ocean, you know the drill, so one time she goes to the tourist side of the island with her sister, who works at a hotel and she imagines this may be the chance to get out of her system the things she’s been repressing for so long, but to her surprise, after a rather enjoyable night with an attractive woman -Julia- between her legs… her life ends and starts all at the same time in more ways than one; then the journey begins.
I give this book 4 stars, and I’m still not sure how I feel about that, I’ll try to explain myself in the following lines, so I hope I’m doing an ok job at least and you decide to A) engage in conversation and B) get the book so you can fight me on this -or agree whichever I’m glad to talk-.
I enjoyed reading this book with my head/brain but not so much with my heart, but hear me out before you run away from it, when I read or enjoy any media my heart immediately reaches to a character, usually a female character that’s layered and struggling with themselves, with a massive dark side as they call it, and that’s not something I found in this book, it’s a self discovery story and that’s the part I love about it. It’s a story about a woman making peace with her desires -sexual and otherwise- making peace with her past and her future, and not any kind of woman, it’s a Woman of Color (WOC) and that’s so rare to find in media that gave joy to my heart and well, my brain too.
Media as a whole is still far away from representing minorities in a respectful way; books, tv, music, movies and every other aspect is lacking in the representation regard and representation matters, specially when you feel left out, when I started to read I was excited to read the story of a WOC so complex and shaped in such a way I could listen to her voice, how she appreciated other WOC -even if in her head she kept calling them beasts- and how she embraces the nature of her desires, I soared.
I love the author’s prose and how she can paint with words the smells, colors and whole atmosphere of a place I’ve never been, how I can see in the eye of my mind the beach, the house where her baby girl is growing up without a mom, how her heart breaks leaving Naomi behind and starts to become Belle, and a new set of struggles come to her life, I suppose that’s the magic words can create and how is that we end up addicted to stories and universes being told by skilled people…
So, independently of my connection to the book, and how it was mainly in my head not in my heart I could watch the movie in my head while I read and when an author manages such a feat in me, well they deserve a pat in the back or something, I’m so annoying and demanding of my media, I want all the perfect ladies to be perfectly flawed.
About the characters, my favorite dynamic was Belle and Silvija -The vampire clan leader- it was such a fun power struggle I can’t get enough of it, the most layered interactions in the whole book and I’ll leave it at that so you can enjoy it like I did. Secondary characters were a bit more tricky to get into liking, they lack the depth I like, but I enjoyed some of their appearances, especially when training Belle is concerned.
Any way you see this book it’s an empowering story featuring a very diverse set of characters that add to the story a little more fun and much needed air to the vampiric genre.
Have fun reading it and let me know what you think about the story or anything.
I’m a 26 years old latina woman -race is important, you’ll see a few paragraphs below- sexuality, undefined really but really open so that’s why I am the one reviewing the lesbian vampire novella, I’m a feminist and I’ve been educating myself in gender and sexuality issues for 5 years now so there’s that little thing too, now on to the book!
This is a story about a woman called Naomi, she’s from a close knitted community in Jamaica, has a daughter whom she adores and she’s also been struggling keeping in secret her sexuality, the interest she has for women that goes beyond admiration and dip more into the “i-want-to-be-drinking-from-between-your-legs” ocean, you know the drill, so one time she goes to the tourist side of the island with her sister, who works at a hotel and she imagines this may be the chance to get out of her system the things she’s been repressing for so long, but to her surprise, after a rather enjoyable night with an attractive woman -Julia- between her legs… her life ends and starts all at the same time in more ways than one; then the journey begins.
I give this book 4 stars, and I’m still not sure how I feel about that, I’ll try to explain myself in the following lines, so I hope I’m doing an ok job at least and you decide to A) engage in conversation and B) get the book so you can fight me on this -or agree whichever I’m glad to talk-.
I enjoyed reading this book with my head/brain but not so much with my heart, but hear me out before you run away from it, when I read or enjoy any media my heart immediately reaches to a character, usually a female character that’s layered and struggling with themselves, with a massive dark side as they call it, and that’s not something I found in this book, it’s a self discovery story and that’s the part I love about it. It’s a story about a woman making peace with her desires -sexual and otherwise- making peace with her past and her future, and not any kind of woman, it’s a Woman of Color (WOC) and that’s so rare to find in media that gave joy to my heart and well, my brain too.
Media as a whole is still far away from representing minorities in a respectful way; books, tv, music, movies and every other aspect is lacking in the representation regard and representation matters, specially when you feel left out, when I started to read I was excited to read the story of a WOC so complex and shaped in such a way I could listen to her voice, how she appreciated other WOC -even if in her head she kept calling them beasts- and how she embraces the nature of her desires, I soared.
I love the author’s prose and how she can paint with words the smells, colors and whole atmosphere of a place I’ve never been, how I can see in the eye of my mind the beach, the house where her baby girl is growing up without a mom, how her heart breaks leaving Naomi behind and starts to become Belle, and a new set of struggles come to her life, I suppose that’s the magic words can create and how is that we end up addicted to stories and universes being told by skilled people…
So, independently of my connection to the book, and how it was mainly in my head not in my heart I could watch the movie in my head while I read and when an author manages such a feat in me, well they deserve a pat in the back or something, I’m so annoying and demanding of my media, I want all the perfect ladies to be perfectly flawed.
About the characters, my favorite dynamic was Belle and Silvija -The vampire clan leader- it was such a fun power struggle I can’t get enough of it, the most layered interactions in the whole book and I’ll leave it at that so you can enjoy it like I did. Secondary characters were a bit more tricky to get into liking, they lack the depth I like, but I enjoyed some of their appearances, especially when training Belle is concerned.
Any way you see this book it’s an empowering story featuring a very diverse set of characters that add to the story a little more fun and much needed air to the vampiric genre.
Have fun reading it and let me know what you think about the story or anything.
May 16, 2015
For me, this book is truly in a class by itself. Besides the glorious collection of vampires with a cornucopia of super hot sexual needs and entanglements, there is an amazingly intriguing multilayer and brilliantly rich storyline. Not only did I need way more ice for my tall, cool beverages to return my interior temperatures to manageable levels, I am now going to need to find my way back to firm ground after being skyrocketed and blown away. Astounding!
At the start, there is Naomi, a woman who clearly prefers women, but who selected a guy so she could have a child…Kylie. The story begins on the lush and historical rich island of Jamaica. It is here that Naomi takes her opening steps to becoming Belle and her new astounding life and world takes root. Her integration and education into a vampire clan is a stunning and jaw-dropping journey. Her stubbornness felt legendary to me, but her alignment and audacity were awe-inspiring as well. The extraordinary path and the fight she puts up are singularly shattering yet beautifully seductive. What I would give to run into a woman like Belle…phew!
Silvija is phenomenal. Technically she is the leader of vampire clan that Belle becomes a part of, but she is so much more. One of the delicious storylines is the growing connection between Silvija and Belle. Astonishingly, in fact I was constantly amazed by Silvija, the power she has over so many entities including Belle is mind-boggling. I am not well versed in vampire lore or mythology. So to say I never met a vampire like Silvija is only minutely significant. However, I would be willing to bet that it may take forever and more than likely never, that I will encounter an entity with her complexity, mesmerism, power, and stature. This is underscored by the fact that she is over six feet tall. Nevertheless, it is the manner and style of her leadership that has her towering over all others. Where are the Silvija's in my world? Breathtaking!
There are countless subplots, counterplots, and scenes that place the richness of this book on a level of its own, in my estimation. There certainly are gruesome, bloody, and violent encounters, so I am warning readers who find such things uncomfortable to be on alert. I do hope that does not turn away anyone from experiencing this brilliant book. Superior!
NOTE: This book was provided by Bold Strokes Books for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews.
At the start, there is Naomi, a woman who clearly prefers women, but who selected a guy so she could have a child…Kylie. The story begins on the lush and historical rich island of Jamaica. It is here that Naomi takes her opening steps to becoming Belle and her new astounding life and world takes root. Her integration and education into a vampire clan is a stunning and jaw-dropping journey. Her stubbornness felt legendary to me, but her alignment and audacity were awe-inspiring as well. The extraordinary path and the fight she puts up are singularly shattering yet beautifully seductive. What I would give to run into a woman like Belle…phew!
Silvija is phenomenal. Technically she is the leader of vampire clan that Belle becomes a part of, but she is so much more. One of the delicious storylines is the growing connection between Silvija and Belle. Astonishingly, in fact I was constantly amazed by Silvija, the power she has over so many entities including Belle is mind-boggling. I am not well versed in vampire lore or mythology. So to say I never met a vampire like Silvija is only minutely significant. However, I would be willing to bet that it may take forever and more than likely never, that I will encounter an entity with her complexity, mesmerism, power, and stature. This is underscored by the fact that she is over six feet tall. Nevertheless, it is the manner and style of her leadership that has her towering over all others. Where are the Silvija's in my world? Breathtaking!
There are countless subplots, counterplots, and scenes that place the richness of this book on a level of its own, in my estimation. There certainly are gruesome, bloody, and violent encounters, so I am warning readers who find such things uncomfortable to be on alert. I do hope that does not turn away anyone from experiencing this brilliant book. Superior!
NOTE: This book was provided by Bold Strokes Books for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews.
April 20, 2022
Whoa, I didn't think it would be as intense but it was. It's no mystery but there are shocking parts. The book is a true page turner. If you ever want to start a book with a bang jump in and keep going this is the book for you. When I read the 2nd book in this 3 book series I know that it will be a true page turner. This is my first experience with this author and I can assure you that it will not be the last. There was no aspect of the book that I did not like. I have a digital copy, I now feel it may be necessary to purchase the physical book so I can keep it forever. I think that this should be brought up in a book club because of the different aspects merged together like a puzzle. One that can be taken apart and put back together again and again.
May 11, 2012
this was possibly the worst book I've ever read. These supposed vampires never terrorized anyone there was no type of horror action at all besides the biting of the neck to feed. If you expected a horror novel likie I did please don't read this book. But if you dream of being a lesbian black vampire then knock yourself out. If you love horror books like I do avoid, avoid, avoid. I only stuck with it because once I start to read a book I like to finish then even this horrorible one. The Worst book I ever read!
August 17, 2016
As an erotica, I give it 2.5 stars
Got this book from the library. I only saw 2 words, vampires and Jamaica. Thought it would have been an urban, gothic thrill ride a la LA Banks. Didn't realize it was erotica (and not a very good one at that)
Was skipping chunks to get through the last half of the book. The MC is unlikeable. Her motivations are non existent. The other characters (don't remember a single individual) are null: not fleshed out at all, not even a little bit. They were just background filler.
Got this book from the library. I only saw 2 words, vampires and Jamaica. Thought it would have been an urban, gothic thrill ride a la LA Banks. Didn't realize it was erotica (and not a very good one at that)
Was skipping chunks to get through the last half of the book. The MC is unlikeable. Her motivations are non existent. The other characters (don't remember a single individual) are null: not fleshed out at all, not even a little bit. They were just background filler.
December 10, 2012
Not bad. At little slow to start and for much of the book. It did become an interesting love story. I look forward to see if the author continues the series.
January 15, 2014
There was no true story line but it had A LOT of sex. Not for homophobic individuals!
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