Limerence II (Limerence #2) in Riley's Reads {REDHEADAPOCALYPSE SUPPORT GROUP}

Feb 01, 2015 Lo Bookfrantic rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: arc-review-ng

I am trying to gather my thoughts. This book drove me mad at some times but I was fascinated with the entire story at the same time. Feeling too much and nothing right now. I want more answers damn it.

I am trying to control myself but I can't lol

So it begin with Mia as a vampire in her new life serving the queen and we meet her trainer Evan. I instantly liked Evan and really really wanted them together. The entire 50% was frustrating because there was so much chemistry with those two and ...more

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Oct 09, 2014 Eli Constant rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Limerence II

You never know what to expect after an author’s debut.

Can they keep up the momentum and continuously improve? OR will they be a one-hit wonder?

Claire C Riley has proven time and time again that she has the chops for great writing. She pulls her readers deep into the worlds she creates, making them visualize and experience landscapes, sympathize with characters, and mourn when a beloved person perishes at her more-than-adept and murderously typing fingers.

I’ve followed this author f Limerence II

You never know what to expect after an author’s debut.

Can they keep up the momentum and continuously improve? OR will they be a one-hit wonder?

Claire C Riley has proven time and time again that she has the chops for great writing. She pulls her readers deep into the worlds she creates, making them visualize and experience landscapes, sympathize with characters, and mourn when a beloved person perishes at her more-than-adept and murderously typing fingers.

I’ve followed this author from the beginning- before her debut was even published- and I knew she had something unique and definitive staying power.

Still, I wondered what her debut’s sequel would be like. How far had she come since its publication? Would she carry over details, stay consistent, or abandon the original ideas of her debut to create something completely left field.

Surprisingly, she did both of these things- retaining key details and the ‘feel’ of the original, while also creating a book that feels entirely new, fresh and with a standalone personality.

Readers will learn to accept new characters while still remembering the old (poor Oliver) throughout the beginning of the text, and then, towards the middle, readers will begin to feel like the old never existed, like this life, this book, was the one meant for Mia and her journey away from humanity, towards humanity, and ultimately away from it again- into a darkness beyond her control, a darkness called Maya.

Riley’s characters are realistic and engaging. The details in the book are original yet familiar. Limerence II can honestly be said to incorporate the best of traditional vampire lore with the wide-open imagination of the author, which is something I can respect. It’s not a re-hashing, it’s a re-imagining. And, like one other fan said some time ago- ‘No one does vampires like Claire C Riley’. And that’s because the only thing that sparkles in this book is the author’s wit (and the champagne-flavored blood served up in the coven cafeteria).

So crack open a bottle of red, settle down, and drink it in. Straight from the author’s veins, warm and toasty, Limerence II is an absolute treat for the senses.

-Author Eli Constant
www.eliconstant.com

...more

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Nov 08, 2013 San rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Bloody Fangtastic!

If you liked Limerence, Then you'll love Limerence II. Limerence II takes everything from the first book and builds on it. It's more sexy and uncompromising. The book breaks down the passion and pain of vampiric love in a hedonistic and brutal way. Claire has delivered a fantastic story, Wrought with so many emotions that by the end of it you can't believe what has happened. (Which I believe to be the mark of a brilliant writer.) A truly brilliant book, Which coupled with Limer ...more

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Oct 10, 2014 Gail rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Ms. Riley has finally written her sequel to Limerence, and looks as if it is going to be a trilogy after all. If you have not read the first Limerence book, please go back and read it, it is a wonderful story. This is not quite your typical vampire story, and no they do not sparkle. If you are a Twilight fan and not open to any other type of vampire story, please move on, this is not for you.
So again, I really do hate to ruin your reading pleasure with spoilers, so I will try to do my best not Ms. Riley has finally written her sequel to Limerence, and looks as if it is going to be a trilogy after all. If you have not read the first Limerence book, please go back and read it, it is a wonderful story. This is not quite your typical vampire story, and no they do not sparkle. If you are a Twilight fan and not open to any other type of vampire story, please move on, this is not for you.
So again, I really do hate to ruin your reading pleasure with spoilers, so I will try to do my best not to do so here. On that note, if you enjoyed the first book, you NEED to read this one. Limerence picks up just after where we left Mia. With all of her mortal life in ruins, she leaves it all behind and goes with her new life. That is when she finds it is not as easy as you would believe. There are internal struggles, and fighting against yourself is sometimes the strongest enemy you will ever face, no matter how strong or fast you have become.
Mia finds herself surrounded by her own kind, but finding few of the vampires she wishes to spend any time with. Well, except for her mentor and trainer, Evan. Almost all of her time is consumed by “training”, but the reason for her training is not readily apparent to her. She finally finds some solace in painting, but will that be enough to stop the internal struggle waging inside of her? Wonder why vampires are always warning against excess, well Ms. Riley has finally answered that question for us.
Ms. Riley has given you another character in the description of the castle. It seems like it could be on any continent, but still seems ancient at the same time. I was not expecting quite what was on the menu in the dining room, and the common room was also just a little more exciting than what I was thinking.
All in all, I really enjoyed this book, and it left us hanging on the last words, waiting for the next one. Of course now I have to wait for the next book to come out, so guess I will just have to survive on all of the other books written by Ms. Riley until then.
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Jan 31, 2015 Toni FGMAMTC rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: vampire-s, horror, paranormal, dark-ish

I would put this book more in the horror category than the first. Mia has fully embraced being a vampire. She doesn't have those pesky human morals holding her back now. At the end of book one, I was a little heartbroken and totally rooting for Mia and wanting her to just be all big and bad.

This book begins with her just kind of lost. A vampire named Evan is trying to bring her around slowly. He's trying to help her out while still serving the Queen. It's a precarious situation. Mia isn't compl ...more

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Jul 25, 2014 Melanie Marsh rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Let me start by saying I really enjoyed Limerence 1. It was the first book by Claire C. Riley I ever read. Then she published the Odium and Odium Origins series. They became my newest favorites. With Limerence 2, she has continued this practice of over taking my life with her words and keeping me captivated by her storytelling. She has very obviously grown tremendously as an author. Don’t get me wrong, I thought Limerence 1 was great. Limerence 2 is just better. Much better, in fact.

Limerence 2 Let me start by saying I really enjoyed Limerence 1. It was the first book by Claire C. Riley I ever read. Then she published the Odium and Odium Origins series. They became my newest favorites. With Limerence 2, she has continued this practice of over taking my life with her words and keeping me captivated by her storytelling. She has very obviously grown tremendously as an author. Don’t get me wrong, I thought Limerence 1 was great. Limerence 2 is just better. Much better, in fact.

Limerence 2 starts off about a year after the ending of Limerence 1. Unfortunately, I was a little bit rusty on some of what happened in the first book, so I was concerned I would be confused trying to read the 2nd since I read the 1st so long ago. Thankfully, it turned out not to be an issue after all. Riley gives enough context clues and flashback type of statements to remind the reader of what has happened up until now. I can even see it being read as a stand alone to some degree.

Her characters are well planned and thought out. They are characters that sound as if they really exist, and the back stories of the characters we learn about are quite interesting. My only “complaint” would be that the main character, Mia, is a spoiled sounding brat. She spends a good portion of the first half of the book complaining and trying to get out of her responsibilities. It really got on my nerves and I wanted to go through my kindle, tell her to put on her big girl panties, grow up, and punch her in the face. Believe it or not, I don’t blame Claire Riley for making Mia this way. I blame Mia. Claire is just putting on paper what her characters are up to, and telling their stories as they tell it to her. She gives them the voice they don’t physically have, and absolutely does a great job. Ms. Riley’s characters seem to grow and change just as she does.

I think the overall tone of Limerence feels quite dark compared to her other books, but that’s ok because it really set the mood and helps to keep the villains in their elements. The fighting scenes are intense and violent, as they should be. Mia is adjusting to being a vampire, and honestly, she’s not really doing a very good job of acting like an adult.

Something that Claire C. Riley did that I really enjoyed was that she gave her vampires a little bit of something extra to make their whole existence more unique than every other vampire story out there while at the same time, keeping them in the classical realm of horror.

I would love to recommend this book to anyone who prefers traditional horror vampires over sparkly sensitive type. It’s got a great storyline, awesome characters, and reintroduces the reader to the ideals of classical monsters.

Limerence 2 is definitely worth your time and money so be sure to check it out while it’s on sale! ...more

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Jul 24, 2014 Adrienne rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: author-to-watch, love-this-author, suspense, paranormal, vampires

I have a love/hate relationship with paranormal books. Especially vampire books. For me it's a 'been there done that' sort of thing. We all know the stories, the legends anything and everything there is to know. So how does a writer make it new and interesting? There are a few who can and do like J.R. Ward and Cassandra Clare to name a few. But I also think of Claire Riley when I want a good vampire story. There is something different in Claire's writing that I really appreciate. She alw

I have a love/hate relationship with paranormal books. Especially vampire books. For me it's a 'been there done that' sort of thing. We all know the stories, the legends anything and everything there is to know. So how does a writer make it new and interesting? There are a few who can and do like J.R. Ward and Cassandra Clare to name a few. But I also think of Claire Riley when I want a good vampire story. There is something different in Claire's writing that I really appreciate. She always writes about strong females that are usually better than their male counterparts in many ways. Her ability to write clever and engaging dialogue is really what keeps me coming back for more though. I appreciate her humor and I often find myself smiling when reading her books. May seem strange considering the subject. You just have to experience it for yourself.

Lets talk vampires shall we...namely in Limerence II. I would definitely suggest reading book one first. That will give you all the background info you need going into the second book. However, it's not totally necessary as this book is written in such away that you could get away with starting here. Mia has been a vampire for a year. She's still adjusting and slowly embracing all that involved in the vampire lifestyle. Yes lifestyle. Being a vamp isn't easy! There's training, feeding, learning vampire history. It's not easy people the vampire struggle is real!

There is an interesting story line happening in Limerence II. We have a Queen who rules all vampires and she's holding Mia captive only Mia doesn't know that. Mia is falling for Ethan her vampire trainer who may or may not be falling for her but can't regardless because his loyalties lie with the Queen. While all of this is going on Mia is struggling to control her inner vamp. Very interesting indeed. Apparently all vampires have an evil twin living inside them and they can't let the inner vamp take over or they'll be killed by the queen. All of this has the makings for a very very good story.

I actually liked Mia's inner vampire. I don't want to give too much away but she was so much more than Mia in many ways and I found myself hoping she would be let out so I could see just who she was. The inner vamp was very intriguing to me and I really wish it had been developed more. We're told that letting the inner vamp out was bad and all the other vamps just go along with it. Why? It's not really explored and I would love to know. Why aren't there more revolts? Where's the anarchy? Every vampire just listens to the Queen cause she says so? Does she have enemies...yes but we really don't learn much more than just that. Do we get back story on the Queen...absolutely and it does come around full circle. But it all felt to easy and I was looking for way more grit. I wanted the shock value I got from the first book. I wanted way way more on why there was an inner vampire, why was it so bad to let it free, why allow yourself to be ruled by this Queen when you're also tied to your maker? Something else not addressed are the humans. Do they know about the vampires? Are they hunting the vampires? What's their take on all the murders and disappearances?

Does this ruin the story? NO WAY! Even when I put the book down and walked away I was thinking about it. I would stop to make dinner and found myself running to grab it and read while I cooked. When I woke up in the morning I couldn't wait to get back into it. That alone makes it a great book in my mind. There is indeed an interesting story here and I very much look forward to seeing where it's headed.

*A copy of this book was kindly provided by the author in exchange for an honest review*

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Nov 24, 2013 Becky Stephens rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: horror, vampires

Because Limerence II begins about a year after Mia's transformation, we don't see how she handled losing Oliver and how she adjusts to her new life as a vampire, and I'm not sure how I feel about that. I sort of wanted to feel her grief spill over from the end of Limerence - not because I'm sadistic, but because I was heart-broken and wanted to grieve with her.

As a member of the Queen's army of vampires, Mia trains with Evan, who she is strongly attracted to. And though she isn't human any longe ...more

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Oct 08, 2014 Kelli Mcelreath rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

I thought i was through with the vampire genre until I read Limerence 1 and now 2. I was swept away with this book. It played like a movie in my head. I can honestly say I will read anything Claire C Riley writes. I love her characters, her wit, humor and depth she gives them. Love it.

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Jan 23, 2015 Melanie Marsh rated it it was amazing

Let me start by saying I really enjoyed Limerence 1. It was the first book by Claire C. Riley I read. Then she published her Odium and Odium Origins series. They became my newest favorites. With Limerence 2, she has continued this practice of over taking my life with her words and keeping me captivated by her storytelling. She has very obviously grown tremendously as an author. Don’t get me wrong, I thought Limerence 1 was great. Limerence 2 is just better. Much better, in fact.

Limerence 2 star Let me start by saying I really enjoyed Limerence 1. It was the first book by Claire C. Riley I read. Then she published her Odium and Odium Origins series. They became my newest favorites. With Limerence 2, she has continued this practice of over taking my life with her words and keeping me captivated by her storytelling. She has very obviously grown tremendously as an author. Don’t get me wrong, I thought Limerence 1 was great. Limerence 2 is just better. Much better, in fact.

Limerence 2 starts off about a year after the ending of Limerence 1. Unfortunately, I was a little bit rusty on some of what happened in the first book, so I was concerned I would be confused trying to read the 2nd since I read the 1st so long ago. Thankfully, it turned out not to be an issue after all. Riley gives enough context clues and flashback type of statements to remind the reader of what has happened up until now. I can even see it being read as a stand alone to some degree.

Her characters are well planned and thought out. They are characters that sound as if they really exist, and the back stories of the characters we learn about are quite interesting. My only “complaint” would be that the main character, Mia, is a spoiled sounding brat. She spends a good portion of the first half of the book complaining and trying to get out of her responsibilities. It really got on my nerves and I wanted to go through my kindle, tell her to put on her big girl panties, grow up, and punch her in the face. Believe it or not, I don’t blame Claire Riley for making Mia this way. I blame Mia. Claire is just putting on paper what her characters are up to, and telling their stories as they tell it to her. She gives them the voice they don’t physically have, and absolutely does a great job. Ms. Riley’s characters seem to grow and change just as she does
.
Something that Claire C. Riley did that I really enjoyed was that she gave her vampires a little bit of something extra to make their whole existence more unique than every other vampire story out there while at the same time, keeping them in the classical realm of horror.

I think the overall tone of Limerence feels quite dark compared to her other books, but that’s ok because it really set the mood and helps to keep the villains in their elements. The fighting scenes are intense and violent, as they should be. Mia is adjusting to being a vampire, and honestly, she’s not really doing a very good job of acting like an adult.

I would love to recommend this book to anyone who prefers traditional horror vampires to sparkly sensitive type. It has a great story line, awesome characters, and reintroduces the reader to the ideals of classical monsters.

Limerence 2 is definitely worth your time and money so be sure to check it out!
...more

Like · see review

Feb 17, 2015 Toni FGMAMTC rated it really liked it

Shelves: vampire-s, horror, paranormal, dark-ish

I would put this book more in the horror category than the first. Mia has fully embraced being a vampire. She doesn't have those pesky human morals holding her back now. At the end of book one, I was a little heartbroken and totally rooting for Mia and wanting her to just be all big and bad.

This book begins with her just kind of lost. A vampire named Evan is trying to bring her around slowly. He's trying to help her out while still serving the Queen. It's a precarious situation. Mia isn't compl ...more

Like · see review