The Greyfriar by Clay Griffith
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I wasn't looking specifically for Greyfriar, book 1 in the Vampire Empire series when I bought it. I was just snatching up books randomly at a Borders closing sale. I'm so glad that this wasn't one of the books I put back on the shelf! This book has it all- action, horror, magic, technology, politics, a bit of romance, and even a few cats! The characters were so well written that I loved the good guys, and could even empathize with a few of the bad guys. The heroine Adele in particular is very interesting; she's not TSTL, or an over the top tough girl. There's a lot of depth to her character. At 19 years old, she's confident, but knows she's not invincible, responsible, and committed to her plight and committed to being a good empress for her people.

When I started reading this one, I neglected goodreads all day (for once!), I didn't watch television, clean house, or talk the phone. That's how engrossing this story is. I mean, the action starts within the first few pages of the book, and pretty much continues throughout. I've already ordered my copy of The Rift Walker, book 2 in the Vampire Empire trilogy, and will be reading it as soon as it arrives.

View all my reviews

Nocturne by Syrie James


I actually came across this one while browsing the book section at Target for a differnt book. As I just love paranormal romance the title "Nocturne" really caught my attention. The synopsis sounded really interesting, and I could hardly wait to get home to start reading it. The author gives an excellent description of the setting where the story takes place. That said, there just wasn't enough back story provided on the main characters Michael and Nicole for me, so it was hard for me to feel anything for them, or root for their relationship. The story takes of over the span of 4 or 5 days I believe, so the romance felt rushed. I can understand the sexual tension in such a short time, but not "I love you." There were also a few parts of the story that I felt required some follow up. For example, Nicole is having dreams/ visions at different points throughout the story, but they're never addressed. Overall, this was a quick and easy read, and just what I needed to pass the time on a rainy afternoon. This was the first novel that I've read by this author, and I'd like to give one of her other novels- Dracula My Love: The Secret Journals of Mina Harker a try. My feeling is that if the story were longer, there would be more background info on the main characters, and the romance would have more depth to it.



View all my reviews