Can it be?!
Well, folks, it's happened.
I found a vampire book I like even less than Twilight.
This little monstrosity is called One Bite with a Stranger by Christine Warren. I'll admit that I knew absolutely nothing about this author beforehand - the book's cover caught my eye as I was browsing through my local bookstore and the description sounded alluring, so I bought it.
The premise of this book made it sound like a pretty decent read. Here's the premise (as lifted from Amazon.com):
"When Regina’s friends insist on setting her up a “Fantasy Fix” to help her get over her cheating ex, she dreams up some kinky out-of-this-world encounters that they could never possibly bring to life. But the next thing Regina knows, her friends have got her laced into a shiny black corset, tight leather pants, and a sexy pair of stilettos. It’s time for some downtown vampire-fantasy fun. . . .
The Vampire Ball in Manhattan’s East Village isn’t really Dmitri Vidâme’s idea of a good time, but as a member of the Council that governs the Others, he has to keep an eye on all the young vamps who prey on the pretenders. After he feasts his dark eyes on fiery Regina at the bar, he knows that he must have her. But for the first time Dmitri meets a woman who is more than a match for his indomitable will. And he may be the fantasy Regina hoped for… until she-and her feisty friends-discover her sexy new lover’s bloodsucking secret…"
Yeah, it sounded like a cheesy romance. And that's fine - sometimes I just want to kick back after a long day at work and read a little fluff.
But this. This story was terrible (note: could become slightly explicit, and there will be spoilers).
What the summary doesn't tell the reader is that there is no chase to this 'romance'. Dmitri does not pursue Regina - he hypnotizes her into taking him to her apartment in about ten minutes. Once there, he pretty much rapes her, since Regina is not entirely sure about taking him home until he hypnotizes her into doing so.
Once they sleep together, Dmitri begins to claim Regina as 'his woman'. He invades her mind without her knowledge or consent and uses it to manipulate her. Then, when Regina's friends try to talk her out of a relationship with a creepy guy she met at a bar, he breaks into one of her friends' minds and manipulates her into not caring about Regina's fate. Regina tries to date other men and Dmitri, at one point, responds by deciding to kill the guy in front of Regina so that she doesn't 'doubt that she is his'.
A week later Regina realizes that she is "in love". That night Dmitri turns her into a vampire and they decide to get married. After a week. Seven days.
If I had to describe this book in one word, it would be 'horrible'. The entire book is 95% gratuitous sex scenes (I can handle one or two in a book, but not three+ in each chapter) with a tiny plot thrown in almost as an afterthought. And Dmitri's behavior is portrayed as 'romantic' and 'okay' and explained away as 'Oh, he's a little old-fashioned'. Regina describes herself as a 'modern feminist' and yet she allows herself to be treated like she is nothing but a sex toy and kept from her friends. Any time she attempts to stand up to Dmitri, she is 'seduced' by his good looks or his forceful sexual advances.
I've been told that Warren has some very good books out, and that this one was much different than what she usually writes, but One Bite with a Stranger has completely turned me off to both her and her series.
IT WAS LIKE AN ADULT VERSION OF TWILIGHT, AND IT SCARED THE HECK OUT OF ME.
I found a vampire book I like even less than Twilight.
This little monstrosity is called One Bite with a Stranger by Christine Warren. I'll admit that I knew absolutely nothing about this author beforehand - the book's cover caught my eye as I was browsing through my local bookstore and the description sounded alluring, so I bought it.
The premise of this book made it sound like a pretty decent read. Here's the premise (as lifted from Amazon.com):
"When Regina’s friends insist on setting her up a “Fantasy Fix” to help her get over her cheating ex, she dreams up some kinky out-of-this-world encounters that they could never possibly bring to life. But the next thing Regina knows, her friends have got her laced into a shiny black corset, tight leather pants, and a sexy pair of stilettos. It’s time for some downtown vampire-fantasy fun. . . .
The Vampire Ball in Manhattan’s East Village isn’t really Dmitri Vidâme’s idea of a good time, but as a member of the Council that governs the Others, he has to keep an eye on all the young vamps who prey on the pretenders. After he feasts his dark eyes on fiery Regina at the bar, he knows that he must have her. But for the first time Dmitri meets a woman who is more than a match for his indomitable will. And he may be the fantasy Regina hoped for… until she-and her feisty friends-discover her sexy new lover’s bloodsucking secret…"
Yeah, it sounded like a cheesy romance. And that's fine - sometimes I just want to kick back after a long day at work and read a little fluff.
But this. This story was terrible (note: could become slightly explicit, and there will be spoilers).
What the summary doesn't tell the reader is that there is no chase to this 'romance'. Dmitri does not pursue Regina - he hypnotizes her into taking him to her apartment in about ten minutes. Once there, he pretty much rapes her, since Regina is not entirely sure about taking him home until he hypnotizes her into doing so.
Once they sleep together, Dmitri begins to claim Regina as 'his woman'. He invades her mind without her knowledge or consent and uses it to manipulate her. Then, when Regina's friends try to talk her out of a relationship with a creepy guy she met at a bar, he breaks into one of her friends' minds and manipulates her into not caring about Regina's fate. Regina tries to date other men and Dmitri, at one point, responds by deciding to kill the guy in front of Regina so that she doesn't 'doubt that she is his'.
A week later Regina realizes that she is "in love". That night Dmitri turns her into a vampire and they decide to get married. After a week. Seven days.
If I had to describe this book in one word, it would be 'horrible'. The entire book is 95% gratuitous sex scenes (I can handle one or two in a book, but not three+ in each chapter) with a tiny plot thrown in almost as an afterthought. And Dmitri's behavior is portrayed as 'romantic' and 'okay' and explained away as 'Oh, he's a little old-fashioned'. Regina describes herself as a 'modern feminist' and yet she allows herself to be treated like she is nothing but a sex toy and kept from her friends. Any time she attempts to stand up to Dmitri, she is 'seduced' by his good looks or his forceful sexual advances.
I've been told that Warren has some very good books out, and that this one was much different than what she usually writes, but One Bite with a Stranger has completely turned me off to both her and her series.
IT WAS LIKE AN ADULT VERSION OF TWILIGHT, AND IT SCARED THE HECK OUT OF ME.