Title: The
Newfoundland Vampire
Author: Charles
O’Keefe
Series: Newfoundland
Vampire series #1
Genre: Dark
Paranormal Romance
Publisher:
Penumbra Publishing
Release
Date: April 12th 2012
Format: eBook/Paperback
Contact Charles
Rating: 4 Bad Boys – Really Enjoyed It
Reviewer: Kat
Author Summary
Like
every other geek alive, Newfoundland native Joseph O’Reily secretly wants to be
a superhero. At thirteen he fantasized about being a vampire, and ten years
later he’s still fantasizing – but mostly about a beautiful redheaded woman who
has eyes only for him. The one thing different about Joseph’s adult fantasy is
that, amazingly, it comes true one night when he goes to a local university
pub. Cassandra Snow, literally the woman of his dreams, invites him to her
place for an evening of personal pleasure. Of course he’s not going to say no.
But when strange things start happening afterward, Joseph quickly learns that
not all dreams should come true.
Cassandra
has plans for him – forever. And those plans don’t include daytime activities.
An animal lover and recent vegetarian, Joseph wrestles with all the weird
changes he’s experiencing after his encounter with Cassandra. Eternal youth and
amazing power come at a price that is perhaps higher than he can afford. The
constant hunger for blood and the secrets Cassandra harbors test his resolve
and his mental and physical limits. And then there’s the fact that a
two-hundred-year-old vampire is after his head – literally.
Joseph’s
night vision improves dramatically, giving him a glimpse of the darker side of
the world and the terrible evil of vampires who walk among humans. As he tries
to balance his regular life with the new reality of his vampire existence, he
is determined to hold onto his personal convictions and what he values most –
his humanity.
My Thoughts
The Newfoundland Vampire is a very compelling first novel
in a new series. The author has created
a unique story world of the origins of vampires and a secretive council that
watches from behind the scenes. A well-structured
mix of action and character development resulted in an exciting read full of
anticipation with believable characters.
In a
paranormal romance, I tend to focus more on character development. While
reading this novel, I found myself really caring about what happened to the
hero and heroine and fretting when things were tense and not going their way. I particularly like how the author portrayed
the villain. He didn’t worry about
showing a little good like some suggest you might want to (you know the good
and bad side in everyone. Blah blah blah…) the villain is insane and evil with
no desire to be any other way. He’s bad, always was bad, and continues to be
bad. Bottom line. In my opinion, this was much more effective in this novel.
There
are some great teasers throughout the novel that even bigger baddies and
threats exist, providing great lead-ins to future novels in the series.
This
novel is nicely written and all elements are packaged in an engaging and
enjoyable read.
About the Story
The
first novel in this series takes us into the dark world of vampires and
Joseph’s transformation. He’s fantasized
about being a vampire all his life and now finds himself living out that
fantasy. However, despite his secret desire, he finds it much more difficult
than he expected. He struggles with the change and the realization that he will
have to let go of his human emotions and ideals.
Discovering
that this world is much more violent than he had anticipated and that some have
hidden agendas, he doesn’t have much time to adjust to his new life. He’s thrown into situations where he must
defend himself and Cassandra from an evil villain out to destroy them both.
About the Characters
Joseph
is the sweet guy next door with a heart of gold that you would trust to come
feed your pet while you’re away. Totally reliable, dependable and kind. After his turning, he becomes the tormented
hero that we all love to read about. He’s full of inner conflict, struggling to
reconcile his new craving for blood with his caring of humans and is hesitant
to become what is now in his nature to be.
Cassandra
is our heroine and she’s a very interesting and intriguing character. Mysterious
and alluring, she’s a nice mix of good and bad. She’s dealt with a lot of suffering in her
200+ years as a vampire and the author made me really care about her. At the
same time, she is manipulative so there were instances where it was hard to
sympathize with her. I really enjoy it
when an author can elicit these conflicting emotions towards a character. It’s
a true testament to the skill of a writer.
I already
mentioned above how I enjoyed the villain John who is Cassandra’s ex. He’s a fabulous
portrayal of what a villain should be.
The
story is a little light on supporting characters; however, this story is about
Joseph and his transformation, so it’s understandable. I suspect we’ll see more
characters in future novels as the adventures of Joseph and Cassandra continue.
About the Writing
This
novel is a fast paced with lots of action but not so much that we miss the point
of the story - Joseph’s struggle and gradual acceptance of his new life. The
author balances this well making the story more believable.
I don’t
think I’m giving away any spoilers with this but I just want to mention a different
technique the author uses brilliantly. When Cassandra is revealing past events
to Joseph, the author sets it up so that it’s done through blood exchanges. I found it to be more effective and compelling
instead of the author simply narrating what happened. Plus it’s really hot when
they do so.
Bottom Line
Overall, this novel is a great start to a new series. The author
delivers a different spin on the origins of vampires, a compelling story of a
new vampire with lots of potential for future adventures. Recounted in a unique voice, this novel is well structured and pace-perfect. I was entertained from beginning to end. If you enjoy paranormal romance that is a little on the darker
side, you will enjoy reading this novel.
I’m certainly looking forward to Book #2 in the series.
Happy Reading!!
4 Bad Boys – Really
Enjoyed It!
Buy The Newfoundland Vampire Now…
I love books written by male authors, they always have a good balance of action and romance which keeps the story/series exciting. Great find!
ReplyDeleteYou should check it out Braine! I think you'll like it.
DeleteI look forward to reading this one - looks like a nice series to dive into. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome. You'll have to come back and let us know what you thought Donna.
DeleteHi Kat :)
ReplyDeleteWow! What a wonderful review =) Thank you so very much. I'm am so glad you enjoyed it. I tried very hard to make interesting characters easy that were easy to relate with. I always wanted to be as unique as a good with vampires and their powers/abilities. If you thought John was evil wait until you see more of Donald (and other baddies) in book 2 ;)I agree with you, I like my villains to be just plain nasty, no chance for redemption or redeeming qualities, than you can love to hate them :-)thanks again for this excellent review, I really appreciate it.
Charles
You're welcome Charles and thanks for stopping in to comment. Can't wait to read about Donald and what that mysterious council is up to. Make sure to let us know!
DeleteThank you for the wonderful review!
ReplyDeletePat, Penumbra Publishing
You're welcome Pat and thanks for liking it.
DeleteNice review. You had so much to convey! I really like to discover new Vampire mythology. I also like how you said you concentrate on the characters in romance stories. I'm glad you liked the people populating the story. I may just try this one...I'll at least put it on my TBR list!
ReplyDeleteThanks Midnyte! I appreciate the comment. and yes, I'm all about the character development when reading a romance novel. If you read, please come back and let me know how you felt about it.
DeleteAwesome review hon. I am so glad you liked it. Charles just started book 2 and said it will be out early next year. Can't wait for it. Great review again :)
ReplyDelete