"A Candle Loses Nothing By Lighting Another Candle" - Father James Keller


Monday, October 19, 2009


Review of Awakening the Blood by Tara Nichols


Reviewed By  Jenna Alexander 

I have read a lot of paranormal fiction. Probably not as many as some people but enough. I especially love vampire fiction. Tara Nichols has done what I thought was not possible – created a unique scenario of characters.  
Since this is part of Tara’s excerpt I know I am not giving away too much when I say – the main male character is a statue! A Statue! Well, he is a vampire that has been locked in an immobile state for decades by his wicked mistress.  
Awakening the Blood was a fantastic read. It starts out with a wonderful scene of action and sex in a graveyard. What reader could ask for more!?  
Sometimes when I am reading I feel that authors take their storylines and blob them onto the paper. A reader gets a blob of action, then a big bite of back story, then a big chunk of sex.  They are choppy blobs and pieces of story that could be arranged and rearranged in any order. This is absolutely not the case with Nichols work. She moved from creepy, to steamy, to laugh out loud funny, to page turning action seamlessly. Her elements flowed and mixed well together.  
Meara and D’iamonte are lovable but strong characters. It was great to see their affection grow as the story progressed. Oh – but my favorite characters in the book are the little creepy critters. I love these guys! How clever and fun to throw them in. To me this marks a really good writer. Could these little mini gargoyles, rats, and beasties been left out – sure, but they add another layer. They make the story BETTER. And isn’t that what the reader wants?  
(I actually think Tara should create a little creepy critter plush toy and give it away for a prize to one of her readers or at book signings.  Ha ha) 
The final element I will talk about is the tone or mood of the book. Like I said, Nichols starts off in a graveyard. This definitely sets the mood for the story and it stays consistent throughout. Even when Meara, the main character was defending herself with a wooden spoon against the little critters the intensity remained. So I was laughing but worried at the sametime. This is seriously hard for a writer to accomplish. 
So – big thumbs up for Awakening the Blood. I certainly hope there is a sequel in the works.  


Click To Purchase From Amira Press
Click For Tara Nichols Website
Click For Jenna Alexanders Website

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In accordance with the new FTC Guidelines for blogging and endorsements, Kiki Howell of An Author's Musings, would like to advise that in addition to purchasing my own books to review, I also receive books, and/or promotional materials, free of charge in return for an honest review, as do any guest reviewers.