Book Reviews

Book Blurb

Mark Hansen thought working as artist’s assistant would be glamorous, especially if that artist was a vampire. Black tie events, witty repartee, gracing the pages of the local style section…. Didn’t happen. Not even once.

Jonathan Varga is an enigma. True, he’s quiet, generous, and scrupulously polite. But he has zero social life, refuses to be interviewed or photographed, and insists he can only consume feline blood.

Why supermarket blood won't suffice, Mark hasn’t asked. He’s rarely at a loss for words—he can dish an insult and follow it with a snap as quick as you can say “Miss Thang.” But one look at Jonathan’s black-as-sin gypsy eyes, and Mark’s objections drain away.

So he endures the perpetual grind of their routine: Jonathan hiding in his studio, swiping black paint onto black canvases. Mark hurling insults while he buffs the office to a shine with antiviral wipes. Each of them avoiding the other in a careful choreography…until a blurb in Art in America unleashes a chain of harrowing events neither of them could foresee.

As secrets from Jonathan’s past are brought to light, it becomes clear that all his precautions weren’t nearly enough.

First edition published by Samhain Publishing in 2009. Second expanded edition includes the bonus novelette, Sweet.

Book Review

"Synthetic blood is the margarine of the vampire world. Back when I first met him, when I still bothered asking questions, Jonathan told me—haltingly, and without meeting my eyes—that drinking the blood of a prey animal makes you slow and stupid. I wondered if cow blood was responsible for the general ennui of the lowest echelon of vampire society, or if those unfortunate V-positives would have been salesclerks, coat checks and DMV window tellers regardless of which type of blood they imbibed."

An opportunity to read an edgy, paranormal thriller with sarcasm galore, a fantastic plot, incredible characters, and never knowing what's coming around the bend, so to speak, isn't something I turn down. Certainly not when it's written by Jordan Castillo Price. I was really looking forward to what kind of world building she had in store.

Hemovore, or the HH-virus, causes vampirism, and although the mortality rate is eighty-five percent there are still those who live through the change. More than HIV, the HHV is very contagious through any bodily fluids, and all surfaces have to be kept wiped down with antimicrobial wipes. Touch has been replaced by head nods and bows, along with a lot of layers of gloves between skin-to-skin. After four years of working for Jonathan, Mark is a pro at cleaning, changing out his gloves, using the autoclave, and managing his boss's life, right down to getting him the illegal cat blood he requires. Unfortunately, when a vampire from Jonathan's past comes looking for revenge, Mark is completely out of his element with dead bodies, guns, stolen cars, and a side of Jonathan he never knew.

"I’d been trying to find jeans that made my hips look smaller while Jonathan had been picking up something useful. Maybe the apocalypse just needed to happen so the universe could get Darwinian on my ass and eliminate me already."

As I expected, the author took this book on a wild and crazy ride and I was glued to the pages with the excitement. I literally couldn't tell what was going to happen from one moment to the next, and I'm not about to ruin it for anyone else. There are so many spoilers so what I will say is that 'Hemovore' is excitement times a thousand, sarcastic dialogue to make you drool, action and adventure you won't see coming, and two main characters who are crazy about each other, even though it takes some serious drama to admit to it. The author's inclusion of 'Sweet', a novelette in this world, made for a fabulous ending.

I can't recommend this book enough. If you like vampires and very different world building, then you can't go wrong here.

 

 

 

 

DISCLAIMER: Books reviewed on this site were usually provided at no cost by the publisher or author. This book has been provided by the author for the purpose of a review.

Additional Information

Format	ebook and print
Length	Novel, 289 pages
Heat Level
Publication Date	28-January-2017
Price	$6.17 ebook, $14.95 paperback
Buy Link	https://www.amazon.com/Hemovore-Jordan-Castillo-Price-ebook/dp/B01N392CQK