Posts Tagged ‘Blood Run Series’

Last Chance (Blood Run SeriesBook Three)

by Christine Dougherty

Last Chance

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Another great cover.

Promise has returned to Wereberg.

Promise and Peter left, seeking a cure for vampirism. After losing her parents to the vampires, she lost her little brother, Chance, just one week later. He was bitten and turned.

Her promise to Chance, “I’ll make it alright.”

She’s went through hell trying to keep that promise. Her and Peter may have found the cure. But it has never been tested on a human subject. It could turn half-and-halfs into full vampires and just might kill one that’s fully turned. Could she risk using it on Chance? Should she?

That question will have to wait. That twit, Deidre, who’s so jealous of Promise, has let Chance go. Now they have to find him again. She pays dearly for her foolishness.

It’s great to be back in Willow’s End. So nice to see Lea and Mark, and they’re  very much a couple now. What they’ve done for Promise, keeping Chance alive, shows their love for her and their courage. It’s dangerous to feed a vampire.

There is one character who’s stolen my heart, Evans. He’s like a big brother. Always there to protect you from the bad things. I could read more about him. My hero.

The vampires are more dangerous than ever, the battles are bloodier and the characters are at their best. I was sad to see it end.  Christine wastes no words, the story builds and builds and rushes to a great ending. She puts you right in it!

          Loved it! Loved it!

And a bonus rating for these two!

Tribute to Snow and Ash. No animals were injured during the writing of these books!

You can read my review of First Promise – Book One here .

My review of Two Riders – Book Two is here .

A special treat for you. I have Christine here for an interview and she is letting me host a fantastic giveaway!

I’m so glad to have your here on my blog Christine. I love your books and want everyone to meet you. So let’s get started!
I love the cover art for your Blood Run series. They make me think “Classics.” How did you choose them?
They were a real struggle. My husband helps me with the covers and by ‘helps’ I mean ‘pushes’. He never lets me get away with anything that looks lazy (but it’s hard because with some things, I AM lazy!). We were back and forth with putting Promise on there. People respond to faces, so it can be a good way to get a book looked at. But I also had the idea of this very elegant cover with just a hint of the menace in the story. I think they worked out okay and they look great as a set!
Your characters are so easy to relate to. Do you have a favorite? I won’t tell the others:)
It’s difficult because I relate to each of them. Promise for her fighting, bullheaded nature. Lea because I understand her shy reticence. Mark because of how much he comes to appreciate Lea. Peter for his conflicted nature. And Evans, well, I love Evans, but it might take a reader some time to find out why.
How did you feel after finishing this series? Was it hard to say goodbye to your characters?
I hate finishing books. Hate it. My husband always tries to do something to cheer me up because I usually cry and then drag around like a lost dog for a while. I think about the characters and in a weird way, I always wonder what they are up to after the book ends. Which is probably borderline psychotic, right?
I am reading your collection “Darkness Within” right now. Where do you get your ideas from?
The ideas come from everywhere. Half or more from my husband (are you seeing the theme?) and the rest are usually based off my personal fears. I am easily spooked and I find the world a hard, scary place to be.
I’m also reading The Boat. I know, it’s crazy to read two books at once! The story line and the zombies are quite unique. What inspired this book?
I usually have a few books going at once as a reader. It’s a mood thing, isn’t it? The Boat sprang from a conversation my husband and I had in the grocery store. (I’m lucky to have him, aren’t I?)
You have written many books. Do you have a favorite?
I don’t have a favorite. But there are some characters that keep popping into my mind as though they have more to say.
Are you working on anything now, and if so, can you share something about it?
I am finishing up short stories for a new collection which will be out soon. Hopefully some time in November. I am very proud of the stories going into this book. I think it’s some of the best writing I’ve ever done. I am grateful to my short story teacher, Season, because even though I’m not taking classes anymore, she is still teaching me!
Five Fun Shorts!
1) favorite genre (to read or write)?
My favorite genre as a reader is general, character driven fiction. And I am a re-reader. I’ll read the same books over and over. Freaky, right?
2) creepiest monster?
Creepiest ‘monsters’ to me are the real life serial killers. They make my blood run very, very cold.
3) Why did the chicken cross the road?
Curiosity. Which he better be careful of. Just ask the cat.
4) favorite TV show?
The Walking Dead and HGTV’s House Hunters.
5) worst movie you’ve watched?
God, so many. We watch movies constantly so it would be hard to say. Joe Dirt comes to mind, though I watch it occasionally now. I have such a high tolerance!
This has been fun. Thanks so much for answering my questions Christine. I look forward to having you back soon!
Thank you, Laura.  I’m glad you gave me this opportunity to be on your blog. Although I still don’t know how you have the time to do all the wonderful things you do. All the best.

And now for the giveaway!

The first place winner will receive e-books of the complete Blood Run Series! That’s right. You will win First Promise, Two Riders and Last Chance!

And that’s not all. Two more lucky winners will get an e-book of First Promise, the first book in the Blood Run Series! Isn’t that awesome?!

Entry is easy. Just leave your email address and answer this question, “How would you feed a vampire?”

Giveaway ends November 4th.

It’s not required, but it would make my day if you followed me on twitter and my blog.

You can find Christine Dougherty here:

Website

Goodreads

Twitter

Amazon

Facebook

If you think this giveaway is awesome, please hit that like and tweet button:)

Two Riders (Blood Run Trilogy, Book Two) by Christine Dougherty

Two Riders

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I love the title for this book. It really is about two riders.

In First Promise (Book One) Promise has a sleek black stallion named Ash and Peter (half-vampire also called half-and-half) has a stocky white mare named Snow. You can read my review here .

In Two Riders (Book Two) Promise and Peter join a group of soldiers from the National Guard. They are being escorted to New Jersey.  There is a scientist working on a cure for vampirism, and Promise is hoping to bring that cure back for her little brother, Chance.

She lost her parents to vampires and not long after her brother was turned after being bitten.  She is doing everything she can to keep her promise to him. To make everything alright again.

The soldiers are a mixed bag of volunteers and enlisted. There is one that is causing lots of problems for Peter. Evans is drawn to Promise, but despises Peter and uses every opportunity to make this known. He is always one step away from putting an arrow through Peter. As Peter is finding it more and more difficult to resist the dark urges of the virus running through his veins, the journey is fraught with tension. These two are dangerously close to killing each other.

The trip is slow and arduous, the soldiers having to keep their humvees moving at a pace that the horses can maintain. With the vampires getting more brazen, it wouldn’t do for the riders, Promise and Peter, to be left behind.

Without giving too much away, I’ll tell you that not everyone makes it to Jersey. Three will fall, but I won’t tell you who.

Of course, I’m very fond of Peter and I love Promise. She is young and vulnerable, and recognizes this. She’s also intuitive and very quick thinking. She is growing up fast.

Evans, the cantankerous, gruff soldier, really got on my nerves at first. I was thinking, this is the bad apple. There is one in every story, the one you love to hate.

But that changed over time. I learned his story as he revealed it to Promise. He actually became likeable, someone I would want on my side. I would love to read a book about him.

The writing is smooth, with no wasted words. The vampires are more vicious, the scenes more bloody, and the characters are becoming my friends. I am completely involved in this series.

Christine wraps it up nicely. I like how she gives you an ending in each book and also a lead in to the next one. I guess you could read each one by itself, as she gives a recap at the beginning of the second and third book. But I recommend you read them in order and get the complete experience. I wouldn’t want you to miss out on that.

  Still loving this series!!

I’m finished reading Last Chance (Blood Run Trilogy, Book Three), the last book in this series. I’ll be back to tell you about it soon!

About Christine Dougherty and where to find her.

Christine Dougherty

Christine Dougherty is at home in South Jersey with a husband, dog, and two cats. She has published short stories in The Absent Willow Review, Necrotic Tissue, Fiction at Work, and Niteblade.

Christine’s greatest influences are Stephen King, Margaret Atwood, Anne Tyler, Dean Koontz, Wally Lamb and a fascination with the scarier aspects of life, be they paranormal or criminal.

Christine writes in the genres of horror, paranormal, and psychological thriller and is never happier than when she is tackling the undead, the walking dead, werewolves, vampires, zombies, ghosts, aliens, spooky scenes, scary characters, psychics, demons, devils, and quirky heroes and heroines.

Website

Goodreads

Twitter

Amazon

Facebook

To purchase the Blood Run Trilogy click on the images below.

Christine has written many books. You can find them all here .

Behind this innocent looking book cover is one hell of a great vampire story. Don’t let this cover art fool you!

First Promise (Book One in the Blood Run series)

By Christine Dougherty

First Promise

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I nabbed this book for free off of Amazon. The blurb made me curious. I am so glad I did.

First Promise sat in my kindle for a few days, and as I was browsing to see what I might like to read, I happened on this book.  I opened it up, started reading, and a couple of hours later, I was finished. I couldn’t believe it. I didn’t want it to end. I was so pumped up I wanted to hit something! Just kiddin. But I was anxious to read more of this series.

I hopped over to Goodreads to check out Christine Dougherty. I was surprised that I had not friended her. Her books are my kind of reading, wonder how I missed her. Be sure, I friended her now! And I spotted the next two books in the series. They are available on Amazon and now I don’t have to wait to dive back in!

Let me tell ya’ll about this story.

It started in 1983.  News reports and rumors about vicious attacks trickled into the small town of Willow’s End. The townspeople soon start to believe the reports are true as the outbreak escalates, spreading to all corners of the Earth by the end of 83.

It takes a while for the infected to reach Willow’s End.  It’s now 1985. People start to go missing and some are found dead, their bodies ripped apart. Then the worse happens. The vampires get Promise’s parents. Promise, only eighteen years old, now has to protect and care for her nine-year old brother Chance. They are all each other has.

One week later, she loses Chance also. The survivors of the surrounding towns have taken shelter in the high school. It is a secure outpost, like many scattered throughout the country. They should have been safe. Then someone leaves a door open, and the vampires come pouring in from the darkness outside. It’s a bloodbath. So many die. And Chance is bitten. It doesn’t take long for him to change into a bloodsucker.

The others want to stake Chance, but Promise forbids it. As he howls and gnashes his long incisors in her face, Promise cries out to him to stop. He seems to have enough humanity left in him to hear her, and he dives out the window and runs off into the night.

Promise was not  always her name. She changed it from Destiny because she made a “promise” to her little brother. Since she first laid eyes on him as an infant, she always felt like he was her child. Now she has to hunt him down and end his pain.

Her promise, “I’ll fix everything. Until the day I rest in my grave, I will look for him.”

Now she shares a room with her horse, Ash, and her friend Lea, a quiet, shy girl, head-over-heels in love with Mark, who is hopelessly in love with Promise. Quite the pickle they are in. Promise has no interest in Mark besides friendship and they all manage to remain close, looking out for each other.

Then a newcomer arrives. A handsome young man, several years older than Promise. They seem drawn to each and not just because Peter has a horse also. The stories going around that he’s half-and-half are true. He has been bitten and survived, unchanged. The fact that his dreams are filled with a lust for blood will remain his secret.

Okay, I have to stop here. It is really going to get cranking now.

This little jewel is screaming at me to keep telling you more.

I am so glad there are two more books in this series. I have fallen hard for Promise and Peter, along with Lea and Mark. There are some periphery characters I like also and they help keep the story flowing and make it plausible.

I love how the author describes Promises’s feelings about vampires. They echo my own, and I’ve never seen it mentioned before.

It still felt weird on her lips and in her ears. Vampires. The word was squirmy and old-fashioned and almost… embarrassing.”

There is one other moment in the story where this happens. It is like the author knows how I feel. It has to do with Peter and Promise, and what she discovers about his life before the outbreak. See if you catch what I mean. It’s like the author read my mind.

This would be a great read for young adult and more mature readers.

I’ve only touched on this story. There is so much in store for you. You have to read First Promise!

 

5 for 5 plus a pinch more because I don’t have to wait for the next two books. They are available now!

My review of Two Riders (Book Two in the Blood Run Series) is coming soon!

About Christine Dougherty and where to find her.

Christine Dougherty

Christine Dougherty is at home in South Jersey with a husband, dog, and two cats. She has published short stories in The Absent Willow Review, Necrotic Tissue, Fiction at Work, and Niteblade.

Christine’s greatest influences are Stephen King, Margaret Atwood, Anne Tyler, Dean Koontz, Wally Lamb and a fascination with the scarier aspects of life, be they paranormal or criminal.

Christine writes in the genres of horror, paranormal, and psychological thriller and is never happier than when she is tackling the undead, the walking dead, werewolves, vampires, zombies, ghosts, aliens, spooky scenes, scary characters, psychics, demons, devils, and quirky heroes and heroines.

Website

Goodreads

Twitter

Amazon

Facebook

To purchase the Blood Run Trilogy click on the images below.