Wild Blood: Vampire in the City, Book Two by Donna Ansari
I am a woman of my word. I said I would be reviewing Wild Blood: Vampire in the City–Book 2 and here I am. And I have something else fun going on. I am going to be doing an interview with not one , but two ladies today. Plus, I have 5 e-book copies of Wild Blood to giveaway! Details can be found at the bottom of the post. First I want to show you the book.
Another stunner. Another great choice Donna. And I love that you kept the same font for the title and your name.
Okay, on to my review! Just so you know, this is the second book in this series. So I guess I am giving you a spoiler alert, in case you haven’t read New Blood, Book One.
The story starts with Emma still adjusting to being a vampire. It doesn’t happen overnight, but since she’s undead, she has plenty of time, which she finds difficult to keep track of.
She comes downstairs to find her roommate Tammy dressed up as a witch and her tenant David wearing a button that says I’m a werewolf – ask me how! She plumb forgot it’s Halloween. They are staying in to pass out candy. Boy. if the trick-or-treaters only knew the significance of their costumes.
David has to spend the night in the cemetery. He can turn when he wants to, but when the moon is full he has to turn and tonight the moon is full. It’s best if he keeps his distance until sunrise.
Emma has a date. She’s going to meet James, a vampire she met the other night. He’s new to New York City and she agreed to show him around. He is a vampire that doesn’t kill humans, like her, and not too shabby in the looks department either. This could be fun.
Donna knows how to make me laugh. Check out this scene.
I went back to the kitchen and hung up the phone to find Tammy sitting at the table and reading a magazine.
“Where’s David?” I asked.
“Out in the graveyard preparing to wolf out.” She looked up. “So what club are you guys going to?”
“Some goth club, I muttered. Tammy had never been much of a fan of my goth phase.
She laughed. “Two vampires going out to a goth club on Halloween” Can you possibly be any more of a living stereotype” Oh, I’m sorry, undead stereotype.”
I love these two roomies and I can’t wait for you to meet them!
It seems like dating is something different now too. This from Emma:
“I was actually just wondering if I’m supposed to eat before meeting a date.” I had learned in my short time as a vampire, that eating was not quite the social occasion that it was for humans.
Tammy: “What, you mean like….”
She bared her teeth.
If I were a vampire and had to have a roomie, there’s no one I would rather have than Tammy. She’d keep me in stitches.
As James and Emma are walking to the club they get to talking. Emma is curious about why he came to New York. David’s story is he knows that werewolves exist and he is searching for one in particular. He tells Emma that there are packs of them in San Francisco, where he came from, but none in New York yet. He and his maker, Abby, took out half of the pack but the leader escaped and later tracked down Abby during the day and killed her. James is in New York because the werewolf he seeks is here.
When James mentions that this werewolf is a certain type, a gay type, Emma knows to keep her mouth shut about David, her tenant. The description definitely fits him. Small world.
Going to The Vault wasn’t the best idea. Emma had never gotten around to eating and all she wants to do is bite. To save some poor drunk from being drained, James pushes his arm in Emma’s mouth. At least for now she doesn’t feel like drinking someone dry. But that isn’t the only problem. This is a known vampire hangout and Emma has been trying to avoid her sire and the others responsible for her condition. It’s best to avoid the politics thing. As luck would have it, they’re here, so James and Emma make a quick exit to avoid being spotted.
The night isn’t a total bust. David was turned into a vampire fifty years ago right here in New York City. He filled in a lot of holes for Emma, giving her the history of the top vampires, including the Prince, Michael. Useful information.
Calling it an early night, Emma arrives home and who is waiting for her? None other than her sire Alex. Her ex-lover and big fat liar. He doesn’t like it that she was at the club with James, warning her that he is unstable and dangerous, and if the Prince saw her with James, he’d kill both of them. There is a history between the prince and James and Emma should avoid getting caught up in it. Too late for that.
From here on the fangs start flashing and the fur flies. It appears there are werewolves in New York and they want to make the city their hunting grounds. It looks like war is coming between the vampires and the werewolves and Emma, Tammy, and David are smack dab in the middle of it.
Donna has many surprises for you In Wild Blood. She still has Emma slowly bumbling with being a new vampire, and that is my favorite part. Don’t get me wrong, the action is fast and the fighting is fierce, but I can’t help but love the humor laced throughout the story. It just makes me fall in love with the characters all over again. You will too.
I would say the writing is even better, and many questions are answered. I liked learning about the lives of some of the vampires before they were turned. It made them more real, but didn’t necessarily make me like them. There are some truly bad ones in this book that you love to hate. I think that is also important. It gives balance to the story. I still haven’t made my mind up about a couple of the characters. Maybe when I read the third book, which I hear is coming soon, I can decide.
Donna has met all of my expectations with Wild Blood. It was everything I hoped for and more. If you haven’t read the first book, New Blood, do so now and get to know the Vampires in the City! They will keep you entertained!
Loved it! Howling for more!
Witch Blood: Vampire in the City, Book Three is coming soon!
I have Emma and Tammy from The Vampire in the City series here to answer a few questions. Enjoy the show.
Here we go ladies!
1) How’s your love life going?
Emma: Pass.
Tammy: You can’t pass,
Em.
E: Then you go first.
T: Oh geez. Well, I’ve just started
dating this witch….
E: Don’t you mean warlock?
T: No, actually a
male witch is still called a witch. But anyway, it’s going pretty well so far,
although it may be a conflict of interest that we’re in the same
coven.
E: Ugh, my turn? I guess you could just say I’m not very serious
about anyone at the moment.
2) Would either of you date
outside of your, er, species?
T: Possibly, but it would really depend on
the person, and whether or not that person was worth dealing with all that.
E: Maybe, I mean, I guess I sort of am, but who knows where it might go.
I mean, if things were reversed I would probably not like a long-term
relationship with someone who doesn’t age. Not to mention that you can never see
them in the daytime, ever.
3) Do you share the household chores?
E: Sure, for the most part. I mean, I’m not going to do any of the
cooking or washing dishes, but beyond that, it’s pretty equal.
T: Yeah,
no one really has any romantic visions of a vampire doing their own vacuuming.
Luckily, the one I live with has no qualms about that!
4) What
is one thing that drives you crazy about the other?
E: (looks at Tammy
and shrugs)
T: (laughs) Hmmmm….that’s kind of hard to answer. Em and I
have been friends for so long, and sometimes it seems like after you know
someone for so long that things don’t really drive you crazy about them anymore.
You just learn to accept certain characteristics and say, “Well, that’s just how
she is,” and then they no longer drive you crazy. Still, if I had to pick one
thing, I guess I’d say when she keeps things from me-on the rare occasions that
that happens. I know there’s still a lot she needs to figure out for herself,
and maybe she doesn’t want to freak me out, but we’ve never kept secrets from
each other. But at this point what could she possibly have to tell me that could
shock me?
E: Along those lines, I guess the only time I’ve really been
annoyed at Tammy is when she pries a little too hard–some things are not worth
being examined and are best left alone.
5) What do you think of
the show TRUE BLOOD?
T: Hmmm, we don’t have HBO, so believe it or not,
I’ve never seen it. But Em is a closet Buffy fan.
E: I don’t even know if
I’m in the closet on that one.
6) Who do you think is the
sexiest actor?
E: I’ve always been a fan of Johnny Depp ever since I saw
Edward scissorshands!
T: My personal fave is Edward Norton–he’s as
talented as he is sexy. Keanu Reeves is still pretty hot too–and I did not pick
him just because he was in that Dracula movie either!
7) If you
could go back in time to before any of this happened, would you change it?
E: I don’t know. I’ve actually thought about this a good deal. When I
was human, I had no idea that any of this world, vampires, werewolves, witches,
existed. I was happily oblivious. But other things in my life, like my
relationship with my long-term boyfriend and my home life, where pretty
unfulfilling. And now I’m probably better off where those things are concerned.
And as to the other thing, even if I felt content in my safe existence, is
ignorance ever better than knowledge? I don’t know. Now I not only know what’s
out there in the dark, but I have the power to deal with it.
T: Would I
change having my best friend being turned into one of the living dead and having
to face adversities that go above and beyond what any person, creature,
whatever, should have to? What do you think? At the same time, if it was the
only way to save her life…well, I’d rather have her here than not here. That’s a
complicated question, and there’s no easy answer to that one. Still, I love Emma
like a sister, so again, I’d much rather have her here in any form, than not
here at all. Wow…that one was heavy…
Five Fun
Favorites
1) Favorite supernatural being?
E: I suppose
vampires.
T: Zombies!
2) Favorite color?
E:
Probably blue, but it depends on my mood.
T: Is it sometimes
red?
E: What? Why? Oh, right.
T: For me it’s purple. I’m more of a
jewel-tine gal.
3) Favorite holiday?
E: Probably
Halloween. Not because I’m a vampire, but because it doesn’t have any
family-oriented connotations.
T: Probably Thanksgiving–I love to cook
and eat!
4) Favorite book boyfriend?
E: I know it’s a
kid’s book, but I really liked Sirius Black from the Harry Potter series. He
seemed like he would be a lot of fun to date.
T: Was Hunger Games an
adult book? Whatever. I liked Cinna a lot – the guy who does Katniss’s makeup
and costumes. They never said he was gay, so I can hope!
5) Favorite
season of the year?
E: It used to be summer, because when I was human I
hated the cold. Now I would have to say winter, so I don’t have to be asleep 15
hours a day!
T: Spring. The cooler weather always brings me down!
Thanks ladies. That was fun. And thank you Donna for arranging to have Emma and Tammy appear today.
For my review of New Blood : Book One and interview with Donna go here .
And now for the giveaway!
I have 5 e-book copies of Wild Blood for this giveaway.
To enter just leave your email along with a nice comment for any of these ladies.
Contest ends October 2nd.
Not required, but would make me happy if your followed my blog and twitter.
About the author and where to find her
Donna Ansari was born in New York City and has lived there for most of her life. Donna graduated from Pace University with a BA in Literature and Communications. Since then, she has been working as an editor, primarily in the field of medical education.
Donna lives in Queens with her husband, son, and large black cat. She is not currently aware of any vampires in her neighborhood.
Tp purchase New Blood or Wild Blood just click on the images on the left hand sidebar.