Review - Beloved Vampire

Title: Beloved Vampire
Author: Joey W. Hill
Publishing Date: August 2009
Genre: Paranormal (Erotic)
Rating: C-
Sensuality: Hot

Jessica Tyson was taken against her will and forced to become a vampire's servant. After five years of servitude she was given the opportunity to end the vampire's life and she took it. Only she was partially third-marked which means she didn't die right away like she should have. Instead she is slowly wasting away. Her will to live has exceeded her body's need to parish. Before she leaves this earth she is determined to find the grave of Farida whose diary kept her sane all those years. Once she finds Farida's tomb she is discovered by Lord Mason, Farida's lover who also happens to be a vampire. Lord Mason saves Farida's life the only way he knows how by marking her as his servant.

I had a hard time with Beloved Vampire. Jessica suffered horrible, indescribable torture at the hands of the sadistic vampire, Raithe. I was very disgusted by the things Raithe did to Jessica. She has HUGE baggage that she needs to deal with in order to gain some semblance of control over her life. She doesn't trust any vampires or anyone associated with vampires. To top things off she is a natural submissive and is confused by her desire to submit to someone stronger than her. She feels the need to please, yet feels guilty or ashamed by these submissive feelings.

Lord Mason is also tortured by his past. He had loved in the past and that love ended very tragically. Both he and Jessica need to overcome HUGE amounts of baggage before they can heal and move on with their lives. Here in lies the crutch of the problem for me. I felt that Mason and Jessica's relationship was overshadowed by each of their own individual problems that I did not believe in their romance. It was almost as if it was too much for me to comprehend and be able to relate too. I hate to say it be I was also bored on a certain level because the story became stagnant. Before Jessica could move forward she had to work through her issues and it seemed to stall the movement of the relationship between her and Mason.

Beloved Vampire is part of the Vampire Queen series. I don't feel that the other books need to be read in order to read this book. It is not the best of the series in my opinion. Although, other characters from previous books to play a small role in this story. I am sorry to say, I can not recommend this book.

Here is what others had to say:

Dear Author (who really liked it)
Darque Reviews
Tour's Books Blog
The Geeky Bookworm

This book can be purchased in print or kindle format from Amazon.

Series Sunday - Vampire Queen

Joey Hill's Vampire Queen Series immerses readers into the BDSM world where the vampires are dominant and their servants are, well... subservient. The first three books in this series feature a twist to the D/s relationship where the female, in this case a vampire, is the dominant, controlling force in the relationship. The male is the servant. But the key to this relationship is the male's willingness to submit to the female. His instincts rule him to be the protector, yet he is compelled to please his female by submitting to her wishes. This is an unusual dichotomy for a romance and one that I think Joey Hill has done well.

I have read the first three books in this series. The first two books are really one story broken into two separate books. They feature Elyssa and Jacob and should be read in order. Then the third and fourth books feature two new couples and can be read separately. So depending on where you want to jump in with this series, the third or fourth book could be read by itself without hindering the reading experience, if books one and two haven't been read.

Series Reading Order:

1. The Vampire Queen's Servant (Elyssa and Jacob)
2. The Mark of the Vampire Queen (Elyssa and Jacob)
3. A Vampire's Claim (Dani and Dev)
4. Beloved Vampire (Jessica and Mason)


A really nice interview was posted recently at The Good, The Bad, The Unread and if you scroll down about halfway is very informative on this series.

Review - A Vampire's Claim

Title: A Vampire's Claim
Author: Joey W. Hill
Publishing Date: March 2009
Genre: Paranormal (Erotic)
Rating: B
Sensuality: Burning

A Vampire's Claim is book three in Joey Hill's Vampire Queen Series. A Vampire's Claim even though it is the third book actually takes place about 60 years prior to the first two books of the series. The first two books are about Lyssa and Jacob and you don't necessarily have to have read them to enjoy this book. Although, the first two books are good and you might want to read them anyway! This book is the story of how Devlin, an Australian bushman became Lady Daniela's servant.

Lady Daniela is a vampire and it is common for vampires to take a human servant that they give three marks. While all servants are given at least two marks it is a very special honor to be chosen for the third mark. A unique and very strong relationship forms between a vampire and her fully marked servant. She has to rely on this servant for protection while sleeping, nourishment from their blood and also physical and emotional companionship. Dani is a young vampire and hasn't ever had a fully marked servant before. When she meets Dev it seems their destiny is inescapably intertwined.

A Vampire's Claim is an extremely scorching hot read with most of the focus being on Dani and Dev's physical relationship. What first starts out as a sexual attraction, slowly evolves into a deeper emotional attachment that has both Dani and Dev worried. Dev himself is a damaged man who lost a wife and child tragically. He is no longer capable of loving on that level again. Dani is supposed to view her human servant more as a beloved pet than a soul mate. She worries about her unnatural attachment to Dev.

The world building takes a backseat to the sex, but what is there is good. Vampires live in a hierarchy and play dangerous political games. These games make it possible for Dev to showcase his talents in both bed and out. Readers will fall in love with the tragic hero and root for him to find peace. Dani is not as well drawn as Dev, but is still a worthy heroine for him. Fans of Joey Hill and readers who enjoy lots of imaginative sex won't want to miss A Vampire's Claim.


Here is what others had to say:

Dionne Galace

You can purchase this book in print format from Amazon.

Review - The Mark of the Vampire Queen

Title: The Mark of the Vampire Queen
Author: Joey W. Hill
Publishing Date: 2008
Genre: Paranormal (Erotic)
Rating: B
Sensuality: Burning

The Mark of the Vampire Queen picks up right where The Vampire Queen's Servant left off. Lyssa is sick with an unknown disease that currently has no cure. Jacob her human servant is bound to her, which means when she dies he will too. Lyssa controls the Vampire territory of the Southeastern United States and is one of the most influential members of the Vampire Council. Before she succumbs to this illness, she needs to make sure her Vampires will have sanctuary when she dies. At the next council meeting she plans to bring this issue forth to the council. There are several obstacles that make this next to impossible to accomplish, Carnal a sadistic vampire out to demolish the Council, Jacob's vampire-hunter brother Gabriel, and Lyssa's illness.

This book really pushes the envelope, so to speak. Some of the things in this book made me uncomfortable. I think that was the author's intent, though. One of the aspects to Lyssa and Jacob's relationship is that they would both push the boundaries on what they were comfortable with. Lyssa would push Jacob to do things sexually that he normally would never think to do, nor imagine that they would arouse him as they do. In turn, Jacob would make Lyssa realize how much more her heart and soul was involved when having sex with Jacob. She was much more deeply involved with him than she has ever been with anyone else. So this was a very interesting dynamic to read.

I felt the pacing of the first half of the book was a little slow. Halfway through when Jacob and Lyssa attend the council meeting things really begin to pick up. When it came time for the climax of the story, I was hanging onto the edge of my seat. It was very intense, as there was a lot to take in and alot for the characters to deal with. I was surprised at the range of emotions I went through and came to realize that I had connected to Jacob and Lyssa. I definitely want to continue with more of this series. I think Joey W. Hill is one of the better erotic romance authors I have read.

Here is what others had to say:

The Good, The Bad, The Unread
Dionne Galace
Bitten by Books
Whipped Cream

Review - The Vampire Queen's Servant

Title: The Vampire Queen's Servant
Author: Joey W. Hill
Publishing Date: 2007
Genre: Paranormal (Erotic)
Rating: B+
Sensuality: Burning

Lady Lyssa is the last remaining vampire Royal Queen. Even though she is immortal her health has been failing because of a mysterious disease. She is currently without a human servant to protect and manage her estates. She does not want to find another servant because of her close relationship that she had with Thomas who was her previous one. He recently died and she still isn't quite over his death. When Lyssa goes to her favorite salon to have a manicure, her usual manicurist is replaced with a delicious specimen of a man, Jacob. He has a letter explaining to her that Thomas spent his last dying days training this man to become her servant.

I found the The Vampire Queen's Servant to be a very interesting mix of components. On the one hand, it is a very sensual and dark book. Vampires like to dominate when they are having sex. The sex is more pleasurable when they can have a person submit willingly to them. Lyssa is drawn to Jacob because he is so virile and masculine. For him to submit willingly to her is like the taming of a great beast. It goes against Jacob's instincts to allow Lyssa to dominate him and for him to submit to her shows her how much he trusts and loves her. It was really interesting so see this dynamic between these two characters. Definitely, never a dull moment in the bedroom and just a warning; some of the sex might be too much for some readers.

Even though the book has its darker moments, there were also times when I felt there was an innocence to Lyssa and Jacob. It was as if they held a child's curiosity or a child's ability to live in the moment and just appreciate it for what it is. There is one scene in particular that takes place in a fountain at the mall. The way it was described in the book had me read it as if the characters were in slow motion. I could picture so clearly the drops of water suspended in the air before splashing down. That scene made an impact and I know I am not doing it justice. Let's just say that this book, definitely, had atmosphere.

The Vampire Queen's Servant does end with a few unresolved issues. Nothing that would qualify as a cliff-hanger to frustrate the reader. Instead, Lyssa and Jacob's story will continue in The Mark of the Vampire Queen.