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Undead in Brown County #1
The Vampire's Warden
He moved. It was a flash in the moonlight, a blur of motion like I'd never witnessed before. No human had the capacity to move like that. When I found myself face-to-face with him there in the meadow, I knew without a doubt that the journal was authentic. I knew that my grandfather hadn't been crazy at all.
Because a foot away from me stood a vampire.
What do you do when you find out the people you trust have been hiding a terrible secret? When Sarah Wood's father passes away and hands over to her the responsibility of running the family's inn, she finds put things are far more complicated than she first imagined. She's not just responsible for running the inn. She's become the Vampire's Warden.
This is part one of a three-part series. It is 31,880 words long. It is a novella.
Because a foot away from me stood a vampire.
What do you do when you find out the people you trust have been hiding a terrible secret? When Sarah Wood's father passes away and hands over to her the responsibility of running the family's inn, she finds put things are far more complicated than she first imagined. She's not just responsible for running the inn. She's become the Vampire's Warden.
This is part one of a three-part series. It is 31,880 words long. It is a novella.
200 pages, Paperback
First published February 1, 2011
142 people are currently reading
2614 people want to read
About the author
S.J. Wright
11 books268 followersBorn in Indianapolis several decades ago, S.J. Wright grew up in the corn belt. It was terribly exciting. She is the sixth of seven daughters, crazy about horses and dogs, has two sons who are twelve years apart in age, is a reading freak, has one amazing grandson and currently lives in Greenwood, Indiana.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 241 reviews
March 11, 2011
The plot was not completely developed, the main character was over the top annoying and the story just stops without tying anything together.
Michael did seem intriguing but, unfortunately, he was in 2% of the book.
Also, the main character's name is I. Seriously? Not that it was completely confusing, but it was annoying and completely unneeded. Her worry would take paragraphs to completely describe which had me skimming lots ... and lots. She hadn't even read the diary left explaining what she was required to do for the rest of her life but, suddenly, was an expert on vampires and their behavior.
I gave it 2 stars only because I was able to make it through the whole book.
I bought this book from Amazon because of all the 5 star reviews and regret it.
Michael did seem intriguing but, unfortunately, he was in 2% of the book.
Also, the main character's name is I. Seriously? Not that it was completely confusing, but it was annoying and completely unneeded. Her worry would take paragraphs to completely describe which had me skimming lots ... and lots. She hadn't even read the diary left explaining what she was required to do for the rest of her life but, suddenly, was an expert on vampires and their behavior.
I gave it 2 stars only because I was able to make it through the whole book.
I bought this book from Amazon because of all the 5 star reviews and regret it.
April 5, 2011
This was a really great story. I fell in love with the characters and definitely had a hard time putting it down. I do wish that it was longer, but only because I couldn't get enough. I can't wait to find out what happens next!
December 18, 2015
So from the title the book is clearly a paranormal/fantasy genre and this book is generally not a bad read. I am not in love with this book, it wasn't a quick read I suppose but I did break this book down by getting to chapter 5 before bed and finishing this book in the morning within an hour I would say. It isn't a long drawn out read which I liked but I think maybe a little fast, often paranormal reads are though. In no way is this book hard to follow unless you're bored which it was a little. I found it slightly annoying how everything is just not explained fully and its a ploy in my opinion to get you to get the next book. Annoying yes but effective - completely.
Now the setting of this book is of course an old run down town and the actual place she lives is a distant farm house or ranch I suppose it is better known for. The feel this book first gave me was it was set in the past about 1800's and I'm not too sure why perhaps the old fashions house keeper and old wild west feel that this book gives me. With a family doctor visiting you to give you you're father's last possessions and such. That threw me majorly, and it actually made me disappointed because I wouldn't have minded the book being set in the past like that it may have made it more interesting. However it isn't (apparently) and it is set in modern day give or take a few years from this review of course.
The writing isn't bad, I'm not overally fussed with it. It didn't make me imagine the scene any less or more. I'm fairly good at imagining my own scene if one is lacking. Lets just say I didn't notice anything wild and amazing nor anything that bad. I wasn't sat there picking out bad punctuation or bad grammar so I'd say the writing is pretty okay. The vocab in which everything is described is just that okay, I think for me to be completely confused for the first 5 chapters on which era this is set in explains quite a bit...
Events or rather lack of events are both told to us, meaning the author in my opinion doesn't really describe it very well or leads up to it all that great. It just kind of happens and that is it. Then again nothing is explained in this book so that isn't that suprising. One thing that did bother me is how violent Sarah is, there are scenes where she just punches people and I'm not altogether sure why? If I maybe missed something. Maybe heavy editing on this book edited out too much... Sarah is okay, I actually sort of like her, I like her sass with her ex and the fact she isn't perfect. She has a temper which you see (the punching thing is odd, I confess) but she doesn't take much crap from anybody which is nice. There is also no instant love in this first book, its only 200 pages guys so give the author time...
I'm not that bothered about what happens to the characters if I'm honest, I'm curious about the things we don't know about. Questions like why is Sarah a Warden and things surrounding that which I won't say for spoilers. I want to know about what happens next but I'm also not that fussed if Sarah gets hit my lightning either. I don't like her or dislike her, she was just the story teller and that is pretty much it. I hope the author does improve the next book to show the scene, to make us understand what is going on and why its going on as at the moment nothing seems to be happening?
Summary
Good Points
-Vampires
- Some action (kind of)
- Mystery
- No Instant love connections, but there are connections
Not so good points
- Very short
- The action isn't that good
- Slightly predictable
- Going to be a love triangle, my bones can feel it...
- Nothing is explained
- God damn predictable cliffhanger ending.
- She doesn't read the journal that apparently details what she is mean't to do. Wonders why she doesn't know what to do. But instantly knows how vampires work.
- Where is the detainee for the book? He's in it about 10 pages and barely then.
3 Stars, will maybe read the next book (if there is one) but I am unsure.
Now the setting of this book is of course an old run down town and the actual place she lives is a distant farm house or ranch I suppose it is better known for. The feel this book first gave me was it was set in the past about 1800's and I'm not too sure why perhaps the old fashions house keeper and old wild west feel that this book gives me. With a family doctor visiting you to give you you're father's last possessions and such. That threw me majorly, and it actually made me disappointed because I wouldn't have minded the book being set in the past like that it may have made it more interesting. However it isn't (apparently) and it is set in modern day give or take a few years from this review of course.
The writing isn't bad, I'm not overally fussed with it. It didn't make me imagine the scene any less or more. I'm fairly good at imagining my own scene if one is lacking. Lets just say I didn't notice anything wild and amazing nor anything that bad. I wasn't sat there picking out bad punctuation or bad grammar so I'd say the writing is pretty okay. The vocab in which everything is described is just that okay, I think for me to be completely confused for the first 5 chapters on which era this is set in explains quite a bit...
Events or rather lack of events are both told to us, meaning the author in my opinion doesn't really describe it very well or leads up to it all that great. It just kind of happens and that is it. Then again nothing is explained in this book so that isn't that suprising. One thing that did bother me is how violent Sarah is, there are scenes where she just punches people and I'm not altogether sure why? If I maybe missed something. Maybe heavy editing on this book edited out too much... Sarah is okay, I actually sort of like her, I like her sass with her ex and the fact she isn't perfect. She has a temper which you see (the punching thing is odd, I confess) but she doesn't take much crap from anybody which is nice. There is also no instant love in this first book, its only 200 pages guys so give the author time...
I'm not that bothered about what happens to the characters if I'm honest, I'm curious about the things we don't know about. Questions like why is Sarah a Warden and things surrounding that which I won't say for spoilers. I want to know about what happens next but I'm also not that fussed if Sarah gets hit my lightning either. I don't like her or dislike her, she was just the story teller and that is pretty much it. I hope the author does improve the next book to show the scene, to make us understand what is going on and why its going on as at the moment nothing seems to be happening?
Summary
Good Points
-Vampires
- Some action (kind of)
- Mystery
- No Instant love connections, but there are connections
Not so good points
- Very short
- The action isn't that good
- Slightly predictable
- Going to be a love triangle, my bones can feel it...
- Nothing is explained
- God damn predictable cliffhanger ending.
- She doesn't read the journal that apparently details what she is mean't to do. Wonders why she doesn't know what to do. But instantly knows how vampires work.
- Where is the detainee for the book? He's in it about 10 pages and barely then.
3 Stars, will maybe read the next book (if there is one) but I am unsure.
March 29, 2012
This is a super short story. It was just okay for me. I really wanted to like it as the setting is Brown County, Indiana. I have spent a lot of time in Brown County and I love it there. I have lots of childhood memories there with my dad. I think I would have liked it more had it been longer. It was too short to really get going. I believe that there are going to be more in the series. My recommendations to the author would be to make future stories longer, make the lead character just a little less annoying, and give some depth to her other characters. Maybe the whole vampire thing is just worn out. What a shame...I have loved vampires since I was a child.
November 18, 2017
Like a bad cup of coffee
Weak, thin, absolutely no jolts or bolts of pleasure.
Orphaned in her early twenties, Sarah is running the family Inn. Left with her sister Katie- whom is away at veterinarian school and her aunt-like figure Nelly....she is suddenly given some disturbing news. Her mother is still alive, is a vampire, and she is the new vampire warden. And this is where it takes a turn from bad to worse.
Short-yes
Free-yes
Either of those make me feel any better?
Nope
Considered putting into DNF pile on several occasions, pushed through since I do not have such a pile. After completion my first thought was, hmmmm need to get a DNF pile!!
January 14, 2015
Good start with this book. It has great potential, but way too short. I wish the author would have kept it a little longer to polish it more. That said, I liked this book enough to recommend it to friends.
I didn't feel there was lot of build up to it. I expected it to be this great romance, but it didn't quite get there. Yeah, there were a quite a few spots where there should be something going on, but I was left wishing for more.
I whizzed through this book so fast and moved on, that I forgot to write a review.
I didn't feel there was lot of build up to it. I expected it to be this great romance, but it didn't quite get there. Yeah, there were a quite a few spots where there should be something going on, but I was left wishing for more.
I whizzed through this book so fast and moved on, that I forgot to write a review.
December 19, 2017
Clickbait
Really, it doesn't happen much in this book. I wasn't even able to relate to any of the characters. Close to just a clickbait to get the second partm
Really, it doesn't happen much in this book. I wasn't even able to relate to any of the characters. Close to just a clickbait to get the second partm
August 11, 2020
Finally! A good vampire romance. One with an adult, intelligent, emotionally complex, but truly tough female protagonist who doesn’t need to be a trained warrior to be “strong”.
There are several other interesting, complex female characters leading the story. And even the (mostly male) vampires and secondary males are fully fleshed out, rather than caricature bad guys or complete drips.
The vampire lore is unusual, detailed, and intriguing. The concept of a mortal warden of a vampire resting place is new, unusual, and promising, although the following volumes are required to truly understand what’s going on. It has its own complexities not needing vampire wars, world threats, or complex politics to have its own worth (although all this looks likely to build up in subsequent episodes). This is a smart read, with real potential, despite the abrupt cliffhanger. I will read on in this series, eventually.
The romance element is well presented. Okay, we have a love triangle developing here, which is not unusual in this genre, but it is clear that the attractiveness of the two male leads is due to their vampiric powers, and our protagonist is clear headed enough to understand this and deal with it rather than dissolve into lustful goo. There is no toxicity and plenty of respect in the relationships, which is mature compared to the usual dickheads and bitches of paranormal romance. This all makes the progression of emotions so much more plausible. It’s a romance rather than erotica, still clean at this stage but all the more interesting for it.
Finally, the book is well written with a slow, introspective and descriptive tone. There’s plenty of plausible backstory to provide depth and flavour. It’s a cut above the usual strident paranormal story, putting realistic emotions ahead of frantic action or redundant sexuality.
An unexpectedly good read.
There are several other interesting, complex female characters leading the story. And even the (mostly male) vampires and secondary males are fully fleshed out, rather than caricature bad guys or complete drips.
The vampire lore is unusual, detailed, and intriguing. The concept of a mortal warden of a vampire resting place is new, unusual, and promising, although the following volumes are required to truly understand what’s going on. It has its own complexities not needing vampire wars, world threats, or complex politics to have its own worth (although all this looks likely to build up in subsequent episodes). This is a smart read, with real potential, despite the abrupt cliffhanger. I will read on in this series, eventually.
The romance element is well presented. Okay, we have a love triangle developing here, which is not unusual in this genre, but it is clear that the attractiveness of the two male leads is due to their vampiric powers, and our protagonist is clear headed enough to understand this and deal with it rather than dissolve into lustful goo. There is no toxicity and plenty of respect in the relationships, which is mature compared to the usual dickheads and bitches of paranormal romance. This all makes the progression of emotions so much more plausible. It’s a romance rather than erotica, still clean at this stage but all the more interesting for it.
Finally, the book is well written with a slow, introspective and descriptive tone. There’s plenty of plausible backstory to provide depth and flavour. It’s a cut above the usual strident paranormal story, putting realistic emotions ahead of frantic action or redundant sexuality.
An unexpectedly good read.
May 8, 2011
I really thought the premise of this book was unique. Humans being set to be caretakers of bad vampires, the wardens of vamps who misbehave- love it!
Overall, this book was enjoyable and left me salivating for more. I will definitely be checking out the next installment. I really liked Sarah. She was a tough, no-nonsense woman. She was always honest, never beat around the bush, and took no crap from anyone. I really enjoyed that about her. Unlike, her over-emotional sister, who I think went a little overboard… The characters were overall well-developed, though there are a lot of questions still unanswered about where some of them come from, how much they each knew of the past, and who can be trusted. I liked the backstory, how it was brought into the plot through the journal, that’s so much better than paragraphs of description.
As for the plot, at times it felt like the characters knew things that had not been revealed to the reader, like the author knew the details and just kind of forgot to write them in. The relationship between Alex and Sarah’s mother is not quite fully explained. The relationship between Michael and Sarah, which I feel has great potential, felt rushed. I felt like they needed more scenes before her confusing feeling started. But they do have a couple awesome, tense scenes that I’m looking forward to seeing more of. And do we ever find out why Alex was found unconscious and bleeding on the side of the road in the beginning of the book? How did the rogue group know that Sarah knew? And who was the mastermind of the rogue group? Victoria? A couple things in the climax scene confused me and I hope they will get answered better in the next book. And I want to know what Michael is eating while he’s being held captive… :)
At times, the author’s writing is great. Her descriptions draw you right into the story and by the middle, I felt like I was there. I had trouble in the beginning, however, because I felt like the plot was sluggish and I was instead focusing on grammatical errors and choppy sentences. By the middle - I was no longer noticing these things, instead focusing on the story.
I don’t want to be overly picky, and the average reader may not even notice these things, but I used to be an English teacher, so it was my job, and errors in grammar and choppy writing catch my attention. I assume these would be taken care of with the help of a professional editor.
In summary, I liked the idea of this book and it was a fun read. In my humble opinion- and really I feel horrible - I’m not trying to be mean, I just feel like a good going over would help this book go from good to awesome. I would rate this 3 stars, it has a lot of potential and I’ll be reading the following books in the series.
Overall, this book was enjoyable and left me salivating for more. I will definitely be checking out the next installment. I really liked Sarah. She was a tough, no-nonsense woman. She was always honest, never beat around the bush, and took no crap from anyone. I really enjoyed that about her. Unlike, her over-emotional sister, who I think went a little overboard… The characters were overall well-developed, though there are a lot of questions still unanswered about where some of them come from, how much they each knew of the past, and who can be trusted. I liked the backstory, how it was brought into the plot through the journal, that’s so much better than paragraphs of description.
As for the plot, at times it felt like the characters knew things that had not been revealed to the reader, like the author knew the details and just kind of forgot to write them in. The relationship between Alex and Sarah’s mother is not quite fully explained. The relationship between Michael and Sarah, which I feel has great potential, felt rushed. I felt like they needed more scenes before her confusing feeling started. But they do have a couple awesome, tense scenes that I’m looking forward to seeing more of. And do we ever find out why Alex was found unconscious and bleeding on the side of the road in the beginning of the book? How did the rogue group know that Sarah knew? And who was the mastermind of the rogue group? Victoria? A couple things in the climax scene confused me and I hope they will get answered better in the next book. And I want to know what Michael is eating while he’s being held captive… :)
At times, the author’s writing is great. Her descriptions draw you right into the story and by the middle, I felt like I was there. I had trouble in the beginning, however, because I felt like the plot was sluggish and I was instead focusing on grammatical errors and choppy sentences. By the middle - I was no longer noticing these things, instead focusing on the story.
I don’t want to be overly picky, and the average reader may not even notice these things, but I used to be an English teacher, so it was my job, and errors in grammar and choppy writing catch my attention. I assume these would be taken care of with the help of a professional editor.
In summary, I liked the idea of this book and it was a fun read. In my humble opinion- and really I feel horrible - I’m not trying to be mean, I just feel like a good going over would help this book go from good to awesome. I would rate this 3 stars, it has a lot of potential and I’ll be reading the following books in the series.
April 7, 2011
31,880 words...not sure that meets the criteria for a novella, for me, it was an hour and a half.
SJ Wright is a new author and I want to try and sample as many new voices as possible especially if they are a buck on Amazon for Kindle. With this said, the story has promise. We have a young woman, Sarah, who discovers that her family's farm has a meadow that has been cursed or blessed to be a place for vampires to rest for long periods of time. You know, go to ground like in Anne Rice books. Generations ago, some vamp made an agreement with an Indian Shaman or similar type to ward a patch of land to protect him while he slept. This is now a meadow and focal point of the story. The Shaman/Magical Indian ended up creating a warded space that can not only hold them for a period of rest but can keep them there if not propely released. You know, vamps check in but check out is at the discretion of management. Our heroine has inherited the land upon the death of her father and is now being told of her job as warden. You see, one of the vamps in the meadow is not there by choice, he is a prisoner. His name is Michael and he is the most interesting thing in the book.
Before we know it, everything cumulates into a barrel of snakes. We are left wondering...who does not have an agenda in this story? What did super vamp Michael do to get locked in meadow? What is Alex? What is the Council? What other supernatural beings live in or around Sarah's world because the vamps imply there are others? What happened to Sarah's mom. What's the doc upto? Where did the horse run off to? You get the drift. The story ends abruptly and not necessarily neatly.
I did not fall in love with the book for several reasons. It's not a book, it's an essay. It's too short. It has a YA feel not because Sarah is 23 but because I don't see any sex happening outside of her mind. Sarah is annoying in that she runs off bodily, verbally, or with her fist anytime she gets frustrated so she never gets any answers. She is also a little stupid too. She is left a journal by her father that tells everything but she can't seem to find the time to read it after she learns vamps are real.
According to Amazon, this is a three part series. If the next installment is an actual book, I may read it but no more of this 31,880 word crap. If you are a YA fan or someone who doesn't mind waiting for an unknown writer to finish her body of work, I recommend you try this cheap read. I meant it when I said, there is potential in it's humor and interesting cast of characters. That's why 3 stars.
SJ Wright is a new author and I want to try and sample as many new voices as possible especially if they are a buck on Amazon for Kindle. With this said, the story has promise. We have a young woman, Sarah, who discovers that her family's farm has a meadow that has been cursed or blessed to be a place for vampires to rest for long periods of time. You know, go to ground like in Anne Rice books. Generations ago, some vamp made an agreement with an Indian Shaman or similar type to ward a patch of land to protect him while he slept. This is now a meadow and focal point of the story. The Shaman/Magical Indian ended up creating a warded space that can not only hold them for a period of rest but can keep them there if not propely released. You know, vamps check in but check out is at the discretion of management. Our heroine has inherited the land upon the death of her father and is now being told of her job as warden. You see, one of the vamps in the meadow is not there by choice, he is a prisoner. His name is Michael and he is the most interesting thing in the book.
Before we know it, everything cumulates into a barrel of snakes. We are left wondering...who does not have an agenda in this story? What did super vamp Michael do to get locked in meadow? What is Alex? What is the Council? What other supernatural beings live in or around Sarah's world because the vamps imply there are others? What happened to Sarah's mom. What's the doc upto? Where did the horse run off to? You get the drift. The story ends abruptly and not necessarily neatly.
I did not fall in love with the book for several reasons. It's not a book, it's an essay. It's too short. It has a YA feel not because Sarah is 23 but because I don't see any sex happening outside of her mind. Sarah is annoying in that she runs off bodily, verbally, or with her fist anytime she gets frustrated so she never gets any answers. She is also a little stupid too. She is left a journal by her father that tells everything but she can't seem to find the time to read it after she learns vamps are real.
According to Amazon, this is a three part series. If the next installment is an actual book, I may read it but no more of this 31,880 word crap. If you are a YA fan or someone who doesn't mind waiting for an unknown writer to finish her body of work, I recommend you try this cheap read. I meant it when I said, there is potential in it's humor and interesting cast of characters. That's why 3 stars.
April 13, 2011
The Vampire’s Warden is the first novel in the ‘Undead in Brown County’ series by S.J Wright. This book was a delectable and great read.
Sarah Brightman is an independent and strong willed young woman. Her mother left her and her sister when she was little and now their father has died. The family business, a bed and breakfast, has been passed over to Sarah whilst her sister, Katie, continues her studies at a college far from home.
After their father’s death, Sarah finds out a lot more than she thought she knew like the fact that she has been living right next two vampires her entire life. With the help of Nelly, her exuberant and serious employee, and Alex, a wayward stranger that seems to know a lot about Sarah’s missing mother, she finds out all about her heritage.
I really enjoyed this book. I’m not sure which vampire’s side I am on though. Both are gorgeous, charismatic, charming and endearing. Michael has this way of winning you over and making you think that he has done nothing wrong, whereas the other vampire has been nothing but helpful to Sarah but at the same time keeping a lot of secrets from her that she ends up figuring out on her own and blowing up about.
My favourite moments were the flashbacks that Sarah got. I also thought it was brilliant that Sarah wasn’t all too gullible to believe that vampire’s existed right off the bat. She needed some convincing which I found quite realistic. I know I certainly wouldn’t believe that vampires existed just because I read it in a book. Pretty sure if I did, people would think I was a lunatic and cart me off to the nut house. I can’t say I disliked any parts from the book. Everything seemed to flow easily and was a nice light read.
Overall, I would recommend this book to everyone except for young children. Excellent read for a teenager and young adult enthusiasts alike.
Disclaimer: I was sent this e-book as part of a blog tour via The Bookish Snob Promotions. I have not been paid for this review and everything I have said is of my own honest opinion.
Sarah Brightman is an independent and strong willed young woman. Her mother left her and her sister when she was little and now their father has died. The family business, a bed and breakfast, has been passed over to Sarah whilst her sister, Katie, continues her studies at a college far from home.
After their father’s death, Sarah finds out a lot more than she thought she knew like the fact that she has been living right next two vampires her entire life. With the help of Nelly, her exuberant and serious employee, and Alex, a wayward stranger that seems to know a lot about Sarah’s missing mother, she finds out all about her heritage.
I really enjoyed this book. I’m not sure which vampire’s side I am on though. Both are gorgeous, charismatic, charming and endearing. Michael has this way of winning you over and making you think that he has done nothing wrong, whereas the other vampire has been nothing but helpful to Sarah but at the same time keeping a lot of secrets from her that she ends up figuring out on her own and blowing up about.
My favourite moments were the flashbacks that Sarah got. I also thought it was brilliant that Sarah wasn’t all too gullible to believe that vampire’s existed right off the bat. She needed some convincing which I found quite realistic. I know I certainly wouldn’t believe that vampires existed just because I read it in a book. Pretty sure if I did, people would think I was a lunatic and cart me off to the nut house. I can’t say I disliked any parts from the book. Everything seemed to flow easily and was a nice light read.
Overall, I would recommend this book to everyone except for young children. Excellent read for a teenager and young adult enthusiasts alike.
Disclaimer: I was sent this e-book as part of a blog tour via The Bookish Snob Promotions. I have not been paid for this review and everything I have said is of my own honest opinion.
May 6, 2011
This was a really good story! Sarah, who has no idea that vampires even exist, has the job of Vampire Warden fall into her lap after her father dies from cancer. Ok, so you would think that since this job falls to the next person in line in the family, the fact that vampire exist wouldn't have been kept from Sarah. Not only does Sarah have to deal with this whole new world she's been pushed into, she also has to deal with the recent death of her father, the fact that her mother isn't really dead - she just left, her sister being in danger, the regular family business to run, etc... She has a lot on her plate right now and you can't help but feel for her. A mysterious guy named Alex shows up at the Inn that Sarah now runs, saying that her mother sent him there to help her. She also is dealing with this attraction she is starting to feel toward Michael - the vampire she is supposed to guard who is equally as mysterious as Alex. There wasn't any romance in this book, which I was a little disappointed about, but I predict that will be coming in the next novella. I am sort of seeing a love triangle coming, but I guess I will just have to wait and see. There are also a lot of unanswered questions hanging, so I am definitely looking forward to finding out what happens next! I recommend this book to teen OR adult readers of the paranormal genre.
October 28, 2013
This is a fun short story. It's also a fast read. However, it took me a month to finish because I had more interesting books to read beside this one.
Sarah's (23) life was peachy and carefree -(that her mom died when she was 9) until her dad died of cancer. She finds herself taking over the family's Woodhaven Inn (because her dad assumed she would). While her younger beautiful sister gets to follow her dreams and do whatever she wants to do. Now, if you think that all of the sudden changes in Sarah's life couldn't get any worse, you’re dead wrong! She gets her dads journal handed over and what she discovers in there..
Well, humans as wardens for vampires? I thought that idea was original. I haven’t read anything like that yet. I really really wanted to find out why they used people to do this job. Unfortunately there wasn’t much of an explanation than an ‘it has been like this for centuries’-kind of thing and that was not the only thing that stayed vague through this book.
This story has a lot of potential, it’s just not completed. It could've been amazing if it was longer with more content.
I might read the sequel one day..
Sarah's (23) life was peachy and carefree -(
Well, humans as wardens for vampires? I thought that idea was original. I haven’t read anything like that yet. I really really wanted to find out why they used people to do this job. Unfortunately there wasn’t much of an explanation than an ‘it has been like this for centuries’-kind of thing and that was not the only thing that stayed vague through this book.
This story has a lot of potential, it’s just not completed. It could've been amazing if it was longer with more content.
I might read the sequel one day..
April 29, 2011
My thoughts:
This was a fast read. It is mysterious and intriguing. I really enjoyed the characters!
Michael is so interesting! What is really going on? Who is/was Michael and what is he to be to Sarah? Alex is great! What is his story for real? How does he know Michael? Where does this budding friendship between he and Sarah go? Speaking of Sarah... she is a fantastic character. Tough and determined. I can't wait to find out what she does with her new job as The Vampire's Warden. I get the impression that her and Michael will be changing the way things have been for the last hundred years.
The ending is shocking! Total cliffhanger!!! CAN'T wait for book 2!
I will be checking out the final stop on the blog tour where we will be getting a sneak peek at book 2.
I enjoyed the story, but feel like it could have been fleshed out in places. I finished with questions - loads of questions. Some of those questions I am sure are left unanswered so that the reader is looking for the next book in the series, but I felt that there were some holes.
All in all though a really entertaining read! Be sure to check it out!
This was a fast read. It is mysterious and intriguing. I really enjoyed the characters!
Michael is so interesting! What is really going on? Who is/was Michael and what is he to be to Sarah? Alex is great! What is his story for real? How does he know Michael? Where does this budding friendship between he and Sarah go? Speaking of Sarah... she is a fantastic character. Tough and determined. I can't wait to find out what she does with her new job as The Vampire's Warden. I get the impression that her and Michael will be changing the way things have been for the last hundred years.
The ending is shocking! Total cliffhanger!!! CAN'T wait for book 2!
I will be checking out the final stop on the blog tour where we will be getting a sneak peek at book 2.
I enjoyed the story, but feel like it could have been fleshed out in places. I finished with questions - loads of questions. Some of those questions I am sure are left unanswered so that the reader is looking for the next book in the series, but I felt that there were some holes.
All in all though a really entertaining read! Be sure to check it out!
December 14, 2011
Nicely written with its own creative twist on the ya vamp genre! You should give it a chance...I'm gonna do that with book#2.
Goodreads summary for premise teaser: "It was a flash in the moonlight, a blur of motion like I’d never witnessed before. No human had the capacity to move like that. When I found myself face-to-face with him there in the meadow, I knew without a doubt that the journal was authentic. I knew that my grandfather hadn’t been crazy at all. Because a foot away from me stood a vampire. Sarah Brightman reads her grandfather's journal in stunned disbelief. What was once her grandfather's responsibility has passed to her father and now to her. She has become the Warden. Her life will never be the same."
Goodreads summary for premise teaser: "It was a flash in the moonlight, a blur of motion like I’d never witnessed before. No human had the capacity to move like that. When I found myself face-to-face with him there in the meadow, I knew without a doubt that the journal was authentic. I knew that my grandfather hadn’t been crazy at all. Because a foot away from me stood a vampire. Sarah Brightman reads her grandfather's journal in stunned disbelief. What was once her grandfather's responsibility has passed to her father and now to her. She has become the Warden. Her life will never be the same."
May 9, 2011
This was the perfect "appetizer"...it gave me so much in such a short time but left me wanting more at the same time. The concept is different from most books of it's kind, giving it a unique appeal. After an introduction to these great characters I look forward to reading more Undead in Brown County.
October 22, 2019
Enthralling!
I have read a story as captivating as this before but until you buy the book and get into it you don't have any idea until you get involved with the hero and begin to talk back to her as I did. "Don't give into him he's too hot and hypnotic!" "Don't be mad! you've got the wrong idea!" This is simply
A darn good thriller!
I have read a story as captivating as this before but until you buy the book and get into it you don't have any idea until you get involved with the hero and begin to talk back to her as I did. "Don't give into him he's too hot and hypnotic!" "Don't be mad! you've got the wrong idea!" This is simply
A darn good thriller!
March 31, 2011
This book was awesome. I started it yesterday morning and finished last night. I couldn't put it down. I really liked now you didn't have to look up a word because you didn't know it and it even made you feel fun and enjoyable. I highly recommend this book.
May 11, 2011
To me, this book read like a short story or a novella. I started reading it, got completely absorbed and then I was done. I thoroughly enjoyed it and at the end was left with a great cliffhanger. I cannot wait until the next book in the series is released.
July 14, 2020
While I finished the book, the entire thing seemed rushed. It was like everything was just thrown on the page in a hurry trying to make it to the finish line as fast as possible because the author wasn’t allowed to exceed 199 pages.
May 16, 2011
You can find my review here:
http://mybookaddiction.blogspot.com/2...
http://mybookaddiction.blogspot.com/2...
May 23, 2011
The book left me underwhelmed I think the write should of just held off
and included all the short stories together.
and included all the short stories together.
June 10, 2020
This turned out much better than I thought. Complete cliff hanger ending. Have to read the next book to see what happens.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 26, 2015
Just move on to your next book, no point in stopping to read this. Just my opinion of course. The story itself was slow going, there didn't seem to be any redeeming characters by the end, maybe Michael. The premise was interesting, the whole Vampire Wardens thing but it was poorly executed and it was just boring overall.
Did not like the writing style at all! To me, it seemed very robotic. For example: "I was reminded of the last vision I 'had had' when I touched Alex." Or "They 'had had' a bit of a rough start..." Or "...he had been a hard taskmaster back when the Inn was just a working farm and he 'had had' a drinking problem." Basically the author seemed to use very few contraction words, which annoyed me, obviously the 'had had' was what really got me. This left the story far from being a smooth read (if you know what I mean?).
What was the point of Alex? Seriously? He's suppose to be helping Sarah out. Yet, he seemed to be afraid of Vampires and didn't really know what to do. Ex: "How do we contact the council?" (With Alex asking that question, I would have had some bells going off there.) This even after we find out he had previously been a Vampire, leaving his character to make no sense to me. There's a part where Sarah thinks Alex knows more than he's telling. I never got that feeling with the way he acted. I mean you'd expect him to know more, given who he is and whatnot, but nope. It was as if Alex was all knew to the supernatural world like Sarah, but sadly, Sarah seemed to know more than him and definitely had bigger balls when it came to dealing with the Vampires.
Sarah has a really hard time believing that Vampires are real. Okay nothing new there. But the thing that seems to change her mind and make her a believer is just seeing Michael in the meadow? I didn't get that. It was like before he even did anything, her mind had already changed.
Why did she take so long to read the journal? Didn't understand that at all. And the few times she brings the journal up she comments something along the lines of how it didn't really tell her much. But then towards the end, it suddenly has all this information.
So even after realizing that her mother had left because she couldn't handle living there anymore...Sarah still feels betrayed by Nelly? Really? I mean after the mother leaves, Nelly was the one that basically took over caring for her and her sister. Get over it already. All the betrayal seems to really go towards Nelly and barely any to the father. Yes, he's dead but still.
I did think it was very wrong of her father to just die without telling her anything. It's like he just left it on Nelly's shoulders, taking the shitty way out. So that automatically made the father character an ass...thankfully he was barely even in the story.
Why did Katie leave so soon after arriving? I can understand she was upset with the news, but I would have thought she'd hang around and just be by herself or something until she was ready to talk to Sarah about their mother. IDK, I guess I just don't understand why she would have been so upset? I mean their mother leaves and has been gone for 14+ years, okay...they thought she was dead but turns out she's alive and just didn't want to be apart of the family anymore? Who cares! It's not she was trying to get back in their good graces or something in this story. Couldn't they have just pretended that she was dead?
Why did a 'towering wave of betrayal crash' over Sarah after she found her mother was a vampire? I didn't get that part. I mean so far her mother shouldn't have any good points, right. She left and that was that. So now every time Sarah hears more info relating her mother, it's betrayal, and more betrayal...?
There were a few things that Sarah said in regards to Michael that made no sense. "Michael was a heartless murderer." (No one had ever said anything about him being a murderer.)
And "He's not suppose to hurt you. That doesn't mean it's not possible." (I think Alex said that one, but still why would he hurt her?)
Or "Succumbing to Michael would not only put my own life in danger, but possible Katie's as well." (Why would trusting him put her life in danger, I can't think of one instance where Michael acted anything more than basically a gentlemen. He never tried to hurt her or anything. He needed her to let him go, so it wouldn't make sense for him to hurt her.)
Where exactly did she get these ideas from?
So when the Council members come to the farm, Sarah is smart(?) enough to ask them to basically promise that they won't hurt anyone, "Anyone human or vampire?" BUT when she's in a life or death kinda situation with Victoria and her gangs holding Katie prisoner, Sarah doesn't ask them to promise anything prior to letting them in. Victoria does promise to not hurt Katie though. haha When it comes to the promising thing or whatever, would that have even done anything? I mean I've never heard/read that in previous Vampire related stories before. At least not that I can think of. And Sarah had never made mention of it either, like maybe she'd read it from the journal or something.
"You could have heard a Prozac drop." What exactly does that mean?
Sarah gets mad when she mentions the Council to Michael. Michael had checked to make sure neither Council members had taken any of her blood. Sarah's response "Gathering my self-esteem with a hiss through my teeth, I stepped back from him, 'Of course not. They're from the Council.'" (Again, she doesn't even know what the hell is going on. No one's really told her much about the Council, yet she's all trusting already towards them?) But then does a total 180 when Michael tells her that they're dangerous. Sarah: "Of course they are." Huh? Make your mind.
Sarah finds out that Alex had been a Vampire then changed back to a human. So why does she never ask him why he wanted to be a human again? Or anything really about his life? He's just working on the farm/inn as if he's just a regular Joe.
Sarah is trying to get in contact with Katie. She ends up talking to Katie's roommate whose suppose to be worried about Katie (I guess?!) but at the same time, she hadn't done anything in regards to that. No calling Sarah to let her know that she hadn't heard/seen Katie in days or anything.
When Sarah finds out about the rogue Vampires in town, why is she surprised that they had not been after Katie's blood? Why would they still have her if they wanted just blood? No sense there. She then tells Alex (the all knowing, helper outter he's suppose to be with the Vampire world) who has no clue what's going on (surprised? Not really.) because he says "They want something from you. Money?" (hahaha Seriously? He thought they wanted money from Sarah? OMG! That was hilarious!)
When years have passed and they've come to the realization that the Vampires want Michael, Alex mentions how he's really powerful because of his age. (Michael that is, not sure what the hell Alex is.) Moving on, Sarah asks if it would be possible for Michael to get away? Alex responds with "he could but would be very vulnerable once he reached the outside." (Why did I never get that impression? I mean Michael has been on the farm from decades upon decades. If he really wanted to leave you'd think he would have done it by now with how 'powerful' he's suppose to be. I mean in just a few days after being introduced to Michael, he goes from just being in the meadow to suddenly being out front of the house, to now being able to come into said house.)
When first seeing Victoria, Sarah assumes she's wearing a disguise. Why exactly? I mean there wouldn't really be a point in her wearing a disguise. If you see a group of 'bad vamps' at your door and one is a female, I would automatically assume the female was in charge. I guess that's just me though.
Thankfully I made it to the end and finished this...story. At the end (on my kindle) the author offered the first 3 chapters to the next story in the series. I sadly read those, not sure why though. This story didn't keep my attention whatsoever. It was boring and just dragged on and on and on and on. I just hate not finishing a story, hence, I got through it. But anyways, the beginning of the 2nd story starts off with Sarah having done her first entry in the journal. Why though? I mean it didn't seem like her father had done a journal, considering the journal Sarah got was from her grandfather. And it turns out that she did her first entry (for whatever reason) the same day the bad vamps showed up. And even better yet, it basically picks up where it left off because Katie is safe now. And it's the next day...and after being so traumatized from everything she'd been through the last few days, she's already leaving? How much sense does that make? I mean if these random vamps wanted Michael's blood, more will obviously come. Very stupid.
Did not like the writing style at all! To me, it seemed very robotic. For example: "I was reminded of the last vision I 'had had' when I touched Alex." Or "They 'had had' a bit of a rough start..." Or "...he had been a hard taskmaster back when the Inn was just a working farm and he 'had had' a drinking problem." Basically the author seemed to use very few contraction words, which annoyed me, obviously the 'had had' was what really got me. This left the story far from being a smooth read (if you know what I mean?).
What was the point of Alex? Seriously? He's suppose to be helping Sarah out. Yet, he seemed to be afraid of Vampires and didn't really know what to do. Ex: "How do we contact the council?" (With Alex asking that question, I would have had some bells going off there.) This even after we find out he had previously been a Vampire, leaving his character to make no sense to me. There's a part where Sarah thinks Alex knows more than he's telling. I never got that feeling with the way he acted. I mean you'd expect him to know more, given who he is and whatnot, but nope. It was as if Alex was all knew to the supernatural world like Sarah, but sadly, Sarah seemed to know more than him and definitely had bigger balls when it came to dealing with the Vampires.
Sarah has a really hard time believing that Vampires are real. Okay nothing new there. But the thing that seems to change her mind and make her a believer is just seeing Michael in the meadow? I didn't get that. It was like before he even did anything, her mind had already changed.
Why did she take so long to read the journal? Didn't understand that at all. And the few times she brings the journal up she comments something along the lines of how it didn't really tell her much. But then towards the end, it suddenly has all this information.
So even after realizing that her mother had left because she couldn't handle living there anymore...Sarah still feels betrayed by Nelly? Really? I mean after the mother leaves, Nelly was the one that basically took over caring for her and her sister. Get over it already. All the betrayal seems to really go towards Nelly and barely any to the father. Yes, he's dead but still.
I did think it was very wrong of her father to just die without telling her anything. It's like he just left it on Nelly's shoulders, taking the shitty way out. So that automatically made the father character an ass...thankfully he was barely even in the story.
Why did Katie leave so soon after arriving? I can understand she was upset with the news, but I would have thought she'd hang around and just be by herself or something until she was ready to talk to Sarah about their mother. IDK, I guess I just don't understand why she would have been so upset? I mean their mother leaves and has been gone for 14+ years, okay...they thought she was dead but turns out she's alive and just didn't want to be apart of the family anymore? Who cares! It's not she was trying to get back in their good graces or something in this story. Couldn't they have just pretended that she was dead?
Why did a 'towering wave of betrayal crash' over Sarah after she found her mother was a vampire? I didn't get that part. I mean so far her mother shouldn't have any good points, right. She left and that was that. So now every time Sarah hears more info relating her mother, it's betrayal, and more betrayal...?
There were a few things that Sarah said in regards to Michael that made no sense. "Michael was a heartless murderer." (No one had ever said anything about him being a murderer.)
And "He's not suppose to hurt you. That doesn't mean it's not possible." (I think Alex said that one, but still why would he hurt her?)
Or "Succumbing to Michael would not only put my own life in danger, but possible Katie's as well." (Why would trusting him put her life in danger, I can't think of one instance where Michael acted anything more than basically a gentlemen. He never tried to hurt her or anything. He needed her to let him go, so it wouldn't make sense for him to hurt her.)
Where exactly did she get these ideas from?
So when the Council members come to the farm, Sarah is smart(?) enough to ask them to basically promise that they won't hurt anyone, "Anyone human or vampire?" BUT when she's in a life or death kinda situation with Victoria and her gangs holding Katie prisoner, Sarah doesn't ask them to promise anything prior to letting them in. Victoria does promise to not hurt Katie though. haha When it comes to the promising thing or whatever, would that have even done anything? I mean I've never heard/read that in previous Vampire related stories before. At least not that I can think of. And Sarah had never made mention of it either, like maybe she'd read it from the journal or something.
"You could have heard a Prozac drop." What exactly does that mean?
Sarah gets mad when she mentions the Council to Michael. Michael had checked to make sure neither Council members had taken any of her blood. Sarah's response "Gathering my self-esteem with a hiss through my teeth, I stepped back from him, 'Of course not. They're from the Council.'" (Again, she doesn't even know what the hell is going on. No one's really told her much about the Council, yet she's all trusting already towards them?) But then does a total 180 when Michael tells her that they're dangerous. Sarah: "Of course they are." Huh? Make your mind.
Sarah finds out that Alex had been a Vampire then changed back to a human. So why does she never ask him why he wanted to be a human again? Or anything really about his life? He's just working on the farm/inn as if he's just a regular Joe.
Sarah is trying to get in contact with Katie. She ends up talking to Katie's roommate whose suppose to be worried about Katie (I guess?!) but at the same time, she hadn't done anything in regards to that. No calling Sarah to let her know that she hadn't heard/seen Katie in days or anything.
When Sarah finds out about the rogue Vampires in town, why is she surprised that they had not been after Katie's blood? Why would they still have her if they wanted just blood? No sense there. She then tells Alex (the all knowing, helper outter he's suppose to be with the Vampire world) who has no clue what's going on (surprised? Not really.) because he says "They want something from you. Money?" (hahaha Seriously? He thought they wanted money from Sarah? OMG! That was hilarious!)
When years have passed and they've come to the realization that the Vampires want Michael, Alex mentions how he's really powerful because of his age. (Michael that is, not sure what the hell Alex is.) Moving on, Sarah asks if it would be possible for Michael to get away? Alex responds with "he could but would be very vulnerable once he reached the outside." (Why did I never get that impression? I mean Michael has been on the farm from decades upon decades. If he really wanted to leave you'd think he would have done it by now with how 'powerful' he's suppose to be. I mean in just a few days after being introduced to Michael, he goes from just being in the meadow to suddenly being out front of the house, to now being able to come into said house.)
When first seeing Victoria, Sarah assumes she's wearing a disguise. Why exactly? I mean there wouldn't really be a point in her wearing a disguise. If you see a group of 'bad vamps' at your door and one is a female, I would automatically assume the female was in charge. I guess that's just me though.
Thankfully I made it to the end and finished this...story. At the end (on my kindle) the author offered the first 3 chapters to the next story in the series. I sadly read those, not sure why though. This story didn't keep my attention whatsoever. It was boring and just dragged on and on and on and on. I just hate not finishing a story, hence, I got through it. But anyways, the beginning of the 2nd story starts off with Sarah having done her first entry in the journal. Why though? I mean it didn't seem like her father had done a journal, considering the journal Sarah got was from her grandfather. And it turns out that she did her first entry (for whatever reason) the same day the bad vamps showed up. And even better yet, it basically picks up where it left off because Katie is safe now. And it's the next day...and after being so traumatized from everything she'd been through the last few days, she's already leaving? How much sense does that make? I mean if these random vamps wanted Michael's blood, more will obviously come. Very stupid.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 7, 2025
What just happened?
What just happened? What did I just read? I think that about sums up the whole book. The good news is it's a short book, more like a novella. I couldn't identify with any of the characters. They all felt stupid. And I'm just not sure what the point of the story was. I definitely won't continue the series. It's not horrible, though, so two stars. There is swearing and sensuality but no real sex.
What just happened? What did I just read? I think that about sums up the whole book. The good news is it's a short book, more like a novella. I couldn't identify with any of the characters. They all felt stupid. And I'm just not sure what the point of the story was. I definitely won't continue the series. It's not horrible, though, so two stars. There is swearing and sensuality but no real sex.
January 6, 2019
Quick read
The story line involving native American customs was a nice change from the usual vampire stories. This book kept me sucked in waiting to see what was going to happen next. My only complaint was the most climatic part was over so quickly. I'm hoping more details are revealed in the next book.
The story line involving native American customs was a nice change from the usual vampire stories. This book kept me sucked in waiting to see what was going to happen next. My only complaint was the most climatic part was over so quickly. I'm hoping more details are revealed in the next book.
May 14, 2017
Too short
Just as I am getting into this its finished! Not enough I formation, back story nothing and then it finishes. Left hanging for the next but really do I want too. If it's as short it may not be worth it
Just as I am getting into this its finished! Not enough I formation, back story nothing and then it finishes. Left hanging for the next but really do I want too. If it's as short it may not be worth it
September 7, 2017
Vampire
A sanctuary, that was new. I don't understand how the innkeeper could be warden as diluted a pawnee she was. Oh, she still held invite powers, totally odd. I hope book2 wraps things up
A sanctuary, that was new. I don't understand how the innkeeper could be warden as diluted a pawnee she was. Oh, she still held invite powers, totally odd. I hope book2 wraps things up
December 23, 2017
Annoyed.
There should have been a conspicuous notice that this was one of those types of books/novellas that end abruptly in order for you to read the next. I want my time back. I also found it to be choppy and unorganized.
There should have been a conspicuous notice that this was one of those types of books/novellas that end abruptly in order for you to read the next. I want my time back. I also found it to be choppy and unorganized.
December 23, 2016
Surprisingly good
Love the concept's in the book and will be adding the other stories to my reading list of books. Am looking forward to seeing what happens next.
Love the concept's in the book and will be adding the other stories to my reading list of books. Am looking forward to seeing what happens next.
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