VV Inn #1
Release Date: September 24 ,2010
Source: I received an ecopy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.
Synopsis
Meet Vivian. She's a 580-year-old vampire who exudes sex, has a talent for drama, and is passionate about two things: her human husband, Rafe, and their resort for the undead. Her ability to project physical illusions has created the perfect vacation spot -- a dark, isolated Alaskan hideaway where visitors can have their wildest fantasies come true.
Vivian knows the best performance requires perfect timing, but the powerful vamp is put to the test when she discovers a corpse in a locked guestroom minutes before the next arrivals. Always cool-headed, Rafe hides the body, convinced he and Vivian can find the culprit without disturbing their guests.
Juggling the increasingly outrageous demands of their customers while tracking a killer isn't easy. Will their poking and prodding give them the answers they need, or will it uncover secrets Vivian would kill to protect?
Vivian knows the best performance requires perfect timing, but the powerful vamp is put to the test when she discovers a corpse in a locked guestroom minutes before the next arrivals. Always cool-headed, Rafe hides the body, convinced he and Vivian can find the culprit without disturbing their guests.
Juggling the increasingly outrageous demands of their customers while tracking a killer isn't easy. Will their poking and prodding give them the answers they need, or will it uncover secrets Vivian would kill to protect?
Warning: This book contains explicit sex scenes and is not intended for readers under 18.
**Vampire Vacation is only 99 cents**
**If you're new to the series, you can pick up Death's Servant for free. Its a prequel to Vampire Vacation and you can read my review of it here.
Vampire Vacation was a rather thrilling read. The cover might lead you to believe this is a fluffy story. But Ms. Ellisson did a great job of combining different elements of paranormal suspense and paranormal romance to create a slightly dark and deep, excellent read.
Vivian (a.k.a. Dria) is a vampire who, along with her human bonded-mate Rafe, own and operate the Vampire Vacation Inn. This is a very special resort that provides a unique experience for its vampire patrons. These experiences are enhanced by Vivian's powerful abilities as a Manipulator - an ability she hides from the vampire world.
The world building Ms. Ellisson did really drew me into this world. Vivian's seethe, or vampire family, is very rare. As we learn, she runs things differently than most master vampires. Having read Death's Servant, I had an understanding of a few of Vivian's relationships. Getting to explore her feelings for others, from employees to guests, in her domain allowed me to have an intimate look at her.
Vampire Vacation not only sets the stage for the series. Vivian and her family face a crisis when Vivian discovers a corpse in one of the guest rooms. While trying to solve this mystery, Vivian finds a much more complex situation than she was expecting. This allowed a glimpse of her past which further illustrated her character.
Rafe is the perfect complement to Vivian. I delighted in explore the intricacies of their bond. He is a calm and soothing, level-headed presence for Vivian. And the love and passion they share is clear in their interactions.
Jon, whom I met in Death's Servant, is a werewolf servant to Vivian. Although Vivian is more powerful than Jon, she maintains a relationship of equality with him, as much as possible. That Jon desires to be Vivian's bonded-mate only adds to the tension and fun in the novel.
I think the only part I took issue with was the explanation of the guests' experiences while visiting the Vampire Vacation Inn. With everything else going on in the story, I felt this was superfluous information. But I also understand it's probably part of the world building and I did enjoy meeting the other master vampires.
Vampire Vacation was an entertaining read. The paranormal romance was given depth with the suspense over solving the mystery surrounding the corpse. And the snark between Vivian, Rafe, and Jon, kept things light. I'm anxious to continue to trip into Vivian's world, and to learn even more about her and her unique family.
C.J. Ellisson is the USA Today Bestselling author of the NYT Bestselling book, Vanilla on Top, the bestselling V V Inn series, and several erotica shorts. She lives in northern Virginia with her husband, two children, two dogs, and a fluffy black cat who makes her sneeze. Unlike most full-time authors, she's also battling severe chronic illness. C.J. works daily to put her Lupus into remission and continues to fight numerous bacterial infections while her immune system slowly attacks her body. She turned to writing when she could no longer work outside the home and claims the escape of penning contemporary fantasy, erotica, and erotic romance has helped save her sanity.
This does look like a fun paranormal romance. And yes, the cover makes me think it's sorta campy. I'm so glad you enjoyed, Brandee!
ReplyDeleteYeah, I really thought it'd be more fluffy, Andrea. I don't know why because I'd read Death's Servant - but anyway, it was much deeper and I liked it a lot. :)
Delete*gah*! As if I need more vampire books on my TBR!! But I have added it now anyway - because it sounds really good.
ReplyDeleteI hope you're doing well, and that it's drying up! Have a great afternoon, and happy reading.
Lexxie @ (un)Conventional Bookviews
Always happy to help increase the size of your TBR, Lexxie! ;)
DeleteWe're doing well - continuing to dry out, thankfully. I hope you had a lovely Tuesday ~ I was away for most of the day. Now I'm going to go read. :)