Out for Blood by Kristen Painter – a Review

Out for Blood by Kristen Painter – a Review

Out for Blood by Kristen Painter is the 4th book in her House of Commare series. This story picks up shortly after Bad Blood left off.  Let’s start with the official description.

Description:
After nearly dying, Chrysabelle finds new determination to move beyond life as a comarré and grasp hold of some normality. Until the Kubai Mata bring a new task to her doorstep: rescue the child Tatiana has kidnapped, or Mal becomes enemy number one. But before Chrysabelle begins that mission, the mayor declares a curfew in Paradise City in hopes of controlling the othernatural population. A close friend gets caught and when Mal gets in over his head, Chrysabelle runs to his rescue and unwittingly unleashes a power that’s lain dormant in him for centuries. Will that power be enough to help them rescue the child in Tatiana’s clutches or will their trip to Corvinestri be their last?

 Review:

Chrysabelle is still trying to discover the ramifications from using the Ring of Sorrows gold as her signum.  After she initially pushes Mal away again, she regrets her actions and tries to make amends.  She finds herself in a situation, that literally kills her, and Mal thinking he has lost the love of his life, watches in amazement as she comes back to life.

Finally as the story progresses, we get to see the romance between Chrysabelle and Mal come to fruitation.  Mal loves Chrysabelle with everything he has, even though the voices of the beast inside him push him to be evil. But Out for Blood has many continuing stories ongoing, with the characters we have come to enjoy in the earlier books:

Tatiana is the villain, and her usual nasty self, but now she has a child she adores, a child who becomes the first born vampire, and whom will also be a daywalker.  Tatiana, who is feared by all,  will stop at nothing, even plot to kill those against her, who stand in her way.

Chrysabelle is also determined to find her brother, and save him from Tatiana, and asks Mal and friends to help her.  They also plan to take away the kidnapped vampire child from Tatiana.  With her unusual signum, which has given her abilities that she needs to find more about, Chrysabelle is now one of the strongest Commarres’.  Tatiana of course wants her.

Doc, who is a feline shapeshifter,  and Fi, who is a ghost,  are the other romantic couple, and now that Doc becomes the leader of his pack, the laws require him to marry the former leader’s wife.  Fi must go over and beyond to find a way to free Doc, even if it means putting her own life on the line.

Creek, who must still answer to the Kubai Mata, is forced to push Chrysabelle, to help bring back that child to them, as she goes to find her brother.  Creek comes under the spell of a soul taker, and under her influence causes the Mayor to make rash and dangerous decisions.  Those of which will endanger and anger his family & friends.

The Mayor having lost her daughter to vampires, is determined to retrieve her granddaughter, even if she is a vampire.  Her decision to become a vampire to give her immortality and to help her granddaughter, causes much destruction along the way.

There is a lot of action, and excitement, as each story heads for their own climax. There were a number of twists, and a surprise ending.  It wasn’t really a cliffhanger, but nevertheless, it was a shocker.  Kristen Painter does a fantastic job with her world building of vampires, comarre, shapeshifters, ghosts, etc.  This is also a unique storyline, very different then most vampire books.  You really need to read this series from the start to understand this world, and what the comarre are.  This was an excellent book, exciting read, and with that ending, we have to hope Painter gets us the next book fast. 

Reviewed by Barb

Copy provided by Publisher

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BLOOD RIGHTS (House of Comarre #1) by Kristin Painter

BLOOD RIGHTS (House of Comarre #1) by Kristin Painter

BLOOD RIGHTS (House of Comarre #1) by Kristin Painter

BLOOD RIGHTS is the first novel in Kristin Painter’s House of Comarre Urban Fantasy series. Set in the year 2067, the first novel in the series introduces the reader to a wide variety of supernatural beings, terminology and a vampire premise that follows a different path than many vampire storylines. But a little background information is required to follow the premise.

Our heroine is Chrysabelle, one of the strongest and fiercest Comarre. The Comarre are a hybrid race of humans, specially trained in the warrior arts and in service to the vampire nobility. But the method of service is necessary for both parties-as the source of pure blood, the Comarre provide strength and nourishment to the vampires and in return, the vampire is able to drain the toxic effects of the pureblood buildup in the Comarre. It is both an honor and a duty to owe patronage and ‘blood rights’ to the vampire nobility, but Chrysabelle’s patron has been found murdered and the Ring of Sorrows is missing, and all suspicions turn to the woman who has sworn allegiance to the vampire for over a hundred years.

Chrysabelle must seek refuge and solace with her Aunt Maris. But time is running out. Hoping to discover the truth to Algernon’s murder, Chysabelle is sent forth looking for the one man Maris has told her to find. When Chrysabelle crosses paths with the fallen vampire Malkolm, her adventure into the underworld of demons, shapeshifters and fae, becomes a little more complicated when her true identity as a Comarre beckons the inner beast hidden beneath the façade of the recluse vampire.

Malkolm is a fallen vampire –cursed with the many deaths he has hastened at the hands of his beast. But the voices in his head continually urge the vampire towards another kill, and this time, their target is a beautiful Comarre, tattooed with the golden fretwork of the most powerful and pure. Although unwilling to admit she is in trouble, Crysabelle needs Malkolm’s help, but it is the call of her blood, that excites the beast hidden within. But fate has brought these two lonely beings together, and it will be blood that will bring them closer –still.

Tatiana is a powerful vampire with a motive of pure menace and vengeance. Hoping to secure the position of Dominus in one of the most powerful vampire Houses, Tatiana requires the Ring of Sorrows, and Algernon was the last known vampire to be in possession of the powerful jewel and now his Comarre is missing and presumed guilty of both murder and theft of the ring. The true nature of the ring has yet to be revealed, but Tatiana’s endeavor to discover its’ power will unleash an evil thought only to exist in mythology and lore. And the hunt for Tatiana will push Malkolm and Chrysabelle spiraling the depths of hidden passages, only to discover there are more secrets locked behind the façade of an aging Comarre and a vindictive vampire hoping to avenge the death of a child.

We are introduced to Malkolm’s constant companions-Fi, a ghost from his past that haunts his present, and Doc, the shapeshifting feline who has been cursed to the life of a house pet: Marissa as Chrysabelle’s aunt who has a few secrets of her own: and Dominic, a powerful vampire with connections to both Chrysabelle and her aunt.

Kristin Painter labels herself as a gothic urban fantasy writer. The genre is usually a dark look into the future world heading for destruction at the hands of the supernatural. Although there is little in the way of ‘urban fantasy’, the gothic tag is quite dark and evil. There is no sex, no foul language but the violence is bloody and sharp. The relationship between Chrysabelle and Malkolm is slow to build and even slower is their realization of the inevitable. I am not sure whether this series is YA. I cannot find any reference to the age discipline that the author has intended-with the lack of many of the ‘staples’ of an adult storyline, this novel could read as YA, except the characters are definitely NOT teens. Blood Rights has an interesting premise that offers a different twist to the vampire myth and legend. 

LINKS TO ORDER
Amazon / Barnes and Noble / The Book Depository / KOBO / Books a Million

Reviewed by Sandy

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