Midnight Bites by Rachel Caine – a Review

Midnight Bites by Rachel Caine – a Review

 

Midnight BitesAmazon / Barnes & Noble / Kobo / BAM

Description:
MIDNIGHT BITES, the new Morganville Vampires short story anthology! It will bring together almost everything that I’ve written in short form about Morganville … though I did leave out some of the original “diary” entries that appeared on an earlier version of the Morganville website, simply because they were just scenes and not stories, and were generally really short snippets. This is all short fiction, and it’s been carefully organized into the timeline, so you can read from the earliest adventures (some of which belong to vampires) all the way through some post-Daylighters goodies.

MIDNIGHT BITES includes a total of more than 50,000 words of brand new content, which makes me very happy indeed (and I hope will also make you happy, too). From stories featuring our favorite bunny-slipper-wearing mad scientist to a mystery solved by police chief Hannah Moses, I think you’ll find this is a diverse group of stories that will shine a little more light in the murkiest corners of Morganville.

 

Review:

Be still my heart! I had hoped when Rachel Caine wound down this series that she wouldn’t be able to stay away. Fortunately for fans of this series, she couldn’t. Midnight Bites is a wonderful collection of short stories, some of which we’d read before, but some that let us know what’s been happening in Morganville since we were last there.

There are stories that will break your heart all over again. I’ve made no attempt while reviewing this series over the years that Myrnin is one of my all time favorites, not only in this series, but in all of fiction. To read about his childhood and what happened to him once his mother sold him still makes me tear up. Those stories alone made this worth the read for me. We are not only treated to previously written material, but also to what’s happened since we left. There are wonderful stories of what everyone has been up to since the last installment, but even more than that, at least for me, this collections just reiterates that this is one of the best YA paranormal series out there. We get to see what prompted Caine to write certain characters they way she did. To be honest, I’ve never been a fan of that sort of thing, but absolutely loved the way Caine did it.

Midnight Bites is absolutely a MUST HAVE for fans of the series and I’m so glad that we got another peek into the residents of Morganville. Well done, Rachel Caine! Very welldone!

Reviewed by Vickie

Copy provided by Publisher

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Morganville Vampires by Rachel Caine-Saying Goodbye to the Series-giveaway

Morganville Vampires by Rachel Caine-Saying Good bye to the Series-giveaway

Morganville Vampires Banner

GIVEAWAY RUNS: October 4 to October 11, 2013

November 5, 2013 release of DAYLIGHTERS marks the end of Rachel Caine’s Morganville Vampires series and the beginning of her new project PRINCE OF SHADOWS.

To celebrate, PENGUIN Group is offering a giveaway to ONE lucky commenter at The Reading Cafe.

ONE winner will receive a paper copy of MORGANVILLE VAMPIRES Vol 1 which includes the first two storylines in Rachel Caine’s series-Glass Houses and The Dead Girl’s Dance

___________________________

Daylighters
Morganville Vampires #15
by Rachel Caine
Genre: YA, paranormal
Release Date: November 5, 2013

 

Daylighters

 

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / Amazon.uk/ Barnes and Noble / KOBO / The Book Depository

While Morganville, Texas, is often a troubled town, Claire Danvers and her friends are looking forward to coming home. But the Morganville they return to isn’t the one they know; it’s become a different place—a deadly one…

Something drastic has happened in Morganville while Claire and her friends were away. The town looks cleaner and happier than they’ve ever seen it before, but when their incoming group is arrested and separated—vampires from humans—they realize that the changes definitely aren’t for the better.

It seems that an organization called the Daylight Foundation has offered the population of Morganville something they’ve never had: hope of a vampire-free future. And while it sounds like salvation—even for the vampires themselves—the truth is far more sinister and deadly.

Now, Claire, Shane and Eve need to find a way to break their friends out of Daylighter custody, before the vampires of Morganville meet their untimely end…

Link to the Morganville Vampires website.

Giveaway

ONE winner will receive a paper copy of MORGANVILLE VAMPIRES Vol 1 which includes the first two storylines in Rachel Caine’s series-Glass Houses and The Dead Girl’s Dance

Morganville Vampires Vol 11. If you have not registered at The Reading Cafe, please register using the log-in at the top of the page (side bar) or by using one of the social log-ins.

2. If you are using a social log-in, please post your email address with your comment.

3. Please comment telling us to enter you into the giveaway-just say-ENTER ME INTO THE GIVEAWAY !

4. Giveaway is open to US addresses only.

5. Giveaway runs from October 4 to October 11, 2013

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Bitter Blood (Morganville Vampires #13) by Rachel Caine-a review

Bitter Blood (Morganville Vampires #13) by Rachel Caine

Bitter Blood by Rachel Caine

Bitter Blood (release date November 6, 2012) is Book 13 in The Morganville Vampire Series

Blurb:

For years, the human and vampire residents of Morganville, Texas, have managed to co-exist in peace. But now that the threat to the vampires has been defeated, the human residents are learning that the gravest danger they face is the enemy within…

Thanks to the eradication of the parasitic creatures known as the draug, the vampires of Morganville have been freed of their usual constraints. With the vampires indulging their every whim, the town’s human population is determined to hold on to their lives by taking up arms. But college student Claire Danvers isn’t about to take sides, considering she has ties to both the humans and the vampires.

To make matters worse, a television show comes to Morganville looking for ghosts, just as vampire and human politics collide. Now, Claire and her friends have to figure out how to keep the peace without ending up on the nightly news… or worse.

Review:

Bitter Blood picks up a few months after the draug were defeated in Black Dawn. Michael and Eve are married, much to everyone’s dismay, human and vampire alike. The only support they get are from their best friends and housemates, Claire and Shane.

Rules are changing in Morganville. Oliver seems to have become inseparable with Amelie, the Founder. And his influence is showing. And Claire is not happy about it. Upon receiving their new “registration” cards in the mail, Claire, Shane and Eve discover that they now have to carry an I.D. card that gives all of their vital information. They are not excited about the cards, but when Eve opens Michael’s and they discover the new rules for the vampires, it hits the fan. Seems the vampires have some new rules as well, namely, they can now legally “hunt” one time a year. And that goes over like a lead balloon.

Claire and Shane go to Amelie to try and dissuade her from allowing the vampires to hunt, but Oliver is there and his influence over Amelie is undeniable. And, seemingly, ironclad. Everyone in Morganville seems on edge. Myrnin comes to Claire to tell her to get out while she can, but she refuses to leave her friends. (Due to Claire’s saving the vampires several times, the Founder has told her she can leave any time she chooses)

The Glass House, where Claire, Shane, Michael (Glass) and Eve live, is attacked by people who are NOT happy about the marriage between Michael and Eve. Both sides, vampires and humans, say it’s not natural. And the tension just keeps getting worse. To add to the tension, a television show crew shows up wanting to see if they can find some paranormal activity. Ironic, right? Well, let’s just say things aren’t always as they appear.
Things go from bad to worse quickly in Morganville. Eve is brutally attacked. Myrnin is missing. Michael is not himself, nor, for that matter, is Oliver. And, some folks just won’t stay dead. There is a play for power. Can Amelie survive this latest move? Will our fab four survive all of the fallout? What about Myrnin? Did he just up and leave Morganville and Claire? You’ll have to read and find out.

Everyone knows how much I looooove this series. And, I hate to say it, but this one fell just a little short for me. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a good book, but I expect more from the residents of Morganville. This one wasn’t action packed like the previous few books. Oh, there are revelations, some attacks and a few surprises, but just not what I was expecting. We do finally get to hear a few things from Myrnin’s POV and it made me love him even more. Two of the fab four (Claire, Shane, Michael & Eve) disappointed me to the point where I wanted to climb into the book and hit them on their heads. I know, I know!! It is YA, but dang!! All in all, a good story. I just expected more.

LINKS TO ORDER:  Barnes and Noble / The Book Depository / Amazon

Reviewed by Vickie M.

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LAST BREATH YA (Morganville Vampires # 11) by Rachel Caine-a review

LAST BREATH YA by Rachel Caine

Last Breath YA (Morganville Vampire #11) by Rachel Caine

Last Breath is the 11th book in the Morganville Vampire series. Lots has happened since the initial Glass House. Claire and Shane are in a relationship and have been through hell and back. Michael, who is now a vampire, and Eve are engaged to be married. Needless to say, that does not set well with either the humans or the vampires of Morganville.

With this book, the reason Morganville was selected is revealed. It’s in the middle of the arid Texas desert, where sunlight is plentiful and where the one true enemy of the vampires can’t reach them, until now. The Draug, who are fueled by water. Strange things start happening in Morganville and vampires start coming up missing. Of course, Claire is noticing something is not right. When she meets Magnus, a new guy in town, she knows down to her toes that she’s right. Something is wrong. And it takes her a little bit to convince others that things aren’t as they appear. Claire, by the time this book is written, is clearly in Amelie’s court. Amelie is the Founder of Morganville and Claire has her ear. However, in this book, Claire begins to wonder just how safe she is, and how safe she can keep her friends.

To say that I loved this book would be a huge understatement. When everyone realizes who and what has arrived in Morganville, all hell breaks loose. Amelie herself is terrified and we’ve never seen that in previous books. When she figures out what is going on, she simply says, “run”. Amelie makes truces, in order to try and save everyone, with those who would want to seize her power. When Michael is one of the ones who ends up missing, Claire and her posse to the rescue!! While reading the scenes where they find Michael and try to save him and others, I literally was holding my breath. A lot happens in this book. Main characters are injured, some physically and/or mentally. And this book just reiterates that Myrnin totally rocks!!!

There was so much left hanging at the end of this book. Who’s in charge? Who’s really dead? Will the Draug still be around?? New alliances formed? Relationships damaged? Hands down, this is my favorite book of the series so far and I can’t wait for the release of Black Dawn on May 1st. It is one of those books that I’ll be downloading on my Kindle at 5:00 a.m. on release day!!!!

Well done Rachel!!!

Reviewed by Vickie M.

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