“Once Bitten”

Vampire Jake Brand still resembles the cowboy and western lawman he used to be.  He knows that he needs blood and as such, he gives his victims the ultimate in pleasure when he needs to feed.  Involved for many years with a female vampire, he knows exactly where he stands with her and he accepts that and can live with how their relationship works.  Meeting Athena, however, rocks his world and everything he thought he knew and understood about relationships and what he thought he wanted falls completely by the wayside.

Once Bitten is the first of a two-part anthology.  I liked both lead characters but I did not like the storyline all that well.  The part that stands out most in my mind is the characters need to have sex with others just for the thrill of it.  It seemed almost emotionless to me.  Being the reader that I am, I need emotional ties between my hero and heroine and didn’t feel that with Jake and Athena until the very end. By then it was too late for me as a reader. The love scenes were scorching hot but I need realistic emotions to enjoy them. 

“Bite Me Again”

Daniel Ward is a vampire who has learned to give sexual pleasure to the mortal women he feeds from.  Women intrigue Daniel, none so more than Meg, a woman Daniel allows to follow him.  Meg is looking for someone Daniel knows but until he trusts her, Meg will just have to keep looking.

I was confused for almost the entire time it took for me to read Bite Me Again. The back cover blurb mentions Thomas Ward.  I kept looking for Thomas and then I realized that Daniel was actually Thomas.  After that, it was all good as Daniel more than made up for my confusion.  His desire for Meg began when they first met; I love how he could sense her following him.  During every encounter and lust filled scene, I felt his attraction to her and am still sweating from reading their encounters.

Addicted is a hedonistic and often times risqué look at vampires and their sexual appetites. I loved watching the male heroes evolve.  Lydia Parks added in electrifying sexual escapades and sinfully hot vampires to make an enjoyable anthology.  While the storyline for Once Bitten didn’t really float my boat, I thoroughly enjoyed Bite Me Again and would buy Addicted again solely on the merits of this novella alone.