Tuesday 25 April 2023

Honor At Stake - Declan Finn - Love at First Bite Book 1

Honor At Stake
Love at First Bite Book 1
Declan Finn
ISBN 9781951768706
ASIN B0C2WCYMTF
 
Honor At Stake - Declan Finn - Love at First Bite Book 1

I am so thankful to see this series back in print. Three Ravens released all four novels in under a week. And they immediately jumped to the top of my reading list. I have read the three published short stories in this series and am very thankful the novels are back in print. 

I have loved the three short stories in the Love at First Bite Series, and this first novel has exceeded all expectations. It is an amazing story! It was so good I immediately wanted to read book two, and the only thing that stopped me was commitments to review two books when they release in the next few weeks. This is the first of the 4 novels in this series they were out of print, but as of April 2023 they are back in print and available electronically and in print. This is great news for fans of Finn’s works

It has been a few years since I have really read a story or series that has centred around vampires. I seem to go through a phase about every 10 years where something catches my fancy and draws me in. These stories have completely captivated my attention. I finished this a few days ago and still keep finding myself thinking about this story.

Over the last 10 months I have read 41 stories by Declan. I have greatly enjoyed books in several other series. I have loved the Saint Tommy and the White Ops, and I cannot wait for the Pius trilogy of 5 books to be back in print. 

The description of this story is:

One is a heartless, bloodthirsty killer. The other is a vampire.

College freshman, Amanda Colt knows few people and wants to know fewer still. She enjoys fencing and prefers facing a challenge every once in a while. She is beautiful, smart, and possibly the most interesting person on campus.

Then she finds tall, intense Marco Catalano in her fencing class. With a mind like a computer and manners of a medieval knight, he scares most people - but not Amanda. They both have secrets, for they are both monsters.

As they draw closer, they must find the line between how much they can trust each other, and how much they can care for each other. Each carries a secret that can destroy the other. But they must come to grips with their personal drama soon because a darkness rises around them. Bodies keep turning up all over New York, and an army of vampires closes in on all sides.

They have only one hope - each other.”

What completely blew my mind is that this volume mentions an “Officer Nolan” whom I can only assume is the same Tommy Nolan from the Saint Tommy series. It also has Merle Kraft who is in the Dances with Werewolves stories. Which I believe means the three series are set in the same world and with overlapping time lines. Once I have finished getting caught up on all of Finn’s published stories I am going to need to go back and reread them to look for more connections and crossovers.
The action in this story is intense. The battles epic. And like most of Finn’s works the greatest strength is the characters. You will greatly appreciate the main characters and be rooting for them. 

I can’t wait to read the next three novels in this series. These stories have a bit of a feel of Blade or John Carpenter’s Vampires, and thankfully no vampires that sparkle. The stories I have read to date in this series are wonderfully written and masterfully executed.

The novels in this series are:

       Formerly Murphy's Law of Vampires

The Short Stories are:

02 Bad Date (During the main story arc)
03 Mad Dog Moon (An Epilogue Story)

Declan has created another incredible series in what I now believe to be a shared world. I am hooked. I am very thankful these novels are back in print, I look forward to reading them and sharing them with others. But be warned once you take a nip of this story you will be hooked.  It is a story with real bite, a series to really sink your teeth into! A great story in what is shaping up to be an incredible series!     

Note: This book is part of a series of reviews: 2022 Catholic Reading Plan

Books by Declan Finn:
Love At First Bite Series:
Short Stories:
Novels:
     (Murphy's Law of Vampires)

Honeymoon from Hell Series:
Blood Country
Wyverns Never Die
Cross Over
Fae'd to Black
...


Other books:
...

Anthologies contributed to:
Luna: Planetary Anhtology Series Book 2
Supernatural Streets
Starflight: Tales From The Starport Lounge
Mercury: Planetary Anthology Series Book 4
Venus: Planetary Anthology Series Book 5
Mars: Planetary Anthology Series Book 7
Places Beyond the Wild: A Z-Day Anthology
Shoot the Devil: Ten Tales of Humans Defeating the Demonic
Fantastic Schools, Volume 6








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