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Monday, September 26, 2011

Book Review: Amaranthine Night Series by Joleene Naylor + Give Away

Play Jo's pick for The Amaranthine Night theme song


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I want to introduce you to one of my favorite vampire series, Amaranthine Night by Joleene Naylor. When I first got my kindle (oh, so long ago) I was looking for cheap PNR/UF books and ran across Shades of Gray for only $.99. I thought,“What the hell?!” and it turned out to be one of the best deals I ever got.

It is a dark PNR with “let me catch my breath” action, a dark and violent vampire world and the “be still my heart” vampire Jorick. He is an old fashioned, brooding, sometimes arrogant (okay, always arrogant) ex-Guild Assassin who has a soft spot for the human Katelina. Naylor does a great job of slowly revealing information about this mysterious vampire over the course of her books, as well as developing the fragile relationship between him and Katelina.

Katelina is thrown into a cruel vampire world that doesn’t want to accept her; if she wants to be with Jorick she will have to deal with condescending vampires and an isolated existence. In the third book Ties of Blood, which just released last week, a new vampire is introduced. Verchiel (sigh) who is quite the opposite of the vampires we have met so far. He is mischievous with a wicked sense of humor (when not being the bad ass he can be) and Katelina realizes that there might be another side to the vampire way of life Jorick has shown her. I can’t wait to see where Naylor will go from here!

Not only is the story kick-ass, Joleene is a gifted writer. Her tight and vivid prose is a joy to read and the dialogue and situations the characters deal with are full of emotion. No clichéd vampire lines in this book. You can explore her site dedicated to the series and read some sample chapters from each book.


There is more to Joleene than just being an author. She is a phenomenal photographer, ebook cover designer and artist. I use one of her pictures called “Alone” as my screen saver (on left). Her other websites contain lots of helpful links and advice on self-publishing.

Here are the blurbs for all three of the Amaranthine Night books including her funny e-book of tips for traveling with a vampire. An E-book give away is at the end of the post!



101 Tips for Traveling With a Vampire
(only $.99)



There aren’t a lot of resources for humans running with the “undead”; No Facebook groups, no forums, not even a decent book of tips – until now. 101 Tips for Traveling with a Vampire is just that – 101 tips for everything from boat travel to the classic Road trip. Sometimes funny and sometimes serious, these tips will prepare you for that trip with your vampire friend.


Want more fang for your buck? 101 Tips for Traveling with a Vampire features a special bonus “25 Tips for Dealing with a Vampire” and an exciting sneak peek at Legacy of Ghosts, book 2 in the Amaranthine series.



Hunted by a coven of vampires, Katelina has only one person she can trust: Jorick. But what happens when her knight in shining armor turns out to be one of the monsters? Katelina will have to examine not only her feelings for those close to her but her perceptions of good and evil if she wants to survive.


After the events of Shades of Gray, Katelina seeks rest and recovery at Jorick’s house by the sea. But peace is something that seems impossible to find, so long as she’s determined to stay with a vampire – and she is determined. Or is she?





Despite her growing attraction to her vampire “hero”, there are so many things she doesn’t know about him; so many secrets left hidden in the shadows. While Katelina struggles to unravel the mystery of a locked room and a faded photograph, a storm brews in the world beyond. Kateesha, a former ally, builds a secret war coven to fight the same battle as Jorick’s fledgling. But, a common enemy isn’t enough to overcome past betrayals, and the tempest explodes into a violent frenzy that may leave one of them dead, if not changed forever.


Old enemies will resurface and the past will come back to haunt both Jorick and Katelina as they’re pulled by opposing forces into a battle that neither had anticipated. Can they band together and stand strong against the waves that threaten to tear them apart, or will they lose themselves to old regrets and older guilt? And even if they can survive, is there any way to lay the memory of past mistakes to rest, or will they both be haunted by their ghosts forever?


With Kateesha dead, it’s time to face the consequences – in both worlds.
When Katelina accepted her new life of night and vampires, she left behind a worried mother and an abandoned apartment. Instead of wrapping things up, a trip home starts a chain reaction. They meet Verchiel, a strange vampire who seems too eager to befriend them, then the police arrest Jorick for kidnapping. Even worse, The Guild may want to question them concerning Kateesha’s death.
Despite Jorick’s best efforts, he and Katelina go from being prisoners of one world to prisoners of another. Against her will, Katelina is taken to The Guild to face Malick, and Jorick must follow. Does Malick want to punish them, or is he after something else? And why does Verchiel keep popping up? Even more terrifying, are they really being followed by a malicious vampire, or is it just Katelina’s imagination?
In Ties of Blood, events are set into motion whose consequences will echo across the future. The third installment of the Amaranthine series plunges back into the world of night and fear; a world where vampires live in the dark for a reason

****CONTEST****
Because I love this series so much I want to share it with you guys. I will give 3 winners an e-copy of her first book, Shades of Gray, and a copy of 101 Tips for Traveling With a Vampire and I will throw in some Sheep Swag!!

To enter:

1. Leave your name and email in the comments
2. Tell me, do you like your vampires sparkly or covered in the blood of his enemies after defending you?
*And don't forget to get double entries just for following our blog!


contest ends Sept 30 at midnight

21 comments:

  1. *chants* Vampires! Vampires!

    I've got tips for traveling with a vamp. *clears throat* Ok. So, always make sure you travel with one. lol Good right?

    *crickets*

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks for spotlight this author! She sounds awesome! I went on Amazon and got the Tips for Traveling w/ a vamp. Gonna start that tonight after work :)

    I'm not much for sparkly vampires. I got 1/2 through Twilight, got to that part and spit my pop out. I stopped and haven't watched any more since. So... no sparkles please.

    Thanks for the giveaway!

    GFC ~ erin
    efender1(at)gmail(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  3. I'm a follower... and get the e-mails...

    Thanks again for the giveaway!

    GFC ~ erin
    efender1(at)gmail(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  4. I hadn't heard of Jolene, but I'm interested in reading Shades of Grey after your glowing words.

    GFC Anne38

    acm05atjuno.com

    ReplyDelete
  5. This series looks so interesting, thanks for sharing. I like my vamp covered in blood because 1) that's sexy and 2) I don't think a sparkley vamp would/could get his fingers dirty enough to take on an enemy.

    Sara

    saracorrea72(at)gmail(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  6. awesome!! Thanks so much for this! It has totally made my day :D

    Blood! Blood! and Blood! ;)

    Okay, that sounded a bit blood thirsty, huh? I suppose they can sparkle if they are loaded down with precious gems. I'd hope they had better fashion sense than that... Though Criss Angel pulls off lots of sparkly bling, so maybe it could work ;)

    Though I think it might be hard to wash blood out of all those mountings.... Just sayin'.

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  7. @Katie - sounds like a good tip to me :)

    @Erin - thanks! I hope you enjoy it!

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  8. Sounds great! Please count me in!

    Do I like my vampires sparkly or covered in the blood of his enemies after defending me? There absolutely no doubt in my mind... I want him covered in the blood of our enemies! Then I'll help get all sparkly clean again:)

    yadkny@hotmail.com

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  9. Oh he should definitely be covered in blood after defending me :) Wow what fun these books sound great. Thank you so much for sharing and for the awesome giveaway opportunity; fingers crossed here X.
    I am a follower Denise Zaky

    dz59001@gmail.com

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  10. I think Jeaniene Frost from This Side of the Grave sums it up perfectly...

    “Ask me if I sparkle and I’ll kill you where you stand.” (Bones)”

    So my choice is definitely blood *g*

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  11. oops i forgot my email address - xander_316(at)hotmail(dot)com

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  12. I prefer mine to be covered in blood defending me, sparkly vamps are just sad sad creatures.
    Thank you for the giveaway!
    melorabrock {at} gmail {dot} com

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  13. Let's hear it for the blood thirsty vampires!!!! Y'all should really stop by Joleene's website and check out her photography. It is simply amazing!

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  14. I know Jo's work and have read 2 of the 3. Don't have an ereader (well no need to stone me..) so waiting for the paperback. Whenever the topic of vamps come up I constantly (and it is getting tiresome) have to tell people that "things" that sparkle and glitter are not vampires. Jorick is romantic whether he will admist it or not. He's a sweetie pie *whew good thing he didn't hear that* I can't follow comments on here - drat!
    For you guys who haven't read Jo - do so - it's a treat *was that ok?*

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  15. Thanks for the giveaway! I like my vampires True Blood style :)
    Follower.
    juliecookies(at)gmail.com

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  16. I definitely want my vampire to defend me, so I guess the covered in blood variety!!

    GFC follower

    jwitt33 at live dot com

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  17. Thank you for the giveaway! Blood baby, definitely blood.

    gfc - jbronderblogs
    jbronderblogs at aol dot com

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  18. Never been a big vampire fan, but you & Joleene makes them sound tasty.

    blood or sparkles... Neither really turns me on. I guess I'll go traditional: bloody, baby.

    Thanks for the giveaway and visit on WIF


    bevdiehl(@)gmail (dot)com

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  19. I like my vamps covered in blood!

    Thanks for the giveaway! I love swag!!

    aliciahall0605@yahoo.com

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  20. I like my vamps mean, give me Z from Ward or Lestat From Rice.

    I'm a follower :)

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  21. I just bought 'Shades of Gray' Now, I can't wait to read it! Thanks for the review.

    ReplyDelete