Welcome! The Penguin is on another extended leave, this time exploring the elusive planet of Necrophilia, home of...well, I think you can figure that one out. (Twisted little bastard...) Before he left, though, he set us up to partake in an excellent book tour, honoring the author Travis Luedke. Travis is the author of The Nightlife series, including today's book review of Blood Slave (Book 3).
Now, I will admit, anything categorized as erotica, erotic fiction, romance, or anything with a massive amount of *ahem* adult situations is usually out of the question. It's just not my typical cup of tea. But considering I don't really care for tea anyway, I decided to expand my horizons and my library. So, without further ado, let's get to the book.
Her mother named her Esperanza de Salvador - Hope for Salvation. But when a girl works as an escort for Colombian cartel in the ghettos of Spanish Harlem, there wasn’t much hope, or salvation.
Blood Slave by Travis Luedke
Her mother named her Esperanza de Salvador - Hope for Salvation. But when a girl works as an escort for Colombian cartel in the ghettos of Spanish Harlem, there wasn’t much hope, or salvation.
Hope’s telepathic ability keeps her a step ahead of ruin, but her unusual gift attracts the attention of a psychotic vampire bitch. Trapped in a Manhattan penthouse with the psycho, she thought she was dead meat.
Her survival lies in the hands of Vampire Master Enrique. He seems to respect her, perhaps even care. As a measure of protection, he makes her his personal Bloodslave. Helplessly addicted to his bite, Enrique rules her every moment. As always, Hope must adapt to survive.
Swept into the decadent nightlife of Manhattan's elite, she falls in love with Enrique and prays someday he may grow to love her, too. But is it simply a relationship of convenience? Is she nothing more than a concubine desperate to satisfy his nightly demands for blood and sex?
And forever in the background is the fear that one day the cartel boss she abandoned will hunt her down to collect on old debts.
For starters, let's take a moment to look at the cover. Simply beautiful, and it fits in perfectly with the story. Sexy, seductive, sophisticated, and simple. I personally can't stand when a book cover has so much going on that it takes away from its primary purpose-advertising the story. Let's face it, the vast majority of readers (myself included!) judge a book by its cover. This one is a book I'd pick up when perusing my local bookstores as well as Amazon.com and any other websites. So, definitely a 5/5 Star score on the cover. Kudos to Travis for a winner!
Once you get past the phenomenal cover, you get to the story. When the book begins, we meet Esperanza (aka-Hope), on the day of her fateful "date" with a pretty young girl who rocks her world, then flips it upside down. The author wastes no time getting the action started, and after a steamy sex session that would make Jenna Jameson blush, Hope's "date" tries unsuccessfully to hypnotize her, then attack her, and finally, hand her over to her Master. That's when fate brings Hope face-to-face with the irresistible vampire, Enrico, who turns her into a blood slave. Before she knows it, she's addicted to his erotic bite, and the sex between them is overwhelming. And kinky. She finally had everything she had ever dared to dream of, except for the one thing the vampire life couldn't give her. Unfortunately for Hope, though, her happiness is short lived, because the life of prostitution she left behind is still haunting her, and her survival is left in the hands of the one person who wants nothing more than to bathe in her entrails.
For someone who couldn't read through 50 Shades of Grey, this was a pleasant read that was spattered with sex. The adult scenes were pretty hot, but that wasn't the main focus of the book. That's what made me really enjoy it. The characters were well developed, and you could really get into their minds. Literally, Hope was a telepath...but also, you got a feel for who they were based on how the author described them. Some scenes were hard to get through, but not due to poor writing or a bad storyline, but because of the heavy emotion and being drawn into the story so much that the reader really feels they are there. You will hurt when Hope hurts, and you will cry when Hope cries. The story was hard to put down, fast-paced, and keeps the reader engaged through the whole story. Not a dull moment anywhere. The only negative I have to share is that I haven't yet read the rest of the books in the series, and I selfishly want more of this story!
For the first (and potentially last) time, I give this book 10/10 or 5/5 stars. Gosh...I hope this isn't a trend, I have a reputation as a harsh reviewer to uphold. :) Congratulation, Travis, on a job well done. I love this book!
Travis Luedke is a husband, father, and author of Urban Fantasy thriller, Paranormal Romance, Contemporary Fantasy, Young Adult Fiction, and Sci-fi. He is currently catching a 3rd degree sunburn in San Antonio, Texas, and loving every minute of it. His recent works include "The Nightlife New York", "The Nightlife Las Vegas" and "BLOOD SLAVE" the first novels in the Nightlife Series.
Blood Slave on Goodreads : http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17181677-blood-slave
Nightlife New York on Goodreads : http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15980525-the-nightlife
Nightlife Las Vegas on Goodreads : http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16157776-the-nightlife
http://www.kobobooks.com/ebook/The-Nightlife-New-York/book-7tIph7fFFECuQ_Mxq6Ol6g/page1.html?s=IIiXfb_jS0SzjJaFchXUeA&r=1
http://www.diesel-ebooks.com/item/SW00000217404/Luedke-Travis-The-Nightlife-New-York/1.html
http://www.amazon.com/Nightlife-New-York-ebook/dp/B0090P1MIU/
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Nightlife-New-York-ebook/dp/B0090P1MIU/
https://ebookstore.sony.com/ebook/travis-luedke/the-nightlife-new-york/_/R-400000000000000803070
http://uk.nook.com/ebooks/the-nightlife-new-york-by-travis-luedke/2940044853102
https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/the-nightlife-new-york/id556103375
http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Nightlife-Vegas-Series-ebook/dp/B00A9K1S6Q/
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Blood-Slave-Nightlife-Series-ebook/dp/B00ASO8BFO/
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/268192
https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/blood-slave/id591635325
Here's something fun for you, and a way to let your voice be heard. Travis is designing the cover for the next installment of The Nightlife series, The Nightlife Paris, and wants your opinion! Vote below to help him decide which cover to use:
<script type="text/javascript" charset="utf-8" src="http://static.polldaddy.com/p/6902516.js
Once you get past the phenomenal cover, you get to the story. When the book begins, we meet Esperanza (aka-Hope), on the day of her fateful "date" with a pretty young girl who rocks her world, then flips it upside down. The author wastes no time getting the action started, and after a steamy sex session that would make Jenna Jameson blush, Hope's "date" tries unsuccessfully to hypnotize her, then attack her, and finally, hand her over to her Master. That's when fate brings Hope face-to-face with the irresistible vampire, Enrico, who turns her into a blood slave. Before she knows it, she's addicted to his erotic bite, and the sex between them is overwhelming. And kinky. She finally had everything she had ever dared to dream of, except for the one thing the vampire life couldn't give her. Unfortunately for Hope, though, her happiness is short lived, because the life of prostitution she left behind is still haunting her, and her survival is left in the hands of the one person who wants nothing more than to bathe in her entrails.
For someone who couldn't read through 50 Shades of Grey, this was a pleasant read that was spattered with sex. The adult scenes were pretty hot, but that wasn't the main focus of the book. That's what made me really enjoy it. The characters were well developed, and you could really get into their minds. Literally, Hope was a telepath...but also, you got a feel for who they were based on how the author described them. Some scenes were hard to get through, but not due to poor writing or a bad storyline, but because of the heavy emotion and being drawn into the story so much that the reader really feels they are there. You will hurt when Hope hurts, and you will cry when Hope cries. The story was hard to put down, fast-paced, and keeps the reader engaged through the whole story. Not a dull moment anywhere. The only negative I have to share is that I haven't yet read the rest of the books in the series, and I selfishly want more of this story!
For the first (and potentially last) time, I give this book 10/10 or 5/5 stars. Gosh...I hope this isn't a trend, I have a reputation as a harsh reviewer to uphold. :) Congratulation, Travis, on a job well done. I love this book!
About The Author: Travis Luedke
Links for Travis
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Travis-Luedke/e/B00911L5PS/
Blog: http://thenightlifeseries.blogspot.com/
Website: http://www.twluedke.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TWLuedke or @TWLuedke
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/TWLuedke
Wattpad: http://www.wattpad.com/user/TWLuedke
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/TWLuedke
Email: twluedke@gmail.com
Blog: http://thenightlifeseries.blogspot.com/
Website: http://www.twluedke.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TWLuedke or @TWLuedke
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/TWLuedke
Wattpad: http://www.wattpad.com/user/TWLuedke
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/TWLuedke
Email: twluedke@gmail.com
Book Links on Goodreads
Blood Slave on Goodreads : http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17181677-blood-slave
Nightlife New York on Goodreads : http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15980525-the-nightlife
Nightlife Las Vegas on Goodreads : http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16157776-the-nightlife
Buy Links
Nightlife New York (FREE EVERYWHERE)
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/217404http://www.kobobooks.com/ebook/The-Nightlife-New-York/book-7tIph7fFFECuQ_Mxq6Ol6g/page1.html?s=IIiXfb_jS0SzjJaFchXUeA&r=1
http://www.diesel-ebooks.com/item/SW00000217404/Luedke-Travis-The-Nightlife-New-York/1.html
http://www.amazon.com/Nightlife-New-York-ebook/dp/B0090P1MIU/
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Nightlife-New-York-ebook/dp/B0090P1MIU/
https://ebookstore.sony.com/ebook/travis-luedke/the-nightlife-new-york/_/R-400000000000000803070
http://uk.nook.com/ebooks/the-nightlife-new-york-by-travis-luedke/2940044853102
https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/the-nightlife-new-york/id556103375
Nightlife Las Vegas
http://www.amazon.com/The-Nightlife-Vegas-Series-ebook/dp/B00A9K1S6Q/http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Nightlife-Vegas-Series-ebook/dp/B00A9K1S6Q/
Blood Slave
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00ASO8BFO?ie=UTF8&tag=twluedkecom-20&linkCode=shr&camp=213733&creative=393177&creativeASIN=B00ASO8BFOhttp://www.amazon.co.uk/Blood-Slave-Nightlife-Series-ebook/dp/B00ASO8BFO/
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/268192
https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/blood-slave/id591635325
Poll
Here's something fun for you, and a way to let your voice be heard. Travis is designing the cover for the next installment of The Nightlife series, The Nightlife Paris, and wants your opinion! Vote below to help him decide which cover to use:
<script type="text/javascript" charset="utf-8" src="http://static.polldaddy.com/p/6902516.js
"&amp;g
t;
&lt
;no
scr
ipt>http://polldaddy.com/poll/6902516/">The Nightlife Paris cover art poll
Giveaway
Don't forget to enter the giveaway to win all three eBooks by Travis!
&lt;a id="rc-aecff219" class="rafl" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/aecff219/" rel="nofollow">Enter To Win
<script src="//d12vno17mo87cx.cloudfront.net/embed/rafl/cptr.js">
The Drunken Space Penguin and I want to thank Travis for allowing us to be a part of this awesome event, and for a peek inside his world! Don't forget to stop by some (or all) of the other stops on this book tour at any of the blogs below!
