The Pirates of Vampire Island by Phoenix and Lover Boy - Review

Title: The Pirates of Vampire Island, A Paranormal Romantic Thriller

Series: Steamy Voyages, Series #1

Author: Phoenix and Lover Boy

Publisher: Self (Amazon and B&N)

Length: 61,700 words

Genres: Paranormal Romance (Adventure)

Heat Level: Sizzling

 

AVAILABLE AT:

Amazon – http://www.amazon.com/Pirates-Paranormal-Romantic-Thriller-ebook/dp/B0090OOOX6

 

B&N – http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-pirates-of-vampire-island-a-paranormal-romantic-thriller-steamy-voyages-1-phoenix-and-lover-boy/1112584812

 

BLURB:

Pretty Jane O'Doherty always chooses the wrong kind of guys. Her specialty seems to be guys who have serious flaws and who break her heart.

 

Her last breakup was a year ago and still she can hear his final words, "I'm sorry, Jane. I've found someone else."

 

A 30-day cruise through the exotic Indonesian Islands with her best friend seems like the perfect distraction to mend her broken heart.

 

On board, she meets devastatingly gorgeous Nick, who attracts women in droves, including our lovely Jane.

 

And she meets Peter, who is the cute geek with puppy dog eyes. 

 

Will either one just lead to another broken heart?

 

Should she run the other way from them both and just enjoy the cruise?

 

But before Jane can decide, the ship is attacked by modern day pirates.

 

Unlike the pirates of old, these guys are vampires and are more interested in human treasure than gold and jewels.

 

They take over the ship and take twelve women hostage.

 

And the handsome pirate leader—with eerie chalk-white skin, and red eyes, is looking for a special prize. He wants a woman for his mate and queen . . . 

 

Jane catches his eye, but she, along with Nick and Peter, manage to escape in a lifeboat and onto the open sea.

 

They drift for fourteen days before finally finding an island.

 

But the fates are cruel, and their island turns out to be the home of the pirates and the lair of the Vampire.

 

The Pirates of Vampire Island is non-stop action . . . filled with adventure, suspense . . . and steamy romance.

EXCERPT #3:

As we approached the outdoor swimming pool on the top deck, I saw dark clouds threatening a storm. My hair was whipping in the wind. I shivered. Bad idea. But Remy was undaunted. She immediately ran and did a cannonball. As I stood wondering if I should just go back to the cabin, a waiter came up, a small, dark boy about sixteen, probably a native of the area. He wore a short white jacket with epaulets and black pants.

 

"Would you like a drink, mum?"

 

"How about a snow suit?" I laughed. "Just kidding. No, I'm good for now." I surveyed the sunbathers and swimmers. There he was. As usual, he was surrounded by women. He was dressed in a simple white pullover sweater and tan slacks, but the cut and fabric screamed money. His luxurious, curly black hair whipped in the wind, making him look very unkempt, rugged, and nonchalant, as if fine grooming was so not important because he was stunningly handsome no matter what he wore or did.

 

"Excuse me, sir?" I said.

 

The waiter turned.

 

"What's that guy's name? The one with the black curly hair."

 

"Nickolas Angelopoulos." He stood for a moment. "Anything else I can help you with?"

 

"Nope. Thank you," I said, not taking my eyes off the amazing-looking man.

 

"You're gawking."

 

I shook myself and looked down. Remy was hanging on the side of the pool. "Yeah, I guess I am."

 

Enough of that.

 

"I'm coming in." I walked over to the diving board and performed a perfect dive. I had always been very athletic, and I knew my body showed it.

 

I swam several laps, trying not to look at this guy named Nickolas, and climbed out of the pool, dripping water, and squeezing it out of my thick mane. I shivered a little in the cool wind, and as I finished drying, I saw out of the corner of my eye that Nicholas was staring at me – well, at my chest anyway. I looked down to see that my nipples were perfectly erect through my black bikini. I quickly draped my towel around my shoulders so it covered my breasts and was suddenly looking for a quick way to exit.

Review:

Add one woman with so much lacking in the self confidence department, one completely arrogant playboy, the boy next door that grows into a man, a cruise gone wrong and an island full of nasty vampires?  The Pirates of Vampire Island.  Whew!!!  I'm tired but its a good tired.

If you are expecting sparkly vampires, this book is so not for you.  Expecting the arrogant playboy to change?  Nope, again.  The heroine to finally get some self confidence?  You bet.  The boy next door growing up...yes again. 

 I won't rehash the plot summary but this book is the wildest ride I've been on in awhile.  Its violent, well plotted, the setting is rich and you can tell that the authors researched the islands and pirates in general.  At first Jane was your typical romance heroine.  Mousey, unsure of herself, dating the wrong men and going on a cruise that was supposed to be a break from her life.  I will admit that I didn't connect with her in the beginning.  I kept thinking to myself, surely she will grow on me and grow in the book.  Yes, she did.

Nickolas, the arrogant playboy can and will charm the panties off of anyone.  As you know, I love a great Harlequin Presents hero - like Nickolas - but he was beyond redemption for me.  I never liked him but that was the point.  His character was written perfectly in my opinion.  Great job.

Peter to me was the true hero in the book.  In fact, if Nickolas didn't exist in the book, I think Peter's character would have been lost.  The difference between both men was apparent and necessary for Jane's growth in the book.  Loved it.

I will caution you on a couple of things in the books.  The vampires are nasty, cruel and violent.  Yes, there is violence and its brutal.  No sparkly vampires here and it was nice to read a different twist on the whole vamp genre.  Leon, the leader is such a bad ass that you need to read this book and try to disagree with me.   Also, this book is defintely a thriller which I loved.  The action and story were different from the typical romantic suspense that I usually read.  The twists and the overall flow of the book was spot on.

I can't wait for book #2 in this series.  I'm hoping that Remy's story is next.  Hint, hint!!!  No pressure.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

I was born in St. Paul, Minnesota, and grew up in California. I came from a long line of Americans who were pioneers and individualists. The family tree is filled with rugged people: rough coal miners, pioneers, and farmers living in log cabins in the early west. I wrote A Whisper from Eden, A Historical Fantasy, but like to write in several genres.

 

Lover Boy (aka my husband) was born and raised in Anaheim, California and wishes to remain anonymous because he doesn’t want anyone to know he likes to write romance novels. (Let's keep his secret.)

 

We wrote THE PIRATES OF VAMPIRE ISLAND, A Paranormal Romantic Thriller (Steamy Voyages #1). And we are working the sequel to Steamy Voyages and a dystopian thriller, The Trash Pile People. We live in Hollywood with our ornery tomcat, Snickers.

 

Website: http://www.fictionbyphoenix.com

E-mail: read@booksbyphoenix.com

Twitter: @PhoenixRead

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Amazon Reviews by Phoenix Profile Page: http://amzn.to/P8T5QD