Rating: 
Summary: A little too explicit for my taste, but good nonetheless...
Review: All three stories were fantastic, but I mean damn! The events described, which seemed at times rapid fire one after another, were extremely graphic. I know for sure I would throw up if I saw what she wrote in person. I am looking forward to reading some more of Nancy Collins' work. Midnight Blue definitely got me hooked!
Rating: 
Summary: A new twist to an old tale.
Review: Although the vampires of Collins's seem to be traditional, her books are not. Sonja Blue is half-vampire/vampire slayer trying to find the person who made her. Along the way she confronts both parts of her contradicting personality and the parents that believed her to be dead. If you are a fan of the Anita Blake series by Laurell K. Hamilton, and you want something a little more on edge to read, then these are the books for you.
Rating:
Summary: Best Vampire Literature I have read so far
Review: First off let me say this work has absolutely nothing in common with Anne Rice's work! I read all of Anne Rice's vampire chronicals and a couple of extras, like Pandora and Blood and Gold, before I even heard of Sonja Blue and let me tell you, after you read Midnight Blue you will never want to pick up another Vampire novel! This book has no Vampire love, and especially no homo-erotic tones ala Anne Rice. Sonja Blue is the coolest character ever created, hands down. Everyone should read this set of books if you are into horror, Vampires, and aren't easily offended. These books are Gory, explicit, and cool as hell. The only problem I have with this series is that there are only three books. After you read this you will hope for more but, sadly, there isnt. I Give this book 2 thumbs up, 5 Gold Stars, etc.... Pick this one up!
Rating:
Summary: Nancy Collins At Her Best
Review: For anyone interested in dark fantasy, goth themes, and/or what I'd now call the "Vampire Genre", this book is great! If you have read Nancy Collins before, be forewarned that this is a compilation of three novels: Sunglasses After Dark, In The Blood, and Paint It Black. It's frustrating to invest in a new book, only to discover you've read it before! However! Although this book is actually three separate works, they fit together perfectly. Since the huge response to Anne Rice's Interview With The Vampire, and her subsequent novels, I couldn't get enough of vampire heroes and especially, heroines. Nancy Collins was not only there with a believeable heroine, but one living in the present day. Sonja Blue is tough, vampiric, and very much one to hold a grudge against the Vampire who made her "unlife" what it is today! On a crusade to eliminate the one who took away her human self, she fights a constant battle to hang on to her own humanity. The battle to hang on to her mental equilibrium, and pacify the vampire personality that shares her mind makes her tough but practical, and down to earth, and it's easy to identify with her. The beginning of the book was the only place that might have lost me, and there's my only real critisism. It takes a while to catch on to the plot, but it's worth it to hang in there! Once you get the idea of what's going on, it's smooth reading all the way to the last pages. One of the features that Collins uses in her "darker" reality, is that of creatures such as Ogres, and Werewolves, although it takes a special kind of human, or another "pretender" as she calls it, to know who is human, and what is not. The surroundings of the characters, from goth bars, to cheezy Southern "faith healing" ministries lend a lot to the plots as well. I think my favorite thing that sets Nancy Collins apart from other good authors of dark fantasy/horror, is her ever present dry wit. Tanya Huff is another author who shares this ability to make her heroine leave you laughing at some of her hiliarious descriptions of events, characters, or occasional side comments. Another great thing about this book is the ability to follow Sonja Blue even after the book has been read. I love authors who create characters that make you yearn to see more of them. For those folks who have not encountered her yet, Nancy Collins has several other books and short stories in which Sonja is featured. Fans of the White Wolf Series will also be able to see elements of the "Vampire: The Masquerade" series in the subsequent book by Nancy, A Dozen Black Roses, without sacrificing the quality of her work. Other Sonja Blue books include Darkest Heart, and Dead Roses For a Blue Lady.
Other authors that I enjoy that write dark fantasy and vampiric fiction with recurring main characters include Alice Borchardt, Chelsea Quinn Yarbro, and Barbara Hambly, in addition to Anne Rice and Tanya Huff.
Rating:
Summary: Nancy Collins At Her Best
Review: For anyone interested in dark fantasy, goth themes, and/or what I'd now call the "Vampire Genre", this book is great! If you have read Nancy Collins before, be forewarned that this is a compilation of three novels: Sunglasses After Dark, In The Blood, and Paint It Black. It's frustrating to invest in a new book, only to discover you've read it before! However! Although this book is actually three separate works, they fit together perfectly. Since the huge response to Anne Rice's Interview With The Vampire, and her subsequent novels, I couldn't get enough of vampire heroes and especially, heroines. Nancy Collins was not only there with a believeable heroine, but one living in the present day. Sonja Blue is tough, vampiric, and very much one to hold a grudge against the Vampire who made her "unlife" what it is today! On a crusade to eliminate the one who took away her human self, she fights a constant battle to hang on to her own humanity. The battle to hang on to her mental equilibrium, and pacify the vampire personality that shares her mind makes her tough but practical, and down to earth, and it's easy to identify with her. The beginning of the book was the only place that might have lost me, and there's my only real critisism. It takes a while to catch on to the plot, but it's worth it to hang in there! Once you get the idea of what's going on, it's smooth reading all the way to the last pages. One of the features that Collins uses in her "darker" reality, is that of creatures such as Ogres, and Werewolves, although it takes a special kind of human, or another "pretender" as she calls it, to know who is human, and what is not. The surroundings of the characters, from goth bars, to cheezy Southern "faith healing" ministries lend a lot to the plots as well. I think my favorite thing that sets Nancy Collins apart from other good authors of dark fantasy/horror, is her ever present dry wit. Tanya Huff is another author who shares this ability to make her heroine leave you laughing at some of her hiliarious descriptions of events, characters, or occasional side comments. Another great thing about this book is the ability to follow Sonja Blue even after the book has been read. I love authors who create characters that make you yearn to see more of them. For those folks who have not encountered her yet, Nancy Collins has several other books and short stories in which Sonja is featured. Fans of the White Wolf Series will also be able to see elements of the "Vampire: The Masquerade" series in the subsequent book by Nancy, A Dozen Black Roses, without sacrificing the quality of her work. Other Sonja Blue books include Darkest Heart, and Dead Roses For a Blue Lady.
Other authors that I enjoy that write dark fantasy and vampiric fiction with recurring main characters include Alice Borchardt, Chelsea Quinn Yarbro, and Barbara Hambly, in addition to Anne Rice and Tanya Huff.
Rating:
Summary: There's nothing better than a punk-rock vampiress!
Review: I am completely addicted to and under the thrall of Sonya Blue! What a cool vampire-killing vampire. Set in those oh so bewitching cities of San Francisco and New Orleans, this series left me wanting to go to these places again. I will never look at people the same... I wonder who's a Pretender, and who's not!
A Dozen Black Roses was an awesome follow-up. Nancy, please keep writing! The world today needs more Sonya Blue!!
Rating:
Summary: Couldn't Put it Down!
Review: I bought the book a while back and have read the book so many times I think the book's falling apart on me! When I pick it up, Sonja Blue reaches out from the pages, grabs your throat, and doesn't let go! To me, it was one of the most facinating books I've read in a long time. Looking forward to getting the rest of them.
Rating:
Summary: Whenever i read MB it feels like summer
Review: I brought this book home from the bookstore and immediately started reading it. The cover had really stood out in the bleak, tiny horror section at Borders. I didn't put it down until i was finished three nights later. I fell asleep exhausted and had the most vivid, palpable dreams of my life. I'd do anything to experience them again.
Rating:
Summary: Whenever i read MB it feels like summer
Review: I brought this book home from the bookstore and immediately started reading it. The cover had really stood out in the bleak, tiny horror section at Borders. I didn't put it down until i was finished three nights later. I fell asleep exhausted and had the most vivid, palpable dreams of my life. I'd do anything to experience them again.
Rating: 
Summary: Very disappointing
Review: I can see I'm probably in the minority here among reviewers, but I could not get into this book. The characters seemed very unappealing to me, the plotting weak, and whoever did the editting on this volume should probably be fired for all the mistakes I spotted with paragraphs that should have been in italics but weren't, or that changed back and forth in the middle of a word. Overall, reading this book left me feeling bored.
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