Rating: 
Summary: Blood Trails
Review: The entire "Blood" series by Tanya Huff is an excellent mix of adventure, humor, drama, thriller, and fantasy. Set in modern day Toronto, the series revolves around private investigator, Vicki "Victory" Nelson, a tough ex-detective forced to resign the police force by a degenerative eye-disease which has totally destroyed her night vision and is steadily reducing her peripheral vision. In the first novel, she teamed up with Henry Fitzroy, a handsome and charismatic vampire who also happens to be the bastard son of Henry VIII, and Michael Celluci, her ex-police partner/lover. In Blood Trails, Henry introduces Vicki to a family of sheep-farming were-wolves who are losing family members to a sharp-shooter. She finds herself rubbing the belly of a beautiful shaggy dog who, when reprimanded by Henry, wriggles out from under her caresses and instantly transforms into a very handsome, very naked 17 yr. old human-seeming male. She and Henry go out to the country to solve the case. When Michale Celluci shows up on the family farm, there are just too many alph-males under one roof, and hilarity is the result. When Celluci and Stuart,the head of the pack, are facing off, each growling at the other, six year old Daniel asks if he can bite the detective. The tableau broken, his father sputters, "Why, son! You can't just go around biting people!" Daniel replies, "YOU were going to!" His father says, "Well, that's different." As Vicki watches, Papa were-wolf answers the resulting "Why?" with, "Well, son, it's a. . . .uh. . .ah . . it's a man thing." When Vicki collapses with laughter, Stuart and Michael look at each other with the confused expression of males everywhere who have no idea what's up with the female half of the species. Everyone, whether human, vampire or werewolf, has to struggle to overcome their natural instincts in order to work together, and the result is a very funny but admirable effort in cooperation and understanding of human (etc.) nature. This is truly an excellent novel.
Rating:
Summary: Blood Trails
Review: The entire "Blood" series by Tanya Huff is an excellent mix of adventure, humor, drama, thriller, and fantasy. Set in modern day Toronto, the series revolves around private investigator, Vicki "Victory" Nelson, a tough ex-detective forced to resign the police force by a degenerative eye-disease which has totally destroyed her night vision and is steadily reducing her peripheral vision. In the first novel, she teamed up with Henry Fitzroy, a handsome and charismatic vampire who also happens to be the bastard son of Henry VIII, and Michael Celluci, her ex-police partner/lover. In Blood Trails, Henry introduces Vicki to a family of sheep-farming were-wolves who are losing family members to a sharp-shooter. She finds herself rubbing the belly of a beautiful shaggy dog who, when reprimanded by Henry, wriggles out from under her caresses and instantly transforms into a very handsome, very naked 17 yr. old human-seeming male. She and Henry go out to the country to solve the case. When Michale Celluci shows up on the family farm, there are just too many alph-males under one roof, and hilarity is the result. When Celluci and Stuart,the head of the pack, are facing off, each growling at the other, six year old Daniel asks if he can bite the detective. The tableau broken, his father sputters, "Why, son! You can't just go around biting people!" Daniel replies, "YOU were going to!" His father says, "Well, that's different." As Vicki watches, Papa were-wolf answers the resulting "Why?" with, "Well, son, it's a. . . .uh. . .ah . . it's a man thing." When Vicki collapses with laughter, Stuart and Michael look at each other with the confused expression of males everywhere who have no idea what's up with the female half of the species. Everyone, whether human, vampire or werewolf, has to struggle to overcome their natural instincts in order to work together, and the result is a very funny but admirable effort in cooperation and understanding of human (etc.) nature. This is truly an excellent novel.
Rating: 
Summary: The storyline thickens
Review: The love duel between the vampire and the policeman over the former police detective is about 2/3 of the plot. The mystery of who's killing the werewolves seems almost secondary. I found it a little more entertaining than the first in the series, but it still didn't keep me up at night.
Rating:
Summary: The storyline thickens
Review: The love duel between the vampire and the policeman over the former police detective is about 2/3 of the plot. The mystery of who's killing the werewolves seems almost secondary. I found it a little more entertaining than the first in the series, but it still didn't keep me up at night.
Rating:
Summary: I Want My own Werewolf.
Review: This is a delightful series, but what fun to have werewoves that could be "family". Such a wonderful twist on the werewolf legend. Don't want to spoil the suprise for anyone. This is a fun an inventive series. It has humor, danger and a wonderful heroine. Just what you need on a long winter's night, or a short summer one for that matter.
Rating:
Summary: werewolves, vampires and humans, oh my!
Review: this is a great sequel to blood price, and incidentally, there are currently five total now. what i really loved about this book was not just the 'cant put it down' action and the 'oh stop my stomuch hurts' laughing at the interplay between characters, but the research done into wolf society. i've spent quite a bit of time reading wolf studies and i felt really good about the way that tanya huff portrayed them here. a truly great job by a fabulous author, who ought to be a little better known than she is. 1 blood price (demons).... 2 blood trail (werewolves) .... 3 blood lines (mummy) .... 4 blood pact (zombie).... 5 blood debt (ghost)if you can't find them all, you CAN read 2 and 3 out of sequence. but do read volume 4 before volume 5. thats all i can say....
Rating:
Summary: This Entire Series is Excellent! Highly Recommended
Review: This is Tanya Huff's second novel in the "Blood Series." If you have not read Ms. Huff's entire series, be sure to obtain all five books. They are excellent and you will not be disappointed! (Blood Price; Blood Trial; Blood Lines; Blood Pact; Blood Debt).
In her first novel, Blood Price, you met ex-cop Vickie Nelson turned private investigator, who had to leave the police force due to a dibilitating eye condition which leaves her literally blind at night. Quite by accident while working on a case, Vickie met romance writer/400 year old vampire Henry. Henry helped Vickie with her first case by being her eyes at night. Vickie and Henry are not only friends but there is an attraction beginning to blossom between them. Also in the mix is Vickie's ex working partner, Mike Celluli, who she still sees as a friend and romantic interest. This second book continues here. Vickie receives a telephone call from her friend Henry. He has a new case for her if she decides to accept. Vickie goes to Henry's apartment to meet her new clients, who turn out to be none other than werewolves. It seems that someone has discovered the werewolves' secret (that they are indeed half human, half animal), and has been shooting and killing various family members. The various killings have all taken place at night while the weres are at their home (they own a farm in the London countryside). As you can guess, the weres cannot go to the police in fear of their secret being discovered. Vickie and Henry will have to go to the weres' farm and work together to help the weres discover the killer before any further family members are killed. That's the basic premise of the story. I have noticed that many vampire fans of early Laurell Hamilton's Anita Blake series have always recommended Tanya Huff's series as another excellent vampire series. I have to agree. I collect all types of vampire novels, and next to the early Anita Blake's work, this series is just as good. You will not be disappointed. I highly recommend.
Rating:
Summary: This Entire Series is Excellent! Highly Recommended
Review: This is Tanya Huff's second novel in the "Blood Series." If you have not read Ms. Huff's entire series, be sure to obtain all five books. They are excellent and you will not be disappointed! (Blood Price; Blood Trial; Blood Lines; Blood Pact; Blood Debt).
In her first novel, Blood Price, you met ex-cop Vickie Nelson turned private investigator, who had to leave the police force due to a dibilitating eye condition which leaves her literally blind at night. Quite by accident while working on a case, Vickie met romance writer/400 year old vampire Henry. Henry helped Vickie with her first case by being her eyes at night. Vickie and Henry are not only friends but there is an attraction beginning to blossom between them. Also in the mix is Vickie's ex working partner, Mike Celluli, who she still sees as a friend and romantic interest. This second book continues here. Vickie receives a telephone call from her friend Henry. He has a new case for her if she decides to accept. Vickie goes to Henry's apartment to meet her new clients, who turn out to be none other than werewolves. It seems that someone has discovered the werewolves' secret (that they are indeed half human, half animal), and has been shooting and killing various family members. The various killings have all taken place at night while the weres are at their home (they own a farm in the London countryside). As you can guess, the weres cannot go to the police in fear of their secret being discovered. Vickie and Henry will have to go to the weres' farm and work together to help the weres discover the killer before any further family members are killed. That's the basic premise of the story. I have noticed that many vampire fans of early Laurell Hamilton's Anita Blake series have always recommended Tanya Huff's series as another excellent vampire series. I have to agree. I collect all types of vampire novels, and next to the early Anita Blake's work, this series is just as good. You will not be disappointed. I highly recommend.
Rating:
Summary: Vampire and werewolves with a sense of humor
Review: This is the second book in a series about Vicki Nelson, PI, and Henry Fitzroy, romance writer, bastard son of Henry VIII, and vampire. Those who already know that they like vampire novels, anything at all that features a vampire, can skip this review, and likewise, those who hate the whole idea of vampires can skip it. But for those trying to decide whether or not to read more of this genre, or whether the one vampire novel you've already read was a fluke, it may help to have some ways to categorize these novels. Thus: BunRab's Standard Vampire Classification Guide. First, most authors of vampire novels approach from one of the main genres of genre fiction; thus their background may be primarily in romance, or in science fiction/fantasy, or in murder mysteries, or in horror. Second, many vampire novels come in series; knowing whether this is one of a series, and where in the series it falls, may be helpful. Then we have some particular characteristics: - Is the vampire character (or characters) a "good guy" or a "bad guy"? Or are there some of each? - Are there continuing characters besides the vampire, through the series? - Are there other types of supernatural beings besides vampires? - Can the vampire stand daylight under some circumstances, or not stand daylight at all? - Does the vampire have a few other supernatural characteristics, many other supernatural characteristics, or none other than just being a vampire? (E.g., super strength, change into an animal, turn invisible) - Does the vampire have a regular job and place in society, or is being a vampire his or her entire raison d'etre? - Does the vampire literally drink blood, or is there some other (perhaps metaphorical) method of feeding? - Is sex a major plot element, a minor plot element, or nonexistent? - Is the entire vampire feeding act a metaphor for sex, part of a standard sex act, or unrelated to sex? - Is the story set in one historical period, more than one historical period, or entirely in the present day? - Does the story have elements of humor, or is it strictly serious? - Is the writing style good, or is the writing just there to manage to hold together the plot and characters? Tanya Huff's series about the vampire Henry Fitzroy starts from the mystery and thriller genres (Huff also writes Fantasy), and is a continuing series. Fitzroy is a good guy, just leading a quiet life. The continuing characters include several types of humans: police officers, detectives, street people, family members. There are other supernatural characters, usually only one type per book (e.g., werewolves). Henry definitely can't stand daylight at all; it literally burns him. He has extraordinary strength and speed, and a sort of hypnotic influence but no "magic" powers. In fact, other than the existence of a few types of supernatural beings, there is little supernatural going in in the series - it's everyday modern Toronto, not a fantasy world. He's got a day job - er, make that a night job: he's a writer. He drinks blood, usually from consenting adults, sometimes associated with sex, but not necessarily. There is sex in the books, but it's a minor plot element, not graphically detailed. These stories are there for the mystery/thriller elements; romance is only a sideline. Huff allows the characters to have a sense of humor: witty dialogue, a way with words. Some of the characters are set up for humor and farce as well, although not in a crude or gross way. The writing is well above average for "genre fiction" and the books are quite enjoyable to read. Blood Trail continues with Vicki getting to know Henry better, as they take a trip out to a rural town to help out some friends of Henry's. The friends are a nice family of sheep farmers who just happen to be werewolves as well. Somebody is trying to kill off the werewolves. One member of the family isn't a farmer- he's a police constable. The dialogue between Colin and his partner officer Barry, who is of Asian descent, is funny - since both were the only minorities, they banded together at Police Academny and have stuck together since. Their comradeship includes the exchange of buddy insults: "Sheep-f - -er." "Yellow Peril." Guy stuff. In the meantime, Mike Celucci, the Toronto cop, is worried about Vicki being off somewhere with Henry, and decides to investigate Henry's background. The conclusions he jumps to from the lack of background he finds lead, of course, to a wonderful fight with Vicki. Along the way, we also meet a religious nut/gardener and his sleazy con-man nephew; a little old lady in tennis shoes who is a championship rifle shooter, and a few other odd characters. The details of werewolf family life are nicely done.
Rating:
Summary: Vampires, Werewolves, oh my!
Review: This is the second book in a series by Tanya Huff. And it gets better and better. The trio is back, Vicki, Henry and Mike, who all come together to help solve the case of who's harming and killing the werewolves, who also happen to be Henry's friends. Vicki and Henry get closer in this one. :)A great wonderful book!
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