The Vampire Apocalypse

Rating:
Summary: wonderful vampire anthology
Review: "Julian". "Senior" vampire, Julian Cavanaugh has not tasted human blood in three hundred years. He attends the annual Halloween bash also frequented by Lorelei Fletcher. A vampire attacks Lorelei, but Julian rescues her. Julian knows he is evolving into something beyond his species, but only can complete the metamorphosis with Lorelei by his side.

"Nicholas". Nicholas Carrington escorts mortal Dina Winters to the vampire gala, but cannot resist her lure and bites her neck. When Dina awakens, Nicky tells her she is dying but surprises her that he knows of her illness. Nicky plans to stay by Dina until the end, praying that "seniors" can save her life.

"Lucien". The vampires gather to hear Lucien tell his biography of twelve thousand years of "life". He explains that four women mated with Gods resulting in four demon births. The foursome each begot children carrying a special gene like Lorelei has and created the vampire race.

"Lorelei". Julian worries that Lorelei is unhappy with him though they love one another. She learns that she is pregnant. Since a vampire cannot sire a child, Julian jealously wants to know who the father is. Lorelei is hurt and Julian is stunned when he realizes he is the dad, but he has no time to rejoice because war is imminent.

All four tales that make up THE VAMPIRE APOCALYPSE: Revelations are well written, exciting and can stand alone yet leave a cliffhanger feel to the cross anthology plot. Fans of vampire stories have a winner as Katriena Knights provides a wonderfully insightful story line with realistic characters that make the supernatural feel alive.

Harriet Klausner

Rating:
Summary: wonderful vampire anthology
Review: "Julian". "Senior" vampire, Julian Cavanaugh has not tasted human blood in three hundred years. He attends the annual Halloween bash also frequented by Lorelei Fletcher. A vampire attacks Lorelei, but Julian rescues her. Julian knows he is evolving into something beyond his species, but only can complete the metamorphosis with Lorelei by his side.

"Nicholas". Nicholas Carrington escorts mortal Dina Winters to the vampire gala, but cannot resist her lure and bites her neck. When Dina awakens, Nicky tells her she is dying but surprises her that he knows of her illness. Nicky plans to stay by Dina until the end, praying that "seniors" can save her life.

"Lucien". The vampires gather to hear Lucien tell his biography of twelve thousand years of "life". He explains that four women mated with Gods resulting in four demon births. The foursome each begot children carrying a special gene like Lorelei has and created the vampire race.

"Lorelei". Julian worries that Lorelei is unhappy with him though they love one another. She learns that she is pregnant. Since a vampire cannot sire a child, Julian jealously wants to know who the father is. Lorelei is hurt and Julian is stunned when he realizes he is the dad, but he has no time to rejoice because war is imminent.

All four tales that make up THE VAMPIRE APOCALYPSE: Revelations are well written, exciting and can stand alone yet leave a cliffhanger feel to the cross anthology plot. Fans of vampire stories have a winner as Katriena Knights provides a wonderfully insightful story line with realistic characters that make the supernatural feel alive.

Harriet Klausner

Rating:
Summary: Timeless Tales review
Review: By TT reviewer Amy Stark [Full review on our website]

Book Two of The Vampire Apocalypse focuses on the story of Nicholas, a young vampire. Having been turned just three years ago, Nicholas doesn't have the strength or the ability to control his bloodlust on Halloween, causing him to take his new girlfriend, Dina. When her friend Lorelei bursts in on the feeding, he turns on her too, only to be stopped at last by Julian, an 800-year-old vampire.

When the bloodlust passes, Nicholas is devastated. This was not what he had wanted at all. He cares deeply for Dina, but he had simply lost control. Surprisingly, Dina had survived the attack as only a few others had in the past. But like the others, the brief healing period would be followed by a slow death, and it was enough to break Nicholas' heart. Thankful that Dina did not remember the attack, and therefore didn't realize that it was he who had been her attacker, he stays by her side making her as comfortable as possible.

And then, as if this wasn't bad enough, he gets the word that the Senior has been killed and replaced by none other than Julian. Still, he has to join Vivian, his maker, on the trek into the underground Vampire city to pay his respects and swear his loyalty. Knowing that they cannot leave Dina to care for herself they bring her with them.

And the hits just kept coming. Upon arriving, Nicholas, Dina and Vivian come face to face with not only Julian but also Lorelei who does remember what Nicholas had done. Dina is whisked away from him, and he is left to try to explain his actions to Julian. But how do you explain what you don't understand yourself?

Julian may not like Nicholas, but he is fair and hears him out. Curious about why the bloodlust has come upon Nicholas, Julian digs a little deeper and all are surprised at what he finds. Dina has been dying of cancer, and coincidentally, Nicholas had been dying of cancer too when Vivian made him the offer of eternal life. Did her cancerous blood call to him? Did it have an extraordinary effect? And most importantly, was there a way to save Dina now?

With the help of a top-notch doctor, it was determined that Dina could in fact be saved, but at a high cost. Is Nicholas willing to pay the price? Will Dina let him? And how does Julian fit in to this?

While showing very rich characterization, Book Two: Nicholas is a more plot driven story than Katriena Knights' previous book in this series. We learn more about the kind of man Nicholas is because we are shown it rather than being told it, which adds so much more to the story. We empathize with his dilemma. He does not want to take someone against their will, but still does not have the strength to fight the compulsion he feels at times. We're shown who he is by how tenderly he cares for Dina after the attack, up to and including the willingness to end his own existence so that she may live, by his relationship with Vivian and his interaction with both Julian and Lorelei.

However, the main focus is on the intricate plot that twists and turns and keeps you guessing. Book Two certainly moved the story that was started in Julian forward, adding crucial pieces to the puzzle. However, the reader is left with a lot of questions to be answered and anxiously awaiting Book Three.

Rating:
Summary: Timeless Tales review
Review: By TT reviewer Amy Stark [Full review on our website]

What would you think if you were a young child, awakened from your sleep and fed upon by a centuries old vampire? Would you think it real or would you think it a dream?

Years later, as an adult, would the memory of that childhood dream stay with you? Fascinate you?

What would you do if you found yourself at a bizarre Halloween party where everyone was dressed as a vampire and you found your friend's new boyfriend drinking the life out of her, literally? What would you think when he turns to you and sinks his fangs deep into your neck?

What would you think when you dream your childhood dream again, waking up from it in an unfamiliar bed belonging the stranger that saved your life? A man you find intriguing, powerful, dangerous and sensuous?

How would you react when the truth comes out, and his secrets are spilled in blood all over your living room floor?

If you're Lorelei Fletcher, you're about to find out. Book One introduces the reader to Lorelei Fletcher, a strong minded, independent young woman with a fascination for vampires thanks to a childhood experience she remembers in her dreams, and to Julian Cavanaugh, the vampire who saves her life and has forsaken his people's way, swearing off human blood.

Lorelei barely bats an eye as she learns who and what Julian Cavanaugh is. She doesn't cower in fear; she doesn't send him away. She accepts him as a man, and as a vampire. She stands by him, returning his favor by saving his life twice over. More than that, she trusts him and is willing to journey down to and through the Vampire city by his side, with an unwavering faith in him to keep her safe. Fate brought them together. He needed her to be complete and she was more than willing to give herself.

Julian is not just any vampire. At 800 years old, he's extremely powerful and he's becoming something more. More what? No one knows. Not even the Senior. Not even the mysterious cloaked figure timeless in his antiquity. The only thing they all know is that Julian is starting to change. He's sleeping less at night, he is very slowly building immunity to sunlight, he does not need to feed on human blood and in the short time he's been with Lorelei, he has survived feeding off another vampire twice. They also knew that in order to complete this change, Julian needs her. But how can he take the woman he loved? Or does he have to?

Mysterious, sensual, compelling, erotic, witty; these are all words that describe "Julian", the first tome in Katriena Knights' "The Vampire Apocalypse". Katriena Knights shows her skill at characterization in this story. She shows us who Lorelei and Julian are through their actions as well as through glimpses into their psyches. We feel Julian's pain and concern that his loving Lorelei will only lead to her death. We experience Lorelei's courage as she fights to save Julian and we get to know them further through the actions and reactions of the secondary characters toward them.

The plot is intriguing, filled with mystery and not without a twist or two. However, while some of the sub-storylines are complete, the main story lingers unresolved, leaving the reader with more questions than answers and anxious to move on to Book 2: Nicholas.

Rating:
Summary: I Must Disagree.Too fast=poor character and plot development
Review: I didn't like this book one bit. I think the main problem was the pacing. Each story is maybe 65 pages long and that is not just enough time to make two people fall in love, espeacially if a whole other plot line is going on at the same time. While the underlying plot linking all four stories had potential, stuff that is integral to the plot line just seems to happen out of the blue.
In Julien, chain-smoking vampire Julien saves Lorelei Fletcher from Nicholas after he mauls her friend Dina. Julien feels like he needs to be with her. Could this have something to do with her 'speacail' blood that will help his evolution? Lorelei stuck me as a sort of vulgar character, and they're relationship happened way to fast.
In Nicholas, Dina rises from the dead with no memory of Nick's attack. It's only a matter of time before she dies again. Can Julien save her? This one was very creepy and bleak. It actually made me feel a bit nauseous at times.
In Lucien, Lucien, one of the first four vampires, comes to see Julien as an ancient prophecy is beginning to play out and the lines between good and evil are being drawn. He must work with Viviene, one of Julien's subordinates, to try and piece together The Book of Changing Blood. Again, trying to put to much story in too little space. While, Lucien and Viv lovestory was helped along by their past encounter it still happened to quickly. Lucien, for his part, should have been sagely since he is like 12,000 but from the way he speaks he really doesn't sound like he holds the wisdom of the ages (he is one of the people who wrote the Book).
In Lorelei, Julien and Lorelei are having relationship problems but by now I really wasn't all that interested. Lorelei is pregnant and Julien wants to know who the father is. Great, Lorelei wasn't likeable the first time and now I have to endure Lorelei on PMS. It's Julien's kid, and the afore mentioned 'side of evil' abducts her. Apparently, these dastardly villains don't want Julien's evolution to continue or this child to be born.
I for one don't really care to find out what Julien is becoming or if the world will be devoured by darkness. Unless I find the next volume of this saga in the bargain bin, I will not be reading any more of the Vampire Apocalypse. That's sad because I really enjoyed The Haunting of Rory Campbell by this author.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent Begining
Review: I had this book in its original e-book format.. most intriguing original story and will continue on and to book 2
A Keeper...