What do you think?
Rate this book
Captivated by Crimson
When a god and a vampire queen desire you, things can get complicated.
Nola Blair is a free-spirited artist who’s been offered a hefty sum to create a unique piece for a party at Elizabeth Bathory’s ruined castle. It’s an assignment she declined––twice. However, at the behest of her sister and her best friend, she finally gave in, choosing her career over her annoyance with the misogynist ass trying to secure her services.
Erzsebet Bathory has been trapped for centuries and would do anything to escape, including using her own son, Paul, to do her bidding. Soon she’ll be free and take her place among the ferals as their queen.
Andrik Kane had no idea his life would change when he saved Nola from a band of rogue vampires. Charged with the hunting of ferals and their creators, one broken rule and the blood of a beautiful brunette in distress ends up giving him more than he ever bargained for.
One wants her blood, the other wants her to be his. Who will decide Nola’s fate?
Nola Blair is a free-spirited artist who’s been offered a hefty sum to create a unique piece for a party at Elizabeth Bathory’s ruined castle. It’s an assignment she declined––twice. However, at the behest of her sister and her best friend, she finally gave in, choosing her career over her annoyance with the misogynist ass trying to secure her services.
Erzsebet Bathory has been trapped for centuries and would do anything to escape, including using her own son, Paul, to do her bidding. Soon she’ll be free and take her place among the ferals as their queen.
Andrik Kane had no idea his life would change when he saved Nola from a band of rogue vampires. Charged with the hunting of ferals and their creators, one broken rule and the blood of a beautiful brunette in distress ends up giving him more than he ever bargained for.
One wants her blood, the other wants her to be his. Who will decide Nola’s fate?
- GenresParanormalVampires
344 pages, Paperback
First published August 22, 2017
About the author
Brynn Myers
15 books180 followersBrynn Myers is a paranormal romance author. After considering writing a hobby for years, she finally turned her passion and talent into a career. She came into the paranormal genre later than most but has always loved fairy-tales and all things magical. Using that love, she creates charmed worlds by writing stories involving passionate, strong willed characters with something to discover.
www.brynnmyers.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BrynnMyersAu...
Twitter: https://twitter.com/brynnmyers
Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/authorbrynn...
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/brynnmyers/
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/author/brynnmyers
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/brynn...
Email: authorbrynnmyersmc@gmail.com
www.brynnmyers.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BrynnMyersAu...
Twitter: https://twitter.com/brynnmyers
Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/authorbrynn...
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/brynnmyers/
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/author/brynnmyers
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/brynn...
Email: authorbrynnmyersmc@gmail.com
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews
August 22, 2017
'Captivated by Crimson' by Brynn Myers is the story of Andrik and Nola.
This story had a lot of excitement going on. We have Erzsebet who has been imprisoned in a portrait
by Andrik for all her wrong doing. But her son Paul is trying to help her escape. In addition there are allot of Vamp Ferals being turned out that are attacking people. Two attacked Nola but she was found by Andrik who turned her and saving her life but he erased her memory. Andrik was drawn to Nola and he knew he had to save her. There is also a cast of secondary characters that are friends of Andrik that are trying to help him end the Vamp Ferals and find Erzsebet.
Overall an great read.
"My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read."
This story had a lot of excitement going on. We have Erzsebet who has been imprisoned in a portrait
by Andrik for all her wrong doing. But her son Paul is trying to help her escape. In addition there are allot of Vamp Ferals being turned out that are attacking people. Two attacked Nola but she was found by Andrik who turned her and saving her life but he erased her memory. Andrik was drawn to Nola and he knew he had to save her. There is also a cast of secondary characters that are friends of Andrik that are trying to help him end the Vamp Ferals and find Erzsebet.
Overall an great read.
"My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read."
August 25, 2017
Captivated by Crimson by Byrnn Myers
4 Stars
Review by Jenny
I received an arc of Captivated by Crimson in exchange for my honest review.
The blurb for this book is so fascinating that when asked to red & review I automatically jumped at the chance. Paranormal Romance novels are a genre I love to sink my teeth into ( See what I did there). This story starts out with sooooo much information and characters that you are in information overload. I actually had to grab a pen and piece of paper and start writing everything down in order to build a family tree of sorts to determine who everyone was! It was crazy confusing.
If you strip all of the confusing away and gt to the basic underlying story you have a interesting story about vampires. Nola is an artist in Boston working with her sister and best friend. They get commissioned to make a piece of art that has them stumbling into the world of vampires. I enjoyed the underlying story, but all of the characters that we 're introduced and developed felt like overkill to me. Especially because the character names are so complex and similar to one another. However, the author does a great job keeping the story moving along. Not my favorite story, but I am curious to see where this can go.
4 Stars
Review by Jenny
I received an arc of Captivated by Crimson in exchange for my honest review.
The blurb for this book is so fascinating that when asked to red & review I automatically jumped at the chance. Paranormal Romance novels are a genre I love to sink my teeth into ( See what I did there). This story starts out with sooooo much information and characters that you are in information overload. I actually had to grab a pen and piece of paper and start writing everything down in order to build a family tree of sorts to determine who everyone was! It was crazy confusing.
If you strip all of the confusing away and gt to the basic underlying story you have a interesting story about vampires. Nola is an artist in Boston working with her sister and best friend. They get commissioned to make a piece of art that has them stumbling into the world of vampires. I enjoyed the underlying story, but all of the characters that we 're introduced and developed felt like overkill to me. Especially because the character names are so complex and similar to one another. However, the author does a great job keeping the story moving along. Not my favorite story, but I am curious to see where this can go.
June 21, 2021
The Crimson Countess was my first beach read this year. I know a vampire book doesn't sound like the perfect summer book and it isn't, this just goes to show how busy my life is and how this vacation was the only time I could get to read this for the tour.
Vampire books seem to be making a come back and this one is not about the sparkly kind, though Andrik does seem to share the stalker vibe of Edward Cullen when it comes to Nola, his love interest. The premise of the book was very intriguing, I always thought Erzsébet Báthory to be an interesting historical figure though I cannot for the life of me get why the author mentioned her being related to Vlad Țepeș (whose name she misspelled as Tepas). They are similar having lived in neighboring countries and they both remained known in history for their violent natures and predilection for bloodthirstiness. Some sources do say though there might be a distant relation between the two given how royalties usually get married to each other over and over again in the same small circles but that's about it, with no definitive evidence as to how they might have or not have been cousins. Given that this is fiction, I am okay with this.
In this paranormal book, vampires live among humans but most do not feed on them. They can evanesce but people don't notice this since they don't believe in the supernatural. Everything that can't be explained is seen as a glitch and forgotten. Now I have some feelings about this. I have one or two friends who are wildly convincing about seeing some supernatural stuff. I would've loved one such character in this book to notice these characters and freak out. But I guess they would have their memories erased anyway.
Nola is an artist and our main guy's love interest. She is in the center of it all, being hired together with her sister and an artist partner to create an art piece with Gothic mirrors which unbeknownst to them would be used for supernatural purposes I will not reveal so as not to spoil the book. Nola also almost dies after feral vampires drain her of blood but is saved by Andrik via his blood, which links him to a human for the first time, making him always feel when she is in danger or has any feelings whatsoever. He saves her for selfish reasons because she looks like a woman he failed to save centuries ago and he wants to erase that failure but ends up actually liking her for who she is.
The vampire hierarchy is very complicated and it's my favorite part about the book. There are three gods (Thantos, Manya and Andrik) who created the Sanguines. They are pure blood vampires who only feed off each other. But some of the vampires decided they wanted their own bloodline to follow them and they created feral vampires who are a danger to humans whose blood they feed off and in high numbers could potentially kill off the Sanguines and rule over the world. One such feral is Bathory, who is currently trapped in a painting. But she is stil creating chaos somehow releasing ferals in the modern world and needs to be found and stopped once and for all.
The supernatural creatures were just what I wanted. Bathory is very cruel, drinking a human's blood daily and killing most of them or making them her pets for a while before she gets bored. But she is quick to judge her son as a monster when he uses women just because he isn't a vampire. Yet she doesn't question her treatment of him that made him the way he is. I loved reading about her interactions with the lover who turned her and eventually betrayed her making her pay for his crimes as well. Bathory is also quick to forget she is responsible for at least some of the murders, which she did out of love or maybe worship for the man who have her eternal life. She does love her daughters and suffers when they are lost to her, which turns Paul, her son, even more against women, feeling he isn't enough for his mother if it's just him alone. He also thinks being a man prevented him from being turned vampire since his mother's lover is only interested in women. Getting linked to his mother by a witch gives him an immortal life but he is stil weak and would die if his mother did, who uses him repeatedly while being trapped knowing well he would betray her the moment she turned him feral. All the sick things that were done to him make him a very interesting villain. The good and bad guys alike want him dead.
I wanted this book to be more about the vampires and the fight between ferals and pure bloods, I wanted a more thorough explanation over how some vampires can live in the ancient times and come visit the modern world sometimes. Instead the book is more about the instant romance between Nola and Andrik. Nola is a great artist and a likeable woman but when it comes to Andrik, she doesn't seem to question anything. She isn't afraid when she is confronted with what he is, doesn't have many questions, doesn't need any time to process what is happening. She just accepts anything is being thrown at her when it comes to him, not getting too upset over her life being turned upside down, she keeps being put in danger, having her memories altered etcetera. It's almost as if everything seems normal to her and it's accepted as is.
I think you will like this book if you want a Gothic Romance. I was in more for the Countess and supernatural parts so that's why I am a bit so-so.
Vampire books seem to be making a come back and this one is not about the sparkly kind, though Andrik does seem to share the stalker vibe of Edward Cullen when it comes to Nola, his love interest. The premise of the book was very intriguing, I always thought Erzsébet Báthory to be an interesting historical figure though I cannot for the life of me get why the author mentioned her being related to Vlad Țepeș (whose name she misspelled as Tepas). They are similar having lived in neighboring countries and they both remained known in history for their violent natures and predilection for bloodthirstiness. Some sources do say though there might be a distant relation between the two given how royalties usually get married to each other over and over again in the same small circles but that's about it, with no definitive evidence as to how they might have or not have been cousins. Given that this is fiction, I am okay with this.
In this paranormal book, vampires live among humans but most do not feed on them. They can evanesce but people don't notice this since they don't believe in the supernatural. Everything that can't be explained is seen as a glitch and forgotten. Now I have some feelings about this. I have one or two friends who are wildly convincing about seeing some supernatural stuff. I would've loved one such character in this book to notice these characters and freak out. But I guess they would have their memories erased anyway.
Nola is an artist and our main guy's love interest. She is in the center of it all, being hired together with her sister and an artist partner to create an art piece with Gothic mirrors which unbeknownst to them would be used for supernatural purposes I will not reveal so as not to spoil the book. Nola also almost dies after feral vampires drain her of blood but is saved by Andrik via his blood, which links him to a human for the first time, making him always feel when she is in danger or has any feelings whatsoever. He saves her for selfish reasons because she looks like a woman he failed to save centuries ago and he wants to erase that failure but ends up actually liking her for who she is.
The vampire hierarchy is very complicated and it's my favorite part about the book. There are three gods (Thantos, Manya and Andrik) who created the Sanguines. They are pure blood vampires who only feed off each other. But some of the vampires decided they wanted their own bloodline to follow them and they created feral vampires who are a danger to humans whose blood they feed off and in high numbers could potentially kill off the Sanguines and rule over the world. One such feral is Bathory, who is currently trapped in a painting. But she is stil creating chaos somehow releasing ferals in the modern world and needs to be found and stopped once and for all.
The supernatural creatures were just what I wanted. Bathory is very cruel, drinking a human's blood daily and killing most of them or making them her pets for a while before she gets bored. But she is quick to judge her son as a monster when he uses women just because he isn't a vampire. Yet she doesn't question her treatment of him that made him the way he is. I loved reading about her interactions with the lover who turned her and eventually betrayed her making her pay for his crimes as well. Bathory is also quick to forget she is responsible for at least some of the murders, which she did out of love or maybe worship for the man who have her eternal life. She does love her daughters and suffers when they are lost to her, which turns Paul, her son, even more against women, feeling he isn't enough for his mother if it's just him alone. He also thinks being a man prevented him from being turned vampire since his mother's lover is only interested in women. Getting linked to his mother by a witch gives him an immortal life but he is stil weak and would die if his mother did, who uses him repeatedly while being trapped knowing well he would betray her the moment she turned him feral. All the sick things that were done to him make him a very interesting villain. The good and bad guys alike want him dead.
I wanted this book to be more about the vampires and the fight between ferals and pure bloods, I wanted a more thorough explanation over how some vampires can live in the ancient times and come visit the modern world sometimes. Instead the book is more about the instant romance between Nola and Andrik. Nola is a great artist and a likeable woman but when it comes to Andrik, she doesn't seem to question anything. She isn't afraid when she is confronted with what he is, doesn't have many questions, doesn't need any time to process what is happening. She just accepts anything is being thrown at her when it comes to him, not getting too upset over her life being turned upside down, she keeps being put in danger, having her memories altered etcetera. It's almost as if everything seems normal to her and it's accepted as is.
I think you will like this book if you want a Gothic Romance. I was in more for the Countess and supernatural parts so that's why I am a bit so-so.
June 19, 2021
The Crimson Countess is the revamped version of the previously named Captivated by Crimson - same story, new and improved name, and cover! This is the intriguing and unexpected tale of vampires, Countess Bathory, and of Nola, an artist who gets sucked *pun intended* into the twisted world of these vampires.
As someone who loves the twisted tale of Countess Bathory, otherwise known as the Blood Countess, I had high hopes this dark, gothic, paranormal fantasy and Myers' delivered! This was everything I wanted and more, not only did we get Bathory in all her dark bloody glory but we got a new and unique origin story of vampires intertwined with the history of the Crimson Countess herself. If you're unfamiliar with the story, Countess Bathory is an infamous Hungarian historical figure who is known for killing hundreds of innocent women and bathing in their blood - infamous serial killer or vampire in disguise?
The story Myers weaves is set in the modern-day and gives us two main perspectives, the first is Nola, a modern woman working as an artist who takes on a client who is demanding a Countess Bathory commission. This unwittingly links Nola to the vampires and to Bathory's son, Paul. Nola and her friend make the commission their own and design an amazing art show, unknown to her that she is a pawn in the plan of Bathory who is trapped in a painting and longs for freedom to bring about her new rule.
The second perspective is that of our villains which I really loved. It was such an interesting POV to have and the author didn't shy away from showing us the depraved life in which Erzsebet relishes. Not only do we get Erzsebet but we also get her son, Paul, who is just as villainous and depraved. I really enjoyed the corrupted and hateful relationship of Paul and Erzsebet - Paul is forever linked to his mother forced to help her survive by feeding her innocent humans, forcing them into her prison. Paul hates women and Erzsebet hates him for it - though she really has no moral high ground to stand on since she murders and eats women too? It was fascinating to have this dark and addictive perspective into the villains, especially when compared to the light Nola brings to the book. I thoroughly enjoyed the contrast and both perspectives blended well together to make this story wonderfully twisted and captivating.
Along with these two contrasting characters, we get Andrik, the vampire who can't help but step in to protect and save Nola, his history and role giving us insights into the vampire world as well as their history with Erzsebet. I enjoyed Andrik and Nola's scenes and loved that even within all the darkness they still found each other. This was a great storyline that added a different dynamic to the book.
Overall, this was a wonderfully gothic reimagining of Countess Bathory, resulting in a captivating tale of vampires and gods, of life and power, of light and dark. A gripping story with an interesting cast of characters, I would recommend it for anyone looking for a dark paranormal romance set in the modern-day.
A massive thank you to MTMC tours and to the author Brynn Myers for having me on the tour.
As someone who loves the twisted tale of Countess Bathory, otherwise known as the Blood Countess, I had high hopes this dark, gothic, paranormal fantasy and Myers' delivered! This was everything I wanted and more, not only did we get Bathory in all her dark bloody glory but we got a new and unique origin story of vampires intertwined with the history of the Crimson Countess herself. If you're unfamiliar with the story, Countess Bathory is an infamous Hungarian historical figure who is known for killing hundreds of innocent women and bathing in their blood - infamous serial killer or vampire in disguise?
The story Myers weaves is set in the modern-day and gives us two main perspectives, the first is Nola, a modern woman working as an artist who takes on a client who is demanding a Countess Bathory commission. This unwittingly links Nola to the vampires and to Bathory's son, Paul. Nola and her friend make the commission their own and design an amazing art show, unknown to her that she is a pawn in the plan of Bathory who is trapped in a painting and longs for freedom to bring about her new rule.
The second perspective is that of our villains which I really loved. It was such an interesting POV to have and the author didn't shy away from showing us the depraved life in which Erzsebet relishes. Not only do we get Erzsebet but we also get her son, Paul, who is just as villainous and depraved. I really enjoyed the corrupted and hateful relationship of Paul and Erzsebet - Paul is forever linked to his mother forced to help her survive by feeding her innocent humans, forcing them into her prison. Paul hates women and Erzsebet hates him for it - though she really has no moral high ground to stand on since she murders and eats women too? It was fascinating to have this dark and addictive perspective into the villains, especially when compared to the light Nola brings to the book. I thoroughly enjoyed the contrast and both perspectives blended well together to make this story wonderfully twisted and captivating.
Along with these two contrasting characters, we get Andrik, the vampire who can't help but step in to protect and save Nola, his history and role giving us insights into the vampire world as well as their history with Erzsebet. I enjoyed Andrik and Nola's scenes and loved that even within all the darkness they still found each other. This was a great storyline that added a different dynamic to the book.
Overall, this was a wonderfully gothic reimagining of Countess Bathory, resulting in a captivating tale of vampires and gods, of life and power, of light and dark. A gripping story with an interesting cast of characters, I would recommend it for anyone looking for a dark paranormal romance set in the modern-day.
A massive thank you to MTMC tours and to the author Brynn Myers for having me on the tour.
June 17, 2021
By removing all the confusion, and getting to the underlying story you have an interesting tale of vampires. Nola is an artist working in Boston with her sister and best friend. They get commissioned to make a piece of art that has them stumbling into the vampire world. I enjoyed the story but the way the characters were introduced and developed felt excessive to me. Especially because the character names are so complex and similar to one another. The author does, however, do a great job keeping the story flowing. This wasn’t my favorite but I’m curious to see what happens next.
It was a very creative and unique take on Vampires and their origins. Deliciously dark and complex characters. A plot that was fresh and original. With romance that was sensual and smoldering, this is a must read for lovers of the Vampire/paranormal genre!
Thanks to MTMC Tours I was able to read (most) of this book and take part in the creative blog and instagram tour. Check out all our posts here and scroll down a bit on my blog post a chance to win your very own copy of The Crimson Countess!
It was a very creative and unique take on Vampires and their origins. Deliciously dark and complex characters. A plot that was fresh and original. With romance that was sensual and smoldering, this is a must read for lovers of the Vampire/paranormal genre!
Thanks to MTMC Tours I was able to read (most) of this book and take part in the creative blog and instagram tour. Check out all our posts here and scroll down a bit on my blog post a chance to win your very own copy of The Crimson Countess!
August 21, 2017
Fascinating plot featuring vampires! Those of you who love your vampires on the darker side will love this book. I was immediately drawn in, and what a ride it is. Nola, Quinn and Arianna are flawlessly written characters who stand out. Their talent for creating gothic art surrounds this story. Andrik, the male hero, is compelled to save Nola for unknown reasons. Ancient gods are out to protect humanity against an evil enemy thought to be long gone. Many of the secondary characters like Reese, who was one of my favorites, really rocked with their kick-ass attitude. The bad guys you'll love to hate.
This is addictive with a smoldering hot romance. I don't know if it gets any better than this. Carve out some time in your schedule for this. Once you start reading, you won't be able to put this down till the last page is finished. Brava to this author for giving us a reason to love vampires again.
This is addictive with a smoldering hot romance. I don't know if it gets any better than this. Carve out some time in your schedule for this. Once you start reading, you won't be able to put this down till the last page is finished. Brava to this author for giving us a reason to love vampires again.
August 29, 2017
I have been waiting for this story for awhile and Brynn did not disappoint!!
The main characters Nola and Andrik were developed beautifully and with enough intrigue that kept me turning the page. The side characters were ever present throughout the story and just as impactful as the main characters. The world development was the perfect balance of mystery and fact, leaving the author open for further books in this world. Which I hope we get!! I'd love to see what happens with the side characters and a few adventures for Nola and Andrik. There are so many possibilities in this world and I loved that.
Strongly recommend this book for readers looking to read something a little darker and grittier yet well balanced than the average vampire romance novel.
The main characters Nola and Andrik were developed beautifully and with enough intrigue that kept me turning the page. The side characters were ever present throughout the story and just as impactful as the main characters. The world development was the perfect balance of mystery and fact, leaving the author open for further books in this world. Which I hope we get!! I'd love to see what happens with the side characters and a few adventures for Nola and Andrik. There are so many possibilities in this world and I loved that.
Strongly recommend this book for readers looking to read something a little darker and grittier yet well balanced than the average vampire romance novel.
August 29, 2017
Not sure where to start with this book. There was so much drama unfolding from beginning to end. The author definitely knows how to keep her readers attention straight from the start. I really loved the characters especially Andrik, I hope the author plans to write more stories with them. Andrik definitely sweeps you up into his role, you just want to know so much more about him. His back story, present and future. Paul gave me the creeps, I just wanted to scratch his eyeballs out lol Bathory was all kinds of crazy but she kept you entertained, guessing and wanting to know what she was up to, what was to come next. I love my vampires, and Brynn Myers brought a new twist that hasn't been done before, at least not that I have read. I can't wait to see what she brings her readers next.
August 25, 2017
Oh My Gods what a book! I love paranormal Romance. It is
like my favorite genre. This book is so well written and I love
that you take on vampirism. It is my first book by Brynn
Myers, but it will certainly not be my last.
This is Nola and Adrick's story. And of course the crazy
vampire to wish to be Queen. The night that Nola is attacked
by feral vampires Adrick can't help but save her. She reminds
him of someone in his past. But from then on he's totally
linked to her. And he is drawn to her and doesn't know why.
He seems to want to protect her. But the evil vampire
Balthoy's son has plans for her too. Not good ones. see he
wants her dead and if he has anything to do with it. he will kill
her but not till after she dose something for him.Let's
hope Adrick gets to her in time to save her.
Now before I ruin this for you I will leave off here. I hope you
enjoy this book as much as I did. If you do like this book,
please consider leaving a review. The Authors really like it
when you do; they value your opinions too
like my favorite genre. This book is so well written and I love
that you take on vampirism. It is my first book by Brynn
Myers, but it will certainly not be my last.
This is Nola and Adrick's story. And of course the crazy
vampire to wish to be Queen. The night that Nola is attacked
by feral vampires Adrick can't help but save her. She reminds
him of someone in his past. But from then on he's totally
linked to her. And he is drawn to her and doesn't know why.
He seems to want to protect her. But the evil vampire
Balthoy's son has plans for her too. Not good ones. see he
wants her dead and if he has anything to do with it. he will kill
her but not till after she dose something for him.Let's
hope Adrick gets to her in time to save her.
Now before I ruin this for you I will leave off here. I hope you
enjoy this book as much as I did. If you do like this book,
please consider leaving a review. The Authors really like it
when you do; they value your opinions too
September 2, 2017
Mypassionforbooks
Format: Kindle Edition
REVIEW captivity by crimson
Let me start by saying I love this story I love Greek goddesses and myths different kind of vampires this had a very interesting plot to the story I love the chemistry the love between the two main characters . Nola and Quinn I love their characters
I love that Erzsebet was stuck in a painting that was her prison Erzsebet is makeing her moves to escape her portrait . With feral every where attacking . Things take a turn for the worse . This is action-packed love story Greek and everything put together this is a must read if you love vampires in a different take on vampires well written
October 5, 2021
I received this book for free from Author, MTMC Tours in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. You can also find this review at The Reader and the Chef!
The Crimson Countess is an intriguing paranormal story full of vampires, drama, romance, Gods and even an exciting art gallery event that you do not want to miss! After Nola Blair was attacked by rogue vampires, she was rescued by Andrik Kane who in order to save her, does the unthinkable (bonds himself to her, a human!). And that’s how this story starts, followed up by chaos and an incredibly engaging plot!
Meet Erzsebet Bathory, the villainess of this story with a twist from the widely known historical female murderer. After hundreds of years being locked up inside a portrait and being a vampire herself, she is creating an army of female vampires to take over the world with the help of her untrustworthy son Paul. These two very unlikeable characters are quite despicable, but were very interesting to read about. They both have their eyes on poor Nola, who happens to be their key to taking over the world when they ask her, her sister Quinn and best friend Arianna to create a unique art piece for their evil plans. I really liked that we got to see both sides of this story and even a bit of history that reminded us who Bathory was.
Now we have Nola Blair! I really liked her, she is a quirky outspoken artist and works alongside her twin sister Quinn and best friend Arianna in an art gallery. I loved their character dynamics, this trio really cared for each other and I thought their interactions were fun to read about. They had no problem to easily irritate the incredibly rude Paul when he came along to inquire about a piece of art and they even continued to defend themselves from him.
And last, but not least, there is Andrik Kane. And with him we get to meet several elite vampires including Reese and Thea, whom I really liked. Their number one goal is to keep away the rogue vampires so they cannot cause any harm. Andrik’s plans quickly change though, when he saves Nola and binds himself to her. I enjoyed reading about this darker vampires, they can walk during daylight, eat human food and transport themselves to other places through evanescing (I thought that was pretty cool and convenient).
The ever gentleman, Andrik vows to protect Nola now and that’s how he quickly discovers there is something odd going on and he is determined to find out what!
All in all, I enjoyed reading this fast paced vampire book. It was action packed, full of twists and turns, and I also appreciated the bits of humor inside this paranormal romance. So if you enjoy reading books with those elements, The Crimson Countess might be just for you!!!
The Crimson Countess is an intriguing paranormal story full of vampires, drama, romance, Gods and even an exciting art gallery event that you do not want to miss! After Nola Blair was attacked by rogue vampires, she was rescued by Andrik Kane who in order to save her, does the unthinkable (bonds himself to her, a human!). And that’s how this story starts, followed up by chaos and an incredibly engaging plot!
Meet Erzsebet Bathory, the villainess of this story with a twist from the widely known historical female murderer. After hundreds of years being locked up inside a portrait and being a vampire herself, she is creating an army of female vampires to take over the world with the help of her untrustworthy son Paul. These two very unlikeable characters are quite despicable, but were very interesting to read about. They both have their eyes on poor Nola, who happens to be their key to taking over the world when they ask her, her sister Quinn and best friend Arianna to create a unique art piece for their evil plans. I really liked that we got to see both sides of this story and even a bit of history that reminded us who Bathory was.
Now we have Nola Blair! I really liked her, she is a quirky outspoken artist and works alongside her twin sister Quinn and best friend Arianna in an art gallery. I loved their character dynamics, this trio really cared for each other and I thought their interactions were fun to read about. They had no problem to easily irritate the incredibly rude Paul when he came along to inquire about a piece of art and they even continued to defend themselves from him.
And last, but not least, there is Andrik Kane. And with him we get to meet several elite vampires including Reese and Thea, whom I really liked. Their number one goal is to keep away the rogue vampires so they cannot cause any harm. Andrik’s plans quickly change though, when he saves Nola and binds himself to her. I enjoyed reading about this darker vampires, they can walk during daylight, eat human food and transport themselves to other places through evanescing (I thought that was pretty cool and convenient).
The ever gentleman, Andrik vows to protect Nola now and that’s how he quickly discovers there is something odd going on and he is determined to find out what!
All in all, I enjoyed reading this fast paced vampire book. It was action packed, full of twists and turns, and I also appreciated the bits of humor inside this paranormal romance. So if you enjoy reading books with those elements, The Crimson Countess might be just for you!!!
June 16, 2021
Many thanks to MTMC Tours and the author for providing me with a finished copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Full review on Bibliosini.
The Crimson Countess delivers a truly unique world of Greek gods and vampires living among humans and waging a silent war. My favourite bits were the complex characters and the intricate world-building. The only downside is that I would have liked this amazing story to have run a bit longer and spent more time on the plot. Ultimately, it was a very immersive and steamy read that I really enjoyed!
Full review on Bibliosini.
The Crimson Countess delivers a truly unique world of Greek gods and vampires living among humans and waging a silent war. My favourite bits were the complex characters and the intricate world-building. The only downside is that I would have liked this amazing story to have run a bit longer and spent more time on the plot. Ultimately, it was a very immersive and steamy read that I really enjoyed!
September 2, 2017
A very creative and unique take on Vampires and their origins. Deliciously dark and complex characters. A plot that was fresh and original. Romance that was sensual and smoldering. A MUST read for lovers of the Vampire/paranormal genre!
*I received a complimentary ARC of this story in order to read and provide a voluntary, unbiased and honest review, should I choose to do so.
*I received a complimentary ARC of this story in order to read and provide a voluntary, unbiased and honest review, should I choose to do so.
June 17, 2021
As soon as I saw the cover for this one, I knew I wanted it. Before I even read the synopsis, I was requesting it. This did slightly backfire because I didn't love the book, but at least I was blessed with a beautiful cover.
The only reason this is getting 3 stars instead of 4 is because the plot was incredibly confusing. There were so many perspectives, so many moving parts. As soon as I understood one character, another would be introduced. By the end, I'd given up on trying to keep track, and just statyed going with the flow.
I also felt like this ended a bit too abruptly. Everything was too sweet, too perfect. I wanted more grit, I didn't just want a story in which good triumphs completely. I kept expecting to see a sequel announcement at the end, as it felt like too much plot was brought up and dropped. Despite that, I was hooked at the end, and didn't want to put my book down.
I wasn't a fan of the romance between Andrik and Nola. It came on incredibly fast, and I never felt the connection between them. I hated that it ended up being a driving factor in the book, because it didn't add anything.
I do have to say, Erzsebet saved this book. If she were the main character, I would've loved this so much. She was the perfect mix of calculating and ruthless, and her chapters were always fun to read. I liked her sidekick Becka too, but mainly Erzsebet.
Although this book wasn't right for me, I can definitely see why people love it. It was fast paced, and threw in a bit of spice for those who enjoy it. It wasn't my type of book, but it wasn't a bad book.
Thanks to MTMC tours for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review
The only reason this is getting 3 stars instead of 4 is because the plot was incredibly confusing. There were so many perspectives, so many moving parts. As soon as I understood one character, another would be introduced. By the end, I'd given up on trying to keep track, and just statyed going with the flow.
I also felt like this ended a bit too abruptly. Everything was too sweet, too perfect. I wanted more grit, I didn't just want a story in which good triumphs completely. I kept expecting to see a sequel announcement at the end, as it felt like too much plot was brought up and dropped. Despite that, I was hooked at the end, and didn't want to put my book down.
I wasn't a fan of the romance between Andrik and Nola. It came on incredibly fast, and I never felt the connection between them. I hated that it ended up being a driving factor in the book, because it didn't add anything.
I do have to say, Erzsebet saved this book. If she were the main character, I would've loved this so much. She was the perfect mix of calculating and ruthless, and her chapters were always fun to read. I liked her sidekick Becka too, but mainly Erzsebet.
Although this book wasn't right for me, I can definitely see why people love it. It was fast paced, and threw in a bit of spice for those who enjoy it. It wasn't my type of book, but it wasn't a bad book.
Thanks to MTMC tours for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review
August 30, 2017
**** 4 Cranky Stars! ****
Welcome to a new breed of vampires!
These vampires are not simply bloodsuckers, they are descendants from gods. Meet The Sanguines, the purebloods. These vampires are children of Nyx, the Greek Goddess of Night. They are blessed (or cursed) with supernatural powers of life and death. They can walk among human day or night. And no, they don’t sparkle in the daylight.
However, with greatness always comes strife when other vampires wanted to kill the purebloods to assume their powers. These rebels built an army of ferals hoping to overtake the purebloods by their sheer numbers. But even within their, treachery arose fighting over who would be the true ruler of the ferals.
The story began with Erzsebeth, self-proclaimed queen of the ferals, who had been imprisoned by one of the purebloods, Andrik. Somehow she manages to escape and began building her army of ferals. Andrik, together with his friends, went in pursuit hoping to finally end Erzsebeth’s madness.
Nola, or Magnolia Blair according to her birth certificate, happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time and came across ferals who were out on a prowl on night. Lucky for her, Andrik came along and managed to save her by feeding her his blood before she beathed her final breath. This act linked her life to Andrik unbeknownst to her and changed her life forever.
Andrik on the other hand began feeling more than a blood connection to this simple human as he found out that she was connected to their pursuit in finding Erzsebeth. No matter how many times he tried to stay away, he finds himself drawn to her again and again. Until passion ignited and sealed the bond between them.
So, this love affair is HOT. Somebody get me a fan!
The storyline was new and interesting. I’ve never read of vampires coming from the lines of the gods before. Devil, yes but not gods. The pacing of the story was fast but not too fast that you’d get lost. There were several likable characters and each of them had been integral to the flow of the story.
One downside of having several characters though is that their presence in the scenes can change the flow of the story or influence the reader’s attention and possibly distract from the main plot. Take Reese for example who wanted nothing more than to find her nemesis and kill her. Her strong personality took root into me and I was really hoping that she would her get chance. But when that chance came, her triumph had been overshadowed by what was happening to another character, albeit the main character, so I didn’t get to enjoy that moment when I wanted to cheer for her. Get the drift?
Another issue I had was that everything was going 110% for me then nearing the end of the book, it derailed. Had the author stopped at a certain point and told me “The end, find the second book” I would have been happier. But what happened was, the “collective finale” for everyone just came all at the same time and kinda ruined the ending for me.
Don’t take me wrong, this is a happily ever after ending. Just too happy and went too smoothly. I shouldn’t really sound too grumpy about it since the good guys won and the bad guys lost. But it was like watching a Steven Seagal film, he is just soo good that he just flicks his hand and people die, no blood, no mess and his hair is still perfect.
BUT apart from that, I really did enjoy reading this book. I didn’t even notice what was missing under after I came down from the throes of passion, looked around and cleared my mind. Because did I mention it was HOT?
Please, don’t let this grumpy reviewer stop you from picking up this book. In fact, pick this one up and prove me wrong.
Welcome to a new breed of vampires!
These vampires are not simply bloodsuckers, they are descendants from gods. Meet The Sanguines, the purebloods. These vampires are children of Nyx, the Greek Goddess of Night. They are blessed (or cursed) with supernatural powers of life and death. They can walk among human day or night. And no, they don’t sparkle in the daylight.
However, with greatness always comes strife when other vampires wanted to kill the purebloods to assume their powers. These rebels built an army of ferals hoping to overtake the purebloods by their sheer numbers. But even within their, treachery arose fighting over who would be the true ruler of the ferals.
The story began with Erzsebeth, self-proclaimed queen of the ferals, who had been imprisoned by one of the purebloods, Andrik. Somehow she manages to escape and began building her army of ferals. Andrik, together with his friends, went in pursuit hoping to finally end Erzsebeth’s madness.
Nola, or Magnolia Blair according to her birth certificate, happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time and came across ferals who were out on a prowl on night. Lucky for her, Andrik came along and managed to save her by feeding her his blood before she beathed her final breath. This act linked her life to Andrik unbeknownst to her and changed her life forever.
Andrik on the other hand began feeling more than a blood connection to this simple human as he found out that she was connected to their pursuit in finding Erzsebeth. No matter how many times he tried to stay away, he finds himself drawn to her again and again. Until passion ignited and sealed the bond between them.
So, this love affair is HOT. Somebody get me a fan!
The storyline was new and interesting. I’ve never read of vampires coming from the lines of the gods before. Devil, yes but not gods. The pacing of the story was fast but not too fast that you’d get lost. There were several likable characters and each of them had been integral to the flow of the story.
One downside of having several characters though is that their presence in the scenes can change the flow of the story or influence the reader’s attention and possibly distract from the main plot. Take Reese for example who wanted nothing more than to find her nemesis and kill her. Her strong personality took root into me and I was really hoping that she would her get chance. But when that chance came, her triumph had been overshadowed by what was happening to another character, albeit the main character, so I didn’t get to enjoy that moment when I wanted to cheer for her. Get the drift?
Another issue I had was that everything was going 110% for me then nearing the end of the book, it derailed. Had the author stopped at a certain point and told me “The end, find the second book” I would have been happier. But what happened was, the “collective finale” for everyone just came all at the same time and kinda ruined the ending for me.
Don’t take me wrong, this is a happily ever after ending. Just too happy and went too smoothly. I shouldn’t really sound too grumpy about it since the good guys won and the bad guys lost. But it was like watching a Steven Seagal film, he is just soo good that he just flicks his hand and people die, no blood, no mess and his hair is still perfect.
BUT apart from that, I really did enjoy reading this book. I didn’t even notice what was missing under after I came down from the throes of passion, looked around and cleared my mind. Because did I mention it was HOT?
Please, don’t let this grumpy reviewer stop you from picking up this book. In fact, pick this one up and prove me wrong.
August 19, 2017
Dark, edgy, gritty, yet fun! Brynn's take on Greek Gods, Elizabeth Bathory, and the free-spirited artist who's caught up in it all, was a brilliant twist on your typical vampire story. Five-stars!
August 23, 2017
The beginning of this story was very confusing for me, several points were discussed but never expanded upon and my confusion lasted for most of the book. The addition of Greek Gods seemed to cloud up the storyline, there was too much going on to keep track of and it was apparent in many places. The explanation for the Sanguine and the ferals was brief with little detail and honestly I had to go searching for the one paragraph that they were explained in to try to understand it as the book progressed.
The main characters were fleshed out well, especially the female leads of Nola, Quinn and Arianna. The friendship and the strength of the three seemed genuine and believable, as well as the love shown for Chotski. The romance between Andrik (Hypnos) and Nola was slow, almost annoyingly so. I wouldn't really classify this book as a romance because it wasn't a prominent factor in the storyline, more of an afterthought.
While most of the book has rich detailing, especially the interactions between the 3 women as well as their Elizabeth Bathory commission project, most of the rest fell flat. It's hard to understand why so much detail was bestowed on most of the book yet other areas still important to the development to the overall plot were left very bare with little information to help push the storyline forward.
I don't like to be hyper-critical of books, but I have to be honest. This book just wasn't for me, I had a very hard time pushing through to finish the book. If it was polished up a bit with some of the lacking info filled out I believe it would be a stronger book. The ending dragged on quite a bit and most everything after the climatic fighting scene could be taken out. Not a terrible read but it feels unfinished in places.
The main characters were fleshed out well, especially the female leads of Nola, Quinn and Arianna. The friendship and the strength of the three seemed genuine and believable, as well as the love shown for Chotski. The romance between Andrik (Hypnos) and Nola was slow, almost annoyingly so. I wouldn't really classify this book as a romance because it wasn't a prominent factor in the storyline, more of an afterthought.
While most of the book has rich detailing, especially the interactions between the 3 women as well as their Elizabeth Bathory commission project, most of the rest fell flat. It's hard to understand why so much detail was bestowed on most of the book yet other areas still important to the development to the overall plot were left very bare with little information to help push the storyline forward.
I don't like to be hyper-critical of books, but I have to be honest. This book just wasn't for me, I had a very hard time pushing through to finish the book. If it was polished up a bit with some of the lacking info filled out I believe it would be a stronger book. The ending dragged on quite a bit and most everything after the climatic fighting scene could be taken out. Not a terrible read but it feels unfinished in places.
August 29, 2017
This story had amazing potential. Based on the blurb I was very excited to get a chance to read this book, but once I dived into I felt like I was in a history class instead of reading a story. I spent most of my time trying to keep track of all of the characters facts, names and how they were related than I did actually reading the story. It took away from my reading experience immensely. Some of the characters seemed to be so far removed for the main story that we could have done with out them.
Myers does an amazing job keeping the story from falling stagnant and loosing my attention, once I got past all of the facts, and down to the main points of the story. I have a deep love for vampires, so this was an amazing story to read. I can not wait to see where else Myers is going to go with it.
If you love facts and backstory on characters, this is a great book for you! I personally am not a fan, but the story was amazing. If we could just cut back on the history lesson some, it would be the perfect read for me.
*** I receieved this ARC in exchange for an honest review ***
Myers does an amazing job keeping the story from falling stagnant and loosing my attention, once I got past all of the facts, and down to the main points of the story. I have a deep love for vampires, so this was an amazing story to read. I can not wait to see where else Myers is going to go with it.
If you love facts and backstory on characters, this is a great book for you! I personally am not a fan, but the story was amazing. If we could just cut back on the history lesson some, it would be the perfect read for me.
*** I receieved this ARC in exchange for an honest review ***
August 22, 2017
4.5**
When I first got an e-reader some 3 years ago, I gorged myself on paranormal reads. Vampires, werewolves, ghosts, etc. It got to the point that I was so over-read on the genre that I stopped reading it altogether. Since it had been a good year since I had dipped my toes, I decided to go back into the mystical and mythological realm and have been reading it again. Luckily for me, titles like Captivated By Crimson have crossed my path.
Brynn Myers' Captivated By Crimson is a vampire/mythical gods/goddesses mixed with human lore bit of goodness. Lead heroine, Nola, her sister Quinn and fellow artist Arianna, are approached by a creepy patron who wishes a special mirror created for a celebration of the bloody-thirsty Hungarian royal, Elizabeth Bathory. While the trio are leery, the money is substantial and agree. What they don't know is that there are things livings in the shadows and under the human's senses that are waging a battle that will touch them in unwanted ways.
The world building is simple and straight-forward. Ms. Myers maps out who is who and what is what in clear, concise wording and imagery. She doesn't feel the need for ponderous history/mythology lessons nor is it needed. The reader easily falls into the story with each of the factions (human, feral, pure-blood) delineated. The story flows effortlessly and engagingly. Her characters are interesting, well developed and colorful. Andrick, Thantos and Manya are gods and goddesses of ancient lore. Ms. Myers gave them each a nice touch of the old and the modern making them completely believable within the story. Her humans, Nola, Arianna and Quinn are quintessential business savvy, modern ladies who know how to get things done. As this is a vampire book there is some murder and mayhem to be found but it is tastefully done. The sex and love scenes are steamy and balanced well between the main action.
Quite a good para read that I was lucky enough to snag.
When I first got an e-reader some 3 years ago, I gorged myself on paranormal reads. Vampires, werewolves, ghosts, etc. It got to the point that I was so over-read on the genre that I stopped reading it altogether. Since it had been a good year since I had dipped my toes, I decided to go back into the mystical and mythological realm and have been reading it again. Luckily for me, titles like Captivated By Crimson have crossed my path.
Brynn Myers' Captivated By Crimson is a vampire/mythical gods/goddesses mixed with human lore bit of goodness. Lead heroine, Nola, her sister Quinn and fellow artist Arianna, are approached by a creepy patron who wishes a special mirror created for a celebration of the bloody-thirsty Hungarian royal, Elizabeth Bathory. While the trio are leery, the money is substantial and agree. What they don't know is that there are things livings in the shadows and under the human's senses that are waging a battle that will touch them in unwanted ways.
The world building is simple and straight-forward. Ms. Myers maps out who is who and what is what in clear, concise wording and imagery. She doesn't feel the need for ponderous history/mythology lessons nor is it needed. The reader easily falls into the story with each of the factions (human, feral, pure-blood) delineated. The story flows effortlessly and engagingly. Her characters are interesting, well developed and colorful. Andrick, Thantos and Manya are gods and goddesses of ancient lore. Ms. Myers gave them each a nice touch of the old and the modern making them completely believable within the story. Her humans, Nola, Arianna and Quinn are quintessential business savvy, modern ladies who know how to get things done. As this is a vampire book there is some murder and mayhem to be found but it is tastefully done. The sex and love scenes are steamy and balanced well between the main action.
Quite a good para read that I was lucky enough to snag.
June 17, 2021
The Crimson Countess was an incredibly interesting read. As a lot of people might know, I love vampire themed things- books, movies, tv shows, the whole she-bang, but most of the ones I’ve seen/read are very very contemporary themed, like The Vampire Diaries, The Vampire Academy, etc. but this was so much more.
The book is a paranormal gothic romance and has vampires, romance, gods, drama, and even lots of mystery aspects to it. Nola Blair is a quirky artist who gets attacked by Rogue vampires, and Andrik Kane saves her from her situation. He feels an inexplicable pull towards her and she reminds him of someone he saw centuries ago and whom he made a promise to. For that reason alone, he breaks a rule he’d made long ago, and binds her to him to save her life. Of course, then we also have the evil vampire queen who’s been trapped in a painting for years. It wouldn’t be a good story without an evil queen now, would it?
The evil queen in this story is the recognized female serial killer, Elizabeth Báthory, but with a twist because she’s also a vampire. I love how the author engrained her into the story and her writing style was amazing, with a perfect blend between the contemporary and historical vibes. I loved Nola and the relationship between her, Quinn and Arianna.
I absolutely loved this book and everything about it. The writing, the characters, the dynamics, plot and everything else was just perfect. I haven’t enjoyed a vampire themed novel for a while now but this definitely brought me out of that rut and i thoroughly enjoyed it.
The book is a paranormal gothic romance and has vampires, romance, gods, drama, and even lots of mystery aspects to it. Nola Blair is a quirky artist who gets attacked by Rogue vampires, and Andrik Kane saves her from her situation. He feels an inexplicable pull towards her and she reminds him of someone he saw centuries ago and whom he made a promise to. For that reason alone, he breaks a rule he’d made long ago, and binds her to him to save her life. Of course, then we also have the evil vampire queen who’s been trapped in a painting for years. It wouldn’t be a good story without an evil queen now, would it?
The evil queen in this story is the recognized female serial killer, Elizabeth Báthory, but with a twist because she’s also a vampire. I love how the author engrained her into the story and her writing style was amazing, with a perfect blend between the contemporary and historical vibes. I loved Nola and the relationship between her, Quinn and Arianna.
I absolutely loved this book and everything about it. The writing, the characters, the dynamics, plot and everything else was just perfect. I haven’t enjoyed a vampire themed novel for a while now but this definitely brought me out of that rut and i thoroughly enjoyed it.
August 26, 2017
I loved how Ms. Myers had a new twist on vampires. This was my first book by this author, but it will not be my last. All of the characters were well developed. She integrates mythical creatures/gods and goddesses with vampires flawlessly. This book centers around Nola and Andrik. Nola is an artist working at the gallery, with another artist, that her sister owns. They are commissioned to make mirror by a shady/creepy man with lots of money. He wants the mirror to pay homage to Elizabeth Bathory, a Hungarian Queen known for slaughtering virgins, at a festival he is hosting. He rubs Nola the wrong way, but her sister Quinn tries to appease the client and her sister, but there is no appeasing Nola. They start on the piece under heavy protest, but as soon as they get creative license to do anything they want, Nola and Arianna go crazy with the gothic theme.
Andrik imprisoned Erzsebet in a portrait for her crimes against her subjects and killed her husband. He just imprisoned Erzsebet because she played on his sympathies, big mistake that is coming back to haunt him. There is a new wave of ferals unleashed on the city and he knows Erzsebet has something to do with it, but he doesn't know how. Andrik saves Nola after she was attacked by ferals by giving her his blood, that was a first for Andrik, sharing his blood. He thankfully erases her memories of the attack and himself. When Erzsebet and Paul, her son, step up their game by unleashing ferals and Nola is put right in the psychos path. On the night of the gallery opening chaos ensues. Will Andrik be able to protect Nola and the patrons?
** I voluntarily read an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review **
Andrik imprisoned Erzsebet in a portrait for her crimes against her subjects and killed her husband. He just imprisoned Erzsebet because she played on his sympathies, big mistake that is coming back to haunt him. There is a new wave of ferals unleashed on the city and he knows Erzsebet has something to do with it, but he doesn't know how. Andrik saves Nola after she was attacked by ferals by giving her his blood, that was a first for Andrik, sharing his blood. He thankfully erases her memories of the attack and himself. When Erzsebet and Paul, her son, step up their game by unleashing ferals and Nola is put right in the psychos path. On the night of the gallery opening chaos ensues. Will Andrik be able to protect Nola and the patrons?
** I voluntarily read an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review **
August 23, 2017
Captivated by Crimson is about a girl being in the wrong place at the wrong time and then thrown into a world that she never knew existed.
This book for me had a solid base and a different take on vampires but it lacked in character development. I liked Nola and Andrik for the lead characters but there where so many characters that had their own story lines that their relationship that was being built got lost. And characters were continuing to be added late in the story and they also had their own story lines. With the different story lines that were going on, I didn't feel the passion between Nola and Andrik.
Erzsebet and Paul were great evil vampires bent on destroying and getting revenge. They were easy to hate.
Nola's sister, Quinn, and best friend, Arianna made the story fun and brought lighter moments.
Overall Captivated by Crimson had action and mystery. It was well paced until the last 10% of the book. Then it lost energy. The major part of the story ended around 90%.
This book for me had a solid base and a different take on vampires but it lacked in character development. I liked Nola and Andrik for the lead characters but there where so many characters that had their own story lines that their relationship that was being built got lost. And characters were continuing to be added late in the story and they also had their own story lines. With the different story lines that were going on, I didn't feel the passion between Nola and Andrik.
Erzsebet and Paul were great evil vampires bent on destroying and getting revenge. They were easy to hate.
Nola's sister, Quinn, and best friend, Arianna made the story fun and brought lighter moments.
Overall Captivated by Crimson had action and mystery. It was well paced until the last 10% of the book. Then it lost energy. The major part of the story ended around 90%.
August 31, 2017
I am so happy that I got the chance to read this book before anyone else...I loved it!!!
This is the type of paranormal romance I have been waiting for for a long time. I like the fact that the female lead is in the dark about the paranormal world and that the male lead wants to protect her and not so much claim her.
I love Nola! She is funny, hard working, independent, and so very creative. Paul, even though he is the bad guy and a total douche canoe, was pretty outspoken. He was evil and malicious and needs his junk cut off with a rusty razor blade but he has reason for the way he is. Andrik is an amazing character. He is caring, witty, and can be scary when he needs to be. All of the characters are well written and I love that about this story. The story itself gives enough of a backstory to understand where the characters are coming from without dragging the story out.
Overall, this is great read. I really enjoyed it and look forward to reading more by this author.
This is the type of paranormal romance I have been waiting for for a long time. I like the fact that the female lead is in the dark about the paranormal world and that the male lead wants to protect her and not so much claim her.
I love Nola! She is funny, hard working, independent, and so very creative. Paul, even though he is the bad guy and a total douche canoe, was pretty outspoken. He was evil and malicious and needs his junk cut off with a rusty razor blade but he has reason for the way he is. Andrik is an amazing character. He is caring, witty, and can be scary when he needs to be. All of the characters are well written and I love that about this story. The story itself gives enough of a backstory to understand where the characters are coming from without dragging the story out.
Overall, this is great read. I really enjoyed it and look forward to reading more by this author.
September 1, 2017
Captivated by Crimson starts off with a lot of information that at times was slightly difficult to follow along with. The character names were easy to confuse with others because they were each similar yet complex. But still gives you crucial information for the story to follow.
This story is focused on Andrik and Nola primarily with plenty of secondary characters that give it more depth. An interesting story line with vampires and ferals. Which has a different take than usual as these are turned vamps that are attacking humans. They are led by Erzsebet, who seeks to be Queen. When Nola is attacked, Andrik must save her. He has ben drawn to her since seeing her and she reminds him of someone from the past. Will they defeat Erzsebet together?
Fun, edgy and complex story that is fast paced, intriguing and flows well despite the complexity. Can't wait to see where Brynn takes the story next.
This story is focused on Andrik and Nola primarily with plenty of secondary characters that give it more depth. An interesting story line with vampires and ferals. Which has a different take than usual as these are turned vamps that are attacking humans. They are led by Erzsebet, who seeks to be Queen. When Nola is attacked, Andrik must save her. He has ben drawn to her since seeing her and she reminds him of someone from the past. Will they defeat Erzsebet together?
Fun, edgy and complex story that is fast paced, intriguing and flows well despite the complexity. Can't wait to see where Brynn takes the story next.
September 2, 2017
Eizebet was imprisoned by Andrik in a portrait, he should've killed her but she pleaded for her life and he showed mercy ....now it seems someone is trying to free her and keep her "legacy" alive by following in her footsteps , many years later vamp ferals are roaming the streets again... Who? What? Why?
Nola is attacked by ferals and lucky for her she's found by Andrik , who saves her by turning her , he also etases her memories which I've mixed feelings about but I can't help not to be to angry with him , he really is wuite taken with Nola 💓 and theres something about him that makes me go all googly eyed and jelly kneed 😜
What was not to enjoy about this read ?! We have art , romance and vampires !
Nola is attacked by ferals and lucky for her she's found by Andrik , who saves her by turning her , he also etases her memories which I've mixed feelings about but I can't help not to be to angry with him , he really is wuite taken with Nola 💓 and theres something about him that makes me go all googly eyed and jelly kneed 😜
What was not to enjoy about this read ?! We have art , romance and vampires !
August 19, 2017
Reviewed for SNS
Holy Smokes what a read. Awesome storyline with characters that will make you read without stopping. Erzsebet is imprisoned in a portrait and she is planning her escape. Andrik imprisoned her and killed Rurik because of the feral vamp they were turning. He vowed to kill every feral with no pity. Andrik saves Nola, an artist, for death after she is attacked by the feral. It is a first for him but somehow, he knows he must save her. He erases her memories more than once for her protection. When things take a turn for the worst with Erzsebet and her son, Paul, Andrik must keep Nola safe. When the gallery night arrives, things go bad, really bad. Nola is stunned but she knows she trust Andrik and she knows he will protect her. Excellent writing. One of the best vamp books I have read in a long while.
Holy Smokes what a read. Awesome storyline with characters that will make you read without stopping. Erzsebet is imprisoned in a portrait and she is planning her escape. Andrik imprisoned her and killed Rurik because of the feral vamp they were turning. He vowed to kill every feral with no pity. Andrik saves Nola, an artist, for death after she is attacked by the feral. It is a first for him but somehow, he knows he must save her. He erases her memories more than once for her protection. When things take a turn for the worst with Erzsebet and her son, Paul, Andrik must keep Nola safe. When the gallery night arrives, things go bad, really bad. Nola is stunned but she knows she trust Andrik and she knows he will protect her. Excellent writing. One of the best vamp books I have read in a long while.
September 4, 2017
Erzsebet was imprisoned by Andrik in a portrait, he should've killed her but she pleaded for her life and he showed mercy ....now it seems someone is trying to free her and keep her "legacy" alive by following in her footsteps , many years later feral vamp are roaming the streets again... Who? What? Why?
Nola is attacked by ferals and lucky for her she's found by Andrik , who saves her by turning her , he also etases her memories which I've mixed feelings about but I can't help not to be to angry with him , he really is wuite taken with Nola 💓 and theres something about him that makes me go all googly eyed and jelly kneed 😜
What was not to enjoy about this read ?! We have art , romance and vampires !
review by Heidi
Nola is attacked by ferals and lucky for her she's found by Andrik , who saves her by turning her , he also etases her memories which I've mixed feelings about but I can't help not to be to angry with him , he really is wuite taken with Nola 💓 and theres something about him that makes me go all googly eyed and jelly kneed 😜
What was not to enjoy about this read ?! We have art , romance and vampires !
review by Heidi
August 31, 2017
This PNR is a great story, this is the love story of Andrik ( a centuries old vampire) and Nola a thirty something year old artist. Follow what happens to them after they meet and the battles they have to fight. The storyline is fun whilst still leaving you wanting to know what will happen next. I completely enjoyed this story from start to finish and would recommend it to any other paranormal fans out there.
This review was written on behalf of Amo and Sarah's book corner.
This review was written on behalf of Amo and Sarah's book corner.
September 6, 2017
Spunky N Sassy Rating: 4.5
~~~~~~~~~~~Julie's ★★★★★ Review~~~~~~~~~~
Holy Smokes what a read. Awesome storyline with characters that will make you read without stopping. Erzsebet is imprisoned in a portrait and she is planning her escape. Andrik imprisoned her and killed Rurik because of the feral vamp they were turning. He vowed to kill every feral with no pity. Andrik saves Nola, an artist, for death after she is attacked by the feral. It is a first for him but somehow, he knows he must save her. He erases her memories more than once for her protection. When things take a turn for the worst with Erzsebet and her son, Paul, Andrik must keep Nola safe. When the gallery night arrives, things go bad, really bad. Nola is stunned but she knows she trust Andrik and she knows he will protect her. Excellent writing. One of the best vamp books I have read in a long while.
~~~~~~~~~~Lindsey's ★★★★ Review~~~~~~~~~~
This sexy read is a great book to curl up with and spend an evening. Become captivated by this novel.
~~~~~~~~~~~Julie's ★★★★★ Review~~~~~~~~~~
Holy Smokes what a read. Awesome storyline with characters that will make you read without stopping. Erzsebet is imprisoned in a portrait and she is planning her escape. Andrik imprisoned her and killed Rurik because of the feral vamp they were turning. He vowed to kill every feral with no pity. Andrik saves Nola, an artist, for death after she is attacked by the feral. It is a first for him but somehow, he knows he must save her. He erases her memories more than once for her protection. When things take a turn for the worst with Erzsebet and her son, Paul, Andrik must keep Nola safe. When the gallery night arrives, things go bad, really bad. Nola is stunned but she knows she trust Andrik and she knows he will protect her. Excellent writing. One of the best vamp books I have read in a long while.
~~~~~~~~~~Lindsey's ★★★★ Review~~~~~~~~~~
This sexy read is a great book to curl up with and spend an evening. Become captivated by this novel.
Shelved as 'dnf'
August 30, 2017DNF at 35%. This review is based solely on the 35% of the book that I read (Intrigued Part I).
* I received an eARC of this novel from the author in exchange of an honest review.
The synopsis reads like a paranormal romance, but the actual story feels more like a dramatic soap opera with vampires complete with family deceit and dark secrets. Everything I was expecting from this book went out the window after I figured that out. Had I not walked into this book with that expectation, this review would have likely gone in a different direction.
I couldn't connect with any of the characters. Everyone was introduced on top of one another and I had a very hard time recalling who had what purpose in the story. There seemed to be a lot of showing what was happening, but almost never having the character do it. Overall I felt like I was a fly on the wall to conversations that I wanted to feel invested in as a character.
The only character that stood out to me was Becka. She had a flare and an attitude that differentiated her from the others. She seemed like she had a legitimate reason for being there and doing what she was doing. I can't say that for most of the characters that were present in this novel.
This may be an unpopular opinion, on my part, but I don't necessarily enjoy reading villain point of views. This novel made that a big part of the overall story (up to the point I read). Considering I was expecting a romance, that was not something I wanted to read/know about.
In conclusion, this story wasn't for me. Expectations can destroy stories and unfortunately it's ultimately what got in my way. It's true when they say you should never assume anything.
* I received an eARC of this novel from the author in exchange of an honest review.
The synopsis reads like a paranormal romance, but the actual story feels more like a dramatic soap opera with vampires complete with family deceit and dark secrets. Everything I was expecting from this book went out the window after I figured that out. Had I not walked into this book with that expectation, this review would have likely gone in a different direction.
I couldn't connect with any of the characters. Everyone was introduced on top of one another and I had a very hard time recalling who had what purpose in the story. There seemed to be a lot of showing what was happening, but almost never having the character do it. Overall I felt like I was a fly on the wall to conversations that I wanted to feel invested in as a character.
The only character that stood out to me was Becka. She had a flare and an attitude that differentiated her from the others. She seemed like she had a legitimate reason for being there and doing what she was doing. I can't say that for most of the characters that were present in this novel.
This may be an unpopular opinion, on my part, but I don't necessarily enjoy reading villain point of views. This novel made that a big part of the overall story (up to the point I read). Considering I was expecting a romance, that was not something I wanted to read/know about.
In conclusion, this story wasn't for me. Expectations can destroy stories and unfortunately it's ultimately what got in my way. It's true when they say you should never assume anything.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews