I enjoyed the first book in this series, so I was delighted to find the entire series in these omnibus editions at the library booksale! The series focuses on ex-cop Vicki Nelson, forced to retire due to increasing loss of vision, Mike, her ex-partner on the force and close friend-with-benefits, and Henry Fitzroy, a vampire who supports himself as a romance writer. This unlikely trio solves supernatural crimes the cops can't handle.

These two books are solid intros to the world. Huff writes a good yarn, creating tension both by leaving the reader wondering what will come next and, even more frequently, by revealing things to the reader that the characters don't know, leaving you wanting to warn them about the terrible consequences of their actions and wondering how they'll get out of them.

The characters aren't particularly unique, but they feel authentic anyway and I found myself more invested in them than most urban fantasy characters. I also like the way romance is handled, it's there, but it doesn't hijack the plot. These are clearly supernatural mysteries, not erotica with a mystery theme as too many urban fantasies end up being.

It is similar to the Anita Blake series, but it stays mystery-focused, not sex-powered, and doesn't string plots out until they collapse.

Added to the Vampire Bookbox

I've read this one, so I'm leaving it in the Vampire Bookbox for someone else, but did want to add my comments:

Huff's "Blood" series about Henry Fitzroy (vampire, illegitimate son of Henry VIII, and romance-novel writer [!]) is very entertaining. This omnibus edition contains the third and fourth books, after "Blood Price" and "Blood Trail", both of which I liked very much. Each book pits Henry and ex-homicide cop Vicki Nelson against a different foe, usually supernatural.

"Blood Lines" has a more apocryphal theme than the previous two books: an ancient mummy wakes and attempts to take over the city (with designs on the world), and his power's so great that he can control practically anyone - including many of the police-force and political allies that Henry and Vicki depend on. Lots of intrigue, detective work, and growing dread in this one - and it also gives more space to Detective Celluci, a former lover of Vicki's (the two of them fight too much to be together but can't seem to stay apart - and Celluci cordially hates Henry), and to ex-street-punk Tony, who is one of Vicki's informants and is also a sometime lover/assistant/snack to Henry. [Tony's actually my favorite character in the series, although he seldom gets more than a line or two; I was pleased to find him very much in evidence in this book. (Huff's also written a three-volume series with Tony as a major character; the first book's called "Smoke and Shadows". Not the same tone as the "Blood" stories but entertaining nonetheless.)]

The villain here is quite nasty, and the whole book is darker than the first two were; there's the exceedingly creepy slaying-by-magic of a baby, the framing and imprisonment of Vicki by some very unpleasant cops-gone-bad, and an assortment of other mayhem - not a lot of graphic violence, but some scary stuff. There's humor here too, and the way the characters interact is a lot of fun (even when they're fighting, which - when Vicki's involved - is most of the time), but if you're interested in the "Blood" series at all I'd recommend starting with "Blood Price" and working up to this one.

"Blood Pact" continues the monster-of-the-week theme, this time involving a mad scientist who wants to reanimate corpses. Combine that with a personal tragedy for Vicki, and things get dark very fast. There are some good interactions between Mike and Henry, both devoted to Vicky and very much at odds with each other (though Henry, having had centuries of practice in coping with jealousy, deals with this a lot better than Mike does). This book features a significant change in the relationships of all the characters, something that will alter the courses of several lives...

[The TV Tropes page for the series is entertaining, but do beware of spoilers.]

Picked from Emmejo's Vampire Bookbox. I love this series, the book spiral I signed up for hit a snag, so this is welcome. I've read (#1) Blood Price, (#2) Blood Trail, and (#3) Blood Lines. I will read Blood Pact and then see if anyone in the Book spiral wants to read Blood Lines/Blood Pact. If not I will send it on another journey.

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I decided not to read this book, too many books, not enough time. Giving to a friend who likes to read. Enjoy!