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View our feature on Virna DePaul’s Chosen by Blood.
Five years after the Second Civil War ends, humans and otherborn- humanlike creatures with superhuman DNA-still struggle for peace. To ensure the continued rights of both, the FBI forms a Para-Ops team with a unique set of skills.
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This book needed a better editor. There were quite a few typos, and grammar errors. Mostly it needed someone to find a way to fix the confusing beginning. The whole book was set up poorly. Actually I think the story would have been better without the already established, overly complicated lead relationship. The book opens up two years prior to the story's main timeline and thrusts the readers into the middle of Knox's, his wife's, and Felicia's weird relationship. I found this disorienting because the threesome has a long history better suited for a book of it's own, and while I get that DePaul is trying to set up the love interest we aren't getting much of anything about the actual book. It comes off messy and forced. It would have been better to scrap the whole thing and change the relationship structure or at least not make it so rigid.
Another problem with the story is how unlikeable Knox is. It seems like DePaul took her vampire straight out of a carpathian novel by Feehan, but the writing was way more crass. Throughout the book he was mostly concerned with only what he wanted completely disregarding Felicia's wishes. There was no building of a romantic relationship. No getting to know one another. No foundation for their professed feelings. It was nothing but lust in the guise of love.
Most of all I am surprised that Chosen by Blood was so graphic. I'm no prude but most writer's try to find interesting ways to describe sexual content. Not DePaul, she was not creative at all in her descriptions. She was so glaringly blunt and to the point with her writing, that it just didn't fit well, like a puzzle piece jabbed into the wrong slot. And there was a lot of naughty scenes. It seemed like there was something steamy going down in every chapter. This book could be re-shelved in the erotica section instead of paranormal romance. Normally I like this kind of thing but I just don't think it was done very well.
I think the Para-Ops concept is a great and an original idea, but I think the book didn't focus on that idea enough. The supporting characters were awesome and under utilized. DePaul had an interesting take on the undead, mages, and half borns. Plus her world building is lacking. She spent way too much time creating a vampire society that came off aloof and pretentious. Along with an overly complicated one dimensional relationship and then used sex to cover up her short comings.
Chosen by Blood could have been a killer book with the potential for an equally amazing series. But DePaul is stalled by the tired and stale romantic standards of barbaric bloodsucker stereotypes. Choosing to highlight her stories weaknesses instead of developing it's strengths and originality. I think she could benefit by focusing on the missions, moving her minor characters into equally major roles, and putting as much effort into her post-apocalyptic world building as her sexual content.
2 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Bonnie_H
Posted April 21, 2011
5 years after the Civil War between humans and Otherborns, the FBI is scrambling to find the antidote for a vaccine that has resulted in the decline and death of the Vampire population. A team is put together - consisting of a mage, wraith, were, vamp, psychic, and a human - whose sole purpose is to find this antidote and bring it back to the U.S. The hero, Knox Deveraux, is the leader of his clan and the new FBI Para-Ops team, and the heroine, Felicia Locke, is an FBI agent and the "human" on the team. They've been in love for years, but due to circumstances beyond their control, and Knox's intense sense of responsibility for his clan, they have never acted on their feelings. Now they have to work together, facing danger and possible death, and the question is - will they finally turn to each other or will they let circumstances continue to keep them apart?
Chosen by Blood is a fabulous debut novel by author Virna DePaul. It was one of those books that, once I started reading, I couldn't put it down until I'd finished it. It has all the elements of a fast-paced political thriller, with the added bonus of a very sexy paranormal romance.
Ms. DePaul's obvious intelligence shines through in her writing, and everything flows in what seems to be an effortless way.
Witty dialog, strong secondary characters, a well-built "world", incredibly sexy love scenes - you'll find all this and more in Chosen By Blood. The pacing is consistent and the story believable. Suspense, sexual tension, a no nonsense attitude in both the hero and heroine - this book is for the keeper shelf. I'm seriously looking forward to the next book in the series.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.FBI Para-Ops Special Agent Felicia Locke and hybrid dhampire Otherworld clan leader Knox Devereaux are attracted to each other. However, though they know they should be bonded mates, they have no future together. His species is in peril of extinction due to the stealing of an anti-vamp vaccine antidote that would enable the vamps to eat human blood as before, and besides he must wed a vampire to promulgate the species. She refuses to settle on being his mistress.
Knox struggles between saving his clan and his heart. As they, accompanied by four Otherworld agents, try to retrieve the stolen antidote that would keep his species from starving to death, he tries to persuade Felicia to become his lover. Felicia struggles between her desire and her heart as just saying no is so difficult.
From the opening gala at the Vamp Dome in Portland, Oregon romantic urban fantasy readers will feel the heat is on between the lead pair and that torridness never abates while the sextet is on their mission, bickering all the way. Fast-paced with terrific twists as betrayal is the prime norm. Although the ending leaves too many issues dangling for future visits to the DePaul world, readers will relish the adventures of the sensational six struggles to save a species bickering all the way.
Harriet Klausner
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted April 30, 2012
1 star
1 out of 4 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.My Review:
This book was seriously fabulous with an incredible group of characters. Humans and otherborn are still trying to figure out how to live in this world together after the otherborn have been outed and the resulting civil war has ended. As a result, the US government is developing a new Para-Ops team made up of 6 people.
1. At the lead is Knox Devereaux who is half vampire. The vampires are dying so he has a huge stake in this first mission for a vampire antidote. He has recognized Felicia as his soulmate for years, but she has never accepted that...mainly because she is married to one of her best friends and she would never be anything more than a mistress, although his wife has given them her blessing for such a union.
2. Caleb O'Flare is the team doc...he's a Shaman. He has the ability to heal and also has visions. He has the ability to read other people really well and tends to have insight into most the team members mentalities and issues.
3. Dex Hunt is a half werebeast. He comes off as a cocky, jerk who doesn't care for anyone, but that's really all an act.
4. Felicia Locke is the human FBI agent. She's in love with Knox, but refuses to act on it, because she knows that she will never win in a competition for Knox's loyalty between her and the vampire clan.
5. Wraith is a wraith. She has been dead for 10 years, and like all wraiths, she has no recollection of her life before she died. She feels pain whenever anyone touches her, so she lives a very solitary life and has built up barriers around her as a result. She is in-your-face brash and harsh and makes no apologies for that.
6. Lucy is a Mage. She's the quietest of the group, although she has the power to enchant people and hold them with her magic.
Everything about this story was highly entertaining. I loved the mix of characters and how they all interact as they are learning to work together. None of them are necessarily easy to get along with, but they do manage to grow as a team and that absolutely was the best part of this book...watching this team to develop as a team.
I also really enjoyed the romance between Felicia and Knox. There is a lot of history between them. Although they have never crossed that romantic line, it is always there between them anytime that they are together. It's an immediate reaction to each other and there is no ignoring it.
There is a lot going on in the background of this story... The vampires' urgent need for a vaccine; The politics within the vampire realm and within the government; The team learning to trust and count on each other. There is a ton of action, suspense, underlying emotions, and romance. If the story had just relied upon the romance, I don't think that I would have liked it as much, but the whole team dynamic of the Para-Ops team made this book for me. It was just a really fabulous read!! I cannot wait to read the second book with Wraith and O'Flare's romance...the chemistry was sizzling between the two of them in this book!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.TheJeepDiva
Posted July 26, 2012
This is a great start to a new series. I love the worlds where the human and paranormal beings or in this book the Otherborn live amongst each other knowingly. Humans living among the Otherborn adds another tension to the book that allows for plenty of conflict from multiple places and just good reading material. I enjoyed all the characters. I am looking forward to the future book in this series. I loved the concept of the FBI putting together the Para-Ops team consisting of various Otherborn beings and humans for the better good of the world. The combination of all of these elements allows for action, fighting, conspiracy, and turmoil on many fronts. Once you take into consideration that there are sexy vamps, weres and humans about to add to the romance of the book this is an all-around great book.
Felicia and Knox have a very complicated history. Vampires and humans have very different beliefs and live very different lives, this just adds to the tension and conflict between these two characters. The readers know from the beginning of the book that they are very much in love with each other, although some of the why’s is left unanswered. (That brought down the rating a little for me) For them to be together happily they will both have to sacrifice some of their beliefs and personal wants. Once Felicia finally caves to her and Knox’s desire for one another they heat up the pages. Between the steamy sex and the action and fighting the pages move rather quickly from one to the next.
I was left with a couple of unanswered questions. I am going to believe that they will be answered in the following books, as this is an ongoing series. The ending did feel just a tiny bit rushed to me. Some of the who are involved pieces seemed a little predictable. Although at the end the readers are given a glimpse of the big evil, the Quorum and some of what their motives are. The readers are also given the knowledge that someone who is close to our main characters is involved with the Quorum. I do hope he is trying to learn more about them and not a part of them. I, along with everyone else will have to wait for the next book to find out the details.
What's not to love? Packed with government conspiracies and romance this book opens the series very well.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.I liked the mix of romance with the action. There was a lot of action considering they are a special ops team made of "Others". You have a Mage (Lucy), werebeast (Hunt), Wraith, dharmire (Knox), a human with psychic abilities (O'Flare), and Felicia who is just a FBI agent. They didn't all get along and there is sexual tension buzzing all over the place which of course made for good reading.
I liked all the team members and how much they played a role in the first book. The author did such a great job developing the secondary characters that I actually fell in love with Wraith and O'Flare. I liked them even more than the main characters. The chemistry that the two of them have and their personalities really drew me in. So I was extremely happy to see that the next installment in the story is Wraith's and O'Flair's.
The story line kept at a constant pace and there really wasn't a lot of down time in the book. Between the team working out their differences to come together as a team and actually pulling off missions, the only real downtime was when the romance part comes into play. And ironically for me, I geared more to the team building than I did the romance and I am a huge romance fan.
laughing365
Posted September 18, 2011
Not a great book. I never connected with the characters and it's amazing how high the guys head was up his behind. Definitely won't be reading anymore by this author.
0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted September 10, 2011
I was expecting a lot from this book, based on the blurb. Reading it was like pulling teeth, I couldn't finish it.
0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Cant wait for the next one
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Posted September 3, 2011
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Overview
View our feature on Virna DePaul’s Chosen by Blood.
Five years after the Second Civil War ends, humans and otherborn- humanlike creatures with superhuman DNA-still struggle for peace. To ensure the continued rights of both, the FBI forms a Para-Ops team with a unique set of skills.
Watch a Video