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jackiehorne's review
2.0
I've enjoyed Erickson's collaborations with Santino Hassell for their strong character development, so when I saw this first book in Erickson's paranormal series on Netgalley, I grabbed it. Unfortunately, character is not the focus here; instead we have a pretty dull vampire story, with a heroine prone to whining and huffing and making silly, endangering decisions from which she must be rescued by her "Blood Guard," a vampire trained to retrieve the destined human "Sanguivita" and bring her home to his clan. Lots of insta-lust, not much credible world-building, and a hero who keeps telling us (and the heroine) how brave she is, despite all evidence to the contrary makes for a disappointing paranormal read.
kymreads's review
4.0
Megan Erickson is a new author to me - one I will definitely want to read more from!
I enjoy paranormal stories and this one did not disappoint. What makes this one stand out from other books of similar genre? Character development. The reader really gets to know and understand Tendra's predicament. Without spoiling the story, there is more to why Tendra is the "lifeblood" of Athan's vampire clan and what will happen if she doesn't cooperate with the clan's leader. Suffice it to say, it's a more complex reason than just grabbing a random woman off the street. And the doubts and fears Tendra has? The reader really feels for her being in such a difficult spot, having to make tough decisions.
And Athan? Again, he's a lot more than just big, dark and dangerous. He truly cares for humankind and, as he gets to know Tendra as they are on their journey back to his brother (the future king of the clan), he not only empathizes with her predicament but treats her in a caring manner (even before he discovers that there is "something between us"), so unlike other vampire characters. He understands what she will be giving up and doesn't dismiss her fears/concerns lightly.
If you enjoy paranormal stories, especially of the vampire type, you will enjoy this one!
Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Loveswept for an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review.
I enjoy paranormal stories and this one did not disappoint. What makes this one stand out from other books of similar genre? Character development. The reader really gets to know and understand Tendra's predicament. Without spoiling the story, there is more to why Tendra is the "lifeblood" of Athan's vampire clan and what will happen if she doesn't cooperate with the clan's leader. Suffice it to say, it's a more complex reason than just grabbing a random woman off the street. And the doubts and fears Tendra has? The reader really feels for her being in such a difficult spot, having to make tough decisions.
And Athan? Again, he's a lot more than just big, dark and dangerous. He truly cares for humankind and, as he gets to know Tendra as they are on their journey back to his brother (the future king of the clan), he not only empathizes with her predicament but treats her in a caring manner (even before he discovers that there is "something between us"), so unlike other vampire characters. He understands what she will be giving up and doesn't dismiss her fears/concerns lightly.
If you enjoy paranormal stories, especially of the vampire type, you will enjoy this one!
Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Loveswept for an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review.
kate_and_books's review
3.0
This is a good read and a promising start to a new series.
I’m just not sure that this series is for me.
I always hope that I will find a vampire series that I will love. I’m still working on that one.
The story flows well and there are exciting elements to the stories. The world building takes a while as there are three different vampire clans and at times especially when they were fighting I got confused. But with vampires there always seems to be a prophecy involved so that kind gets old.
As to the characters. Tendra is a strong heroine and she goes with the flow of the situation she is in and that she is vital to the Clan yet she fell in my estimation. She did something really quite idiotic. A TSTL moment.
Athan is a fantastic Hero, overprotective and gets attached to Tendra. They develop something that wasn’t meant to be. And go against tradition. I didn’t see that twist coming but it did add to the plot of the story.
teresajluvs2read's review
5.0
**I received Blood Guard from Net Galley and Loveswept in exchange for a voluntary and honest review**
Blood Guard-Mission #1 by Megan Erickson is the first book in what I know will be a hit for the author. This is the first book that I've read by the author and I will look forward to the next book anxiously. I was a bit hesitant to try this book but after reading the other reviews on Goodreads I decided to give it a try and am I glad that I did because its wonderful.
Tendra is a waitress who know how to defend herself in gritty Mission city. But she's still grieving the loss of her mother but one night she sees a dark handsome stranger in the bar who intrigues her. Imagine her surprise when he follows her home and the next thing she knows she's being told that she is a Sanguivita of the Gregorie vampire clan. Now we all know that vampires don't exist or do we? Soon they are on the run with Athan and Brex the guard cat underground Mission City and Ten is trying to understand why she'll be the sole source of human blood for the King.
Athan has been sent to retrieve Tendra and bring her to his brother Idris so that he can take the throne of the Gregorie Clan. But there's a rival clan and Quellen who are assassins for hire. But there is a traitor amongst their own who will do anything even kill to convince everyone that the myth of a Sanguivita will save them. But when he's attacked with a new weapon by the Quellen, Tendra will have to make a decision that will effect both of their lives. Will they arrive the compound in time? Can Tendra and Athan fight their growing attraction to each other?
I loved this book and would love to have a cat just like Brex who was super protective. I can't wait for the next book which hopefully will be Idris's story.
Blood Guard-Mission #1 by Megan Erickson is the first book in what I know will be a hit for the author. This is the first book that I've read by the author and I will look forward to the next book anxiously. I was a bit hesitant to try this book but after reading the other reviews on Goodreads I decided to give it a try and am I glad that I did because its wonderful.
Tendra is a waitress who know how to defend herself in gritty Mission city. But she's still grieving the loss of her mother but one night she sees a dark handsome stranger in the bar who intrigues her. Imagine her surprise when he follows her home and the next thing she knows she's being told that she is a Sanguivita of the Gregorie vampire clan. Now we all know that vampires don't exist or do we? Soon they are on the run with Athan and Brex the guard cat underground Mission City and Ten is trying to understand why she'll be the sole source of human blood for the King.
Athan has been sent to retrieve Tendra and bring her to his brother Idris so that he can take the throne of the Gregorie Clan. But there's a rival clan and Quellen who are assassins for hire. But there is a traitor amongst their own who will do anything even kill to convince everyone that the myth of a Sanguivita will save them. But when he's attacked with a new weapon by the Quellen, Tendra will have to make a decision that will effect both of their lives. Will they arrive the compound in time? Can Tendra and Athan fight their growing attraction to each other?
I loved this book and would love to have a cat just like Brex who was super protective. I can't wait for the next book which hopefully will be Idris's story.
anasatticbookblog's review
4.0
Blood Guard by Megan Erickson
Paranormal Romance (Vampires). Standalone start to a series.
4.25 Stars
It’s been so long since I read a good vampire book! I was getting burned out on contemporary romance, and the books were starting to run into each other, so I grabbed Blood Guard by Megan Erickson after some recommendations a few months ago. I have always wanted to read her, so this was perfect!
Now I remember why I loved vampire books! There is something so hot about a man who can kill you instantly or turn you into a lust crazed sex junkie with one bite. The thing that is usually a bit harder in paranormal is the world building. Obviously, it is a different world if there are vampires in it, and the author needs to be creative in setting up this world. Often the first book in a series is more about setting up the series, and it isn’t as exciting as the following books in a series. Well let me tell you, Blood Guard sucked me in immediately. And since the heroine knew nothing about this world, we learned about it right along with her.
Kendra is a waitress in a bar in a gritty Jersey city called Mission. One night, she is whisked away by a gorgeous, protective man who turns out to be a vampire. She has spent her life moving from place to place with her mom, and now that her mother is gone, she finds out why. She is the 10th generation woman of her family, and her blood holds special powers. When the Gregorie vampire king marries and feeds from her, a prophecy comes true, and the Gregorie clan can fight the vampires who want to enslave all humans to be blood donors.
The king’s brother, Athan, has spent his entire life training to bring the Sanguivita to the king to become his queen. It is a dangerous job, but his only purpose in life. All of the rival clans will do anything to stop the prophecy from coming true. But Athan didn’t expect her to be so sassy and badass, nor did he expect her freaking awesome cat. But most of all, he didn’t expect to be so attracted to his brother’s future wife.
Tendra’s job, as Sanguavita, will be to marry a stranger (King Idris) allow him to feed from her, and save the human race. Athan's, as blood guard, will save his clan (and humans). But it’s a minefield of danger, traitors and evil, and as they navigate it together, they can’t help but grow closer.
"And would I come to feel about Idris the way I felt about Athan? Would I stare at Idris’s lips the way I stared at Athan’s? Would I crave him the way I craved my blood guard?"
The more they stayed on the run together, the harder it became. How would he give her up to his brother? And how would she?
"I swallowed, wondering how the hell I was going to deal with my future, when the man I could see myself with was the man I wasn't meant to have."
Likes:
- •Easy world building. We got right into the story and the world was explained with little detail naturally as the heroine learned about it.
- •Very edge-of-your-seat exciting. I read it in a day.
- •A fairly simple, easy to gobble-up plot.
- •Brex the cat was like the third main character.
- •Very steamy!
- •I loved Tendra, she was smart and sassy and resilient (except for one moment).
- •Lots of really funny lines.
Dislikes:
- •Not a very unique story for a paranormal.
- •Ten had a major stupid moment.
- •I wanted more info on the cat.
The Down & Dirty:
I loved every second of reading this Blood Guard and I’m so excited for the next! It was very sexy, exciting, romantic, dangerous and a lot of fun. While many paranormals are tough to get into in the beginning because of world building, Ms. Erickson kept it light and easy and I never felt like I was missing something. If you are seriously into vampire books, this may be a little too “light” for you. But if you are like me and it’s been a while since you vamped out, Blood Guard is a perfect little dip back into the paranormal pool.
Rating: 4.25 Stars. 4.25 Heat
Purchase Blood Guard by Megan Erickson
vikcs's review
fast-paced
1.75
I didn’t have any kind of expectation going in this book because I didn’t read anything from the author before. The only reason why I requested this book because the synopsis sounded great. Well in the end it was not so good at all.
I don’t even know where to start. Okay so the writing is dry, plain and it really bothered me how aggressively it tries to convey the story conclusions. Right from the beginning it tries to shove everything down my throat. I mean, in one chapter the book mentioned at least 8 different times and just as many different ways that Tendra is grieving, or that she learned self defense and so on for the whole story. Okay, I got it the first time and I see that these are important tidbits regarding the plot you don’t have to repeat it so many times.
Then there is the world building which has a couple of problems too. For one it’s not detailed and explained well enough, and even the parts that are mentioned are probably would never work. It’s not built up for a believable level.
The plot is a bit ridiculous and has a comic element to it. For this reason I couldn’t take it seriously. To me it was the last couple of chapters that I could truly enjoy but the events there were to rushed for my liking. Also I felt that the storyline is off balance by the romantic fantasizing and intimae scenes compared to the actual storyline. Also its predicable as hell.
The characters are carefully created but I couldn’t form a bond with either of them. A lot of times they don’t act as themselves and quite a few instances they make a complete 180 like a switch was flipped when it comes to their emotions and reactions. It was quite hard to follow.
I don’t like to write negative reviews but when I don’t like a story I won’t lie. Really the only saving grace in this book were the last couple of chapters. This is also a relatively quick and short read.
I don’t even know where to start. Okay so the writing is dry, plain and it really bothered me how aggressively it tries to convey the story conclusions. Right from the beginning it tries to shove everything down my throat. I mean, in one chapter the book mentioned at least 8 different times and just as many different ways that Tendra is grieving, or that she learned self defense and so on for the whole story. Okay, I got it the first time and I see that these are important tidbits regarding the plot you don’t have to repeat it so many times.
Then there is the world building which has a couple of problems too. For one it’s not detailed and explained well enough, and even the parts that are mentioned are probably would never work. It’s not built up for a believable level.
The plot is a bit ridiculous and has a comic element to it. For this reason I couldn’t take it seriously. To me it was the last couple of chapters that I could truly enjoy but the events there were to rushed for my liking. Also I felt that the storyline is off balance by the romantic fantasizing and intimae scenes compared to the actual storyline. Also its predicable as hell.
The characters are carefully created but I couldn’t form a bond with either of them. A lot of times they don’t act as themselves and quite a few instances they make a complete 180 like a switch was flipped when it comes to their emotions and reactions. It was quite hard to follow.
I don’t like to write negative reviews but when I don’t like a story I won’t lie. Really the only saving grace in this book were the last couple of chapters. This is also a relatively quick and short read.
timitra's review
4.0
I enjoyed this first book in a new paranormal series and cannot wait to see where the author takes us next. It was a wild, sexy ride and I can't wait to read the next book in the series.
ARC provided by publisher through Net Galley in exchange for a honest
ARC provided by publisher through Net Galley in exchange for a honest
bookish_notes's review
4.0
Initial Reaction: The only other vampire book I've read since...that one series. lol Really enjoyed reading softie alpha vampire, Athan, and a great heroine character, Tendra! Can't wait to read book 2!!
Full review:
This was a fun book to read. This book starts out with Tendra, a human girl, returning to her job at a bar shortly after her mother passed away. Tendra has always been on the move with her mother, never staying in one place too long. And she's a fighter. She knows how to defend herself and fight back, if necessary. One night, she meets Athan, a too-serious vampire who declares himself her protector and says that her blood is what could save all humanity.
As much as I enjoyed the book, there's two parts to this story that I want to touch on - the characterization and the plot. The first meeting between Tendra and Athan is a bit sketchy, but as the story goes on, we get to know the type of person Athan is. Their first meeting...well, Athan kind of drugs her and kidnaps her? It's not the best of introductions. Athan handled the entire situation very poorly. But Athan is completely not prepared for the kind of woman Tendra is and never expected her to fight back. Which, I get that this still sounds bad for Athan, but things are explained a bit more about the relationship between vampires, humans, and the expectations from both parties going forward. Athan never really does anything against Tendra's will, but she is still expected to follow him to marry his brother and to provide said brother her blood. First intro to Athan is not great, but the story does get better.
So, plot. Tendra posses the cure to save humanity, and the oldest brother of the royal family (in this case, Athan's older brother, Idris) is to drink from her blood and gain powers that will save the humans from the bad vampire clans who would rather not live in harmony with humans. Save the cheerleader, save the world? There's assassins after Tendra, and to be quite truthful, the line kind of blurs for me why the characters insist on walking everywhere. Even after two days of walking and hiding out, it's like they never progressed at one point.
I'm reading this from an ARC, so things may change in the final version, but I'm kind of iffy on Tendra's character at the end. She's such a fighter the entire book, but then a scene happens near the end where she seems to...no longer fight? I think Tendra is a badass for the most part, but I also find her difficult to fully connect with at times. She goes from never having any human connection to being completely accepting that she's got to be a blood bank and bride to a complete stranger in order to save humanity, just because a guy claims it was all prophecy. I think this book does take a bit of suspended belief to read (I mean, naturally, this is a book with vampires). Blood Guard helps set up the world and the war that's coming between the vampire clans in future books. And I look forward to reading them!!
I really liked the introduction of the secondary characters - Zeb and Wyatt, especially. I hope we see more of them in the future! One of the highlight characters in this book is Brax, Tendra's mysterious cat with a sixth sense. Brax seems adorable and I wouldn't mind seeing Brax just wreck havoc on characters in future books, if for even no reason than a just because. It does look like the setup for the next book is with Idris? The two brothers, Idris and Athan, are big softies. Athan's dangerous when he's fighting, but deep down, he's a real sweetheart. It kind of boggles the mind that the vampires know so little about the human world when they live in parallel with them, but I liked Athan's utter lack of human knowledge and Tendra's shock at what all Athan doesn't know.
Tendra and Athan have unbelievable chemistry together and I loved reading how they gradually came together. I look forward to reading Blood Veil and everything else Megan has in store for this series!
***Thanks to Loveswept for providing me an ARC from NetGalley***
Full review:
This was a fun book to read. This book starts out with Tendra, a human girl, returning to her job at a bar shortly after her mother passed away. Tendra has always been on the move with her mother, never staying in one place too long. And she's a fighter. She knows how to defend herself and fight back, if necessary. One night, she meets Athan, a too-serious vampire who declares himself her protector and says that her blood is what could save all humanity.
As much as I enjoyed the book, there's two parts to this story that I want to touch on - the characterization and the plot. The first meeting between Tendra and Athan is a bit sketchy, but as the story goes on, we get to know the type of person Athan is. Their first meeting...well, Athan kind of drugs her and kidnaps her? It's not the best of introductions. Athan handled the entire situation very poorly. But Athan is completely not prepared for the kind of woman Tendra is and never expected her to fight back. Which, I get that this still sounds bad for Athan, but things are explained a bit more about the relationship between vampires, humans, and the expectations from both parties going forward. Athan never really does anything against Tendra's will, but she is still expected to follow him to marry his brother and to provide said brother her blood. First intro to Athan is not great, but the story does get better.
A sudden urge to wrap her in my arms prodded me. To assure her that she'd be safe, that I'd take care of her. That she'd have a good life.
So, plot. Tendra posses the cure to save humanity, and the oldest brother of the royal family (in this case, Athan's older brother, Idris) is to drink from her blood and gain powers that will save the humans from the bad vampire clans who would rather not live in harmony with humans. Save the cheerleader, save the world? There's assassins after Tendra, and to be quite truthful, the line kind of blurs for me why the characters insist on walking everywhere. Even after two days of walking and hiding out, it's like they never progressed at one point.
I'm reading this from an ARC, so things may change in the final version, but I'm kind of iffy on Tendra's character at the end. She's such a fighter the entire book, but then a scene happens near the end where she seems to...no longer fight? I think Tendra is a badass for the most part, but I also find her difficult to fully connect with at times. She goes from never having any human connection to being completely accepting that she's got to be a blood bank and bride to a complete stranger in order to save humanity, just because a guy claims it was all prophecy. I think this book does take a bit of suspended belief to read (I mean, naturally, this is a book with vampires). Blood Guard helps set up the world and the war that's coming between the vampire clans in future books. And I look forward to reading them!!
I really liked the introduction of the secondary characters - Zeb and Wyatt, especially. I hope we see more of them in the future! One of the highlight characters in this book is Brax, Tendra's mysterious cat with a sixth sense. Brax seems adorable and I wouldn't mind seeing Brax just wreck havoc on characters in future books, if for even no reason than a just because. It does look like the setup for the next book is with Idris? The two brothers, Idris and Athan, are big softies. Athan's dangerous when he's fighting, but deep down, he's a real sweetheart. It kind of boggles the mind that the vampires know so little about the human world when they live in parallel with them, but I liked Athan's utter lack of human knowledge and Tendra's shock at what all Athan doesn't know.
"I want you fed. You need it, and I need you, so circle of life or whatever." I made a symbol like I was lifting up a baby Simba, and he stared at me like I'd lost my mind.
Tendra and Athan have unbelievable chemistry together and I loved reading how they gradually came together. I look forward to reading Blood Veil and everything else Megan has in store for this series!
***Thanks to Loveswept for providing me an ARC from NetGalley***
cupcakegirly's review
I have been looking for a vampire story I could sink my teeth into--see what I did there--and BLOOD GUARD hit the spot.
I always enjoy Megan's writing, her snarky characters, and witty banter. Tendra and Athan did not disappoint. Both were both strong characters without being obnoxious and I admired their sense of loyalty to their families as well as their "call". The tension between the two was face-fanning! At times the story felt a little rushed, and I do wish it had been longer, BUT I am happy to see there is another installment. I'm looking forward to reading Idris' story next.
I always enjoy Megan's writing, her snarky characters, and witty banter. Tendra and Athan did not disappoint. Both were both strong characters without being obnoxious and I admired their sense of loyalty to their families as well as their "call". The tension between the two was face-fanning! At times the story felt a little rushed, and I do wish it had been longer, BUT I am happy to see there is another installment. I'm looking forward to reading Idris' story next.
raven168's review
4.0
4.5 stars
This was a quick read that I really enjoyed. The only reason that I didn't give it 5 stars was because I just don't know how badly I would want to reread it. I liked the world created here, and the characters were also pretty great. I especially liked Zeb and hope to get more of him in the future. My favorite character though? That would probably be Tendra's cat Brex. He is no mere cat, of that I'm sure and I can't wait to find out what he really is.
Tendra has not really had a normal life. She only had her mother and they were always moving from place to place. So she never really had a place that felt like home, and has a hard time trusting people. When her mom dies, she's at a loss as to what she should do. Her grief consumes her for a while, but she finally gets up and starts going back to work. She's a bartender and it's there that she first encounters this guy that at once terrifies her and intrigues her. But she never expected him to kidnap her.
Athan is a vampire on a mission. While his brother, Idris, has been groomed since birth to be the next king, Athan has been raised knowing that his job would be to bring the Sanguivita to him to be his queen. Athan is big on doing his duty, which becomes increasingly harder the more time he spends with Tendra. He's rough, but can be sweet at times when she needs him to be.
When circumstances force Athan to take Tendra before he wanted to, all of his plans get trashed. Tendra fights him at first, but quickly believes his story (maybe a bit too quickly) of who and what he is as well as herself. Together they have to run and hide from vicious enemies that will do anything to prevent Tendra from getting to Idris. Along the way we learn more about Athan's people and his world. Not all of which is good, as there are traitors among them. During this time Athan and Tendra also become closer. Which only makes things especially hard for Athan because he wants her as his own so badly but knows she is meant for his brother. But when something happens, Tendra has to make a choice. One that will change more than just her life, but she doesn't regret it.
The ending was great and some things even surprised me. Okay, really only one The king was not at all what I was expecting, but neither was Idris. I was actually pretty happy with Idris considering what we had gotten of him before. So much of Athan's life was a lie, but he doesn't have to fix everything on his own now. He'll have his love by his side and the support of his brother. Which is good because no doubt things will only get harder from here.
There are two things that bugged me with this book. First, I'll be the first to admit that I swear quite a bit. So every time they said "fucking this" or "fucking that" it didn't bother me. But sometimes, it simply felt forced into that sentence which made it annoying. Second, I am not a fan of insta-love. It just isn't believable to me. So when it took only a week for the two of them to fall in love with the force they did, it made me want to roll my eyes at them. At least with these two, they did go thru a lot together during that time to create a bond.
Overall though, I pretty much loved it and can't wait to check out the next one.
ARC provided by publisher via Netgalley.
This was a quick read that I really enjoyed. The only reason that I didn't give it 5 stars was because I just don't know how badly I would want to reread it. I liked the world created here, and the characters were also pretty great. I especially liked Zeb and hope to get more of him in the future. My favorite character though? That would probably be Tendra's cat Brex. He is no mere cat, of that I'm sure and I can't wait to find out what he really is.
Tendra has not really had a normal life. She only had her mother and they were always moving from place to place. So she never really had a place that felt like home, and has a hard time trusting people. When her mom dies, she's at a loss as to what she should do. Her grief consumes her for a while, but she finally gets up and starts going back to work. She's a bartender and it's there that she first encounters this guy that at once terrifies her and intrigues her. But she never expected him to kidnap her.
Athan is a vampire on a mission. While his brother, Idris, has been groomed since birth to be the next king, Athan has been raised knowing that his job would be to bring the Sanguivita to him to be his queen. Athan is big on doing his duty, which becomes increasingly harder the more time he spends with Tendra. He's rough, but can be sweet at times when she needs him to be.
When circumstances force Athan to take Tendra before he wanted to, all of his plans get trashed. Tendra fights him at first, but quickly believes his story (maybe a bit too quickly) of who and what he is as well as herself. Together they have to run and hide from vicious enemies that will do anything to prevent Tendra from getting to Idris. Along the way we learn more about Athan's people and his world. Not all of which is good, as there are traitors among them. During this time Athan and Tendra also become closer. Which only makes things especially hard for Athan because he wants her as his own so badly but knows she is meant for his brother. But when something happens, Tendra has to make a choice. One that will change more than just her life, but she doesn't regret it.
The ending was great and some things even surprised me. Okay, really only one
Spoiler
When the king had Athan stabbed and left to the sun, I'm pretty sure I said "Holy shit!"There are two things that bugged me with this book. First, I'll be the first to admit that I swear quite a bit. So every time they said "fucking this" or "fucking that" it didn't bother me. But sometimes, it simply felt forced into that sentence which made it annoying. Second, I am not a fan of insta-love. It just isn't believable to me. So when it took only a week for the two of them to fall in love with the force they did, it made me want to roll my eyes at them. At least with these two, they did go thru a lot together during that time to create a bond.
Overall though, I pretty much loved it and can't wait to check out the next one.
ARC provided by publisher via Netgalley.