Amazon Maggie James Amazon.com B&N.com Category:  Romance Publisher: Maggie James ISBN-10:  0615486002 Type: Fiction Pages: 368 Copyright: March 6,2011 ISBN-13: 9780616486000 A tantalizing,sensual and exciting new twist on paranormal romance. Get lost in the immortal world of sex, blood and Rock'n'Roll. There’s no such thing as vampires… Straight-laced Katarina Renót is well educated, logical and doesn’t believe vampires truly exist. But when a well deserved holiday in Europe turns into a torrid game of cat and mouse with a handsome stranger and her best friend is exhibiting signs of being allergic to daylight-Kat doesn’t think her life can get any stranger. Every man has a weakness…Even an immortal… Joseph Markus is an arrogant, wealthy entrepreneur who spends his free time as the raspy lead singer for the rock band “Slang” and seducing beautiful women. After decades of mourning the tragic death of the only woman he ever loved, vying to save his best friend from an unrelenting death wish- now he is accused of being a murderer. An undeniable twist of fate… Kat learns her Prince Charming is actually the “Prince of Darkness” and though she can’t resist falling for this sultry vampire, she still lives in denial. But when the lines are drawn, and Kat finds herself caught in the middle of a deadly plot for revenge she has only one choice--trust the seductive vampire who has captured her heart. Despite his own arrogance, Joe finds himself inexplicably drawn to Kat. Her stubborn will to resist his seductive charms coupled with her endearing naiveté prove to be more than he bargained for and Joe soon realizes he is in way over his head. But will love be enough to save their immortal souls from the grips of a twisted obsession?  Excerpt It had been months since so many people had waited in line to see Joe and his band "Slang" perform. When he pulled his sleek black Mercedes up to the curb, he glanced through the tinted windows and saw what looked like hundreds of people lining the sidewalk, anxiously awaiting his arrival. "Damn." He uttered in amazement and shifted the car into park. Not that he minded in the least, quite the contrary. Joe had always prided himself on being the center of attention, but as of late, he was content with simply being able to draw any crowd at all. A turn out such as this was, to say the least, unexpected. He opened the driver's side door and before he had both feet on the ground a female voice cried out, "That must be him!" Followed by what sounded like dozens of women clamoring in excitement as they rushed on the club's entrance. He made his way around the front of the car and headed straight for the front door but his path was suddenly blocked by a busty blonde who had broken free from the crowd. Draped head to toe in black leather; she pressed her ample breasts up against his torso. "You can suck my blood anytime handsome." Her plump red lips dripped with eagerness. "And just what makes you think I'd want to do that?" Joe's deep voice lilted with laughter. "Well...you are one of them aren't you?" The blonde traced her index finger along the strong line of his jaw. "One of whom...?" Joe played along. "Oh stop teasing me." She reached up and caught a strand of his golden hair between her fingers. "I know what you are and it sort of turns me on." "Is that so?" He practically groaned; his dark eyes paid particularly close attention to the fluttering vein in her neck just below her ear. "Um hmm..." She nodded and bit her bottom lip. "I'm not afraid of you." Joe neared her face. He breathed in and immediately recognized her feminine scent as it blended perfectly with her sweet perfume. More importantly, he recognized another tantalizing scent--the scent of fresh blood. Immediately aroused by her proposition, he felt the mounting pressure of not only his fangs as they threatened to appear, but of parts low in his body. Since Joe viewed mortal women as weak and vulnerable, their sole existence to serve him in more ways than one, he was barely able to control the urge to sink his teeth deep into her eager flesh. "You should be." He warned as he took her by the wrist and replaced her arm down at her side. She swallowed hard and remained motionless as she watched him walk away. His ankle length black leather coat waved behind his long muscular legs as though he were moving in slow motion. Other women called out to him but Joe ignored their advances, laughing to himself as he entered the club. "They've been lining up for hours." The male voice was a familiar one. "What the hell did ya' do Boss...take out a personal ad?" Seated on a barstool just inside the doorway was Lucas, head of club security. With his muscular tattooed arms crossed over his broad chest, he looked more of a menace than an ally. "Not that I'm aware of." Joe smirked. "I thought you had the night off?" "I did." Lucas replied with a hint of aggravation. "But Max called me in when this shit started", he motioned with his chin to the assembled crowd. "He thought we might need extra security tonight." "So I see. And where is ole' Max tonight?" "In your office...waiting." Lucas smiled. "For what...?" "You..." "Has Phillip arrived yet?" "Haven't seen him, but Julian is." "What else is new?" Joe's rolled his eyes and took a step inside. "Hey Boss..." Lucas caught him by the shoulder. "What about that smokin' blonde with the double D's?" Joe knew exactly to whom he referred. He pondered for a moment. "Keep an eye on that one for me will ya? She might just come in handy later." "A bit of late night entertainment?" Lucas grinned wickedly. "Or midnight snack..."

Readaholics Anonymous
Sexy! Titillating! Seductive! LOVE BLEEDS explodes onto the paranormal scene with alluring and exhilarating characters! Ms. Maggie James brings in a fresh and unique take on vampires. Her writing style allows you hear all sides of the story, and then some. Joe and Kat's passion has the ability to ignite flames. This book is an exciting sample of what Maggie James will bring to the table in future books. Ms. James left me with the desire to hang out with Kat and Nina, and have a beer. I highly recommend this book if your looking for a paranormal romance.

Favorite Quote: "This fall from grace, I see your face. Your love was kind yet left me scarred and blind..." -Joe


Vampire Romance Books
Love Bleeds, the first book in the Only After Dark series, is an alluring story of family, passion, danger, and rock ‘n’ roll. With a band made up of vampires and humans playing seductively, sexy music, (think Steward Townsend in Queen of the Damned singing love songs - YUM!) James takes the vampire romance genre in a completely different direction with this story. These powerful and sexy vampires live along side human band mates acting as a family unit. Sure the vampires are more powerful and can be a bit scary to the humans, but they still interact like any other family would. Joe is such a fascinating character that I loved, then hated, then loved again. He’s one emotionally screwed-up vampire when it comes to relationships, but isn’t ashamed of his vampire nature. His best friend, Philip, seems to have a death wish until he meets Kat’s best friend, Nina. Nina’s and Philip’s relationship is a sweet and loving story. Kat’s and Joe’s relationship is as rocky as they come but was so entertaining to read. Their sexual chemistry jumps off the page and had me fanning myself numerous times. There are a lot of story lines going on in the back ground with the other characters that really set up a nice world for the author to continue this fabulous series. I want to hear more about the other characters she introduced us to. Love Bleeds is a must read and the Only After Dark series is certainly one to keep your eye on in the future!

The Romance Reviews
Dark, sinfully seductive and utterly ruthless, get ready for a new breed of vampire in this promising new series!
Katarina Renót, a literature and mythology professor, is taking her first real vacation after what feels like a lifetime of hard work. Taking a sabbatical from the London University where she teaches, she and her best friend Nina embark on an adventure to Dublin, eager to see the sights and take in the well-advertised nightlife. And after a single visit to the notorious ‘Graphica', Kat knows that all that advertising was nothing compared to the real deal.
It wasn't enough that she ran into Joe, the club's co-owner, and lead singer of the headline band, who happens also to be the most devastatingly handsome and mysterious man that Kat has ever encountered. On top of that, Nina is immediately captivated by Philip, the band's tortured blonde guitarist, to the point where she is incapable of being anywhere but near him.
Kat cannot bring herself to admit to the existence of creatures that stalk the night in search of blood, but she is certain that there is something in each of these men that is not quite…human. And as her attraction to Joe grows, it would appear the danger around her is increasing, until she finds herself caught in the middle of a blood feud, and forced to face the possibility that the world is indeed a much darker place than she had ever dreamed.
Joe is proud, arrogant and cold, having lost everything in a war with the evil master Malachi. Now he is simply and absolutely accustomed to getting whatever he wants, whenever he wants, to help him forget all the things he can no longer have. So when he first sees the lovely young lady at the club, he is drawn as much to her determination to resist him as to her beauty—and her blood.

But his time is also devoted to saving Philip, a reluctant vampire who is tortured by his inner demons and consumed by his dreams of a young woman who he believes to be his only key to salvation. Is it fate that the woman of Philip's dreams is the best friend of the woman that Joe cannot forget? As the four pursue an intricate game of cat-and-mouse, Joe's past inexorably closes down on them, bringing them all to the brink of a war that will pit Joe against an ancient evil to save the woman he has grown to love.
I have to say that some parts of the story rubbed me the wrong way when I first encountered them, but on second reading, I can understand and respect why they were the way they were. These are not cuddly vampires by any stretch of the imagination, and they often acted like the utterly amoral beings that they are. In some senses, it was nice to see my favorite breed of immortals return to the cold and usually ruthless beings that they have been for so long and move away from the angst and the cashmere sweaters and the simpering.
These vampires are creatures of blood and rage and passion and finding their soft side—that human part of them that could still feel love—was sometimes very difficult, though when their pasts are explained, it's easy to understand why. I usually disagreed much more strongly with Kat and Nina's decisions than with their fanged counterparts. The motivations for their actions wasn't very clear and I wondered at times if their feelings were genuine or a result of ‘glamoring' by the vampires. Because I couldn't get in their heads and understand their feelings, it was tough to relate to them throughout the course of their adventures, which made the non-romantic scenes tricky. It was also sometimes a little difficult to tell whether we were in Kat's head or Nina's but it grew easier as the story progress. When the connections between the characters were made and their relationships to each other confirmed, the writing sped up—and heated up—and sparks began to fly.
So while I did have my misgivings, I think that there is great potential in this book. It's very firmly grounded in the best vampire literature, with some very well-placed references to Anne Rice's series—references to ‘the true death', the gorgeously gothic atmosphere, not to mention Philip himself, who could give Lestat's friend Louis a run for his money any night.
And Kat and Nina did remind me in a lot of ways of Mina and Lucy, respectively. Their reactions to their vampire seducers were certainly similar, with one girl hesitant, both in what her mind sees and her heart feels, and the other so completely spellbound she can't think straight and begins to lose herself in her lover. I liked noticing these little references and similarities, and it gave me a lot of faith in the future of the series.
The atmosphere of the book as well—the darkness of the book was tangible, and the constant promise of danger and violence made for a few really suspenseful scenes that were a treat to read. When they were together, the chemistry between the characters, especially between Joe and Kat, was spot on, and the power play between the vampires was an interesting side story. I'm interested in seeing how the storyline progresses, and hopeful that this is the promising start for a new kind of vampire series.