Kiss of Death (Blood Kissed, #1) by Seleste deLaney

Kiss of Death (Blood Kissed, #1) Reviews

• 
  Julie-anne

  Jocelyn thinks her seeing Max in
  The Ghost of Vampire Present was all a dream, as well as Chad being a vampire. But she soon finds out neither of them are dreams, she thought she killed Max in
  Of Course I Try but his feeding on her is what enabled him to come back to life. Soon, she has to trust her two betraying ex-boyfriends as they both compete for her back while playing bodyguard/soldier at the same time. And Jocelyn (and us) finally find out exactly why vampires are so attracted to her.
  
  So I had said in
  The Ghost of Vampire Present that I was Team Chad 'cos I didn't like the way Max came across ..... oh how a longer story can change my mind! More insight to Max and Chad have made me switch allegiance, I now like Max more than Chad. And of course then Seleste went and threw the intriguing and sexy Remy into the mix and now I don't know what Team I am. Can I be Team ReMaxy?
  
  I know, technically, Remy is probably supposed to be a "bad guy" or at least a screw (hehe, I wish) in the works but I liked him. He's so smarmy and cheesy and hot!
  
  But anyone who reads my blog knows exactly how MUCH I've been wanting a full length Blood Kissed novel and Seleste certainly knows how much I've questioned her about one (admittedly not all that much since she announced it until it was almost release time then I started back in with the questions). I am glad to say, she didn't let me down. I loved, loved, LOVED it and now I want more, so it's back to Twitter where I can bug Seleste for when the next one is to be published.
• 
  Mari

  Max is alive, Jocelyn can't believe it. Chad has been lying to Jocelyn. Jocelyn grandma keeps popping up and visiting her. Jocelyn thinks she is losing her mind. If I was Jocelyn I would feel the same, Max is alive, she thought she would never see him again. She still missed him. Chad decides to take Jocelyn to a vampire club, and Max kidnaps Jocelyn from the club. Chad didn't think it through, he knew Jocelyn was special and thought by taking her there she would be left alone, I don't think that was the case. I think he took her there to turn her. That's when everything goes haywire. Chad kills a vampire, again he didn't think things through so he was taken in front of the council. He is left for dead and Jocelyn made Max save him, He needs to try and get along with him for Jocelyn sake. Jocelyn doesn't know what to believe or do. Things are so confusing and complicated. What will happen to her? Will she live to tell?,will she become a vampire? Thank you United Indie Book Blog for allowing me to review this book
• 
  Dmcl

  Kiss of Death by Seleste Delaney contains so many elements of paranormal romance that it is bound to appeal to every lover of this genre. It is a complicated world filled with vampires, werewolves, magic users, and ghosts with a healthy dose of intense action and steamy sex. Throw in a love triangle that get progressively more involved and a prophecy about a Blood Kissed human who will either lead or destroy the vampire nation and you have the start of a great series. The heroine Jocelyn comes into her own as the story deepens and our heroes Max and Chad have the reader choosing up sides. Who can be trusted and who should be staked remains to be seen, and I am definitely reserving judgment until the next book. Highly recommended for those who love PNR with more than a touch of mystery and spice. I accepted a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I fully intend to purchase book two, Kiss of Life.
• 
  Ter Wilson

  *I was gifted this book for my honest opinion *
  
  This was my first time reading from the blood kissed series and Delaney. I didn't really look much into what yhe book would about. It seemed self explanatory by the title. Where they it would lead you to vampires, it was bit and loads more than that.
  
  I will be very honest the first 20 percent of the boom I kept asking myself wtf did I get myself into. It seemed to drag. The opening scene left me a bit confused. Max seemed a whoke lot of creep, and Chad seemed well fake. I couldn't connect with Jocelyn at all.
  
  Something happened around the 20 percent mark, I was turning pages needing to know what was going to happen next.
  By the end I connected with Jocelyn. Found Max a little less of creepy and Chad well I just going to say it, I am team Max. Chad just rubs me the wrong way.
  
  I would recommend this book to anyone who loves vampire books and a bit of naughtiness.
• 
  Chantelle Bouffanie

  Great Series!! I've reviewed this book for United Indie Book Blog. This author is new to me. This book has gorgeous, sexy vampires, feisty heroine, and an interesting plot. It doesn't get any better than that. This is an easy to read and the pages will fly by. If you love to reading about some sexy vampires then this is the book for you. If you could give more than 5 stars I would in a heart beat. I can't wait to read the next book in this series. Keep up the awesome work! I definitely recommend this book.
• 
  E_bookpushers

  Review originally posted here:
  http://thebookpushers.com/2012/10/31/...
  
  Publisher: Mundania Press
  Publish Date: Out now
  How I got this book: From the author
  
  Too many years of killer vamps have triggered the curse of the Blood Kissed. They’ve awakened the bloodline that can alter their world, because her blood has the power to control them all—even make them destroy each other.
  
  Jocelyn thought her troubles with vampires were over when she drove a stake through her boyfriend Max’s heart two years ago. Even though she’s engaged to Chad, she’s never really forgotten him. Now Max is back, and Chad is taking her into the heart of the vamp community—and they’re the ones trying to keep her alive. The ones who love her and each seek to claim her for their own. Because once the elders know who she is, they’re all going to want her…or want her dead.
  This blurb came from the author’s website here.
  
  I happen to have a pretty evident soft spot for vampires so when we received a request to consider reviewing Kiss of Death and the blurb was included I decided to give it a try. Overall I enjoyed reading it and the different bits and pieces of history along with the introduction of different supernatural creatures but I kept feeling like I was missing something. If the blurb of a book captures me from the beginning then I do not tend to do any research on the book before I decide to give it a try. As a result I did not do any research on the story before I started reading it so I didn’t realize that this was part of a series until I was finished reading. Now that I know that and I have looked at the blurbs of the previous short stories a lot of the different pieces are falling into place.
  
  There are a lot of things going on in this book. Jocelyn finds out that both Max and Chad claim to love her yet they lied to her in the same way. She also learns that she is special and as a result she doesn’t know whom to trust. Members of the vampire council are scheming and most of them look like they are getting very old for vampires while one still keeps his youthful appearance. I am not sure if that is because he really is that much younger than the rest of the council or if he has something a little bit extra. I could tell that he wants to take over the council while the others are trying to keep him excluded from council business. The entire council shows that their politics aren’t for the faint of heart and can be used to get what they want regardless of the cost to others. In fact sometimes things will be done just to keep another council member from gaining an advantage over the others regardless of the long-term consequences.
  
  I have mixed feelings about the relationship between Max, Jocelyn and Chad. First I thought it was going to be a traditional love triangle but Jocelyn broke that stalemate by refusing both men. Then I thought it was going to move towards a ménage but while the two men claimed to work together to project Jocelyn they couldn’t stop fighting each other enough to even hint at being in a relationship together. So then I didn’t have a clue about the romance aspect.
  
  Max had my sympathies first but than I found out what he had done in the past regarding Jocelyn and his potential ulterior motives. Chad I didn’t like but then I realized that he was rather cocky, young, and immature but really thought based on his limited understanding of vampire society that he was doing the best thing to keep Jocelyn because he loved her. Jocelyn seemed willfully obtuse at times. Some of that I could understand from the shock of everything that she learned, her struggle against her implanted memories, and from the hints I received about her childhood. But she also had some TSTL moments long after I thought she should have realized that some of the things that go bump in the night will also come after in the daylight.
  
  Even with my doubts about the three main characters I thought the world deLaney created was interesting. She drew from some interesting legends and characters of history/mythology to populate this story. I found their introductions interesting and it made me wonder about the back-story of some of the other older characters. I think if I had read the first two short stories before reading this one I would have had a better feel for Max, Chad and Jocelyn and therefore enjoyed the complexities of their interactions with each other more. I also wouldn’t have expected a romance. Kiss of Death does not end with Jocelyn, Max or Chad involved with anyone but their story obviously isn’t over so it is possible that the overall story arc does include a romance. I highly recommend that even though this review contains some spoilers for the first two that you read them first. I think establishing those characters first as well as the overall tone is key. I didn’t have that and as a result found that I didn’t like this as much as I had hoped.
  
  I give Kiss of Death a C
• 
  Melissa Hayden

  Max is watching over Jocelyn, his love, who "killed" him. At Christmas he made a promise to not bother her but to only come when she was in danger and needed him. Max knows Jocelyn is in trouble with the vampire world, eventually they will find her. And she doesn't know it. Max keeps to the shadows, watching and learning about her new boyfriend, until the day Chad takes her openly into a vampire club that could be her death. Jocelyn feels she is losing her mind since Christmas with the ghost of her grandma visited, and still visiting, and the strange dreams of three vampires visiting. But she still dreams of it in her nightmares and worries. Kidnapped by her past love, thought to be dead, Jocelyn's mind breaks down and tries to put the pieces together, which is dangerous to her as well as who is after her. Jocelyn doesn't realize how powerful she is and by coming out in the open she has vampires, vampire hunters, and a magic yielder after her before the weeks out.
  
  First, this is a romance read with a story full of paranormal happenings. There are a few intimate scenes as well. So if you like romance and love with a story line this one is it. Definitely an adult read with sex scenes present. And there is a love triangle as well.
  
  Max is a curious one to me. For some reason he's stronger than others his age, like elder strong. And for this he has to be careful the Elders don't find out. Oh when I read the one novella, I thought his and Jocelyn's relationship might have been a touch abusive, but in this story I see it in a whole new light. And I think he's my favorite of them all. Chad...well, he's a keeper too, but he's still a little young yet. Young in the way of knowledge of vampires ways, naive in a way. Then there's Remy. Ahh, he is powerful and flamboyant The other elders don't much care for him. But, I get a feel he has a bigger plan in the making here. He is gently pushing people into things by helping in other ways. No magic there, but he is a manipulator and very talented at it. And we have Jocelyn, who is a bit close-minded for a while. Her grandmother even comments on it while giving her cryptic hints to what she needs to know.
  
  We get to see different sides of the story with point of views from Max, Jocelyn, Chad, and the elder Dominik. And I like getting all this information to know what and why things are happening.
  
  I really enjoyed this story and meeting these characters. These characters really stood out to me. So different. And I felt they really blended and clashed in a genuine manner. I really was taken by them all! There is a blend of action and romance here. My only thing is I'm not sure how Jocelyn is to 'control' the vampires yet. We learned about her blood and the history, but I'm not sure how it will work to take control. Making a stronger soldier, yes, but I think she might have something else that she's not aware of yet.
  
  I do look forward to reading more of Jocelyn, Max (sigh), Chad, and Remy as well. Great combination of characters and personalities. Really enjoyed relaxing with this one, and flipping the pages.
  
  Do you have to read the short stories and novellas before reading this? No, I don't think so. But you will learn all the back story that leads into this and why things are so confusing to Jocelyn. The poor girls mind has been scrambled more than a few times. The relationship connections that you read in the short stories and novellas are made here, but you could get the feeling up front and get to see more of those events transpire if you read them. At least the short stories are free, go ahead and give them a try.
• 
  Linda Levine

  This is a great choice for those who enjoy paranormal romances with strong female characters at the center. This is the first book in the series and starts off very good. For me, the characters are so important. I really like Jocelyn. She has a lot of tough choices but she is determined to do what she believes is right. The romantic choices she faces are not easy for her either. There is plenty of action too and a lot of surprises to come.
  
  I am voluntarily reviewing a copy I received.
• 
  Kathleen Bruce

  First off I loved this book and I mean I loved it! I've neve read anything by Seleste Delaney before but this book automatically goes into fav-authors-can-do-no-wrong & freaking-awesome shelves sometimes even authors I've read for years don't get into that shelf! that's how crazy I am for this book. This follows the story of Jocelyn who we find is Blood Kissed, a legend which pretty much comes into play with vampires when they are becoming too out of control with murdering and mayhem and threatening the knowledge of their existence.
  
  It's a new fresh idea with vampires and I love how it was written in 3rd person rather than everything be through Jocelyn's eyes. You see things from the others perspectives too, mainly Max and Chad. If you have read the earlier novellas The Ghost of Vampire Present and Of Course I Try you will know a little about Chad and Max and Jocelyn, and her "killing" Max. P.S I am soooo Team Max but Chad has a special place in my heart, but I still think his name is funny, I don't know why but every time I hear his name I think One Tree Hill. I never really watched the show... hmmm
  
  Anyway throw in all the newness as well as old (but loved) throw in a foul mouthed granny ghost, some killers, some Elders and a very intriguing Remus and the fact that this world has much more to be offered with the author introducing more creatures and characters this will definitely please and have you salivating for more, and with the next in the series being Kiss of Life coming around Valentines this year you should be very happy. I think that if you like or love Lexi Blake's Thief Series you will definitely fall in love with this series too.
• 
  United Indie Book Blog

  This author is new to me. This book has gorgeous, sexy vampires, feisty heroine, and an interesting plot. It doesn't get any better than that. This is an easy to read and the pages will fly by. If you love to reading about some sexy vampires then this is the book for you. If you could give more than 5 stars I would in a heart beat. I can't wait to read the next book in this series. Keep up the awesome work! I definitely recommend this book.
  
  review by Chantelle
• 
  RogueHireling

  Very good read. Fun, broody, sexy, interesting. =)
• 
  Dana Busenbark

  In this first book of the series, we meet Jocelyn. Who are Chad and Max? What are or were they to Jocelyn? How does she know each of them? How do they know one another? What is so special about Jocelyn that Chad lied and hid things from her? What about Max? What happens with Jocelyn's grandmother that keeps freaking her out? What happened at Christmas? When Remus tries to figure out why Chad is so bent out of shape that he kills a vampire older than him, when he should not have been able to, what does Remus want to know and what is he trying to figure out? When Chad walks into Pandora's Box with Jocelyn, what happens? Who hires the magic user and why? What does Remus finally realize? Where does she run to when the going gets tough and requires her to have an off the books hideout? Who else is there? This book is full of intrigue, lies, some sex, unrequited love to some extent, and a whole lot of paranormal things. Very interesting first read to the series.
  
  RECEIVED THIS BOOK AS A GIFT FOR A FAIR/HONEST REVIEW and REVIEWER FOR Bloggin' With M. Brennan.