Keith MeltonRecensioni

In this action-packed horror novel, a soldier who fights the supernatural baddies must take a stand against flesh-eating ghouls, face betrayal within his own unit, and save a young boy’s life.

Though Keith Melton has several published works in the general genre I read, this is the first book of his I've picked up. Originally, I was attracted to the professional cover (aren't we all?). Shiny lights and astrological symbols, a military guy carrying both an automatic weapon and a sword? And, of course, the pretty blues and purples. Ooooh, ahhh. :) Sure got my attention!

Despite the pretty, pretty cover, 9mm Blues is not the typical kind of book I read. My preference tends to be toward 1st person urban fantasy with lots of world building, lots of internal and emotional struggle, and lots of kick-ass vengeance wreaking. I also know squat about military stuff and tend to get lost and bored with a lot of military detail. This story is all military and primarily action-oriented with very little world-building. There is not much vengeance-wreaking at a personal level -- the bad guy is just a bad guy. I know many people for whom this is the preferred type of reading, so no judgement here; just that it's not what usually appeals to me.

And still, I really enjoyed this book! Though the POV is 3rd person limited, we see the story solely through the eyes of the protagonist. Melton does a good job of conveying both the action and the protagonist's thoughts and emotions. It's a good balance -- Chris Hill is a good guy, but not terribly self-aware, so there isn't a lot of navel-gazing going on. ;) There isn't a lot of world-building, but I don't think it's neccessary. The world is very similar to ours with just a few supernatural elements that we're probably familiar with from pop-culture, so there's no need for a lot of explanation. Not to say it's boring or totally unoriginal -- that's not true at all! But if you're familiar with the supernatural from movies, TV, or books, you'll catch on quick.

And the kicker... there is a dog. Yeah, I'm a sucker for animals. Not only is there a dog, but everyone is nice to the dog and the dog doesn't die! Keith, thank you for that. Oh, and I'm going to give you a little spoiler here -- the dog is a basenji, and basenji's don't bark. So if you're wondering how in the world a dog could survive in this story and not get everyone killed, that's why. I was so tickled to have that piece of knowledge while reading the story.

So, yeah, I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this book and how much I'm looking forward to the next one. I think it really hits that sweet spot between action-oriented and introspective and so will appeal to fans of both types of stories. I can't wait for Agent Annie and her husband to read it; not only are they both ex-military, but they also own a basenji. ;)

Purchased. Review courtesy of onebooktwo | one book, two reviews.

I can't tell you how many times I giggled or snorted with laughter reading this book. A lot. It's very geeky, crazy and fun.

Everything is exaggerated, blown out of proportions and brimming with snark. The Zero Dog War is a parody on urban fantasy books and superhero comics, and a very well done one at that.

Take for example our supervillain necromancer who had to advertize for a minion because all his workforce consisted of zombies. His plan of world domination is to make gelatin with the help of zombies, which would reduce his expenses to a minimum and potentially destroy gelatin market in US. Mwahaha! Don't say it wasn't funny!

Andrea's team is a riot. A sex and health food obsessed werewolf, a healer who fancies himself ninja, a tech guy who writes novels and games all the time, a conjurer who likes to play with hell bunnies from other dimensions... and so on.

Andrea herself is a tough gal who loves her team and tries to protect them no matter what, so when a commando guy is encroaching on her territory and her government contract makes him a team adviser, tempers fly and both have to learn to respect each other and work as partners.

It's violent, full of action, explosions, gadgetry and silly humour. If you liked Austin Powers and Kick Ass you will love this book.

4 ½ Stars

The description of the book already gives a lot away, so I won’t contribute with that. But I can tell you that after reading it you'd know what to expect from it and I guarantee you, you will find everything you were expecting and more.

This book had me cracking up page after page. And if I get wrinkles in my flawless face for laughing I’ll blame Mr. Melton. (He will receive the bill for my botox treatment.)

I love the characters, they are all different and unique in their sordid kind of way but together they make this perfect dysfunctional mercenary “family”. They are always pushing each other’s buttons but when the need arise they always look for each other.

Mr. Melton creativity has no limits and this book is a proof of that. There were some parts in which my normal human brain (not small by the way) was in completely awe with his imagination.

The only negative thing I can say about this book is that I won’t be able to enjoy Jell-o or oatmeal for at least couple of weeks… or months. (Thank you Ms. Melton.)

My final thought: This book is an EBOAFACS (Exploding Bomb of Awesome Fun And Crazy Stuff). As Capitan Andrea Walker said, the use of acronyms is as addicting as popping bubble wrap.

Can’t wait to read the next installment.

Great read! It had been quite a while since I read the first book, (The Zero Dog Wars) but I was able to jump right back in and catch up with the gang. From page one you are pulled into the high-octane action. I loved it. It was fun revisiting all the different characters. It has something for everyone. The group is made up of a succubus, vampire, werewolf, magic users, demon, empath and leading the pack is pyromancer Andrea Walker. Dark Ride Dogs is a fast paced, gitty and exciting read. I recommend this one, especially if you love Urban Fantasy.

Dark Ride Dogs can be read as a stand along story.

I really enjoyed this book, I couldn't put it down. The setting is very engaging and I loved the main character, Karl Vance. Great action sequences too. I'm looking forward to the next book in the series.

Okay, so I just finished reading this, and all I have to say is DAMN YOU, KEITH MELTON!

All caps serious, yo.

And here's why:

You left me hanging! Noooooooooooo! It's like watching an awesome episode of your favorite TV without realizing that it's actually the cliff-hanger season finale and you'll have to wait several months to find out what happens next. (Like, perhaps, last season of Castle?) (Yeah.) You better be working on the next book, Keith, because I have an arsenal of Nerf weaponry and I'm not afraid to find you and dart you to Nerf death.

Anyway...aside from that, obviously I loved it, because it gets 5 stars from me. I loved [b:Blood Vice|6261466|Blood Vice (Nightfall Syndicate #1)|Keith Melton|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1311289737s/6261466.jpg|6444688] like crazy, because as a former LARPer it had all the things I loved about World of Darkness and none of the bullshit, so I knew I'd love this book too. And I did. Because it's even BETTER. More action, more drama, more kewl powerz, more mafia and paranormal politics. More awesome characters. (I love Bailey!)

But dude, Keith, man up and write a proper vampire sex scene. You're a Samhain author, you can do it. ;)

I started reading this on the bus every day (I have a longer bus ride to my new day job, author life = so glamorous), and it was killing me every time I had to put the book down. I seriously almost passed my stop once so I could keep reading. Also, I may have scared several university students by grinning while reading, because they looked at me like I was a serial killer. Kids today. I also played the "one more chapter" game one night and stayed up way too late reading. Because it's just that damn good. So go read it.

(And, there is also bonus appearance of my book, [b:The Importance of Being Emily|10792089|The Importance of Being Emily|Robyn Bachar|http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51pb1HWorwL._SL75_.jpg|15704423] in the excerpts in the back, woot!)

I am so jealous of Keith Melton right now, you have no idea.

This book is made of so much awesome, there are hardly words. BRILLIANT. All caps serious.

There are so many fabulous lines. The humor is fast and furious, and I'm completely envious. I laughed, I grinned, I harassed my husband by reading him lines I loved. The action is great. The heroine is amazing. Her team of paranormal mercs is amazing. It's like all of my urban fantasy favorites thrown in a blender and turned into an addictive alcoholic beverage.

It's fabulous. I loved it. You need to read it.

There was a 50% off sale on Kobo recently so I thought I would give a few new authors a try. One of them was Keith Melton and his mafia vampire hitman. Generally, I wasn’t impressed.

In the spirit of full disclosure, I have to confess that I was a little skeptical when I read the blurb so perhaps I was predisposed not to enjoy BLOOD VICE. But I was intrigued enough to purchase it and I did hope it would be more exciting than the cover copy suggested, since I thought the premise was rather interesting. Vampire hitman makes a lot of sense as a career path since the vampires in Melton’s world have some unique talents but I didn’t feel like the idea was explored to its full potential. As a result, while there are some nice elements to this novel, I don’t think I can recommend it. Here’s why:

Maria is incredibly unlikeable. I couldn’t stand her. She gets better over time but I didn’t see her appeal. I understood her ambition but I found her to be extremely unsympathetic. I can appreciate a good anti-hero(ine) but Maria was just irritating. Karl was a bit better — I thought it was neat that he still prayed even though holy objects hurt him — but we didn’t see very much about this side of his character, which was a bit of a letdown since a religious vampire is something that I would love to read more about. My favourite character was actually Xeisha, Karl’s companion. She was awesome. I would read a book about her in a heartbeat. I would also read a book about the Order of the Thorn who are the supernatural police/crusader-types. They were supporting characters but ones that I found far more fascinating than the main pair.

Another negative: there were few surprises. The cover copy gives it all away. This is not the author’s fault — it’s a publisher thing — but I wasn’t really into it. I love it when a story can keep me on my toes and I didn’t have that experience with BLOOD VICE. It was predictable in most ways and the elements that I was intrigued by weren’t as well developed as I would have liked.

To sum up: BLOOD VICE is okay. I wouldn’t recommend it and I won’t be continuing with the series but it must appeal to some readers since there is a second book out in the Nightfall Syndicate series, if I’m not mistaken. I do think that Melton has some interesting ideas and I may try his other series from Samhain, which starts with THE ZERO DOG WAR.

http://ireadgood.wordpress.com½

I had heard good things about Keith Melton, so when Allromance offered a 50% discount on Samhain books, I bought it. The story starts with a bang, and everything wents down hill from there. The plot twisted and turned. I liked how they only had partial success, never a total victory, when they faced the villain. I enjoyed the misfits of The Zero Dog Mercenaries. From Rafe, the werewolf, to Mai with her undead pets. I enjoyed how the author played with the prejudices, and turned them into something new.

This story has a large dose of humor with the action, and I loved the snark, and the way Andrea couldn’t stop mouthing off with Jake. However, at times it felt like the author focused to much on the humor.

This especially shows when it comes to the villain, which is a heap of clichés. In fact, it felt like the author had piled on every cliché he could think off. So, will I buy another book by Keith Melton? Probably. It was a fun, fast paced read and I enjoyed it.

This book did make me laugh, but explosions and giggles only got me so far. The meat of the character development and tension was missing (although I did love glimpses of the "super" villian, Jeremiah). The romance between Andrea and Jake was pretty superficial (and there wasn't any gratuitous sex to distract me from that fact).

Funny, fast, and not to be re-read, I imagine.

Karl Vance is a vampire assassin - meaning he's a vampire and kills the bad guys for money. He is a bad-ass, but a lover too. He knows that he's got this one job to do for the Thorn and then he can get back to his Maria. Easy right? Sadly life doesn't always work that easily, even if your a vampire.

Ever since reading the first book Blood Vice, I have been eager to read more about Karl Vance. It was definitely worth the wait. The opening sequence grabs a hold of you and brings you right into the thick of things. I loved it. Gritty and electric. Ghost Soldiers is a non-stop action ride. I like that we get to see both Karl and Maria's point of views. I have to say the ending wasn't what I expected, but I enjoyed it all the same. Looking forward to see how things will turn out in the next book.

An assault team for hire. They deal with the more stickier paranormal threats. When SWAT can't get it done The Zero Dogs are brought in.

This story starts off with a fast narrative and shoots straight into the action. Melton has a strong writing voice that is hard not to love. I think this story holds a little something for everyone. If you have a favorite paranormal creature, you'll probably find it somewhere in the pages of this book. I loved the heroine Captain Andrea Walker, she is a kick-ass girl. The attraction with Captain Jake Sanders is absolutely delicious. In my opinion he is definitely what she needs. The Zero Dog War is a fast ride with some lovable characters and laugh out loud moments. Zombie fans will enjoy this one.

Funny, kind of gross (in a cartoon way) and with a light tone that one could read as pure nerdy goofiness or a tongue-in-cheek indictment of capitalist oligarchies, depending on personal preference.

There's also a lot of talk about weapons, which I pretty much ignored, but if that's your thing....

One thing that I found especially charming is that I'm pretty sure I was friends with some of these characters in high school. (My current peer group is much less excited by things-go-boom, alas.)

NB: If you liked this and are looking for another zombie mayhem story with light romantic elements, you might want to also try Ashley Drake: Zombie Hunter (ignore the ridiculously bad cover art)

Captn. Andrea Walker, leader of the Zero Dogs, has more than a zombie upheaval on her hands. She had the assigned "fixer" for her nerw client to contend with - all 200+ yummy lbs. of him. Plus her usual crew of misfits: a werewolf, a vampire, a demon, a summoner whose pets did NOT come a pet shop anywhere in our galaxie and a succubus. Not to mention that Captn Walker is a firethrower. Hmmm.

Deep in bills and having totally screwed their last job, the Zero Dogs are hungry. Maybe that's why Andrea takes the offered job of doing in a necromancer who has a whole herd (?) of Zombies at his disposal and is poised to take over the jello market.

Like the two above paragraphs, Zero Dog War is a strange and brilliant group of folks. Or whatever they are, they ARE strange and occasionally brilliant. Andrea tries to keep her thoughts on the mission but the "fixer" keeps popping up in them. Is she finally due to fall in love and be loved back? Will the Zombies all become Zero Dogs? You have got to get this hilarious book and find out!

Blood Vice by Keith Melton throws you head long into the dark, cruel world of the mafia crime syndicate filled with fascinating characters, starting on page one. I loved the mafia elements and dark, gritty atmosphere in the book. The romance between Karl and Maria unfolds at a slow pace, with the right amount of tension however is more of a subplot instead of a main attraction to the story. The story is told alternating between the main characters Karl Vance and Maria Ricardi's point of views, but for the most part you hear from Karl. The plot moves at a smooth pace with plenty of suspense and intrigue to keep you interested.

The vampires in this world are both beautiful and terrifying, with a cruel streak. They are not the romantic kind with souls that you see a lot of now a days in the realm of vampires. These vampires are very close to how vampires are traditionally betrayed in horror. They can tolerate no sunlight, they are damned and are the ultimate predator. There are many more traits with one that has an added spin, that I found very unique, but you’ll need to read for yourself to find out.

Karl Vance is dark and brooding, and very self-sufficient in his lucrative business as a mafia hit man. He has the air of a man/vamp who can handle anything that comes his way with confidence and efficiency. He’s also use to being alone and wears his loneness as his own albatross. Maria Ricardi is an Italian mob boss's princess of a daughter, use to getting what she wants, when she wants it. I didn't really like Maria very much when I first met her in beginning of the story because of her self-serving attitude and being so intent on gaining respect from the mob family - at any cost. She came across as being too cold in her emotions and I wanted to see more warmth. But she grew on me as her character developed throughout the story, especially when it became clear that Maria would be the ideal match for Karl.

Alejandro Delgado, is the ultimate bad vamp with the stench of dread surrounding him. He will give you the creepy crawlies along with his terrifying minions because you’ll only expect the very worst from them.

I’d like to mention a character that caught my attention, Xiesha. Karl saved Xiesha from the Order of the Thorns, a secret sect that guards humans against supernatural beings, and she has since guarded Vance during the day while he sleeps as repayment. There was so much mystery surrounding her character, that I'm absolutely intrigued by her and her past. I hope to learn more about Xiesha in the next book.

I really enjoyed reading Blood Vice and I’m looking forward to seeing what's next in the Nightfall Syndicate series. I think anyone looking for a dark urban fantasy that borders on horror, would find Blood Vice an exciting and enjoyable read.

Leah, a wolf and member of the Blackstone Wolf clan. She has broken the number one rule by taking a human as a mate. She's about to learn just how harsh her world can be...

If your looking for a good werewolf story, give this one a try. This was an entertaining novella that I really enjoyed. Run, Wolf has intense fighting scenes and sexy interludes. This is good beginning to a new series.

Blood Vice by Keith Melton was dark, bloody and a breath of fresh air. I have read quite a few vampire books in the past two years- not a single one of those books combined the fun of the paranormal world with the brooding world of mafia families.This is one book that would make a spectacular movie.

Karl is our forlorn hero, a vampire... a freelance hit man vampire. It gets better. He works for the mafia but only follows himself and God. He maintains his humanity by feeding only on those that are corrupted. The most appealing thing about Karl is that he embraces physical pain by facing Holy Ground to pray for those that he has desecrated. I just think it is brilliant to have a mafia-killing vampire who values his relationship with God to the point he is willingly enduring pain. I loved it!

Maria's father runs one of the top mafia families in Boston. She's your typical mafia princess- spoiled, stubborn and now she wants to run with the big boys. She wants to be next in line, run the family the way she thinks it should be. I found Maria to be overbearing, demanding... annoying, to say the least. A strong heroine is almost essential but she was just too tactless at times. I can't hold this against the book though- I mean- she grew up within a mafia family. What am I suppose to expect? ;) And I will admit that by the time I had finished, I liked her. I did. Maria's chemistry with Karl was lacking a wee bit, but this made it more pragmatic.

I am going to be reading more of Keith Melton's work- I enjoyed his writing style. I hope there will be more of Karl and Maria to come. I love my violence with a dash of romance and that is exactly what he gave me, a dash. Just what I needed to keep intrigued when the plot started to lag. The plot didn't lag often- it was quick paced for the most part and I was sucked in almost immediately. Gotta love a good Urban Fantasy.

Karl is Mafia hitman by trade and a vampire. Life for Karl was on the simple side; until he met Maria. Then his past came back to haunt him and it got way more complicated. I'm not really a fan of stories involving the mob, but vampires are a whole other deal. Having said that, I ended up really loving this story. Karl has a bit of mystery to him, and dangerous. Calm, cool and sexy. The first couple chapters were a bit slow, but after that it moved along nicely. It's one of the better Urban Fantasy stories I've read this year. I can't wait to find out what happens in book two.

Review courtesy of AllThingsUrbanFantasy.blogspot.com

If The Godfather or The Departed had vampires, they would probably feel a lot like Blood Vice.

"It was a beautiful night for murder, but wet work was wet work and had to be done regardless of conditions." –Blood Vice

This was the first book that I’ve read that came with a warning printed in bright red ink on the back cover:

Warning: Intense, graphic mafia-related violence, profanity, gangster slang, assassinations, fang punctures, explicit vampire sex, betrayal, greed, murder, gangland warfare, pervasive supernatural mayhem, large-scale explosions, and extremely expensive Italian suits.

With that warning in mind, I was a bit leery as I started Blood Vice. I wasn’t sure if this book would be an assault on its readers from start to finish. But not to worry, this was a fun mafia infused vampire tale. And the warning is only partially accurate.

Vance is a hitman par excellence for hire, using his vampire skills to eliminate the corrupt and criminal members of humanity, and what better way to do than working for the mob. When mob princess Maria starts calling the hits, she and Vance form a lethal team, one that attracts the unwanted attention of not just rival Families, but Vance’s nemesis as well. The vampire Alejandro is more than willing to hit Vance where it will hurt the most, and despite Vance’s attempts to keep Maria at arms length, she’s become important to him in a very dangerous way. As if that isn’t enough for Vance, the Order of the Thorn has come to visit:

"Even predators have predators. The Thorn is humanity’s answer to the supernatural beings that prey upon it. Thorn knights are trained to execute vampires, weres, sorcerers, half-breed demons and all manner of supernatural threats with ruthless efficiency. They use a wide array of weapons depending on their target, from low-tech silver-sheathed swords to high-powered assault rifles with special ammo. While the Thorn is dedicated to eradicating threats to humanity, there are times when a supernatural creature can earn clemency, but always under strict conditions. Violation of the terms means an instant death sentence. The Order of Thorn was formed after the fall of Camelot, gathering knights and mages sworn to protect humankind from any shadow of evil. The Order is an extremely secretive knighthood with strict hierarchies, wealth that surpasses that of the Vatican, and a global reach." –KeithMelton.com

I loved this concept of the Thorn and would have liked to have seen more of an emphasis on them in Blood Vice, but it sounds like they will play a more prominent role in Book Two of The Nightfall Syndicate. Here’s hoping.

As for the character of Vance, he is more of a classic vampire than we often read in this genre. Coffins, crucifixes, and sunlight all play a part in his life. What isn’t as common is how he was portrayed as having a conscience. His self-loathing balanced with a hard won acceptance of reality was fascinating to read about. He would brutally dispatch a human and afterwards endure the pain of kneeling on Holy Ground to offer a prayer for the life he had just taken. He never prayed for himself though, he knew he was damned and didn’t see the point, but he would pray for every life he took.

Maria was a bit annoying for me and I found it difficult to sympathize with her as a wannabe mob leader. She had no problem whatsoever with any of the corrupt goings on within her Family, whether racketeering, murder, or prostitution. She only wanted her piece of the pie. The chapters told from her perspective were my least favorite.

All in all this was a fun read, a bit different than the usual urban fantasy, but not in a bad way. Full of Wise Guys and Mob politics. There is a lot of action in this book, and while there is an element of romance, it isn’t nearly as prominent as the blurb would have you believe. This book is about killing people in bloody and creative ways, and even more than that, its about vengeance.
Sexual Content:
References to rape, one brief semi-graphic sex scene