Vampire Instinct (Book #7)

Musette excited for some vampies? Since when? Already wants Bound in December!! Goodness, woman! Have you no patience?! LOL, SM

Saint Maria wrote:

Musette excited for some vampies? Since when? Already wants Bound in December!! Goodness, woman! Have you no patience?! LOL, SM

Errrr....let me think.....NOPE!!!!

Am a very greedy girl for Joey's stuff....will most definitely snarf up Hostile Takeover too...but the fangs have my as you already know...

I'm SO happy to hear you all are enjoying Mal and Elisa. Reading the comments this week has given me a big lift every day. And thanks for the good wishes on the release, Maria!

Pat, I understand your problem about choosing favorite characters. They're like my kids, I can't pick one over the other (though I have VERY non-kid thoughts about them - laughter).

Yes, this one was a tear jerker. I probably mentioned that I couldn't get through the edits on that Page 400ish area without bawling, every time! But I still loved writing their story... Glad you all have enjoyed the journey as well.

Author Mistress... are you kidding? Come on now, we love the book. This isn't the first tear-jerking I have read from your books. I can also promise that it wouldn't be the last one. You write books like no one else. I have the upmost respect for you as you are. Just give us your best and we will always love them!

How frustrating- I've been IMPATIENTLY waiting for DHL to deliver my copy of "Vampire Instinct" only to have that ******* delivery guy sneak in and deliver it while I'm at work!! Now here I am at work and Mal and Elise are waiting for me at home! I don't finish til 10 tonight so looks like a late night of reading when I get home! Joey, how is your mum? Hope all is well with her. Do you have any idea when Hostile Takeover is scheduled for release? Love the latest banner etc for Vampire Instinct!

Fran, I think that Joey had mentioned on the Ben and Marcie thread that the publisher would assign a release date for HT when the book is submitted. So, it is going to depend on when that happens. Joey just posted over there that the first draft if done so she is now going to be working on edits. Maybe a late July or early August submit and then since it will be in ebook first, a release date of 2 to 3 months after that. I am still thinking it looks like October or November, maybe October. So, two months ahead of BBTVQ in December. SM

Ok, I'm home now so I'm going to read Vampire Instinct, see ya later!!

Absolutely loved this book! Was very sad to see it end, can't wait til the next one!

Got my copy on thursday (YES, thursday! Nice to live here on the north pole, the rest of the world gets everything a week before we do...) and have been reading it nonstop ever since and I'm like and and

Although Mason's still my vampire hunk #1, OMG this book is goooooooooooooooood... This is what they mean with the term 'gripping'. Sheesh, I had to force myself to put it down to go pee. Yeah, yeah, I know it's possible to read in the loo, but seriously, I was afraid I might forget myself there if I kept reading and seriously, I've read from somewhere that sitting hours on the toilet seat can be dangerous to your lower body circulation. (... which in itself is bad news to us girls... ) So, valiantly thinking of my health, I set it down with great pains and difficulty and RAN.

Joey, you're a GOD.

Aleah, thank you for that - you always say such kind and wonderful things! And Fran, yes, what Maria said (laughter). Thank you for jumping in with that info, Maria! Fran, Mom's doing about as well as can be expected, which isn't great, but we're meeting with the Hospice palliative care program rep this week, and that should help her have some better days - at least that's what we're hoping.

Pyper/Loviatar, thank you!! And Loviatar, you made me laugh out loud - you're a dear!! I swear, I was tempted to list that as a reader review quote on future promo materials. Thanks for giving me a head-to-toe smile!

Continuing to be delighted with your reactions to Mal and Elisa! Glad you guys are loving them the way I do. Now, no worries, though - if you have any less-than-glowing comments, I'll be happy to hear those as well!

I could never have any 'less then glowing compliments', I love all your books. Are you going to do another book in the Daughters of Arrienne series ( 'scuse my spelling!). I'd love to catch up with the guys from Mermaids Ransom and see what they've been up too. I'll keep your Mum in my prayers Joey, I remember how it was when my dad was ill with cancer and it's never an easy road to travel. Just loving Vampire Instinct, got 4 days off now, so I'll be doing some reading and little else! LOL

Wanted to share my Amazon review of Vampire Instinct-no spoilers

Wrote it after 3 1/2 hours of sleep and found I'd made a jillion errors that had to be corrected. Note to self, don't write with little sleep-no matter how brilliant it sounds in the noggin.

Heroism in the Corners of Other People's Lives.

OK, Joey W Hill has done it again with Vampire Instinct, telling another outstanding story of sensual passion, love and the journey toward self. It has always been the uniquely sharp facets of Ms Hill's characters and the ways they survive, endure and ultimately make that startling grab for love, that has fascinated me about Ms Hill's tales since her early releases. In Vampire Instinct, we have Elisa, an Irish serving girl and Malachi, a one hundred year old Cherokee vampire, working to rescue big cats. These are characters with depth far beyond those found in everyday vampire erotica, breathing life into a story that takes us to distant compelling emotional places seldom explored in modern urban romances.

The story takes place on a remote island in the 1950's. Since I grew up during that time, I found Elisa's journey through the sexual prohibitions and ignorance imposed on women at the time rang true. A generation of us made the same journey toward sexual identity without the delicious tough and tender Malachi to lead the way--too sad.

I was totally hooked by Elisa's ability to abide through privation, finding tiny moments of joy in a well appointed dinner table she'd laid out or a single stolen day at a fair. Her simple perseverance is no less mythically heroic for being lived in the corners of other people's lives. This kind of courage honors eons of women whose lives were very different from modern women.

We especially encounter Elisa's steel, wrapped in flower petals, as she relates to vicious vampire "children", turned illegally by an evil Australian vampire lord and brutalized into serving as his hunting pack. One of the savage fledglings killed Elisa's sweetheart and cruelly raped her, yet she chooses to fight for their right to live despite her terror, memories and conflicts with the vampire, Malachi. The most deeply wrenching scenes in the book involve Elisa's struggle to stand alone and steadfast beside her young charges. Get the tissues, you'll need 'em.

I was so compelled by Elisa's seduction of Malachi into love's embrace and Malachi's seduction of Elisa back into life that I read until 4:00 AM this morning, unable to put the book down until they had grown strong enough to find their happy ending. As a senior citizen this is something I rarely do--well, let's be honest, this is something I never do. So my advice is clear out a good solid block of time, get your hands on a copy of Vampire Instinct, crank up the AC and enjoy a hot and deeply fascinating tale.

Ok. PLEASE don't shoot me. I really enjoyed this book and am going to have to read it again when I have the actually book since I ordered it on priority shipping and it was supposed to arrive last Thursday and hasn't yet *gnashes teeth*. I ordered it off of Chapters sight in the e-reader format yes I AM impatient . I have to read it off of my lap top and so I don't think I got the same enjoyment out of it.

I had trouble with this story because it wasn't until around chapter 20 that I really started getting into it. I didn't have as much of an emotional response for Emma/Mal that I did for Mason/Jessica from Beloved Vampire. I had more more of an emotional response for the fledglings then I did for the main characters. I think because I found it harder to understand and relate to Emma then I did to Jessica. I will have to re read it when I get it hopefully that will help.

No problem, Joey!!

Happy to pass along all the information on can on Master Ben!! Hope you are well and it is wonderful that everyone is enjoying VI. SM

Doris, I totally love your review. You've put into words what I and I'm sure everyone else feels about Joeys books in general! Now I better go and continue Vampire Instinct!

Hi Airbear

I'm Doris, a researcher of women's history-250,000 years of it.

I mention that because it gives me a perspective I want to share in response to your comment that VI isn't like Beloved. I certainly agree with you there. Beloved was a very unique story and it could even be called a masterpiece, like Van Gogh's Starry Night or Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet or ancient Egypt's pyramids. These are outstanding works and yet they don't cancel out the beauty, magic and message of millions of other amazing creative pieces. Beloved will always shine for me, yet I was captivated by the subtle depth of Vampire Instinct too.

Best wishes as you reread VI.

Doris,
Thank you for your insights. I don't post often, but I very much enjoy reading others input on the forum. I have missed your posts. I hope that you are feeling well and will join us again on a regular basis.

I agree with your review of VI. Yes, I did not receive my copy until Friday night and because of other responsibilities, I stayed up until 1:30 this morning finishing the book! For me, this is one of Joey's "quieter" stories. I think it sneaks up on you.

Its interesting how we all view the books differently. I know there are a lot of Mason fans out here, but personally, I enjoyed this book much more than Beloved (I just was not a big Jessica fan, I probably didn't really warm up to her till about my third read of the book).

I'm really glad that Joey provides us with such diversity in her writing so we can all find the characters that are special to us.

pat wrote:

I'm really glad that Joey provides us with such diversity in her writing so we can all find the characters that are special to us.

Definitely no argument there! I have admitted before that I did not come to Joey's work through the Vampire Queen series. I initially read Knights and NOD. I now have all of the VQ books and will be re-reading them slowly (to savor) before the next installment. VI will definitely be on the read and savor list! I also agree with you that sometimes it takes a while to warm up to a character. I actually liked Jessica from the outset. (Different strokes for different folks. ) Although, I would be very hard pressed to name my favorite of the Vampire Queen Series.

Hey, BF. That is how I started. Started with the Knights and I am now on to NOD. Still working my way through NOD. I have been playing with my KIndle lately and of course, my print books are feeling the pain of neglect. SM

SM,
I think I have also said this before, I am so excited for the first time readers of NOD. They are just amazing! They are easier to buy electronically, so the kindle is a good vehicle. Don't forget to visit the Vignettes section as you are reading through the books. There are several that add to those stories. There is a relationship, although not readily apparent, with the Daughters of Arianne series books one and two and Ice Queen/ Mirror of My Soul. I don't want to give it away, but when I realized the connection, I sobbed. I still feel very touched by those books. I also have to recommend Rough Canvas. I have read some amazon reviews where the M/M story line is uncomfortable for some. Thomas and Marcus are so amazing, so I hope that you don't skip that one!

I know Musette would love to see you into the VQ series, but I totally understand where you are at right now.

OMG, my Amazon Review got a comment. Since I'm still a new reviewer I found that exciting. The comment read: "I totally agree with you . . . I had to read until the ending, couldn't put it down . . . with tissues . . . ."

I answered that I thought VI was, "a baroque pearl of a story, with layer on layer shaping grains of sand into a durable and luminous finish. It's a fairy tale that will stay with me." This brought into focus an item for an Historical Trivia entry on the connection between fairy tales and Joey's work. The obvious one of, "Little Mermaid" of course, but there are real connections between VI and some lesser known Grimm's stories that are so beautifully touching. I'm not working as fast as I once did, but I should be able to put it together in about a week.

Joey I love your stories, they touch the libido, the heart and the imagination.

Hey guys, why don't we have a fairy tale emoticon?

BF,

My goal is to finish up Ice Queen, read Mirror of my Soul and I think the next one is Mistress of Redemption. Definately want to get to Rough Canvan and finish it up with BS. However, it will depend how soon I get to all of them and of course, when Hostile Takeover is released.

Master Ben would be most displeased if I did not make his book my number 1 when it is released! Hopefully, we will still be able to see the first little excerpt by the beginning of next month or so depending on how Joey is doing with the edits. Knowing Master Ben and Marcie, she is going to have to go through and "clean" them up a quite a bit! SM

Not sure which is my favourite NoD book SM, Loved Natural Law, but then got blind-sided by Rough Canvas, which I wasn't expecting to love as much as I did. Then Branded Sanctuary fell into my sticky paws...and I loved that too! Of course, you could just tread water, so to speak until Master Ben arrives and then boot them all out in favour of your man! I totally did that when VI came out...everything else was dumped!

You're really lucky though, you've still got loads of Joey's to work through yet....I gorged on them all in such a short time. Paranormals first, of course, then contemps.

(Still only on 2nd re-read of VI....making it last this time )

Fran, this is from the Future Projects section of my website - "A Mermaid's Ransom introduced Clara, Alexis's best friend. She has her eye on the brooding Dark Legion captain, Marcellus, and he's going to find himself reluctantly assigned as her guardian angel. Don't know when this work will be scheduled; right now Berkley has only renewed contracts for the vampire books and new mass market series, but we'll see how things look in the future. If you love the Daughters of Arianne series, just keep spreading the word!" So in short, I hope to write more of them in the future, so we'll see! Thanks so much for the kind words about my mom, and I hope you've been enjoying Vampire Instinct.

Doris, if that's how articulate you are on three hours sleep, I'm impressed! Thank you!! First, of course, I'm tremendously glad to see you on the forum, and second, that you liked Vampire Instinct this much. You also gave me a smile about the senior citizen comment. I'm not a senior citizen and I can hardly stay up past 11 unless I get a second wind or deadlines requires it (and then I have to supplement with a nap!)

Airbear, all the ladies made some great comments about this, and Pat encapsulated it well with her statement "I'm really glad that Joey provides us with such diversity in her writing so we can all find the characters that are special to us." (Thanks for that, Pat!) The muse sends me down many different roads with my stories - Male Dom/female sub, Female Domme/male sub, some very strong, aggressive submissive heroines like Jessica, or quiet, determined ones like Elisa. It's only normal that, with myriad reading tastes, that the appeal of the books will vary depending on your preference, so that's totally okay. I always welcome feedback, and I'm glad you enjoy my work!