Bleeding Hearts (Drake Chronicles) [Englisch] [Taschenbuch]

The Drake family is what you wish every family was like. Unfortunately, you don't see as much of them as you did in the previous books. That is probably because Lucy, best friends of Solange Drake ("Hearts at Stake") the only daughter in that family, is no longer living at their residence. But we're introduced more thoroughly to the twin brother of Quinn ("Out for Blood"), Connor Drake. He's categorized as the `nerd' in the family but you know what, that makes him even sexier. When it comes to computer, Star Wars, comics, etc - he's your guy. Connor's never really shown too much of an interest in woman, unlike his brother, Quinn, who was known as the ladies man. That is, Connor's never shown interest until Lucy's older cousin, Christabel Llewellyn comes to town.

Christa hates Violet Hill and wishes nothing more to leave but she can't because her mother is in rehab. Christa is a girl I like, you find out right from the start that she always has a book with her, always has her nose in a book if she can help it. She meets Connor and is suddenly finding herself thinking about him and wanting to be around him, even though he's not the type she usually goes for. He's not the bad boy.

Then we have Lucy and Nicholas Drake, the best couple in the whole series (in my opinion, of course). Nicholas is a young vampire so he is still having some trouble's controlling his urge to drink from Lucy but from the first book until now, I say there's been progress. Lucy is a trip, she's got balls, if you will. She doesn't understand the word no and many times that gets her into trouble but the Drakes are always there to help her out. In "Bleeding Hearts" she starts finding ways to defend herself with the help of friend and girlfriend of Quinn, Hunter. But when Lucy isn't preparing herself to defend against random Hel-Blar or vampire attacks, she's locking lips with Nick. The romance sizzles in this addition to the series.

The romance is what caught my attention for a lot of this book, it was very addicting. But the storyline, with the Hel-Blar becoming civilized and the introduction of the Na-Foir, a newer breed of vampires. Similar and contently mistaken for Hel-Blar, they are a light blue skin pigment with more fangs than a normal vampire but not as many as the Hel-Blar. We meet Aiden and Saga of the Na-Foir and they play a huge factor into this storyline; we also know we'll be seeing lots more of them in the future books, which is VERY exciting. I didn't like them at first but they definitely grew on me, a lot.

If you have not picked up "Hearts at Stake" I recommending going out and buying it or ordering it online. (If you live in the UK I believe its actually called "My Love Lies Bleeding") This series made me love vampires again, and if you're questioning vampires, I'd definitely start reading.

I received this book from Netgalley for review.

Bleeding Hearts is the fourth book in the Drake Chronicles series. It is written from the POV of Lucy, her cousin Christabel and Connor Drake.

In the first book, the focus was on the Drake family, the second the Helios Ra, the third the Hounds and in this instalment, its the Hel Blar.

There is an epidemic of Hel Blar in Violet Hill but now they are acting differently. They are wearing collars and are being controlled. Buy by who?

Lucy's cousin Christabel has come to stay and they have a very strict curfew. Christabel cant understand why its needed in such a small, quiet town. She feels there is something going on that Lucy, Nicholas and his cute brother Connor are not letting her in on. And then she is kidnapped having been mistaken for Lucy!

I enjoyed this book. I liked seeing Lucy back in the main frame as I really like her character and her relationship with Nicholas. Christabel is a strong female character who is tough and sometimes sarcastic. And we see a new side to Connor who is usually just stuck in front of a computer. This one is as action packed as all the rest with the usual great dialect.

There is an interesting sideline involving Solange and it looks like this will resolved in the next instalment.

The downside is a cliffhanger ending which is something that I find offputting.

Overall, this was an enjoyable read and will be enjoyed by most paranormal fans. I look forward to the next one!

I have so much love for this series! I mean multiple perspectives? Adorable boys? Warring vampire factions? Tough girls? Dark humor? Sign me up!!! As an added bonus the characters are quirky and fun. Each book is full of fast paced action as well as non-angsty romance. The families portrayed are not perfect and I love them for it. Sure, sometimes they annoy each other but they are a family and there for one another. I also really like how each book focuses on a different Drake sibling and their "love connection" (not as corny as that sounds!) but also continues the overall arc of the series.

Bleeding Hearts focuses on Conner (Quinn's adorably geeky yet still oh so pretty twin) and Lucy's cousin Christabel. Conner has a bit of a challenge since Christabel doesn't know vampires exist! Conner is one of my favorite Drake brothers. I really enjoyed "watching" him and Cristabel get to know one another. Nobody tops Lucy and Nicholas though! They are by far my favorite of the couples :)

I do have to say that I had to re-read the ending three times before I realized that it was indeed the end and I'd have to wait for the next book to find out what happened. I was reading it on my iPad and didn't notice the word "epilogue" so I totally thought that there was more of the book to go! Seriously. I was hoping against hope that I was having an ebook fail. But alas, it was truly the end. My notes literally say, "What?!? No! Nonononono! More! I need more now! More, more, more, more, more." As you can see I am very eloquent when taking notes!

I have enjoyed every book in this series. They are fun and engaging reads. When I'm in a reading slump or have read too many "heavy" books I know I can count on Alyxandra Harvey to amuse me.