Crimson Kiss Paperback – Illustrated, 16 June 2014

Excellent book

Initially, I was really into CRIMSON KISS. It's the perfect fall read, a 90s story about vampires that fits perfectly into the niche pre-TWILIGHT vampire cannon. You can easily imagine a Goth adolescent curled up with this book in a pre-commercialized Starbucks while nursing a black Americano as the leaves and rain swirl past the window and Nirvana plays moodily over the speakers.The structure of this book is very odd. It starts out in the "present" (1998), before reverting to the mid-40s. We're introduced to a teenage Meghann O'Neal, her loving Irish family, WWII war hero fiance, her hopes, her dreams. She meets a charming man named Simon Baldevar at a party who threatens to sweep her off her feet. She knows she shouldn't spend time with him because she's engaged, but can't seem to help herself. After a night spent painting the town red (pun unintended, actually), Simon declares himself in love with her and all but demands that his feelings be reciprocated.Meghann falls for Simon, and that's when the romance ends and the nightmare begins. Oh, we already know that Simon's a vampire - but did you also know that he's a demented psychopath who likes torture, kink, and human misery? Neither did Meghann. But Simon immediately sets to weaving a web of psychological manipulation and, later, physical abuse, to trap Meghann permanently in his clutches and put her completely under his control. I was shocked at the amount of sexual and physical violence in this book, as well as how uncomfortably convincing the abusive relationship dynamic feels.Back in the "present", Meghann is free and in a relationship with a human vampire slayer who also has a bone to pick with Simon. She has friends, a new mentor, and a Simon-sized chip on her shoulder. All of them have their own reasons for wanting Simon dead, but he's far more powerful than any of them had ever dreamed, and the cost of defeating him might be more than they can afford.CRIMSON KISS follows the typical vampire mythos pretty straightforwardly. Dual timelines, Gothic settings, and lots of angst and existential musings create the backdrop and set the scene for CRIMSON. The execution is what causes this book to stand on its own two feet. Simon is a very bad man. The things he did shocked me, and made me sick to my stomach. He is scary. And Baker's very good at deceiving the reader so we get deceived right along with Meghann. This makes it easier to forgive when she falls for his tricks again and again, when she refuses to leave or give up her feelings for her abuser, or when she finds herself giving into him (sigh) yet again.The other characters aren't quite as fleshed out as Meghann and Simon, but I did like Alcuin and Charles a lot. Jimmy, I liked less, but certain events at the end of the book suggest that he might meet with some interesting developments in the sequels. The evil villain and the gloom-and-doom atmosphere are what really drive this story forward, though, and Celtic folklore adds some interesting bells and whistles to the magic in this book. It really is the perfect fall read; I think this would be a great vampire book for October. It's creepy, haunting, and morbid. Plus, it's only $2.99 in the Kindle store - and so is the sequel. I mean, how do you beat that?3.5 to 4 out of 5 stars.

This series is one of my all time favorites. I had bought the books years ago but borrowed them to someone and never got them back. When I saw them available in a kindle version I had to buy them. These books are very dark and not for everyone, so I wouldn't recommend them to anyone closed minded or over emotional. I enjoy reading books that go into that darker side and don't have the typical good guys always win, perfect relationship, everyone is happy, type of stuff. These books show you a different side and hold nothing back. Violence? Vampires? Abusive male? Sexual Violence? Incest? It has all those and more. If these things really bother you or you are the kind of person that internalizes books and can't separate them from real life, avoid these books. If you are the like me and you enjoy seeing this darker world and you enjoy vampire stories then these are a must read. I always recommend them to my friends.

My friend suggested I read this book after she received it as a gift. For a while I put it off because I thought that most books about vampires were full of gore and not very appealing. My friend kept assuring me that "Crimson Kiss" was not like that. She was definitely right! "Crimson Kiss" is an incredible book that will have you hooked from the time you read the first chapter.The story revolves around Meghann O'Neil, a girl of only 18 growing up in the 1940's. One night she catches the eye of a dashing, handsome, and charming man by the name of Lord Simon Baldevar. The two embark on an extremely passionate affair that leaves Meghann breathless. She then finds out that Simon is a vampire, but still desires to be with him. When he transforms her into a vampire she finds that she has literally sold her soul to the devil. Simon turns from the loving passionate man she once knew into a controlling, manipulative man who forces her to call him Master and reads her thoughts to control her into submission.Meghann's main goal is to free herself from the evil, murderous, and oppressive life she has made with Simon. Will she accomplish this goal? And if so, what sort of punishment lies before her when Simon finds her once again?This is an excellent book for anyone, even if you don't like horror books. I was extremely intrigued by the characters and felt as though I knew them. I cheered when they triumphed and mourned when they lost.I would highly suggest this book! You will not be disappointed!!!

i only gave this book 4 stars instead of 5, but i wouldn't want you to think i'm not getting the rest of the series. i've read several 'he turned me into a vampire and i tried to kill him to get away' books recently so i can't make the plot out to be entirely original. on the other hand, its a classic plot, rather like finding the magic sword is for scifi, and trisha baker certainly did a great job with it. the unique twist on the plot is the love-abuse side to their relationship making it also a good book on showing the underpinnings of abusive relationships and how they can develop slowly until the woman (usually) cant see later how she ended up a prisoner and a victim in it. unlike other vampire books where the love-abuse angle is hinted at, this book has many realistic details and real insight into the situation. 'but he loves me in some way' being as true as 'and death is too good for him' can be a difficult concept for those of us raised to be victims of love. 'that he loves me in some way' and 2.50 will get you a cup of coffee anywhere. this would be a good book to read for anyone that has been in an abusive releationship as a child or adult.