Bloodshot

Cheshire Red Reports, Book 1

By: Cherie Priest

Narrated by: Natalie Ross

Raylene Pendle (AKA Cheshire Red), a vampire and world-renowned thief, doesn’t usually hang with her own kind. She’s too busy stealing priceless art and rare jewels. But when the infuriatingly charming Ian Stott asks for help, Raylene finds him impossible to resist - even though Ian doesn’t want precious artifacts. He wants her to retrieve missing government files: documents that deal with the secret biological experiments that left Ian blind. What Raylene doesn’t bargain for is a case that takes her from the frozen outskirts of Minneapolis to the mean streets of Atlanta. And with a psychotic, power-hungry scientist on her trail, a kick-ass drag queen on her side, and Men in Black popping up at the most inconvenient moments, the case proves to be one hell of a ride.

©2011 Cherie Priest (P)2011 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

Just fun!

I have read mostly Anne Rice vampire books and this is not it! This audiobook was purchased by complete and joyous by chance. I was looking for a new audiobook and I didn't even read one review about it. This audiobook turned out to be unique (to me) in the approached and humor Cherie Priest uses with her characters and plot.
This is my first Cherie Priest book and I have to say that I am hooked. She created a modern vampire that one, has a job. It might not be a legal one but she is dealing with clients and and deadlines. And two, Raylene is a vampire that does not need to suck the life out of every one she meets. Don't get me wrong there is violence and a few people die. But she does it cause she has to not because she is thirsty.
I think this (audio)book would be a great television series. Having a season of Raylene going on one big action packed mission for a client would be great. Her character is so kick butt that she could hold the show. I mean who doesn't like a kick ass strong female protagonist with a side kick Drag Queen.
If I could fix one thing with this book I would give them book more steam. Without giving anything away, there was a moment that frustrated me that nothing happened.
I am looking forward to the next book in the series.

Is She Really a Vampire?

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

It wasn't bad, but I kept wondering if the character really was supernatural. She seemed to have retained all of her human qualities, but few of the supposed vampire improvements. She got tired, made rookie errors, and didn't drain the bad guys when the opportunity arose and she needed sustenance.
But it was well- written and funny.
I'll think about listening to the next book in the series, but only if nothing better comes along.

What about Natalie Ross???s performance did you like?

Ms Ross did a good job.

Made me want to go find the next book

I really enjoyed this book. When I finished it, I immediately did a search to see if there was another in the series, or at least with the same characters. It is uncommon that I enjoy a book enough that I will seek out others by the same author rather than continue through my current reading list...so that might be 'nuff said.

Naw... I'll add more. The main character is strong and independent and non-whiny (nice change for female leads in urban fantasy) and while there are men in the story, she is not dependent on them being around to save her. There are some decent supporting characters - none of which are stereotypical. In fact, it is almost like Priest thought about what *would* be stereotypical in this genre, and twisted them to something else completely.

The ending was not as resolved as I would have liked it to be, but it was not a cliff-hanger, and, of course, it is book one (of two at the moment)... so I suppose there has to be something to resolve to warrant book 2. And I will go out now and get it!

The narration is very good and it was not particularly gory or graphic.

Interesting

The heroine was sassy and complicated. Sometimes I liked her and at other times I did not. The story was action packed with a couple of unexpected twists.

Thoroughly enjoyed!

What did you love best about Bloodshot?

Any additional comments?

Easy, and entertaining story. Smooth narration and storytelling from a lovely voice. Loved it! I imagine I'll be checking out more from Cherie and Natalie.

Try this, interesting and a little different

What made the experience of listening to Bloodshot the most enjoyable?

The main character was realistically cautious, the book opened several interesting lines of inquiry for future books to delve into

I wanted it to be better than it was

The narrator was great. The story would drag and drag. I'd zone out for large periods and come back and she was still thinking girly thoughts about something. She'd go on about how important it is to not care for humans, and then you find out she cares for two kids. She would go on about how different she looks, but no one EVER noticed... until sometimes they did. Shoot, it's stated at least twice how black her eyes are and how her pupils take up her whole iris... now go look at the cover. Feels like the character needed cleaned up. She would tell you how she got here and how successful she is and smart, then F everything up. She talked like a hard ass, but made all the HORRIBLE rookie mistakes. AND, she was the MOST emotional and nonvampiric vampire I've ever read. If the story had been with a normal non preternatural, it may have been good. But it's like it was written for any lead female, and then the fact that she was a vampire was added as an after thought. So yeah. I didn't enjoy it. I have been trying to listen to it for two weeks now and I can't get through it, that almost NEVER happens. I average two audio books a week. (lots of driving.)

It was okay

Is there anything you would change about this book?

She repeated some things a little to much. I guess if you read the book a little at a time then you wouldn't notice it but because I use mine for my walking buddy, I found it a little repetitive. I would have liked a little more romance in the book. she was checking out the guys but the romance didn't flow into the book.

Would you recommend Bloodshot to your friends? Why or why not?

Yeah. it was okay. If I remembered it.

What aspect of Natalie Ross’s performance would you have changed?

I didn't have a problem with her telling me the story. I liked her different accents.

Did Bloodshot inspire you to do anything?

no

Fast pace and funny!

Where does Bloodshot rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Great new author if you have not tried her. Ms Natalie Ross really makes the character wonderful, funny and just one of the fasts books I have listen to in a long time. Hellbent is just as great. This is book 1 and Hellbent is 2

Have you listened to any of Natalie Ross’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I have most of Ms Ross recordings. This is one of the very best.

Any additional comments?

If you like ms Ross, buy Linda Howard's After the Night and shades of Twilight

Really fun, multi-layered characters. I want more.

What did you love best about Bloodshot?

The characters. The story was engaging, but the characters made it much more interesting. An OCD vampire thief. A blind vamp. A homeless urchin who can hide like anything and seems braver than any eight year old has a right to be. And a post-service special forces soldier who works as a drag queen.

Who was your favorite character and why?

While I do really like Cheshire Red, I gotta give this one to Sister Rose/Adrian DeJesus. I know drag queens, and not one of them is a simple person. Adrian/Sister Rose is a great combo of machismo and grace.

What does Natalie Ross bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Excellent reading and characterization. It's a first person narration and her voice has become "Cheshire Red" to me. She gets the snark in her voice just right. It's lovely.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The climax, of course. But there are several "tense" moments.

Any additional comments?

If you enjoy Dresden, you'll like Cheshire Red.