Reviewed by Vicki

TITLE: Blood & Stone

SERIES:Venom Valley book three

AUTHOR: Hank Edwards

PUBLISHER: Wilde City Press

LENGTH: unknown

BLURB:

Josh Stanton’s mother has been held prisoner by the vampire Balthazar for fifteen years. As Balthazar has turned the residents of Belkin’s Pass into vampires under his control, Josh, his lover Dex, former saloon girl Glory, and US Army Sergeant Walker Maxwell fight to contain the undead uprising.

As Josh struggles to control his power to raise the dead, the group is pursued to the abandoned Fort Emmerick. There they make plans to take the battle to Balthazar’s cave, uncertain if all of them will live to see the light of day once again.

REVIEW:

Have you read the first books? You’ve GOT to read the first books! They are wonderful! So go read them then come back….

So. Josh raises the dead, there are nasty vampires, cowboys, prostitutes, Native Americans, and Dex. Josh and Dex have been friends forever, each having secret feelings for the other, but keep it to themselves. Big dramatic stuff happens, Josh and Dex get really friendly and it is hot! More stuff happens, Dex gets kidnapped by the bad vampire, Josh and Glory the prostitute try to save what’s left of the townsfolk, meet the hot Army Sargeant that Josh lusts after, and Dex gets free. Reunited and it feels so good! Except the bad vampire is still out there, Josh is still lusting after the Sergeant, Dex feels guilty over something he did with the bad vampire, and Josh’s long lost mother is being held captive by the bad vampire. All caught up for Blood & Stone!

Blood & Stone picks up right where the last one ended, right in the middle of the action. Dex, Josh and crew are trapped in the church which gets set on fire. This begins a night of running from burning building to burning building as Belkin’s Pass is destroyed around them. Dex and Josh are devastated by the loss of the town that has been their home their entire lives. They are also feeling a separation between them growing as they are each dealing with internal issues. It’s hard to see, they have spent as much time apart as together in the last two books and I want them to be together so badly. The group makes it to Walker’s Army fort and settles in the make a plan to deal with Balthazar…

Lots of action and drama happens, including a bit of really naughty sex between Josh and Dex. There isn’t much time or privacy for a lot of sex, with the vampires trying to kill them, but they do have a hot rondezvous in the bathhouse. Dex gets all alpha on Josh and…. well, you can guess! Walker has some secrets, and is still sniffing around Josh, making Dex even more tense. Glory flits around, does some smart stuff and some stupid stuff,  Walker’s soldiers are sometimes annoying and sometimes helpful. Vampires And wolves are killed, Indians are rescued and participate in the finale, and Walker’s secrets are revealed. The big finale is quite dramatic and lots happens! Both good and bad. Although I was still confused about Josh’s mother at the end.

I’ve enjoyed this whole series, it felt like a season of a TV show, or a mini series. Books one and two ending with cliff hangers, then the third ending with a big finale. There was a great cast of characters, Dex and Josh were certainly the stars, but Glory, Walker, Beatrice, Balthazar, Sally, Ohanzee, and the others on both sides of the battle all added a lot to the overall story. Sometimes additional characters are just there, but several of these had their own stories and issues. There was lots of action, moving from place to place, several fight scenes, and of course the ending action sequence. Very clear lines between good and evil with an epic battle. Well more of a running battle through the three books. A little bit of horror, with the vampires, wolves, and Josh’s walking dead, a little bit of romance between Josh and Dex, also Glory and Ohanzee. Walker adds conflict to the romance between Josh and Dex, but doesn’t destroy it. I wish there had been more sex, but I get why there wasn’t. There was no time or opportunity,  so it’s not a complaint, it didn’t ruin the story or anything, I just personally like a bit more sexy times in the books I read!

If you like paranormal romance novels, you’ll probably like this series and this book. They are just on the edge of cheesy, in that old western TV show way, but that is not a bad thing! Somewhat like the movie Cowboys and Aliens, action and adventure. The writing is good, this one wasn’t quite as good as the others, I’m not sure why exactly. A few scenes just seems stilted maybe, or rushed. Not enough to detract from my enjoyment, but something was slightly off. But I still really liked the whole series and this was a great wrap up book!

RATING:

BUY LINKS: Wilde City Press