Vampires Rule

Review by: Bryna Butler on May 5, 2013 :
This story is incredibly original and intriguing. What if a vampire could turn human again? What if he was a young vampire, one with his human family still living? How would his vampire friends react?

I found the interactions of the characters to be well thought out and intriguing. Some parts really tug at your heart, but it wasn't all drama either. This book is action-packed (underlined). The fights and plot twists come fast and furious and keep you guessing.

I also liked the way that Blake pulled in some of her own new takes on the super powers we have come to expect from werewolves. These werewolves have invisible claws, they can control wraiths, very cool twists on the old legends.

Overall, I think that Vampires Rule is a must-read. The cliffhanger at the end has my stomach in knots, craving more. HIGHLY RECOMMEND.

Review by: C. M. on April 15, 2013 :
Jack a.k.a. Jackpot, a 17 year old teenager is attacked by a werewolf leaving him for dead but is saved by a vampire, by transforming him into one. Ten years later, while visiting his graveyard, vampire Jackpot tries to save a beautiful girl from a werewolf, although he knows that even a scratch from the creature means death. Miracles of miracles, Jack instead of dyeing turns into what he always wanted to be … a human, a 'normal' human that can go to school and have a normal life.

He meets Silver, a strong, beautiful, soul-sucker werewolf hunter, and she tells him that he has a destiny to fulfill. If that wasn’t enough for Jackpot to hear she also tells him that everything paranormal wants him dead. So, a normal life, huh? Not a chance when wraiths, vampires, werewolves, fairies, hunters, protective girlfriend’s parents or single minded brothers want to tear you to pieces.

The characters were wonderful; my favorite character was Jersey Clifford (the teacher). I liked how he was refined and calculating, I wish there was more info about him because he is such an interesting character…maybe in the next book we’ll see more.

What I didn’t like in the book were the warnings like ‘if it’s too dangerous don’t do it’ or ‘ today we’ve done a lot, let’s leave it for tomorrow’, the way some characters were introduced, distance and time related measurements, things seem to be repeated, the plot was a bit too predictable, some grammar and typo errors.

The story line is fresh at least I haven't read a vamp/were book like this. The world is a unique one, has a great background history, I love it when an author questions the stereo types put on the supernatural and makes up their own rules it makes for a more interesting read if you have a whole new set of rules to play by.

Note: I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.

Review by: Allan Krummenacker on March 15, 2013 :
His name is Jack, his nickname is "Jackpot" and with good reason. Killed by a werewolf, but changed at the last moment by vampires he is spared from death. Then by a freak chance, he becomes mortal once more after an encounter with another werewolf. Now he's not completely human, vampire or werewolf... he's something more.

K. C. Blake presents us with a unique blend of traditional vampires, werewolves and a bit more thrown in. It's a fast-paced tale of life, death, rebirth. Second chances that may not be all we hoped they would be. Friends and family become enemies and allies, with twists and turns sure to keep the reader on edge.

This is the first in "The Rule" series. The characters can be a little hard to like at times, but when setting the stage for a series this can be forgiven as we watch them grow and find that there is still a lot more to come from this author and these books.

Highly recommended for vampire and werewolf fans.

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Review by: jacquelyn smith on March 2, 2013 :
What a story !!!!
Jack was on firer, after being a vampire for so many years it was hard to start over, but start over he did with a little help from friends and family his life was never boring.

Meet Silver an ass kicking werewolf hunter that also loves Jack.

What more can I say I loved this story !!!!!

Review by: Sadie S. Forsythe on Feb. 12, 2013 :
I'm having a little trouble writing this review. Not because I don't know what I want to say, but because I don't want to write the exact same review 15 other people already have. The truth is, however, that just like a number of previous readers, I found the idea of this story fascinating but the execution lacking. Jack, Silver, and Jersey's destiny was an interesting one, but there were a number of plot holes and a couple just curiosity holes.

I thought that the characters were a little flat and I greatly disliked the way that Silver was constantly treated as a child. She had trained her WHOLE life to be a werewolf hunter. Jack had just been introduced to the art. But everyone was willing to let him take the lead and all of the risks. Why? Was she really so weak? If so, how had she survived so long without him? I mean she's part of the prophecy (or whatever) too. It smacked of paternalistic sexism...have to protect the precious, fragile female at all cost. Oh god, just gag me.

I did really appreciate Jersey Clifford in all of his poetry spewing badness. He felt like he had more depth than all of the other character combined. Cowboy and Lily had a lot of potential too. Similarly the interaction between Jack and his brother was thought provoking. Billy's experience surely had to be the hardest of any other character. He deserves some credit.

It was hard to reconcile the 'we have to save the world' plot line with the 'innocent love' storyline. I suppose if I was 15 and didn't know how much more life had to offer I might be able to relate to the importance of being a couple (holding hands, carrying her books, etc). But as an adult I found the whole thing too...too vanilla. Granted, I am an adult and this is a YA book (and I'd expect it to best appeal to the lower age brackets of the genre). But even if I could get excited about it, I have a hard time believing two people tasked with such a heavy destiny would stop in the middle of it to cuddle and declare their undying love. Not the time people.

My final and extremely inelegant say on the matter is that the book was alright and will likely appeal to Twilight's younger fan base.

Review by: Sheila Deeth on Feb. 13, 2012 :
Jack would love nothing more than to be human again, but Jack died ten years ago and now his little brother’s older than him and his girlfriends are fighting over him. A teen novel with vampires who aren’t adorably dreamy and dangers that really might include death and dismemberment, K.C. Blake’s Vampires Rule makes a refreshing change.

Jack gets his wish, but living a normal high-school life in the daylight doesn’t quite live up to expectations. As he worries about whether he’s really “safe” he finds he has no-one to talk to, except a teacher who seems to know entirely too much.

There’s a halting romance between Jack and Silver, romantic tension between Jack and his vampire friend, sibling rivalry between Jack and his brother, and an intriguing mentor-mentee relationship building between Jack and the man who might be his nemesis. Different weights are given to different relationships throughout the tale, and book two, Werewolves Rule might resolve some of the mysteries left open at the end. But Vampires Rule comes to a satisfying conclusion, avoiding both simple endings and out-and-out conflict, leaving a curious sense of mystery with ancient prophesy and modern hope.

Written with a nicely youthful point of view, instilling just enough confidence to make me believe all the coincidences will be explained, this novel reads well on its own and is a worthy beginning to a series.



Disclosure: I was lucky enough to get a free ecopy and promised myself I’d write a review in thanks.

Review by: Nawnee Savage on Jan. 22, 2012 :
I'm not sure what it is about this book that caught my attention but I got to the point where I wanted to know the answers to the mysterious situations cropping up in the book. it is written more about 17yr olds but it didn't do the whiny crap that you can get along with reading a teen book. The story line is fresh at least I haven't read a vamp book quite like this so the authors world is a unique one and not a knock off of someone else's which is nice, I love it when an author questions the stereo types put on the supernatural and makes up there own rules it makes for a more interesting read if you have a whole new set of rules to play by.

I have to say thanks to K.C. Blake for offering this book as a free read I really enjoyed it as you can tell since it took me less than a day to read, Can't wait to read the sequel.

Review by: A.B. Shepherd on Dec. 30, 2011 :
** spoiler alert ** I enjoyed the authors take on vampirism/werewolves and destiny. This is a solid YA novel with no sex and only the amount of violence appropriate to a vampire/werewolf novel. My only problem with it is a discrepancy that bothered me. At one point Jack and Silver figure out they can see memories if they touch an object together, but only if they touch it at the same time. Yet at least once Jack somehow managed to see memories when touching an object on his own.

I did like that this appears to be book one of a series and I would look forward to reading the rest of the story of Jack and Silver and their destinies.

Review by: Elizabeth Ayala on Dec. 26, 2011 :
I highly enjoyed reading this book. The story was very original. I have never read anything like it.

Review by: Danie Cutter on Nov. 28, 2011 :
A good solid book with a slightly different take on the vampire genre, nice to have characters that are not all fawning over each other and how wonderful vampires/werewolves are!

This is immensely readable, the writing flows and I'd always read far more than I though I had time for. The characters are understandable and identifiable, all in all an enjoyable read. The only negative was that I found the plot a bit predictable, in fact towards the end where it appeared a double cross was to be discovered it wasn't as sizeable as a twist could or should have been.

I would probably read the next, if I'm not being shouted at for other books but will still be hoping for that huge double cross that in my opinion was missing from this one.

Review by: Katie on Oct. 26, 2011 :
I received a free copy of this ebook (Thank you K.C.!), and had a great time reading it! I was a little wary at first because although I did read Twilight, it's not my favorite genre and I thought it might be a little too similar. The supernatural characters are similar, but this story has a bit of a twist to it with its main character turning human again after being a vampire and introducing "hunters" to the mix.

There are plenty of reviews that lay out the plot, so I won't repeat it. "Vampires Rule" was easy to read, and I raced through it, despite some minor errors that didn't get caught in the editing process. I think YA's will enjoy this book, especially if they are attracted to supernatural/fantasy genre. The character development was lacking a bit, but mostly because of the main focus on just two of the characters. Since this is part of a series, I hope that readers will get to know more about a couple of other characters in the next novel. Jack and Silver are easy to relate to, through the "normal" parts of their lives (school, crushes, etc.) and I think the YA crowd will really connect with them.

Review by: Bookblogger on Oct. 25, 2011 :
Vampires Rule by K.C. Blake has several things going for it. First off it takes the pretty stale YA vampire theme and puts enough of a twist on it to make it interesting. Jack (AKA Jackpot) has been a vampire for about 10 years. As per his yearly ritual he returns home to check on his "little" brother. In his hometown he runs gets into a fight with a werewolf and is saved by a hunter that should be trying to kill him as well. When he wakes up he has been changed back into a mortal. He and the hunter that saved him (Silver) are prophesied to bring an end to the epidemic of supernatural threats. That basis for the story has a lot of potential and leads to some interesting places. The origin story for the vampires and werewolves was also a pretty good one.

The romance angle of the story between Jack and Silver really did not add anything to the appeal of the book for me. It seemed more awkward than was really necessary and seemed to fit into the Twilight mold a little too much for me. Overall this story is actually probably not bad for younger teens and the pros outweigh the cons. I will most likely check out the second book in the series to see what new surprises there are in store.

Review by: Natalie Star on Oct. 20, 2011 :
Good, clean, fun read. I'm an adult who loves YA vamp stories but this one was just okay to me. I think this one is for the younger teens for sure.

Review by: Kelley Gula on Oct. 11, 2011 :
I personally liked this book. The latest vampire books I have been reading is all about sex. This book has an actual story and I found it very refreshing to read. I ended up putting all my other books aside to finish this book, as I was very curious to find out what happens. I will be purchasing the next book as to find out what happens.

Review by: karlaihdez on Oct. 11, 2011 :
The premise of the book is really great but one you start reading well, it´s not that the story is bad, not at all, actually it was ok it could have been a lot better but i came across some time line error that got me completly out of the story.

Jack is a 17 years old boy that was turned into a vampire after a were killed his parents, and he lived a vampire life for 10 years "mostly feeding on animal blood" i´m not kidding he actually said that will making a point that he wasn´t a killer, so mostly he didn´t drink for humans wich means a) he drink a bit and let the human turn into a vampire or b) he kills them, so he wasn´t mostly a killer YEAH RIGHT!!!!

then we have Silver Reign (very original name for a Were Hunter) a.k.a Starr wich i guess was the name the author intended to use at first but then changed her mind (how do i know?, well silver is refered as starr during the book), anyway she longs to have a normal life and be a lawyer but she is trapped by destiny and family tradition.

Jack´s baby brother Billy 25 years old, is a were hunter trained by reign´s family, and his story goes like this. i wanna kill the were that killed my family, i wanna kill my vamp brother, i wanna kill the were that killed my family, i wanna kill my former vamp brother,wow im lame, but hey! lets kill the were that killed my family(that about sums it up).

The reign family are really cool, hidden weapons cabbinet and all...

and we have Jersey a.k.a THE BAD GUY, he´s the best character in the book, he has ups and downs and he´s a sucker for classic authors, and he likes jack but he knows he´ll have to fight him to death in the end.

the plot is ok, there are many characters introduced at first, that makes u feel they´ll have some big part in the plot but then they just vanish, the book it´s good at least it managed to make me curious about the second book, so i´ll look for it, but it wasn´t a mind blowing thing.

that being said it has a lot of potencial and i liked the tone things ended.

on a better note the idea of a former vampire that comes to life again, to kill a were that´s going to bring the end of the world an can summon wraiths is kinda cool, and he has to do all that with his were hunter girlfriend her were hunter parents and his lame 25 year old baby brother on toe, plus he totally likes the bad guy.

so i will check out the next book just cause i´m curious to where all this is going...

Review by: Kym Hare on Sep. 30, 2011 :
http://undeadpassion.blogspot.com/

This book had a very refreshing and unique take on the whole vampire/werewolf thing. I thought it was quite funny that in Vampire's Rule the vampire's can't drink alcohol, in almost all other vampire books this seems to be a necessity. The story had a good flow to it and also had a decent amount of suspense in there. I was a little disappointed towards the end but then as I read on that changed to me thinking no way did that just happen and then by the end I was sitting there thinking well now I am going to have to read the next story and soon because I want to know how it is going to end.

Jack is a vampire who once every year returns home to check on his old home and to also check on his brother who is still alive. Jack's parents were killed by a werewolf and Jack himself should have died in the attack as well but was saved by a vampire named Summer. While checking on the house Jack decides to also go and check out the graveyard where his parents are buried and where he is supposed to be buried. While there Jack sees a young girl around his age who is about to get eaten by a werewolf, Jack steps in to save her but what he doesn't know is that the girl, Silver is actually a hunter and is more than capable of defending herself against a werewolf. Jack however, interferes and ends out getting attacked by the werewolf this should mean that Jack should die but there are other plans in place for Jack. Jack and Silver are part of a prophecy that was written ages and ages ago, Jack and Silver are the only ones who can kill the very first werewolf that was created and if they can do this then werewolves will cease to exist. Killing the first born werewolf is going to be a tough task though and there is a lot at stake including the lives of their family and their own.

Opening Line: The vampire stood in the shadows and stared up at the farmhouse he used to call home. No longer the bright sunny yellow his mum had chosen, the exterior had been covered with a mutated olive tone. This small difference knocked Jack off-balance. For a fraction of second he thought he might be at the wrong address. Had his brother sold the farm?

Favourite Line: We all have a destiny, known or unknown. Our choice is to run from it or embrace it. Chooose well.

Favourite Character: I really liked Lily and I wish we could have seen a lot more from her. She reminds me a lot of myself and I think she could have been a lot of fun.

K.C Blake's Blog: http://kasi-kcblake.blogspot.com

Review by: Lissa Smith Reads Bookaholics Bookshelf Reviews on Sep. 19, 2011 :
As a lover of the written word and an overprotective much too involved mother not to mention a fan of the sups world, the title Vampires Rule caught my attention when my 11 year old wanted to read it. We just couldn’t wait to sink our teeth into this one (pun poorly intended). I try not to judge books by their covers (my daughter however, does), but I did find the cross on the VR cover to be eye-catching and it left many question and I had to dive in too see where it would lead.

Once purchased, the fight ensued between my daughter and I as too who would have VR on their kindle first. Ha! I won, due to the fact I review books for a web-site; thanks for that HC, (I owe you another). In spite of this, I was also reviewing five other books at the time, so she took the opportunity to swipe the book from me. Thus began the great debate VR adult v/s child.

As the debate raged on it was obvious we had different options regarding the originality of the story line. Yes, I can see how to younger readers the story may seem original, but to the older reader or adults, not so much. It’s easy to feel out the subtle whispers of books and shows the author has enjoyed in his past. Whether he happen to occasionally read popular books such as Swoon, Vampire Academy, and others too many to name; or catch episodes of television shows such as Buffy, Angel, Supernatural and Dead Zone, there influences are dominate throughout.

We did manage to agree on a few things. First it was obvious the author had intentions on a series by splitting the novel up into two books before the big climax. (More $$money that way I suppose.) As readers we vote big fight climax then leave us hanging on another story line. Second, it fell somewhat flat. The characters seemed forced and considerably unrealistic. Third, not that I am perfect; (avid user of ABC spell/grammar check and benchmark and geese…do I need it!) I found several errors in spelling and plot changes.

No one is perfect least of all me; though I did enjoy the read and the debate with my daughter’s. I would suggest it for the Jr. High/ Middle School girls as my eighteen year old was just not that into it saying, “It’s poorly written, just right for the Bieber Fever kids.”

Review by: Taneesha Freidus on Aug. 17, 2011 :
My Cover Thoughts: I love the cover art work. It is a picture of a cross that is intricately designed with jewels and other hand work.

My Thoughts/Review: Oh man I have had this book for quite sometime and I finally was able to read it. I loved it and could not put it down. Jack is a vampire that can’t shake his humanity. Every year he goes to visit his home where his brother lives and visit his grave. Only this year he is told that he should avoid a girl because she will be the death of him. Of course he does not believe in any of that and when he sees a girl in trouble at the cemetery he goes to help her only he is attacked and dying from a werewolf attack. As Jack is lying there dying he tells his vampire friends to leave him at the door step of his brother s house so he can die in his family home. Only when he wakes up he realizes he is not in his family home but he is in that girl from the cemeteries house. In shock he wants to know who she is and what she wants. He knows she is a hunter and could kill him at any time but he wants to know what she has planned out for him.

The next morning he awakes in her bed with the sun shinning on him and he panics because the sun burns up vampires. It is then that he realizes he is no longer a vampire but a human. He and the girl talk and he finds out that he is part of a plan to save the world from vampires and werewolves. As the story unfolds Jack must make some serious decisions and he must learn to trust humans, but there is a problem because he has been a vampire for 10 years he just can’t turn off his vampire ways and so trusting humans is a no no so he must fight that in order to survive.

Things start to go bump in the night and Jack must chose between good and evi. He must decide if he can kill as a human or be killed. He also has learned that the one person he trusts and loves the most is the one that will kill him. What a boy to do?

Memorable Quotes: Page 143 Jack and Silver Talking to each other: Jack crossed the room to the book shelf and picked up the volume Jersey had
wanted him to read. It was one of his favorites, one of Lily’s favorites. Jack opened it. Jersey had written a little note on the inside. We all have a destiny, known or unknown.Our choice is to run from it or embrace it. Choose well.
“You really liked him, didn’t you?” Silver’s expression was one of total disbelief.
“After everything he did, you still like him.” How could he explain it to her? “He reminded me of my father. Not in a bad way. My father kept his emotions in check. He gave new meaning to calm, cool, and collected. Then there was the way I felt when talking to Jersey. He had all this wisdom to impart, and he did it eagerly. Having him around was almost like having my father back.” Silver walked over to him and slid into his arms. The side of her face pressed against his chest. She mumbled against his shirt. “I’m sorry you had to lose him. My parents are searching for Jersey via computer and contacts, but they probably won’t be able to find him for a long time. Maybe by the time they do, I’ll be able to suck his soul out, and you won’t have to kill him.” It was a horrible thing to wish for, but Jack found himself doing just that. He wasn’t sure if he had the strength to face Jersey on a battlefield. No matter what awful things Jersey had done, Jack feared he would always love the man. At least the parts that reminded him of the father he’d lost. Would it be better for Jersey to have his soul sucked out or to be touched by the rock? “What do you think happens to the souls you suck out? Are they lost forever?” “No. Didn’t you read that part in the diary?” “I guess I missed it.” “Lovely says they travel on, heaven or hell, wherever they were meant to be.” That didn’t sound so bad. “I’ll be back in a second.” Jack sprinted out to the car and retrieved the diary. Since it was still in his possession, he wanted to read the part about sucking souls out again. Silver had read it enough to know what page the information could be found on. He leaned in through the open window, took the diary out of the glove compartment. As he pulled it through the window, it slipped from his fingers. The diary opened on the ground to a brand new page. Jack hunched over it and read it again and again. He swallowed hard. Disbelief hardened his heart. No way. Someone was messing with him. He grabbed the diary, slapped it shut, but it was too late. The words were burned inside his brain. Beware of Silver, Jack. Betrayal will lead to your death. It had to be a trick. Somehow Jersey had planted the page, forged Lovely’s handwriting. Jack didn’t believe for a second that Silver would betray him. She most certainly would not lead him to his death. The sucking-out-souls passage forgotten, he tossed the diary back through the open window. With slow feet and a sinking spirit, he returned to the secret mansion beneath the house. He didn’t say a word to Silver about the new prophecy.

Advice: This is a must read! Action packed and a little swoon worthy loving in it!

Review by: Chelsea Carson on Aug. 14, 2011 :
I was lucky enough to be able to download Vampires Rule from Smashwords because of the generosity of K.C. Blake. Thank you!
I was immediately interested in the story from the first page. The thought of a lonely boy who cared about his family really drew me in. Jack is a great hero who is nothing like the stereotypical vampire that seems to have taken over most young adult books.
Silver is a good heroine as well. She is strong and has goals that appeal to teen girls. I loved that she wants to be a lawyer.
The other characters were decent. I really didn't have a problem with any of them. Billy and Silver's parents seem like good people to me.
Prophesies and fate are a huge draw to teenagers. They like believing there is a plan for them. This story will certainly pull in young adults.
My only real problem with the book was that Silver is once called Star...that confused me a bit. Other than a few other minor typos, I really loved reading Vampires Rule.

Review by: Stephen Perigo on Aug. 9, 2011 :
I downloaded Vampires Rule by K.C. Blake from Smashwords and I am glad that I did. I would like to thank the author for providing me with a free review copy.

Vampires Rule was an interesting ride that I truly enjoyed. The history/myth building that served as the background for the story was a nice change from "normal" vampire and werewolf stories. With the addition of other realms with fairy beings, I was hooked from early in the story.

I have always been a fan of Urban Fantasy and vampires, but the genre has become predictable and stale. Along comes K.C. Blake to give a fresh take and breath new life into the genre once again.

Unfortunately, 'Vampires Rule' is not all roses for me. Although I enjoyed the story, I often felt that the supporting characters were plastic and a bit one-dimensional. Only Jack, and sometimes Silver, were given any realistic depth. I won't worry too much about this point though...there is a sequel on the way that should bring a little more depth for some of the other characters.

Another gripe I have pertains to the editing and proof-reading. There are some simple typos that made it into the final version, but there is more than just typos. At one point, the character Silver is referred to as Starr. I think that may be a holdout from a previous version and was missed in editing. Then there is a continuity issue where Jack is in a fight on the first day of school, two weeks pass, then he is in a fight again and the principal mentions "this is your second day and your second fight". It seems that the author probably changed the story to allow time to pass before another altercation, but then just missed the principal's line in the editing.

I know I harped on the negatives and only highlighted the positives, but that should not deter others from reading and enjoying the book. I like the concept and the plot, and I like the character potential that has been built into the story. I plan to read the next in the series as well.

Story, Ideas and Plot 4.00
Execution, Editing and Character Development 3.5
Overall I give this a story 3.75.

Review by: Musicmann25 on July 21, 2011 :
This overall was an interesting book to read. I liked the new idea of how the vampire turns human and must discover how it happened. The characters and the plot are well formed, also the plot flows easily. If anybody happens across this book I would suggest you pick it up for a good read.

Review by: Tim on July 16, 2011 :
Jack died 10 years ago, well sort of. The victim of a vicious werewolf attack and, near death, was found by a vampire who I guess you could say "saved" his life by turning him into a vampire. Vampires Rule has a great cast of paranormals - vampires, werewolves, a soul-sucker, and a dash of fairy. On the human side we have kick-ass "hunters" who hunt the vampires and werewolves and a few everyday normal people.

The story revolves around prophecies from a diary that was written by a fairy named Lovely many years ago. The head werewolf - the first werewolf - is the primary target of the action in the book. Jack shares the main character role with a girl named Silver Reign. When we first meet her she is wearing a fuzzy pink sweater and appears to be a typical teenager. Very soon we find out that is not the case. She is a hunter and a werewolf soul-sucker. A werewolf attack is the first action scene in the book and is where Silver and Jack meet. They are both attacked and the result of this first encounter is that Jack is made into a human again - with a twist. Jack retains his vampire powers and gains some new powers. Naturally Jack and Silver fall in love. It was predicted by the prophecies along with the path these two will follow.

I really enjoyed this first book in a The Rule series. The romance between Silver and Jack was written well and yes, I did get choked up once in a scene towards the end of the book - I am such a wuss! The book has a lot of action which is balanced with character development. This is a book where you will care what happens to the characters - even main antagonist. I highly recommend this book!

The next book in the series is Werewolves Rule which I am looking forward to.

Review by: maryann schuyler on July 5, 2011 : (no rating)
i liked this book and how the author had the vampires and werewolves relationships.. Jack well he's jack. I came to think of him as a hybrid of the two.. However i didn't like how they ended the book. I wanted to see the battle unfold.. The funniest part to me was when the head werewolf said he was an angel.. all i could think at the time was wow that's a complex lol.. i would go on more but my kids are fighting with each other and i have to make dinner

Review by: Christina Lippold on July 3, 2011 : (no rating)
I enjoyed this book ! It never lost my attention. I look forward to reading the next one. I do enjoy having a clifthanger at the end of books it gives you something to look forward too. :)

Review by: p Holland on June 10, 2011 :
Jack is a young vampire returning home to visit his family's property. He has to be careful, because he can't be seen by his only surviving relative; ten years have passed since Jack was turned into a vamp and his 15-year-old kid brother Billy is now his 25-year-old big brother Billy. But evading Billy's notice is not Jack's only problem. his friend Lily sees the future (kind of) and tells him to run the other way when he meets a girl in a pink fuzzy sweater because this girl will cause his death. Her prophecy is partially true. When Jack sees Silver being attacked by a werewolf, he tries to help her and he winds up dying, but the death isn't permanent. He wakes up the next day as a human, and Silver reveals that she is a werewolf hunter and that the two of them are the subject of some very important prophecies. Even after he's regained his humanity, life is going to be anything but normal for Jack Creed.

Jack is so thrilled to be human again, he wants to pick up where he left off and get a real high school experience. He attends school with Silver, but between a creepy teacher who seems to know a little too much about Jack, werewolf threats, and the fact that Silver's keeping bigtime secrets from him, Jack has a lot to be concerned about. There's plenty of action and emotional drama as Jack and Silver try to make sense of their relationship and figure just what the bloodthirsty werewolves are up to now.

I like the family bonds in this story. Billy is the only family Jack has left after the rest of the Creeds were killed by a werewolf, and the interaction between Billy and Jack is pretty believable. Jack is willing to do anything to protect Billy, and Billy is eventually ready to accept and protect Jack, too . Silver's family adores her and they're cutely overprotective, considering that their baby girl can remove souls from people's bodies. The romance is nice, also. Silver and Jack may be linked by dreams and prophecies, but they still have an appropriately long getting-to-know-you process.

There were some elements that didn't quite work for me: 1. Vampires aren't really a match for werewolves, and a single scratch from a wolf can kill them. I'm just surprised at seeing vampires this vulnerable. 2. Silver's full name is Silver Reign, which is a little too paranormal of a name. 3. Early on, Jack and his vampire friends act very lighthearted in the face of tragedy, which is a nice break from angsty vampires in some ways, but can also seem like they have an emotional disconnect. A vampire named Cowboy leaves a dying Jack on his brother's front porch like he's dropping off a friend after school, and as Jack is dying, he requests a cigarette and some loud music on the radio.

In regard to mythology, many of the traditional vampire rules are still in place: vampires can't enter a home unless they're invited in, they fry in the sunlight, and they can manipulate objects with their minds. But I like that Jack's a young vampire. In most stories, we don't see the vampires until they've built up several decades or centuries of boredom or sorrow. Seeing a guy whose life was so freshly left behind makes him very sympathetic--he's been a vampire just long enough for things to be awkward because he can't fit into his old world anymore, but he's not far enough gone that he doesn't still want to fit in.

It's an interesting premise with a few rough spots, but worth looking into.

Review by: Cambria Hebert on June 9, 2011 :
Title: Vampires Rule
Author: K.C. Blake
ISBN: 9181458059
Published by: K.C. Blake April 2011
Format: E-book

They don’t call him Jackpot for nothing…

To me, Jack is like a cat. He has got way more than one life. As a teenager he is attacked by a blood thirsty werewolf and is saved by a vampire. Fast forward ten years and he has finally come to accept his fate as a vamp (although he isn’t truly happy), and he has made friends who have become family.

But then one night everything changes.

He is attacked by another werewolf. Except something strange happens…he doesn’t die…even though he probably should have. Instead he’s turned mortal once more.

Enthralled by his new chance at life, Jack wants nothing but to be normal. To have the life he wished for as a vampire. But with Jackpot normal isn’t in the cards. He meets Silver, a hunter who is as strong as she is beautiful, and she tells him that he has a destiny to fulfill. If that wasn’t enough for one guy to hear she also tells him that everything paranormal wants him dead.

So what’s a used-to-be vampire, now a fragile human, supposed to do to protect himself? Hide behind the girl he loves? Nope. (That would just be wimpy) He gets new powers. That’s right and they are pretty surprising.

So, now, Jack not only has to figure out how to live in a body that isn’t exactly familiar, but he has to do it while figuring out his destiny and staying alive.

K.C. Blake has a good thing going here. The characters in this book were all likable and the plot is very interesting. I really liked the mix of characters all thrown together in one plot. And all those characters made sense; they had a place in the story. There were werewolves (yes, my personal fave), vampires, hunters, wraiths, and even some mention of a faerie named Lovely.

I think the character that I enjoyed most in this book was Jack. I thought that his character was a clever twist on the same old vampire story. This is the first book that I have read that a vampire turns mortal once again. He was vulnerable, yet strong and young but very old. My favorite parts of the book were when Jack described the world the way he saw it through his own eyes. I mean, really, when else does a person get to hear what life is like as a vampire and then as a mortal? Then he begins to develop powers…powers that when combined together have the makings for one bad boy.

I also really like Jersey (yup, you guessed it…the werewolf). I liked the juxtaposition in this character. He was ruthless, yet he was a gentleman. He would rip off your head, but quote Robert Frost while doing it. And he liked to wear red sneakers. He had a magnetic personality that drew a person in and invited them to stay. Just scratching the surface of Jersey, I could tell that there was a lot of emotion and depth to be had.

Silver was the hunter (with a pretty awesome name!), and a very strong character. She could be dying inside but she would never show that to the world. In some ways, that made her more vulnerable than the rest to me. This was a girl who had been groomed her entire life to fulfill a destiny, she was taught that she had a responsibility and a duty to those around her. At the same time her parents tried to protect her – which only made it harder to do what she was destined to do. She didn’t have time to be a girl and have feelings of her own. But she did. Quietly, internally…and when she met Jack her feeling became too strong to contain.

I must say that the one thing that this book lacked was time. The book is 216 pages and to me it could have been longer. I would have loved the time to really get to know the characters – and for the plot to have developed even further. If I was able to pick up all of the above from the story then imagine how much more the reader could have connected to the story with even further characterization. I would loved to have seen more development between Jack and his brother and more development of Jack himself. I was so interested in his transitions and how he must feel in his body and I think that getting into that more would make him an even better character. I felt the same about Jersey, who was centuries old and seen so much throughout his life. It would have been fabulous backstory on him to know how he got to be the way he is today.

K.C. Blake is a very good writer who weaves a story well. I would recommend picking up a copy of this book for a quick, entertaining summer read. Keep in mind that Werewolves Rule, the second book in this series, will be along soon. Which means there is more to the story and that makes this reviewer one happy girl.
Review is written by Cambria Hebert

Review by: IHeartYABooks on June 7, 2011 :
Vampires Rule took me by surprise. I was not expecting this book to have the awesome story line that it did. K.C.Blake has written a winner with this series. Jack’s character is terrific. He's a human turned vampire, then back to human again, who says you don't get a second chase at life. Jack's second chance comes with a beautiful werewolf hunter whose name is Silver. They are destined to be together, in order to kill the first werewolf and save the human race. But that same destiny has a plan for Jack and Silver's love life, which Jack's ex vampire girlfriend, Summer, isn't too happy about. I fell in love with Jack. Jack is seventeen, handsome, and has a down-to-earth attitude. His great sense of humor had me laughing the whole time as I read this book. Silver is also seventeen, strong-willed, and a take-charge girl that can kick some serious werewolf butt. The romance between these two has lots of laughs, a few tears, but is definitely hot. Jack has a younger brother Billy, who now is his older brother. This is a funny situation that they find themselves in. Vampires Rule has fantastic romance, humor, action, and I enjoyed reading this book from Jack's POV. Especially with his humor. The second book in this series is Werewolf Rule. I'll be putting it on my to-read-list. I definitely recommend Vampires Rule as a must read!!

Review by: samantha weiler on June 5, 2011 :
I liked this book, the writing was good, but it was the storyline that I thought was great. The whole vampire/werewolf story for me has been a little over done but with Blakes twist on it this story was intriguing. If you are a vampire junkie then you have to read this book, if you are mildly interested in vampires then you have to read it too, the mortal to vampire to mortal side of it will get you hooked.

Review by: Louise Wilson on June 5, 2011 :
I have mixed feelings regarding this book. One of its positive notes is the original storyline. Yes vampires/werewolves/supernatural beings are very popular at the moment and everyone is writing about them, however Blake has managed to put a very good and different twist on this book which was refreshing. I found that once I started, I wanted to keep going to find out what happened next which is always a good thing when reading a book! However, I have to say the ending was not what I hoped for. Obviously this is continuing into another book to make a series, however the storyline seemed to build up to this all important big battle and it never came which was a let-down. I think this book would have been more exciting if the battle had been included. I did however like the fact that Jack felt affection for Jersey (and vice-versa) so the actual ending was a surprise that I never saw coming, and again something a little different than other books. It’s nice to have a character who has compassion for enemies as well as the usual grouping of friends and family. I have to point out that there are a few grammatical and spelling errors within the book, but we are all human and it is very hard to spot your own mistakes. This however and does not detract from the story. I will be reading the next instalment but one request to the author, please don’t give the chapters headings as it gives away the plot!!

Review by: Triquetra Press Publications on June 1, 2011 :
This book is about two young people destined to be together. Their love sees them through, against great odds. Only together can they face the evil forces who would destroy them both.

From the moment I picked up this book, I didn't want to put it down, and I couldn't wait to get back to reading it when I was forced to put it away.The author is a superb storyteller, who keeps constant tension going between the characters, and who has a wonderful command of writing. She did use a different style in her writing, and some, who were not familar with it, might see it as leaving out comas, etc., but it is a popular style adopted by a lot of authors, of late, including by Patrick Rothfuss, who won the Pen and Quill award. This book has a wonderful flow to it. I believe we wil see a lot of KC Blake.

Review by: Jenn Donnelly on May 30, 2011 :
***NOTE MY REVIEWS OFTEN CONTAIN SPOILERS***

Jack Creed has been a reluctant vampire for ten years, turned on the night he was attacked and left for dead by the werewolf who killed his parents, then saved by a group of passing vampires when one took an interest in him as a potential romantic partner. All of that changes when he encounters Silver Reign while visiting his grave and attempts to save her from a werewolf attack. In the misguided attempt to save her Jack is scratched by a werewolf, something fatal to vampires and believes he's going to die. Instead of a quick death at the beginning of the story Jack not only survives but becomes some sort of enhanced mortal with powers of both a werewolf and a vampire, a mortal who's arrival has been prophesied for a very long time. His shared destiny with Silver is to kill the first werewolf, the wolf responsible for creating them all and who's death could save every other werewolf in existence. If they should fail this being will not only destroy all vampires, but the entire human race as well. The story follows his budding relationship with silver, his interactions with his human brother and his vampire family and his path to discovering the first werewolf, a path that leaves him questioning if his destiny is one he wants to fulfill.

Overall this book is a great read that keeps you turning pages. I'll admit I debated between three and four stars on this one. But my copy of the book had some issues that kept skipping me around in pages and turning through blank ones to find words. Considering that I decided I might be being a little harsher on the writing than I should be because I was irritated at the difficulty it was giving me reading it on my ipod. That said I decided to give the writer the benefit of the doubt and go with the higher of the two ratings. The story is fast paced and for the most part well written.

Some of the things I noticed were first the character names, so many of them were a little far-fetched ie Silver Reign, that I found this a little distracting. With names like that it's hard to picture them as realistic people. While I've read other books with odd character names, most of them have reasonable explanations for those names and the odd names are not employed by the majority of the characters in a the book. That isn't the case with this story in my personal opinion. Another thing about the characters is that I don't think the writer gave them enough actual character flaws to be believable. Silver is bright, articulate, a good fighter, beautiful and her list of appealing qualities goes on and on. The same can be said for Jack. However, I can't really mention anything negative about their characters. Yes Jack used to be a vampire, but he only drank animal blood. Characters in a story are supposed to be a fictional reflection of real people. Real people are not perfect, they have at least one physical flaw that drives them nuts every time they look in a mirror. Real people have at least a handful of bad habits, and they have lists of things they don't really like about themselves, things they want to change. While I could see the flaws in all the secondary characters, in the two main characters, the ones you could tell the writer really cared about you didn't really see flaws. Jack and Silver are practically perfect teenage kids. Yes they skipped school, but that was to free the trapped souls of the poor wraiths from the never-ending slavery of the first werewolf. Yes Jack considered returning to being just a vampire, but the vampires are the ones who saved him from death when the werewolves attacked his family and they then became his friends, his family for the last decade. Everything Jack and Silver do that could possibly have a negative connotation behind it has a completely good and justifiable reason to go with it. I feel the main characters need a little bit more grit and more flaws to be real to a reader. No I'm not asking her to take her favorite characters and make them into criminals but for example with Buffy the Vampire Slayer, which the writer has obviously watched, Buffy is an a##kicking vampire and demon slayer, however her grades in school suck because she's so busy saving the world she doesn't have time to study. She's not popular because her priorities aren't the same as a normal teenager and it's very clear during that series that despite her calling Buffy clearly resents her life. While Silver does make similar claims in this story they aren't as believable because she doesn't have the actions to go with them and as the old saying goes actions speak louder than words.

Another issue I had with this story is some of the plot points seemed a bit contrived or unoriginal and some of them were predictable. For instance I knew who the first werewolf was the minute Silver mentioned him, I knew he'd already been introduced and I knew exactly what character it was. Silver being the chosen one, and the way it was described seemed like a scene right out of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Yeah she's more meant to kill werewolves than anything else, but it almost mirrors the Slayer prophecy. And the having met in dreams, being destined to be together thing just was hard to believe. I was also expecting a little bit more in the ending after having read all that build up throughout the book. I felt cheated to not get the final confrontation in this story especially when the battle we did get didn't have nearly the attention or build enough to satisfy me as a reader with the ending.

That said, it was an interesting story and employed a lot of things I did like. I found it intriguing to keep getting pulled into memories when Jack touched something or someone. I liked character of Jersey Clifford, the way he was both intelligent and insane. He was the kind of character who drew you in, who you wanted to understand. I'd have to have seen more of his interaction with Jack, more back story in to him and everyone else including the prophesy. I liked Lily and Summer but again I don't think they got enough play in the story. I guess the thing I think this story is really missing is the build. When the writer decided she wanted to make this a series, she should have added a little more bulk to the villain she was planning to take out in this section of the story. It needed more than just a few random scenes for a reader to feel vindicated when he's taken out. It's missing the back story I guess, the explanations to make it completely believable. We did get some of that and those portions that we got were extremely intriguing. They had me curious and kept me turning pages to discover more. It is a good story and a thrilling read, but I personally wish the author had given us just a little bit more throughout the story to make it something no reader can dismiss or ignore.

Additionally I'd like to thank the author for offering me the chance to read and review her book by giving me a free review copy.

Review by: april inman on May 27, 2011 : (no rating)
This is an amazing story. The romance between jake and Silver is very innocent and refreshing, Just perfect. Very entertaining with lots of twists and turns that leaves you wanting more. Looking forward to reading more of this series. Thanks K.C. Blake for writing such a wonderful series. And keep writing. :-)

Review by: Wicked Sweet on May 24, 2011 :
I would like to congretulate K C Blake on an amazing book. This was my first time reading a self- published book and I was not left disappointed.
This book is great for YA Paranormal junkies, filled with vampires, werewolves and others.
This book was fast paced, with many twist & turns and very entertaining. K C Blake has managed to take a book based on vampires and werewolves and give it a new energetic story line with like nothing i have read yet.
The characters were well written and very likeable. Absolutely loved reading Jack and Silver's story unfold, but I cannot forget the cunning and intelligent English teacher Jersey Clifford.
I look forward to reading the rest of the series and recommend this book to YA lovers.

Review by: Kerry Stewart on May 22, 2011 :
There are a lot of cool twists in this book. I loved the characters, especially Jack and Silver. They have a sweet, innocent romance that is refreshing. It is a fast-paced read with a lot of action. I am definitely recommending this book to my friends, and I'm going to save it to read again at a later time.

I don't want to give anything away and there were really too many things about this book that were good and funny. I probably couldn't list them all if I tried. As a mother I will tell you it was refreshing to read a YA book that wasn't overflowing with nasty innuendos and graphic sexual situations. Some of the stuff out there, I wouldn't let my kids read it, that's for sure.

I can't wait to read the second book in this series!

Review by: stacie schott on May 17, 2011 : (no rating)
I loved the book. The characters are very three dimensional and you will fall in love with Jack and Silver. The villain comes off as very suave at first and I actually really liked him in some twisted way. This is a super fast and easy read and it is not your typical vampire story at all. I can't say enough about it. You will be hooked after the first few lines. The writer really catches your attention right from the get go. I won't say anything more about it, I would hate to spoil it, but let's just say, you can't help but to fall in love with his original friends too. It is hard to put down after you pick it up so beware.

Review by: Enora Dunham on May 13, 2011 :
This is the first self-published book I've ever read and I can't say I regret it. K.C. Blake has a great story here. Unfortunately, the book could've of used one or two more edits. Actually, my only qualm with the book is the spelling and grammatical errors in it. They weren't so awful that they jerked you out of the book though, not for me at least. It's really sad she couldn't find a publisher for this book because I bet it would be really popular if she'd been able to get one. On to the review....

I really loved Vampires Rule's story. It was different and fresh to me. I'm somewhat hesitant to give the book four stars but really, the biggest reason why it's getting four stars is because the story was so entertaining. The characters were wonderful and, ironically, my favorite character was Jersey Clifford (the bad guy). I liked how he was refined and calculating. If not for the wonderfully entertaining story and awesome characters, I'd give the book three stars. Of course, that's because of the errors in it otherwise it'd get four stars easy.

I'm not a big fan of vampire books. But I really enjoyed reading this book. Despite all its imperfections, it pulled me right into the story. I stayed up until almost eleven p.m. the day I started this book and, by the time I was forced to put it away, I was less than thirty pages from the end. I would've finished it the same day but I was reading it on the computer so I couldn't. K. C. Blake definitely has talent here. One or two more edits and this book would have been flawlessly executed.

Review by: Shirley Poe on May 12, 2011 : (no rating)
This was a fast and fun read. It had me on the edge of my seat. I thoroughly enjoyed it. As a retired high school teacher, I was worried about trying a self-published book, but the writer did a great job here. I didn't notice any spelling errors. There were a few sentences I would have done differently and a couple small problems here and there. If K. C. Blake was in my class, I would give her an A minus.

As for the story, it was a thrilling rollercoaster ride with several twists and turns, ups and downs... wonderful. I loved the characters so much it was hard to say goodbye at the end. Jack and Silver are meant to be. I loved the whole destiny thing, and I can't wait for the next book in the series. Those two had better wind up together. That's all I can say.

The antagonist is charming and brilliant. As a former teacher who lives to read, I loved the way he quotes poetry and how he talks to Jack about literature. The guy is certifiably insane, but you can't not like him.

My only gripe is that K. C. Blake does not have any other books available at this time, but I look forward to reading more from her in the future. I think she has a bright career ahead of her. A friend told me about this book, so I'm returning the favor by telling others. It's such a shame that good writers have to publish their own books because traditional publishers don't have the good sense to do it.