An isolated mountain estate. A hidden lab. A dark secret that threatens the entire vampire race.When vampire Emilie takes a new nanny job at the remote mountain home of Dr. Owen Bennett, the last thing she expects is to be thrown head-first into a dangerous mystery.After spending the last hundred years believing she was alone in the world, the undeniable chemistry with handsome and eccentric … chemistry with handsome and eccentric Owen⎯who she suspects may also be a vampire⎯promises a future she never thought possible.
But…things at the Bennett house just don’t add up.
Owen’s ex-wife has seemingly vanished, he refuses to divulge who he works for, and he keeps his research under lock and key.
Determined to uncover the truth, Emilie discovers a secret that holds severe repercussions for all her kind.
When dark forces intervene, Emilie is forced to make an unthinkable choice – between newfound love or what she knows to be right.
The books in the Shades of Red series are all stand-alone but they are best enjoyed in this reading order:
CRIMSON – Secrets and Lies of a Living Vampire
SCARLET – Taming the Thirst
RUBY – Blood is Thicker Than Water
CARMINE – Blood and Thunder
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This is my first time reading this author, and it definitely won’t be my last. I found the departure from the “traditional” vampire tales refreshing. The picture the author paints is more human, more family than “spooky, scary flying bats.” There is a real underlying story to Crimson. Owen and Emilie are in a race against time to find a cure for a vampire plague. This has all the makings of a great mystery- villains, kidnaping, deception. Looking forward to the next in the series. If you haven’t read T.L. Christianson, I highly recommend you take the chance.
Wow, this is a fresh new take on vampires. I couldn’t put the book down, it was so good. I love Owen and Emiles chemistry and the connection they share. I just can’t wait to read more about their lives.
Since I had already read Ruby, the third book in the Shades of Red series by TL Christianson, I just had to go back and read this first book in the Shades of Red series which was a refreshingly new take on how vampires are depicted, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. In fact, I have already added book 2, Scarlet, to be read as soon as I finish with my review of this book. The characters were so personally relatable, that the reader could literally almost feel their struggles and tears as they were put through their paces by the author. It was, of course, also an educational read about the vampire world as presented by the author, as well as a rather quick and hot developing love story. This is a voluntary review of free copy of this book through Bookfunnel.
Crimson got my attention from the beginning to the end. Very well written.
Elizabeth, aka Emilie, a vampire, takes a job teaching a research doctor’s , Owen, children. She is very human like and fools the doctor for many months. He is currently trying to find a cure for a deadly virus killing vampires. Owen and Elizabeth start falling for each other but there are many secrets and of course the human/vampire thing.
Oh wow that was a good book. Completely different than expected and different from what I read usually. I read this book in a slower pace, deliberately, to make it last longer. The story gave me a serene happy feeling, although it has an open ending. This was quite unusual and unexpected in the best sense possible.
The author’s writing is beautiful, slowly paced, well plotted, and quite unexpected and surprising at times. The romance had a slow buildup regardless of almost instantaneous mutual attraction. The intrigue part was masterfully thought out and plotted, regardless of it taking the backseat to the romance. Or maybe romance just appealed to me stronger in this case.
The romance is family focused, as the main character Emilie, who we initially meet as Elizabeth, takes a job of a private tutor to a hard working scientist’s two children, Becca and Jake. I say family focused, as Emilie falls in love with the children first, and the idea of her being their surrogate mother is heartbreakingly fulfilling to her.
I love Emilie, who is, unlike Owen, an open book. Her intentions are pure and without a hidden agenda. She is struggling with guilt for being who she is and things she has done, as well as with the loss of loved ones. The scientist’s name is Owen, and he is quite interesting. Owen is mysterious and puzzling for quite some time, as the author slowly reveals facets of his character. I have a feeling that most of his character is yet to come, as the author purposely left many questions regarding his past unanswered.
I love the contemplative character of the story. At times it was almost philosophical in discussions of right and wrong, life choices and personal priorities, and one’s purpose in life. The author took a similar approach to keeping secrets out of love and personal insecurities, and dealing with past betrayals.
All in all, I loved everything about this story. It was a wonderful and enjoyable read, and I can’t wait to read what comes next and to find out the answers to at least some of the unanswered questions. I’m so glad I discovered this author. Thank you T.L. Christianson for this wonderful story.
Next to read – Shades of Red – Scarlet: Taming The Thirst (MYSTERY – MEDICINE – ROMANCE
This is the first book by Author T.L. Christianson and I am so glad that I read this new take on Vampires.
There are some teasers so please stop reading if you’d like to be surprised.
T.L. Christianson takes you to the beautiful and peaceful mountains of Durango, Colorado. Right away you read about this “young” woman “Elizabeth” going to Duango from New York. She is there to start a new teaching job in and at the home of a widowed Doctor and his two small children.
Soon as she is driving to their estate Elizabeth begins to think about what has brought her to her new job. Elizabeth is really Emilie. A Vampire/Moroi. She is no ordinary Vampire she is sincere, sensitive, and has a conscience bigger than a natural human. She has never met another vampire or was made didn’t know what had happened to her. She is unique in more ways than one.
She still must drink blood to survive but with her love for life and others she would never harm anyone.
I love the way that this author took her spin on Vampires and took it to a new and unique place. I have read many books about Vampires so it was so refreshing to read something new and interesting.
I really enjoyed this book and can’t wait to read the next book in the Moroi Series.
Thank you very much for such a wonderful read
Not what I was expecting. The FMC is flat and uninspiring and her love interest isn’t any better. The plot drug along and I almost quit reading altogether. The romance is tepid and the sex scenes fall flat. This is the first in a series, but I won’t be getting the next one. Mediocre installment in the vampire genre.
The book blurb is pretty accurate. I liked the story which held my interest all the way through and I cared about the characters. What I didn’t like was the abrupt end that left a couple of major questions unanswered. Since the next book of the series is about different characters, I don’t know if these questions I have will ever be answered. This definitely affected my rating for this book which dropped from 4 stars to 3.5.