Kayel Cleary is a phone sex operator. All she wants to do is get through law school, and if that means late-night phone calls with men who think she’s something she’s not, then so be it.That is, until one of her long-time clients is murdered – and she hears it all.Lathan only wants one thing: a seat on the vampire council. He’s worked his entire unnatural life for this moment, only to have it … this moment, only to have it fall apart when his biggest supporter ends up dead. Now, Lathan has to find and work with the only witness. And she happens to be a phone sex operator.
Thrust into a world she never knew existed, Kayel must help Lathan find the murderer and stop the impending war, all while fighting her attraction for the undead man she loves to hate. If she can’t learn their ways and figure out who killed Marco, then she may lose more than just her life … She may spark a war that would spell disaster for vampires and humans alike.
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It took me forever to find the time to sit down and read Hotline To Hell, but once I did, I blew through it in one sitting.
H2H has a great cast of characters. Our main character Kayel (pronounced like kale) is smart and driven even though her parents were free-lovin’ flower children who raised her in a social bubble. She’s picked up a job as a phone sex operator to pay her way through law school and that law degree is priority #1 at all times. I was a little bit worried when I started the book because right out of the gate, it smelled a little tropey. Kayel is a virgin with a G-rated vocabulary. That usually makes for a main character I don’t connect with. They’re usually either witless, pearl-clutching damsels or they’re almost militant about their V-card. This is not the case at all with Kayel. She’s got her reasons for every decision which are explained throughout the book.
Lathan. It’s no secret that I have a thing for fictional boys with fangs and Lathan is officially on my list of favorites. Lathan is a made vampire (turned into one rather than born as one) with a bit of an attitude problem. He’s ambitious and goal oriented (much like Kayel in that respect) with a singular focus. As the blurb mentions, he’s been working his entire life for a seat on the council and it’s finally within reach. The untimely death of his friend, fellow vampire, and strongest source of support throws a wrench in his plans and the countdown to the vote begins. Although he can be severe, Lathan can also be genuinely kind. He cares for his fellowship—humans who feed him and do his daytime bidding— and speaks to them with respect. Although they’re essentially walking Capri Sun pouches for him, he speaks to them like equals while never letting them forget who is boss. He’s a complicated fellow. lol
Karis is one of Lathan’s fellowship and she’s awesome. She and I would get along just fine in real life. She’s spunky and she’s seen a thing or two. Her patience with Kayel is limited at first, but as they get to know each other, the author shows us a much warmer side of this character.
Cyr has done a fantastic job with world building in Hotline To Hell. I’ve read a LOT of vampire fiction and the lore she created for her world varies quite a bit from what we’re used to. For example, no silver, stakes, garlic, crosses, or non-existent reflections. They have three real weaknesses: daylight, lamb’s blood, and their own blood lust. They’re not generally cuddly and they certainly don’t sparkle. Cyr paints vampires like the predators they’re meant to be and I loved every second of it. Whenever Kayel comes face-to-face with a vampire, the reader’s blood pressure spikes because they know that with one wrong move or one wrong word, the vampire could turn on her in the blink of an eye and there would be fuck all she could do about it.
I went into this novel expecting urban fantasy but it’s very heavy on the paranormal romance. However, that’s not to say that the action or mystery of the story suffer for it. The romance and mystery storylines are equally front-and-center and they blend together perfectly into a super-steamy supernatural who-done-it. While the book reads as a standalone, the author has crafted a world I would love to see more of. The story wraps up nicely but is also left open in a way that it could easily be continued as a series if the author were so inclined.
Overall, Hotline To Hell was an excellent read. The story is face-paced and clever with a plot twist or two you’ll never see coming. I would recommend Hotline To Hell to readers who love the Charley Davidson series by Darynda Jones or the Night Huntress world by Jeaniene Frost.
Kayel Cleary has one goal in mind, and that’s to make it through law school. Since she wasn’t born with a silver spoon in her hand, that means she needs to work while putting herself through school. Her job? She’s a phone sex operator. When she hears one of her clients being murdered during a call, her life is changed forever.
Lathan’s goal is to sit on the vampire council and give made vampires a voice among the born. When he discovers his biggest supporter was murdered, he knows he has to find the witness to prove which council member is going all out o keep him from getting elected. From the moment he finds her, Lathan’s world is turned upside down. All he should need her for is as a witness. He shouldn’t care about her fate or feelings . . .but he does.
When Kayel thrust into Lathan’s world she has no choice but to accept her new fate . . .but she’s not going to do it easily. Law school is all she wants, or is it? Why does she all of a sudden feel like she belongs somewhere she doesn’t want to be and how can she possibly have feelings for the vampire that won’t ever let her return to her normal life?
Nathan and Kayal break all the rules . . . but what happens when they have to face the consequences all while trying to discover who the killer is before he gets to Kayal to silence her forever.
I always love a unique take on a paranormal romance and Hotline to Hell was pretty fabulous! Kayal loves all things logical, and is wicked witty and intelligent. While she may only be human, she refuses to let any vampire push her around and makes Lathan feel things he hasn’t for centuries.
Lathan had his eye on the prize, but since Kayal walked into his life, the prize has shifted . . .can an undead vampire with no beating heart really fall in love? He’s willing to do anything to keep Kayal safe and in his life, including breaking rules that put his own life at risk as well.
What I enjoyed best about this book, other than the suspense was the witty rapport between not only Kayal and Lathan, but also among the side characters. Kayal’s mom is a riot and Karis, one of Lathan’s enslaved is fabulous.
Hotline to Hell has it all. It’s a murder mystery with a sexy as can be vampire, a silver tongued virgin – who just happens to be a phone sex operator, her hippy mom, smokin’ hot sex scenes, comedic dialogue and plenty of action and suspense. 5 stars!
Hotline to Hell is the first book I have read by Emily Cyr. I really love Paranormal Romance, especially vampires, it’s always been one of my favorites. Hotline to Hell is different from what I have read in the past, I really love the world Emily Cyr has built within this book. I love Lathan, his character is my fave, he’s not at all what he originally seems to be. Kayel is thrown into a world she didn’t know existed but soon learns its whats been missing from her life and she wouldn’t have it any other way. Each turn of the page brings so much excitement, so much drama and of course so much romance and its intense! Hotline to Hell is a phenomenal read that will keep you guessing as to whats to come next, the suspense will have you wanting so much more. Emily Cyr has totally out done herself with this book and I hope like hell she brings us more because I loved these characters and need to know more.
This is a new author to me and where has she been all of my life?! This book is a real page turner. I just couldn’t put it down, I had to know what happened. Kayel is trying to make ends meet while going to law school, so she becomes a phone sex operator. When a regular client of her calls she believes it will be routine, but she couldn’t be more wrong. The call changes her reality and thrust her into the world she tries to navigate. She is not alone in all of this Lathan, a vampire wanting a seat on the Vampire Council is assigned to help solve the mystery. What Kayel doesn’t count on is her attraction to Lathan. Will the be able to work together to solve the murder?
This is my first time in reading this author with not knowing how I missed her before. I am always on the look out for a good paranormal nowadays. I want one that will slowly sneak up on me like this one did but then takes me over like this one. Kayel catches your attention with what catches her that it also tickles the tingles. She also gets to have revealed more than she took on when she started the job. Imagine how you would feel. This is also a scrumptious murder mystery one that keeps you on the track. Lathan too will be a distraction but yes indeed he is in more ways than one. This did me from beginning to the end.
This is the first book I’ve read by this author, and it will not be the last! I was drawn into the book from the very beginning, and the book never let me go. There were dual POVs in this book which I really enjoyed; if it’s done right, it’s always enjoyable. We also knew from the chapter title whose POV we were reading just in case that’s not your thing. I loved the plot, and while I feel the romance seemed a little quick, it was sweet and great! The author is an excellent writer, she’s great with characterization, and the plot was fun; I can’t wait to read more by this author! Highly recommend! I was provided the e-book which I voluntarily reviewed.
Supernatural. Romance/UF. Traditional Vampires. Duel POV. Tenacious, intellectual, hearty, witty heroine. Purposeful, hard, icy vampire mmc. Being a phone sex operator Kayel has heard many weird things, but never a murder. Having been witness to her favorite clients murder she’s very valuable to Lathen. Telling Kayel about himself will be the end of her life, but he’ll do it to find his friend’s killer. This is a story of forbidden love. Car’s writing style is easygoing and relatable. Her characters are unique and the dialogue is playful. Love Kayel’s quirk of not cussing. Two things that bothered me but didn’t take away from the story. In the beginning (I may have just gotten used to them) the sentences were a bit fluffy. Second the info on the vamps were repeated a little too much. Other than that I really enjoyed this book. It was really well balanced between the mystery/romance/action/dialogue.