Shades of Red – Scarlet: Taming The Thirst

Holy cow this writer weaves a tale that grabs you by the feels and doesn’t let go. I felt every emotion reading this story and I need more. I couldn’t put it down.

I am not typically a big fan of vampire books, but this one I loved. Possibly because all of the characters seemed so human. I did not read the first in the series, although I’m sure reading it would have helped me understand some of the characters more, and I do plan on getting it and reading it. Dr. Sarah Shepherd is a Moroi, but was turned after the birth of her second child. Sadly her turning made her crave blood – even from her own children, so she has been estranged from them for years, and it also caused her divorce. A virus has been wiping out many Moroi, and she has been tasked with finding a cure, and finding the person responsible for creating the virus. She also just got a new body guard, Karsten, aka Sten, aka Viking. Sarah and Sten are very attracted to each other from the beginning. Sarah can’t stay away from him even though she was warned by her boss to. Sten and Sarah go on the chase for the creator of the virus, and travel all over the world following the trail. Sten is able to teach Sarah ways so that she can drink blood from humans, but not kill them. Sten is accused of something, and Sarah is determined to make sure he is not wrongly convicted. There are many twists and turns and things going on, but I really don’t want to give away too much. Wonderful characters, and I could not put this book down once I started it. I love that Sarah is a strong woman and character, and she is willing to go after what she believes in.

This is book 2 in the Shades of Red – Moroi Society. I enjoyed reading this book. It was very intriguing and kept me wanting more. Can’t wait to read the next book.

This not my normal genre but I did find I enjoyed this book. I’m going to have to backtrack and read the first book but had no problem reading this one as a stand-alone. This book has a Dr, Sarah, who is trying to find a cure for a virus that is killing vampires (yes she’s a vampire). She was turned voluntarily after extreme blood loss after her youngest child was born. She had to leave her children after she started feeding off that child (yeah, gross). She moved across the country and has been working on a cure for the virus since. She now has a hot new guard named Karsten aka Sten aka My Viking. He is there to keep her from killing humans and learn to control her blood lust. Sarah is on the hunt for the person responsible for making the virus known as The Butcher. Lots of bad vampires trying to kill them and they don’t know who to trust.

Absolutely amazing! Scarlet has lovable characters and an engrossing plot. Beautifully written, I had a hard time putting this book down. This book has an emotional rollarcoaster, from crying to laughing this book will keep hooked.

I received an advanced copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving an unbiased, honest review.

I started reading the second book immediately, because I had to know what happens, and I loved it as much as the first one, although it made me feel completely different emotions than the first book. Amazing. I cannot remember last time reading series in which the books were reflecting the main character more than the author’s personal style. So well done!
This book starts with an unexpected twist, and as I mentioned above, it carries a different tone and atmosphere. It is much faster paced and focuses on two new characters, although Emilie and Owen are still there, as are Becca and Jake. The romance is still there, but this time, it takes a back seat to loads of action and moroi politics.
The main character Sarah is a complete opposite of Emilie in everything, apart from her big compassionate heart. Unlike Emilie, Sarah is stubborn, impulsive, disregarding and bending rules, and has a serious problem accepting responsibility for her actions or admitting wrongdoings of her loved ones. At times, this was frustrating for people who care for her, and detrimental to any positive outcome she had in mind. Regardless, she never gives up and tries to see things to the end. So, she is not super lovable like Emilie but a character easy to relate to.
The rest of the characters are quite interesting, especially Karsten, Aurev, Amy, and David, and the author expanded the world to reveal more of the Chronos corporation and the moroi world in general. The suspense towards the end of the book is nearly overwhelming, and the resolution is nerve wrecking. There is still so much to learn, I can’t wait for the next book, which has fortunately been announced.
Reading order of the series is Crimson: Secrets and Lies of a Living Vampire, Scarlet: Taming The Thirst, and Ruby: Taming The Thirst has been announced.

Dr. Sarah Shepard is a virologist and has recently become a vampire. In order to protect her children, Rebecca and Jackson, she had to leave her home and husband Dr. Owen Bennett and let them grow up without her. Now she is working on finding a cure to a disease spreading through the Moroi population.

Karsten Ingvar has been hired to help Sarah control her feedings and adjusting to her new environment. He was part of an elite group of Danish soldiers and is taken in by Sarah’s beauty and determination.

When Sarah and Karsten begin to track down “The Butcher” they are very surprised at what they find. When Karsten’s own past comes back Sarah must make the most difficult choice for her own future.

I enjoyed this book but I felt like I was missing things as this was the first book I have read and I probably should have read book 1 first.

I liked Sarah and I was sad that she felt it was necessary to leave her children to keep them safe. I hated how it sounded like her ex-husband Owen blamed her for bringing all of it on. I did think that Sarah could have done more, i.e. sending gifts and cards, but I respected her for wanting to keep them safe.

I really liked Karsten and how protective he was of Sarah right from the beginning and how you knew he would have her back. The two of them worked very well together to track down the Butcher and learn some fascinating things.

I was surprised at The Butcher and then everything that happened afterwords with what was revealed and the change in the relationship with The Butcher.

I was definitely shocked at the events surrounding Karsten and knew he was innocent but he was determined to protect someone and the cost was going to be so high. I was proud of Sarah for admitting how she felt but it was almost wasted. I was blown away by what she did but I knew why deep down as she felt she was already of their lives.

The very end made me both happy and sad!!

This was a good read. I don’t usually read this genre but it kept my interest from beginning to end. I hadn’t read the first book in this series but didn’t feel lost with starting with this one. I liked the characters and the story line.