He came looking for revenge, will he walk away from love?Twenty years after fleeing Madison Gully as a scared sixteen-year-old who witnessed the murder of his sister, Kirk Gracewell returns as a powerful energy vampire. He wants to find the cougar shifter who killed her and make them pay. Every ten years, the Madison cougars get together. It’s a time of celebration and meeting new partners but … partners but also listening to the seer announce who’ll get the greatest honor—becoming a familiar to a witch.
When the seer gives Sage the task of watching the vampire that’s suddenly arrived, Sage feels slighted, it’s a job for a much younger cougar. But he comes to enjoy the games of cat mouse he plays with Kirk, until he learns why the vampire is in Madison Gully. Now Sage will have to choose: protect his family or help Kirk find the killer.
But the killer will stop at nothing to prove to the seer the honor is his, claim a witch and bury the past.
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This is a unique shifter tale.
You have a witch who can actually talk to animals…which makes him a great vet.
You have a young eagle shifter who hates the shifter part of his life…so refuses to do it!
There is a loving family that lives on the edge of a national forest.
There are hunters…hunting illegally.
Then you have the fated mate scenario. And venomous snakes. Crows who are spies. Lots of other animals who come to the aid of the vet and his mate.
I could go on…but I may have said to much already.
Anyway, you’ll find yourself pulling for these guys and mourning some characters you don’t even meet.
Enjoy. I did!
The Vampire’s Familiar is the second book in the Familiar Mates series by author TJ Nichols. I loved this story. I cannot get enough of this series. Each book keeps getting better and better.
Kirk in this story he is a vampire. He is a powerful magic user and has been through hell and back. He is a kind, thoughtful, and loyal person. These things have served him well, and chain him to a past that haunts him. He is a deep character with many layers.
Sage has a sad back story too. But he is a much lighter character than Kirk. I liked that he is the light to Kirk’s darker nature. He is a hard worker, loyal, and very loving. I loved his character. he is a cougar.
I loved these two men together. I liked the mystery and intrigue in this story as well. I cannot wait for more from this series in the future. Bring on the cougars and those they love.
Five Shooting Stars
Kirk is an energy vampire and he witnessed the murder of his sister twenty years ago. He goes back to his hometown to finally get justice. Sage is a cougar shifter and he is a little more prickly, he always felt like an outsider within his family because he isn’t a Madison by blood. Sage is given the task of following and watching Kirk.
This is a suspenseful with a wonderful HEA and great characters. I definitely recommend this book!
Kirk is a vampire who seek revenge for his sister brutal murder by a Madison.. A clan of cougar shifters.
Sage is ones of them. Violet, the seer of the clan, asks him to follow Kirk.
a little game of Cat and Mouse starts between them, but when the threats against them start to be too close , choice will need to be made for both of them.
The Vampire’s Familiar by T.J. Nichols is book 2 of the Familiar Mates Series and can be read as a standalone.
I Liked Sage and Kirk, especially Sage, he’s smart and funny. Kirk is quieter and broody with a sassy mouth. I really loved them and I had a good time with them. I was happy to have a glimpse of Jude too.
I look forward for the next book
Independent reviewer for Gay Romance Reviews, I was gifted my copy of this book.
20 years after his sister was killed, Kirk returns to get justice for her death. Sage’s family is gathering, and Kirk is certain one of the Madison cougar clan killed her. The Seer sends Sage to keep an eye on Kirk, and it all spirals out from then!
I really enjoyed book one, in this series, The Witch’s Familiar, and I thoroughly enjoyed this one too!
Kirk is called a vampire, but he doesn’t bite, he TOUCHES. He feeds off energy. Too much, and he will kill you, so he tends to not touch deliberately. Meeting Sage, and that’s ALL he wants to do: touch Sage, all the time, in all ways. An innocent touch changes it all.
And I think thats why I enjoyed this so much: everything between Sage and Kirk is not described in great detail, its glanced over, faded to grey, and I really loved that! Yes, it’s hot (I mean shifters and vampires) but you don’t get explained in every which way! You get all the emotions, yes, about what Kirk and Sage are feeling about each other, and the situation they find themselves, but the Main Event? Doesn’t arrive til very VERY late in the book and I loved being made to wait!
Why Kirk is in town, is shocking, but Sage has to filter what he starts to feel for Kirk, to find who killed Kirk’s sister. He doesn’t want to believe one of his family is responsible, but he does have some idea who it might be.
LOVED that Jude from book one pops up, granted, only for a short time, but still. So long as we get those pop ups in future books, I’ll be happy!
I read this in one sitting, sat in the sun, and it was a great read!
4 stars (still waiting for the one to tip me over to 5!)
**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
TJ Nichols’ The Vampire Familiar was a riveting mystery thriller with suspense elements and hurt/comfort. The author’s excellent writing had my heart gripped with sorrow for Kirk, had my stomach in knots when I thought Kirk would be in danger, and had my whole body on pins and needles with the mystery of who done it – who killed Abby and who kidnapped Sage.
So why not 5 stars? Why only 4 stars? The book needed better editing for timeline errors. For example, The blurb stated that Kirk was sixteen years old when the murder occurred. However, when you read the book, the story placed Kirk as fifteen years old. Another error in logical flow is the ages of Sage’s brothers, Stone and Clay. And one point early in the story, Sage mentioned that Stone is eight years older than he is. But Kirk mentioned that he and Stone were in the same grade so this means that Stone and Kirk were the same age hence Stone is about five to six years older than Sage since Sage was only ten years old when the murder took place. So I think it might have been a mistake: I think the author meant to say that Clay is eight years older than Sage while Stone is five years older. I love reading for the details and I love details about the characters’ background. But more importantly, having the ages correct is vital because Sage and Kirk were trying to figure out who could have killed Abby and who could not based on the ages since cougars shift at a certain age.
Beside these two errors, I was not distracted how much I loved this book, how much I loved the characters – Kirk and Sage, and Clay and Stone and their mom. I hope you will too
Another great book in this series! Kirk and Sage are drawn together by murder of Kirk’s sister. Can these two work through their differences and see how perfect they are together? I highly recommend and I’m looking forward to the next book.
This is an intriguing MM paranormal romance & I enjoyed reading it. It is the second book in the “Familiar Mates” series & can be read as a standalone. The plot is well-written with good world building & is quite suspenseful at times. The characters are well-developed & complement each other although in the beginning they each had an ulterior motive. There is good support from the secondary characters.
It is about: a male energy vampire/witch (Kirk) with vengeful feelings comes into contact with a male cougar (Sage) that was sent to watch him then the attractions flare.
There is: shifters, seers, witches, vampires, a devious killer, some twists, drama, intrigue, magic, mystery, secrets, fated mates, bonding, action, adventure, drama, suspense, intrigue, distrust, suspicions, attractions, devious plans, threats, danger, violence, conflict, injuries, mild steam, contentment & a satisfying conclusion.
I enjoyed this 2nd book in the Familiar Mates series as much as book 1. The world building is fabulous, and I loved the references to the first book in the series, and that one of the characters showed up. Although it does take place in the same world, this one explored shifters in more detail, including seers, and the flip side of a familiar using a witch.
I liked the concept behind energy vampires, how dark magic could warp who someone was supposed to be, and the different take on who vampires really were. I thought the idea of Kirk being able to recognise someone by the way they smelt, and not the way you’d think was very original and rather cool. The shifter mythos was interesting too. I also liked the family feel of this story, with Sage’s brothers supporting his choices, and how they helped out towards the end. I loved his mother, and Violet is an interesting character.
I loved Sage and Kirk’s growing friendship and relationship, and the unique way their familiar bond worked, especially with Kirk’s magic. I liked that their attraction wasn’t just witch and familiar but much deeper. Their personalities played off each other well, as they found their place with each other. Poor Kirk, not being able to touch because he’d feed. I loved the way Sage’s energy presents to Kirk while in human form. I thought that was very clever.
The show down with the bad guy was exciting, and I sat up very late reading as I had to find out what happens. The ending was very satisfying, although I’d love to see these characters again. I’m already hanging out for the next one in the series.
The first bite
“What is chemistry if not a little magic that smooths the bumps in relationships?” Kirk and Sage have oodles of chemistry (and magic) when they’re around each other. Kirk is a most interesting vampire with a painful past and Sage is just the shifter he needs to help him heal and grow. In fact, I want a Sage of my own but maybe with a slow introduction to his family as they are entirely too “helpful.” Sage and Kirk complement each other wonderfully and I hope we see them again. This world along with the magic in it charms me.
Oooh I liked this better than the first one and now I’m really into this series. I feel like here we got a better look at the familiar bond, and more information on all the magical people. The world building is still expanding and I am into it. The mystery in this one was a little more obvious, but I think the romance was better and for me that’s always gonna be the more important of the two lol. I loved that a vampire isn’t at all what we would expect, and how it was a completely new take. The I love you’s were a little abrupt, but I really liked Kirk and Sage, and like them even better together
The Vampire’s Familiar by TJ Nichols is the second book in the Familiar Mates series. Vampires, shifter, witches…. suspense, mystery, violence, angst, heat and love…
This book is entertaining and fun to read. Kirk and Sage are great characters and I adore them together.
This was an amazing story with an unexpected pairing. A gay cougar who finds hard partners and a vampire who can’t touch without killing.
The action and characters development was marvellous and the intrigue and mystery the cherry on top. Add to that a murder, a seek for justice, some feelings developing, greed and you’ll obtain a great story that will make ask for seconds helpings.
I really loved the book and can’t wait for the next one