| Title | : | Blood Lines (Vicki Nelson #3) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 1841493589 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9781841493589 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 368 |
| Publication | : | First published January 1, 1992 |
For Henry Fitzroy, 450-year-old vampire, it began with a haunting, inescapable image of the sun, a terrifying symbol of death to one such as he. Fearing for his sanity, he called upon his sometime-lover and comrade in supernatural investigations, ex-cop Vicki Nelson, for help. And even as the two struggled to cope with Henry's obsession, Vicki's closest friend and former partner, Police Detective Mike Celluci was following up on two mysterious deaths at the museum, certain he was looking at murders not accidents - and equally convinced that the killer was a mummy brought back from the dead!
Blood Lines (Vicki Nelson #3) Reviews
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***100 Days of Summer Reading 2023***
Reading Prompt: Mystery involving a romantically entangled pair of investigators
Virtual 12 sided dice roll: 4
This was fun! If you like a good mummy story, this is your book. I mean, the set-up is preposterous, but you just need to let go and enjoy the ride. And it's quite the adventure, as an ancient Egyptian wizard-priest attempts to take over Toronto. A pretty small potatoes take-over really, but nevertheless he needs to be stopped.
Tanya Huff has created three characters that I can't help but care about. I love Vicki Nelson, our tough chick and ex-cop. She may have visual handicaps, but she is not going to be patronized by anyone but particularly the two men in her life. Mike Celluci is still part of the Toronto PD, but he can't let go of Vicki. Through her, his eyes have been opened to the supernatural world and he can no longer ignore the things go bump in the night. He has reluctantly had to acknowledge one of those things, Henry Fitzroy, vampire and bastard son of King Henry VIII. He may be immortal, but Henry has learned the importance of having people he cares about, among whom Vicki features prominently. Used to being the badass of the city, Henry is challenged by the existence of a much older immortal.
Next month, Ms. Huff will be at a conference that I'm attending. I can hardly wait to hear her on some panel discussions that I plan to attend. I do hope she talks a bit about Vicki at some point! -
Having discovered and explored vampires and werewolves, Vicki Nelson and her friends Mike and Henry met mummies in this third volume. It's another very well-written urban fantasy/supernatural romance in the series that helped found the genres. Vicki is one of the sharpest at the quick quip and cutting retort, and the supporting cast of quirky characters are a lot of fun, too. Great fun!
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Vicki, Henry and Mike find themselves up against an Egyptian priest wizard who worships a dark forgotten god. Henry discovers that the reason he's dreaming of the sun is possibly due to this priest. In the end Vicki, Henry and Mike are able to take care of the problem and stop the forgotten god from having a temple created in his name. I enjoyed to book, but found some of it to be a little long winded in some parts. I still like Henry as a main character.
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Opening Line:"He had been almost aware for some time. Nothingness had shattered when they removed him from the chamber."
BLOOD LINES is the third offering from Tanya Huff’s Blood (Ties) series. As a fan of the TV show I was thrilled to discover these books which now have the added bonus of visual references for our 3 main characters and their ongoing love triangle. I particularly enjoy romance writing, bisexual vampire Henry Fitzroy. Who as the bastard son of King Henry VIII also comes complete with flashbacks from his 450 year long existence and remains my favourite character. Private investigator Vicki Nelson continues her struggle with degenerative eye disease while also battling the supernatural and a revolving door love life. And blue collar Cop, Mike Celluci just tries to keep up with the events taking place in his ever broadening paranormal world.
Once more I was impressed by Huff’s writing as she weaves together multiple POV’s and here gives us a unique story and great antagonist with one regenerated Egyptian priest wondering around Toronto as a modern day mummy, absorbing Ka’s (souls) and hypnotizing people in a quest for Canadian and eventually world domination.
The Royal Ontario museum is thrilled to obtain a mummy the only issue being the sarcophagus they receive is empty, or is it? Staff members are suddenly dropping dead as the newly awakened Anwar Tawfic begins to feed. Absorbing life forces and growing stronger with each victim as he prepares for his new reign on earth. Mike is sent to investigate the museum deaths and soon realizes that this is no normal case so he enlists ex partner Vicki’s help. Meanwhile Henry is being haunted by dreams of the sun (which is not a good thing for a vampire to be dreaming about) Fearing for his sanity and afraid he is being driven to suicide Henry also goes to Vicki for help. Tawfik soon takes to the streets and discovers that the younger the victim the better and in a couple of very creepy scenes we witness Anwar 'recharging' on children and even a baby. Soon our evil Mummy has taken over the police department, turning Vicki and Mike into fugitives and becoming obsessed with obtaining Henry’s immortal Ka.
One of the creepiest parts of this book was witnessing Vicki’s time locked up in a special needs prison; abused, drugged, beaten and blind without her glasses I was surprised at the level of violence involved here. I’ve also noticed that all the books seem to stall out in the middle section and as much as I’m enjoying this series I generally struggle to get through to the always exciting closing chapters. Another unfortunate factor is that the love scenes remain fade-to-black. I find this is a damn shame because with Henry and Tony’s continued relationship and Vicki bouncing beds with both Henry and Mike (sometimes in the same day) I wanted details. And lastly you gotta love the fact that this takes place in Canada. How much fun is it hearing Yonge street, the Leafs and the CN tower mentioned in a paranormal. Cheers -
If you enjoyed the first two books, this is more of the same, and that’s not a bad thing at all. I find them fairly comfortable reads, though some of the themes may be fairly harrowing — the effects of the curse on Henry, Tony’s fear, the attempt to torture Vicky… But it’s also classic: it’s basically a mummy with a curse, and it’s fun to watch the characters running around trying to cope with that.
Of course, in terms of character development, the book also throws Vicky, Mike and Henry together to work with one another again. And naturally, that doesn’t go one hundred percent as any of them would hope. Mike and Henry still have to learn to work together, because Vicky won’t put up with their pissing contests. (And Henry’s relatively civilised in general, but I still feel like if Mike Celluci wanted to have a dick measuring contest, Henry could be provoked. And don’t get me wrong, I like that byplay between them.)
I like the ending a lot — not just Vicky firmly telling Mike and Henry not to baby her, but also the larger plot (though I don’t know if it gets used later) about the three of them knowing of the existence of a god who thrives on pain, who could worm his way into their minds and use them, someday. Vicky’s way of dealing with that fact is great.
Originally posted here. -
Have you seen my Mummy? The third book of the Vicky Nelson series takes Henry Fitzoy, Vicky, and Celluci up against the oldest kind of walking dead. However, this is more Imhotep than a shambling monster with incredible supernatural powers that dwarf your typical Dracula. This is my favorite of the Vicky Nelson series as she's really outmatched this time and underestimated her opponent greatly. Henry is also out of his depth and has visions of his own (final) death. Really, this is just a great book and I strongly recommend it to existing fans of the series.
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I don't rate it quite as high as 3 stars, but not as low as 2.5 so 3 it is.
The plot: An ancient Egyptian sarcophagus is sold to the Egyptology department of the Royal Ontario Museum, with a sealed coffin containing a genuine Ancient Egyptian mummy inside. Soon people involved with the delivery of the sarcophagus start dying or denying that there was ever a mummy in the coffin at all, prompting Vicki Nelson, ex-cop turned PI, to investigate. Meanwhile, Henry Fitzroy, the 450 year old undead son of Henry VIII, is having nightmares (or daymares?) of the sun - which is rather scary if you're a vampire who could burn up into a crispy pile of ash.
It was okay but I didn't enjoy it as much as the previous books. This wasn't the author's fault, simply that I was unable to shake the classic movie image of the mummy and kept imagining the bandaged thug of the Universal/Hammer films shuffling around Canada. And although some dark things happen, I found it unable to take this story altogether seriously.
Still a quick, enjoyable read though, and I will be continuing the series. -
This is the first time that I have re-read this after visiting Toronto. It was very cool to read about the ROM and the CN Tower after visiting there. Huff's UF stands out simply because of Vicki and her lack of angst.
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I liked this book. Not as well as I liked the previous two books, but it was still pretty good. The premise reminded me a little of the Brendan Frasier movie "the Mummy", but I liked the movie too, so that's okay.
It was a little grittier than the previous two books, which I always find disturbing. (spoiler ahead). The prison scene, especially, was disturbing. I realize that prisons are supposed to be disturbing, but it seemed like a real departure from the series, and was a little jarring and unexpected. In addition, we never really find out why the prisoners have it in for Vicki so much. I understand that she's a former police officer, but there really wasn't enough back story to explain the violence.
I recommend it if you're reading the series, but I also recommend that you skip over the whole womens prison scene. It doesn't advance the story, and doesn't really add anything. Otherwise, good luck! -
This 3rd volume in the Vicki Nelson series was again a re-read, but I found I enjoyed this one more than the first two, having found them a little disappointing this time around. The villain in this story, a weak point in the other volumes, was far more convincing: it isn't a spoiler to say he was a pre dynastic Egyptian sorceror, sealed with spells into a sarcophagus which has been in the private collection of a aristocratic British family for the last couple of centuries but is now sold to the Museum in Toronto. Before his arrival, the disturbance to his sarcophagus gives him increasing freedom to send forth his ka - the Egyptian life force/personality - to influence the museum curator who has bought the sarcophagus for the museum in the (correct) belief that it is unsealed and therefore contains a mummy. And before long, he is feeding on the life forces of modern day people and beginning to establish a power base, in the service of his god but also ultimately to try to gain sufficient power to become godlike himself.
I enjoyed the Egyptology background and the idea that, in contrast to ancient Egypt where sorcery was believed in and the gods were real and most people were dedicated to a god from birth and had protections which kept them safe from the villain's machinations, the modern world has such a lack of religious belief that he is able to overpower and recruit without opposition.
I also liked the fact that Henry played a much bigger role in this story than the predeceding one and that he and Mike, Vicki's other lover in their love triangle, have to start to work together and to develop some mutual respect. Although it was never spelled out to him, since the events of the previous book which occurred a few months previously, Mike seems to have accepted the notion that Henry is a vampire. Possibly though, Vicki has a bit too much baggage in this novel and going forward in the series: not only is she suffering from the progressive eye disease which may render her blind and is the reason she had to leave the police force and is now a private investigator, it seems that her inability to commit to either man - or any man - is because her dad abandoned her and her mother when she was a child.
One continuing oddity is the way Vicki seems quite happy to share Henry with Tony, the young man who grew up on the streets but now has a steady job etc thanks to Henry. As Tony's former mentor who tried to look out for him, it is a bit strange that she thinks it OK for them both to have a sexual relationship with Henry (entailed in the blood drinking for a vampire, if a regular relationship is in place as opposed to hunting strangers). Henry isn't exactly exploiting Tony, but he is obviously a mature character at 450 years old whereas Tony is just around 17. The whole issue is dealt with very much as a casual side mention and Vicki seems to feel that open relationships are great all round: not an attitude most people can handle in practice even if they subscribe to it in theory.
The end of the story implies that there might at some point be more trouble with the god who lay behind the mummy's predations, but I don't know if that was ever followed through in a later volume.
As I enjoyed this one more than the two preceding volumes, it rates 4 stars. -
Blood Lines is the third in a series that I read years ago and really enjoyed. Recently I got the chance to pick them up again and am glad to find them as enjoyable as I did the first time around.
Author Tanya Huff has created an inventive and fun series set in Toronto, where Vicky Nelson an ex-cop with degenerative eye disease and an assertive personality meets Henry Fitzroy, vampire, 450 years old. This dream investigative team is complicated by Vickie's ex partner from the police and also ex lover who will not give up on Vicky. The triangular dynamics make for a much more interesting book that a simple duo would.
In this novel, the Toronto museum Egyptology department is the focus and inexplicable crimes and mysterious deaths center around.... you guessed it! A ancient mummy.
Now, I will admit an embarrassing fact: The last time I read these books I never twigged that each one was based around a different mythological concept, demons, werewolves, vampires... This time, here at number three the light finally went on. The first time I read this, I remember it was not my favourite of the series, but I was reading them out of sequence, this time around I found the mummy theme really engrossing. The slow plot development worked for me really well, I felt that the characters were all progressing and events outside the main plot line helped develop the theme.
Thoroughly enjoyed it...
Next! -
⭐⭐⭐1/2
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Avis tiré de mon blog :
Le Musée royal de l'Ontario pensait avoir trouvé sa pièce maitresse en découvrant une momie dans un sarcophage censé être vide. Mais depuis cette découverte déjà deux personnes sont morts de crise cardiaque. Alors Michael Celluci n'écoute que son instinct, il sent que quelque chose de louche se passe et il ne peut pas enquêter car les causes des morts ont été déclarés non suspectes. Il engage donc Vicki pour découvrir le fin mot de l'histoire, espérant que son coté proche du surnaturel l'aidera.
Il semblerait finalement qu'une momie se déplace actuellement dans Toronto, et que les archéologues aient réveillé un ancien dieu ...
Un tome que j'ai trouvé original. Même si dans les films et les livres d'horreur le sujet de la momie vivant soit assez courant, il ne l'est pas du tout en urban fantasy, c'est bien la première fois que je le vois abordé.
Les relations entre les personnage évoluent aussi dans ce tome, même si elles ne sont finalement pas très présente dans la totalité du tome qui est assez court. Mon coté habitué aux lectures habituelles du genre trouve qu'on n'en parle pas assez en comparaison avec l'enquête, j'en voudrais plus !
J'ai quand même bien aimé ce tome malgré ce petit manque. L'enquête est sympa et avance toute seule, le ton reste léger et on ne sens vraiment pas les pages défiler, c'est vraiment un bon point et en même temps on aimerais en avoir plus et que tout soit plus fouillé.
C'est pour ça que j'ai hâte de lire le suivant !
16/20 -
This is third in Tanya Huff's Blood series that still has the three protagonists (in a love triangle no less): Vickie, ex-detective now private eye (ironically with an eye disease); Mike, presently a detective and formerly Vickie's partner; and Henry, a 450 year old vampire. It also has a Mummy who was/is a wizard and megalomaniac. As in the previous two books, our heroic trio have to outwit and overcome the evil - said Mummy - who has invaded Toronto. Tanya Huff continues with the three, strong, main characters that have the deductive-investigative-abilities and the wise-cracking repartee.
She also includes interesting sub-plots surrounding Vickie's mom, Henry's hunting habits and Mike's police/legal dilemmas. As I read this novel, I found it charming how the characters interact so naturally, while undercurrents of sensual, sexual and suspenseful moments continually surround them. I do recommend it if you like the paranormal, urban-legend and fantasy genre in a contemporary setting. -
So not as great as I thought it would have been. Yes, there was an ancient mummy loose in the city. Mike and Henry band together to fight it off. Vicki get’s drugged and kidnapped. Henry faces his one largest fear. It had so much potential to be great. But it was a little slow paced and I got really bored during the middle of it. There just wasn’t enough chemistry between Henry and Vicki as they eluded.
It was very inconsistent with Mike’s love life. Mike finally finds a girl who he might like and asks her out to dinner in the first few chapters but then she wasn’t mentioned again till the end of the book where it was just him asking her about rituals…what happened to them? This book just didn’t live to the last book. It just didn’t have the pace, suspense, or same feel that the other books prior had.
You can find more reviews
Mademoisellesnow Blog -
It's an entertaining read, but I didn't enjoy it as much as the first and even as the second novel in the series. The characters don't seem to develop and the end feels rushed.
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Why do all momie story have the same vibe ?
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Solid supernatural detective series. Every time I read one of these books I get what I expected and I’m perfectly satisfied.
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Another solid entry into the series about Vicki Nelson, a PI with a degenerative eye disability, Henry Fitzroy, centuries-old vampire and son of Henry VIII. Since he plays a much bigger part in this book, mention should also be made of Mike Celluci, police officer and sometime lover of Vicki.
In previous novels Huff has tackled vampires (obviously), werewolves, summoning demons and here she wanders into the realms of ancient Egypt and mummies. In the slow burn start to the book a new sarcophagus is found by Dr Rax, curator of the Royal Ontario Museum, and brought to Toronto. After a series of mysterious deaths, the situation comes to the notice of Mike, who starts to believe that an actual mummy might be haunting the streets of Toronto. When he is pulled from the case, he asks Vicki to investigate on his behalf. Eventually Vicki pulls together the threads to realise that the people of Toronto are in mortal danger and time is running out for the mummy to be stopped.
I have to confess, this was my least favourite of the books so far. The main essence of the plot took a really long time to get started properly - for a while it was just so much Egyptology claptrap - and the subplot concerning Henry and his fear of going mad because of his dreams was dull. I disliked the period in the book that Vicki spent in jail, since it affected the pacing of the book hugely, and the ending was a bit of a letdown and a copout.
For once, as well, I didn't enjoy the characters as much. Considering he is an all-powerful immortal who walks the night, Henry is incredibly whiny and vulnerable in this book. Mike is just annoying. And Vicki seemed once more pushed to the sidelines (as I felt with the second book). I mean, although she features in a lot of the book, she just isn't growing as a character. She is just reacting to those around her, and much of the spiky character that I enjoyed in the first book is absent. All we have now is a pushy and argumentative individual with little charm to recommend her.
And how I dislike her reactions to the two men in her life! For one thing, she is flitting between them (Mike by day and Henry by night) with not a qualm or a pang of conscience. Henry declares his love for her, and she shrugs it off as a given - in fact, moans at him for even having said it. When Mike says he wants to discuss the love triangle situation they find themselves in, she considers him a pain in the ass for doing so. She is distinctly unloveable on these occasions.
There were parts I still enjoyed, and moments in the book were incredibly tense, but I just found the overall plot less than entertaining, and the relationships between the characters annoying. I'll read onto book four, but I'm definitely less enamoured with this series. -
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keikii eats books!
76 points/100 (4 stars/5) [revised from 3 stars].
Something has been trapped in a sarcophagus for centuries upon centuries. The sarcophagus has been opened again, and the thing inside has been released, free to feed on the life energy of humans once again.
Blood Lines has an absolutely terrifying atmosphere. You know the main characters are going to be safe - it is a book, they're always safe. Yet, outside of that, you don't know what is going to happen the entire time. It is frightening, because the monster is nothing they've ever even dreamed of before. They don't know how to make the deaths stop. They are afraid.
The absolute best thing about Blood Lines is the mythologies Tanya Huff pulls from to make it. Do you know how many urban fantasy books I can think of that use a mummy as a supernatural creature? Two! This and an Iron Druid Chronicles novella. And, that novella has that mummy for all of two seconds. Plus, the mummy idea is fully explored in Blood Lines. It isn't just dumped on us to figure out how it fits into the world we already have seen for ourselves. Also, also there really isn't even all that much information for them to find about mummies, because they hadn't even been seen in the world for millennia. I love this book! This is just so well done.
In the first two books of this series, the human aspects of the story have centered mostly on the side characters. This time, it is personal. Vicki goes through a lot of hell throughout the duration of this book. She is trying to find where she fits in. Henry goes through a lot of personal anguish as well, and I like how it contrasts against Vicki's. The relationship drama that surrounded most of what I disliked about the previous book has cooled down. Henry and Mike are learning to work with each other, mostly because Vicki isn't putting up with their nonsense anymore.
This was such a great read. It features a creature no one has seen and can find no information on. It is a battle they don't think they can win. And it is very scary. -
This is the book which stands out most in my memory (followed by Blood Pact), most likely because I have always been interested in Egypt and its history from an early age and the villain from this book is an Ancient Egyptian - so cool!
I also really like this book because I was able to visit the Royal Ontario Museum when they had the Book of the Dead on exhibit (and the main setting for this book is the ROM!). I said in an earlier review that I like books where the settings are somewhere I have been (or seen on TV) as it gives it a more realistic feel... you know just how far people have to walk to get from place A to B and so on. In this case, having actually visited the ROM I can picture the halls our villain and our heroes had to walk through and it adds so much.
Our love triangle is more persistent in this book, it never quite reaches the nauseating levels so often found in YA books, but it isn't as interesting as it started out being. Both Henry and Celluci want more than Vicky wants to give, granted both are willing (kind of) to step back and let her lead (something that comes up again in Blood Pact) but it would be nice if it could have remained a more modern love triangle... without the love element.
The one thing I dislike here is the abuse that Vicky goes through in the detention facility - now, I am sure that bullying/fighting etc does happen in 'real life' and I am sure that the guards do turn blind eyes but this... it just seems forced. Either that or Vicky gets over it far too quickly for it to seem realistic. I know she is portrayed as being a strong woman etcetera but there I find it unlikely that anyone who is drugged, arrested under false details and goes through living hell would bounce back as she does. -
As a whole, the book was great, but I did find myself speed reading through most (if not all)of the mummy's plot line. I began reading this book immediately after the second in the series, so I was revved-up to dive right back into the awkward silences and tension that Mike, Henry, and Vicki bring to the series. HOWEVER, that is not what I got. Instead i was greeted by a long and painful 20 pages worth of how the mummy comes to be in Toronto in the first place. Argh! So I guess I set myself up to really not appreciate the plot development as far as the mummy was concerned for the first half of the book. It just seemed like just when I was really getting into one plot the point-of-view shifted back to that darn mummy! Honestly, if the rest of the series is going to be like that I feel as though I'm setting myself up to be greatly disappointed. If it weren't for my great need to finish the series and find out what path/who Vicki chooses I might just Google the book summaries of the remaining books!
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This is my favorite of the Vicky Nelson books so far. I really like the way it plays out.
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2020 UPDATE: This book was harder to read this time around than it was the first time I read it. There's an example of police brutality in here. It's not for very many pages, and it's the bad guys doing it (and there are example of good cops to balance it out) but with everything going on in the news that was NOT an easy section of the book to read. I still enjoyed the main plot and most of the characters, but it wasn't "purely fantasy" the way I had seen it when I originally read it. -
I loved this book. I liked seeing Vicki be able to use her other senses, when her sight sucked, and still kick butt. Like when all the lights went out in the jail and she took out Natalie and Lambert. Plus I love how she decided once she got out of jail she was going to talk with the force about the state of their jail. I also like that Celluci and Henry are sort of coming to a gruff truce. They don't really like each other, but they can work together and have each others' backs when it's needed. I cannot wait for the next book in this series and it sounds like we haven't heard the last of Akhekh.
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I've read the first few books of this series awhile back and remembered that I liked them. But in this book I found that Vicky's smart-alecky and sarcastic responses got on my nerves. She was also so 'independent' to the point of being abrasive most the time.
Some of the book was talk about the Egyptian god and his minions and what they needed to have in order to thrive. Actually, I thought it took up too much of the story. There was very little action and only one part, where Vicky was sent to jail, was very good. Even the ending was anti-climatic.
I found this to be a dud and hope the next few books are better. -
I had trouble with this book - I just wasn't interested in the subject matter but since I've spent the last week researching ancient Egypt, maybe I was just burned out. It did redeem itself with a strong finish but it was a long and painful journey to get there. I do like Vicky, Henry and Mike - the private eye, the vampire and the cop so I will be continuing the series.
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Sadly this instalment was really boring. There was a whole scene where the bad guy tried to (quite literally) talk the good guy to death. Seriously.
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I really enjoyed this third novel of Tanya Huff’s ‘Blood’ series. I really didn’t like book #2, ‘Blood Trail’, because of the lack of development between the series’ supposed love interests, Henry and Vicki. I still have the same problem with Henry and Vicki’s under-developed relationship, but the mystery plot of ‘Blood Lines’ went a long way to making up my waning interest in this series.
In this book an Egyptian mummy is terrorizing Toronto. Mike Celluci is on the case, but he soon realizes that the supernatural element is over his head, so he enlists the help of his ex-partner Vicki Nelson, and her vampire side-kick, Henry Fitzroy.
The villain is a century’s old, previously entombed, Egyptian wizard/high-priest. I loved the Egyptian mummy plot of this book. So much so that I want to go out and read other books with a mummy/zombie plot. If you loved the 1999 film ‘The Mummy’ then this book is right up your alley. Sticking a mummy in modern-day (1990’s) Toronto made for a fabulously twisted whodunit with a fresh supernatural bent.
In about the last 3 or 4 chapters the stakes are raised to incredible heights as the mummy has Vicki in its sights and is hell-bent on eating her ‘ka’ (life force). Vicki is put into a situation no ex-cop wants to be in, and it’s a mad dash to the books finish line to see if Vicki can save herself, and stop Toronto from becoming an Egyptian monument.
I did love the action of this book. I’ve never read a mummy plot before (the closest I’ve come is Gail Carriger’s ‘Changeless’) and I loved how unique this supernatural story was.
My rating for this book is entirely thanks to the mummy plot. The character development however, once again left much to be desired...
I’m still uncomfortable with the development (or lack of) between Henry and Vicki. In this book there are lots of revelations concerning Vicki’s relationship (past and present) with Mike Celluci, and Henry’s feelings for Vicki. But still, I was unhappy with what Huff has to offer..... And once again the crux of my complaint is centred on Henry’s sexual relationship with ex street-rat and Vicki’s nineteen-year-old friend/informant, Tony.
Below is a scene that takes place outside of Henry’s apartment; Vicki is leaving as Tony is about to head in to see Henry;
“Hey, Victory, don’t sweat it.” As though he’d read her mind, Tony’s voice softened. “It’s easier for me. I didn’t really have a life till he showed up. He can remake me any way he wants. You’ve been you for a long time. It makes it harder to fit the two of you together.”
You’ve been you for a long time. She felt some of the tension begin to leave her shoulders. If anyone could understand that, it would be Henry Fitzroy. “Thanks, Tony.”
“No problem.” The cocky tone returned. “You want me to hail you a cab?”
“No.”
“Then I better get upstairs.”
“Before you split your jeans?”
“Jeez, Victory,” she could hear the grin in his voice, “I thought you couldn’t see in the dark.”
That scene is the most reaction readers get from Vicki concerning Henry’s relationship with Tony. Tony all but says he loves Henry and yes, he will be sleeping with him tonight, and Vicki merely sends him on his way. I’m still uncomfortable (on Vicki’s behalf) about the Henry/Tony pairing. But I’m mostly frustrated with Tanya Huff for dropping that massive bombshell and never delving deeper.
I’ve read through Amazon reviews of the ‘Blood’ series, to see specifically if other readers were disquieted by Tony’s role in Henry’s life. I only found one other reviewer who expressed dislike, and that was to do with the fact that Henry has a sexual penchant for men, as well as women. I like a good M/M romance as much as the next person, that’s not my problem (I actually wish that Huff had made Tony and Henry the series main HEA focus, throwing Vicki in makes things awkward and seedy). My problem is with the fact that Vicki is okay with her friend and protégé whom she has card for since he was 15, carrying on a sexual relationship with the same man that she is sleeping with. Ick.
Huff sheds a bit more light on Vicki and Mike’s past relationship, thereby exposing Vicki’s flaws. Turns out that while Vicki and Mike were ‘dating’ for 4 years, they were never exclusive. Vicki slept with other men, Mike with ‘bimbettes’. Vicki and Mike were perfectly alright with this set-up. But with the introduction of Henry, Mike suddenly wants a little more commitment from Vicki. He is even, *gasp*, contemplating settling down with her. But Mike dares not approach with Vicki, because he is well aware of her personal hang-ups.
Vicki is quite damaged when it comes to intimacy. Her father left her mother for a younger woman when Vicki was a child, and it seems that indiscretion has coloured Vicki’s entire romantic outlook. It sort of explains why Vicki is okay with having an open relationship with both Henry and Mike, and why the lack of definition regarding her and Henry’s partnership doesn’t faze her.
I think Huff has given Vicki too much baggage. Not only does she have a degenerative eye disease that meant she had to leave the job she loved, but Vicki puts on a macho/ballsy front in order to over-compensate for having lived and worked in a male dominated environment. She also has daddy abandonment issues and therefore cannot commit and cannot view sex as anything other than a temporary pleasure. It’s all a little too much, and almost turns Vicki into a caricature. She comes across as very angry, ‘the world is out to get me’ and nobody loves me. Urgh. It gets to be a little too much at times. If Huff had only made Henry (or Mike!) the one shining light in her life, the one point in which she can let her guard down and enjoy something. Instead, in this book both Henry and Mike lay their feelings about Vicki on the line... and she ignores them. Or as Vicki succinctly puts it:
It’s just like a man to want to complicate a perfectly good relationship.
Admittedly I wasn’t really buying Henry’s proclamations of love when he delivered them to Vicki (especially because he thinks similar thoughts about Tony, but Huff never addresses the double-up). I think Henry’s declaration of love came too soon and with too little development on his and Vicki’s relationship. But regardless of that, it was frustrating the way Vicki donned her armour and refused to acknowledge Mike or Henry’s professions of love. Grr! Huff is making Vicki very hard to swallow.
I did like this book. I appreciated Huff’s attempt to shed some more light on Vicki’s feelings for Henry and Mike... but it was a case of being ‘a day late and a dollar short’ when Huff already dropped the Henry/Tony/Vicki bomb in book #2 and once again refused to examine it in book #3. The mummy mystery saved this book and ensured I’d kept reading...
3.5/5 -
3.5 stars.. Very slow at times and I wasn't fond of many plot elements: I'm a fan of the great characters.
Likes:
* 6' 4" Detective Sergeant Mike Celluci, possessive over Vicki and jealous of Henry
* 450 year old, Henry Fitzroy, bastard son of Henry VIII, bodice ripper novelist, church protector as a holy crusader back in the day
* Vicki ex Toronto homocide detective, retired due to vision disability
Dislikes:
* Not as many amusing scenes
* Jealous snarky remarks are not funny
* Sounded like this story would be continued, but I guess not
* Henry was afraid and cowardly in this story
With-reservations:
violence, murder, evil, religious fanaticism, torture, debilitating fear, suicidal thoughts
Our Characters:
Vampires:
