HeartsBlood (Praxis, #1) by Carolyn McCray

HeartsBlood (Praxis, #1) Reviews

• 
  Monika

  Review posted on
  World of Diversity Fiction Reviews
  
  
  HeartsBlood is part of Praxis: Blood Magic Saga. There are three stories in this set with HeartsBlood being the big read. Blood Oath is a great short prequel to HeartsBlood, it gave me Tyr’s back story something that was lacking when I originally read HeartsBlood and Blood Ties is that short story that will ease you into the second book in this series. This review is for all three.
  
  I first read HeartsBlood in January of 2012 and I loved it. I couldn’t wait for the next book to come out so I could find out what happens to Salista & Tyr. You see Heartsblood ends rather abruptly and it leaves you hanging, for me that was the only negative thing about the book but I knew a sequel was in the works so I didn’t sweat it, it just took a long time to come out. When it was ready the author contacted me asking if I’d be interested in reading and giving an honest review of Praxis then doing the same with DeadBlood, the sequel, I jumped at the chance. So after reading the new additions and re-reading HeartsBlood this is my review of Praxis: Blood Magic Saga.
  
  Praxis is a paranormal, time travelling, mystery, suspense and magic filled adventure. It’s a different take on a paranormal and something I hadn’t read before. It was a page turner for sure and there is a romance. The chemistry between Sal and Tyr was off the charts but I did get a bit impatient waiting for them to finally acknowledge their attraction for each other. Sal is a doctor who has a very boring fiancé and Tyr is a hunter from another time and place. He comes to Sal’s time to hunt, capture and return a beast that is there looking for something but in his quest to find that something he kills anyone that gets in his way. Tyr knows he needs to get him back to their time before he does too much damage to Sal’s world.
  
  I loved Sal, she is different than most women in these types of stories, she’s not that simpering damsel in distress but a strong, fierce woman that can take care of herself and she becomes a very important part of Tyr’s hunt. After meeting Tyr she realizes that her engagement to Richard isn’t working for her and eventually she changes that situation. For me the romance in this story is just a small part of it, the mystery of why the beast is there and watching Sal and Tyr come together to help each other stop him is why I loved this book so much.
  
  It’s well written and the pace was perfect. There was just the right amount of twists and turns to keep me glued to my Kindle and now I’m anxious to read DeadBlood, I need to find out how the rest of the story unfolds. If you love paranormal stories with a bit of romance I think you’ll enjoy this.
  
  I recommend this Series and the author.
  
• 
  Donna (BLHmistress)

  I have been sitting here trying to find to words to express just how much I loved this book and I am not sure what I will say will do it justice. This book was amazing. I was immediately drawn in from the beginning. At first I thought the science of it would turn me off but the author explained it all to where I wasn't confused and I was wanting to know what in the world did the Beast want.
  
  I stayed up til after 5 this morning to finish this because I just couldn't stop it was just that darned good and can I say I never was so excited for a first kiss ever in a book.
  
  I loved not only the well written storyline but the characters as well. Even the side characters drew me in, though Richard, who in all rights should be the perfect dream man but definitely not for me, maybe I just love the dark broody type too much.
  
  And lastly there was so many times I was left speechless, my jaw dropped and I thought I so didn't see that one coming especially the end. It definitely wasn't your typical ending and that I am torn about. Part of me was angry and wanted to scream NO! you can't leave it like that and part of me was like wow another twist I wasn't expecting.
  
  Would I recommend? A big resounding YES do not walk run and get this book, Warning this book will cause a sleepless night. Meanwhile I am impatiently waiting for the next book in this series, Deadblood.
• 
  Theresa

  Um... I just finished reading this book less than 2 minutes ago, and I can honestly say that it has been a very long time since a book has affected me as deeply as Heartsblood did. Not very often does a book come along that makes you feel so intensely that the tears actually stream down your face. This one did. In fact, I'm still tearing as I write this. THIS BOOK IS PHENOMENAL.
  
  The entire book had me gasping, laughing, and crying. Literally. Carolyn McCray's writing is absolutely awesome. She writes in such a way that the feelings that Heartsblood invokes are so intense and so, so real. You just can't help but be sucked into the world that McCray has created.
  
  Both main characters are easy to relate to, even though Tyr seems to be from a completely different world. The descriptions and emotions written into the story make it easy to feel (not just "know") what is going on, and the connection between Tyr and Sal is evident, even though they struggle to communicate through their cultural differences.
  
  I honestly feel as though I can't come up with the right words to do this book justice. Everything I'm writing is true, but doesn't seem good enough to portray what I'm feeling about this book right now. GO. BUY. IT. NOW.
• 
  Wenj

  DNF.
  
  Review provided by
  Black Lagoon Reviews:
  
  After reading several very positive reviews about Carolyn McCray's HeartsBlood, I was eagerly anticipating reading it. However, once I finally started to do so I couldn't hide the vast amount of disappointment that I felt as after the first 100 pages I could no longer shy away from the fact that I just really wasn't enjoying either the story or the characters and was thus forced to abandon the novel totally, making this a DNF (Did Not Finish) read.
  
  So where did this novel go wrong for me? Well, from the very beginning I couldn't develop any connection to the characters. The initial chapters were a hodge-podge of chaos more focused on the medical setting then on the characters themselves. Not only that, but there was a very definite stiffness to the writing that set me off as well. It was more geared towards a medical text then a paranormal romance. When the action involving the actual premise of the novel finally did come to pass, I was hopeful that things would turn around. Again, I was disappointed by the chaotic writing and the inner dialogue, more of a diagnosis really, which managed to drag the scene on and on. In the end, I felt that the potential that this story held was destroyed by the inability to turn off the medical jargon and overly analytical inner workings of the main character.
  
  Usually, even when I dislike something it's usually salvaged by my curiosity about the characters more then anything else. In fact, many novels I've been put off by have been saved by the writer's ability to make me care about them. I was hoping that that would be the case here and because of the characters I would come to be drawn into the story. Again, it just didn't happen. I even read far past what I could stomach simply with that hope pushing me on. As it was, I couldn't connect to the main character, the mysterious stranger, or the fiancee. In fact, I found myself down right disliking several of the characters because of how obnoxious and abrasive they were and therefore found no solice there.
  
  I then left all hope for the story with the potential that the premise held, after all the synopsis sounded interesting which was the whole reason that I chose to review this novel in the first place. The idea was unique and intriguing and I liked the scientific take on things with the lingering promise of magic. In this regard, McCray definitely did bring the scientific atmosphere of the hospital to life. The medical basis of the plot was nicely developed, although, it seemed to take over the novel overshadowing everything else. From the medicinal aspect of the ER to the more clinical analysis of Sal's fiancee, it just all served to overpower the characters making them into walking, talking text books. When the magical aspect finally appeared, it just sort of fell flat under the more domineering science. The end result was a plot that was unfathomable with little practicality in the face of such an unbelieving heroine. When she does finally allow herself to ponder the possibility it comes off as being false under her stanch analytical mind making the actions seem at odds with the character.
  
  In the end, I just couldn't bring myself to get into this novel. From the chaotic action scenes to the overly medical tone of the characters, I just couldn't connect to any of them despite the more then generous 100 pages that I tried. While this may appeal to some, evident by the rather glowing reviews out there, it just didn't hit the mark for me.
  
  
• 
  Kayla

  I think I may actually be giving this three star review more than it deserves. When I started reading this book I couldn't get into it and didn't understand why. In fact, I had to push my way through Hearts Blood all the way to the end. I really just couldn't connect to the characters or the story. It got a little better as I went on and there were some interesting things that I wanted to know more about so I made little goals for myself to help me get through it. But it took forever to end and again I never really got interested. As for positives, it was pretty well written with the execption of a few jerky moments. And it was nice to get a medical perspective, but it was overwhelming at times.
• 
  Norm Davis

  HeartsBlood, Carolyn McCray
  
  While I've rated 4 stars it might just be 5 actually. It certainly kept me turning pages.
  
  As advertised it is a paranormal romance, urban fantasy, thriller. And it really is all those things in spades. Carolyn McCray starts a little too fast, if that is possible. I say too fast because she was using fantasy terms that had not yet been very clearly explained from the beginning, so it takes a little to understand that Praxis, for example, is essentially “magic” of a sort. By the time you have that figured out, you're turning pages about as fast as possible. Another way she pumps you up to burning through pages is her use of very short chapters. Most chapters are not more than 3 pages
  
  My notes say the first 70 pages are boring and confusing. By finishing the novel you've long forgotten that.
  
  Sal, our heroine is an emergency room M.D.. Tyr is the hero who blasts through time to land, injured, near Sal's sour edge of San Francisco hospital. The attraction from Sal is immediate but the first encounter is so brief, she barely can believe it even happened. Tyr doesn't notice, he's chasing a beast that is very seriously dangerous, whatever time or place that it is in. He was born to destroy such beasts.
  
  Hero and heroine have a very complex relationship that travels through twists and turns at every page. You do get to understanding Praxis, and the other kinds of “magic” that is essential to Tyr in his effort to destroy “the beast”.
  
  I'm not going to go into much more except to say if you want to ride a thoroughbred of a novel through unimaginable obstacle after obstacle, I'd recommend this one. With one caveat. You should really pick up “Praxis, the Blood Magic Saga Collection” as it has, in my mind, essential information in short ''tween” stories that fill in more that you might think for as short as they are.
  
  A warning to folks who might want to hand this to your young teen. Don't do that. They could probably handle 95% of it but at one point it is very very erotic. I'm sure that bit would make any good Harlequin romance novel blush.
• 
  Becky

  I don't usually read these sort of books, so I wasn't sure how it would be. I found it facinating and interesting. I really didn't get the magic and all as I don't read about it. So there was times while I was reading it that I was confused and had to go back and re-read parts. It was sad at the end. I would like to read the second book as I am still interested in the characters and now I have a foundation of the story and magic. I would recommend this book to those who really are into the urban fantasy and magic.
• 
  S.J. Drum

  I really liked this book. The plot, the characters and the writing were all wonderful. I loved the complexity of the characters, especially Sal. There were definitely spots that could have used the kind of help an editor provides. A tiny bit of plot tweaking, spell-checking and line-editing would kick this book up to a 5 star. I wonder if the author submitted to publishing houses before self-pubbing.
• 
  Ann T

  I wish I was a person that if I didn't like a book I would/could put it down. I am not this person so I finished reading it. Ugh!! Pure torture. This book was highly recommended by Amazon Kindle readers giving it 4+ stars in the free lending library. I was looking forward to reading a new author. I have nothing good to say about the book so I will end my review here. Don't bother.
• 
  Marsha Wilcox

  I love this book! It should become a series. There's already a 2nd book coming. I can envision telling this tale forever. Or at least until 3100. Philosophy (exquisitely buried) that I am still pondering. Great characterization, suspense. Why have I never heard of this writer before?
  
• 
  Indie Books

  Loving it so far!
• 
  Samantha

  I absolutely loved this book...bad part is it gave me a teaser of a sequel at the end and it isn't in print yet...absolutely hate having to wait to see what happens next!!!
• 
  Kim Osborn

  Excellent read
• 
  Jill

  Tyr is a great hero. Loved the fast pace and the plot kept me interested. Not much romance till the end but still recommend it.
• 
  Ariella

  I love the characters. It great story
• 
  Angie ☯

  The story was pretty good actually, but the ending was a bummer!! I was very happy to find out that this was actually a series and not a stand alone (my copy didn't show the series name).
  
  Looking forward to see what the future holds.....
• 
  Christina

  Read this as part of Yearnings: A Paranormal Romance Box Set.
• 
  Kas

  *sigh*
  
  I feel like I have to explain my 2 stars because I normally rate this author at 4-5.
  
  This book was NOT up to the standard set by her other novels.
  
  I found the characters to be a bit flat. They reacted predictably (something, say, Darc never does). The plot was repetitive and boring. Seriously? How many "beast battles" did we really need? The thing was impenetrable. We got in the first big battle and definitely after the second one. Did we need to see them throw themselves into the fray over and over again?
  
  Her immediate "love" for Tyr irritated me. I hate when books do that. It's passion. It's lust. You're not in love. Shut up.
  
  Why was her "virtue" mentioned when we spent several paragraphs in the first scene discussing her sex life? She obviously was not a virgin. I had to double take at that comment.
  
  The super short chapters bothered me. The breaks were unnatural and it made the book feel choppy.
  
  I felt like a lot of the book came across as "Look how much research I did on medical stuff and biology! LOOK AT IT!!!"
  
  Basically, what needed to be fleshed out WASN'T and what was fleshed out could have been cut.
  
  The POSITIVE note I have is the ending took me by surprise. I expected to find Richard in the office with Dr. Hot Stuff (Manning?) but was a bit shocked when that wasn't the case.
  
  I HATE HATE HATE writing a semi-scathing review for an author I usually love. I got this book in the "Love" box set but I'm not sure I'm going to move on to the next ones in the series. (usually I can't get enough)
• 
  Amber

  My thoughts on this book, I won't give a description of this book because I think the summary listed is pretty much to the point. Plus there's too much that goes on in this book I wouldn't do it justice. Now that being said I will say I almost gave up on this book. I didn't find the beginning attention grabbing, but I decided to continue due to all the good reviews. Maybe I was in a sour mood when I started the book, IDK....but I'm glad I did continue. I can't remember where I was when it really grabbed me but it does! The idea of this book and how the author words everything I thought was impressive. I thought I'd be confused but as I read it all makes sense believe it or not. It has a little bit of everything in it...from suspense, action and even some romance! My only issue and yep this is a little spoiler but I won't go into details so I don't think I'm really giving anything away... is how Tyr did what he did at the ending and it not get explained??? Like wtf! I wouldn't have been too impressed and it was like no big deal?? And the moment the Beast lets out the big secret? I don't understand how that doesn't get addressed either. I'm really hoping in the second book, which yes I'll purchase, that both of these gets addressed! Overall though I did enjoy the book. The premise of it is nothing like I've read before and I loved the twists and turns of the book. Many were things I never would have seen coming. Looking forward to the next book and where it all goes.
• 
  Eyrsi Enosh

  Premise:
  
  Dr Salista Calon’s best friend is brutally slaughtered one stormy eve, and the only clue she has to the murderer is a mysterious man clad in leather. With science on her side and magic on his, they work together, often at his dismay, to stop a beast’s deadly rampage.
  
  My Review:
  
  The good:
  
  Great plot. Kept me reading. The romance aspect wasn’t too thick until the end, yet enough to make you warm. The characters were believable, and when I say that I include their profession. After reading, I’m convinced that the author had some nursing or medical background (I’ll be checking her bio after!). It moved at a fast pace, slowing for a beat before picking back up again.
  
  The bad:
  
  I feel that there were places that could have used less telling and more showing. As I said before, the romance wasn’t over the top…until the end. I understand the need for a love scene in a romance novel, but…that was a little overdone. Left me with questions which is a good thing, but…I WANT ANOTHER BOOK! J
  
  My Final Thoughts:
  
  Read, read, read. I completely enjoyed this book, and so did a friend that recently read it. Neither of us love romance, yet we completely enjoyed this book. Worth a read, friends.
• 
  Jessica Subject

  HeartsBlood deals with the praxis of using blood to influence the essence and intent of an object, including people, with the blood from the heart having the most influence. It is also the story of Sal, an over-worked emergency ward doctor in a dead-end relationship, and Try, the deadblood who shows her the possibilities of true love.
  
  With evoking descriptions of the setting using all of the senses, Carolyn McCray allows the reader to experience all that Sal does, from muscle ache to heart ache. Although HeartsBlood does not take place in Tyr’s world, Ms McCray gives us hints of his home through Tyr’s actions and dialogue. The pacing throughout the action scenes is excellent and the short chapters help add to the suspense.
  
  While the ending of HeartsBlood was not what I expected, I found it wrapped up the book very well, and yes, Ms. McCray left me crying. I personally love when a book can stir my emotions like that.
  If you are a fan of paranormal or would like to experience a new genre, check out HeartsBlood by Carolyn McCray.
  
• 
  Denise

  I started reading this book and have really enjoyed it so far. It is a taste of something different. As I was reading I got about halfway through and the story was just over and I thought ###, then I realized I had thought I had the entire book and only had the sample. Needless to say I zipped over and bought the book and am about three quarters of the way through and anxious to finish.
  
  hOOO bOOY! I finished this book today and have to say that the ending left me chomping at the bit for more. I have a love / hate relationship with teasers in the back of books! I want to know more, but I hate to wait for the next installment:) HeartsBlood was a very satisfying read and the twisty turns at the climax made my jaw drop. I cannot wait until DeadBlood comes out. I tried to find a ETA for book two but cannot find it anywhere, but I will be persistent and keep checking Carolyn McCray's site.
• 
  April

  I downloaded this as a free book on my kindle, i am so use to all the free books being pretty crappy that i was totally shocked when i read this. It is a fantastic story and i would have paid money for it if it wasn't free. I cant wait to read others from this series. It is supernatural themed but not vampires, it deals a lot in blood and blood as a life source to the worlds magic. It was a pretty impressive original story. The only issue i have with it is the main characters name Tyr ( i think that's how it was spelt ) For some reason while reading i would always have to pause when i got to his name, it just didn't seem to fit in or roll off the tongue. So it kind of interrupted my reading roll.
  But that's a pretty small issue that is more than likely only something I have had problems with :P
  
  All in all it was a good book. If you like The Mortal Instruments... You will like this.
  4 stars from me :)
• 
  BecksBookPicks

  This book is not your normal paranormal romance. Think, Greys Anatomy with paranormal mixed in. There are a lot of medical references in this book and those not acquainted with medical jargon, may have to do a bit of referencing to get what the main character is talking about most of the time. I liked the heroine in the book because of her courage, but also her ability to seem just as human as the rest of us. There is a lot of fast paced action involved and the ending isn't quite what you will expect. It was quite refreshing, though, and I can't wait to read the next book in the installment.
  
  
  Thank you for letting me read and review this book. It was something I enjoyed because of the medical aspect of it. Hope this helps!
• 
  Lisa

  I'm pretty sure I downloaded this for free. I can only think of a handful of books I downloaded free that I truly enjoyed. This book will be added to that list. Heartsblood was quite a ride and there were times I really got the chills like Tyrs very first appearance.…creepy. I love the dynamics of Sal & Tyr's relationship. And yes, there where some predictable things but there were also several surprises that caught me off guard. Oh and I love the idea of Praxis and intent. Great element for the story. And the ending!…ugh…cliffhanger.…desperately need more now! If you've read it you know what I mean. Is there a book 2 in the works??
  I would recommend that if this is your genre, give this book a chance. You might be surprised.
• 
  Kristi

  This book was interesting, billed as a paranormal romance which usually turns me off but the plot summary was interesting. I borrowed it from the kindle library and decided I'd give it a chance. I'm glad I did. It was very fast paced, definitely more a paranormal thriller than anything. It had an interesting setting, premise and idea that the author wove throughout the story. There was a bit of a twist at the end and really for a book billed as a paranormal romance, the only sex came at the end of the book when the plot was wrapped up. I didn't really understand the last scene entirely and that threw off the entire thing for me. It left me with a bit of a bad taste in my mouth regarding both Tyr and Sal but the majority of the book was very good.
• 
  Angie Brill

  I'm being generous with three stars, unfortunately. So far I have enjoyed everything else I've read by McCray but although I didn't hate this book, it just wasn't fulfilling.
  
  The set up for this entire story was disjointed and chaotic. I had no idea where she was trying to go...was he vampire? was he some other creature? I couldn't tell for a very long time. The character development for these potentially great characters was lazy.
  
  The premise of the book, the sort of mixing science with magic is a good one but the execution of the storyline blew it.
  
  I'll likely give the next book in this series a try because, as I stated previously, I do like McCray's writing and am hoping she can bail these characters out in the second book.