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Saturday, October 22, 2011

Retribution: Journey of the Damned 1 by Robin Badillo


Title: Retribution: Journey of the Damned !
Author: Robin Badillo
Sub-Genre(s): Romance, vampire, paranormal
Publisher: eXtasy Books
Publication Date: October 1, 2010
ISBN #: B0046LV8RI
Format: eBook from Author
Reviewer: Toni
Rating: 4 Cups

Blurb:*
Waking up in a strange place with no memory is hard enough, but when you unknowingly wake as a vampire with an insatiable desire to drain a stray cat of its life's blood--then you can bet that you're about to take a journey down a very bumpy road.

Sydney Chance finds herself a stranger to her new life as well as the one she left behind. On a reluctant mission to uncover her past, Sydney's struggle with bloodlust is magnified when all of her senses draw her to a brooding and intriguing vampire named Demetri Bastian, who seems more intent on fighting her at every turn as he keeps her at arm's length while trying to protect and control.

To make matters worse, a sadistic ancient vampire, who makes it his hobby to collect beautiful young women and keep them as pets, has his fangs set on Sydney. 

Not knowing her own name takes a back seat to the drama that unfolds all around her as she seeks revenge on the vampire who created her, sending her on a suspenseful trail of love, lies, betrayals, twists and turns that could quite possibly destroy her, immortal or not. 

Who says what you don't know can't hurt you?

Review:
Amnesia is a scary thing, but to also wake up with a nerve burning need to feed and not know who you are has got to be rough. Retribution is an enlightening take on the sorrows and joys of becoming a vampire.

When she woke up in a strange place she felt horrible. Everything seemed wrong and she hurt like hell. In and out of consciousness, surrounded by sights and sounds foreign to her, she was scared - no terrified. She knows she isn’t herself, but she doesn’t know who she is. Her hearing is amplified, her body is not her own and the person who is taking care of her is vague yet helpful.

That is how Sydney Chance felt when she woke up. With her new friend and new existence, Sydney must move forward. It doesn’t take long for her to understand what she is. With perseverance and anger towards her creator she has a new outlook on life or rather her undead life.

Now she must learn how to cope and how to survive in her strange new world. She must outmaneuver and outsmart the sadistic ancient Quinton and understand her unusual attraction to the standoffish gloomy vampire Demetri Bastian. With the help of her new friends, Sydney might just make it.

I enjoyed this different take on the turning of a vampire. To me it encompassed a more realistic view of a change. The body doesn’t just wake up and say “yummmm blood”. Ms. Badillo’s rendition of Sydney’s first 48 hours was a great opening with her strong emotions and turmoil of dealing with the change.

The vampires in Retribution have unique abilities that help them blend in with humans. It was a nice change all around; their abilities, weaknesses and strengths all blended well and didn’t seem outlandish.

Demetri is your typical vampire. He has a troubled past and he tries to ignore his feeling towards Sydney, all while being broody, grumpy and sexy. While reading Ms. Badillo’s comment from Sydney in regards to Demetri’s protectiveness of her, really gave me a chuckle and made me think of all the other alpha vampires out there in books: “Now, why did I still need to get permission from Demetri to go anywhere or do anything? Oh yeah, I remember, because he was a two-hundred-year-old vampire with a daddy complex.”

I am intrigued and fascinated by this vampire series. I have been drawn in and I plan on continuing to read about Sydney’s adventures as a vampire. Retribution is an absorbing and engaging read, not to be missed. I hope her journey is as good as her turning. Great job Ms. Badillo for writing a great introduction into this series, I’m hooked!


Available at:
Amazon (Kindle Edition)



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*Blurb Courtesy of Amazon

**Disclaimer: This book has been provided to Coffee Beans & Love Scenes Reviews free of charge by the author. No money has been exchanged for the review of this eBook. This review reflects the opinion of the individual reviewer and does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the other C&R reviewers or this blog’s administrator/editor.

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