Crimson Kiss (Crimson, #1) in Dangerous Hero Addict Support Group

Nov 02, 2008 Holly rated it it was amazing

Shelves: trisha-baker

I read the rave reviews about Trisha Baker's Crimson trilogy and I was intrigued but the price of the books held me off. No way was I paying that much for a set of books! Well, I broke down and finally got them and I must say, I am so glad I did! This book is FANTASTIC!!

It starts off with our heroine, Meghann O'Neill who is a psychologist who treats battered women, saying goodbye to the last living person who knew her as the mortal Maggie O'Neill. As she says goodbye to her friend who has not s I read the rave reviews about Trisha Baker's Crimson trilogy and I was intrigued but the price of the books held me off. No way was I paying that much for a set of books! Well, I broke down and finally got them and I must say, I am so glad I did! This book is FANTASTIC!!

It starts off with our heroine, Meghann O'Neill who is a psychologist who treats battered women, saying goodbye to the last living person who knew her as the mortal Maggie O'Neill. As she says goodbye to her friend who has not seen her in decades, she envies her her mortal life, the life that ended for her the night she met Simon Baldevar and became a vampire. After thirteen years under his thumb she thought she had left him for dead on the roof of their home, with a poker through his heart and the dawn approaching. She left him and her old life behind that night, working for the next thirty years to atone for the atrocities she had committed while under Simon's influence. Since Simon had not taught her anything, probably fearing she would turn on him and use her powers against him, she had to work to develop her vampiric gifts. Telepathy, telekenesis, the gift of summoning spirits and Druid magic. The magic is particularly strong with her and she is becoming powerful. So powerful in fact, she is now the accepted Priestess for her coven. Life is going pretty good for Meghann O'Neill, until she hears that Simon Baldevar is back. Since she is under the protection of another powerful vampire, Meghann is safe for the time being. In order to get to her, Simon must go around her and through her friends. And he does so. With relish. He steals her lover and tortures him, using his screams to bring her to him. There the two fight each other and their feelings for each other. Feelings that neither one want. She, because he's evil and soulless. He, because she spat on his love and left him for dead. In the midst of their battle, Simon tells Meghann he will leave her alone and walk away forever if only she can tell him that she doesn't love him and mean it. She can't. Some part of her has always loved her master, and will always seek him out. He made her and she will always be a part of him.

This book was simply fantastic. Sensational. Amazing. WOW!! I have never read anything this emotional, this deviant, this in depth. Crimson Kiss is as thrilling a vampire romance can get. It is a realistic, gritty, gory and seductive novel that absolutely dragged me in. Simply amazing.

The violence of course has to be talked about. You can't talk about Crimson Kiss and not acknowledge it. The violence in this book is probably as sadistic as it can get without turning into snuff. Simon Baldevar has been alive for over four hundred years and in that time, he has hurt and killed a lot of people. Because as he puts it, he needs the diversion. There is no rhyme or reason to his sadistic pleasures. We are given a tiny glimpse into his past, before he was made a vampire, and there are no sad tales of abuse. He is just a cruel person who was given immortality and lived to enjoy it to it's fullest. He is so powerful that other vampires fear him and give him a wide berth, engaging in a kind of Cold War. He meets Meghann O'Neill one night and is fiercely attracted to her. Thinking to use her and kill her, as he has done with all the others, he is bemused when he realizes he doesn't want to kill her. He instead transforms her. Since she is quite young, she is overwhelmed by him and his power over her. He controls her easily, until the inevitable moment comes when she tires of his tyranny and fights back. This is when the beatings start. The descriptions of the abuse is quite horrific. Simon Baldevar is a vicious, cruel man who alternately beats and makes exquisite love to his chosen consort, Meghann. He also heaps devastating emotional abuse on her. Even at the end of the book, when he is trying to regain her love, he is still working his way into her mind. Insidiously, like a snake. I wouldn't trust this vampire as far as I could throw him. Which means never.

But despite all that, I absolutely loved this book and Simon. He comes alive across the pages. He is so charismatic and seductive and when he meets Meghann he sweeps her off her feet, the consummate suave gentleman. He even fools her father. I know he is a despicable creature. He is evil, soulless, amoral. Everything about him is vicious. His moods are mercurial and I found myself holding my breath, alongside Meghann, wondering at his next move. I really felt for Meghann as well, her uncertainty and her own disgust when she realizes that despite everything she knows about Simon, she loves him.

"You know what happened last night?" she asked the fiend rhetorically. "I had this patient whose husband beats her. Nothing like you of course--no boiling water, no crucifixtions, or dead partners. And I had the nerve to advise her!" Meghan screamed shrilly at the top of her lungs, tears still pouring down her face. "The unmitigated gall to tell her that if it was me, I would certainly never love anybody who hurt me or snatched my dignity." She cackled, completely hysterical. "I said it's not love if it makes you miserable.....and that's all you do, Simon Baldevar! My life has been nothing but one miserable episode after another since I met you. That is not love!" Now she was crying again. "But if it's not, why do I love you so much? Why can't I say I don't love you and mean it? What the hell is wrong with me? How can I love some sociopath with no conscience? What does that say about me?"

Trisha Baker holds nothing back and makes no apologies. You will either love this book or hate it. I don't think you can be ambivalent about it.

This story is continued in the next book by Trisha Baker titled, Crimson Night, which is told through the eyes of Simon. I can't wait to read it. ...more

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Oct 23, 2017 Circa Girl rated it liked it

Shelves: obsessive-love, thriller, horror, telling-not-showing, violent, vampire, what-a-mess

The main thing Crimson Kiss has going for it is that it doesn't shy away from the classic evil, predatory monster interpretation of a vampire, complete with brutal blood sucking, mental manipulation and sadistic hunting- even staying resiliently dark after the hallmark twist of one of the most powerful vampires falling for a normal girl. I was really pumped for what I thought was going to be a dark timeline version of the girl meets vamp cliche and turn it on it's head in a really ironic way. Th ...more

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Apr 10, 2012 Peaches rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favourites

Wow wow. Wow. Is this what falling in love feels like? Because I'm pretty sure I've fallen in love with Lord Simon Baldevar. And i'm not even ashamed to admit it. No. Haha.
I loved this book! And I loved every single character, I LOVED the heroine which doesn't happen much usually lol. I loved the plot and omg I can't even begin to imagine how good the next book is going to be! I'm going to start the next book right now!
...more

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