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Scarlet Masquerade
What do you say to the woman you thought died over a century ago? Will time heal all wounds or does it just allow them to fester and grow? A.J. Locke has lived over two centuries and works like a demon, both figuratively and literally. As the owner of a successful pharmaceutical company that specializes in blood research, she has changed the way she can live her life. Wanting for nothing, she has smartly compartmentalized her life so that when she needs to, she can pick up and start all over again, which happens every twenty years or so. Love is not an emotion A.J. spends much time on. Since losing the love of her life to the plague one hundred fifty years ago, she vowed to never travel down that road again. That isn't to say she doesn't have women when she wants them, she just wants them on her terms and that doesn't involve a long term commitment. A.J.'s cool veneer is peeled back when she sees the love of her life in a lesbian bar, in the same town, in the same day and time in which she lives. Is her mind playing tricks on her? If not, how did Clarissa survive the plague when she had made A.J. promise never to change her? Clarissa Graham is a university professor who has lived an obscure life teaching English literature. She has made it a point to stay off the radar and never become involved with anything that resembles her past life. Every once in a while Clarissa has an itch that needs to be scratched, so she finds an out of the way location to scratch it. She keeps her personal life separate from her professional one, and in doing so she is able to keep her secrets to herself. Suddenly, her life is turned upside down when someone tries to kill her. She finds herself in the middle of an assassination plot with no idea who wants her dead.
312 pages, Paperback
First published April 1, 2011
7 people are currently reading
251 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
November 17, 2015
This book was really very good. i have to admit that i was expecting plastic tacky over the top lesbian vampires. Instead i was pleased to find a good story with strong classy characters! There are characters you will like and want to know more of, there is a plot, there is good writing... I couldn't find negatives strong enough to make it less than 5 stars, and will definitely buy the follow up book that i hope is on it's way.
oh, and i love the cover art! i'd probably have bought it just for that.
oh, and i love the cover art! i'd probably have bought it just for that.
September 27, 2012
This wasn't easy to categorise, as some aspects of this book would make it a 3 and some a 5 (and make me go back review some of my other ratings).
Things that make it a 5* - Superior Uber fiction, with dashing, dark, rich and dominant butches. Loved the "Highlander" motif of be able to listen into people and feel pain and arousal
Things that make it a 3* - willing suspension of disbelief pushed to the max by the series of massively coincidental events that neatly resolve themselves in approx 1 week
This feels very much like a start to a series of books (given the cliffhanger ending, here's hoping), with lot's of elements still to explore and develop within this world. Hoping for more of the Coven and naturally Selene.
Looking forward to reading more from this author soon.
Things that make it a 5* - Superior Uber fiction, with dashing, dark, rich and dominant butches. Loved the "Highlander" motif of be able to listen into people and feel pain and arousal
Things that make it a 3* - willing suspension of disbelief pushed to the max by the series of massively coincidental events that neatly resolve themselves in approx 1 week
This feels very much like a start to a series of books (given the cliffhanger ending, here's hoping), with lot's of elements still to explore and develop within this world. Hoping for more of the Coven and naturally Selene.
Looking forward to reading more from this author soon.
June 8, 2021
This didn't feel captivating or creative enough for a vampire story. I mean with all the supernatural novels out there, it takes a little something extra to be distinguished from the masses. Unfortunately this didn't make such difference for me.
June 11, 2017
Great vampire love story with a good deal of suspense and action. Loved the AJ character who is a strong, in-charge type of woman that has a soft spot for her love. I liked Clarissa too who is a strong woman in less obvious ways. Their love story is one for die hard romantics. I mean, what woman would not want to learn that her first love had been alone for a few hundred years because she couldn't forget her? Let's just say I can't wait to read the next in this series.
October 18, 2015
Excellent and captivating!
Is the impossible possible? A story full of suspense, intrigue, betrayal and deception. The main female characters are tough, sensitive and sexy as hell. They fight against pure evil. It was fascinating and frightening. This story never failed to keep me gripped.
Is the impossible possible? A story full of suspense, intrigue, betrayal and deception. The main female characters are tough, sensitive and sexy as hell. They fight against pure evil. It was fascinating and frightening. This story never failed to keep me gripped.
April 29, 2011
Another great book from a small publisher. The transitions worked well between the past and the present. I always knew where I was in the story. I hope Selene gets her own book in the sequel, she deserves it. Well Done!
September 18, 2015
150 years of lies
Love is love even for vampires. Really liked this book. Had lots of excitement and flash backs to the past. Claire was told lies about AJ and AJ thought Claire was dead. Lots of surprises when they realise the truth. Great story.
Love is love even for vampires. Really liked this book. Had lots of excitement and flash backs to the past. Claire was told lies about AJ and AJ thought Claire was dead. Lots of surprises when they realise the truth. Great story.
February 20, 2013
I am a huge fan of the paranormal lesfic genre and this story did not disappoint! There was so much action and tension from the very first page that I had a hard time putting it down once I cracked it open! A.J. Locke has it all- success, well, dependable friends and immortality. The only thing missing is a soul mate for her heart, but that would be impossible since her one true love died generations ago. So when Clarissa Graham appears in her life again, A.J.'s life is turned upside down and that is where the fun begins! It is a huge chess game with each character playing a piece in the game. I enjoyed the twists and turns along the way as well as the love that survived betrayal, deception and 100 years. Jett Abbott did a fantastic job of grabbing the reader with a great character and keeping the story leaping along. I am definitely looking forward to the sequel where hopefully some of the supporting cast will have a chance to tell their story.
June 16, 2011
This is an enthralling read that kept me up all night because I couldn't bear to put it down! I'm keeping my toes crossed for a sequel.
February 3, 2023
read out of order…
I didn’t know that “Scarlet Assassin” first not knowing this was the actual first book. I liked this book because it was the story about AJ and Clarissa. I still feel that too much time was put into the story leading to AJ and Clarissa being reunited than to what went down in the past. It didn’t talk much about Clarissa and her exhusbands past. It didn’t talk much about Clarissa and AJ pasts, just some reminiscing done by one or the other of the MC. It didn’t explain AJ and Selene’s past. It didn’t talk much about the nemesis of the story. For me answering some of those things were really important.
All in all it is a good and well written story. I enjoyed it immensely. Although this author does lack episodes of passionate relations in the book. There could more than waiting til the very end of the book to bring in sexual escapades. I hate to read books and find that the steam comes at the end.
I didn’t know that “Scarlet Assassin” first not knowing this was the actual first book. I liked this book because it was the story about AJ and Clarissa. I still feel that too much time was put into the story leading to AJ and Clarissa being reunited than to what went down in the past. It didn’t talk much about Clarissa and her exhusbands past. It didn’t talk much about Clarissa and AJ pasts, just some reminiscing done by one or the other of the MC. It didn’t explain AJ and Selene’s past. It didn’t talk much about the nemesis of the story. For me answering some of those things were really important.
All in all it is a good and well written story. I enjoyed it immensely. Although this author does lack episodes of passionate relations in the book. There could more than waiting til the very end of the book to bring in sexual escapades. I hate to read books and find that the steam comes at the end.
May 29, 2023
This was so good! I read it in an entire sitting and definitely yearned fore more. I fell in love with AJ and Clarissa and most importantly, Selena. I fucking love Selena so much. I love the plot with De Marcus and AJ and Clarissa finally reuniting. It was both so sweet and so filled with anxiety cuz of Marcus.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 2, 2024
Blood of My Blood
A paranormal vampire romance with a villain like no other. AJ is a centuries old vampire who lost the only woman she could love years ago. Then she sees Clarissa in a crowded sapphic bar and it all back. She hires Selene, a vampire assassin, to protect Clarissa while she develops a plan. A twisted tale of vengeance and love.
A paranormal vampire romance with a villain like no other. AJ is a centuries old vampire who lost the only woman she could love years ago. Then she sees Clarissa in a crowded sapphic bar and it all back. She hires Selene, a vampire assassin, to protect Clarissa while she develops a plan. A twisted tale of vengeance and love.
March 15, 2017
A.J. Locke is the head of a very successful pharmaceutical company that specialises in blood research. She works like a dog and doesn't spend much time fulfilling her romantic needs as she has spent the last century mourning the loss of her one true love to the plague. When you're a vampire you need to keep your life simple so that you can pack up and move to start again whenever necessary so A.J. Does just that.
Clarissa is a university professor who has tried to bring as little attention to herself as possible. When sick with the plague her Dr turned her to a vampire to save her.
One night on a bike ride A.J. Stops at a lesbian bar to avoid the rain. Here she sees Clarissa, her lover from all that time ago who she thought was dead. How could she still be alive when she begged A.J. not to turn her? She is captivated by Clarissa and wants to learn everything there is to know. That's when she realises that Clarissa is being followed and someone is out to assassinate her. Will A.J. be able to keep Clarissa safe? Will she be able to rekindle her love after all these years?
I really enjoyed this book. Jett's writing style is very good and the book is quite an easy read. The characters were relatable and I felt emerged enough in this book to really wonder what was going to happen next. There were very few mistakes other than the occasional spelling error. The issue I had with this novel was there were quite a few holes in the plot where at the end of the book your left questioning why certain things happened. The plot was decent enough for it to still be a very enjoyable read but I was left with quite a lot of questions.
All in all a really enjoyable book and I would certainly read more of Jett Abbott's books. 4 stars Ms Abbott
Clarissa is a university professor who has tried to bring as little attention to herself as possible. When sick with the plague her Dr turned her to a vampire to save her.
One night on a bike ride A.J. Stops at a lesbian bar to avoid the rain. Here she sees Clarissa, her lover from all that time ago who she thought was dead. How could she still be alive when she begged A.J. not to turn her? She is captivated by Clarissa and wants to learn everything there is to know. That's when she realises that Clarissa is being followed and someone is out to assassinate her. Will A.J. be able to keep Clarissa safe? Will she be able to rekindle her love after all these years?
I really enjoyed this book. Jett's writing style is very good and the book is quite an easy read. The characters were relatable and I felt emerged enough in this book to really wonder what was going to happen next. There were very few mistakes other than the occasional spelling error. The issue I had with this novel was there were quite a few holes in the plot where at the end of the book your left questioning why certain things happened. The plot was decent enough for it to still be a very enjoyable read but I was left with quite a lot of questions.
All in all a really enjoyable book and I would certainly read more of Jett Abbott's books. 4 stars Ms Abbott
June 3, 2014
I don't usually like vampire stories (Twilight has a lot to answer for!). But this was very enjoyable. In fact the Twilight lovers could have learned a lot about vampire sex if they had read this book first. I'm sure that after I've had a lie down in a dark room, I will want to read the sequel 'Scarlet Assassin'.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews