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Old Town Nights (Blood & Company - Family, friends, & fangs Book 1) Kindle Edition

3.9 3.9 out of 5 stars 34 ratings

When Abby Lawrence shows a house to Ambrose Slater, she's unable to resist the sexy, enigmatic man--a powerful mortal with fangs. After she meets the vampire's quirky clan, her feelings for him become more conflicted. His brother's disastrous marriage to a regular woman further complicates matters for the couple. Ambrose and Abby face a heart-rending decision: To risk losing their love or to set each other free, despite the inescapable consequences...

Can a vampire baker and a spunky realtor make their relationship work? Or is their love affair doomed?


Editorial Reviews

From the Author

Dear Reader,In my Blood & Company Series, you'll find no werewolves, shape-shifters, angels, demons, or violence.  The characters are human vampires searching for love and acceptance while attempting to fit into modern-day society.  If you like stories about families, friends, and the pursuit of true love, you might enjoy these books.Can be read as a stand-alone novel.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00DZ106QO
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Amazon (December 28, 2013)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ December 28, 2013
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 1021 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 341 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    3.9 3.9 out of 5 stars 34 ratings

About the author

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Linda Lee Williams
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Linda Lee Williams writes contemporary romance with a paranormal twist. Her stories revolve around families, friends, and a host of life issues, tempered with sympathy, humor, and a touch of faith. She believes in love at first sight, new beginnings, and happy endings.

An outdoor enthusiast, she enjoys hiking, biking, and birding. She loves critters of all kinds. During her journeys she's called Maryland, Virginia, Illinois, Missouri, and Colorado home. Wherever she roams, she finds inspiration in her surroundings.

To connect with Linda, please visit:

https://facebook.com/author.linda.lee.williams

https://twitter.com/williamslindal

https://pinterest.com/lindaleewilliam

https://goodreads.com/author/show/7123006.Linda_Lee_Williams

https://indielindy.blogspot.com

What readers are saying about Linda's books: "Emotionally gripping"; "Carefully crafted and compelling"; "Unusual and engaging"; "Addictive..."

Customer reviews

3.9 out of 5 stars
34 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book's romantic content special and thought-provoking. They appreciate the depth of character development and empathy shown by the characters. Many describe it as a fun and delightful read. However, opinions differ on the writing style - some find it well-written and engaging, while others feel the repetitive language and excessive descriptive passages distract from the storyline.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

13 customers mention "Romantic content"11 positive2 negative

Customers enjoy the romantic content of the book. They find it special and unique, with a nice blend of romance and mystery. The tender romance puts vampires in a new light, and is thought-provoking. Readers describe the characters as relatable yet interesting. While some feel the story could be improved, they mention there is a good story within.

"This is by far the best vampire story I have ever read. I see that in other reviews many have said that the characters are unforgettable...." Read more

"...The premise of Old Town Nights is interesting and presents vampires as just another variety of people who live, eat, and have regular life spans...." Read more

"Kudos to Ms. Williams for doing such a stellar job of creating a new vampire myth … one so completely plausible and easy for this reader to accept..." Read more

"...I have to say, she puts a unique spin in the paranormal/contemporary genre. She has a way of drawing me in and making me feel for the characters...." Read more

6 customers mention "Character depth"6 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the characters' depth and personality. They find the author skillfully blending human qualities and behaviors with vampire needs. The characters seem nice at first, but they turn out to be nicer after learning the truth. Readers describe the book as romantic, perceptive, touching, and entertaining.

"...I see that in other reviews many have said that the characters are unforgettable. That is so true...." Read more

"...The secondaries in the book, the brother and his wife, show more depth of personality and were more interesting than the protagonists for much of..." Read more

"...I highly recommend this book. It is intensely romantic, perceptive, touching, and entertaining. Everything a novel should be...." Read more

"...She has a way of drawing me in and making me feel for the characters. Now I anxiously await the next one in this series, Sisters of the Night...." Read more

6 customers mention "Readability"6 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the book's readability. They find it fun and delightful, with believable characters. The romance and mystery keep them turning the pages.

"...Perfect--except they are vampires. Does that matter? This is such a wonderful read and I wanted it to go on and on. I loved it!..." Read more

"...It is intensely romantic, perceptive, touching, and entertaining. Everything a novel should be...." Read more

"I thought this was going to be a great book, and it had the makings of that, however the writing style and repetitive language made me bored reading" Read more

"...The setting is in Chicago which, as a local, was fun to read and delightful as I found myself imagining how it would be to live in a world where..." Read more

7 customers mention "Writing style"4 positive3 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the writing style. Some find the writer's voice good and the story well-written. Others feel the repetitive language and excessive descriptive passages distract from the storyline.

"...I loved it! Williams is a terrific writer. Can't wait to start "Sisters of the Night." Carole McKee, Author" Read more

"...right away and it's a good thing because there is a LOT of excessive descriptive passages that almost choke the story line...." Read more

"Ambrose, the hero of this well-written and most unusual take on a family of vampires, is the most empathetic, sensitive soul you'll meet this side..." Read more

"...Linda Lee Williams is a great story teller and her voice resonates through out the book. I look forward to more of her work." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on June 13, 2014
    This is by far the best vampire story I have ever read. I see that in other reviews many have said that the characters are unforgettable. That is so true. Williams has made the vampires so appealing and easy to love that I wish I had one for myself. Ambrose Slater is handsome, kind, loving, and romantic, but he is also a vampire. He falls madly in love with Abbey Lawrence, and as a couple, they make a beautiful pair. She is accepted into the entire Slater family of vampires, and everything seems perfect. Perfect--except they are vampires. Does that matter? This is such a wonderful read and I wanted it to go on and on. I loved it! Williams is a terrific writer. Can't wait to start "Sisters of the Night."

    Carole McKee, Author
    5 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on July 22, 2013
    When someone can compel your emotions and actions, how can you trust that what you feel for them is real and not enforced? Can you get past the resentment of being coerced into a relationship with someone rather than being allowed to get to know them and decide to take that step yourself? Even with the painful example of his brother's marriage to warn him about the dangers of that kind of manipulation, the hero still makes the mistake of abducting a woman he has become fixated on to bind her to him regardless of what she wants.

    The action in Old Town Nights grabs you right away and it's a good thing because there is a LOT of excessive descriptive passages that almost choke the story line. When you're holding an inner debate with what you see as the main problem between the protagonists while plowing through page after page of detailed descriptions, that's not good. Your mind should be solidly in the story and flowing with it, not working to keep your focus while you navigate tangled thickets of excessive prose. I know it's hard to slash away words you have labored over in crafting your work--that's why editors are useful, they can do the mean thing of deleting those many clever phrases that have lodged themselves in your heart, but slow down the story. Thankfully there were no issues with numerous grammatical errors or questionable vocabulary that plague many indie offerings, and the writer's voice is good. She can tell a story.

    The premise of Old Town Nights is interesting and presents vampires as just another variety of people who live, eat, and have regular life spans. They just have an additional need to consume several ounces of blood once or twice a week in order to survive and the ability to secrete a narcotic in their saliva that allows them to immobilize their prey and the ability to control their victims and cause them to forget the encounter, compel them to fall in love, keep the vampires' secrets, become addicted to being bitten (a co-dependency as it turns out), or dance a jig if their captors so desire. Past persecution has taught them to remain concealed and live quietly in the larger human community. The fly in the ointment is that they need to marry regular humans if they want children since vampire to vampire pairings are sterile. They say power corrupts and many of the vampire community are in the habit of compelling their chosen partners to accept the relationship. This doesn't always work out well, since the human side of the relationship is prone to resent being forced on such a basic level and to fight their captivity, if only verbally.

    The hero, however, is a vampire with a conscience, and is appalled at his slip in doing to the heroine what his brother did to his wife. Especially since that wife, who loved her husband before he bit her and compelled her to marry him, is now in a state of perpetual volcanic anger at having her choices taken from her. He also has the example of what happens if you don't bite or control your spouse but keep your abilities secret instead of easing your partner into the truth until the birth of children who need small amounts of each parent's blood to thrive. A major freakout is the usual result. So, our hero is faced with a problem when the woman he stalked and bit turns her righteous anger on him and he is forced by his own conscience to agree he has done what he promised himself he would never do to another person.

    The heroine in this story has her own ghosts with abandonment issues from the father who deserted the family for the other woman leaving a broken, embittered wife and children who grow up reflecting that damage. The heroine is aware of her tendency to become involved with uncaring, manipulative men like her father and is emotionally overwhelmed coping with her perpetually angry, unpleasant mother, a commitment-phobic brother, and a needy younger sister who reacted to the change from her father's most loved daughter to abandoned child by looking for love with men who tend impregnate and then abandon her. The heroine's plate is already full and she has extra reasons to distrust her judgement in continuing to love the hero when he tries to step back and give her the space to make her own decision about their future.

    The hero needed more depth. He remained this nobly sad person who hated who and what he was for most of the book, his hope for a happy resolution fading, fading and just when it appears to be gone--darned (I don't want to get this deleted for "naughty" language) if it didn't manage to fade some more. I just wanted to slap him a few times. He doesn't begin to develop from cardboard cutout to believable person until almost the end. The secondaries in the book, the brother and his wife, show more depth of personality and were more interesting than the protagonists for much of the book. They seem more like real people in trying to work past their issues and determine if they have a future given their turbulent history. The heroine also veered off the already developed theme and never really resolved the issue of deciding if she could trust both her own judgement and the hero's good intentions in allowing her autonomy in their relationship by just accepting that she loved the hero, but could she bear to marry him and have.....EEEK....vampire children!?! This goes on for much too long fueled by the unplanned and unwanted pregnancy of the hero's reluctant sister-in-law.

    The ending has all the angst and drama you could wish for going into the HEA, but given the length of the story leading up to it, almost seemed rushed. The book is neither erotica nor a clean romance. The sex scenes don't have a lot of heat or detail, but do flow well with the story. While it needs pruning, there is a good story in there if you stick with it.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on July 25, 2013
    Having lived in Chicago I was looking forward to reading this book, but I was really disappointed! There is too much writing about stuff that the author likes and not enough story, also her choices of what are considered affluent are so not, no one would consider eating a giordanos a generic Chicago pizza place typically a tourist spot, a good first date place! The story itself is ok, its really long and not very exciting, he's a vampire in a world where vampires have no power, literally, it leaves you feeling more that its a guy with a blood disease and his insipid girlfriend. By the end of the book you don't really care if they make it or not, yawn!
    One person found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on April 5, 2015
    Kudos to Ms. Williams for doing such a stellar job of creating a new vampire myth … one so completely plausible and easy for this reader to accept that I found myself wondering if perhaps Ms. Williams has inside knowledge. (Could it be she’s got it right?) The heart and soul of this novel, though, are bound up in the relationships amongst friends, family members, and lovers. Not many books have coaxed tears from my eyes and brought a lump to my throat, yet Old Town Nights did just that. The characters and their emotional lives became viscerally alive to me. Such is the power of Ms. Williams’ prose. I highly recommend this book. It is intensely romantic, perceptive, touching, and entertaining. Everything a novel should be. Needless to say, I look forward to reading the rest of this series.
    14 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on March 20, 2014
    This is a story about a vampire family.

    They aren't your typical vampire. They're not alpha males. They aren't vicious bloodsuckers. They aren't saving the world from demons.

    No, they aren't any of these things. Linda Lee Williams takes a different spin. Her story of Old Town Nights has it's paranormal element, but other than being vampires, the issues are normal. Okay, not fully normal of course, because what's normal about vampires? Nothing, that's what.

    Abby meets Ambrose and she's unaware of what he is. But he seems like a nice man. Then she learns the truth. Abby is drawn to him.

    Old Town Nights takes readers on a journey into Amrbose and his family's life. They have their quirks, they have their problems, but they are an intriguing bunch of characters which I had a blast learning about.

    This is the second novel by Linda that I've read. I have to say, she puts a unique spin in the paranormal/contemporary genre. She has a way of drawing me in and making me feel for the characters. Now I anxiously await the next one in this series, Sisters of the Night. Can't wait to see what's in store!
    3 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on January 21, 2015
    I thought this was going to be a great book, and it had the makings of that, however the writing style and repetitive language made me bored reading

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