Katie Salidas Blog Tour & Contest

Immortalis Carpe Noctem
Author: Katie Salidas
Paperback: 346 pages
Publisher: Rising Sign Books
Available at Amazon (also on Kindle)

SUMMARY: Bleeding to death after brutal mugging on the campus of UNLV, Twenty-five year old Alyssa, is rescued by the cold and aloof, vampire, Lysander. Taking pity on her, he shares the gift-and curse-of immortality. She awakens as a vampire and is soon devastated by harsh realities of her new way of life: the loss of her friends, her independence, and her humanity. Only by accepting her new-found immortality and seizing the night, will Alyssa hope to survive. She and Lysander will have to fight together against two sets of enemies bent on destroying them.

I received a copy of Immortalis Carpe Noctem as part of the author's blog tour this month. It has to be difficult for an author to come up with a different take on vampires now that there are so many books out there, but Katie Salidas did just that. Her main character, Alyssa, didn't know vampires existed and she certainly didn't choose to be turned into one after being attacked and stabbed by humans. Does she wake up loving her new body and the sudden hunger she can't quench? No, she doesn't and THAT makes sense.

How many of you have read novels about newly turned vamps and thought "Ewww...blood is the new Coke?" I understand the idea that vampires are predators and their instinct is to feed on blood, but I liked that Alyssa needed time to adjust. She didn't fall madly in love with her sire the minute he turned her, and he actually pissed her off more than he nurtured her. This made sense! He's VERY old, and his level of tolerance isn't what it used to be. I get that. Alyssa is young, she misses her friends, her favorite coffee hangout and her old life. I get that too.

Katie Salidas's characters are complex and real. They annoyed me at times, but made me smile too. Life isn't always black and white. Things are not always what they seem, and I like that this is reflected in her characters. Immortalis Carpe Noctem is a darker paranormal romance that doesn't give the reader fairytale vampires that instantly fall in love. Loyalty, love and friendship are things to be earned in a world where truth is not always easy, and trust should not be given lightly.



A Las Vegas native, having grown up in the famed City of Sin, Katie loves to feature it as a recurring setting for many of her stories. You can find Katie at her blog, My Immortal Stories.

THE CONTEST
The author has graciously offered to allow me to give away a signed copy of her book to one visitor that is a U.S. resident. My question for you is this:

What is your favorite vampire book and why?

Leave your email if it's not part of your profile, and I will pick a random winner on May 28th, 2010. This contest is open for those of you in the US only.

~Moonsanity