Today, I would like to introduce to you Bryan W. Dull and his Vampire series, Solstice! Please find below an excerpt and a copy of my reviews for each book.
Solstice:
Solstice Description:
In Gavin Moxley's world, there is no thin line between right
and wrong. In a personal crusade to help sever a line of disease carried by a
clan of vampires; Gavin has no choice to be ruthless. The Vampires are
purposely infecting the human population…waiting for humans to actively pass it
on to each other. Gavin takes no chances and executes them one by one. Not
strong or powerful, finding humans before they turn into full vampires is ideal
and Gavin’s best bet. Yes, this is Gavin’s life… …And nothing ever changes it
until a young half breed vampire with special abilities, Solstice, attaches and
makes herself a fixture in his life when she asks for his help and protection
and when a reluctant Gavin agrees he joins a dangerous game of cat and mouse.
There is no safe place and the pair are constantly watching their backs. Torn
between his hate and his love for Solstice Gavin is thrown into a moral dilemma
that only he can figure out but two things are clear… His faith and Humanity
are being tested and the past is not always forgotten.
Review:
Solstice by Bryan W. DullMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
ARC Review
Gavin Moxley is a vampire hunter, and hunts vampires who have yet to fully transform. These vampires have been infected with the deadly AIDS virus by a vampire who is purposely infecting people and turning them. Whilst on a hunt, he meets Solstice, a half breed vampire child, who asks for his help and protection. Gavin unwillingly takes Solstice into his care, in exchange for information on the infected vampires.
Solstice's existence is rare, and she is wanted by the vampires for her "ability" to walk in sunlight. Can Gavin and Solstice evade their pursuers long enough to survive?
This is a fantastic story that does not sugar coat vampires, and shows them as the monsters they are. This story gripped me from the first page! There are some gruesome scenes that are not for the faint hearted. I loved the father/daughter dynamic between Gavin and Solstice.
Having lost his family to a gruesome murder, Gavin goes on a one man crusade to rid the world of vampires. However, his hatred is slightly tempered by the arrival of Solstice.
Solstice is an anomaly in the vampire world. Her mother was attacked by a vampire whilst carrying Solstice; this changed her into a half breed, able to walk in the daylight. The ending has a huge and shocking twist, which has me now champing at the bit for the rest of this series!
Bryan's descriptions and imagination leaves me speechless! The story is fast paced and flowed beautifully; I could easily see this on the movie screen one day.
I highly recommend this book if you love a fantastic thriller/horror story with bite (pun intended!).
View all my reviews
Solstice Excerpt:
At the end of the hallway, a woman stood with her back
turned to us. She seemed like she was staring at herself in the mirror that was
hanging on the wall. The mirror was very old and dusty. Like an antique that
was just discovered. She wore a blue dress that had been tattered. They had,
indeed, gotten to this house. And now there were at least seven more people
that were vampires and carrying the AIDS virus. The question was, if they had
fully turned. I wasn't interested on how many people they may have fucked
during the transformation. The only thing that came through my mind was where
my damn high beam halogen light was.
“Solstice,” I whispered, “I need for you to go into the
trunk of the car and get the thing that looks like a giant flash light. Can you
do that?” I turned to see her response and she was holding her side again.
While I was waiting for the answer, I looked at the rooms on both my sides. I
could see a blonde haired woman on my left, sleeping. To my right was another
woman, this one with black hair. She was sleeping as well, but they were both
breathing very heavy and it just seemed to get worse after each second. In
fact, the woman in front of us, down the hallway, was breathing heavy and fast.
I started to think that the woman in the blue dress wasn't looking at herself
in the mirror; rather, she went to sleep that way.
Equinox:
Equinox Description:
Confined in an old plantation home with Vampires lying in
wait Gavin and Solstice are forced to wait them out until sunrise that is
perilously approaching. Unbeknownst to them the remnants of the house are even
more terrifying than what is lying in wait outside. Solstice is coming into her
own and her feelings for Gavin begin to come to light. Gavin is stuck in the
memories of his deceased family, but the apparition he sees that resembles his
dead daughter doesn’t help. Lying in wait to escape at the first chance
possible, will they make it through the vampires and the supernatural creatures
that have inhabited the home for a very long time? “Equinox” ups the ante in
the Solstice trilogy, and no one involved will come out the same.
Review:
Equinox by Bryan W. DullMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
I received an Advance Reader Copy of this book in return for an honest review.
This is the second book in the series. I really enjoyed it.
Gavin Moxley is a fascinating character. He is a vampire hunter bent on killing vampires who have been infected with the AIDS virus. However, becoming the unwilling protector to a half vampire/human child is the least of his problems, even though said child is growing at an alarming rate. It's the vampires chasing them that has him worried. I liked him a lot, but he can be a bit of a jerk sometimes!
Solstice is an extraordinary young lady. Not only is she a half vampire, she is able to walk in the sunlight. All other vampires are after her blood. Growing up so fast brings it's own issues, and Solstice finds herself facing strange new emotions. I enjoyed watching this character grow, and found her to be extremely likable when I wasn't wanting to hit her with something! She acted like a slutty brat at times. I know it's not her fault (hormones and all that), but still!
This story continues from the end of the first book. It is now told from several points of view, rather than just from Gavin's. This makes it interesting, but it can be slightly confusing too. I don't know if it was just the copy I received or not, but there didn't seem to be a clear division between each character's thoughts and actions. I really loved the first story, but felt that the intensity was lost when the author chose to change to a third person narrative. That being said, I became engrossed in the story and was quickly drawn back into the lives of these characters. The father/daughter aspect of Gavin and Solstice's relationship gets tested in the most unusual way! The story takes a paranormal twist with a house filled with ghosts. The author's love of horror and the paranormal comes shining through, and the creepy factor is way up on the scale! Mixing two paranormal genres is a gamble, and I think that the gamble paid off. I was reminded of the 1999 movie "The Haunting" with Liam Neeson. I loved that movie, and this book gave the same sort of vibe, but with vampires thrown in.
There are several twists and turns that kept me hooked and the ending made me gasp! I am now looking forward to reading the next (and last) book in the trilogy.
Bryan Dull has a vivid imagination and his writing style reflects this. The story is fast paced, but because of the changing scenes showing the various points of view, it felt a bit clunky at times. However, that may just be my interpretation, and I will leave it up to you to make up your own mind.
Due to the violence and some rather disturbing scenes of a sexual nature, I do not recommend this book for readers under the age of 18. However, I highly recommend this book if you love a fantastic thriller/horror story with bite (pun intended!). - Lynn Worton
View all my reviews
Equinox Excerpt:
He took a deep breath and answered, “They’re not coming
in. Something about this place keeps
them in their place and out there. That’s the best we are going to get at this
point and we are quite lucky for that.
Sit down and relax and do that thing you do where you know shit about
the situation.” Solstice threw her hip out and put her hand on it.
Solstice felt like a circus magician or even one of those
carnie freaks that she heard about. That’s what one of her prostitute
“care-takers” called her. She didn't know what it meant at the time but as the
days went by and her “abilities” got stronger, she figured it out. Solstice
wanted to yell as well but held back because she knew Gavin was trying to hold
back his. She figured it was probably for the best and that he was actually
right for a change. What Solstice didn't know was the brief moment of terror
Gavin had earlier by himself while sitting down.
About The Author:
Currently living in Cincinnati, OH with his wife (and fellow
author Brandy Michelle) and their daughter. Bryan W. Dull goes leaps and bounds
to get away from the norm and be his own person; with himself and his writing.
Since middle school he has always known what he was good at: entertaining and
telling stories. He has been consistently writing and coming up with plots for
the last twenty years, but just recently decided to share one with the world.
His first novel, "Solstice" is a vampire book inspired by his
daughter and noir literature. Born in Anderson, IN, Bryan has also lived in
Ohio, Florida, North Carolina and South Carolina (where "Solstice" is
based). Being a lover of all things art and pop culture "nerdism";
his interests lie in film, television, comics, games, anime, and books. For a
short while, Bryan dabbled in voice acting work only to shift his focus to his
family and writing. His favorite authors include; Chuck Palahniuk, Robert
Kirkman, Clive Barker, Ernest Cline, and Neil Gaiman.
Author Links:
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