A Good Coalition

Book 1
This was a hot little short story for my first all vampire story. Ethan Hale is a 500-year-old vampire that has walked the earth alone searching for his soul-bonded mate. He is well past the standard age of finding his mate so lives a life of loneliness that only includes his 3 brothers. Brianna has been "diagnosed" with leukemia which was not true she was dying because she had not mated with her soul mate Ethan and her first physical introduction to him is when she wakes from her dream to find him killing the "fallen" vampire that has been haunting her in her dreams while she has been yearning for Ethan. There is an instant attraction, and an uncontrollable desire to be possessed and owned by Ethan. As Brianna is weak from her diagnosis Ethan strengthens and heals her with his blood before completely possessing her, as vampire possession is meant to be passionate, fierce and uncontrollable. The mating scene was hot. This is my first time reading this author.

Book 2
Callie met Rory at her best friends wedding Brianna married Rory's brother Ethan. Callie grew up believing that no one wanted her she was abandoned as a child and she is self-conscious about her weight. Rory who has a twin brother has always lived in Liam's shadow because he is a healer the special one he grew up feeling average he is a 400 year old vampire who never thought he would find his mate like the rest of his brother's. Callie and Rory became friends at the wedding he didn't realize that that Callie was his mate until he touched her although he had feelings for her before she was thinking he was attracted to her sexually he had a problem he could know longer be sexual with anyone but his mate, but once he touched her it was all systems go for him and after a sexual encounter Callie ran. Callie was so confused and when she started hearing Rory in her mind she was really confused, but Rory didn't give up or force her he told her about his life after Brianna told him something about Callie's life and when she was in need he was their. I am enjoying this series very much, and this story is no exception. I liked Rory he seems the most emotionally available of his brothers, yes he is the sexy dominant vampire, but he does it with just a touch of vulnerability that made me love him.

Book 3
I love this series Nathan is the eldest of the vampire brothers he meets Sasha who is a mage and they hate vampires. Sasha was being attacked by three of the fallen vampires when Nathan is out on patrol he gets to her before they killed her after he killed them he takes her to his house as she is laying on his bed he discovers that she is his mate. This is the shortest of the story and it was a quick read. Sasha is not sure she can mate with a vampire her sister who is a healer like his brother Liam also has a secret. Sasha's parents kidnapped and beat her and were about to force her to mate with a Mage before Nathan and his brother found her. They had a quick mating ceremony which was not as hot as the other's.

Book 4
Regan and Liam are both healer's he is a vampire healer and she is a Mage healer. Regan is Brianna's sister who is mated with Liam's brother Nathan. Brianna and Liam have become really good friends see each other everyday for the last eight months both of them are lonely, but Regan has a secret she knows that she is Liam's mate, but she can never tell him or be mated to him because her council will never allow it as well as her parents them want her to continue the bloodline of the Mage she is also in love with Liam. Liam has lived his whole life being lonely and he has a twin brother Rory he watch each of his brother's meet their mate's and fall in love and it made him feel even lonelier. Liam is also keeping secret's from his family about his live what he goes through working so hard that he forgets to feed he also suffers from backlash pain for killing fallen or anyone else for that matter. After helping his brother kill some fallen vamps he comes to find Regan still there after they had dinner and she knew he was going to be in backlash he was in a lot pain and she didn't know how to help him so she offered to let him feed from her and he knew that she was his mate and that she knew he knew. I like how the author made them friends and yes she Regan had her reason's for not telling him her council threatened to kill Liam so she run's but just as she was leaving her house he finds her and they have sex and he learns the truth. Liam goes into a rage when her Mage mate and tries to force her to show him the goods and Liam goes into a rage one so strong that his three brother's can't hold him back and then comes Daric the vampire prince.

Book 5

Daric the prince of the vampire healer's thought that he would never find a mate in fact he never wanted one after what his brother's mate did to him. Hannah was having a bad day a bad year her father died of a heart attack while she was recovering from a skiing injury and her boyfriend at the time broke up with her. Hannah was working in the pizza parlor that she inherited from her father on a night when their was a snow storm when she gets a call from one of their best customer's willing to pay 500.00 dollars extra for a large delivery because he hated to feed from people at first Hannah thought it was a joke when she realized that it wasn't she agreed to deliver the food. Daric heard a crash and realized that the person delivering his food crashed and that she was hurt, he knew he needed to help her so he fed from her and he didn't get sick, he realized that she was his mate. This was a good story the end of this series and it was the best one. Hannah was insecure and unsure of herself and Daric felt as though he wasn't worthy of having a mate and he really didn't want one after what his brother went through he also felt that his father didn't love him and Hannah wasn't sure that he loved her until she was in danger and risked his own life for her. What I loved about this book was Daric had given up hope for himself and not others. He believed he was undeserving. Daric found someone who understood exactly how he felt and could relate and therefore being able to move forward on faith in one another. This was a good series.

6 people found this helpful

Great Collection of J. S. Scott's writings

I enjoy listening to books written by J. S. Scott. She does a great job. I had first read some of her Billionaire books and thought I would try something different. This Vampire collection was great. A different twist on a similar theme. Of the different stories, there were some I preferred over the others. I liked the way she connected the people from one book to the next. Great story and the narrator did a good job of separating each of the characters. I will continue listening to Ms. Scott's work. Always enjoy her writing.

5 people found this helpful

NICE

Wow... I really like this. This is 5 stories of vampire brothers and their prince and how the men, who stop have smexy time after 100 years of living, found their mates... Soooo cute!!!

All the stories are good... and full of action and drama and smexy time. I really liked it. I had to take a break halfway through though.... back to back stories of the basic same format was kinda grading on my nerves. But all the stories are the same but different. So I like it.

Good sale book. Maybe a credit it nothing else you want is out... Not really a buy.

Narration was pretty good... No complaints. Powers has strong male character voices.

9 people found this helpful

Wonderful collection

I really enjoyed this books set. All the stories were intriguing and stirring. I love it when big rough in lethal vampires go all stupid over their beautiful little mates. Never underestimate the power of a woman's love. I especially love the way they like it. I highly recommend this set.

2 people found this helpful

Good books

Easy listening. Love the reader. The author writes very creativity about her characters. Good romance.

2 people found this helpful

If it’s All About Sex…

In my opinion, the best thing about this series is the narrator, Elizabeth Powers. She has a voice that would do justice to any book. I did not finish the box set.

If it’s all about sex then this is the series for you. This series could have been awesome if a little more attention had been paid to the plot.

In book one, the author give a brief description of the 5 vampire brothers being a part of The Vampire Coalition. Their mission is to protect humans from fallen vampires. Sadly, Ethan’s Mate doesn’t go into any detail about their mission or any adventures they have. It is all about Ethan finding his mate and sexually explicit details about their mating. One chapter alone is 24 minutes of only that. The remainder of the book explicitly leads up to the mating or after the mating. Don’t expect ANYTHING about The Vampire Coalition’s mission or adventures. The adventure that happened in book 1 was a brief moment of finding the fallen who was stalking Ethan’s mate. It was a scant description of that event and not adventurous at all. Not much of a plot.

In book 2, Rory’s Mate, again a brief run in with 3 fallen group attacking Rory. Not much on details...Just get me to my mate. Mostly, it’s graphic sex and scant plot.

I’m not sure if I can listen to the remainder of the books because of the weak plot. You almost get an impression of the brothers’ personality and yet that falls short too. There was so much opportunity for a great series – it just wasn’t fleshed out for the readers/listeners. I’ve listened to Erotic Romance novels that DO have plots. I just don’t have much interest in those that don’t. My fault, I should have researched better. However, how do you know which Paranormal Romances have substantial plots and which don’t?

If you are interested, the box set titles are:
1. Ethan’s Mate
2. Rory’s Mate
3. Nathan's Mate
4. Liam's Mate
5. Daric's Mate

I did not get past book 2 & actually didn't finish it because it was going down the same path as the first book. No substance.

3 people found this helpful

No story lines just sex

I had to stop in the middle of the 3rd book. I just could not listen anymore. I kept finding myself saying really???? If you like reading books with almost the same thing of a story line and a lot of sex. This series is for you. unfortunately it was not for me.

3 people found this helpful

Steamy with a side of mystery

5 stories of vampires finding their mates after they had all but given up on the idea. These are pretty light stories, which an overarching mystery woven through them. The women are strong, and the chemistry works well. There’s really not a ton of conflict, especially in the earlier books, but as you get to book 4 and 5 the mystery that moves through all the books comes to a head and adds a little more action and suspense. Easy reads with lots of steam.

Story line needed more

Well written and simplistic. But the story needed more body, more of a storyline. I personally felt the story could have had more details and adventure. A little more suspense mixed in around the sultry hot details.

5 Steamy Short Stories About Obsessive Vampires

This Boxed Set Of Steamy Short Stories About Obsessive Alpha Vampires And Their Mates Has A Small Dose Of Danger And A Sense Of Family. This is the complete Vampire Coalition series, books one through five. Each of these books is a short story, roughly forty to eighty pages long. These erotic quick reads pair paranormal and steamy scenes into a series of interconnected stories. It is best when these are read in order. The twenty-two page prelude to the series, The Rough Mating of a Vampire, is not included. That is Adare Connor and Kristin Sparks’ story and it introduces the mating ceremony. It is not necessary to have read that first, though Adare and Kristen are sometimes mentioned in this series and participate in some events. In this world, vampires lack souls. They are born male, and the only way to attain their soul is to find their human-born soul-bonded mate. The human is born with a genetic mutation to allow for the mating. The female guards her mate’s soul, carrying both her own and her mate’s. During a mating ceremony, in which their identifying marks touch, the female transfers her mate’s soul. Until recently, no vampire had been bonded to his mate past the age of one hundred fifty. The urge to mate dissipates following a vampire’s one hundredth year. The female only survives until age thirty. If she has not found and bonded with her mate, she will die along with the soul of her intended mate. Vampires live a lonely life unless they find their soul-bonded mate. Their lives include stealth and magic. They feed on blood, but their victims’ memories are wiped of the feeding, as humans are not yet ready to accept the existence of vampires. Vampire code dictates that vampires are not to kill at will, only to take blood as needed. The fallen are those vampires that have succumbed to feeding frenzies. Once that has happened, there is no going back. They must be destroyed for breaking the code. Healers are a subspecies of vampire. Their work is demanding and drains their energy. They hate taking blood and typically postpone feeding as long as possible, but they need it to keep up their energy. Vampires eat human food as well, but that is mostly for entertainment – or in the case of a healer, avoidance. It takes a little more work for a healer to find his mate, but what is meant to be will be. Healers always have the option of refusing a mate if they find the idea bothersome. They aren’t called by their mates or ruled by the same immediate obsessive tendencies of regular vampires. For them, the need develops only after an intimate act takes place between the mates. Books one through four are about the Hale brothers – Nathan, Ethan, Rory, and Liam. They are a couple centuries older than Adare Connor had been when he mated with Kristin Sparks. They are resigned to the existence of those vampires who fail to find their mates. Though lonely, the desire to be with a woman intimately leaves after just one century, so they devote themselves to hunting down the fallen of their kind. Their parents had fallen victim to the fallen, so it is personal to them. The Hale brothers live in the Denver area. Book five is about Daric, a vampire prince. This boxed set of steamy short stories about obsessive alpha vampires and their mates has a small dose of danger and a sense of family. The story is nicely written and plot-driven. It is written in third person. The POV alternates between the vampire and his mate. I rate this book four stars. As for the Audio: is it nicely performed and consistent with the book. I received an audiobook and am voluntarily leaving a review. IN ETHAN’S MATE, BOOK ONE: Ethan Hale has been a vampire for five hundred years. When he hears the psychic call of his mate, he awakes in a panic. Something is amiss. He can hardly believe he has found her after so long, but there is no denying the connection he feels. Her weakened state and the plea to find her before an evil presence gets her first has Ethan in a tailspin. He calls in his brothers – Nathan (the oldest) and the twins (Rory and Liam) – for help. Brianna Cole, almost twenty-nine, is dying. The chemo has taken its toll, and her leukemia will get the best of her soon. But she has strange dreams and a connection to a man that certainly cannot be real. IN RORY’S MATE, BOOK TWO: Callista Marks, twenty-seven, is Brianna’s Maid of Honor and her lifelong best friend. Of Ethan’s three brothers, there is something about Rory that makes her feel connected to him. He is kind and funny, and although everyone else has difficulty distinguishing Rory from his twin brother Liam, for Callie there is no mistaking the two. The four hundred year old twins may look identical, but to her they are like night and day. And he seems to enjoy her company, too. Abandoned as a baby, Callie was raised in the foster care system so she has some insecurities. She is also carrying about fifteen extra pounds and feels very self-conscious about her looks. It doesn’t help matters that she is a chef – a successful one at that, especially given her age. Callie’s biggest weakness is food. So when Rory keeps pushing her to enjoy the cake, insisting she doesn’t need to worry about her waistline, she thinks he is a little nuts. He seems serious, though. She and Rory develop a friendship of sorts. Callie wonders if there might be more between them only briefly, as Rory’s interest is completely platonic. That is, until they finally touch. That is when everything changes. Brianna steps in to help explain matters, but Callie finds herself a little overwhelmed at the notion of vampires and soul-bonded mates. But before she accepts her new reality, Rory is faced with a challenge. IN NATHAN’S MATE, BOOK THREE: Sasha Taylor, twenty-eight, is a jewelry designer and runs a successful business along with her sister. Regan has the delicate job of crafting Sasha’s designs into reality. Sasha happens to be a mage. She comes from a family of mages, and no mage wants to be mated to a barbaric vampire. She recognized the mark that appeared when she turned eighteen, indicating her status as a vampire’s soul-mate. She kept the knowledge to herself, too afraid of what her family might think of her. But ten years later her dreams are more vivid and she hears her mate calling to her through their psychic connection. Nathan, the oldest Hale brother, is over six hundred years old and knows the chance of him finding his mate has passed. And with Ethan and Rory’s careless mistakes of late, he is glad of it. He worries one of them might yet make a fatal mistake, so he gladly patrols the streets of Denver alone. He had devoted his existence to wiping out the fallen, who were responsible for his parents’ death. One night he comes across some fallen as they viciously attack a mage. When he realizes that the mage wears his mark, everything is turned upside down – and he isn’t sure he is happy about the change. IN LIAM’S MAT, BOOK FOUR: Liam is roughly four hundred years old. He looks just like his twin Rory, but there is one very important distinction between the two: Liam is a healer. He and his brothers were considered too old to find their mates, yet Ethan, Rory, and even his oldest brother Nathan have all found their mates recently. But Liam’s case is different. There has not been a healer to find his mate in over a millennium. Which is fine because Liam’s work as a healer keeps him busy. The responsibility bestowed upon a healer is a heavy burden. While his brothers and other vampires often think healers are lucky, little do they know just how draining the work is. And Liam takes on more than his fair share of healing. But in the eight months since he has met Regan, Sasha’s younger sister, his life has been happy. As a mage healer, Regan has some vague understanding of what Liam is called to do. They have spent nearly every day together since meeting, and her company and insistence that he take time each day for himself is endearing. If he could choose her as a mate, her certainly would. But is doesn’t work that way. In fact, healers are a subspecies of vampire. Their mating works a little differently. The Book of Vampire Healer explains it all, though some points are vague. Regan Taylor feels drawn to Liam, but there are some things he cannot know. It is for his own protection. She satisfies herself with enjoying his company, knowing that at some point she won’t be able to put off the inevitable. This is the final book about the Hale brothers, but a new character is introduced. Daric, Prince of the Vampire Healers, makes his entrance here. He may be royalty, but he is not pretentious. He takes a liking to Regan as he steps into the story. He has never mated, but there are hints of a story to be told. IN DARIC’S MATE, BOOK FIVE: Daric Carvillius, Prince of the Vampire Healers, is the last of the royal family that leads the healers of their kind. Healers are more powerful than other vampires, and as royalty, Daric is the most powerful of all. At twelve hundred years old, he has lived a long life. He had finally crossed the line when he interfered with Liam and his mate Regan, but he doesn’t care. His healers are not happy, and that none have been allowed a mate in a millennium has taken its toll on them all. Daric spends all his hours babysitting his healers rather than doing meaningful work. And although Daric doesn’t remember any reason that would make him want to take a mate for himself, he knows how hard his healers work for their kind and believes they deserve to have mates if they so choose. Hannah Temple, twenty-seven, has been back in Temple, Colorado – a small mountain town named after her ancestors – for eight months now. So much had happened in the last year that she struggles to get her head around it all. After investing eight years into a relationship with Mark, with whom she had grown up, it had finally come to an end. She hadn’t realized until it was too late that it was a one-way relationship. But after the accident left her with a limp, Hannah no longer fit conveniently in Mark’s life. And worse, she lost her father soon after. So now she is back home and running Temple’s Pizza, the company that passed on to her from her father. Nothing is the same with him gone and she struggles to keep the business thriving while she learns the ins and outs of running it on her own. One pizza delivery to Mr. Carvillius, the town’s wealthy and mysterious resident, forces Hannah and Daric together for the first time. Daric may not want a mate, but things get complicated once he finds her. Their story brings the Hales and others together in a grand finale.