Circus of the Damned

In Circus of the Damned-now in trade paperback for the first time-a rogue master vampire hits town, and Anita gets caught in the middle of an undead turf war. Jean-Claude, the Master Vamp of the city, wants her for his own-but his enemies have other plans. And to make matters worse, Anita takes a hit to the heart when she meets a stunningly handsome junior high science teacher named Richard Zeeman. They're two humans caught in the crossfire-or so Anita thinks.

I first read Circus of the Damned by Laurell K. Hamilton back in 2009. Now it’s 2020, and I’m glad I got a chance to reread it because I couldn’t remember this book. It was like reading the book for the first time. It was great to read this book, feeling like it’s brand new. Anita is dealing with Jean-Claude still on giving her the last two marks to be his human servant. Anita is again saying no. Unfortunately, she’s got to deal with other Master Vampires in her city now that want her as their human servant. They don’t believe that Jean-Claude is strong enough to be the Master Vampire of the City. Anita is going to deal with some vampire politics in this book. She’s also going to be introduced to some furry shifters that she has no idea that is close to Jean-Claude. In comes Stephen, a werewolf and Richard Zeeman, a Junior High School teacher who teaches Science. He has a secret, though, that he is keeping from Anita in the book. She’s bound to find out about this secret, though. 

I enjoyed this book just like I did the first time. It was strange reading it again and feeling lost at first. It had been such a long time reading this book. There was a lot of trouble in this book for Anita. I felt terrible for her. She had no idea what she was in the middle of until it was too late. Let’s not forget about Jean-Claude. I love his character, even though he keeps secrets from Anita. He is trying to save her in this book, and also though she is stubborn. Although I do see why Anita fights him, if you read the first book, you would find out that Jean-Claude marked her twice, so she was halfway to being his human servant. She didn’t consent to it, which is why she’s mad at him. This book she’ll deal with some stronger Master Vampires that can force her to do things she doesn’t want to do. 

I’m glad I got reintroduced to Richard from the beginning. He’s never been a favorite character of mine in the series. He was okay in the beginning, but later on, he’s going to drive me crazy. He’s already got the point against him from keeping a secret from Anita in this book. 

Be prepared for an epic battle at the end of the book. Anita gets caught up in it all, and her life hangs in the balance. I give this book 4.5-stars and recommend it to fans of Urban Fantasy and PNR. This book has no sex in it. You will read some tension in the book, though. 

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About Laurell K. Hamilton

Laurell K. Hamilton's is a paranormal thriller writer and is a regular on the New York Times Bestseller List through titles in her two series Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter and Meredith Gentry: Fairy Princess/Private Eye. The Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter series, published by Penguin Group under the Berkley Books imprint, spans 24 novels, including Dead Ice, which will be released early June 2015. With over 6 million copies in print worldwide and available in over 16 languages, there is no end in sight for Anita, the professional necromancer and licensed vampire executioner.
Marvel Comics has worked closely with Hamilton to adapt her books in the Anita Blake series into comic book medium with a stunning amount of success. The first installment of the graphic novel, Guilty Pleasures, was released in July 2007 and was the number one best selling graphic novel for that month. The Meredith Gentry series published by Ballantine Books features Meredith Gentry as a part‐human, part‐fey private investigator. Under orders from her aunt Andias, Queen of the Unseelie Court, Meredith is in a race to become pregnant and ascend the throne before her cousin Cel does. The cost of failure will be her own life and that of those who follow her. The latest Merry book, Divine Misdemeanors, debuted December 8th, 2009.
Laurell Hamilton resides in St. Louis County, Missouri, with her husband and partner Jonathon Green, her daughter, and their furbarian horde.
Her education includes degrees in English and biology from Marion (now Indiana Wesleyan University)

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FranJessca

Owner/Reviewer at A Book Lovin' Mama's Blog

I guess I should type a bio here. I'm FranJessca, or Fran for short. I'm the owner/reviewer behind A Book Lovin' Mama's Blog. I've been reading and reviewing books on my blog since leaving the Navy in 2011, and I will keep doing it as long as possible. My favorite genres will always be Romance & Fantasy, and I read every subgenre underneath those two genres. (Sorry, not a fan of nonfiction, so don't try to convince me to read it.)
My obsession with reading started over 30+ years ago when I went to my first Scholastic Book Fair and found R.L. Stine's Fear Street series. Later, I came across Anne Rice's novels at my public library when I was fourteen when my obsession with vampires started. I was the girl who preferred to be a vampire over a princess any day. My husband says I would leave him a heartbeat for a vampire that looked like Spike or Angel (from Buffy the Vampire Slayer) or Damon Salvatore from The Vampire Diaries. (It's true, though, and he's accepted it.)

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