Review - Serial Killers: The Method and Madness of Monsters by Peter Vronsky

Title: Serial Killers: The Method and Madness of Monsters

Author: Peter Vronsky

Publication date: October 2004

Published by: Berkley

Source: Purchased paperback

Add it to your Goodreads shelf

Buy it: Amazon | Book Depository | Thrift Books

Synopsis:

The comprehensive examination into the frightening history of serial homicide.

In this unique book, Peter Vronsky documents the psychological, investigative, and cultural aspects of serial murder, beginning with its first recorded instance in Ancient Rome, through fifteenth-century France, up to such notorious contemporary cases as cannibal/necrophile Ed Kemper, Henry Lee Lucas, Ted Bundy, and the emergence of what he classifies as the "serial rampage killer" such as Andrew Cunanan.

Vronsky not only offers sound theories on what makes a serial killer, but also provides concrete suggestions on how to survive an encounter with one-from recognizing verbal warning signs to physical confrontational resistance. Exhaustively researched with transcripts of interviews with killers, and featuring up-to-date information on the apprehension and conviction of the Green River Killer and the Beltway Snipers, Vronsky's one-of-a-kind book covers every conceivable aspect of an endlessly riveting true-crime phenomenon.

My rating: ★★★★★

The biggest mistake in trying to figure out why these people are this way is that we try to analyze them through our own standard behavior. They don’t think the way you or I think. We’re not sure why—but the point is they don’t.

I don't read very much nonfiction—not for fun anyway. Lol. This is probably the second nonfiction book I’ve read of my own volition. Lol. But I really liked it! I find serial killers very fascinating... and by that I mean the psychology behind why they do what they do 😅 When I was in nursing school, psychology was probably my favorite section to study! I just find it so intriguing! So yeah, I really liked this book and learning about the methods behind the madness, if you will. Lol.

Review: Blood Forever (Blood Coven Vampire #8) by Mari Mancusi

Title: Blood Forever

Series: Blood Coven Vampire #8

Previous books in this series: Boys that Bite (#1) | Stake That! (#2) | Girls that Growl (#3) | Bad Blood (#4) | Night School (#5) | Blood Ties (#6) | Soul Bound (#7)

Author: Mari Manucusi

Publication date: September 2012

Published by: Penguin Group (USA) Incorporated

Source: Borrowed

Add it to your Goodreads shelf

Buy it: Amazon | Book Depository

Synopsis:

After making a deal with the devil, Rayne and Sunny have been given the chance to go back in time—preventing that fateful night when Sunny was bitten by Magnus from ever happening. But Sunny finds she doesn’t want to live without Magnus by her side and Rayne secretly wishes that vampire Jareth was back in her arms.

To reclaim their lives, Sunny and Rayne team up to figure out a way to change history for the better. But if the twins can’t get the boys on their side, history may spiral out of control—destroying not only the Blood Coven, but quite possibly the entire human race...

My rating: ★★★★☆
Oh my gods! I cannot believe this series is over! It's SO sad, especially since I absolutely loved it! It was such a fun series! And, as always, I loved the characters... Magnus and Sunny, Jareth and Rayne... I'm going to miss them! *sobs*

Review: Soul Bound (Blood Coven Vampire #7) by Mari Mancusi

Title: Soul Bound

Series: Blood Coven Vampire #7

Previous books in this series: Boys that Bite (#1) | Stake That! (#2) | Girls that Growl (#3) | Bad Blood (#4) | Night School (#5) | Blood Ties (#6)

Author: Mari Mancusi

Publication date: March 2012

Published by: Berkley Trade

Source: Borrowed from library

Add it to your Goodreads shelf

Buy it: Amazon | Book Depository

Synopsis:

Sunny McDonald and her vampire boyfriend, Magnus, are on the run-accused of treason and wanted alive...or undead. And her twin is the slayer sent to track them down.

Rayne would do anything to save her twin sister, Sunny, from the Vampire Consortium dictator who wants her dead. Instead, she's been commissioned by Slayer Inc. to find Sunny and Magnus and deliver them to the Consortium...which Rayne knows means certain death. She also knows that if she and her boyfriend, Jareth, disobey orders, they are signing not only their own death warrants, but also those of every vampire in the Blood Coven.

As a rival slayer with a personal vendetta moves in, Rayne and Jareth must do something to stop her. So they embark on their most dangerous journey yet, deep beneath the streets of New York City and through the Gates of the Underworld. But when a greedy god demands the ultimate sacrifice, will Rayne be forced to choose between her sister...and the vampire she loves?

My rating: ★★★★★
Rayne, the vampire slayer, might actually get paid for this job she was just offered! The catch is, the vampire she has to bring down and turn in to vamp authorities is none other than Magnus! But that's not all, she has to turn in he own sister, Sunny, too! Dun, dun, dun! *cue dramatic music*

Review: Blood Ties (Blood Coven Vampire #6) by Mari Mancusi

Title: Blood Ties

Series: Blood Coven Vampire #6

Previous books in this series: Boys that Bite (#1) | Stake That! (#2) | Girls that Growl (#3) | Bad Blood (#4) | Night School (#5)

Author: Mari Mancusi

Publication date: August 2011

Published by: Berkley Trade

Source: Borrowed from library

Add it to your Goodreads shelf

Buy it: Amazon | Book Depository

Synopsis:

The final battle is brewing between Vampires and Slayers. But for Sunny McDonald, the true war is being fought over her heart.

Though now officially back in the arms of her vampire boyfriend Magnus, Sunny finds she still can't forget the gentle mortal Jayden who once saved her life. And when the darkness threatens to steal his humanity, Sunny finds herself with a choice. Stay true to Magnus and the Blood Coven or defy them in a desperate attempt to save Jayden’s soul.

Meanwhile, the Blood Coven is gearing up for its toughest fight yet--going head to head with a splinter group of Slayer Inc who's regrouping in Tokyo, Japan, still determined to take over the world. In dark blood bars and hidden temples, it'll be Vampires vs. Slayers in a showdown that could cost Sunny not only her heart...but also her very life.

My rating: ★★★★★
In Blood Ties, Jayden's mortality is in danger. You remember him? Super sweet guy from Vegas who saved Sunny's life?? Well, now it's Sunny's turn to help Jayden. If they only knew this was the least of their problems. You see, evil fairy-vampire slayers threaten to rise and take over the world! Okay, that might be a slightly bit dramatic on my part, but you get what I'm saying ;) So it's up to the McDonald sisters and their vampire BFs to stop them and their evil plans.

Review: Night School (Blood Coven Vampire #5) by Mari Mancusi

Title: Night School

Series: Blood Coven Vampire #5

Previous books in this series: Boys that Bite (#1) | Stake That! (#2) | Girls that Growl (#3) | Bad Blood (#4)

Author: Mari Mancusi

Publication date: January 2011

Published by: Berkley Trade

Source: Borrowed from the public library

Add it to your Goodreads shelf

Buy it: Amazon| Book Depository

Synopsis:

Vampires, Slayers and…FAIRIES? Sunny and Rayne McDonald are about to get SCHOOLED.

After their parents’ shocking revelation about their fae heritage and an attack on their lives, the McDonald twins find themselves on the run—forced to hide out at Riverdale Academy , a boarding school for vampire slayers, deep in the Swiss Alps. With no cells, no internet, and no way to contact their vampire boyfriends—the twins are on their own.

Being a vampire stuck in a school full of slayers isn’t easy. Especially with no blood substitute stocked on campus. Soon Rayne finds herself succumbing to her bloodlust and losing control—especially around the arrogant, but devastatingly handsome Corbin Billingsworth the Third—who isn’t sure whether he wants to kiss her…or kill her.

But when Sunny starts acting strange, Rayne realizes Riverdale Academy may be hiding some deadly secrets of its own—leading to a showdown in Fairyland that may cost the twins their lives.

My rating: ★★★★☆
After the fairy attack at the apartment, the twins are sent to a slayer school where they will be "safe." Right, like Rayne, a VAMPIRE could be safe in a school where they train kids to KILL vampires. Rayne will be in soooo much trouble if someone finds out she's, you know, a vamp.

Review: Bad Blood (Blood Coven Vampire #4) by Mari Mancusi

Title: Bad Blood

Series: Blood Coven Vampire #4

Previous books in this series: Boys that Bite (#1) | Stake That! (#2) | Girls that Growl (#3)

Author: Mari Mancusi

Publication date: January 2010

Published by: Berkley Trade

Source: Borrowed from the public library

Add it to your Goodreads shelf

Buy it: Amazon| Book Depository

Synopsis:

Sunny McDonald is in the ultimate forbidden relationship. Her boyfriend Magnus is a vampire, and the leader of the Blood Coven. And when the Coven decides that Magnus needs a mate to be his co-ruler, Sunny's humanity puts her out of the running. The Coven's chosen candidate is Jane Johnson, a magna cum laude graduate of Oxford University who just happens to look like a vampiric supermodel.

Sunny is suspicious of a Rhodes Scholar who can't answer the most basic poli-sci questions, but Magnus brushes it off as petty jealousy. Still, when the Blood Coven goes to Las Vegas for a vampire convention, Sunny and her twin sister Rayne secretly tag along. And Sunny's not going home before she learns the truth about Jane. Because not everything stays in Vegas-especially bad blood.

My rating: ★★★★★
These twins...they barely get out of one problem when they're already getting sucked into the next! Bad cases of mistaken identity seem to be a theme in this series.

Review: Girls That Growl (Blood Coven Vampire #3) by Mari Mancusi

Title: Girls That Growl

Series: Blood Coven Vampire #3

Previous books in this series: Boys that Bite (#1) | Stake That! (#2)

Author: Mari Mancusi

Publication date: October 2007

Published by: Berkley Trade

Source: Borrowed from the public library

Add it to your Goodreads shelf

Buy it: Amazon| Book Depository

Synopsis:

Rayne McDonald thought getting into the Blood Coven was the hard part. But now there's a new breed of trouble in town...and the former slayer and her vampire boyfriend may be the only ones who can stop it.

Now that she's an official vampire and full-fledged member of The Blood Coven, Rayne assumes her vampire slaying days are over. Sure, she doesn't have any vampire powers, thanks to a mutated blood virus, but she and Jareth can go out in the sun, which is a pretty good trade-off.

But just when Rayne's starting to enjoy her afterlife, she's contacted by Slayer Inc once again. It seems that a member of her high school's football team has disappeared—and the powers-that-be think the cheerleaders had something to do with it. Now Rayne has to infiltrate the squad before the cheerleaders have a chance to sink their teeth into someone else...

My rating: ★★★★★
Oh this Rayne...I don't think she'll ever stop surprising me: First a vampire slayer, and now a vampire?? A vampire vampire slayer? She's got quite a few titles there, now doesn't she?

Review: Stake That (Blood Coven Vampire #2) by Mari Mancusi

Title: Stake That

Series: Blood Coven Vampire #2

Previous book in this series: Boys that Bite

Author: Mari Mancusi

Publication date: December 2006

Published by: Berkley Trade

Source: Borrowed from the public library

Add it to your Goodreads shelf

Buy it: Amazon| Book Depository

Synopsis:

Two sisters—as different as the sun and the rain. For one, getting into the Blood Cover is to die for, but it seems destiny has something else in mind...
 
Rayne McDonald had it all figured out. Get turned into a vampire, become the mate of the Blood Coven leader, and live the high-life for all eternity. Too bad the head vamp took a bite out of her twin sister by mistake. Now, not only is Rayne still not a vampire, but she learns she's a slayer instead—destined to destroy vamps gone bad.
 
After being recruited by a secret organization, Rayne is given her first mission: infiltrate a seedy bar downtown and expose its vampire owner, Maverick, for purposely spreading a nasty blood virus. Luckily the Blood Coven sends some help—in the form of sexy vampire Jareth. Will vampire and slayer be able to settle their differences and work together to bring down the evil Maverick? Or will they find their own hearts on the line?

My rating: ★★★★★

Oh. My. Gods. Rayne, the goth girl who has always wanted to be a vampire turns out to be a vampire slayer! Seriously! I was in such a shock in the last book that I seriously could not think straight! I mean, a slayer?! But its not all bad, I guess, since Rayne gets to kill only the badies.

Review: Boys that Bite (Blood Coven Vampire #1) by Mari Mancusi

Title: Boys that Bite

Series: Blood Coven Vampire #1

Author: Mari Mancusi

Publication date: April 2006

Published by: Berkley Trade

Source: Borrowed from library

Add it to your Goodreads shelf

Buy it: Amazon| Book Depository

Synopsis:

Two sisters—as different as the sun and the rain. For one, getting into the Blood Coven is to die for. But for the other, getting out could be lethal...

When Sunny McDonald gets dragged to Club Fang by her twin sister Rayne, she doesn't expect to find anything besides a bunch of Goth kids playing at being vampires. But when some guy mistakes Sunny for her dark-side-loving sister and bites her on the neck, she finds out that his fangs are real—and deadly.

Now, Sunny has less than a week to figure out how to reverse the bite, or else she's going to end up as the perpetually undead. And not only will she be a vampire, she'll also be bonded to Magnus—the bloodsucker who bit her—forever. And forever is a really long time...

My rating: ★★★★★
Identical twins Sunny and Rayne McDonald couldn’t be more different: while Rayne would give her life (literally) to join the vampires in the Blood Coven, Sunny wants out…NOW! It all started with a bad case of mistaken identity. Rayne persuades Sunny to come with her to a nightclub known as Club Fang (very appropriate). Here, a vampire (Magnus) bites the wrong twin, beginning the process of vampirism. From here, Sunny has less than a week to reverse the process, and the only one who is able to help her with this is none other than Magnus, the very vampire that bit her!