VAMPIRE FIGHT CLUB is dangerous and sexy! Nate and Lena have crazy chemistry together. It's a fast and furious read through the Demonica underworld. I highly recommend the book to everyone!

Nathan Sabine is a manager of Gladius, an underground gladiator rings where supernatural beings fight to the dead, a secret part of club Thirst. At first Nate decides to works there to plan for a revenge upon the demon who kills his wife. However, years gone by and Nate loses the fire that burns his rage. Until a female nurse who smells like canine shifter -- but claims to be a Tiger shifter -- walks into his office, asking for a job. Vladlena "Lena" Paskelkov's brother comes to her hospital dying, and his last word is 'Thirst Club'. Lena wants to find out what really happened so she decides to work undercover at the club as part of the medic team.

I admit that it has been a while since I read the Demonica series -- I used to LOVE that one years back -- so I didn't remember much about the characters... BUT this one could pretty much read as a stand alone anyway. Since it's a novella, everything happens really fast. BUT I appreciate that Ione keeps the sex scene near the end instead of spreading it around the chapters. I liked both Lena and Nate; and even if I didn't remember much, it was nice to see the demon brothers and sister of the Underground General Hospital again.

PS: This story is previously released in an anthology. I don't know whether it has been re-edited or re-expanded though.

This was my first Larissa Ione and I throroughly enjoyed it. I liked Lena and Nathan and I got a glimpse into their world that made me curious. This being the first book I've read also meant some of the rules and comments were a little difficult to fully understand. Solid 3.5

Vampire Fight Club by Larissa Ione which was previously published in Supernatural is a dark paranormal romance about violence that hits too close to home forces Vladlena Paskelkov… a shapeshifter and underworld nurse undercover.
Even though Vampire Fight Club was short, only 88 pages, a novella really. But it sure packed a punch. The banter between Vladlena and Nate was the highlight of this story, it certainly made up for the lack of romance.

Nathan “Nate” Sabine is a rare, day-walking vampire. He is a manager at a demon-operated vampire club with a secret underground fighting arena. Nate feels dead inside until Vladlena walks into his office for a medic position. When she attracts his demonic boss’ attention, he risks everything to protect her. Will Nate lose yet another woman to fate’s cruelty? Or will he bet everything just to keep her safe from all harm?
Vladlena “Lena” Paskelkov is a hyena shifter, who cannot shift into her animal form. She works as a nurse at Underworld General. Lena vows to avenge her brother’s death by exposing Thirst’s link to illegal blood fights. She applies for a medic position at the vampire club. Danger lurks in every corner, yet Lena continues her search for proof of the club’s hand in her brother’s demise. Can Lena expose Thirst’s darkest sin? Or will she become the club’s latest victim?
Nate comes across as a cynical jerk at the beginning of the book, yet he redeems himself throughout the story. I can understand his reasons for behaving so crass, especially around Lena. I like how Lena revitalizes Nate for the good. She is nothing like the usual type of women he prefers; however, her innocent allure attracts him. But what I love the most about Nate is the gamble he willingly takes for Lena’s sake. She gives him the much-needed incentive to confront his demonic boss for good.
Lena steadily grew on me. She starts out timid and sheltered, yet the combination of her brother’s passing and her looming death sentence prompts Lena to trek into dangerous waters. I like how Lena finds the courage to stand up against Nate’s brand of danger. Despite being in unfamiliar territory, she never let fear interfere with her natural instinct to heal. But what I like the most about Lena is how her desire to protect herself from all evil.
VAMPIRE FIGHT CLUB is book 6.5 in Larissa Ione’s popular paranormal series, DEMONICA. This story made me realize how much I truly miss this series. It feels like I am being reunited with beloved, long-lost friends. I love that Eidolon, Shade, Wraith and other characters from previous books make sporadic appearances throughout the story.
VAMPIRE FIGHT CLUB is a tantalizing glimpse into Larissa Ione’s DEMONICA and LORDS OF DELIVERANCE’s world. I love how the author has such a wide variety of supernatural creatures beyond what normally appears in paranormal romances.

Excellent paranormal romance with a well-developed plot. Thanks!!!

Just as enjoyable as it was when first released in the anthology- Supernatural

More Demonica, baby! Woohoo!

This novella was originally published in the Supernatural anthology, and is now available to purchase separately. It takes us back to events after book #6 in the Demonica series (Eternal Rider, Lords of Deliverance, #1), and is a quick story featuring Underground General Nurse, Vladlena. It’s not a must-read in order to follow the overarching storyline, but mad fans of the series such as myself, will love stepping back into this world any way we can, and I loved this little quickie.

When Vladlena’s brother is killed in an underground fight club, she decides to go undercover as a medic at the Thirst nightclub – the front for supernatural fighting ring, Gladius. When she meets club Manager, Nate, he is a complete jerk to her but there is an attraction there that she fights to ignore, not knowing how involved Nate was in her brother’s death.

Nate is instantly intrigued by his new medic, and he wants her badly – more than he’s wanted anybody pretty much ever. As an ex-fighter himself, Nate seems smooth and in control, but he is battling his own demons, and his reasons for being at Thirst/Gladius are also more than what they originally seem.

The chemistry between Lena and Nate is palpable, and even in such a quick book, Ione manages to create a connection between them that you can feel. There is sexy time but there is also an emotional element to their relationship that I really liked, and when they are forced to face the unimaginable, they will realise that they finally have something to fight for… but will it be too late?

As expected, I loved this read. There’s something about being back in this world that always gets me excited, and I’m always thrilled for anything that allows me to delve right back in. I loved that we got glimpses of the Sem boys, and a nice little tie-in to the Lords of Deliverance series, and I really enjoyed the story.

A great little extra, and an enjoyable and quick read – 4 stars.

It seems like forever since I'd read a book from this series! And I didn't realize how much I missed the underworld!!!! Great addition to the series I just wish I had read this before the Horsemen!!!

Vampire Fight Club, Larissa Ione

Review from Jeannie Zelos book reviews

Genre:  Romance

I love Larissa's writing, but somehow lost track of the series after reading the first few Demonica books. Still, I'd read enough to follow this story, I think possibly if you haven't read any you could still enjoy it ;-) Its a short, hot paranormal, set in the Demonica world. 
Its not a complex story, that's good as its so short...I don't often read novellas for that reason, they don't have space to let me really get to know the worlds and characters in the story, but when its part of an existing series it works for me.

I liked Lena, she's had a tough upbringing and is now facing death but before that she's determined to get revenge on whoever killed her brother, the one that understood her, protected her, not the two that have made it their work to torment her. With her loving father dead and now Vaughn gone she's alone, and for her last weeks she's going to find the killer.
That brings her in the sphere of Nate, manager of Thirst, and the cruel vicious Demon, Fade....and maybe death too soon. Of course Larissa throws in events that change what's going to happen very rapidly, and of course there's sex...lots of it, hot and sensual.

It's a series that features sex demons as main characters, so its no surprise the main books have that angle, but even this short does -however it fits the general story line, and is not the more-sex-than-story issue I so hate. There needs to be a balance, and Larissa always seems to find it ;-) 

Stars: four, a fun addition to the series.

ARC supplied for review purposes by Netgalley and Publishers

Vladlena Paskelkov to go undercover, her first stop is a haven of vice—with a dangerously sexy vamp in charge . Legendary,Nathan Sabine is the manager of Thirst, a wildly popular vampire club and secret underground blood arena. But Nathan, a rare daywalker, possesses other, even more explosive secrets, as does his beautiful new medic, Vladlena. The one thing they can’t conceal is the lust that simmers between them . The book is amazing. When I started reading I couldn't put it down.Keep up the good work.

A compelling read. It's full of excitement, action, bloodshed, and an interesting, motley collection of beings fighting to stay alive.
Nurse and shapeshifter Vladlena and vampire Nathan are haunted by their own personal agony. Their first encounter as applicant and manager, respectively, set off sexual sparks that they couldn't extinguish. Lena and Nate will go through excruciating physical pain and deeply emotional hell before they rejoice in being together.
Larissa Ione wrote this short paranormal tale so well.
I received an eGalley arc from the publisher. This is my honest opinion.

Vampire Fight Club is a quick, short read and part of Larissa Ione’s Demonica series. As with anything written by this amazing author, this story is action-packed, fast-paced and keeps the reader thoroughly engrossed till the very last word.

I loved the character portrayal of Nathan and Vladlena, and while they were an unlikely match, their chemistry is undeniable. Ms Ione has managed to pack one hell of a punch in so few chapters; no wonder we keep coming back for more!

4.5 stars - novella

A really enjoyable read, it had great pace, good characters and the storyline was interesting. I was surprised that the author put such a lot of effort into a novella.

It reminded me that I really like this series I had forgotten!

I love the Demonica series and Larissa Ione is one of my all-time favorite paranormal writers. Her stories are dark, edgy, and sexy and Vampire Fight Club is a novella that I seemed to have missed somehow. I loved Nate and Lena who is a nurse at UG hospital. A great nurse, she believes that she is dying as that is what happens with most shifters who can't shift. She volunteers to go undercover at Nate's club when her brother dies in the emergency room after fighting at the club. Let the sparks begin! It was also great to get a small visit from past characters and they all had Lena's back. My only problem with the story-it's too short!

I really enjoyed reading this story again! I actually wasn't sure if I'd read this before, and I had, but just forgot. But I'm glad that I did read it, because apparently it's a prequel of sorts to Base Instincts, which I've been meaning to read for awhile, so hopefully I'll read that soon!

You have to feel bad for Lena, her two brothers keep trying to kill her, the one one who didn't is killed himself, and the events of this book happen. And there's a few revelations, like her biological father isn't the same guy as the dad who raised her, which causes some problems, because her bio father wasn't a hyena like Lena's mom, which causes some trouble with shifting!

Nate has waited almost 100 years for vengeance-but the anger fueling him died out. I mean, he was married to her but circumstances tore them apart. And when he finds her again, she's with the guy, but he seduces her back, and then the guy chases them and kills her. That's just awful. She was a person, and she could make her own decisions, like who, if any, she wanted to be with!

Really enjoy how things escalated and were dealt with! That she can shift, and won't die in a matter of weeks, and he got his revenge, and they're alive and together! That's just great, and made for an excellent ending!

Loved this novella, and I can't wait to read more!

This was such a fantastic paranormal read that I truly enjoyed. I laughed out loud more than once while reading this story. I liked both Nate and Lena's characters. There was a bit of suspense within the story, fights, deaths, revenge, life altering moments and of course your steamy moments with romance. The ending wrapped up nicely and I can't wait to read more books from this author. This is the perfect paranormal read for everyone who enjoys a read with every type of creature.

Lena goes undercover to discover a fight club by taking a job at Thirst, run by the vampire Nate Sabine. As a medic/nurse she hopes to find out what happened to a patient at UG, who was last at Thirst. A hidden fight club for otherworlders, and we all know the first rule of fight club. Good novella, I like the continuing story in each book.

An interesting twist on the fight clubs. Bloody, violent, and death is the norm, and the variety of supernaturals make for an different world. Lena, a local nurse, is a shifter who is unable to shift, and when her brother comes in dying from wounds from the fight club she decides to investigate and discover what happened. There she meets Nate, the vampire in charge, and the sparks begin. Shifters, elves, demons, vampires, are all here, and the author does a good job of clipping the story along. Great author, great story and characters. Would highly recommend.

Three and a half stars.

Apparently I read this as part of the Supernatural anthology, I didn't instantly recall it, benefits of a shocking memory, so I enjoyed reading it again.

Nate Sabine is a vampire who runs a supernatural nightclub called Thirst and an underground supernatural fight club called Gladius. He works for a demon called Fade. When a shifter dies in the ring during one of the fights Nate orders him taken outside, in case he is mated and his mate comes looking for him. Instead he is found and taken to Underworld General Hospital, where one of the nurses, Vladlena Paskelkov, recognises him as her brother Vaughn. Vaughn is not quite dead and manages to cough out a few words before he dies which leads Lena and the doctors at UG to believe that there is an underground fight club connected to Thirst. Lena applies for a job as medic in the nightclub and immediately runs into Nate. Lena has a fatalistic streak since she has turned 24 years old and never shifted, she knows she probably only has weeks to live before her inability to shift kills her.

It has been a while since I read any of the Dominica books and I was worrried that I might not remember the characters but Larissa Ione writes such memorable characters that the doctors of UG were instantly recognisable, even if I didn't recall this particular novella. She certainly packed a whole lot of plot into just 93 pages: there's the romance between Nate and Lena; Nate's backstory about becoming a vampire and meeting Fade; Lena's family history; Lena's inability to shift, it's all there and nothing feels rushed (except maybe the big showdown).

Overall, An action-packed supernatural novella that could be read as a stand alone intro to the Demonica series.