First in a new series and I'm so glad that I picked it to read , loved everything about the characters, the world , and especially how the author explains about how there is 2 types of vampires. Will be picking up the second book when I can . ( side note I was also able to read the Extended version of this book and will be posting the same review on it )

The Bloodkin lineage of women has been decimated by the ruthless bloodking plague. Konstantin, driven by desperation, embarks on a quest to find the enigmatic Gray Woman who could save the sole surviving female, his beloved wife, Elisava. Tragically, her counsel is shrouded in despair; it is too late. Yet, a glimmer of hope emerges in the form of a plan. Will Sash and Alexa be the key? With time’s relentless march, the moral compass of this plan becomes increasingly uncertain.

Violins and Vampires seamlessly weaves between the past and present. In the historical narrative, it unfolds the tale of the Gray Woman, a wielder of potent magical abilities. Caelin’s story of his reign as the Bloodkin king a millennium ago is recounted, alongside his intriguing arena battles. In the present, Lexa’s story takes center stage. Now eighteen, she bears no recollection of her distant past. Both she and Sash have emerged from comas, their memories shattered. Alexa is haunted by nightmarish visions, while Sash grapples with a life-threatening ailment necessitating expensive medications. To pay off an enormous debt, Sash has become ensnared by a mobster, leaving Alexa to care for her ailing sister amidst the turbulence of a fractured family.

During one of her assignments, Lexa unexpectedly encounters Caelin, and to her, it feels like her recurring hallucinations have manifested once more. Unbeknownst to her, Caelin has also experienced the very same vision.

Caelin, a mesmerized observer, cannot erase the image of Alexa from his mind. An unexpected job offer binds their fates, setting the stage for unforeseen consequences.

I really enjoyed this and loved the past to present story, and even though it was slightly confusing at times I thought the overall story was really good. The twists that unfold towards the end were somewhat predictable. You can almost anticipate them from early on. Nevertheless, I did appreciate the direction the story took with the Gray Woman, even if her intentions appear somewhat evident. She seems to be plotting something, and I’m genuinely curious about her ultimate objectives.

I was immediately enthralled with this one just by the cover and the fact it has Vampires but the story within was just as delicious and enticing. I loved it all.

First of all, the cover is STUNNING. And I'm a sucker for a good vampire story and a good slow burn and this absolutely was both. Their were some typos, especially in the beginning. That doesn't really bother me but it might be an issue for some other readers.

Vampires, magic, a blood plague, and the mafia, oh my. Lexa has found herself in an impossible situation thanks to her family, and Caelin has all but given up on life before meeting Lexa. Sparks are absolutely flying between the two of them, and you can't help but wonder just what fate has in store for these two. Lexa is more than what she seems, and getting to know both her and Caelin and their backstories was a delight. The characters are well-developed, and the world is nicely done with plenty of depth. The plot moves along at a smooth pace. A great way to kick off a new paranormal romance series.

2.5 stars

You know when you’re reading a fantasy/paranormal book, and there’s a fair amount of world-building at the beginning, and then the plot really begins and the book gets good? This book is that first portion. It’s all set up for the rest of the series. There is no romance at all in this book; the main couple don’t even meet until towards the end.

I’m not saying it’s bad. But I didn’t realize this was just setting up the rest of the series, because if I did I wouldn’t have read this. There’s just no payoff.

Thank you to NetGalley for this advance reader copy. All opinions are my own.

If you take vampires, magic, plagues, hardworking female protagonist, multiple storylines and mix it all together, you get one heck of a first book in a new series!

I highly recommend this book!

Violins and Vampires (Book 1, Vampires of the Daemonverse) – Cee Bee



I was given a copy of this book by the publisher in order to provide an honest review.



Cee Bee is an American author also known as Christina Bauer. This is Cee Bee’s first book and is an adult fantasy romance series.



Vampires are real, very real. True vampires, those born to it are known as Bloodkin. These vampires have power, weaker vampires or those that were once humans who were later turned in life are what’s known as Nightlings.

Caelin is King of the vampires and is in love with his Queen – Elisava. How is also the sister of King Konstantin, King of the Rus and son to the old King Fyodor. Who Caelin also consequently killed. So, as you can imagine now everyone is happy about all of that – regardless Caelin and Elisava are very much in love.

That’s when disaster strikes – the blood plague, which is a disease which means certain death to the bloodkin woman. The first to be struck down by this cruel disease is none other than Elisava. Caelin races to the only one who can help, a water elemental who goes by the name of the Gray Woman.

Yet she cannot save Elisava, but can only promise to save the women of bloodkin at another time. Caelin enters years of pitiful despair and sorrow, the Gray Woman the only hope for his people.

Lexa is a bloodkin, same as her sister Sasha. Yet they are all they have, so when Sasha falls sick to the blood plague, Lexa races to the Gray Woman, desperate for her sister to be saved. Yet rather than curing her sister the Gray Woman places them in an icy tomb.

When Lexa wakes, she no longer remembers she is a bloodkin. Instead, she believes that vampires aren’t real and she is simply a human who must work for a criminal mastermind known as Konstantin, to pay off her father’s debt and to secure the vital medicine that keeps her sister Sasha alive.

Lexa constantly suffers from visions – one minute she's present and then next she’s in a cave, it’s cold but she’s scared for her sister and there is a strange woman promising to help. These visions constantly rattle Lexa but she must keep it together to make sure her sister stays alive.

When she first meets Caelin, the strangest things happen. Mist rolls in and lightning crackles, one minute he is right next to her and then the next he is not. Another strange vision surely. But she can’t let this rattle her, she has a mission to complete and her target is now hunting her.


“Vampires and Violins” is a bewitching and magical read about vampires, magic with a good of mystery with some sexual tension. A tall mysterious man and a seemingly innocent damsel in distress, but as it is with most things, not everything is at it seems. I love the amnesia plot twist the author has used with Lexa, the character not realising who she truly is and also knowing that something isn’t quite right but unable to pin down exactly what the deal is. It's this sort of writing and storyline that really captivates my imagination and interest – which is obvious as I read this in a day! The twist at the end was absolutely awesome and promises for some action and mind-blowing revelations in the next instalment of what promises to be an amazing series.

As expected from Christina, the book was a page turner from the first page itself. Somehow I happen to finish her books fastest and wanting to know more of the characters in the book. Violins and Vampires has continued with the trend. Would definitely recommend this series to adults :) who wouldn't mind a bit of fantasies for a break from their real worlds.

this had so much ... what else could be lurking in the door ways

Lexa Uznetsov she loved her sister very much. (sidenote: I did not like her mother at all.) She was willing to almost anything to make sure she had what she needed. Caelin MacGregor was mysterious, sexy, and oh my. There was something more there between them. It was alluring and seductive. Their first meeting was it really the first time? I am waiting for more from Caelin and Lexa.. Where will this go? How far will it go? Will she be safe? Will Caelin be the answer or the questions?

If you read this on Kindle Vella, then you are going to enjoy it even more here. There are extras. The extras I loved. The history. The richness. The will it happen. How? When? Caelin is so much more than he appears to be. Lexa is more also. Follow their journey.

I love vampire stories and I’m so happy that they are finally making a come back this year!
Unfortunately this book was not it for me, I really thought about giving it one star because the first half was not working with me. The writing wasn’t really good (there are a lot of typos) but I feel like this improved in the second half so that’s why I ended up giving it two stars.
If you want a slow burn this is for you, they only interacted with each other ONCE in the first half of the book, in need more to be convinced that they truly want each other.
The plot was lacking, yes there is a plot but it’s just not giving enough, this book is short but it felt looong because nothing was happening for a long time. I wish we had started the book with the present part and been given the information about their past later. Because of the way it’s set I wasn’t intrigued at all.
L’examen is a great character, I liked how protective of her sister she was and witty she could be but Caelin was a bit bland.
Finally how can she leave big tips everywhere if she’s struggling financially??

The First Book in a I assume More Titels Story. Entertainer, Not to much Violoncello or gruel vampire scenes. More of a lovestory. I liked it. Lockung forward to the next Book.

I had a hard time liking the book. It's an exciting storyline - vampires living among us, ancient prophesies and mates, all the ingredients of a fabulous book, but it just fell flat in the end.

Maybe it was because of the backstory and set-up, that I had a hard time getting through, or a bit of confusing time jumps, or slow burn romance, but it was definitely not a good fit for me.

Lexa and Sasha are alone in the world, with a human named Anya to accompany them and offer a small amount of protection as an adult with 2 young children in tow.

Lexa has heard of an elemental by the name of the Gray Woman  who may be able to assist them with a cure for the bloodkin plague which ails young Sasha.

Once at the cave of the Gray Woman,  things don't quite go as Lexa wants and instead of being cured the 3 young women are essentially put on ice.

We also have King Caelin as a prominent character in our story, having lost his fated mate to the fatal bloodkin plague,  he lives by his promise to his deceased wife, Elisava, by keeping an eye on her brother, Konstantin. 

Flash forward many years, and both Lexa, Sasha and Anya are still with us, although the dynamic has changed somewhat. Anya is mother to both Lexa and Sasha,  who have been told that they suffered major memory loss after a fire when they were younger. Having said that,  Lexa has hallucinations that seem so real, but she is told that it is her way of dealing with the memory loss, by trying to fit things into some form of order.

After a series of events, Lexa has to take on employment from Konstantin, to pay off her father's considerable debts, and it is the only was to ensure that young Sasha receives her very necessary medications from Dr Gray at Silver Pharma. 

While on a job, Lexa crosses paths with Caelin, and as far as she is concerned, her hallucinations have happened again.  Only, what she doesn't realise is that Caelin has had the same vision.

There are many plot lines and characters weaved into this one book, yet at no point is it ever confusing. All stories work well together and I for one can't wait to see what follows, especially for the story arc with Lexa and Caelin. Bring on the next!

I really liked the concept of this book, and as I read it I found the worldbuilding very interesting. It was clear that the author had put a lot of effort into developing the world of these vampires and other magical elements of this book. The central idea worked really well for me; I liked the blend of the familiar tropes from both paranormal romance and mafia romances.

The romance in this is actually quite light. The two main characters, Lexa and Caelin, don’t spend a lot of time together in the book, but when they did, I thought they had decent chemistry. It was clear to see where the author is going with this couple in future books.

Still, I thought the romance could have played a slightly bigger role – it was the more interesting aspect of the book to me, especially as I actually found the plot of this book outside of the romantic elements to be a little bit muddled. I found it confusing and I didn’t really like all of the timeskips. I think that Lexa’s backstory could have been woven into the story better. The use of flashbacks felt a little bit clunky. The writing in general needed a little bit of tightening, in my opinion - such as the dialogue, was a bit clumsy and didn’t scan well at points.

Overall this book didn’t really work for me. I could see what the author was trying to do and I appreciated the worldbuilding, but the writing didn’t really engage me and I found some of the plot a bit muddled. That said, I would still recommend it to people who are looking to start an action-packed paranormal vampire romance series with the fated mates trope. I voluntarily read and reviewed a copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing a free copy of this book.

Content Notes: [Violence, blood, scenes of sickness / illness, death of a spouse (in past).

The cover was the first thing that drew me to this book. Absolutely gorgeous! And then the blurb hooked me. I loved the opening, with the history and lore we learn about. Great world building and compelling characters. I can't wait to read book two!

Vampires and violins, what more could you want? This story is amazing! I truly love how this author writes and was so excited to see this story come out. The writing is just as good as all of Cee Bee's other work with lovely older MCs.

I loved this book. It was fast paced but still had good world building and character development. There’s vampires, fated mates, hidden identities, forgotten memories, and a strong female MC. I really enjoyed this and can’t wait for the next one.

All Lexa is trying to do is save her sister. She becomes a tracker and finds information on whoever her boss tells her. Unfortunately, she knows her latest person.
Caelin is a vampire and hasn't felt much of anything for hundreds of years. That is until he runs into Lexa. There is a strong pull there but she is only human and not worth his time.
Opinion
This book was a bit confusing at first because it jumped around in time and characters. I wasn't sure who was who or what was going on. Once it became set in modern day, it got interesting real quick (and the background made much more sense.) This book is perfect for people who love vampire books, though it does take a different spin on the typical vampire novel. The fresh approach kept me interested through the end.
Many thanks to Net Galley and Monster House Books for providing me with an ARC of this book.

When their father leaves a young girl Lexa has to take his place providing for the family. After her father left Lexa’s mother told her that she would no longer be attending school as she had to get a job and take care of her and her little sister while her mother sat at home doing nothing.

I did not care for Lexa’s mother at all. I didn’t like her attitude. I didn’t like the things she said to Lexa. Lexa was a great person doing what she could to take care of her little sister and her mom. Always doing whatever she said or wanted.

Lexa works hard trying to make the money needed to take care of her little sister who is sick. Lexa works so hard that there is never anytime left for herself. No time to find love or just someone to spend a little time with.

Then one day a guy offers Lexa a job where she will be making a lot of money. There is just one problem. The job is illegal. But without much choice, Lexa takes the job. Lexa’s new boss is none other than a vampire.

Caelin MacGregor is a lost king. A long time ago he ruled a clan of Bloodkin vampires. Caelin has been around for a very long time, more than a thousand years. Caelin has been alone for a long time. I think he is getting very tired of being alive that is until he meets Lexa who turns his world upside down and maybe makes his life worth living once again.

Violins and Vampires go back and forth between the past and the present. In the past, it tells a story about the Gray Woman who has some very strong magical powers. It tells Caelin’s story of what his life was like a thousand years ago and who he was then when he reigns as king of the Bloodkin vampires. It tells about the time when Caelin fought in the arena. The fighting here was very interesting, to say the least. In the present, it tells Lexa’s story of course.

Violins and Vampires is a short read with a lot between its pages. Violins and Vampires is a great start to a new series. It kept me guessing from beginning to end. The suspense kept me in turmoil as I raced to the end to see how the two stories would come together.

Well, that is if they do of course. Do the past and presence collide? Do the past and the present come full circle? Well, let me tell you it is like this you are just going to have to read Violins and Vampires for yourself to obtain the answers. But trust me I do believe that you will like it if you are a fan of vampires.

I highly recommend Violins and Vampires to anyone who likes vampires and magic! Grab your copy of Violins and Vampires and take a step back in time today!