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Hey man…what you doing with that sledge hammer?. The sizzling cover for Vlad by Kristine Mason relates to a scene in the book, which you will have to read to find out, in her new series, Mechanics & Mahem. I love when the cover has a purpose, or should I say multi purposes. Vlad is available for preorder @ $3.99 and will be released on 9.27.18.

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MY REVIEW

I have been waiting for Vlad’s story for years. He deserves some lovin’ and I was not disappointed!

Kristine Mason is a master storyteller and supplies plenty of humor with the thrills and chills of Vlad. I have been eagerly anticipating a story about Vlad and I was not disappointed.

I was laughing from the opening page.

Vlad is a giant of a man, built like a wrestler and tame as a pussy cat, unless…I’m not sure he will make it as a repo man and neither are his friends. It’s hard to believe he is such a pushover for the pretty school teacher, when you find out he was an enforcer, a hitman, an assassin. His friend, Harry, was his savior and there are very few that know his secret. He is not only hiding from the Russian Mafia, but the US government would love to get their hands on him too. But, he’s not the only one with secrets.

Lucy, the school teacher, whose car he was repossessing, has secrets too. Her paranoia and distrust of people is for a very good reason. She grew up in a cult, and ran away when she was seventeen. She is hiding from her parents, who would love to get their hands on her and it’s not because they love her. Quite the opposite, in fact. She loves her new life and doesn’t want anything to change it. But, she has a clock ticking in the back of her mind…3 years. Three years before the shit hits the fan and someone would die. She doesn’t believe in Fate, but I think there is a romance coming and Vlad is her man. She does have a best friend, so let me introduce you to her.

Paige is quite the character, a free spirit with pink hair. She is Lucy’s one and only friend, though she doesn’t know her secrets. When she meets Vlad, she encourages Lucy to go for it. And…she spies with her little eye someone she wouldn’t mind getting to know better. BUT, I think that is a story for another day. Her and Lucy may be opposites, but they make quite the pair and their dialogue is hilarious. I would love to be a fly on the wall and listen in…Oops, I am.

Vlad has a way of talking, fumbling, bumbling his way through the English language. He refers to himself in the third person. Some would think he is just a dumb brute, but, like a book, you can’t tell who he is by his cover. His dialogue had me laughing, with his misused words and funny sayings. Oh, did I forget to tell you, he did have a pet alligator, Polina, until it got too big and dangerous.

Vlad and Lucy hit it off right away and she lets her defenses down. The lively and creative banter between them is very entertaining. The wooing and cooing is lively and it is a good thing he is persistent.

“…baby-eating, giant repo man…”

WHOA! I can see him swinging that sledge hammer and it immediately made me think of Paul Bunyan.

Lucy has a secret farm, with a very big dog, Millie. When she came home and Millie greeted her, it made me laugh out loud. Kristine is so descriptive with her writing, she makes it easy to visualize the action. Her ‘pets’ have unique personalities and they love her. Besides Millie, she has some chickens,  and a couple of llamas and fainting goats she rescued. I don’t know how many times I laughed at their antics. These are some special needs critters I think you would love to meet for yourself. Little does she know, but she has met the right people to help her, to keep her safe.

The critters. OMG. Millie makes me think of a Doberman that I used to have. When Lucy asks Millie to, “Give Mommy your Mean Millie face,” she draws her lips up into a snarl that looks like a smile. My Dobie used to do that and people really did think she was coming for them. Then, she says, “We still need to work on that, don’t we?” I love that I can smile and laugh through the story, even though I know danger and evil are coming. It’s the little things Kristine puts in her novels that make them so riveting and realistic.

Kristine Mason writes so descriptively, it is easy to picture them driving through the giant oaks, with the Spanish Moss hanging from them, towering over the street, creating a tunnel. I have driven through them. It is the bits and pieces like this that keep me coming back to Kristine for more and making her stories seem so real.

Her characters, they are to die for. I can see the ‘boys’ teasing Vlad and acting like a couple of six year olds, like the first graders Lucy teaches, sly sideways glances, hanging around when they should give them privacy.

“Well, I don’t exactly have a mean dog, but I do know a former bodyguard. I’m going to ditch the prissy clothes and give him a call. It’s time to meet the real Lucy Jean.”

Lots of humor. Even though it takes place over a short time span, the love seems slow burning and real as we get down to the nitty gritty.The sexual tension heats up the pages and I wonder how long it will take for him to wear her down. I have wanted a story about Vlad, ever since I first met him. He is such a sweetie, that he deserves his own love story, and now I have it. Kristine does have plenty of action and we had to go through some dangerous times and dangerous people to get here. I hated for his story to end, but Kristine has recurring characters in her novels and I know I will be seeing him, and Lucy, again.

Here’s another quote I loved, but, as this is not a finished product, any quotes may change:

“I think you broke my vagina.”

“It appears to work just fine. I will examine later to be sure.”

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Vlad by Kristine Mason.

GOODREADS BLURB

Former assassin Vlad Aristov traded his gun for a wrench and now works as a mechanic. Wanted by the U.S. government and Russian Mafia, he dreams of not only being an American citizen, but a free man—which is a dream he knows will never be a reality.

Paranoid recluse and daughter of cult leaders, schoolteacher Lucy Spencer longs for a normal life. Instead, she lives in fear, waiting for the day her parents will finally come for her. And when they do, she knows they’ll have one thing on their mind—murder.

After a repair job brings Vlad and Lucy together, the chemistry between them is undeniable. As their relationship grows, strange things begin to happen to Lucy. Believing Vlad was once a bodyguard she turns to him for help. But that help comes with a price—especially when secrets are revealed and love is betrayed. Can a killer and a paranoid recluse find true love? Or will the past tear them apart?