Samson's Lovely Mortal

Scanguards Vampires, Book 1

By: Tina Folsom

Narrated by: Kevin Foley

Length: 9 hrs and 14 mins

Publisher's summary

Vampire bachelor Samson can't get it up anymore. Not even his shrink can help him. That changes when the lovely mortal auditor Delilah tumbles into his arms after a seemingly random attack. Suddenly there's nothing wrong with his hydraulics - that is, as long as Delilah is the woman in his arms.

His scruples about taking Delilah to bed vanish when his shrink suggests it's the only way to cure his problem. Thinking all he needs is one night with her, Samson indulges in a night of pleasure and passion.

However, another attack on Delilah and a dead body later, and Samson has his hands full: not only with trying to hide the fact he's a vampire, but also with finding out what secrets Delilah harbors for somebody to want her harm.

©2012 Tina Folsom (P)2012 Tina Folsom

Can't Wait For The Rest Of The Series!!!!

Would you consider the audio edition of Samson's Lovely Mortal to be better than the print version?

I LOVE the print version of the books. It took me listening to the audio book twice to come to love the audible version of the book. The reader isn't the greatest I've heard but he does take some getting used to... I think that is why I had to listen to it twice to really like it. I kind of hope they pick a new reader for the next book in the series but in a way I don't because I've become used to Mr. Foley's voice now. Ms. Folsom wrote an awesome series here and it deserves to ALL be put into audio form. I really, really hope they do.

What did you like best about this story?

I like how Sampson has to overcome his own fears and trust issues to get what he really wants. I love how Delilah grew so much during the story and makes even an auditor seem like a smart choice in careers.

Have you listened to any of Kevin Foley???s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No I haven't and I'm not sure I would want to unless he was reading a book I really, really liked such as this one. Maybe if it was a cowboy story.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

Forever isn't long enough

Any additional comments?

I really LOVE this series and I REALLY hope it is all put into audio form. I love Ms. Folsom's take on the vampire lore.

This book is really worth the credit, I've listened to the book at least 3 times now and will listen to it even more while I wait for the rest of the series!

Story was just so-so

If you are looking for a fluff vampire story then this one should do it....I personally have been spoiled by the black dagger brotherhood, guild hunter, psy changeling and the Midnight breed series...so this one was...'eh...too much fluff not enough intrigue.

The background was simple enough, lonely rich vampire has been betrayed time and time again because women just wanted him for his money...classic story. Then the book went really wonky because these vampires live just like humans, except the sun burns them so they operate at night. But the lead vamp in this book actually goes to a shrink because after the last betrayal by a woman he had ED and Viagra doesn't work on vamps....the story line really takes you out of the mystical vampire world and into the normal world kind of like the sookie stackhouse series, so I was kind of left cold.

There's nothing wrong with this book, it had it's ups and downs and a nice who done it (which was visible from a mile away), and there was your standard woman in trouble, alpha vampire claiming she's HIS, woman gets freaked, man has to save woman...all the classic cliche things that I'm kind of over at the moment. But hey if you like your love stories on the fluffy side with a dash of vampire and wit you should enjoy this book. For me, if book 2 goes on sale I'll probably get it, but nothing to really get drool worthy over.

Light and fluffy read

This one was a bit of a surprise. It wasn't heavy vampire stuff. This one reminded me of the Argeneaus series and the narrator really captured the mood of this story--very light and fluffy.
200 year old vampire Samson was suffering from erectile dysfunction for approximately 9 months. His friends decided the best way to help him rise to the occasion was for a stripper to come and entice his inner beast to come out to play. So for his birthday, he waited for boom boom belinda to come and rock his world.


On the same day, Delilah was getting attached, so she ran to the nearest house and knocked on the door. Of course, it was Samson house. Imagine Samson's amusement at the fact that his birthday present comes complete with a "kidnapping--save me theme".
But the great thing was the great "Acting" was really working for him, it awoke his inner hunter and his body was responding. Well for the rest, you will have to read it. LOL.

great book has everything a story needs.

What did you love best about Samson's Lovely Mortal?

The story was great and all the characters are written well. The book had adventure, love, romance, mystery and a sense of family. Along with a few points where I couldn't help but laugh. I would suggest reading this book along with the others in this series.

Amazing!

I simply enjoyed this book! I've read/listened to it over 10 times! It gets you from the very first line! I think the reader Kevin Foley does an amazing job bringing these characters to life!!

Surprised!!!!

Would you consider the audio edition of Samson's Lovely Mortal to be better than the print version?

I picked this audio for a road trip. I had a back up book, just in case. I didnt want to stop it or wait to finish it. It was great. I am now ready for the others to be on audio as well. I usually dont go into details about the books I review. I dont like to give anything away. But it was funny and very sexy. Try it. :)

What was one of the most memorable moments of Samson's Lovely Mortal?

The therapist couch.

What does Kevin Foley bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

He does good accents.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Talking to her father.

Any additional comments?

Just want to listen to the rest of the series.

Try it you will become a Tina Folsom fan

Would you consider the audio edition of Samson's Lovely Mortal to be better than the print version?

I did in fact read this series and just had to try the audio version since I liked it so much. The narration was nicely done and very enjoyable. Kevin Foley did a good job. I love it when I can tell which character is speaking with distinction that way I know who it is he is portraying. I look forward to hearing him narrate the other books of this series.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Definitely.

One of the worst narrators ever!

Would you try another book from Tina Folsom and/or Kevin Foley?

As long as there is a different narrator. His poor attempt at a female character leaves a lot to be desired.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Samson's Lovely Mortal?

Everything was fairly predictable.

What didn’t you like about Kevin Foley’s performance?

Almost everything.

Could you see Samson's Lovely Mortal being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

Not based on the first book.

Great stroy

I enjoyed this story very much. I loved the modern day spend on vampires. Its a touching story filled with the right amount of back story to unlock the make up of the main characters to show how or what made them into who they are today. I look forward to reading book 2.

More substance than expected

I've had this book both in Kindle and Audible formats for some time now, but never got around to reading it until now. I started it mainly as something easy to listen to while at work that wouldn't require me to pay complete attention to it for fear of missing something. I was expecting it to be mainly sex wrapped up in some sort of thin plot, but was pleasantly surprised to find it was much more than that. It may not seem so at first, for it has a very memorable first line, but if you stay with it a bit you soon see that this book has some meat to it besides the manly kind. Staying with it isn't a problem, for the humor in the writing that's apparent from page one keeps it quite entertaining from the start.

Delilah is a wonderfully spunky character who is something of a study in contrasts, at least on the surface. She's clearly quite brilliant and has made a name for herself as a top notch auditor, yet she is so directionally challenged that she gets lost trying to walk the few blocks from a Chinese takeout restaurant to the corporate apartment she's staying in and often seems rather oblivious to the potential dangers of being a woman walking alone at night (this part is rather hard to believe in my opinion since she supposedly lives in New York City and not rural Kansas or somesuch place where urban dangers would be a foreign thing to her). She thinks of herself as being boring and uninteresting because of her profession, yet she clearly has more of a sense of adventure than she gives herself credit for in the way she so readily accepts Samson's invitation to the theatre after an inauspicious first encounter with him and gives as good as she gets in the flirtation game they engage in during the ride there. Seeing her finally gain complete self-confidence during the course of the book is one of the more satisfying elements of how it ends.

Samson is very alpha, but also very caring and tender-hearted. He is every inch a gentleman, particularly with Delilah, but he also has a vicious and unforgiving side to his personality as well that is seen in brief outbursts at times. We gradually learn about his history from the hardships he faced early in life that brought him to America as a young man, to the heartbreak and betrayal he experienced much more recently that led to the problem he has at the beginning of the book. He doesn't really try to deny what he feels for Delilah once he realize it himself, nor does he ever really play the "she's too good for me" or "I'm a monster, she's better off without me" game that's often too common with caring vamps like Samson (except perhaps slightly at the very beginning before he talks to the doctor about her), and that is a major plus in my book for I always find that to be a turnoff.

The story easily held my attention from beginning to end, and despite often being distracted to a greater or lesser extent with work stuff I was doing I had no problem following along with it. I guessed who was behind the attacks on Delilah relatively early on, but it didn't hamper my enjoyment of watching the plot unfold and listening to find out how the characters in the book would figure out whodunnit. It played out mostly as expected, though there was a twist to the ended that I didn't expect and wonder if what happened there will come back to bite them in the future. Besides the whodunnit plotline, the romance between Samson and Delilah plays out pretty much as you'd expect as well, with plenty of hot sex and and few misunderstandings thrown in to keep it interesting. I did think Delilah was overly "OMG he's a vampire! ack!" when she finds out about Samson and friends, and holds onto that "he's a vampire therefore he must be a monster" mindset rather too long even when given plenty of evidence to the contrary. I would have thought she'd have gotten over it far more quickly given her intelligence, but it just goes to show that blind panic can short circuit even the smartest person's brain at times.

Overall I'd definitely recommend this book to anyone who's a fan of paranormal romance, and of vampire romance in particular, so long as you're not easily offended by sex scenes that are often rather graphic (but hot!). I'll definitely be reading or listening to the rest of the series as soon as I'm able to (which might be awhile). 4 solid stars to a highly entertaining story.