Raphael

Vampires In America, Volume 1

By: D. B. Reynolds

Narrated by: Traci Odom

Length: 8 hrs and 32 mins

Publisher's summary

Malibu, California, - home to rock-and-roll gods and movie stars, the beautiful, the rich...and vampires.

Powerful and charismatic, Raphael is a Vampire Lord, one of the few who hold the power of life and death over every vampire in existence. Thousands call him Master and have pledged absolute loyalty on their very lives. But when, in a brazen and deadly daylight attack, a gang of human killers kidnaps the one female vampire he'd give his life for, Raphael turns to a human investigator to find his enemies before it's too late.

Cynthia Leighton is smart, tough, and sexy - a private investigator and former cop who's tired of spying on cheating spouses and digging out old bank accounts. When Raphael asks for her help in tracking down the kidnappers, Cyn's happy to accept. But she soon realizes her greatest danger comes not from the humans, but from Raphael himself.

Battling Russian mobsters and treacherous vampires, and getting betrayed by those they trusted, Cyn and Raphael find themselves fighting for their lives while caught up in a passion of blood and violence that is destined to destroy them both.

©2009 Donna Beltz (P)2014 ImaJinn Books

Need more Raphael!!!

If you could sum up Raphael in three words, what would they be?

Raphael is one of the best alpha males ever! I have read the series. I like all the books but I love Raphael and Cyn books the best.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Cyn was my favorite because she doesn't hold back. She doesn't play with words or silly head games. I love her feelings for Raphael.

Which character – as performed by Traci Odom – was your favorite?

She had a perfect woman voice. Personally I don't like women portraying a man's voice. I like my men sounding like a man. She did a good job making each voice different.

If you could rename Raphael, what would you call it?

I wouldn't because he's one of my favorite vamps.

Any additional comments?

Please get the next book out on audible asap!!! Need it now!!!

Great Story....need male voice.

Did not care for the reader's voice as a male. Trying to hard to convince

****Thank You D.B. Reynolds****

Finally a Bad A@@ female lead !!! This series is my new favorite!!!! I listened to this on a whim I thought it would like a lot of the other books BUT ITS NOT!!! This is my kind of book.
Of course you have the hot alpha vampire with a sh*t load of power. Then there is Cyn a trust found girl but became a cop and since she is a loner she opened a PI Business and most of her clients are vamps. I like her because she owns her short comings and doesn’t dwell on it she knows her mind and she knows how to handle herself.
This book has a lot of action, dry humor and of course a love story. Totally worth the money I already got the next 3 books!!!!

Amateurish

Is there anything you would change about this book?

Needs more description, I wasn't drawn into their world.

Has Raphael turned you off from other books in this genre?

Once again: Characters needs more description

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

Good Narrator, is what it is... THE STORY

Could you see Raphael being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

no

Really good story

BOOK REVIEW......
Good story. I liked the characters and the world the author built. I look forward to reading/listening to more from this series and author.

NARRATOR REVIEW........
The narrator did a very good job of bring life to the story and characters.

"This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of AudiobookBoom dot com."

L.

Started mid series and came back to the beginning

I was given this free review copy audio book at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

I started this series with books 5, 6 and 7, and have now gone back to the beginning of the series to catch up. I already knew I'd like them, and this was not a disappointment. The narrator is quite different from where I started, as this narrator is a female. Because I was used to Nick J Russo, it DID take me some getting used to. So, keep that in mind as you go through this series and the narrator changes in book 5. Traci Odom did a good job, but I immediately noticed a slight echo to her audio which made it not as clean as I was used to. That being said, she still had a dynamic enough voice, and unique voices that I got used to it quickly and enjoyed the book.

DON'T PASS THIS LISTEN!

What made the experience of listening to Raphael the most enjoyable?

The author wrote a freaking wonderful read....and the chosen narrator did a great job... The 2 made this a non-stop listen for me!

Who was your favorite character and why?

Cyn.... Now that is a woman with power.... She is a rich but would rather work for herself type of girl. She is a take charge, no B.S type. And what made me love her most....Her life does not revolve around Raphael!

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

Traci did a great job breathing life into each character. Her narration of each scene, whether funny, scary or dramatic was spot on and kept me entertained!

Who was the most memorable character of Raphael and why?

I would have to say Cyn all the way.... One of my favorite parts was when she bolted from Raphael's house trying to get to her house..When she got to her house, she finds that Raphael has one of his guards - Tony - watching the place. Her reaction when he told her he was going to check in & make sure she should be in HER OWN house was priceless... Most people would try to talk their way out it but not Cyn..She SHOT Tony in the leg.... The patched him up...drugged him... and left him outside her house for the other guards to eventually pick him up!

Any additional comments?

I wish I had purchased this earlier... This has been in my wish list for at least 2 years if not more.... It's a different take on the world of vampires...It has a strong female character who is a perfect match for a strong and definitely badass vampire king! It's not all perfect all the time...Cyn & the vampire world she walks into is as real as I could imagine my reaction were I to find myself in her shoes...Just the right combination of brain, heart and brawn!

Alpha vampire male meets alpha human female.

Raphael is the vampire lord over a large region and he is ALL alpha male! You know the kind..."Do what I say, when I say, where I say, how I say"! ( Get my drift )? He's handsome, rich, sexy and everything else male. After living for centuries, he's gained quite a lot of power and expects to be obeyed in all situations. He is not quite ready for the alpha female that comes into his life. Cynthia Leighton is an ex-cop and private investigator, she is also ALL alpha! Cynthia does not let anyone push her around for any reason. She is strong and intelligent and good at what she does for a living. When the two meet, she quickly earns Raphael's respect for how she carries herself. He like's the fact that she is not afraid to tell him to "f@#k off", and she doesn't follow his orders blindly without question, (Just what he need's in his world), so, of course, they have a "Huge" attraction for each other. Another vampire has kidnapped Raphael's younger sister in a bid to weaken Raphael, kill him, then take over his territory. Raphael hires Cynthia to help find the sister and uncover the identity of the other vampire, and the motive behind the kidnapping.

I had this audible book for some time. The first listen didn't make any kind of impression on me, so I never felt the need to recommend it to anyone else. After taking a second listen I feel a little different . This time, I found I was able to get a feel for the main characters, and I was able to see the connection develop between these two and understand the attraction for each other. I was able to follow the story line much better, and this time around, it kept my attention. Traci Odom is not one of my favorite narrators, but she did do an adequate job. If you are going to give a listen, try to get this one on sale or at the reduced price of buying both the Kindle version with the audio, but yeah, it's worth a listen.

Nice beginning to a series--leaves you wanting mor

I enjoyed listening to Raphael and the Narration done by Taraci Odom was well done. Great start to a new series--and leaves you wanting to hear more. I felt connected to the story's emotions as I listened.

Action Packed

this book is the first book i have ready by DB Reynolds. I had seen this before and have intended to try it but just have not gotten around to it. I got a chance to get this book free from the narrator in exchange for an honest review. Wow, I did not know what i was missing. This is exactly the type of paranormal romance/urban fantasy i love. Raphael, the vampire lord of the west hires P I Cyn(ex cop) to find his sister. Raphael is intimidating and everyone is afraid of him. Cyn, however, stands up to him and goes against him when he tries to tell her what to do. There is lots of action, some hot romance. No this does not end with happily ever after but the story is continued and i have faith that Raphael and Cyn will finally get together. I can't wait to read more of this series. I think i have found me a new author. The narrator is great. She really brought the characters for me.