Code Red

This was such a cool way to write a vampire book, I was hooked from the tagline "The Vampires are Running the Asylum!" It was a well written story and had interesting characters in it, I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know all the characters. It worked on so many levels and I thought this was a great horror novel. I enjoyed the way R. Saint Claire wrote this book and look forward to more from them.

"Her blood chilling her veins, she crept slowly to the kitchen hallway. Palming the dark paneling, she racked her fear-muddled brain for any knowledge of vampire lore. Suddenly, she recalled how in Vardin's Kiss the vampire could be destroyed in one of four ways: a wooden stake through the heart, consumption by fire, decapitation, or sunlight exposure. She had also remembered from either a book or a movie that shooting a vampire through the heart with a silver bullet was also an effective means of dispatching one."

Code Red by R. Saint Claire.
The Vampires are Running the Asylum! After taking their son to the asylum can Melissa and Gabe get out of town?
A brilliant read. Read in one sitting. Unique Story. Great characters. 5*.

Code Red was such an astounding read! I was drawn in by the quote "𝙑𝙖𝙢𝙥𝙞𝙧𝙚𝙨 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙍𝙪𝙣𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝘼𝙨𝙮𝙡𝙪𝙢!"

Code Red is my first read by R. Saint Claire and this story did not disappoint! The events are very unique and suck you in, pun unintentionally intended and no regrets had making the pun or reading this book! Filled with blood, gore (not constant) and a ton of vampires! You'll love the amazing character building and wickedly delightful horror atmosphere.

What are you waiting for!? Get this book, it won't let you down!

Thank you Netgalley and R. Saint Claire for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

In Code Red R. Saint Claire weaves one heck of a tale. From reading the blurb I thought I knew what to expect, figuring it would be a rather straightforward vampire story, and yet it’s way more than that. It has well fleshed out characters, great pacing…seriously the build up is fantastic. It’s not in your face horror right from the start, in fact it isn’t until 40-50 % in that things start to get bloody. Rather it’s a steady build up as little bits and pieces of information are dished out, getting you more and more connected to the characters and keeping you engaged and wondering what will happen next. R. Saint Claire is a new author to me but based on Code Red she’s one I’ll be keeping an eye on from now on. 4.5 stars. Thanks so much to BooksGoSocial and NetGalley for allowing me the opportunity to read and review an eARC of Code Red.

https://www.amazon.com/review/R1LP49DE3RSS95/ref=pe_1098610_137716200_cm_rv_eml_rv0_rv

I was darawn to this book by both the front cover and the description and I wasn't disappointed. An absolutely gripping read that I couldn't put down. I loved it.

One of the best vampire books I’ve read in awhile! Couldn’t put it down for nothing. Perfect amount of gore, character building & creep factor! Can’t wait to read more from this author.

This book read like a "B" vampire movie. And I loved it!
The first 1/2 -3/4 I admit was better than the ending but only because the ending seemed a bit rushed, extra cheesy and very predictable. Still, with that being said, I really enjoyed it.
This book was light, fun, creepy, and mixed with some Southern humor. Bless her heart, it was good!
If you're in need of a quick, entertaining read to get you out of a reading slump or to cleanse your reading palate between books, give this one a try!
I gave this 4.5⭐️, rounded up to 5⭐️. I will definitely check out more of this author's work. If her other books are anything like this one, she has gained a new fan!

Absolutely fangtstic! R Saint Claire definitely has a way with writing that just works for me. loved this one

This is a fun read! Saint Claire creates a thrilling vampire story that readers can sink their teeth into (sorry, I couldn't resist!).

Bobbi-Jean has big dreams: beauty school and a life beyond the rural mountains of Virginia. She works at the asylum, lives with her grandfather, and has a boyfriend named Donnie. It's a quiet life until a particular patient is admitted for care. Now, she and those she cares about must fight for their lives as the patients morph into something deadly.

Saint Claire slams on the gas and doesn't let up! The fast paved horror takes readers through a fresh twist on an classic premise. The characters come to life with realistix dialogue, and readers are sure to sympathize with Bobbi-Jean as she struggles to survive and decide how to navigate her future.

For fans of vampire horror, this is sure to satisfy that itch!

Wormwood Asylum, a private mental hospital located in Southwest Virginia, specializes in treating adolescent psychoses, including Renfield’s Syndrome, an obsession with drinking blood. But when a young man is committed to Wormwood because he believes he’s a vampire, it turns out he wasn’t lying, and soon rapacious revenants are running rampant through the rural mountain community. To fight the blatant bloodsuckers, the local sheriff teams up with a candy striper and her moonshiner grandpa, who just happens to have an arsenal of war-grade weapons stored in his prepper bunker, for a bloody country hoedown of epic proportions.

This was a hidden gem. Vampires, check. Asylum, check. Southern vibes, check. I was sold from the outset and Saint Claire delivered. Excellent character development, spooky atmospheric settings, violent and tense plot line, what more was there to want. If you call yourself a horror/vampire book lover then you have got to read this book NOW!

After a slow (but worthwhile) build up, this kicks into gear in a big way in the second half and delivers some brilliant balls to the wall ordinary folks vs vampires action. R Saint Claire makes great use of her Appalachian setting and writes her characters very well, including a couple of very enjoyable strong women in protagonist Bobbi-Jean and the local sheriff. The first half is low on horror, but the tension builds well and you get to know the characters well enough to care about them when the action starts. Great fun.

As many of my readers know, I've been a fan of vampires since I first picked up 'Dracula' when I was about 10. Hey, books don't have an age-rating, do they? (OK, I got scared, but I loved it!)

In recent years, there's been such a glut of urban-supernatural fiction on the shelves that it's hard to find the true horror among them. I've gone from reading everything I could get my hands on with vampires in, to being a LOT more choosy. No sparkling, thanks.

I was therefore hugely glad to discover that 'Code Red' is absolute red-blooded horror, with a fantastic mix of old-school vampire scares mixed with small-town America creepiness. If 'True Blood' wasn't so much about relationships and more about survival.

We have a dying country town of closed-down factories and despondent not-quite rednecks, as well as a mysterious asylum - or perhaps research facility? - nearby that has a troublesome new resident. With the mood of the recent TV show 'From', it seems as if folk can't come into town without experiencing difficulties, let's say, and nobody's able to leave - but that's less supernatural and more the idea of being trapped in the place you grew up as life passes you by.

I was doubtful as to the characters when I first met them, but needn't have worried. Everyone is very real, even if they initially might seem like stereotypes. Backgrounds are sad, full of unfulfilled nostalgia and endless hope, but from the cynical lady Sheriff to the pretty girl with beauty-school ambition, they quickly become sympathetic and likeable. Just in time for the red stuff to hit the fan.

This book reminds me of the lurid foil-covered pulps of the 80s, as well as the vampire books of the 90s that kicked back against Anne Rice's romance. Imagine 'Salem's Lot' but for the modern audience; it has that same creepiness that gradually ramps up until like the protagonists, we can't escape (ie put the book down!). Oh, and spot the easter eggs if you're a fan like me.

I suspect this will be a cult classic, and it absolutely deserves the recognition that word-of-mouth will bring. I'll be recommending it.