Norman Applegate's Page

FROM THE BOOK FAERY REVIEWS…Blood Bar is a paranormal thriller that will have you turning the pages quickly beginning to end.  This is not your kiddy vampire book and not for the weak.  Those who loved Anne Rice’s Vampire books will love Norm Applegate’s wild and scary world which makes Anne Rice seem tame. Applegate creates a very graphic and violent story filled with blood, gore, and sex.  He keeps you thrilled page to page, have you wondering/searching for reality and thirsting for more.

Vampires Do Exist!,
May 18, 2009
By
Crystal Adkins "Crystal's book reviews"
Amazon New Reviewer Rank: 7,667
Amazon Classic Reviewer Rank: 13,618

Kim Bennett is about to discover a world that humans do not know exist, and she is not even so sure she believes what she is destined to be a part of. When an old friend, Rose, calls to tell Kim about a murder and that she is needed to help find out who killed Rose's lover, Kim will find more things out about her ancestry and her future in a very short amount of time. Dodging being killed herself, and trying to find all the pieces to The Black Testament in order to understand her fate, she falls in love with the most powerful vampire in the city.

Always on the run, Kim has to stop running and face the facts. A blood thirsty blood doll is ready to jump in for the kill, and a Native American detective that sees "things", wants to make a deal with the big man in charge; and the saddest part of all, a good friend is forced to kill someone she loves. But Nicolai does something sort of sadistic, in hopes of finding out the truth about Jack the Ripper, The Black Testament, and Kim Bennett.

Blood Bar by Norm Applegate is a paranormal thriller that will keep you intrigued from the start. It holds a lot of mystery and unknowns that eventually reveal themselves. A strong heroine that is used to "roughing it" in the world of S&M finally understands the reason why she is the way she is. Role playing vampires, or do vampires really exist? Dive in to the world and mind of Norm Applegate as he paints vivid pictures of blood, gore, and sex, in Blood Bar. 4.5 Hearts

Thoughts: What a unique book. The theme of vampires is something I have read a lot about over the last few years and is something I enjoy - but I really have a hard time comparing this book to anything else that I have read. And that is a good thing. The heroine Kim isn't necessarily likable. She is a hard woman that has a past that has caused her to be the way she is. She likes sex -and she likes it the way she likes to have it (but mind you this book isn't about the sex though it is a theme that winds its way through the story).

But despite Kim not being a character I would want to be friends with the story has so much of a different twist to it that I just didn't mind. This isn't a story that I wanted to identify with. But the theme of it, the way it progresses still keeps me entertained. 4.5 Stars



CAFE OF DREAMS
THURSDAY, JUNE 18, 2009

Not for the weak at heart, Blood Bar is the tale of vampires among us - though not necessarily the type of vampires you may typically imagine. Filled with role playing (or is it?!)blood, lust, and desire for power, Blood Bar combines many aspects of the paranormal and the underside of life.

It is not often that a book can hook a reader within the first page, but Blood Bar did that and more. Never did the story allow me to wander far from it's grasp, without leaving me yearning for my return. Thus, this was a quick and engrossing story that never entered into territory that dragged on or became redundant.



AMAZON REVIEWS


Kim's "blood line" is long and scary.
By
S.L. Brent (Philadelphia, PA.) 5 Stars


Nice twist on a vampire theme,
April 11, 2009
By 
J. Anderson "southboca" (Sarasota, Fl United States)
 
It's not every day that you run across a vampire book with strong, resourceful women in it. What a nice change of pace!
5 Stars



Simply the best of the Kim Bennett Series!!,
February 6, 2009
By 
ellen "ellen in atlanta"(Atlanta, Georgia USA)
New Reviewer Rank: 509
Classic Reviewer Rank: 618
     
If you thought Norm Applegate's first two Kim Bennett books (Into the Basement and Into the Spell) 'weren't yo' momma's thrillers, well, buckle up if you want to know what Kim gets into next.
This book is not for the faint of heart. There are graphic scenes, both violence and sex, but all are in the context of the story.
Norm Applegate is a masterful writer and if you have never read things about Dominatrixes and graphic sex, well, be forewarned.
You WILL however read what a thriller should be - dark, scary, sexy, tense and taut with action and character driven by strong people - starting with Kim herself.
The Kim Bennett series is well written and plotted - Blood Bar is Applegate's best to date -
An excellent read! 5 Stars

 
"Blood Bar" - the Latest Norman Applegate thriller,
February 15, 2009
By 
Fredric R. Mance Jr. "USCitizen" (Fort McMurray, Alberta, Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)
  
Set in New York City and San Francisco, "Blood Bar" is the latest thriller from Norman Applegate to trace modern day vampires back to their ancient origins.
A page turner of a story that combine sex, blood, political power and the vampire legends into a one hell of a ride!
A great read. 5 Stars



Forget "Dusk 'til Dawn!",
April 17, 2009
By 
T. Nottingham (Ft Myers, FL)
  
George Clooney wouldn't have a clue how to handle Kim Bennett, Norm Applegate's sensual heroine in this, the third edition of the Kim Bennett series. The story is fast-paced and entertaining. Mr. Applegate's writing has truly developed into a unique and original style that instantly captures the reader's attention, draws you in and keeps you there, turning pages.

The story and characters develop quickly and Mr. Applegate's skill at painting the scene, complete with visuals, scents and inner thoughts is masterful and won't leave you wishing for more. His description of a main character's descent into hell would make Dante jealous. Throughout this book, you really feel you are there, experiencing everything with the characters. This is most evident (and fun) in his depictions of the sexually oriented scenes - Norm doesn't disappoint there, either.

Blood Bar is a fast read, a very entertaining story and something refreshingly unique and original in a world of trite literary "repeats". You're not likely to ever say, "Been there, done that" while reading this book! It's very appropriate that David Hagberg and other authors are "...looking over their shoulders..." watching out for Norm Applegate. He'll be replacing them on the best-sellers lists everywhere before you know it! 5 Stars


Intriguing page turner....violence, vampires, sex and,
March 20, 2009
By 
Patrick J. Noon
  
If you enjoy an exciting, not of this life, erotic, action packed read, cuddle up with this thriller tonight. Here we take a dark roller coaster ride through the world of vampires, vixens and vamps on a scintillating journey with some patrons of the Blood Bar scene. The distance Kim Bennett is willing to go in order to find the killer is pure Kim Bennett. Chew on this fast paced thriller. Be careful, it's addictive. 5 Stars


An incredible page turner,
March 15, 2009
By 
Jeffrey Berson
  
This book is phenomenal ! I read 1-2 books per week and have not read such an engrossing story in a long time. Norm artfully blends the suspense of a mystery with the terror of a horror story and sexually deviant behavior into a sharp, and focused read. The plot twists keep one guessing into the nature of friend and foe and culminates in a most surprising ending. I look forward to reading the other Norm Applegate books so I can learn more about the beginning of Kim. 5 Stars


Blood Bar makes me want to be Kim..., April 25, 2009
By 
P. L. Griffin (Land O'Lakes, FL)

Kim Bennett rises to the occasion again in Blood Bar, the 3rd book in Norm Applegate's thriller series. Of all three incredible, thrilling, suspenseful, erotic stories, Blood Bar is my favorite. You get so caught up in the world of vampires you begin to learn the history and question page by page if this world is real. You want to be Kim discovering for yourself the intrigue and uncontrollable lust for blood and sex. Maybe I am a vampire? I look forward to #4 Mr. Applegate!!! 5 Stars


A Great Vampire Tale,
June 4, 2009
By 
Martha A. Cheves (Charlotte, NC)
  
Blood Bar - Review by Matthew Morrison

All hell breaks loose, literally, in Norm Applegate's latest and greatest of the Kim Bennett series, Blood Bar. Norm's precisely detailed descriptions of unholy battles and unholier alliances between the world of vampire and human kept me turning page after page. Applegate's fusion of gothic mayhem and modern urban settings is seamless.

When the readers of Twilight grow up, they will thoroughly enjoy the gritty style of Applegate's storytelling. Readers and cult-like followers of Anne Rice's narratives should cautiously approach the wit and speed of Blood Bar's central characters. These semi-eternal beings will not aimlessly banter and brood. They are much more likely to leap off the page directly into minds of their unsuspecting victims. Once inside their host, they begin rapidly depleting the readers will to do anything except to submit to the sweet release of finishing (the book). 5 Stars