Blood Ties Book One: The Turning

By Jennifer Armintrout

I'm no coward. I want to make that perfectly clear. But after my life turned into a horror movie, I take fear a lot more seriously now. I finally became Dr. Carrie Ames just eight months ago. Then I was attacked in the hospital morgue by a vampire. Just my luck.

So now I'm a vampire, and it turns out I have a blood tie to the monster who sired me. The tie works like an invisible leash and I'm bound to him no matter what I do. And of course he's one of the most evil vampires on earth. With my sire hell-bent on turning me into a soulless killer and his sworn enemy set to exterminate me, things couldn't get much worse -- except I'm attracted to them both.

Drinking blood, living as an immortal demon and being a pawn between two warring vampire factions isn't exactly how I'd imagined my future. But as my father used to say, the only way to conquer fear is to face it. So that's what I'll do. Fangs bared.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers Australia
• Release date: Nov 1, 2014
• ISBN: 9781488790133

Jennifer Armintrout

Jennifer Armintrout is the bestselling author of the Blood Ties series. She resides in West Michigan with her husband and children.

Reviews for Blood Ties Book One

[auana_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I loved these books! This series is different from a lot of what I read in the paranormal romance genera because it is unpredictable. All of the books, which are one continuing story, were really steamy with so many twists and turns I was up late all most every night absolutely needing to know what happened next. The entire time I was reading them I was right there with the characters feeling what they felt. Some books make me happy, or sad, or inspired. These books sent me through a plethora of emotions that are not normally aroused from reading. Not only are these books fast paced and riveting to an umteenth degree they are well written. There are 4 books total in this series and you can buy them in a bundle for kindle to save $ if you own one.

[darrol_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A good story, with good personal drama among the vampires. But it lacks the essential element of mystery and masquerade involving normal humans.

[marlene9nl · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

As I said, my first adult paranormal (excluding the Ann Rice books) and what a difference with Twilight and Marked.
Lots of violence, lots of sex. I love it!!! Lol.


Want to read book 2 of this series most definitely and even thinking of buying it. Thanks for giving this book to me rosie.

[jackiep_52 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Slightly cheesy at times but a great read nonetheless. The story is told well and there's a fair bit of depth to the main characters. Certainly a page turner, and one of the better books I've read in the 'paranormal romance' genre. Looking forward to reading the next one!

[melindalibrary · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

The main character is a doctor, but for all the impact that had on the story, she could have been a janitor or an administrator or a blood donor or someone visiting a sick friend. Almost all the author's choices for characterization appear random and lacking in adding depth or interest to the story. The main character is shallow, vain, immature, thoughtless, and wishy-washy; in short, entirely unlikeable. The story moseys from one event to another, with no real sense of purpose. The "love" interests are either boring or completely evil. The main character makes decisions seemingly based on the wind patterns in Asia. She changes her mind so often, that her mood swings would make a bipolar coke addict dizzy. I would recommend this book only if you enjoy reading about what happens to the completely unlikeable and evil main characters.

[wildwitch_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I purchased this book on a Friday and wasn't too sure if it would keep my attention...I had to stay in bed on Sunday due to back pain. Well...I finished the book on Sunday and rushed to work on Monday to buy part 2, 3 and 4. It was a fast and fascinating read and I forgot about my pain for several hours!

[pacey1927 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I read tons of vamp and shapeshifter novels, but this one got to me a little more than most. I thought it was fairly graphic. There is one scene where Carrie is about to share a meal with the vampire...couldn't shake that image for awhile. The storyline was interesting, but Carrie didn't have a very strong personality. She seemed to blame her blood tie for EVERYTHING. She had the hots for a sick, demented, blood thirsty vampire but she didnt' want to admit it, even to herself. I will buy the next one, on here used, and I think that one will determine if I continue further on or just give up.

[thebooknerd · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

A very bland book -- there was nothing terrible about it, but nothing particularly interesting, either. I found the main character, Carrie, rather irritating due to her personality and her actions. Her romantic counterpart, Nathan, is more appealing but not enough so to carry the whole book. The plot is unimaginative and forgettable. So, to all my fellow vamp-fans who continuously search out great, new vampire books ... skip this one.

[spurts-1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Got ebook omnibus/bundle of this series. Made it thru most of second book. Past first chapter, despite liking author's earlier series, could not get into characters or the storyline. Skimmed chapters of rest and just never caught my interest. Was definitely "urban fantasy" and way too violent (senseless, bloody, and explicitly violent) to ever be suited to YA audience so at least was no Twilight wannabe kinda vampire book. That first chapter sample was very misleading. I do not like my characters so dumb or so violent. And the plot was such a confused morass that did not seem to resolve itself.

[wyvernfriend · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Dr Carrie Ames is a new doctor, not quite sure that this is the best future for her but willing to give it a try until she's attacked in the emergency room.When she starts to change and isn't sure of what's going on she goes looking for answers and is almost killed before being rescued. The vampire who rescues her helps her understand her new life, but her sire has plans.Fun romp of a book.

[bookwhisperer · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Outstanding Author!!! Jennifer Armintrout has sold me to her Blood Ties Series. The Turning was a page turner from the first page on, and I could not put this book down. This is the only book that I have ever encountered that I felt attraction to the villian, and I was torn with emotions of sympathy and fear. Nathan is a totally different story, there is no doubting his character. I find myself frustrated with him for his draw backs with his personal emotions, and see the seamly perfection of the union between himself and Carrie. I will be buying this series for my own personally collection.

[laby_2 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I picked this up at a library book sale thinking it looked like the type of book I would enjoy and I wasn't disappointed. There was lots of death, but it wasn't overly gory (Well, I guess it depends on how squeamish you are). There were fairly graphic sex scenes, so if you have issues with that you may want to avoid this book.All of the characters seem to have psychological issues. Carrie had a poor relationship with her parents and now wavers between detached and unemotional to jealous any time she feels ignored. I wish she had been a bit more passionate about things given that she's our heroine... she's supposed to make us feel with her. Carrie isn't the only one who's a bit too unemotional, Nathan also exhibits that trait though in his case it's more obvious that it is a defense mechanism to keep from getting hurt. He feels a lot for people even if he does his best to keep those emotions bottled up. Cyrus, our villain, is the most emotional, he has issues similar to Carrie, which is one of the few reasons you can understand her interest in him, yes there is the blood tie, but the whole relationship between them makes it appear Carrie is one of those girls who seems to try and find the most self destructive relationship she can.All in all, I'd recommend this book. It was interesting enough to hold my attention and make me want to read the next in the series.

[atreic · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I read this because I enjoyed Jennifer Armintrout's sniping about Shades of Grey, and it is true, she does a much better job of having a lead female who isn't completely in the thrall of 'this man is sexy so I must just go along with crazy shit'. The books are not exceptional - they're Buffyverse inspired vampire fun, with a fairly predictable plot revolving around 'this is the Evil but Sexy vampire who sired me and wants to lead me into the dark' and 'this is the cute vampire who tries to be good but has a Dark Tortured past and cannot trust himself to love again'. But they're enjoyable, and have some very nicely done horror touches (eugh! Cyrus's eye!)

[flourishing_1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Better than most vampire books I've read primarily because it didn't try to over-analyze why vampires are what they are.That said, it did occasionally dip into pseudo-science, and it was of course completely pulpy.C'est la vie.

[krau0098 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The book "The Turning" is the first in a series called Blood Ties. So far I believe there are 3 books in the series. I listened to this on audio book. Quit honestly the only reason I "read" it is that I saw it available on audible.com and I used one of my credits to download it.Dr. Carrie Ames is an ER doctor. One of the trauma cases that comes into the ER effects Carrie in a strange way; the viciousness of his injuries make her literally sick. In order to confront what's seen as a weakness in the medical field, she goes to the morgue to assure herself that she can stand the site of such a vicious trauma. In the morgue she is attacked by the supposed dead trauma case and after a lengthy recovery starts to develop strange powers and weaknesses.The book follows Dr. Ames as she tries to figure what is happening to her. She meets up with Nathan Grant who is a member of a group of vampires for the extinction of vampires; he helps her figure out how to cope with being a vampire. She struggles with the "blood tie" that draws her to her sire; the violent vampire Cyrus.This is a mediocre book. All in all it was entertaining since I was driving and didn't have anything better to do. On a positive note there were some unique ideas. For example the blood tie is interesting. Typically vampire masters are seen as all powerful; in this book the blood tie works both ways. The blood tie leaves the master somewhat vulnerable to the fledgling vampire. This is an interesting idea. Another interesting idea is that there is a group of vampires solely dedicated to helping the extinction of their own race. I know many books follow a good vampire exterminating bad vampires and this is a variation of that but in a bigger and more organized way.When I found out this was a harlequin book I almost didn't listen to it. I am not really into the romance genre. Surprisingly there really isn't any mushy horrible romance language in this book. In fact I would classify this book as more of a horror novel. The violence in this book is extremely graphic. Not quit as graphic as the early Laurell Hamilton Vampire Executioner novels; but very close.Nathan and Cyrus were interesting characters. In fact most of the characters were pretty interesting excepting the most important one. I though Dr. Ames was weak as a female lead and a bit too much of a victim considering the circumstances she got herself into.As for the quality of the audio book; it was very well read. The only thing that bothered me a bit was that the voices of Ziggy and Dahlia were too close to each other.Will I read the next book? Probably since I already have it downloaded on audio book. Overall though I think this is another run of the mill vampire series. I am not sure if all these new vampire books are just mediocre or if I am just getting tired of the genre; but I didn't really see anything spectacular here.

[azhrialilu · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

For some reason I just didn't expect to enjoy this. I don't know why, just one of those things i suppose. So I was pleasantly surprised to find myself pulled in almost from the first page. Carrie is a well-developed character, not too strong/not too weak. I really enjoyed the way the author dealt with Carrie's ingrained doctor-training giving her an aversion to blood and all things vampiric from a health point of view. Overall, well written and attention-keeping. Am going to start book 2 today!

[nicola26 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book took me by surprise. I expected it to be like all the other YA vampire books I've read, but it was very different- a lot more mature. It was very dark at places, and the plot was quite heavy. I really enjoyed it though, and I really felt like I could identify with the main character. It was definitely hard to keep up with the emotions of the characters, but I got used to it. I loved the story, and the characters. I'm just not really sure how it's going to be dragged out for another three books.

[lara9it · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Not bad...a little too graphic (violence) sometimes but in the end I liked the story and the characters. I’m going to read the following books for sure…see what they’re like…

[angelajmaher · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

An interesting story with a nice twist to the vampire genre, this book could have had, and probably should have had, a far darker feel. The style makes for a comfortable read, and it's certainly something you can chill out with (if you enjoy this type of thing) but a grittier narrative would have upped the tension and excitement. I also found a lack of connection to the characters' emotions. The depths that must have been there just didn't come across for me.Overall, it is a decent weekend (or even beach) read, and does have a number of engrossing scenes.

[mary1963_1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Two Minute Review for The Turning by Jennifer ArmintroutDr. Carrie Ames is attacked in a morgue by a half dead Vampire named Claude. She likes Nathan, the man who helps her survive, but is attracted to the killer, pervert Claude. Is it the blood tie with her sire or bad taste, who knows? Carrie ends up going to Claude to save Nathan. But the tug of war with her heart doesn’t end.. If I made so many bad choices in my life I would have jumped in front of a bus long ago.

[lvstrongpuff · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

1st time- I LOVE THIS BOOK!!! I love everything about it. I loved all the characters. I couldn't put this book down. Wonderful story, great character development and a story you can't wait to finish reading.

2nd time- This book is just as great the second time around. I love the characters and the storyline. I just can't get enough of it.