I am not a big fan of vampire novels. Hardly anything has really compared to Brahm Stoker’s Dracula. But Rachel (RE) Carr is the exception as she moves forward with a light-hearted comedy that has something more to offer. It is a book I consider brave. Brave because the author is not afraid to introduce wit and sarcasm as a natural outpouring of her characters. Gail, the main character is forever in control. A strong, "say it it is" type she runs from nothing even when scared. They beauty of Four is that I never struggle to know who is speaking within the dialogue. That is refreshing. Often new writers spend too little time with character development and arcs. RE Carr has done her homework and it pays off.

Four is an odd tale of modern day life where vampires live side by side with humans. We don’t realize it of course because if we did it would blow the lid off of thousands of years of work that the vamps have put in to make sure they stay out of our conscious lives. A retiring servant, Gail starts out by interviewing the low of the low. A secretary that used to work for the mob. The two hit it off and discuss the new job. It is the description of what the newbie will need to know that draws readers into the main story.

The job is quite simple. Take care of an aging vampire named, Mr. Lumbley. He is on his way to a vampire death which includes losing his teeth. He is a bit stuff and crodgy because of his age and lack of choppers all of which make really quite whiney. It is a lot of fun watching Gail try to navigate the nutritional needs he has and definitely not something for the squeamish. Blood is always the main entrée and a blender full of pig’s blood is often the rage. Gail really develops a nice bond with her boss and her loyalty places her in a position where she wants to help him. Of course the whiney old coot doesn’t make it easy.

There are nice teasers of evil thrown into the mix. The comedy is upscale, not drab or too physical. Love interests create an interesting love triangle between Stefano, Gail and Renn. Renn is human and a servant of one of the most ruthless vampire families. His master is Stefano. Stefano is an interesting vampire who can’t have much more than a superficial relationship with anyone since his kiss makes women forget they ever met him. So when he meets Gail, he is all machismo thinking he will just put the wammy on her and voila another conquest. But with every advance at winning her affections, Gail turns him away. This drives Stefano crazy and the confident young vamp finds himself not so confident around her. He has never met a human woman able to resist him which makes her irresistible and all the more appetizing.

Eventually Gail gives in to Stefano’s advances, not on his terms of course, but on hers. She never falls to the hocus pocus, but when she discovers the true Stefano then the fireworks start. That’s not enough though, because Gail has developed feelings for Renn. She has a chemistry with this uptight fellow who seems to pay her little mind, but is always helping her out of tight situations. The author uses this tension nicely as both Gail and Renn battle it out in Taming of the Shrew fashion to see who will give in to their emotions first. I won’t tell you, but it is a brilliant treatise in suppressed emotion. Unfortunately, Renn is the one who suffers most. A purgatory of sorts as he has to set up dates between the woman he is falling for and his master. Renn always puts a little of himself into the date and eventually, Gail figures out that the romance that she finds so endearing comes from Renn and not Stefano. Stefano is just along for the ride so to speak.

There is a lot packed into this story that readers will find enjoyable. If you romance, vampires and clever action then you will enjoy this novel. Carr’s strength is in her character development. They come off flawlessly and they will keep you coming back for more. I am looking for a sequel and I am sure many readers will say the same.5 s Katie3

Four by R.E. Carr was a fantastic take on a vampire romance. It's dark humor will keep you chuckling while you stay up until 2 AM reading because you simply cannot put it down! 4 s Keagan23 1 follower

**I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review**

I wanted to this. The blurb sounded something I would enjoy and the sample seemed the writing would be good.

I didn't hate it, but I don't think I could say I overly d it either. I'm very on the fence about this. At about 37% in I mentioned to one of the other platypires  who took on this book that it was not what I was expecting and it was odd, but not in a bad way. It was slow to pick up but enough to keep my attention and about 50% in it got interesting... until the end.

As long as it took to set everything up, the ending was too fast and I was left with more questions and just sitting here wondering what the heck was going on. To be fair, the questions do get answered, sorta. The answers are as fast as the ending and while they make somewhat  sense, it's all just thrown at you. And to have all this build up to have so much ending in so little time was disappointing.

On the more technical side, sometimes the story was hard to follow, I found myself having to reread things a few times because I thought I'd missed something. I did however enjoy the way it was done using flashbacks. It was something different.

If you're looking for a brooding vampire love story, this is not for you. If you're looking for a more comical approach to vampires, mixed with a touch of brooding, this book might be for you.

There is a second book in the series and since it felt a cliffhanger I was interested to at least see the blurb to see if it would change my mind. Sadly, even though it seems to be set in the same...realm? It's a brand new character and no continuation from the first book. Perhaps book 1s ending wasn't meant to be a cliffhanger, but it did feel there should be more to come.

Unfortunately for me, it's not something I want to continue with.

2.5 (3)/5 platypires3 s MaggieAuthor 36 books404

"Sookie Stackhouse meets Stephanie Plum"

a little vampire action in your novel explorations?

RE Carr’s paranormal story centers on a vampire’s assistant named Georgia, who is recruiting her replacement. Gail, the hapless whale, is reeled into the vampire’s world, anecdote by anecdote, with great finesse.

At times campy and irreverent, at time gross with animal smoothies, and at times sensual with intimate scenes, Four is a tap dance of two vamps and two humans trying to meet their personal needs.

The story poses a story question much the chicken and the egg. Which came first? Vamps or humans?

Rich in texture and characterization, Four was a different kind of read for me. My best description of the story? Sookie Stackhouse meets Stephanie Plum.

Another fine read from Kindle Press.

Maggie Toussaint aka Rigel Carson for Muddy Rose Reviews
3 s Rosa35 1 follower

Four by R.E. Carr

** I received this book in exchange for an honest review. (Lovers of Paranormal or LoP) **

I'm not sure what to say about this book. When I started reading this book I was confused because the blurb makes it seem the story is about Gail Filipovic and her choice on being an assistant to a vampire, but what I read was a story primarily about Georgia Sutherland, who is the vampire's current assistant.

The author takes us on an adventure along with Georgia learning the ins and outs of care taking for a vampire. Un most other vampire books I'm sure you've read this particular vampire was not your classic dark, tall, and handsome win you over with his sexiness type vampire. No he was quite the opposite with special needs aside from the obvious blood issue.

I did enjoy this book because of the different take on vampires. I did feel this book dragged a bit but I'm not sure if it was because I was already confused with what I was reading and the blurb. The last 40% of the book really took off for me and I couldn't put this book down. The ending threw me off. For real, I wasn't expecting what happened and I'm not going to ruin it but let me just say I was , "What the heck?! Where's the rest of it!".

I'm not sure if this book was meant as a standalone or cliffhanger but I definitely want to know what happens next.

It has to be said that I did notice that the further along I got in the book the more I started to notice more grammatical/spelling errors, Gail turning in Gale. No big deal.
2 s meghann992 1 follower

***I received this book in exchange for an honest review from the goodreads group Lovers of Paranormal, or LOP.***

I'm not quite sure what to make of this book. I had to re-start it as I was a bit confused. The description makes it sound it's about Gail, but the book is more focused on Georgia. Gail is really there so that Georgia can tell her story for us (think Christian Slater's character in Interview with the Vampire). This book is quite different from other vampire stories that I've read. I loved Mr. Lambley and just wanted to adopt him. My feelings on the other characters changed so much throughout the book. I loathed Steve, then I rooted for him, then it was right back to loathing. I enjoyed that. I had created this epic ending that would solve the Ren problem, but this book went in a whole other direction. I was confused again. Okay, it was two in the morning and I had to find out how it ended, so maybe my brain wasn't functioning at full capacity. But the whole twist thing didn't quite fit with some of Georgia's thoughts at the very beginning of the book when she first met Gail. I'm still not sure what was real and how everyone was involved. Enough was left unresolved at the end of this story to make way for a sequel.r2r2 s Kate BigelAuthor 8 books21

If you have read a lot of vampire books – this is a great twist on that whole mythology and engrossing read. Georgia Sutherland is a wonderful character – sweet, raunchy and very open minded – you have to be when you are a vampire’s assistant! I her neat freak tendencies. Four refers to the four rules that govern vampires that seem to be more of a set guidelines then hard and fast rules.

At first, I was confused about Gail and sort started getting invested in her character but she is really just a prop or a sounding board for Georgia’s stories. I love the vampires in this world they combine just the right amount of violence with wisdom that makes them believable.

I am conflicted about the overall construct of the story which is a series of flashbacks which then are related in the present tense…just as you are so immersed in the world, you are yanked out to the story and you are in a bar with Georgia relating the events to Gail. So should I complain that the story was so cool, I just wanted to stay there? The romance is a bit heartbreaking and the ending is bittersweet which is a nice change of pace for a vampire romance. Strong writing and a fun read. A definite must read in the Vampire genre. I hope there is a second book!
2 s Mark Wilcox283 3

If you are looking for a novel that has love in many forms, suspense, humor, Vampires, and just a bit of smut, this is the book for you. R.E. Carr is to vampires what Patricia Briggs is to werewolves in my opinion. R.E. Carr immerses you into a version of the vampire genre completely different from anyone else's I've read. R.E. Carr's view of what vampires are, there society, and how they have blended in for millennia is fascinating and enrapturing. You won't find and sparkles, mists, bats or "Butthead Hair" here. What you will find is a story that pulls you in and keeps you turning the page. 1 S.L. TsaoAuthor 1 book21

What this book lifted my interest up was their TALK; some parts of it made me flip my mind. Its cover is vivid to pull a crowd in. But it's not easy to get into this book! 3.4 stars.
1 Danaca22 6

I received this book in exchange for an honest review (via Lovers of Paranormal).

This book really surprised me. Not in a "this was way better/worse than I thought it would be" fashion, but more of a "I'm almost to the end and oh my gosh this book isn't about what I thought it was." I fully admit that I started reading expecting a naive young woman to fall into the supernatural world and discover deep feelings about her handsome undead boss, but I was thankfully wrong. There is nothing so cliche in Four, which focuses instead on the daily duties and trials of a vampire's servant, from blending frozen rats for dinner to providing motivational pep-talks.

Tip-toeing around a myriad of spoilers, the characters are funny and realistic (I still can't shake the image of a pasty, pudgy vampire butt). The majority of the story is told through a series of flashbacks, but they are pretty linear and easy to follow. It took me a while to get into the flow of the story, but I think that was all due to my hang up of what I was expecting the story to be.

I was completely entranced by the last few chapters, which didn't end in a cliffhanger, but did leave a few major plot points open ended for a sequel. Overall, I enjoyed reading this story, and would be interested in seeing what happens next. a-fantasy tag-mystery tag-slice-of-life ...more1 AJourneyWithoutMap791 78

After taking care of the day-to-day needs of a few wealthy but old men with family businesses and hidden secrets, Gail Filipovic applied for a new job. But having two guys under her watch die under rather suspicious circumstances was not hidden from the no-nonsense interviewer Georgia Sutherland when she appeared for a high-end personal assistant job interview at Lambley, DeMarco and Young, LLC. her previous employers, the new one was also into family business but a very different family.

Four by R.E. Carr is the story of young Gail Filipovic desperately looking for a new job and how she ended up being the personal assistant to a vampire. Un many other vampire novels, this one has that humane touch and is riotously funny. It also has the back story of how Georgia Sutherland came to work for Lambley. Though vampire stories do not really fascinate me, I found myself pulled along with the story as I wa eager to find out what would happen to Gail. Quite entertaining! A crazy little story about vampires.1 Sara1,487 120

I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review (Lovers of Paranormal).

So... where to start...?
Let's just say it wasn't what I expected. And not in good way.
I mean.... it wasn't bad. Really. But I didn't love it either.
I admit that after a while I was hooked and I just had to see what would happen next. But I didn't find it really interesting until halfway through. And at times it was really confusing. Especially the ending. And let's just not talk about the ending! So disappointing!
I don't even know if I d the characters. Actually, I know that I didn't Rem much. And didn't Minerva. Stefano? I don't know. There were moments I d him. And other times he scared me or was just annoying.
Geoff was WEIRD. I wonder if we'll ever know what happened to him in the past.
Georgia was.... I actually don't know. I guess most times I d her, but other times I didn't.
The story was surely original and interesting enough. But the ending left me with a bitter taste in my mouth. I guess there's a sequel, right?kindle read2review-loversofparanormal1 Soobie is expired6,612 129

I got this book for free through Goodreads First Reads.

DNF at page 17.

Why on earth did I gave up on page 17?

Well, the female character was starting one of those discussions about sex that I personally loathe. "You should get laid" or "You haven't been laid in a long time" etc.

But I had a bad feeling from the start. I didn't the author's style. I think she was telling too much. Too many actions were described but I had the feeling they weren't necessary at all. They just slowed down the plot.

I also was a bit confused. I thought that Gail was the main character but in the end Georgia was everywhere. OK, in those 17 pages I've read Georgia had a much bigger role than Gail. Other reviewers confirmed that, though.

The cover is pretty good, though. With the kanji for "four" and the colors.

I thank R.E. Carr for providing me a free copy of her book and I'm sorry I couldn't finish her novel.fantasy geo-usa-california language-english ...more1 T.L. ZaleckiAuthor 3 books125

As soon as I saw this on Kindle Scout I voted for it. The cover is awesome and immediately drew me in. I didn't really know what to expect but was hoping it would not be the same old vampire story. It was not at all. I was so delighted by the characters, Mr Lambley and Georgia. They were colorful, their banter was hilarious, and I felt vested in their story. The writing was really top notch as well. I read fast and laughed often. I was especially impressed with the wit of the dialogue and narration. The science and history of the vampires was creative and fascinating, and the ending was totally unpredictable. I loved it!1 Jill NojackAuthor 12 books85

Funny, romantic, and suprising.

This book was too much fun. I knew I had to pick it up when the sample made me laugh out loud. As hoped, the writing throughout was clever, witty, and the dialogue sparkled (even though the vampires didn't). The storytelling is closer to Christopher Moore than Twilight, and fans of the genre should be able to enjoy it even though it is not the typical paranormal romance because there's plenty of romance with the wry.

I love it when a book's ending surprises me yet makes absolute sense at the same time. Few books manage it, but the twists and turns at the end of Four took me on a great ride!1 Ann OmastaAuthor 119 books1,118

Some parts of this book made my stomach churn. The idea of blended rodents is something I never want to think about again...So, why the five stars? Because despite the fact that I found some facets of the story to be revolting, I kept on reading. It's not the type of book I typically read and some of the storyline was way out of my comfort zone, but I couldn't make myself put it down. Kudos to the author for telling a story so compelling that I HAD to find out what happened. I'm so glad I finished it, since the ending held some surprising twists.1 HeatherAuthor 177 books1,482

A quirky vampire story with laugh-out-loud parts as Georgia learns the difference between a real vampire and the myths created by Hollywood. I loved the creativity of the plot & how the vampires needed human assistants so they could survive in the modern world. Georgia's character will have you rooting for her from the beginning. Overall a fun read. Not your average vampire novel! series some-graphic-content suspense1 Nick1 review

Not your average vampire novel, thankfully. Four is well written, smart and quite funny. Full of memorable characters and smart dialogue, this refreshing take on the genre is well worth your time and money.1 Doris Marcantel146

Loved it!

I loved this book and boy can I say that I would have never guessed how it was going to end! I love books that I can't predict the ending!1 Troy NeenanAuthor 10 books11

My first thoughts about this book is that it was interesting. The author goes for a different take on an old monster, giving them her own spin.
First off though. This book does not contain any violence or vampire killing in it. Instead the horror element lies in how much power and influence these creatures have in our world and the threat that they could be. Don't buy the book thinking that it is going to be non-stop action, this is more drama and world building focused. Some sex, some tragedy, and there are a few romance elements.

I think that general audiences will appreciate this book more than myself. It has a bit of everything and it is well-written.

Plot:
Georgia is telling her replacement what her life was being a vampire's assistant.

Characters:
Georgia is the main character of the story. At the start she is calm collected, and it appears as if she isn't against using illegal channels to get what she wants. However, we quickly learn that this is a Georgia that has become desensitised to the evils of the vampire world. A year ago, she was a mess.

Jeffrey Pendragon. This is Georgia's boss. Jeffrey is a pathetic specimen of a vampire and I award the author for not going the traditional beautiful troubled vampire route. Jeffrey is not sexy and is often childish.

Ren: He can be explained as the butler. Born to serve the vampire race, he has learned the hard way to not disappoint his masters. His and Georgia's interactions make up most of the drama in the book. I feel that there is a lot of sexual tension between the two.

Steve: Steve is one of the main characters but I am unable to get into his backstory without spoiling the book. The only thing that I can say is that he is a vampire and his history is pretty tragic.

My thoughts on the book:
I have a very complicated relationship with this book. I find it interesting. The author has given the vampire clans some thought. It's not a traditional romance story and there is some cool lore here.
A number of times I was listening to the audiobook and thinking, “Georgia. Oh, honey. No.”
I do think that most audiences will enjoy it.

Narrator:
Alejandra Reynoso does a fantastic job expressing her characters' emotions and you can feel the frustration and shock in her tone. To me she is Georgia. Josh Levine179

So, I’ve been following Rachel for some time thanks to a group I am a member of (Hi Team TW). Everyone in the group spoke very highly of this series and I have been pinging Rachel from time to time to find out if and when she had an audiobook edition planned for the series. So, naturally, when I got word that this release was coming, I was one of the first people to pre-order my copy.

So, with all of that said, I really wanted to this story. So many folks had such high praise for it, and I wanted to be one of them. To say that I enjoyed this story would be an understatement. What a unique take on the vampire genre. I absolutely loved Mr. Lambley! A ginger vampire…awesome! Specifically, I enjoyed his character because I would ly end up a similar style vampire given my level of nerdiness.

Let me start by saying I loved Georgia’s character and how she evolved throughout the story. I was also drawn to the various pop culture references thrown into the story; The Final Countdown!!! I also drew several connections to other stories I’ve listened to or movies I’ve watched, whether intentional or not. For example, the dance scene immediately reminded me of Sarah’s dance scene in Labyrinth.

There was a couple of great twists in the story and, from what I’ve read in other , this appears to be a trend throughout the story.

The audio narration of the story left me torn. Alejandra did a great job with the dialogue for the story but the tags (he said, she said, etc.) had what felt an unnatural, extended pause between the dialogue ending and the actual tag. There was also a vocal style shift between the dialogue and the tag. I don’t feel the tags were overused, but the pauses, at times, distracted from the narration. All of that said, I did enjoy Alejandra’s vocal differentiation between characters. Again, Mr. Lambley was wonderful! And the nervousness/timidness expressed by Gail was VERY believeable.

This was an easy 5/5 story. The recommendations I was given were well founded and Rachel has a real talent for putting a unique twist on the genre. Try out this series, you will love it! Lady1,179 11

An Undead Comedy Of Errors?

•••NOT for the homophobic, transphobic, closedminded, or faint of heart!•••



This series must be read in order. This is the first book. I can't wait to read Six!


Georgia works for a Vampire as a caretaker. This is NOT an easy job. Especially since her charge Mr. Lambley is very fond of toxic vegetable matter... And completely without fangs. Add in his Vampire Frenemy Stephano Jager and HIS perfect servant Ren and all sorts of mayhem is bound to ensue. Will she ever get the hang of this job? Can she survive in this complicated world of Vampires? What was she thinking when she agreed to this? Who can she trust?


This was definitely a different kind of vampire story and I completely enjoyed it! Filled with quirky characters and more plot twists than chapters, it was a thought provoking and enjoyable read from start to finish. Part stream of consciousness, part memoiresque narrative with a good dash of romance and a lot of comedic relief to temper the thrills, chills, horror and suspense of it all makes this a good book for almost any vampire fiction fan. It was almost too much fun to read ;p


***This series is suitable for adult readers who enjoy a good dose of comedy in their vampire fiction :) Anne41

Interesting premise to kick off the story--the personal assistant to a Vampire is screening applicants for her replacement. Most of the tale is told in retrospective by the personal assistant to the applicant presumably to prepare her for the workload ahead. My challenge with this book was the abrupt boomerang/wait whaaaat changes in the entire personality of a few of the characters to make the jarring plot twists in this tale come together. There were two such abrupt about faces that had me ready to put a wooden stake in the heart of this heavy handed tale. Overall, the story was so promising however it never fully took off for me. This was not fuel for compulsive reading binge--not even close. Rebecca782 37

This was a different perspective on the lives of vampires. At first, I wasn't quite sure where the story was going. From time to time, it rambled on too much about the various aspects of vampires (especially at the vampire ball). It was interesting, but if it had been a little more condensed, it wouldn't have detracted as much to what seemed to be the plot.

I d all the little quips that a Bostonian would understand--about Yankees, Irish, etc. There were also bits of songs, movies, and others interspersed throughout that set the tone. I enjoyed the bit about Pendragons. I don't think I'll ever look the same at King Arthur after reading this book.kindle-scout Cindy1,158 20

I'll start this off saying that I thought from the blurb that this book was about Gail and as I was reading it I kept wondering when we would leave the interview and get to the Gail only part. So if you haven't read this, know that while Gail has a significant role in the story, it's not really about her but about Georgia.

So the world building in Ms. Carr's story is something you haven't seen before in a vampire story. It's something that you've never seen before. It grabs you and keeps you enthralled throughout the entire book. What will happen next? Where will Ms. Carr take us next? How will these characters get out of their predicaments? And I enjoyed it all.paranormal reviewed unlimited ...more MrzAuthor 2 books2

So so so good!!!

How could you not love Georgia?!?! This was definitely one of those books where you thought you could predict what was going to happen next but you are totally wrong. Vampire blood smoothies, human butlers and personal blood banks. What more could you ask for in this suspenseful vampire book. This was not your regular run of the mill story either. (I want to post a spoiler so bad but I won't). If you're reading this review PICK THIS BOOK!!! I promise you won't regret reading it.2017-book-challenge Gina42

I found this book accidentally (I work with a friend of the author's). I was happily surprised by the clever plot, the snarky and snappy dialogue, and the slightly different take on the vampire world. The heroine is feisty and likable and the leading men are diverse and interesting. I'll admit I was initially put off by the way the story is told largely through flashbacks. I remember thinking, 'There had better be some payoff for this in the end."

Be careful what you wish for. Ms. Carr gave me payoff and then some. Don Thompson21

A novel bite

Vampires are real. They need help. Otherwise how do they survive in the modern world. Enter Georgia Sutherland. Accidental vampire assistant. Answering a call to help a friend she becomes strange friends with Mr Lambley. A curious affair. The highlights of which are shared with Gail who she is interviewing to be her replacement. Told in flashback and the present the story grips from start to finish. A fine if different entry into the UF vampire canon. Amy ShannonAuthor 108 books122

Four stars for "Four"

A very fascinating and unpredictable story about vampires. I thought the writing was well done, and detailed just enough. The characters were memorable and intense, and the dialogue brought this reader right in the middle of the story. Wanna know how to be a vampire and what it's , read this story. This story will definitely keep you guessing and glued to the pages. The downside of the story, you have to vampires to enjoy it. Nicole61

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