Venomoid: Book One of the Night Code Saga

As a seventeen year old vampire, Lorin has spent the last seven years training at the hands of the IPO, a secret police that makes sure paranormals abide by paranormal law. Now one of the IPO's best operatives, Lorin is irreplaceable and extremely loyal to the very humans who hate him. But when he goes on a mission and encounters, Lex, an intriguing flesh-eating creature, Lorin's views on everything start to change including the way his emotions fluctuate around the other paranormal. Now he's questioning the IPO's motives and their torture of innocent paranormals. When two of Lorin's missions end in massacre, the IPO is quick to blame Lorin and his only hope of survival is Lex. Can Lex get Lorin out of the IPO's clutches and if he does, will they be able to stop not only the IPO but also the creature killing so many operatives? This book was nothing like I expected it to be! I was drawn in right from the start. Lorin is very young and naive and that shows from the beginning. All he knows is life as the IPO's pet and the friendship of another operative, Jud. He's unfamiliar with anything that doesn't have to do with tracking down and capturing other paranormals. I loved that he was so innocent and that it was hard for him to understand how he felt around Lex. At the same time, I adored Lex. He's so cocky and smug, which made his teasing of Lorin very amusing. He also falls very deeply for Lorin and has more loyal to Lorin than his own family, which I found admiring and really, really loved. Together they're a sweet couple and they definitely kick some ass. They have a very flirtatious relationship filled with sweet touches and teasing comments. They're just adorable. Overall, this was a good book. At times, it felt like it could have been a movie. It's filled with some gruesome moments but also has some action and suspense. Plus, there's a sweet little romance between Lex and Lorin with just a hint of a Romeo and Juliet feel to it (two people who could never be together no matter what but are drawn to each other anyway). It also has an interesting storyline, I liked the differentiation between the vampires and zombies and the chaos that the IPO causes. I'm definitely looking forward to the sequel because it'll be interesting to see where the author takes the story next. Will it be about Lorin and Lex? Or will there be other gay men that get their own story? Can't wait to find out!

This book takes us into a world where supernatural creatures not only exist but live freely among humans. Well, maybe not freely, you see they are governed by the IPO (International Paranormal Organization). This is a governing body, who sets all rules and regulations, regarding the paranormal community. It is run and operated by only humans, except one. Illegally turned vampire Lorin, is only seventeen. At the tender age of ten, he was remanded into IPO custody, already having been turned. Remanded is such a harsh word, he was rescued at the time by the only human, the only person, he can now call his only friend, Jud. At only fourteen, he was forced to join the IPO's military ranks in order to remain alive. His contract states; as long as he remains a productive member, never biting a human, continues to act like the IPO's puppet, he would not be executed. Basically, if a mission was too dangerous for a human, Lorin was sent out. He was expendable, he was not able to ever say no, either. Thus, because of his age, and even though he works for them; he is basically a prisoner until he turns eighteen. This means, unless he is out on a mission, he is confined to headquarters. When Lorin reaches the age of eighteen and can finally leave the confines of his "prison", he must first undergo the invasive surgery of turning him into a "Venomoid". This is one of the regulations the IPO has put onto all vampires, the removal of their fangs. Therefore rendering them venomoids. The IPO considers vampires to be the strongest and most dangerous of the paranormals. Kinda makes you wonder why the IPO even exists? They are really just are a front in my opinion for a glorified terrorist cell. Only in this reality, it's legal. The experimentation, regulations, and downright torture of paranormal species, makes you wonder why they keep up the front instead of just exterminating the paranormals. That's in my opinion what IPO's board would really rather do. The IPO says their mission is to regulate the violence under the guise of science. What you will read, goes way beyond that. The board is full of sadistic members, only are all who work under the IPO the same, or are they fed up with the torture, working conditions and threatens to their families? You'll have to read to find out. What happens when a new species of paranormal surfaces? Why you capture and study them of course. The problem is, the new creature is vicious, bloodthirsty, and a preditor to even the vampire. It does not discriminate, it only consumes it's victims, alive. Therefore, given the name Zombies, by the IPO. While Lorin is out on a mission, he runs across one of the zombies, who actually saves him. Lorin is on the fence. There is something about this zombie that calls to him. Against better judgment, he meets the zombie named Lex. Lex is different than what the IPO claims this species is about. He slowly finds himself falling for Lex and falling fast. Lex just so happens to be his mate. Pulled against his heart versus his livelihood, is there a choice? The problem is, one of the zombies factions are wrecking havoc on the city. Their main target to start is Lorin. When the IPO sends Lorin out on a call to a zombie attack, he finds himself cornered by a creature that is stronger and nastier than even his species. Nichodimous is the personification of what the IPO warns about. He tortures Lorin and kills his entire squadron sent with him to contain the zombie. At this point, just as in everything else, things are not all black and white. While Lorin is recovering in the infirmary, Lex visits him and explains, yes, though he is a zombie, he is not like Nichodimous. Their species is divided into two factions. One whom believes they are the top of the food chain and should be the ruling class, they kill for the fun of it. (Nichodimous); and one who wants to live in peace with the other people of society and take down the other faction. Respecting the lives they take only as a means for survival. (Lex). Problems begin to arise when Nichodimous and his plan is revealed.  He succeeds in step one. Making Lorin, IPO's newest traitor. Thinking Lorin is leading the IPO to Nichodimous nest, he inadvertently brings them straight to Lex's door. While Lorin tries to save his angry mate, his team is slaughtered. That's twice, two teams under Lorin's watch have been murdered. He must be the cause, in the eyes of the IPO. Lorins time in captivity is heartbreaking. Years of service and loyalty wiped away in a matter of minutes. Making Lorin suffer the tortures that the paranormals he's captured have endured. He is subjected to his envenomation without proper care. After all is done, what is Lorin? At this point my heart is breaking for Lorin. He may have lost his mate, he has lost the trait that recognizes him as a vampire. He is lost. I felt myself yelling at the book trying to encourage Lorin. I have found very few books that have sucked me in the way this book has. Kossler's description of Lorin's treatment- his despair is so vivid. You truly are able to feel as if you were Lorin. I am trying to be careful not to give away to many spoilers because, once you dig into this book, it is really hard to put it down. As always Lex comes to Lorin's rescue. Though being a known ex-IPO agent isn't an easy thing for the zombies to accept into their fold. Without meaning to, Lorin's bonded dragon finds Lorin and sets the IPO upon them. Capturing Lex in the process. This is Nichodimous's second part of his plan to become top of the food chain. With his mate captured, Lorin's vampire side is released and even though they did what they did, he turns the faction over to the IPO. Only the old Lorin is gone. In his place is the vampire he is meant to be. With the help of Jud, they begin the work of bringing the current board at the IPO down. Saving Lex is first on his agenda. With the new plan in place, he rejoins the IPO as a squad leader. Somehow, even though Lorin served him up on a silver platter Nichodimous escaped. I think I will leave you with this cliffhanger. ONLY because the rest of the book is so action-packed and information filled that to continue on would take some of the joy away from reading it first hand. This is the first book by Kossler that I have read, but he has definitely made me a fan. This book encompasses every emotion you want to feel when you read. The relationship between Lorin and Lex as it builds is priceless.  The honest emotions both display seem to bring back some of their humanity they had lost.  (Well in Lorin's case, Lex begins to feel and want to live a somewhat normal human existence. ) Throughout the rest of the book, some of Lorin's allies will surprise you. The goal of making the IPO what it should have been exists. Can they stop Nichodimous in time to complete their goal? Read to get the answer. This book is too good to give away any more of its secrets. This book is another I would take with me if I was stranded on a deserted island for company. The more you read, the more info and clues you pick up. I rank this book at 4.5*

This was an excellent beginning to this series. From the beginning, I was wondering what was going to happen next. I really enjoyed reading about the zombies, werewolves and vampires. This was a bit different than I'm used to reading, but it was very interesting. I was horrified when the IPO did what they did to Lorin, as well as all the experiments they had obviously been performing on paranormals. I love Lily!!! I have always had a soft spot for dragons, as well as a healthy obsession for them lol. I can't wait for her to grow up and see what happens then. I'm curious about this Judd character though, sometimes it seemed like he may be more than a friend, then other times he was just a good buddy. I could have been just reading more into it than most though lol. I love Lex, yes he's a zombie but I really liked his character. I'm curious where Lorin's maker comes into this as he is mentioned a bit in the end by a couple of people. Overall this was a great read and I for one cannot wait for the next installment. I'm giving this a rating of 4 hearts. ? ? ? ?

Lorin, a vampire that was turned when he was 13 or 14, works with the IPO. The IPO is an operation that consists of bringing in monsters that disobey the law. But they don't care about the monsters even when some used to be human. All they care about are getting the monsters out of existence. They do experiments on them. The council gets Lorin to get some dragon eggs on a mountaintop. When he gets to the top he meets a dragon and a so-called zombie, a new species, and the dragon tries to attack. The zombie, Lex, helps distract the dragon so Lorin can get away. Lex and Lorin fall in love and take over the IPO in the end with the help of Lorins best friend Jud.

"Seventeen-year-old vampire Lorin has been an operative for the International Paranormal Organization, a human-run agency that studies paranormals and regulates their behavior, for the last four years, and under the organization’s watchful eye since he was turned into a vampire at the age of ten. Now weeks from his eighteenth birthday, the IPO board members are keeping an even closer eye on him, and Lorin lives in fear of stepping even a hair out of line lest he gives them an excuse to torture or kill him – something the IPO does to other paranormals on a daily basis. While on a mission for the IPO, Lorin meets Lex, a charming “zombie” who eats human flesh to survive. The two boys have an immediate, intense connection that takes them quickly from friends to much much more. Lorin has always felt uneasy about the way the IPO treats paranormals, but it’s Lex’s capture and torture by the organization and its scientists that finally gives him the push he needs to stand up against the IPO board members and prove to anyone who will listen just who the real monsters are. It takes skill to have the main character’s love interest be someone who eats human flesh, and yet still make them a likable, sympathetic character, but Venomoid manages to pull it off (yeah, I was surprised myself, because, you know – ewww). Lex is actually very charming and protective of Lorin and he’s a very loving, affectionate boyfriend – who just happens to need to feast on the flesh of the living from time to time to keep from going mad. He and Lorin are very sweet together and I loved the romance between the two teens. The zombie and vampire’s romantic interactions are very sweet as well, not really going past kisses and light caresses (although Lorin’s passionate, euphoric reaction to having his fangs touched comes across as a stand-in for other kinds of touches, if you know what I mean). This book is pretty much all action and romance, if a scene wasn’t awash with heart eyes and tender embraces, then rest assured someone was getting their butt kicked. This made for a very eventful book and I liked how it balanced out. I found the idea of a teenage boy, even if he was a highly-trained vampire operative, pretty much single-handedly (more or less) taking down a huge military organization like the IPO kind of far-fetched, but hey, it worked. Overall, I liked this book. I found it interesting, I liked the unique pairing of a vampire and a zombie, and I enjoyed the balance of romance and action. I would love to see what happens next for Lorin and Lex and will definitely check out the next book in the series."