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Kevin Lee Swaim
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Hard Times (Sam Harlan, Vampire Hunter Book 2) Kindle Edition

by Kevin Lee Swaim (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 120 ratings
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"It’s amazing how life goes back to normal, how the world keeps spinning, even after you do something so terrible that it can never be forgiven. You get up in the morning. You eat. You shower. Shave. Use the toilet. And the dream. Always the same dream. There is no escaping it. In my dream, I plunge the knife into a little girl’s chest.”-Sam Harlan

Six weeks since discovering the truth behind his family legacy, Sam Harlan has worked with Sister Callie Calahane to learn how to kill vampires, desperate to make them pay.

The woman’s voice on the answering machine was intriguing. “Jack, it’s Mary Kate. I’ve got your newest order and … I need to talk.” Jack Harlan, the legendary vampire killer, was Sam’s distant relative, but Jack Harlan was dead. Sam had seen to it himself.

Will investigating the source of the message push Sam and Sister Callie beyond their limit, or will they survive the hard times?
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  1. Book 2 of 5
    Sam Harlan, Vampire Hunter
  2. Print length
    211 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  5. Publication date
    July 15, 2015
  6. File size
    2255 KB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
    Enabled
  9. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  10. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Kevin Lee Swaim studied creative writing with David Foster Wallace at Illinois State University.

He's currently the Subject Matter Expert for Intrusion Prevention Systems for a Fortune 50 insurance company located in the Midwest. He holds the CISSP certification from ISC2.

When he's not writing, he's busy repairing guitars for the working bands of Central Illinois.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B011363ZVA
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Picadillo Publishing (July 15, 2015)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ July 15, 2015
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 2255 KB
  • Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 211 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 120 ratings

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Kevin Lee Swaim

Kevin Lee Swaim

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Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Kevin Lee Swaim studied creative writing with David Foster Wallace at Illinois State University.

He's currently a security architect for a Fortune 50 insurance company located in the Midwest. He holds the CISSP certification from ISC2.

When he's not writing, he's busy repairing guitars for the working bands of Central Illinois.

Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars
4.2 out of 5
120 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Montzalee Wittmann
5.0 out of 5 stars unique and fresh vamp hunter book
Reviewed in the United States on November 27, 2017
Verified Purchase
Hard Times
A Sam Harlan Novel, Book 2
By: Kevin Lee Swaim
Narrated by: David Loving
This is an audible book I requested and the review is voluntary.
This is book 2 in the series and it has spoilers so it is best if you listen/read book one first.
I really, really enjoyed this book! It is so unique and fresh for a vampire hunter book. The way he gets his strength and who is partner is...a Sister of the Church! How they kill the vampires is a bit different too. The weapons they use, silver bullets but the Sister uses her Cross a bit different! I like to find fresh and different stories and that is hard to do in a genre that is saturated. This also has great characters, wonderful dialogue, twisting plot, and heart stopping moments. My kind of vampire book.
The narrator was absolutely perfect for this book. A voice with a touch of gruff for the touch guy but it disappeared when he was using it for the many women he had to speak for. Also an elderly woman. He had to speak in a accent and it was very believable. I never stopped to think if it was an elderly woman, I believed it and continued with the story. Great actor. Wonderful story all the way around.
I would recommend this book to all fantasy fans, especially vampire fans. Start with book one, don't cheat yourself! Can't wait for the next book.
2 people found this helpful
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C. Loy
4.0 out of 5 stars Good, quick read. Very engaging, Recommend if you like vampire related stories.
Reviewed in the United States on April 27, 2016
Verified Purchase
I enjoyed the 2nd book in the series. Not as much as the first book but I do like Kevin's style and the story line. I typically try to work out how the story is going to play out as I read and I will say that most of the time he takes it in a different direction. Sam really has lots of bad luck.I look forward to seeing Sam Harlan get a handle on what he is doing and become a great vampire hunter like Jack was...Is that in store for Sam? The book was a quick read and found myself looking forward to the next chapter. Going to grab book number 3 and see what's next! Keep'm coming!
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Love to Read!
5.0 out of 5 stars Good read with interesting twists
Reviewed in the United States on May 11, 2016
Verified Purchase
I was pleased to pick this book up after a My Book Cave feature, and it was great. I hadn't read the first book beforehand, but it was easy enough to get into. I loved his relationship with the Sister. It's not religious fiction, per se, but there was a religious vein, which was interesting because the Sister had the right blood to fight vampires. Nice twist.

The only complaint I had was that I was getting a little tired of the man character being smashed up by the vampire, without him damaging it at all. A lot of people died. But thankfully the Sister was there to help, lol. I'm sure he'll get better at killing vampires as the series progresses.

Good ending, no huge cliffhangers. I recommend this book and I will definitely be reading more from this author. In fact, I'm staring in on the first one now. There was a moderate amount of mild profanity and sexual references, but those didn't detract from the plot. It's really an action book. Violent, yes, and bloody, but that kind of goes with the flow of killing vampires.
2 people found this helpful
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seamoss
3.0 out of 5 stars First one was better but this is still a good read...
Reviewed in the United States on September 28, 2015
Verified Purchase
I didn't like this quite as well as the first one in the series. The first one had more "story" and purpose to it whereas this one reminds me of most TV shows - the first one sets up the whole story but then every episode thereafter is a bit of a recycle of the first. I suppose that's inevitable. Also, the lead character was less savvy than i expected - in the first book, i chalked it up to him being disoriented by what had happened (which would be a reasonable reaction) but here he just seems to be more a really slow learner... I still have hope for this series and will read the next one (and recommend that, if you like vampire stories, this is easily as good as the vast majority of stuff that is out there so you should read it - it's just that i was really hoping for something as fantastic as the first.
2 people found this helpful
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Rich E.
5.0 out of 5 stars This is why we have sick days!! You won't be able to put it down.
Reviewed in the United States on July 24, 2015
Verified Purchase
Hard Times draws you into the world Kevin Swaim has created and keeps you there. The characters bring far more than just dialog, they absolutely have personalities, flaws and depth to them. It was a great read and I strongly encourage you to read it. There are no long winded descriptions or fluffy ramblings. This book is about killing vampires to protect humans from their evil. Each kill is costing Sam Harlan because he is absorbing something from the vampires. Knowing what that will lead to (hint - Read "Come What May"), he still chooses to hunt and kill them.
An outstanding story line. I really hope there are more Sam Harlan stories on the horizon!!
3 people found this helpful
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Constant Reader
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent entertainment!
Reviewed in the United States on April 14, 2016
Verified Purchase
I didn't think that Kevin Lee Swaim could match his first book, but he did! His writing is excellent, and "everything old is new again." If you read my review of his first book, you already know what I've said, so I'll just say that Book 2 is as good or better than Book 1, and I highly recommend it!
2 people found this helpful
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john snyder
4.0 out of 5 stars Good Story. I'm not into the "Vampire Genre" but ...
Reviewed in the United States on June 19, 2016
Verified Purchase
Good Story. I'm not into the "Vampire Genre" but this had me before I realized that is what it was. I would read another. This was a one sitting reading lasting until 0400 or so. Thanx!
One person found this helpful
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Amazon Customer
3.0 out of 5 stars Meh, not as good as the first book.
Reviewed in the United States on February 4, 2017
Verified Purchase
This is the second installment in this series. While I loved the first book, this one really seemed to drag. The writers grammar and punctuation is good, same as with the first one. It's just that the story drags on. Maybe too much character development. Only really one vampire who keeps handing our hero his ass. I found myself skimming over areas looking for some action. My suggestion would be to insert more vampires, and a nice clean, quick kill once in a while. Even a blind hog finds an acorn on occasionally.
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Top reviews from other countries

Mike Powell
5.0 out of 5 stars Not your average vampire book
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 8, 2019
Verified Purchase
Gripping, brutal, realistic which is why this was such a good read. The internal struggle to comprehend faith, the understanding that for evil to exist then there must be good, and the nuance of the true light lifts this book over and beyond most of its ilk. The book is well written, well paced and certainly thought provoking. Already a candidate for my series of the year.
One person found this helpful
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Ifor
5.0 out of 5 stars Good book
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 11, 2017
Verified Purchase
Enjoyed this as much as his first. Like the characters and story line, easy to read so recommended to anyone who likes vampires.
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dragon
5.0 out of 5 stars A good read
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 4, 2019
Verified Purchase
Great to read a proper vampire book with no romance
One person found this helpful
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