{Review} The Last True Vampire (Last True Vampire #1) by Kate Baxter

Posted by Melanie
Release Date: June 2nd, 2015
Finished Date: June 4th, 2015

Publishers: St. Martin's Paperbacks
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Source: For Review
Format: eARC

Pages: 384
Buy: Amazon UK / Amazon US 

As Michael's eyes lit on a female not twenty feet away, he knew without a doubt that it was her blood that called to him and her scent that had awakened him.This female had tethered his soul and returned it to him.

SOUL SURVIVOR
He is the last of his race. The one true king of the vampires. Michael Aristov roams the nightclubs of L.A. after dark, haunted by his past and driven by his hunger. The last of the Ancient Ones, he alone has survived the destruction of his race at the hands of the slayers. Now he is forced to hunt and feed like a common vampire, a creature of lust. Nothing in this world can fulfill his needs…until he meets a woman who's everything he's ever wanted. And more.

SWEET SALVATION
Her name is Claire Thompson. Her blood is so sweet, so intoxicating--the smell alone draws Michael to her like a moth to the flame. Sly, sexy, and seductive, Claire seems to be the only mortal who can satisfy his craving and seal his fate…forever. Can she be trusted? From their very first kiss, the last true vampire sweeps Claire into a world in which darkness rules desire--and where falling in love is the greatest danger of all…in The Last True Vampire by Kate Baxter.

First in the thrilling new series!

The Review: The Last True Vampire is the first book in the series of the same name and I really enjoyed everything about it.
I’m a sucker for paranormal romance – when it’s done well – and still love the Vampire stories as much as ever so this appealed to me straight away. In the story we find an old vampire who is just living, not enjoying life and full of despair because he is the last vampire. He is the last because the enemy wiped them all out, very nearly Michael too but he survived…just. Now he is alone, he can’t turn any of the Dhampirs, can’t breed and has no want for power…..until he meets Claire. Her blood calls to him, he has never wanted anyone the way he wants Claire and one taste will never be enough.
Claire was only trying to steal Michael’s watch so she could afford her rent but there was something about him that pulled her into his arms, into doing things she wouldn’t necessarily have done – but once the watch was her, she was gone.
Both Michael and Claire can’t escape the connection they shared that night, he needs to find her because she is his ‘tether’ she has given him his soul back and he can finally become the powerful vampire he is meant to be, he can create his race again but how can that be when Claire is human? Claire is thrust into Michael’s world of blood and death as she becomes the target of an age old enemy who are determined to eradicate the vampire race once and for all.
I really loved this book, it seems vampires are making a comeback lately and if they’re all going to be like this then I’m a happy lady! I liked the premise of the book with Michael being the last vampire and holding the fate of his race in his hands, we are given a few flashback scenes of Michael throughout the book to show what happened to them and why he was the only one left. It’s plain to see that he is living half a life and is quite pitiful when we meet him, he even has to force himself to feed and all of the Dhampirs know that he is weak. Because he is the last of the ancient ones, he also carries the burden of being the one to hold all of the history of the vampires and the consciences of the slain collective and also the current dhampirs. This is a heavy burden indeed. He has practically given up hope when he finds Claire and it takes him a while to understand why he feels the way he does which gives Claire opportunity to leave, meaning he will have to find her. I thought Claire was a great character, you could tell she was a survivor and had those skills so she was never going to take the mating bond lying down. I like it when they fight like that, more times than enough the men are swept away with the realization that they have found their one and the women take some convincing which is so much fun to read. I loved the way these two clashed, both as stubborn as each other and unwilling to bend – that is until the bad guys came knocking. They definitely had the chemistry that makes you get involved in the relationship and that is topped with some nice sexytime and a great surprise.
As I said – the story was great and the premise too. I liked how the enemy was linked to Michael’s past and how they made their presence known, there is also a few things to discover about the enemy too. Much of the story is about the relationship and how they get together, the enemy becoming more active and involved especially when it’s clear that Michael has found his mate but the story branches off for some of the secondary characters too which I enjoyed because I like to get to know everyone and know what is going on in all areas. This is done with multiple povs which I think enhanced the story here, it helped to build the other characters up so that you could get to know them more and also get into the mindset of the enemy who aren’t short on their own drama either. There are also some great fight scenes and action throughout as Michael takes on anyone who means Claire harm, adding an element of danger that kept the plot exciting. I was very satisfied by the ending of the book, obviously with it being book one it is left open for more and book two seems set up so now just for the wait – great start though and I’ll definitely be reading the sequel.

Thank you to St Martin's Paperbacks for giving me the opportunity to review this book in exchange for an honest review.