{Review} The Warrior Vampire (Last True Vampire #2) by Kate Baxter

Posted by Melanie
Release Date: December 1st, 2015
Finished Date: December 27th, 2015

Publishers: Headline
Genre: Adult, Paranormal, Romance
Source: For Review
Format: ARC

Pages: 384
Buy: Amazon UK / Amazon US / Book Depo 

 

The vampire was built for sin, every inch of him tight and bulky with corded muscle. A killer, that much was apparent, and she couldn't help but wonder if his appetite for violence would rival his appetites for other...things.

A WOMAN SEDUCED

Naya Morales is no ordinary mortal. Born with a shaman's power, she has devoted her life to tracking down stolen magic—and punishing those who take it. But one fateful night, she follows the alluring call of a sensual magic that is too glorious to be true—and finds herself face to face with a stunningly handsome thief who is too magnificent to resist...

A VAMPIRE ENSLAVED

From the moment he sees her, Ronan knows Naya is his mate. Driven by a deep, almost mystical connection, he aches for her body, hungers for her blood, and swears their souls are anchored together. Naya refuses to believe the words of a vampire—or risk the wrath of her tribe. But when she tries to make Ronan her prisoner, neither chains of silver nor fires of hell can help her escape the truth: she is the one who's been captured...

The Review: The Warrior Vampire is the second book in the Last True Vampire series and just as good as the first.
We have already met the leading man -Ronan- in book one when he made a sacrifice for his sire Marcus in which he entered a blood troth to the queen of the Dhampirs to be hers..... but when Ronan meets Naya, he knows straight away that she is his because his soul has been returned and only his true mate can do that. The thing is, Ronan is bleeding corrupted magic all over which brings him to the attention of Naya who hunts down those who steal magic and allow it to corrupt them...... but he also emits a tune that sings to her soul, a tune so perfect that it confuses her as to why this chaos surrounds him.
Naya didn't know that vampires still exist but takes him captive anyway- even if just to work out how he knows her name. Naya's home isn't like others too, they are a community with magic and Naya's is the rarest meaning that it must be kept pure... which leads to a forced engagement and one very territorial vampire who is not happy to hear that his mate is promised to someone else. That's not even the half of it because that stolen magic is just popping up all over the place and Naya's foes are getting harder to beat... just what is going on and why has so much evil come to town?
I really enjoyed this book, if you liked the first then you will definitely enjoy this. I liked Ronan in book one and thought it was selfless how he bound himself to the Dhampir queen to save his race – it showed what kind of man he was. Obviously that troth is going to become a problem here because he meets his mate and she is not a Dhampir but a Shaman who can hear magic, locate corrupt magic and take it away from the person by killing them. This will not be good news for Ronan especially when he finds himself tied to her bed by silver chains. This also signals the start of a bumpy relationship as they clash straight away with Ronan knowing that Naya is his mate and Naya refusing to accept it and bound to her duty to the community. It was a fun ride, lots of back and forth bickering, possessive caveman growliness but eventually some very satisfying sexytime.
The storyline was really good – Naya's community has seen an increase in stolen magic that turns the users into demons and she is the one to retrieve the magic but kills the person in the process. Naya wants to know where this is coming from because it is very unusual and seeing as how Ronan is tainted by the bad magic... she needs to find out how to extract it safely. There is a lot of things going on behind the scenes in this plot so don't expect any answers until the end but the getting there is the joy of a book plus when you add in that Ronan has some memory loss up until he meets Naya, he has a sister who is missing and the reason he is there in the first place and of course the other woman's claim on Ronan and also a man's claim on Naya...... you are in for some fun! Let's just say you will not be disappointed.

4.5 stars!  

Thank you to Headline Eternal for giving me the opportunity to review this book in exchange for an honest review. 

 

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

Posted by Donna
Release Date: August 13th, 2015
Finished Date: August 12th, 2015

Publishers: Headline Eternal
Genre: Adult, Paranormal, Romance
Source: For Review
Format: Paperback

Pages: 384
Buy: Amazon UK / Amazon US / The Book Depo

Launching an unmissable new series for fans of J.R. Ward, Nalini Singh, Lara Adrian and Larissa Ione. THE LAST TRUE VAMPIRE is deeply sensual, intensely emotional, and bursting with heartstopping action.

Soul Survivor.

He is the last of his race. King of the vampires. Michael Aristov roams the nightclubs of LA after dark, haunted by his past and driven by his hunger. The only Ancient One to survive the obliteration of his race, he's forced to hunt like a common vampire, governed by lust. Nothing can fulfil his needs ... until he meets the woman who finally awakens his soul.

Sweet Salvation.

Claire Thompson is the only mortal who can satisfy Michael's insatiable craving. She's sassy and seductive, and her intoxicating blood draws Michael like a moth to the flame. Their first fiery kiss sweeps Claire into a deadly world where darkness rules desire, and falling in love is the greatest danger of all. Everything is now at stake, for Claire has the power to seal Michael's fate - and the future of the vampire race - forever.

This unforgettable series continues with The Warrior Vampire.

The Review: I’m always on the lookout for a new adult paranormal romance series and so when I notice a book that is being compared to the likes of J.R Ward, I find myself intrigued straight away so of course The Last True Vampire intrigued me.

Katy Baxter has kick her new series off with a bang and we’re immediately thrown into the lives of Claire and Michael.

Michael is the last true king of the vampire race after everyone else was destroyed by the slayers centuries ago. Since then, he’s been tormented by his past and because of his weaken state, he is trying to avoid the Dhamphirs that are relying on him to turn them but it will remain that way until he finds his mate.

Claire is a human girl who works a dead end job as a waitress. Struggling to make ends meet Claire has no other choice but turn to her other side job by trying to hustle people just so she can make rent. It’s while out one night that Claire finds her new target, Michael but when they meet Claire realizes that Michael isn’t no ordinary guy and there’s something bigger happening – Claire is Michael’s mate and soon she’s thrust into his dangerous life when she discovers she will help save the vampire race.

It’s been a while since I’ve read anything with a vampire theme so it definitely welcomed addition to my TBR pile, actually so much that as soon as I received it, I started it straight away. And in truth while I did enjoy the story it doesn’t live up to some of the other books that I’ve read. I did find I lost interest in parts.

I liked both Claire and Michael. Both of them were headstrong and stubborn characters and at times I found that slightly frustrating because they never seemed to agree on anything especially in the very early days. As their relationship started to develop this does calm down but it’s a constant back and forth pull with these two. But once they finally start getting on the same page, their relationship is the best part of the book. The connection they have is fantastic and their chemistry was steaming for most part of the book.

The premise of the story I liked. That Michael was the last vampire and it was on his shoulders to save his race. It was simply impossible without his mate but I felt like he should have done more to find her – I know he’d given up hope but still, people are depending on Michael! The slayers were even scarier than I first thought they would be. And the story had a few good action scenes too.

In all, The Last True Vampire was an enjoyable read and even though I had a few issues with the story, I’ll definitely be keeping my eyes peeled for the sequel which is Ronan’s story. 

Thank you to Headline Eternal for giving me the opportunity to review this book in exchange for an honest review. 

                                            

{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.