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amym84's review against another edition
4.0
The Dark Vampire is the third book in Kate Baxter's The Last True Vampire series and features newly turned Jenner as the hero of the story. We've seen in the past couple of books that while Jenner is very capable enforcer and a good choice for Mikhail to turn, but he's been struggling with his appetites, if you will. Basically his want of blood and sex is non-stop and due to some events in his past he fears it will one day lead to his complete loss of control and force Mikhail to put him down for good. Part of Jenner believes this may be for the best.
On the other hand we have Bria, whose uncle has been protecting her from the vengeance of a dark witch for centuries. Although she knows her uncle means well, the protection is starting to feel a lot like imprisonment within the coven. But when the coven is attacked by the slayers that have been plaguing the dhampires for months now, Bria's uncle turns to Mikhail for help, and once he offers his allegiance to the vampire king, Mikhail turns Bria. And shortly after her turn, Jenner and Bria become tethered. But they'll soon learn that Jenner's need to protect his mate clashes with Bria's newfound sense of freedom in becoming a vampire.
I really liked the "marriage of convenience" type of set-up to Jenner's story. You don't get to choose to whom you are tethered as a vampire (if you ever get tethered) but sometimes you at least know the person that you become tethered to. Such is not the case with Jenner and Bria. They're strangers upon discovering their tether. So not only do they have to contend with Bria being newly turned, but they have to actually get to know one another. A tether doesn't necessarily mean love at first sight and I liked the way Kate Baxter brings that aspect to the foreground while Bria and Jenner are navigating around one another.
I was really interested in the dark witch that had been hunting Bria for centuries, but I was disappointed that there wasn't more done with this storyline. It plays out and is resolved, but it felt more like an afterthought than the true drive of the story. Jenner and Bria's developing relationship is the focus of the story, and honestly, I think Kate Baxter really nailed the heat between them. With Jenner's insatiable need for sex, I don't think things could have been written any other way, and those particular scenes definitely deliver.
There was a lot going on with the secondary characters. In the first two books it was common for side and secondary characters to get a few moments here and there aside from the main hero and heroine of the story. While Kate Baxter has built up some really interesting secondary characters, here I felt like that time detracted from possibly fleshing out Bria's conflict with the witch a little bit more.
In the end, there's a lot left open for future stories in the series. Mikhail, Ronan, and Jenner were the first three vampires and we've gotten their stories. I'm interested to see who Kate Baxter tags as the next hero and / or heroine. There are plenty of options and I can honestly say I'd be interested in any of the secondary characters that Baxter should choose to give their own book.
This series, so far, has been strong, and I love that it's getting back to the classical vampire story. Vampires had an extremely popular run for a while but I feel lately that supernatural stories are tending to run towards "other". The creatures that are not as familiar. And that's fine, but sometimes it's nice to go back to a classic and I'm happy that Kate Baxter provides that.
On the other hand we have Bria, whose uncle has been protecting her from the vengeance of a dark witch for centuries. Although she knows her uncle means well, the protection is starting to feel a lot like imprisonment within the coven. But when the coven is attacked by the slayers that have been plaguing the dhampires for months now, Bria's uncle turns to Mikhail for help, and once he offers his allegiance to the vampire king, Mikhail turns Bria. And shortly after her turn, Jenner and Bria become tethered. But they'll soon learn that Jenner's need to protect his mate clashes with Bria's newfound sense of freedom in becoming a vampire.
I really liked the "marriage of convenience" type of set-up to Jenner's story. You don't get to choose to whom you are tethered as a vampire (if you ever get tethered) but sometimes you at least know the person that you become tethered to. Such is not the case with Jenner and Bria. They're strangers upon discovering their tether. So not only do they have to contend with Bria being newly turned, but they have to actually get to know one another. A tether doesn't necessarily mean love at first sight and I liked the way Kate Baxter brings that aspect to the foreground while Bria and Jenner are navigating around one another.
I was really interested in the dark witch that had been hunting Bria for centuries, but I was disappointed that there wasn't more done with this storyline. It plays out and is resolved, but it felt more like an afterthought than the true drive of the story. Jenner and Bria's developing relationship is the focus of the story, and honestly, I think Kate Baxter really nailed the heat between them. With Jenner's insatiable need for sex, I don't think things could have been written any other way, and those particular scenes definitely deliver.
There was a lot going on with the secondary characters. In the first two books it was common for side and secondary characters to get a few moments here and there aside from the main hero and heroine of the story. While Kate Baxter has built up some really interesting secondary characters, here I felt like that time detracted from possibly fleshing out Bria's conflict with the witch a little bit more.
In the end, there's a lot left open for future stories in the series. Mikhail, Ronan, and Jenner were the first three vampires and we've gotten their stories. I'm interested to see who Kate Baxter tags as the next hero and / or heroine. There are plenty of options and I can honestly say I'd be interested in any of the secondary characters that Baxter should choose to give their own book.
This series, so far, has been strong, and I love that it's getting back to the classical vampire story. Vampires had an extremely popular run for a while but I feel lately that supernatural stories are tending to run towards "other". The creatures that are not as familiar. And that's fine, but sometimes it's nice to go back to a classic and I'm happy that Kate Baxter provides that.
shannon_cocktailsandbooks's review against another edition
4.0
This review was originally posted on Cocktails and Books
After centuries of barely living as a soulless creature of the night, Mikhail has finally found the keeper of his soul. The one person created to be his mate and return his soul to him. Unfortunately for him, she's a human.
Baxter gives us everything we look for in a new series. Hot, potential heroes abound as do villains set to destroy everything they've built. What was most surprising was the fluidity of Baxter's story. The overall flow of the characters and story line was practically flawless. So much so that I found it difficult to believe this is only this author's second published book.
I enjoyed it so much, that this book would have been a solid five if not for a heroine who continuously put herself in danger even knowing what was waiting out there for her. I mean who does that? She's been confronted at work, attacked on a crowded street, used as bait and almost killed. Yet somehow staying alive is only secondary to her independence.
Even secondary characters were fully developed with their own sub plots which UI hope develop into future books. Baxter is a completely new to me author, probably new to many people seeing as how this is only her second book. However, if The Last True Vampire is any indication of her writing style, I'll be keeping an eye out for future books by this author.
Reviewer information can be found under the Tags section of the post on our site.
After centuries of barely living as a soulless creature of the night, Mikhail has finally found the keeper of his soul. The one person created to be his mate and return his soul to him. Unfortunately for him, she's a human.
Baxter gives us everything we look for in a new series. Hot, potential heroes abound as do villains set to destroy everything they've built. What was most surprising was the fluidity of Baxter's story. The overall flow of the characters and story line was practically flawless. So much so that I found it difficult to believe this is only this author's second published book.
I enjoyed it so much, that this book would have been a solid five if not for a heroine who continuously put herself in danger even knowing what was waiting out there for her. I mean who does that? She's been confronted at work, attacked on a crowded street, used as bait and almost killed. Yet somehow staying alive is only secondary to her independence.
Even secondary characters were fully developed with their own sub plots which UI hope develop into future books. Baxter is a completely new to me author, probably new to many people seeing as how this is only her second book. However, if The Last True Vampire is any indication of her writing style, I'll be keeping an eye out for future books by this author.
Reviewer information can be found under the Tags section of the post on our site.
nelljustice's review against another edition
3.0
for full review go to: http://wp.me/p5Q4Dh-g4
It's a vampire conquering human instead of a romance. This is sort of a template romance and I like those kinds of stories on occasion. Claire is dominated and bullied into the relationship and guess what? She runs. Um, hello? You'd think that a vampire that old would have figured some things out, but nope - a twenty something woman has to teach him. Anyway, Mikhail has had his share of devastation in his long life and once you become a vampire (a vampire must turn you from a dhampir) you lose your soul until your mate comes along and restores it. That's called tethering. It's a pretty good spin on an old story.
It's a vampire conquering human instead of a romance. This is sort of a template romance and I like those kinds of stories on occasion. Claire is dominated and bullied into the relationship and guess what? She runs. Um, hello? You'd think that a vampire that old would have figured some things out, but nope - a twenty something woman has to teach him. Anyway, Mikhail has had his share of devastation in his long life and once you become a vampire (a vampire must turn you from a dhampir) you lose your soul until your mate comes along and restores it. That's called tethering. It's a pretty good spin on an old story.
tiredcat's review against another edition
4.0
To read the entire review go to: https://onebooktwo.wordpress.com/2015/06/04/review-the-last-true-vampire-by-kate-baxter/
To be completely honest with you, I haven’t read a vampire story since Sookie, Bill, and Eric disappeared from my life over two years ago. (The Sookie Stackhouse series by Charlaine Harris) When I stumbled upon The Last True Vampire, my first thought was “Am I ready?” Five years ago, The Sookie Stackhouse series was what brought me back to reading after I had strayed due to some medical problems and a very stressful job. So the question was “Could I let another vampire into my heart?”
I was a little unsure when I started reading The Last True Vampire but that feeling was soon replaced by the thrill one experiences when jumping on a truly spectacular roller coaster ride. Once I started, I couldn’t stop until I reached the end.
This story is unique to its self and shouldn’t be compared with any other vampire tale. Mikhail and Claire’s love story can only be described as explosive both in and out of the bedroom. Overall, this book is definitely above an R rating but not quite NC-17. Let’s just say you wouldn’t want your children reading this over your shoulder and you won’t lend it to your Grandma.
I will definitely be following this series as it grows overtime. So if you are like me and aren’t sure if you can love a vampire story again, give this one a try. I think you may fall in love.
ARC was received from the publisher via NetGalley for a fair and unbiased review.
To be completely honest with you, I haven’t read a vampire story since Sookie, Bill, and Eric disappeared from my life over two years ago. (The Sookie Stackhouse series by Charlaine Harris) When I stumbled upon The Last True Vampire, my first thought was “Am I ready?” Five years ago, The Sookie Stackhouse series was what brought me back to reading after I had strayed due to some medical problems and a very stressful job. So the question was “Could I let another vampire into my heart?”
I was a little unsure when I started reading The Last True Vampire but that feeling was soon replaced by the thrill one experiences when jumping on a truly spectacular roller coaster ride. Once I started, I couldn’t stop until I reached the end.
This story is unique to its self and shouldn’t be compared with any other vampire tale. Mikhail and Claire’s love story can only be described as explosive both in and out of the bedroom. Overall, this book is definitely above an R rating but not quite NC-17. Let’s just say you wouldn’t want your children reading this over your shoulder and you won’t lend it to your Grandma.
I will definitely be following this series as it grows overtime. So if you are like me and aren’t sure if you can love a vampire story again, give this one a try. I think you may fall in love.
ARC was received from the publisher via NetGalley for a fair and unbiased review.
caity1987's review against another edition
4.0
this was a book about finding the one who is it for you. If you like that type of book then this is one for you. It is a paranormal romance in the sense that it has vampires in it.
chelseavbc's review against another edition
5.0
Seriously. Hot. Damn. Killer worldbuilding, a heat level Demonica fans would appreciate, an alpha male who isn’t perfect, and a heroine with some steel to her spine.
bookwife's review against another edition
2.0
I would have enjoyed this book but... Bria the female MC was TSTL. She annoyed me so many times.
Bria is a dhampir who has been extremely sheltered by her Uncle because a crazy witch named Astrid wants to kill her. So for good reasons right? He has hidden her away and kept her safe for centuries. But Bria isn't cool with that and she sneaks out all the time. Stupid. One night she comes back and her coven is under attack and a slayer slits her throat. Her uncle taker her to the king and the king turns her into a vampire. In walks Jenner and their souls tether. Sigh. There is a whole bunch of drama about Jenner not wanting to hurt her so he stays away from her. She gets all pissy because again she isn't allowed to leave the king's house. So what does she do? She sneaks out and goes to a club to dance, duh! Jenner was there and was shot while he was chasing after her.
Things change after that. Jenner decides that he can fuck her and he does, ALOT and it is hot. I won't lie, I liked the sex scenes. But after that they move to Jenner's apartment and the first night he wants to go out and find this witch and kill her so that Bria doesn't have to stay in the house. Awesome male right? I thought that was pretty cool of him. But Bria was pissed because she wasn't allowed to fight with him. She has had like idk less than 2 weeks of training, she has been a vampire for what 4 weeks? Idk the exact time line but I know that she thinks she's more awesome than she is. Anyways Bria has a brilliant idea, she leaves the apartment and checks into a hotel. If that's not stupid enough, she decides that she is bored and goes out for a stroll... Sigh What do you think happened?
Really the only thing I liked about this book was Jenner. He was pretty sexy, all dark and tortured. Yum. But to be honest I had to force myself to finish the book because of Bria. She was just an idiot. Im all for women being warriors, but that comes with training and time. Neither of which Bria had. She had no right to claim she could fight or that she could take care of herself. She was in trouble within the first couple hours of her being by herself. So just no. A bad character completely ruins a book. I really would have liked the story if it weren't for her.
Bria is a dhampir who has been extremely sheltered by her Uncle because a crazy witch named Astrid wants to kill her. So for good reasons right? He has hidden her away and kept her safe for centuries. But Bria isn't cool with that and she sneaks out all the time. Stupid. One night she comes back and her coven is under attack and a slayer slits her throat. Her uncle taker her to the king and the king turns her into a vampire. In walks Jenner and their souls tether. Sigh. There is a whole bunch of drama about Jenner not wanting to hurt her so he stays away from her. She gets all pissy because again she isn't allowed to leave the king's house. So what does she do? She sneaks out and goes to a club to dance, duh! Jenner was there and was shot while he was chasing after her.
Things change after that. Jenner decides that he can fuck her and he does, ALOT and it is hot. I won't lie, I liked the sex scenes. But after that they move to Jenner's apartment and the first night he wants to go out and find this witch and kill her so that Bria doesn't have to stay in the house. Awesome male right? I thought that was pretty cool of him. But Bria was pissed because she wasn't allowed to fight with him. She has had like idk less than 2 weeks of training, she has been a vampire for what 4 weeks? Idk the exact time line but I know that she thinks she's more awesome than she is. Anyways Bria has a brilliant idea, she leaves the apartment and checks into a hotel. If that's not stupid enough, she decides that she is bored and goes out for a stroll... Sigh What do you think happened?
Really the only thing I liked about this book was Jenner. He was pretty sexy, all dark and tortured. Yum. But to be honest I had to force myself to finish the book because of Bria. She was just an idiot. Im all for women being warriors, but that comes with training and time. Neither of which Bria had. She had no right to claim she could fight or that she could take care of herself. She was in trouble within the first couple hours of her being by herself. So just no. A bad character completely ruins a book. I really would have liked the story if it weren't for her.
starchild1996's review against another edition
3.0
It about Michael Aristov and Claire Thompson love story, and it about the last vampire finally finding his mate this there story.