Sandra @ My Fiction Nook

First up, a little warning... while the books in this series somewhat work as standalones, I do not recommend reading them out of order.

Secondly, there's a massive time jump between book 5 and this one, something I didn't quite expect, but which made sense overall. I also have a sneaking suspicion that this might be the last book in this series. And that's a bummer.

We first met Erin in book 2. He's the twin brother of Andrew - he who mated with Radney, the vampire who didn't like human blood, but was dashing in a kilt.

Erin is basically an aging manwhore. Slutty as can be, never doing a guy more than once, and certainly not interested in joining the vampire family as a human mate. Nope, no thanks, not for Erin. And no sex with vamps, either. Ever.

Erin has commitment issues, obviously, and while he is part of the vampire family at the fringes (heck, his entire house is light-proof because, ya know, vampy friends), he's perfectly happy hooking up with new guys wherever and whenever he can, because mated bliss is overrated.

Except, deep down inside, maybe that's not entirely true. Also, the twinks at the local bar start referring to him as 'Daddy', and Erin realizes he's tired of chasing away his demons with sex.

And he may be sick. Because he's tired all the time.

It's somewhat fortuitous, I guess, that Erin runs across Jude, one of the unmated vampires in Claude's coven, and decides, for once, to break his rule. Because he and Jude have a chemistry he didn't expect, and man, do they burn up the sheets. Repeatedly.

Astonished at himself, Erin finds he likes Jude in his bed. Likes to hang out with him even when there's no sex involved.

I really liked that the author didn't make a huge fuss and created unnecessary drama. Yes, there's a bit of angst, because OMG, Erin does NOT want to be a vampire, and he feels he's too far past his prime for Jude anyway, and what vamp in his right mind would want an old(er) mate, but Jude just calms him. And Erin is willing to take what's being offered, as he is fearfully awaiting the results from his medical tests.

Erin is still stubborn, of course, but Jude even more so, in such a calm and appeasing way that I couldn't help but root for him to get what's he's apparently wanted for years. YEARS. Patient vamp!! Turns out that Erin's issues with commitment and relationships are deeply rooted. And I had to cheer him on for standing by his convictions. Yeah, I know this is vague - just read the book!

I'm glad the author chose to include the other vampires and their mates from the previous books - it was nice to revisit them. Snarky Augustin, his long-suffering but happy vampire Tony, Andrew and Radney, Claude and Abby - I love them all and was happy they got screen time.

Of course, we get a happily-ever-after, as I expected - this shouldn't come as a surprise, and certainly isn't a spoiler, amirite? After all, isn't that why we read romance novels?

I adore this series, and while I'm a bit bummed that it's seemingly over (is it?), I would recommend this to anyone who likes sweet yet snarky characters, well-suited mates, and hot boy-on-boy bedroom times. It's definitely one I'll re-read again!


** I received a free copy of this book from its publisher. A positive review was not promised in return. **