Goldilox and the Three Weres: Really Short Review: The Dark Vampire by Kate Baxter

The Dark Vampire
(Last True Vampire #3)
Kate Baxter
Release: May 3, 2016
Goodreads Amazon

The grave threat to the tortured race of vampires is greater than ever in Kate Baxter's THE DARK VAMPIRE. An unforgettable, intensely emotional, and hot series for fans of J.R. Ward, Nalini Singh, Lara Adrian and Larissa Ione.

Centuries ago, the vampire race was almost destroyed. Now, salvation rests upon one - the last true vampire.

For centuries, Jenner has been plagued by the shadows of his past. Now, a newly-turned vampire, he stalks the night like a wild predator, unable to satisfy his insatiable desires. Until a beautiful vampire sets his soul on fire...

Bria is pure innocence, hidden her whole life from a merciless enemy determined to hunt her down. When things become perilous, safety comes in the form of a fearsome bodyguard - Jenner.

One fateful night, Bria is saved by her vampire protector and a blazing connection is sparked. But surrendering to the powerful call of passion means breaking free from the shackles of their pasts. And with the war against the slayers more savage than ever, they must fight to survive. For the vampire race depends on it.

Review by Rose Red:

I'm going to be honest. I almost didn't finish this book. The first half was a "She's so far above me, I don't deserve her." angsty mess that made me both angry and bored out of my mind. Every time I put it down to do something else, I didn't want to come back to it. The only reason I kept reading was because Gretl told me that the second half got better. And it did get better. There was still some angst that pissed me off but there was more action to offset it.

I've been wanting Jenner's story ever since he was turned, but I was let down by this book. I was hoping his story wouldn't embody the tortured vampire trope but it did, until it became his whole image. On one page he's thinking clearly about his relationship with Bria, the vampire he is tethered to, then on the next page he's back to hating himself and being angsty and overly protective. He wouldn't listen to his friends and king who were trying to encourage him and he misses all the signals that his mate was sending him. The whole plot was a repetitive mess of will they or won't they?

If the tortured vampire trope wasn't enough, we also got the TSTL heroine trope. Don't get me wrong, I loved Bria's personality but I was hoping for there to be more to her. Despite knowing the extreme danger she is in, she repeatedly took stupid risk after stupid risk to prove she can take care of herself and doesn't need Jenner's or anyone's protection.

This book had so much potential that got buried under tropes. I just don't think this series is for me. I like the world building and its different take on vampires, but the romances were just too cliche for me to enjoy. I'll wait to see what other reviewers think about the next book to see if I'll carry on with the series. I will say that if you like old school, tropey PNR, then this is a series for you!

ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley.