ARC Review: Vampire Trouble

Vampire Trouble (Dead in the City #2)

by Sara Humphreys

Blurb:

Shane Quesada, a four-century old vampire sentry, is known for cold, unemotional precision when hunting rogue vampires.

Maya Robertson is a youngling vampire who will not be controlled—and to prove it, she rejects Shane’s protection—only to find herself in over her head with an alpha werewolf.

Soon, a war between the coven and the werewolf clan ignites, and Maya and Shane flee to Louisiana, where their passion for each other grows—as does Maya’s power. When she finds herself at the center of the conflict, will she finally trust Shane with her life—and her heart?

Themes: Vampires, Paranormal, shifters

Rating: 4 stars

Heat Rating: 

Review:

 After a long wait we finally return to the world of vampires, shifters, and magic users that will keep you interested every second of each story.  Sara Humphreys has intrigued me from the first story of hers I picked up.  Always full of vivid detail, strange and unique characters, and intensely sensual lovers, Vampire Trouble is a welcome addition to any bookshelf. While I am certainly partial to her Amoveo series, the Dead in the City series has enough intrigue, drama and emotion to keep me coming back for more.  There are changes to their world at every turn and the characters are strong enough that they are able to roll with the punches and still keep their love lives interesting.  If you haven’t read the first in the series you will be a little bit lost in the overall plot of things, but there is enough recap in this book that you can follow along enough to enjoy it anyway.

Shane has been intrigued with Maya since he first had to keep an eye on here.  She is trouble with a capital “T” and there is no way he will be able to let her out of his sight.  But soon the desire he feels for her becomes an obsession that cannot be denied.  But the more he tries to keep her in line and safe from herself, the more she rebels and gets herself into trouble.    Maya is so tired of having to follow the rules, never being able to be free and when Shane begins to invade her life, she fights even harder to keep herself from falling under his spell.  But as with all rebellions there are consequences.  Maya never imagined it would lead to war between the vampires and werewolves though.   She is terrified of the trouble she has caused and the danger she has placed her family in, but determined to try to make it right.  Traveling to Louisiana with Shane leaves her vulnerable to his seduction and soon she is falling for him in every way.  The connection between them is undeniable, but soon a truth about her human life comes to light that could change the world for them all.  Can she find a way to protect herself, her family and most important her love, or will she forever have to deal with the consequences of her impulsive actions?

I liked Shane a lot, even though he is a bit too alpha for Maya.  He is sensual and protective, with a sweet side that he shares only with Maya, though they butt heads at every turn, fighting each other just as passionately as they love.  He has been around so long and has only lived for battles, having long forgotten the desire for a woman, until he meets Maya.  I liked that he was unwilling to let Maya be so impulsive that she places herself in danger, but he has so little experience with headstrong women that he often fumbles and finds himself at a loss for what step he should take to keep her from endangering herself. Maya was not my favorite character in the beginning.  She was childish and immature making me think that it was time for her to grow the hell up already and deal with reality. When she finally accepts that she is not free to do just whatever the hell she wants, damn the consequences, I begin to like her a bit more.  She is obviously resistant to tying herself to Shane in the beginning, maybe even a bit scared of his intensity, but when she digs deeper and sees how sweet he is, she finds in him a perfect match to her personality and a person who can temper her craziness.   In the end I liked Maya a lot and was proud of the way she stepped up and earned the right to protect and love a man like Shane.

 This story took some interesting turns in terms of the overall plot line of the series.  There were a lot of unexpected truths that were revealed as Maya learned about her human life and the changes that come with those truths in her new vampire life.  Finding out that Shane is falling in love with her makes Maya into a better woman in my opinion.  Shane has the ability to keep Maya from causing too much trouble while allowing her to become the vampire she was meant to be, giving her the skills she needs to no longer feel like a victim and embrace her inner badass.  Maya on the other hand, reminds Shane that life is not entirely about duty, but must be balanced with laughter and love in his life.  Their passion comes out in the most unexpected situations and the laughter that they learn to share is wonderful. I am looking forward to seeing what might come next in this series, and what characters might find themselves falling in love next. I will say for sure that wherever this series goes I will enjoy every minute of the trip.

*eARC provided by publisher (via netgalley) for the purpose of an honest and unbiased review.  No compensation was provided.