This might be my favorite in the series so far!

I put off reading this one for a while because I couldn’t remember who Sam was (been a while since I read the previous books) and because I thought this was a completely separate story just set in the same world. This book is actually super connected to the other books and heavily features all those characters. I would not recommend it as a standalone, and I would definitely not recommend skipping it because it adds so much to the other characters’ stories, especially Sei and Gabe’s, which I hope are still continuing.

Sam was a great character. Rough life. Been through some shit. Struggling with past trauma and his new needs and desires now that he’s a vampire. But not a bad person, and definitely not a monster like he sometimes thinks. He did have his… ah… vampire moments, but that wasn’t his fault. He was actually a caring and thoughtful guy where it mattered.

This one had a m/m/m romance. It was a little rushed for me where Luca was concerned, but Sam even said he didn’t think he was in love with Luca yet, and I enjoyed it alright. It was a fairly easy, low angst, steamy romance with characters who respected and cared about each other.

It was the vampire stuff that really made this book shine for me. There was so much about not only vampire politics and society but also how they work, their bonds, their powers, and how their long lives affect them. Old, powerful vampires. Mentally unstable vampires. Power-hungry vampires. Learning about Gabe and Max specifically, two of the oldest, was interesting. I even liked when Sam would get to see inside Max’s mind.

Overall, a great book that brings some great new characters into the main group, shows the reader a really interesting peek into the vampires of this world, and continues the story for all the characters you know and love!

*Rating: 4 Stars // Read Date: 2021 // Format: eBook*