This is the book I've been waiting to get to in this series, because Ian had the most build-up and anticipation created through his fascinating back-story as a teenage vamp. I'm sad to say that it let me down a wee bit. The story was good, but considering this is Ian, who wants more than anything to find true love, it's ironic, then, that it was the romance aspect that I found disappointing. Indeed, I believed the love between Jean-Luc and Heather much more in the previous book than I did between Ian and Toni here.

It could just be a case of my expectations being too high, but I don't think so. You see, it starts out with a set up that's kind of a spin on The Bachelor, whereby Ian insists he needs to find a vampire bride so that he can be honest and not lie to her, even though he's increasingly attracted to Toni who is a new day guard. I wanted at this point to observe that he wouldn't have to lie to Toni about being a vamp either, since she clearly already knows, so that "conflict" was completely moot, but hey. I guess the main point was that she still wasn't a vamp, and he wanted a bride he can be with for centuries, not decades.

So, naturally they resist each other for a while and Ian goes speed dating with a bajillion air-headed vamps, all the while thinking of Toni. This part I actually enjoyed because it made Toni really stand out and seem so clearly the best choice of partner for Ian. It was when they finally got together that it started failing for me. It happened too soon, it was such an instant mind-change it nearly gave me whiplash. And I also found the sex scenes a little uninspiring this time too, which all together added up to...just, blah.

However, I thought the background plot was better- we were back fighting the malcontents- and I was glad to see the development at the end and what that might mean for future vampire brides. I am also ultimately glad Ian got his HEA, but I just wanted something a bit more. *sad face*

3 Stars! ★★★