THE GOOD, THE BAD, and THE VAMPIRE (Dead in the City #4) by Sara Humphreys-Review and Book Tour
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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date January 5, 2016
He wants eternity?
Dakota Shelton is a vampire cowboy with a penchant for cinnamon lollipops and Johnny Cash. Though highly skilled and deadly dangerous to his enemies, he’s still a Texas good ol’ boy at heart. And he has that heart set on wooing Trixie LaRoux-the most badass punk rock chick in town-the old-fashioned way.
Over her undead body…
Trixie is tough as nails and sharp as a silver stake-the last thing she wants is a man to sit on a porch and not grow old with. So it’ll take going to hell and back fighting a new threat to vampires before she admits Dakota’s courtship makes her blood hum. Turns out chivalry’s not dead after all.
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REVIEW: THE GOOD, THE BAD, and THE VAMPIRE is the fourth installment in Sara Humphreys’ contemporary, adult DEAD IN THE CITY paranormal romance series-a spin off from her Amoveo Legend series. This is vampire and Presidium sentry/ cowboy Dakota Shelton, and bartender/ snarky vampire Trixie LaRoux’s story line. Trixie is Maya’s sister, whom we met in book two-VAMPIRE TROUBLE. THE GOOD, THE BAD and THE VAMPIRE can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty.
Told from dual third person perspectives (Dakota and Trixie) THE GOOD, THE BAD, and THE VAMPIRE focuses on the building relationship between Dakota and Trixie, as well as the hunt for a missing child, and the re-emergence of a supernatural power long thought extinct. Dakota and Trixie are bloodmates unaware of their fated coupling. Although the attraction between them is immediate, Trixie continues to push Dakota in the opposite direction while she endeavors to keep secret a part of her past that is easily deduced by the reader. When Dakota discovers Trixie’s hidden agenda, our couple come together to search for the truth, and the whereabouts of a small child that is close to Trixie’s non-beating heart.
The relationship between Dakota and Trixie is one of immediate attraction but Trixie denies that any chemistry exists. Trixie is a woman who keeps too many secrets and doesn’t want anyone to know about her late night travels, and where it is she goes. Dakota is a cowboy; a former Texan whose vampire lifestyle and history of killing could very well place him in danger when his entire past is revealed. While Dakota and Trixie search for a missing child, Dakota’s past resurfaces from the grave seeking vengeance and retribution. Both Dakota and Trixie have pasts mired in secrets, sins, darkness and betrayal. The $ex scenes are intimate, seductive and erotic.
Most of the previous story line couples play a secondary and supporting role including Trixie’s sister Maya and her mate Shane, as well as the Presidium Czars Olivia and Doug. We are also introduced to a species not previously mentioned in the series-I am wondering if Sara plans another spin off or will entwine these new characters into the current series.
The world building continues to focus on the supernatural world of vampires, werewolves, witches and more-a world that must be hidden from the human population, but a world that is growing with every installment and character introduction. THE GOOD, THE BAD, and THE VAMPIRE ventures into new territory-Texas to be exact-and the possibility of a new paranormal series.
THE GOOD, THE BAD, and THE VAMPIRE has a little bit of everything: love, lust, romance and $ex; heartbreak, betrayal and deceit; supernatural elements; and a happily every after. The premise is engaging and entertaining; the characters are colorful, charismatic and animated; the romance is a push and pull between two people whose past lives have control over their present. Sara Humphreys adds another fascinating element to her paranormal series of stories and romances.
Reading Order and Previous Reviews
The Reading Cafe
The Reading Cafe
The Reading Cafe
The Good, The Bad, and the Vampire
Copy supplied by the publisher through Netgalley
Reviewed by Sandy
Dakota Shelton, the newest sentry for the Presidium, the vampire government, was not an easy man to ignore.
His six foot two inch broad shouldered frame towered over her easily but there was something else about him that set her on edge. It was the way he carried himself. He moved effortlessly and casually, as if he was just the good-old boy from Texas he claimed to be.
But Trixie knew better.
He was a sentry, a member of the elite vampire police force, and he was anything but good. Beneath that easy breezy charm lurked an executioner who could kill her, and anyone else nearby, in the blink of an eye. Dakota was deadly, stealthy, and full of swagger and that was probably why she found him undeniably attractive.
She never could steer clear of dangerous men.
If Trixie La Roux had one talent in this shitty crazy world, it was picking the wrong guy. As a human, her poor choices in men constantly got her into trouble. When Olivia had found her in the abandoned subway tunnels of Manhattan, Trixie had just had her heart stomped on by yet another guy. He’d betrayed her, thrown her away and tossed her aside like she was nothing.
Men lied.
They did and said anything to get what they wanted.
They made promises that were never kept.
In the end she was always alone.
Abandoned.
Worthless.
She was powerless…until she became a vampire.
Once Trixie was turned, she slipped easily into the strength and independence that came with immortality. Being a vamp was clear and uncomplicated. There was no guesswork about how to navigate the world and better yet, there was no addiction. She had finally been freed of the drugs that had kept her prisoner as a human.
She refused to be addicted to anyone or anything ever again.
“So what’s in the box, darlin’?” He inched closer. “I bet it’s real nice.”
“Quit calling me that, would ya?”
“Why?” His grin broadened. “What would you prefer? Sweetie pie? Honey bee? Or maybe, sugar?”
“As if!” Trixie snorted with a laugh. In spite of how sexist it was to call her or any woman by pet names, she was surprised to find herself amused. Coming from him it seemed kind of…appropriate. “How about if you try using my name? Like, I totally have one, thank you very much. Jeez, get with the program, cowboy. Don’t you know that it’s chauvinistic to refer to a woman with names like that?”
“Come on, now,” he sighed. “I’m just bein’ my normal self, is all, Miss Trixie.”
“Not Miss Trixie,” she said with waning patience. “Trixie. Okay? Like, just plain old Trixie.”
“Girl,” he said through a laugh, “you are anythin’ but plain.”
“And you are anything but normal.” She chuckled and sliced a sidelong glance in his direction. “Sally.”
“Why are you always lookin’ to pick a fight with me?” Dakota asked, stopping in front of the Czars’ apartment door. “Were you this feisty as a human?”
“I guess you’ll never know.” Trixie stuck her tongue out at him. “I’m all vampire and being feisty is totally my thing, man.”
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Sara Humphreys is the award-winning author of the Amoveo Legend series. The third book in the series, Untamed, won two PRISM awards: Dark Paranormal and Best of the Best. The first two novels from her Dead in the City series have been nominated for the National Readers Choice Award. Sara was also a professional actress. Some of her television credits include A&E Biography, Guiding Light, Another World, As the World Turns and Rescue Me. She loves writing hot heroes and heroines with moxie, but above all, Sara adores a satisfying happily-ever-after. She lives in New York with Mr. H., their four amazing sons, and two adorable pups. When she’s not writing or hanging out with the men in her life, she can be found working out with Shaun T in her living room or chatting with readers on Facebook. For a full list of Sara’s books and reading order, please visit her Website.
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Laurelin Paige is the NY Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today Bestselling Author of the Fixed Trilogy. She’s a sucker for a good romance and gets giddy anytime there’s kissing, much to the embarrassment of her three daughters. Her husband doesn’t seem to complain, however. When she isn’t reading or writing sexy stories, she’s probably singing, watching Game of Thrones and the Walking Dead, or dreaming of Michael Fassbender. She’s also a proud member of Mensa International though she doesn’t do anything with the organization except use it as material for her bio.
