Vampyre

After falling in love with Suzanna Levis’s Eresthai series, I decided to step outside my comfort zone and give this one a chance—and I’m so glad I did. Vampire romances usually aren’t my first choice. Too many portray vampires as cruel, emotionless monsters who mistreat the very women they’re supposedly destined to love, and that isn’t the kind of relationship I enjoy reading. I’m drawn to strong, resilient heroines and romances built on mutual respect. Vampyre was one of the first vampire books I’d read that offered a different portrayal, and I loved that about it.

The story follows Viola, whose world is shaken by her father’s sudden death. With few choices, she accepts Lord William Spencer’s marriage proposal, but his charming surface doesn’t last long. Then Viola discovers a tortured Vampyre being held prisoner in the house. Faced with two very different kinds of danger, she makes a risky choice and forms an alliance with him. I’ll leave the details there so you can discover how their story unfolds for yourself.

Viola is fierce and resilient, and she refuses to let what happens to her decide who she becomes. That made her easy to root for. The Vampyre may be powerful and frightening, and he has to fight the darker instincts of his nature, but he has more depth than his fearsome reputation suggests. Watching both characters change—and seeing trust grow between them—was one of my favorite parts of the book.

What I especially appreciated is that the romance doesn’t ask me to mistake cruelty for devotion. The story has violence and abusive dynamics, but the relationship that won me over is built on protection, trust, and emotional growth. It gives the characters room to show compassion and tenderness without pretending the darker parts of their world don’t exist.

The spice is around 3.5/5. The romance is passionate, but the plot and character development remain at the center, so the emotional moments feel just as important as the physical ones.

Levis’s writing made it easy for me to settle into this world and care about the people in it. Her storytelling pulled me through the darker moments and left me thinking about the characters after I finished. I noticed a few minor pacing hiccups and typos, but they didn’t affect my overall reading experience or lessen my enjoyment of the story. I was simply not ready to leave these characters when I reached the last page, and I’m already looking forward to continuing the Bloodlines series.

WOULD I RECOMMEND VAMPYRE? I’d recommend Vampyre to readers who enjoy paranormal romance with a strong heroine, a love interest with a frightening exterior and more going on beneath it, and a relationship built on trust and protection. If you’ve avoided vampire books because you’re tired of seeing abusive behavior dressed up as passion, this may be a refreshing change. Just be aware that the story does contain dark and violent material.

MY FINAL VERDICT: Vampyre gave me the vampire romance I didn’t realize I was hoping to find: dark, emotional, and centered on characters who grow closer through trust rather than cruelty. I loved Viola’s resilience, the Vampyre’s emotional journey, and the way Suzanna Levis brought their world to life. I’m very glad I stepped outside my usual reading comfort zone for this one.

Final Book Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5/5) | Spice Rating: 🌶️🌶️🌶️½ (3.5/5)

NOTE: I first read Vampyre on Inkitt before purchasing the Kindle eBook and paperback editions on Amazon. This review reflects the paperback edition I purchased on May 1, 2023.

Trigger warnings: Please read the author’s content warnings before starting. They include extreme violence and gore, sexual assault and abuse, domestic violence, off-page rape, and violent death.