Rating: 3.25 stars
Buy Link: Amazon | iBooks | Amazon UK
Length: Novel
It’s been seventy years since vampire Theo Ostin saw his family murder a town of humans and then watched as his parents were staked. He escaped as a young boy and has been living on an isolated island shrouded in magic ever since. Only one man knows that Theo is still alive, but that man can’t live forever and Theo’s care is now in the hands of Paxton Huxley.
Paxton never had a family that looked after him and now he lives and fights for everything he has, and he still never feels safe. When Pax meets a man on the beach, he receives a note, a pendant, and a boat, and his life is changed forever. Now, Pax is called to work for Theo, of the royal family Ostin that Pax learned about in school. Theo is cold and abrupt when they first meet, but neither man knows what the other has been through. The attraction between them simmers deep within their blood and they find a home together. But Theo thinks his problems are insurmountable for Pax to want to be around for the long haul and Pax still has unfinished business off the island. But now that Pax and Theo have found each other, they are determined not to let the other one go.
This is the first book in the Isle of Ostin vampire series and introduces the overall world and to Theo and Pax. We do meet Leven as well, and Leven has cared for Theo for the past 70 years. He got him to safety as a child and now Leven leaves the island periodically to restock supplies. But Leven is no longer able to care for Theo and he finds that Pax is the man to take over.
Since Theo has been isolated, he has a lack of social skills. He has unmanaged PTSD and agoraphobia, as he is terrified not only to leave the island, but the castle itself. The island is cloaked in darkness and Theo has many issues. Pax’s home life was a struggle and now he is on his own living in a dangerous apartment with dangerous neighbors and Pax is afraid to go home every day.
Humans are aware that vampires exist in this world, but ever since the incident that led to the death of Theo’s family, vampires don’t make themselves known. The royal families, including Ostin’s, are taught in school and, since no one knows exactly what happened when Theo’s family turned violent, vampires are not welcome anywhere.
With this book, I really liked the story it was telling, but the execution was weaker for me. Many plot points felt entirely too convenient, the “bad guy” seemed like a caricature, and I didn’t feel a lot of chemistry between Theo and Pax. I also wanted more on Leven and then how he came to choose Pax. That wasn’t included in this book, but there is a free story offered at the end that gives some of that information. While it was great to get that insight, I would have preferred it in the main book.
This is book one in the series, which was released in 2022, and there are three others released already. The second book features a new couple, but the overreaching story will still continue and I’m intrigued by the world enough to give the second book a try.
