We will review the Dreamspinner Press advent calendar one review a day. At the end of the month THREE winners will be picked to receive some great prizes!

First prize is 10 books from your Dreamspinner wishlist .

Second prize is 5 books from your Dreamspinner wishlist.

Third prize is 3 books from your Dreamspinner wishlist.

December 22

Reviewed by Vicki

TITLE: The Vampire’s Dinner 

SERIES: 2016 Dreamspinner Press Advent Calendar – Bah Humbug

AUTHOR: T.J. Nichols

PUBLISHER: Dreamspinner Press

LENGTH: 39 pages

RELEASE DATE: December 1, 2016

BLURB:

For vampire Charles Redfort, Christmas is a bitter reminder of the day he was killed by a werewolf. After fleeing the vampire army he was created to serve in, he has lived in exile in England. Once a year he allows himself to tell the truth about his life over dinner. Then he eats the man he’s hired for the night.

Blake Wells is an engineering student by day and escort by night. He works Christmas because he doesn’t want to see his father, and his mother doesn’t want to see him. When he meets Charles, he thinks he’s gotten a bonus present that he can’t wait to unwrap. But as the truth is revealed, Blake will have to think fast to live until morning and convince Charles to give up his lonely life.

REVIEW: 

Yup. Vampire, rent boy, Christmas, I’m sold!

Blake is a rent boy, selling himself in the evenings to pay for his education. He is hired on Christmas Eve to have dinner, and spend the night with a man in a fancy hotel. He’s a little uncomfortable with the situation but isn’t really sure why. He shows up anyway, and gets more than he bargained for…. In the form of Charles, a four hundred year old vampire. Charles indulges once a year, on Christmas, by hiring a man for the night and ending his life. He also gets more than he bargained for with Blake!

This is a hot little story and I really loved it! I’m not usually one to give five hearts to a 39 page story, but I couldn’t resist with this one. I love vampire stories, especially ones about tortured vampires. The ones that are dark and broody, fighting their nature. Charles is the perfect example of that. We get just a little of his past, and now he’s tired, lonely, and maybe somewhat bored. So yet again, he hires a man for Christmas, indulging him, feeding him, fucking him, and then planning to kill him. But. He’s met his match with my other favorite trope, the rent boy. Blake is young, hot, and paying his way through school by fucking men. He’s doing what he wants to do, and using what he can to make it happen. He’s not tortured, miserable, or forced to do anything he doesn’t want. He’s strong and motivated. He’s obviously shocked and scared by what he encounters, but then works to get himself in to a better situation.

So yah. Dark and broody vampire, strong and motivated rent boy. Perfection! Add in a little hint at sex, some good blood sucking, some tasty food, and I loved it. This is a well written, well plotted out, short and yummy holiday treat. I was surprised at the depth the author was able to get in his characters and the story in such a small amount of space. I feel I did get what I needed to understand these men, and I’m satisfied with the story and where it ended. That’s hard to do in only 39 pages! Vampire fans and rent boy fans should give this one a read!

RATING: 

BUY LINKS:

Dreamspinner Press

Amazon