Reviewed by Becca
TITLE: Vampire With Benefits
SERIES: Supernatural Selections #2
AUTHOR: E.J. Russell
PUBLISHER: Riptide Publishing
LENGTH: 266 pages
RELEASE DATE: November 26, 2018
BLURB:
Silent film actor Casimir Moreau had imagined that life as a vampire would be freewheeling and glamorous. Instead, he’s plunged into a restrictive society whose rules he runs afoul of at every turn. To “rehabilitate” him, the vampire council orders him mated to an incubus with impeccable breeding who’ll mold Cas into the upstanding vampire he ought to be. Or else.
As an inactive beaver shifter, construction engineer Rusty Johnson has fought—and overcome—bias and disrespect his entire life. But when his longtime boyfriend leaves him for political reasons, Rusty is ready to call it a day. Next stop? Supernatural Selection and his guaranteed perfect mate, a bear shifter living far away from Rusty’s disapproving clan.
But then a spell snafu at Supernatural Selection robs both men of their intended husbands. Rusty can’t face returning to his clan, and Cas needs somebody on his arm to keep the council happy, so they agree to pretend to be married. Nobody needs to know their relationship is fake—especially since it’s starting to feel suspiciously like the real thing.
REVIEW:
I have so loved this series. Paranormal stuff is some of my all time favorites and it’s been a treat to see so many different paranormal characters. They’re so fun, even flawed as they are. The flaws they have make them better people or try to be better people. So you have this whole good against evil thing going and it’s good to see how it turns out.
In book one, Ted was supposed to marry Rusty and Quentin to Cas. But Ted and Quentin were destined, which left Rusty and Cas. Cas left. He was in trouble and didn’t know what to do. The vampire ‘council’ was about to string him up if he didn’t get married and quick. But he figured out a solution and it got him married, temporarily, to a very gorgeous shifter named Rusty. The more time they spend together, the more they are really getting close. To the point of falling in love. And Cas is rethinking decisions he made and is learning life as a vamp isn’t all it’s glamoured to be. But enemies are closing in, innocents are being brought into things they shouldn’t be and Rusty has to now make a decision that could change the course of everything. Even remembering Cas.
When these two got dumped and left at the altar, it was so horrible. I mean yeah, it’s an arranged thing, but still. They had hopes and expectations, only to have them shattered by a turn off Fate. They made the best of it. In the only way they knew how.
It irked me to no end to see how they were treated by their ‘clans’. Just because they were different, they were considered outcasts. Black sheep. And it’s heartbreaking. Cas seemed selfish in so many ways, but you learned he really used that as a defense thing. He was lonely. He hated his life. He wanted companionship. Love. Rusty was the same. And Rusty was even treated worse because of something wrong with his DNA. He was used by someone he cared for. Dumped without a second glance. But heaven forbid Rusty when tried to move on.
These guys have been through so much. But they held on to each other. Protected and stood up for each other. And when it all came crashing down, they did all they could to stand and survive. They had strength and courage in the face of some very bad stuff. And it made for a beautiful story.
RATING: 
BUY LINKS:
[…] Read More » […]