Roman (Vampire’s Mate #1) by Grae Bryan

Expected release date: June 13

To me, this felt like a re-write of Twilight, only with Bella – sorry, I mean Danny – being an adult, and there actually being some nookie.

This doesn’t have to be a bad thing. But I didn’t expect it, and most importantly, I hadn’t realized I signed up for super sweet low-angst.

So. Danny is an incredibly tender-hearted guy, working as a nurse, supporting his mother who’s suffering from dementia and living in a nursing home.
Roman is a very old vampire who’s sort of on the run, and who happens to pass by the town where Danny lives. He feels a pull, is drawn to the hospital where Danny works, and when he lays eyes on that sweet nurse, well, that’s it.
Fated mates and all that.

Now, this story is very well written. Bryan knows what their doing. The world-building isn’t particularly advanced, but there are supporting characters that flesh out the read just enough to make it interesting which avoids the trap of a too single-minded and straight storyline.

However, the easy and fast way that Roman and Danny came together didn’t really appeal to me. I love romance reads, and insta-love doesn’t have to be a bad thing. But truthfully, once Danny had accepted Romans non-human status (which was fast by the way) and fell head over heels, I lost interest. The ensuing drama felt a bit too fabricated. Or maybe it was just too Twilight-like and predictable. Or maybe Danny’s sugary sweet and forgiving disposition made him hard to like. In the too-good-to-be-true kind of way.

That being said, overall it was an entertaining read.
And I’m guessing that Danny’s brother and Roman’s friend Soren will get it on in the next book. Which I’m keen on reading. Since both of those guys seem to be less perfect than Danny (and truthfully Roman too), I will probably enjoy that book way more than this one.

But still. 3.5 stars.

* A free e-copy of this book was kindly provided by Gay Romance Reviews and this is my voluntary and unbiased review *