Dinner With a Vampire (The Dark Heroine, #1) by Abigail Gibbs

Oct 14, 2012 Louise rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: arc, vampires, romance, teen-fiction, first-in-series, urban-fantasy, crap-protagonist, arsehole-love-interest, 2012-reads, 2010s, female-authors, british-fiction, mary-sue, modern-fantasy, so-not-the-taget-audience, rape-as-drama, terribad, disturbing-romance, crappy-romance, published-online, slut-shaming, don-t-waste-your-money, when-is-the-plot-getting-here, will-not-read-sequels, rushed-ending, 0-stars, unlikable-protagonists, gave-to-charity, reviewed, new-authors-2012, shit, casual-misogyny

0 Stars

Objectively the worst book I have read, not just since I started thinking critically about books or reviewing, but ever.

(view spoiler)...more
0 Stars

Objectively the worst book I have read, not just since I started thinking critically about books or reviewing, but ever.

(view spoiler)

In short: this book simply too bad for me to hate it. It's so clearly not of publishable quality that I just feel kind of sorry for it for not being given the constructive criticism and redrafting it so desperately needed before being sent out into the world.

Terrible writing, terrible editing, and a terrible plot. 0 stars.

Thank you to Waterstones for sending me an Advance Review Copy.(less)

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Sep 21, 2012 Jess rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The sequel, Autumn Rose, has a publication date of August 29, 2013!!

I was one of the lucky ones to have read this on Wattpad up to chapter 61 before chapters were taken down. It was formely known as "Dinner With a Vampire. Did I Mention I'm Vegetarian?"
However, the author who is known as Canse12 on Wattpad never posted the ending. So now I'm on the edge of my seat anticipating the release of this book so very very badly.

EDIT

I'm finally reading this after waiting for what felt like a very long t...more

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Apr 28, 2013 Marina rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: a-class-vampires, in-one-word-good, great-fantasy, kick-ass-heroes-heroines, funny-and-easy-reads, all-things-paranormal

BEAUTIFUL. BEAUTIFUL. BEAUTIFUL.

Read in 2 days, completely sucked in (pun intended).
Why is it so hard to write about books you loved? I feel at such a loss for words and that familiar warmth when you have trully enjoyed a read.

The originality of this story blew my mind in bits and fireworks. When you hear the words "vampires" and "romance", you think you have everything figured out. But in all earnest, there is absolutely nothing predictable.

How is this for a first meeting?

‘Kaspar, are we goin

...more

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Apr 16, 2013 Ashleigh Paige rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: arc, a-whole-new-level-of-boring, e-arc-via-edelweiss, i-screamed-at-it, main-character-needs-to-shut-up, makes-feminist-me-very-unhappy, please-no-more-slut-shaming, rage-rage-rage, shit-or-get-off-the-pot, so-bad-that-i-refuse-to-finish-it, such-a-disappointment, take-your-sexism-and-get-out, the-shameful-shelf-of-get-rid-of-it, troll-book, what-kind-of-mess-is-this, why-oh-why-did-i-fall-for-the-hype, worst-books-i-ve-ever-read, wow-what-a-douchecanoe

Any novel that makes it okay when the primary love interest threatens/attempts to rape his love interest is on my shitlist. Dinner with a Vampire is the topmost name on said shitlist for this and more. I slogged through 400 pages of this bloated, melodramatic mess before it became impossible.

There were dozens of dynamic opening lines I considered for this review, but that one in particular gets across exactly what someone is getting into if they decide to read this novel. Some people are only go...more Any novel that makes it okay when the primary love interest threatens/attempts to rape his love interest is on my shitlist. Dinner with a Vampire is the topmost name on said shitlist for this and more. I slogged through 400 pages of this bloated, melodramatic mess before it became impossible.

There were dozens of dynamic opening lines I considered for this review, but that one in particular gets across exactly what someone is getting into if they decide to read this novel. Some people are only going to glance over the first lines of this lengthy review and I want to make what little they'll see have a serious impression on them. Despite receiving six figures for it, Gibbs' novel lacks any redeeming qualities and immature in its execution and characterization.

Right off the bat, we're hit with a lack of logic. Considering the police and Violet's dad already know about vampires and want an excuse to come after them, it's actually safer to let Violet go free than to keep her among vampires. She's kept more because the plot of the book demands it than because it makes sense. Even after reading the entire novel, I'm still not sure why Kaspar didn't kill her.

Violet, despite being the daughter of the Secretary of State for Defense, says "Vampires are monsters. Monsters do horrible things. Humans don't (Dinner with a Vampire, p. 39)." Has she never heard of Ed Gein? Charles Manson? Ted Bundy? Timothy McVeigh? Adolf Hitler? I could go on and on with all the humans who have done monstrous things. This is supposed to establish how in denial she is about what's happening to her and it works somewhat. What it does more of is establish what she is throughout the novel: naive and annoying. I can't remember any redeeming qualities she has.

The beginning isn't so offensive or cliched, but this doesn't last long. Kaspar's bed buddy Charity is almost immediately established as mean girl love rival number one. This happens around the same time the Kaspar/Violet/Fabian love triangle sets in. Then Lyla, Violet's insta-best friend, turns into a second mean girl love rival. Slut-shaming is everywhere, and it's portrayed as wrong when it's Violet being called a slut, but it's apparently right when it's Charity. What? NO. Double standards are not welcome here. Kaspar starts playing hot and cold, the antagonists are flat like paper, and it steals the "are you scared of me?" "I'm not scared of you" bit straight out of Twilight.

Unfortunately, this is not the only double standard of the novel. When Violet takes Kaspar's condoms as a prank, he responds by ATTEMPTING TO RAPE HER. This get brushed off and he remains the primary love interest. When another guy attempts to rape her and then kill her? He's evil.

WHAT IS THIS? Whether it's a vampire novel or contemporary novel or any other kind of novel, it is NEVER okay for the love interest/hero to threaten to rape the heroine, condescend to her all the time by calling her Girly, blame her for the terrible things he does to her, or do pretty much anything Kaspar did to Violet. The way she shrugs off all the bull he throws at her and still fawns over him? That is called RAPE CULTURE and it's dangerous. It's why society still says "she asked for it" when a girl gets raped or assaulted.

I know vampire lit. Dracula has been one of my favorites since the age of seven,. Vampires remain my favorite monsters despite the oversaturation of them in the current market and there is no counting how many vampire books I've read. I have written my own book centered on vampires (and nothing I have said or will say about this book has anything to do with professional jealousy, so don't even try it) because I love vampires so much.

I could wax about all the ways in which I establish the antagonist vampire in my book as evil, but the point: I never use rape to do it. Rape is THE cheapest way to portray a character as evil because it lacks effort and is beyond offensive. Really, what of the double standards? Another character is evil for trying to sexually assault Violet, but Kaspar is good and droolworthy when he does the same thing? This issue is never addressed.

This book reinforces the rape culture people like me have spent so much time fighting and makes teen writers such as myself look bad. If only I'd recognized that I read part of this when it was still on Wattpad as "Dinner with a Vampire. Did I Mention I'm Vegetarian?" It was awful then and it's awful now. I just have a better sense of exactly how bad it is. On the bright side, I didn't pay for this fat piece of badfic.

I received an ARC from the publisher via Edelweiss for review. Also, I hated this book so much that it took me five months to post my review of it here. Truth.(less)

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Apr 12, 2013 Kirstin rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult, vampires, romance, paranormal, mythology-fantasy, mystery

NOTE: My review is based on the original draft she has posted online on Wattpad.

*POSSIBLE SPOILERS AHEAD*

Abigail Gibbs is already a big thing in the world of Wattpad. When you say her name, Dinner With A Vampire is always associated. I discovered her story a long time ago. And I'm one of the earliest readers of the novel. Glad I had stumbled upon it.

They say she is the next Meyer. I don't know whether to agree or not. Because if they were talking about her writing, Gibbs proved better. I think...more

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Oct 16, 2012 Sam rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: arc-or-galley, fantasy-or-paranormal, romance, paranormal

2.5 stars

Sometimes I just can’t resist. Tell me that a story was a Wattpad sensation with over 16 million views, written by an author only 15 years old at the time, and picked up by a well-established publishing house in a six-figure deal, then naturally I’d be curious. Dinner With a Vampire, unfortunately, failed to impress. Yet again, I am left wondering if the problem is me and not the book.

The cover claims this book is the ‘sexiest’ romance I’ll read this year – quite a bold statement, in...more

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Sep 25, 2012 Chelsea rated it 3 of 5 stars

I really wanted to like this book. There was a lot of hype surrounding the author, who is just eighteen and landed a six figure publishing deal. It is definitely a different take on vampire lore, but it wasn't enough to keep me interested. When I was 75% done with the book I actually thought about putting it away, but I figured I had come this far...

What bothered me the most about this book was her writing style and lack of character development. It didn't flow at all; each time I picked up the...more

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Apr 07, 2013 Nicki rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, fiction, supernatural, romance, young-adult, dreadful, don-t-touch-with-a-barge-pole

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. This book is dreadful. It was written by a 15-year-old girl and it shows. Everybody in it behaves like a stroppy teenager, even the centuries old vampires, who should know better. It's all breathless teenage romance, darting from "God, I hate him!" to "God, I love him" and back again throughout the entire book.

The heroine, Violet, is bland and boring, and a complete Mary Sue to boot. Kaspar, the vampire prince love interest, is thoroughly unpleasant. He's arrogant without being charismatic. He'...more This book is dreadful. It was written by a 15-year-old girl and it shows. Everybody in it behaves like a stroppy teenager, even the centuries old vampires, who should know better. It's all breathless teenage romance, darting from "God, I hate him!" to "God, I love him" and back again throughout the entire book.

The heroine, Violet, is bland and boring, and a complete Mary Sue to boot. Kaspar, the vampire prince love interest, is thoroughly unpleasant. He's arrogant without being charismatic. He's apparently gorgeous, but entirely unattractive. He also oscillates between "God, I hate her!" and "God, I love her!" and back again.

None of the characters in this book ever develop. They start off two-dimensional and remain that way. The readers are simply expected to accept plot points and vague explanations about why these two are destined to be together. Violet's abrupt change of heart about vampires is waved away as Stockholm Syndrome. She fails to take her chance to escape for captivity because she doesn't want to see her ex-boyfriend. It's all pretty laughable really.

The writing is atrocious, overblown and painfully laboured. There are spelling and grammar mistakes throughout. The editors and publishers should be thoroughly ashamed of themselves for this.

The chapters are mainly told from Violet's perspective, but sometimes jump to Kaspar's point of view. This doesn't work at all. Neither do Violet's dreams, when the reader is suddenly thrown to a different narrator, with no warning.

Throughout the novel, Kaspar calls Violet "Girly", which the author seems to want us to take as a term of endearment, but is actually irritatingly patronising.

Which brings me to something else that really bothered me. Many of the characters repeatedly refer to Violet as a bitch, a slut or a whore. These are words that are only ever used for a female character. Kaspar, who is undoubtedly much more promiscuous than Violet, isn't referred to like this. I found it quite disturbing that a young female writer felt the need to resort to using sexist slurs like this so often.

There are so many things wrong with this book, I'm amazed that it got published. Apparently, it was a internet hit, so it smacks greatly of a publisher trying to cash in after the Fifty Shades of Gray phenomenon. I, for one, certainly won't be picking up the sequel.

(less)

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Sep 11, 2012 Jord¥n marked it as maybe-read · review of another edition

Apparently this is the new Twilight and this Abigail is going to be the new Stephenie Meyers ....I highly doubt that. Everytime a new author publishes a vampire romance book for young adults its all" new twilight" and crap. Its getting old people. Anyway why the fuck would anyone would wanna be like Stephenie Meyers??? She completely ruined vampires....

I will read this but I definitely don't have my hopes up.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09...

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Sep 14, 2012 Vasya rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy-paranormal, netgalley-arc

First, I would like to say that I've read this story on wattpad.com before it was published, so some of my references in this review might be a little bit confusing to some, but I will try to clear it up as much as I can.

Second, I've been a fan of Canse12 (aka the author) for a while and I never would have guessed that the story is inspired by Twilight. I mean, There is just no connection that my mind can grasp and establish between the two works other than it revolves around vampires, and that...more First, I would like to say that I've read this story on wattpad.com before it was published, so some of my references in this review might be a little bit confusing to some, but I will try to clear it up as much as I can.

Second, I've been a fan of Canse12 (aka the author) for a while and I never would have guessed that the story is inspired by Twilight. I mean, There is just no connection that my mind can grasp and establish between the two works other than it revolves around vampires, and that is even a greater blasphemy of this work in connection to the Twilight, because this one actually has backbone. The world the Varns live in, the dimensions, the blood and gore is incomparable to Twilight, so if you are a fan of it, don't expect anything similar to this book. If you're not a fan, read it because you won't find anything similar in it.

Now, the story is great. From it's rough draft to it's published version, it simply enchanted me and I never would have guessed, although I hoped, that it would come this far. I love Violet, I love Kaspar, and almost everything in this novel has a kaspary feel to it.

I gave it four stars instead of five because there were some inconsistencies in the book that were rather obvious to me because I've read the draft, but that won't be to those who are not familiar with the work Gibbs published on wattpad. There are some references to events that have not occurred in this version or are slightly different (view spoiler) - and there were just enough of those mistakes that I just couldn't enjoy it to the fullest, as I would have liked. I also had a problem with the roundabout way everything near the end worked out - it was a tad too slow for it to be a culmination point worthy of an epic ending - but I liked it in the end and I do plan on reading the next book.

I am quite happy that this book has got it's ending. I always felt that I left something unfinished with it, but now I am able to bring it to a type of closure, because I will be waiting for that sequel - and I sincerely hope that it will come soon.

P.S.Kaspary: a level of awesomeness so high it kicks everyone’s arse leaving them breathless and bewildered - just so you know the definition :)(less)

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Feb 14, 2013 Michelle rated it 1 of 5 stars

I just couldn't like this book.

What I took away from this book is that it was OK that the hero was abusive to the heroine. After all - vampires are predators - and the heroine has a 'Destiny', so when she falls in love with the guy who mistreats her, it's absolutely fine.

Yes, the heroine questions whether or not this is a case of Stockholm Syndrome. However, as she has a Destiny, she just knows this is real. When she is also seconds away from being executed by the father of our hero - he doesn't...more

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Nov 16, 2012 Catherine rated it 2 of 5 stars

Awwwwwwww I really wanted to like this one :( It started out with so much promise and there is no doubt that Abigail has talent in spades (and at such a young age!!!!) but for most of this book I just wasn't feeling it. I think my main problem were the chapters told from Kasper's POV. They were not convincing, especially when I compare them to say the two 'Sweet Evil' chapters Wendy Higgins published recently from Kaiden's POV. There is no doubt about it - that IS Kaiden's uncensored bad boy sel...more

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May 16, 2013 Imogen M rated it 1 of 5 stars

The cover of this book hold quite the large promise, "The sexiest romance you'll read this year". I can tell you quite simply that it fails to deliver.

I shall start by saying that I haven't finished the novel, however, I have no intention of doing so. This story has a jerky beginning, we're plunged immediately into an extremely contrived world. I thought to myself, "this seems like a poorly written online story..." and it turns out that is this story's very origin. The story lacks the mature wr...more The cover of this book hold quite the large promise, "The sexiest romance you'll read this year". I can tell you quite simply that it fails to deliver.

I shall start by saying that I haven't finished the novel, however, I have no intention of doing so. This story has a jerky beginning, we're plunged immediately into an extremely contrived world. I thought to myself, "this seems like a poorly written online story..." and it turns out that is this story's very origin. The story lacks the mature writing that a story deserves. It seems much like a story that an inexperienced young author slapped together as a first draft of a story that should never be published.

The heroine of the story, Violet, has a relatively benign personality. Full of odd moments of courage and indignation and then suddenly so wounded and defeated again. Kaspar seems a complete beast and is not given nearly enough redeeming qualities within the first 100 pages of the novel.

The characters and situation all seem painfully cliche and far too simple. I was expecting more originality in the plot, and a stronger and more complex one. I was thoroughly unimpressed.

And can we just take a minute to acknowledge the scene where Violet takes Kaspar's condoms as a prank? How insanely immature a plot point. It was awkward, strange, and should've been left out of the book entirely. When I think of a sexy romance novel, the last thing I think of is a prank involving bloody condoms. Maybe that's just my personal taste, however.

I shall not bother to finish this book seeing as it failed to hold my interest (and actually turned me completely off from finishing it) by page 100.

Also, the mistreatment of Violet by Kaspar within the beginning goes far deeper than him being vampire and her being human. He is downright cruel, and I'd hate for any young girl to pick up this book and rationalize his treatment of her. That's a horrible message to accidentally and carelessly be thrown out by the author.

Ms. Gibbs clearly has an imagination and is dedicated enough to type out a story, however, it's the editors and publishers of the book who really let it fail. It should never have been published, and is lacklustre in plot, character development, and even writing style.

Don't bother to pick it up.

Dinner With a Vampire (The Dark Heroine, #1)

(less)

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May 11, 2013 Rachel rated it 5 of 5 stars

One of the best books I have ever read.
To think a 18 year old woman wrote this is truly astonishing. She is a much better writer than other authors that I will not mention.
The book: it has 549 pages of fast sexy tensing shocking speechless pages of brilliance. I loved the main character violet. She was cool, fiesty, not afraid to face things, strong and very likeable. The other main character Kaspar was also sexy, dangerous, and totally dizzy worthy off. Yes, sadly he could be a real massive d...more

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Apr 22, 2013 Kysha Coates rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: fucking-amazing

Where to begin...

For starters I really wish I could have given this book 4 stars... maybe even 3 1/2 stars, but dammit... I loved this book.

Alright, so why did this book deserve less then 5 stars? Well there was a lot of issuses. A lot of sentences were awkward and I questioned a lot of the words Abigail Gibbs used (could be that she was born in England and I'm not use to the slang and etc.). There was also a LOT (and by a LOT I mean like once or twice in every chapter) of crying. Literally, ev...more Where to begin...

For starters I really wish I could have given this book 4 stars... maybe even 3 1/2 stars, but dammit... I loved this book.

Alright, so why did this book deserve less then 5 stars? Well there was a lot of issuses. A lot of sentences were awkward and I questioned a lot of the words Abigail Gibbs used (could be that she was born in England and I'm not use to the slang and etc.). There was also a LOT (and by a LOT I mean like once or twice in every chapter) of crying. Literally, everything made Violet cry (however, I do think that is important and I'll explain why when I get to the pros).

Another thing that was annoying was how confusing the actual story was. The book is about the "Dark Heroine", but until the end of the book the reader has NO idea what the fuck is going on with that. More then half of the book is focused on KasperXViolet and the fact that he kidnapped her. Throughout the book the "Dark Heroine" is metioned and there is little talk about the prophecy (until the end of the book). The reader will pick up on some things... until later you find out the prophecy was rewritten and no one knows about it (but then you find out EVERYONE important knows about it). I feel like Abigail Gibbs wrote this as if trying to create dramatic irony (where the reader knows something the character doesn't), but everyone was equally clueless.

The next thing on my list of "shit that was annoying, but not really" was how corny a lot of things were. Actually, "corny" isn't the correct word, but fuck it. It's my review. Anyway. It was more like... "I'm the author and I'm going to write whatever the fuck I want! And I don't care how out-there it is!" For example: Guy from another dimension (is it sad that I opened the book to a random page and found that word?) shows up, creates fire from nothing, and basically says, "It's magic. And by me saying it's magic explains how I can do this." There were a lot of "corny" and unexplained situations. Oh... which reminds me. The vampires have a pet Squid named Inky who lives in their lake (yes, that IS exampled, but WTF, mate?). (The title was also very lame. Dinner with a Vampire? Seriously?)

Around Chapter Forty-Five the book starts to go a little down hill. The actual story picks up BIG time (the whole "dark heroine" thing), but Kasper starts to lose his... 'ness. It shadows in and out, but I missed Kasper's attitude.

UGH! And do NOT get me started on the back of this book! The description is TERRIBLE. BLOODY, FUCKING, TERRIBLE. Just... seriously, fuck the back of this book. Fuck it with a cold, hard, vampire dick (*Cough*OMGSPOILERTHEYHAVESEX*Cough*).

Alright... now that I'm done ripping apart The Dark Heroine (I refuse to call it by it's actual title) I'm ready to explain why I loved this book.

Kasper is EXACTLY the kind of guy I want to read about. He's mean, he's badass, and he doesn't give two shits about anything! Seriously, he's NO pussy. (I bet my signed copy of Sweet Peril he could kick Edward Cullen's ass.)

Oh and I guess I should talk about why the whole crying thing was important. It was a (mostly*Cough*Spoiler*Cough*) human girl kidnapped by vampires. (Not to mention her sister is in a hosbital with cancer, her older brother died, her best friend went into shock after seeing all the dead bodies from when Violet was kidnapped, and her father is a complete D-Bag. Who the fuck wouldn't cry?) I saw her crying to be important, because it shows her weakness and humanity. Lame? Maybe, but it was a good reminder.

Anywho... back to why I loved this book. Kasper. O-M-G, Kasper. There isn't a lot of books out there that have a guy as bad as Kasper. And when I say bad I don't mean "bad-boy" bad. Kasper is borderline evil. Love it. *Sigh* My dirty little secret is out. I don't like to read about pussy-ass bitch boys. Or even the "bad-boy" who can be "changed". None of that "Oh he skips class everyday!" and it turns out it's because he's walking his little brother/sister home from school. BULLSHIT. And none of that, "Oh I'm so sensitive. I'm a boy that writes in a diary and creepily watches the girl I'm into. But it's cool, because me being a stalker comes acrossed as me being romantic." FUCK THAT! I like to read about the badass boys who have a soft spot (but are STILL badass even with the soft spot). Does that make sense? Like, he's bad inside and outside, but when his women is in trouble he's ready to save some damsel ass!

Anywho... I can easily see why some people will HATE this book. But you know what? Grow a set.(less)

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Apr 18, 2013 Lady Entropy rated it 2 of 5 stars

The only reason why this doesn't get 1 star it's because I've sincerely read far far worse (especially from Portuguese writers).

While I do know this is a 16 year old who wrote it, I am not inflating the grade for it. She is talented, don't get me wrong, and she will write very well if she trains and learns to do so.

But this is still worse than Twilight, as far as Teen Vamp\Human romance goes.

The "main plot" (and the whole thing with the Dark Heroines) is crowbared in at the end and feels like an...more

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Apr 17, 2013 Marisa rated it 5 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. This has easily become one of my favorite novels I have ever read. With that having been said--this book is DEFINITELY not for everyone. There are some rather disturbing elements to this book, such as Kaspar initially kidnapping Violet and threatening to kill her; Violet finding herself nearly raped and killed by a terrifying vampire in the hierarchy; Kaspar's obvious bloodlust and inability to keep cheap sluts out of his bedroom (this really drove me up a wall, but sexuality is a huge part of t...more This has easily become one of my favorite novels I have ever read. With that having been said--this book is DEFINITELY not for everyone. There are some rather disturbing elements to this book, such as Kaspar initially kidnapping Violet and threatening to kill her; Violet finding herself nearly raped and killed by a terrifying vampire in the hierarchy; Kaspar's obvious bloodlust and inability to keep cheap sluts out of his bedroom (this really drove me up a wall, but sexuality is a huge part of the vampire world, so really, what can I expect?) and the way her "friends" do a complete 180 and change their opinions and attitude toward her, which had me shaking the book in frustration and wanting to kick Lyla in her all-too-perfect butt!

I had fallen hard for Fabian at the beginning--he just seemed so sweet and full of love for her, it was enigmatic and I was just so drawn to him, wishing that HE would be the one she was going to fall for. My heart twisted painfully as she rejected him multiple times, but unfortunately, you can't always choose who you fall in love with, and that was made painfully obvious as Kaspar really treated her like crap at first. And then, suddenly--so quickly, it gave me whiplash--Fabian and Kaspar change their personalities toward her and I found myself vying for it to work between the two "star-crossed lovers," though it just seemed doomed from the start. And then my heart rejoiced when I read that long before they were even born or thought of, fate had tied them to each other, sealing their fate before they could even choose. Fortunately, they do choose one another, and the way they come together is beautiful.

Anyway, enough gushing. There were some things that seemed a bit too clinical and at times, slightly confusing and a bit like she was trying a bit too hard to make Violet the cheeky, stubborn teenager, but I chalk that up to inexperience. I still can't believe the author is only eighteen, and I truly commend her work and can't wait for the next installment in this series and to watch her grow as an artist. I will definitely be reading this book again and I will be anxiously awaiting her future writings!(less)

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Apr 10, 2013 Harpercollins Canada rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: hcc-march-madness-2013

I was a bit skeptical when I picked up The Dark Heroine because I was worried it was going to be just another vampire novel. It’s been compared to Twilight (a series I admit I devoured), but it’s been called a bit sexier, a bit more scandalous, and a bit darker. Those reviewers aren’t lying. It’s sexy, scandalous, dark, and it’s much more than another vampire novel.

I couldn’t put down The Dark Heroine once I picked it up. I loved the characters that Gibbs created and the relationships and tensio...more

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Apr 08, 2013 Claire rated it 4 of 5 stars

Dinner with a Vampire was an impulse buy for me, I was in a book shop when I first noticed the distinctive cover and seduced by the black edged pages. I didn’t know anything about the book and couldn’t get internet connection on my smart phone to read any reviews about it but I was intrigued enough to buy it. Once home I did a little research and found out that the author started writing this book three years ago on wattpad.com when she was fifteen, that it got 17 million reads and that it was b...more Dinner with a Vampire was an impulse buy for me, I was in a book shop when I first noticed the distinctive cover and seduced by the black edged pages. I didn’t know anything about the book and couldn’t get internet connection on my smart phone to read any reviews about it but I was intrigued enough to buy it. Once home I did a little research and found out that the author started writing this book three years ago on wattpad.com when she was fifteen, that it got 17 million reads and that it was being touted as the new Twilight in reviews. Now both of these things put me off the book immediately as I don’t like YA and was worried by reading such a young author, but I started reading anyway and couldn’t put the book down.

Now don’t get me wrong there are quite a few things that are wrong with Dinner with a Vampire. The writing needs an overhaul, it is trying too hard to be grown up and wordy and I find this off putting, but I have to remember that this book is written by somebody so young who is finding their voice. The plot has some big holes in it that I chose to ignore whilst reading otherwise it would have driven me mad and the characters are not consistent in their actions. But saying all of this I come back to the fact that I couldn’t put the book down.

Whilst I find this book to be a little YA, which is more down to the author’s writing than the story, it is also very much adult with a sex scene and graphic killing. I really wish Ms Gibbs had written this story when she was older using older characters but as it seems there will be a few books in the series I am intrigued to see how she develops as a writer.

I was in two minds about what rating to give this book. I wanted to give it 3 stars but again I came back to the fact that I couldn’t put it down so thought it deserved 4 stars. I do recommend this book and if I was still a fifteen year old ‘alternative’ girl rather than a something-ish woman that I am now this would have been the best book ever for me. The front cover says it is ‘The sexiest romance you’ll read this year’ well I disagree with that but then again Kaspar Varn is pretty hot. I will say if you do purchase this book to get the paperback if you can rather than the ebook because it is gorgeous and will look lovely on your bookshelf.
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Apr 06, 2013 Catherine rated it 1 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. It is difficult to find a redeeming factor in this awkward paranormal love story. Given that the main characters are ill developed, and the story is badly written, I had to force myself to care about any of it.
The "heroine", Violet Lee is kidnapped by 6 vampires after witnessing a massacre in London's busy spot, Trafalger Square, and forced to enter their Kingdom, being told, she will have to turn and become a vampire, it is a question of *when* not *if* she will fold.

Back story is that Vampires...more It is difficult to find a redeeming factor in this awkward paranormal love story. Given that the main characters are ill developed, and the story is badly written, I had to force myself to care about any of it.
The "heroine", Violet Lee is kidnapped by 6 vampires after witnessing a massacre in London's busy spot, Trafalger Square, and forced to enter their Kingdom, being told, she will have to turn and become a vampire, it is a question of *when* not *if* she will fold.

Back story is that Vampires were around for millions of years hunting animals,humans come along, vampires switched to hunting humans, humans got smarter and hunted vampires, The Queen wanted a truce, got murdered by Lee's father and somehow there is a prophesy that there will be 9 heroines that will save the 9 parallel universes and save the world, with Lee being the second heroine, having to betray her family and become *gasp* A VAMPIRE TO DO SO.

In the midst of these politics, She is cat nip to several male vampires, gets attacked and raped by one of them, and a week later, gets drunk from by Kasper, and kissed by the best friend Fabian.
If that wasn't enough, even her ex scum bag boyfriend Josh has a scene in Hamley's, drawing a rather baffling conclusion the reason for Miss Lee's disappearance is due to him leaving her. Lovely.

Honestly.

Added to the fact that there is the worst romance (almost makes Belle/Edward seem a better love story) between the Womanising Prince Kasper and Violet. It is a love hate love hate relationship that made me want to slap both of them. I get that he is an arse, for slapping her and threatening to rape her..but what is her reasons for buckling? She said no to Fabian so it is not like she is lacking the strength after telling him to piss off several times already!

I could not recommend this book to anyone, even someone who enjoys watching two species fall in love. Pick up the "Black Dagger Brotherhood"http://www.goodreads.com/series/41963... series instead. Much better in every aspect of the romantic paranormal genre.(less)

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Mar 29, 2013 Zili rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy-ya, vamps-demons

With the tag line 'The Sexiest Romance You'll Read This Year' I wasn't entirely sure what to make of The Dark Heroine. Although there are sex scenes, I wouldn't class it as sexy, nor would I group it as a NA novel. It's definitely not an adult book but with the semi-domestic abuse, attempted rape, underage drinking and teenage sex it doesn't totally fit as a normal YA novel either. For the sake of arguing I'm going to class the book as a Fantasy YA novel and leave it as that!

The book begins with...more With the tag line 'The Sexiest Romance You'll Read This Year' I wasn't entirely sure what to make of The Dark Heroine. Although there are sex scenes, I wouldn't class it as sexy, nor would I group it as a NA novel. It's definitely not an adult book but with the semi-domestic abuse, attempted rape, underage drinking and teenage sex it doesn't totally fit as a normal YA novel either. For the sake of arguing I'm going to class the book as a Fantasy YA novel and leave it as that!

The book begins with Violet Lee (who is both human and a teenager) essentially being kidnapped by Vampire Prince Kasper Varns after witnessing a brutal mass murder by a group of strange, beautiful and obviously not human young men. These young men are Vampires in the midst of a war with a group of hunters. Of the title, I won't say too much as I don't want to give the plot away but the Heroines form part of an inter dimensional prophecy of which involves both Violet and Kasper. Told from the POVs of Violet and Kasper, the imprisoned Violet must allow herself to 'turn' and become a vampire to leave captivity (said captivity is a huge mansion, full of handsome, rich vampire men who seem to find Violet irresistible). Having initially only witnessed the vampires feeding, killing and womanising, she finds the idea of becoming a vampire abhorrent!

The royal family (the Varns) belong in a strange middle section of vampires as they are not fully evil a la the 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' non souled type vampires, but then again they are definitely not vegetarians like the 'Twilight' Cullens. The Varns tread a very fine line between good and evil. For most of the book Kasper is horrible, selfish and spiteful and I was left wondering if his actions were actually justifiable. At times I found Violet really frustrating because she allows both Kasper and Fabian (a vampire Earl) to manipulate and use her. Kasper in particular is very close to being guilty of domestically and verbally abusing Violet. However, Gibbs does repeatedly address the idea that these vampires are dark and powerful. They are not fluffy, sparkly, toothless vampires. For the most part I did find myself liking Violet, Kasper and Fabian (I personally would have made both Kasper and Fabian suffer a lot more for their actions)!

I can honestly say that this book has left me confused. It'll take at least another read to decide whether or not I really enjoyed it or really didn't!? There were some really funny parts, including sabotaged blood and destroyed condoms...! Eventually Violet transforms into a spunky, courageous character who doesn't want to be used by everybody whether that be for blood, sex, power or status. The story continues in the next book Autumn Rose (out in August 2013).

3.5 Stars
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Mar 15, 2013 Becka rated it 2 of 5 stars

I expected a lot more from something promising to be "the sexiest romance you'll read this year." Unfortunately, this one doesn't even rank among the sexiest romances I've read OF ALL TIME.

The characters are fine if familiar archetypes: the feisty young heroine; the dark, brooding jerk who may or may not have a heart buried beneath all his cynical bullshit (I have my doubts about this, given all of the gratuitous rape threats).

I'm so incredibly tired of female main characters calling other (usua...more

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Mar 13, 2013 Yan rated it 1 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Oh how I wanted to love this novel. My favorite genre is paranormal romance, and this was up my alley. The synopses was something that I wold pick up in a heartbeat, but as I've learned, the synopses does not always agree with the book.

When Violet Lee witnesses a killing in front of her, she is taken captive by none other than Kaspar Varn, heir to the throne of a vampire kingdom. Together, Violet and Kaspar will succumb to fate and their passion.

Smack dab on the cover of The Dark Heroine, it is...more Oh how I wanted to love this novel. My favorite genre is paranormal romance, and this was up my alley. The synopses was something that I wold pick up in a heartbeat, but as I've learned, the synopses does not always agree with the book.

When Violet Lee witnesses a killing in front of her, she is taken captive by none other than Kaspar Varn, heir to the throne of a vampire kingdom. Together, Violet and Kaspar will succumb to fate and their passion.

Smack dab on the cover of The Dark Heroine, it is claimed that this is “The Sexist Romance You’ll Read This Year”. Quite honestly, you might say this is indeed sexy; it is full of kisses, sex, rape, and don’t forget the orgies. Vampires, however, don’t seem consider the time and place for most of these actions though. Just a fair warning, all of that does occur. The book was not graphic though, but there are many cusses.

I do enjoy Gibbs’s world building. Her idea of multiple dimensions and parallel connections and a prophecy of nine women tying them all together were intriguing. It is something a little different from the other paranormal romances I’ve read. I also appreciate her slow introduction into the world; there’s nothing more boring than reading pages and pages of information just thrown in your face. The Dark Heroine, however, has only covered 1 dimension in which the vampires reside. The sequel will cover where the magicians reside, so it is a slow world building, but definitely more gratifying than word vomiting.

The pacing to The Dark Heroine was awkward and clunky. The shifts between politics and romance were abrupt. In one chapter there’s talk about going into war and fighting hunters, the next chapter some vampire guy is hitting on Violet and asking her to a dance/ball. What?

Anyhow. Violet Lee is not one of my favorite heroines. She’s a damsel-in-distress and constantly forgets that is a hostage that may cause a war. She’s spunky and has plenty of lip, but I find Violet so frustrating and too naïve. In a hypothetical scenario where I was held captive in a building full of people who can kill me and happily drink my blood, and my death can cause a full on war, I would not play a prank on someone who does seem to like me very much. I love sleep and all, but if it was between my life and not getting a good night’s rest, I would choose life. There is a time and place to play pranks. There is also Violet’s thinking that they should treat her better. I laugh and laugh because she is a hostage and that thought pattern eludes her. Throughout the novel, the vampires do treat her kindly, but when they threaten and are physically rough she cries. Get over it. (As a side not, Violet’s eyes are violet, but there is no real significance to her eye color so I do not quite understand why it was mentioned so often.)

Then there’s Kaspar. I have few more colorful words than jerk, a term most commonly used by Violet in describing Kaspar. (Really, is jerk all that you can come up with?) Kaspar is the typical bad boy turned good guy by the right girl. He is obnoxious, a manslut, arrogant with an ego that can fill the room, with bits (tiny bits) that show him to be gentle and caring. There are some chapters when Kaspar’s emotions are at a high that it will be in his POV which offer some insights. I wished these chapters were more frequent as many of his actions were at odds to what he says and what (he says) he feels.

The romance between Violet and Kaspar appeared to be forced. Riding on the fate track works and calling it love was contrived. I found the foundation of the romance to lean more on lust and the rest (conversations, intimate moments, commonness) hastily thrown on top.

The side characters on average were eh. I liked some, but many were cliché. Violet’s best friend is of course beautiful and flirty. To the readers, she doesn’t sound like a very good friend. Kaspar’s best friend, Fabian, doesn’t sound quite a great friend either. And I do not, do not, understand why being rejected by a girl is a good to participate in an orgy. I would name more, but the list will get too long.

In all, I would most likely not read the sequel toThe Dark Heroine. While I find the world building fascinating, the characters and writing style did not click for me. I rolled my eyes and scoffed too many times for me to consider this book something I would want to read again.

On another note, The Dark Heroine is pitched for lovers of Twilight and A Discovery of Witches. I have not read A Discovery of Witches so I can vouch for that comparison, but comparing The Dark Heroine to Twilight is pushing it.(less)

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Mar 11, 2013 Sara rated it 5 of 5 stars

So you know I love me some vampires and romance novels and when you combine the two, it is really hard for me to not like it. I admit- I am a bit biased but this book deserves that love because I really loved it. I also loved Kaspar and dammit why couldn't I have met a hot vampire pre-Matt? WHY, world, why?
*sigh*
But this book is clearly the start of what absolutely be a series. If it is not a series I'm going to be a very unhappy romance novel/danger for the girl/bad boy turning out to the be h...more So you know I love me some vampires and romance novels and when you combine the two, it is really hard for me to not like it. I admit- I am a bit biased but this book deserves that love because I really loved it. I also loved Kaspar and dammit why couldn't I have met a hot vampire pre-Matt? WHY, world, why?
*sigh*
But this book is clearly the start of what absolutely be a series. If it is not a series I'm going to be a very unhappy romance novel/danger for the girl/bad boy turning out to the be hero loving reader.
It begins by Violet witnessing the mass murder of 30 humans, in the middle of London, and then being kidnapped by the vampires who do the mass murder and is essentially held hostage ever since. You meet the Varn vampire family, and the prodigal prince son Kaspar along with others who you will either love or hate. It's seriously a toss up and what you feel for them in the beginning will most likely change towards the end.
Vampires are tricky like that.
But then as Violet begins to have feelings for Kaspar, and is conflicted with the political strife which doesn't make sense to her- she finds out (kind of) about the Prophecy and the Heroines. Everything rides on this Prophecy which not everybody believes in, but turns out to be true. Very true. Confusing, but true. And under it all is this really weird "will they or won't they" relationship between Kaspar and Violet. Kaspar is conflicted about Violet because he knows he is "tied" to someone and whether he likes her or not, he's stuck with her but he doesn't know who she is. Violet doesn't know this and while he's developing feelings for Violet, he knows that him being tied to someone will break her heart.
Or will it?
I can't tell you, but I was literally on the edge of my seat finishing this book up. There are still so many unanswered questions- the largest being who are the other heroines? You find out who one and two are in this book but there are many more. And who will die as a result of the discovery of the rest of the heroines? What happens when they go to Athenea?
I'M IN SUSPENSE, PEOPLE.
The best part about this book? Is that really, it reads as a YA because Violet is 17 in the beginning, but it has very adult stuff (not graphic, but you get the hint of what exactly is happening), and I loved having the best of both worlds. I want you to get this right now, read it, and then tell me what you think.

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Mar 10, 2013 missusmarsten rated it 2 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. The tagline for this book is "the sexiest romance you'll read all year". I personally like to call it "the most abusive romance you'll read all year". The sad thing is this book really had potential. There really is something unique here with the world building but the pace and the characters simply can't keep up.

But mainly I was genuinely concerned for the female protagonist and her fragile state of mind that allowed her to fall in love with such an abusive male character (and the authors too...more

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Mar 05, 2013 Patty rated it 4 of 5 stars

The Dark Heroine
By
Abigail Gibbs

My "in a nutshell" summary...

OMG...London...desires...a vampire...actually many vampires...a young girl taken against her will...this book is a suspense filled odyssey.

My thoughts after reading this book...

Wow...deception, vampires, treaties, wars, kings, princes and Violet. Violet...who innocently waited for her friend in the streets of London and was caught in the middle of a vampire rampage. She thinks she escapes only to be swept off by the Varns...a vampire f...more

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Jan 31, 2013 Amber-Leigh rated it 5 of 5 stars

This was such an amazing book. Really, it's been a while since I've read something that's captured my interest so completely that I've stayed up till 4am just so I could finish it (and on a university night too - but it was worth it).

I'll admit I was skeptical going in. The first few pages had me worried that I was going in to yet another twilight regurgitation, but I was very mistaken. Within two chapters I was hooked,the book being fast paced and emotive almost from the very beginning. It was...more

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Jan 27, 2013 Jessica rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: own

so i picked this up as an arc...though apparently a very late one lol because i was super curious. the front cover promises the sexiest romance ill read this year and the back cover describes it as between twilight(disgusting) and a discovery of witches (one of the best books i think ive ever read). i started reading and was disappointed to find that not only is this not a romance until like 400 pages in....its more like a cross between twilight and fifty shades. it was like reading a trainwreck...more so i picked this up as an arc...though apparently a very late one lol because i was super curious. the front cover promises the sexiest romance ill read this year and the back cover describes it as between twilight(disgusting) and a discovery of witches (one of the best books i think ive ever read). i started reading and was disappointed to find that not only is this not a romance until like 400 pages in....its more like a cross between twilight and fifty shades. it was like reading a trainwreck i was disgusted yet couldnt stop. anyone whos read reviews of vamp books has likely seen the ranters that theyre all antifeminism sadomasachistic drivel but until i read this book i never ever saw it that way. before i go intodetails let me say that i hope if this isthat poor childs idea of romance i hope she gets some serious help before going off to college.
so the book:the character of violet starts out just lovely shes feisty and sarcastic and doesnt back down even in the face of death. however all but the sarcasm pretty much does out by the end of the book along with all her ideals and morals. id understand some give in those as we all shift with experience...but to go from youre a muderer stay away from me to hey you killed some girl when she refused to have sex with you as she bled to death but he i love you anyways? little much
the other characters arent much better all the minor characters are fickle shallow thing vamp amd human alike. by the end the only one i actually event semi liked was the king because at least he had a stance and stuck with it. kaspar was a real piece of work and as someone with a psych background i have to wonder who went in to creating a monster like that. i quite understand beind cold and aloof after losing someone. but becoming someone who will kill indiscriminately and screw anything that moves is far out of my minds constraints. violet comments every 20 pages or so how he treats her wonderfully one min and then abuses her in various ways the next.and he has no real purpose behind any of of it at the beginning so i fail to see how anyone could come to love such a creature much less turn her back on everything shes ever known just to be with someone who ABUSES her!!!! and this isnt like a pleasurable bdsm type thing at all its straight up meets all criteria of domestic abuse.
so characters were unrelatable and downright scary mostly...plot: i am actually impressed by the idea behind the novel and possibly intrigued enough to maybe give the second one a chance. i always enjoy a fresh take on the paranormal though id have liked to get the origin myth that most have. unfortunately the writing style and even more the editing leave much to be desired. granted mine is an uncorrected copy so i suppose its possible that the real thing may be better but unless its a solid rewrite i doubt it. the main plot along with the "romance" got lost in boring meaningless filler for about 400pages or so. other than a couple of notable scenes i feel like i could have read the first 50 and the last 150ish pagea and probably wouldve like it a whole hell of a lot more. the author is bad about introducing things then not at all or far too late explaining them. for instance up until around pg450 the two leads keep referring to my "voice" but its incredibly unclear whether its the little voice inside all our own heads or something else entirely. it seems like a small thing to fuss over but again its one of those things you get every 20 pages or less and it drove me nuts. there was a whole lot of details about things that seemed.to me insignificant and far too little about important plot points for my taste.
overall i think its plainly obvious that this was written by a teenager.(though admitedly still a better author than twilight) while she started with an exceptional idea it got watered down by her writing skill which while not necesserally bad definitelyhas room to grow. i found the characters too flat and their motives too unbelievable. while i think she shows great promise i sincerely hope that she moves away fro. the darkness a little. while part of the vamp appeal is their dark side i feel she went to far to that side and not enough of the other sides to balance them out into characters you actually enjoy reading about.
sidenote-before i started my review i had no idea this was an online phenonmena and according to other reviewers there are alot of plot things missing from the published edition in which case its possible many of my writing style complaints are on the editors heads more than the authors because who would edit out important plot points but leave 300+ pages of meaningless drivel that is supposed character development?
the character issues i had i stand by though. why did violet choose to be with someone she admits treats her poorly and why oh why would she be so wishy washy (takes the moral high ground about killing but forgive mindless purposless killing though the thought still upsets her)?(less)

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Jan 22, 2013 Julie Fisher rated it 2 of 5 stars

I picked this book up after seeing an interview with the author on breakfast TV and thinking that it sounded interesting. I was very excited about reading it, but by the end I was only reading because I hate to leave books unfinished.

The main problem for me was that I found the characters essentially unlikeable, in fact I spent most of the book trying to decide which of them I hated most, and this combined with the language used by the author made it very difficult to read.

There were also a lot...more

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Jan 19, 2013 Marianne rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: must-read, all-time-favourites, are-you-joking-why, books-that-made-me-cry-like-a-doope, covers-that-look-really-beautiful, recommendations-for-readers, favorites, january-favourites

“For Violet Lee, a chance encounter on a darkened street draws into a world beyond her wildest imaginings, a timeless place of vast elegance and immeasurable wealth- of beautiful mansions and lavish parties- where a decadent group of friends live for pleasure alone. A place from which there is no escape...no matter how hard Violet tries.”

Sometimes all we need is a bit of reality check and the reality check is, this book is to die for.
Not only is it so entertaining, I’m not even finished with the...more

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Kaspar or Fabian?	7	33	May 17, 2013 05:23am
Have you read the book?	12	56	Jan 14, 2013 02:03pm

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Dinner With a Vampire (The Dark Heroine #1)

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