This is the sixth book in the super-long Argeneau series of paranormal romances, in each of which--as I understand--a vampire meets his/her life mate and does so in circumstances that yield varying levels of humor. A quick comment from the Argeneaus--don't say "vampire" and "human." Say "immortal" and "mortal." I stand corrected. After all, every book in this series gets an extra half star from me for the author's brilliant idea about the beings that disrespectful people call vampires. What makes the Argeneaus so nice? Nanobots! Or, as in this book, bionanos.
The origin of vam--I mean, immortals is shifted from fantasy, myth, you name it, to science fiction. Specifically, as Lucian Argeneau explains here to his newly turned life mate Leigh Gerard, a combination of nanotechnology and bioengineering in the extremely advanced science of Atlantis before the catastrophe that sank it into the sea. The self-replicating bionanos were injected into people for quick healing of injury and disease, but surprise! The nanos combat aging, treating it as a disease (I agree), making the recipient immortal (except for death by fire or decapitation).
The only drawback? You guessed it--the nanos need blood, so the immortals on Atlantis had to have transfusions, which of course were no longer available after Atlantis fell. So this book provides a new explanation of those other "vampire" traits that the surviving immortals developed: very, very quick evolution on the part of the nanos to secure their blood supply. Fangs, of course, but also mind control, so that immortals could get blood easily from the primitive barbarians who lived beyond where Atlantis used to be (and we're never told where that was, though logically it would have sunk into the Atlantic Ocean, wouldn't it?).
Well, after that valuable world-building update, how does Lucian find Leigh? He's one of the survivors from Atlantis, born in 1534 B.C., and his wife and children died when Atlantis crashed. In his grief he shut himself off emotionally and remained single for more than three thousand years. Over that time he became an important figure on the immortal council, creating and enforcing laws that bind immortals. To prevent immortal overpopulation, they can only turn one person during their lifetime, and they can have only one child in every century. And in modern times, with blood banks, no more biting of mortals unless it's an emergency!
An immortal who violates these and other laws is a rogue, and rogues must be killed quickly before they do too much damage. Lucian leads a team of five immortals from Toronto to Kansas City to find a rogue named Morgan, who is rapidly controlling and turning mortals to build up an army. Morgan's latest conquest is Leigh, owner of Coco's restaurant and bar, through his new vassal Tommy, who's infatuated with her and thought they could be together forever as immortals.
Tommy thought he was going to turn Leigh, but Morgan took over and did the deed. Of all his victims, though, Leigh was the only one he couldn't control completely, and that motivates the rest of his story. A wild action scene ends with Morgan and Tommy escaping while Lucian brings Leigh home to Toronto to be cared for during the painful process of turning immortal, as the nanos take over her body.
I've covered the part of the story that's revealed in the blurb, which tells us that Lucian becomes Leigh's tutor, quite against his will as it turns out; he was delivering her to his sister-in-law Marguerite, but Marguerite's house was empty. She had just left for Europe to take on a new job. So Lucian's team goes after Morgan and Tommy while Lucian, Leigh, and Marguerite's wonderful huge mastiff Julius stay in her house in (or near) Toronto for the hellish turning process.
Lucian has become quite used to getting his own way over the centuries, and his solitary commanding personality sets up some remarkably effective physical comedy. It was like revisiting slapstick films from the 1920s as Lucian makes one mistake after another. He hasn't tasted food for two thousand years, but as the blurb tells us the life mate connection with Leigh reawakens his delight in tasty food and drink, which other immortals routinely enjoy.
And he hasn't enjoyed sex for even longer, not since he lost his wife on Atlantis I think, and it isn't clear to me just how celibate he's been. Anyway, that gets reawakened too, in two major scenes with minutely graphic detail from both points of view; those scenes do advance the plot, though I found myself skimming them to catch the embedded plot points.
No spoilers here, but as usual in this series there will be danger--and the funniest scene of all happens immediately after the final combat. If you've already read this book, I think you know what I'm referring to. All romantic misunderstandings should be like that one!
Speaking of that, it's a romance that mostly avoids the tired old plot devices; there's a small misunderstanding on Leigh's part but it's resolved fairly soon. A few of the familiar characters come on scene, especially Bastien who functions as the primary fixer of problems. Highly recommended!