Red-Haired Ash Reads

Tess is on the run from her former employer. She decides to audition to become the human attendant to a vampire in the hopes the powerful Nightkind domain will protect her. What she doesn’t expect is the right-hand man of the Nightkind King, Xavier del Torro, to be her new employer or for her to feel herself falling for him. 

This is the second full length vampire novel we have gotten but this one revolves around the actual Nightkind domain instead of Carling’s court. Xavier is the right hand man of Julian and has a very interesting backstory that brings fear to most people. While he can be a dangerous enemy, in this we see a different side of him. He doesn’t have a normal vampire household and it was interesting to see how different his house is to the majority of vampire kind. Xavier was just a bit of a surprise in how different he is perceived and who he really is.

Tess is a strong woman who has fought her whole life. When she does something stupid at her previous job she finds herself on the run and seeking powerful allies. Tess was a very determined woman who tries to not let her fear control her life, but it does occasionally make her do stupid and reckless things. I liked Tess and how she never gives up during her training. I also liked that while she may have been terrified of Xavier at first she still wasn’t afraid to tell him what she thought. 

Their relationship is a bit slow building at first because they don’t spend a ton of time together. Once they start spending more time together though they fall pretty quickly. I enjoyed their relationship and getting to know more about the Nightkind leaders. I especially enjoyed how determined Xavier was to teach Tess to dance, even at the risk of his toes. 

Overall, this was enjoyable but not one that will probably stick with me in this series. I am interested in reading the next one about Julian, even though currently I don’t really like him. I appreciate Harrison expanding this universe with stories that include other creatures’ domains and want to see what else we learn about the Nightkind and their king. 

TW: death of family members mentioned;

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Previous books and reviews for the series:

#1. Dragon Bound
#2. Storm’s Heart
#3. Serpent’s Kiss
#3.5 True Colors
#4. Oracle’s Moon
#4.5 Natural Evil
#4.6 Devil’s Gate
#4.7 Hunter’s Season
#5. Lord’s Fall
#5.5 The Wicked
#6. Kinked
#6.5 Dragos Takes a Holiday
#6.6 Pia Saves the Day
#6.7 Peanut Goes to School