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The Kings #1

The Vampire King

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It was immediate for Roman. In three thousand years, he’d never lost control of his emotions, or his heart. But the moment he laid eyes on Evelynne Farrow, he knew she was the woman who haunted his dreams. And everything changed.

Everything.

Evie Farrow has always loved a good vampire romance. In fact, she makes a living writing them. While sitting in a coffee shop and working on her next mega-hot book, Evie is approached by a tall, dark, and handsome man who could have been pulled directly from one of her novels.

Unbeknownst to her, Roman D’Angelo is exactly what he appears to be – a vampire, and not just any vampire, but the king of vampires.

Unfortunately, while Roman is both ancient and invulnerable, Evie is flesh and blood. Just as Roman decides that he and Evie have a date with destiny, for reasons of their own, an ancient god and a homicidal vampire take an equally strong interest in her. To make things more complicated, there’s something very special about Evie. Something not quite human.

Can Roman fight off the incredible forces that would have Evie as their own long enough to win her heart, or will destiny betray him, and destroy everything he has ever dreamed of?


“Lalura had told him about her vision. Thirteen kings on a chess board – and thirteen queens….”

210 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 5, 2012

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About the author

Heather Killough-Walden

53 books2,169 followers
Heather Killough-Walden is a California native currently living in Texas with her husband and child. She is the New York Times bestselling author of the Big Bad Wolf series. Heather’s educational background includes religious studies, archeology, and law. She has traveled all over the world but hopes to one day live in a town with a world-class hockey team. (Let’s Go Pens!) Visit Heather’s website at www.killough-walden.com, where you can sign up for her newsletter. Also, be sure to keep in touch with her and other fans through her Facebook fan page and through Twitter (killoughwalden)!

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Displaying 1 - 30 of 346 reviews
Profile Image for Kat valentine ( Katsbookcornerreads).
616 reviews816 followers
October 8, 2017
The vampire kings lover!

Awesome spin on vampire romance!! Very well written,its a great read,good from beginning to end. Can't wait to read the next book in this awesome series!! All kinds of paranormal creature's from vampires to warlocks to to phantom's!! And talk about some hot sex,I'm thinking every woman should have a vampire lover!!
224 reviews33 followers
March 24, 2012
I really enjoyed the Big Bad Wolf series and was looking forward to this as the story was flagged at the end of the wolf series.

Unfortunately this was a bit of a disappointment and felt really insubstantial.

In essence: Roman gets a whiff of Evie, finds himself uncontrollably drawn to her, saves her life, rescues her from an attack by the Hunters and introduces himself as the Vampire King, who has a crush on her. Evie takes this all in good spirit and isn't too alarmed by the fact that she has been abducted by a rather hungry chap who is looking to drink her blood. It turns out that there is more to Evie than meets the eye and she is not herself fully human - what she is is never really explained - other than that she is his Queen and that all the Kings of the various races are in line to get a queen ( in forth coming books).

Bad guy kidnaps Evie, big fight and rescue, Evie is transformed into a vampire to save her life, so that she can have the joy of having to kill a human once a week so as to feed.

I really didn't think much of the book. The romance between Evie and Roman was ill formed and superficial. Also the whole I want to drink your blood until you die thing just makes me squeamish.

likewise the fact that the vampires of this world building also have 'to drink to the death' on a very frequent basis was extremely off putting to say the least!

as a general principle homicidal killers are not particularly attractive.
Profile Image for Alaina.
6,316 reviews215 followers
June 10, 2019
A pretty quick audio.

The Vampire King was one of those random books I got on my audible romance package.. but it ended up working for some tasks in a challenge. So, it was definitely a win-win situation.

So unlike most vampire books, this had a crap ton of information. At one point, I felt like my head was going to explode trying to keep up with every little tidbit of info I was given. Yet, I still liked the book. The characters, their romance, and some hot scenes definitely pulled me in. However, I was also a bit bored with this one. It's probably due to the whole info dump it did from time to time but I could also see myself diving into the next book as well.

In it, you will meet Evie and Roman. They are kind of cute and their relationship was pretty easy to follow. Yet, the whole I'm completely drawn to you after just meeting you was... eh to me. Kind of felt insta whatever and I don't like that in books. Besides the romance, the characters were okay. Yeah, some things did rub me the wrong way here and there but it was an audio - so I can't really get that mad since I was lazy and listened to the book instead of actually reading it.

Overall, if the next book is available on the romance package.. I might listen to it.
Profile Image for Teri.
1,775 reviews
August 11, 2019
So...unfortunately I was terribly bored with this book. It moved too slowly for me. There was a lot of potential (not necessarily original, but that's okay) but it just never really got anywhere for me. I didn't connect or care about the characters. i didn't feel any connection between Evie and D'Angelo. Our super villain was simply, super villainous. I'm just saying this was a miss and moving on.
Profile Image for Maria Lynn.
340 reviews141 followers
February 3, 2015
Well, that was…informative. Talk about information overload. At times I felt like I was reading a textbook and there was going to be a final exam at the end based on all the information that was given. I understand this is a new spinoff series and the author was trying to land the groundwork for future books but my goodness, that was a bit much.

I’m not new to this authors work by any means. I’ve actually read and loved The Big Bad Wolf Series and recommended it to all my friends and blog followers, so I couldn’t wait to get my hands on this one. I was a little disappointed though. The Vampire King just didn’t have the same spark, and lacked in comparison to it’s predecessor. I didn’t really connect with the characters either, and would’ve preferred to make my own assumptions on the story line instead of having everything spelled out for me.

Despite my issues with The Vampire King I’m going to continue on to The Phantom King (book 2) because I do love her writing... and I already purchased the whole series since I was convinced I would love it.
Profile Image for Katherine McCarthy.
Author 6 books34 followers
January 26, 2015
My Thoughts

In the words of Lalura - the wise advisor of the Kings:
“On a chess board, the queen is always more powerful than the King.”

Heather Killough-Walden delivers a fabulous tale of good vs. evil with deep characterization, enticing plot and lots of intrigue. She makes us truly care what the characters are feeling and what motivates them. The first novel in new paranormal romance series – The Kings - delivers us into an alternate reality of supernatural races – vampires, werewolves, Akyri, warlocks, witches, phantoms and the Thirteen Kings that rule.

So about the story…
This first novel revolves around the King of the Vampires. Vampires are the Offspring born of the union between a warlock and an Akyri (a dark and dangerous demon race) giving them the magical power of their warlock parent as well as strength and immortality of the Akyri. Vampires cannot be made. They must be born. Or so everyone thought.

After 3000 years, Roman, the vampire King and most powerful of all kings, has been advised by the witch Lalura that his queen is out there and he has to find her as she is in grave danger.

Evie is unaware of the existence of supernaturals. But there’s an interesting twist on our heroine. She is a Paranormal Romance novelist who writes about the world of vampires, werewolves and archangels. Despite her creation of these stories, she believes they’re just stories.

Charles is a vampire supposedly loyal to Roman and a member of his trusted team. Blaming Roman for the death of his friend, Charles plans his revenge by killing the vampire queen. In league with a warlock seer, she directs him to where he can find her.

And so the search is on.

Characters…
The characterization is deep in this novel and I found myself affected by Evie’s character. Her life is complicated and almost sad even. Deep down, she wants a normal life with family and children; however, she has so many other responsibilities she doesn’t have time or energy to pursue those desires. Besides self-publishing her novels, she is caregiver to her ill parents and volunteer at an animal shelter. She is an all around good person wanting to do good in the world but never seems to get ahead.

For a 3000 year-old vampire, you would expect Roman to be arrogant and out of touch; however, he is quite gentlemanly and kind. I wasn’t expecting him to shows kindness towards humans that he did which made him all the more appealing. However, he was also a force to be reckoned with if angered as we witnessed.

Charles, Roman’s enemy, is pure evil motivated by vengeance. The only redeeming quality I could see is that he did have love for his friend and mentor.

There were other memorable supporting characters that were key to the story and therefore we got to see a little into their background. Lalura is a witch and advisor to the Kings. David and Lizbeth are members of Roman’s vampire court and also close friends seeming to have Roman’s best interest at heart.

There are a few stories touched on in this novel that leave opening for future novels. Not all of the Kings were mentioned.
• We get a glimpse of Thantos – King of Phantoms and how he wishes to have a queen in his life. Once he sees Roman found his after 3000 years, he is full of hope.
• Jason Alberich – King of the Warlocks sees a woman he believes to be an Akyri and is desperate to follow her as she’s running away.
• Jesse is the Overseer of the werewolves and is being considered as the 14th King now that the curse on the werewolf race has been lifted and he his race is now considered a powerful ally.
• Ramses is in the story under the guise of leading the Hunters (those who hunt the supernatural race). He is actually the ‘god of gods’ looking for his beloved Amunet. He feels her presence and believes she must be one of the supernatural females already mated.

A Heather Killough-Walden novel would not be complete without the toe-curling passion she writes as only she can. There’s a beautiful chemistry between Roman and Evie that just keeps you cheering for them as a couple.

And finally, the epilogue will leave you stunned and feel like you were hit with a thunderbolt! That’s all I can say about that.

Bottom Line
In my opinion, the author delivers a fabulous tale of good vs. evil and this first novel has set the stage for a great series. It has everything that makes a great Paranormal Romance – passion, conflict, intrigue and compelling characters. Once I figured out the backstory, I really enjoyed this novel and look forward to reading the next in the series.

Happy Reading!!

4 Bad Boys – Really Enjoyed It!!!!
Profile Image for Lettee.
267 reviews10 followers
March 20, 2014
What an amazing book. I totally forgot how good of a writer Heather was. (No offense Heather!!) I had read The Big Bad Wolf series and loved it. I had read a few other books of hers as well and really liked them too. But then I got sidetracked on life and finally ended up finding my way back to her books. I am so glad I did too!

In this book you have The Vampire King, Roman, who has been around for 3 thousand years. When he kind of stumbles into a woman named Evelynn, (Evie for short.), she takes him by great surprise. Roman finds something alluring about her, apart from the fact that he believes she may be someone of great importance to him, that he just can't pull him self away from. So he basically stalks her for a couple of days and when Evie blows his mind over and over on her abilities of defying him, the game has just changed for him.

Evie likes to write supernatural books and when she runs into Roman, it's like her dream come true. However, is everything that Roman tells her and shows her too much for her to bare? And the fact that someone is out to get her reason enough to stick around Roman and heed to his charisma and the inexplicable need to be near and with him?

There is so much more that goes on besides just Roman and Evie's story. There are other characters in the story that have their own "story" being created as well, while mixing with Roman and Evie. You will fall in love with the characters and the way Heather creates the world around them. There is non-stop action, suspense, love and so much more. One of the other things that I really like about Heather's writing is the love scenes are not written in a vulgar way. They are soft in the wording but the meaning is quite clear and yet very enjoyable.

This is a great spin-off of The Big Bad Wolf series. Although it may not be necessary to read the BBW series first, it will help with recognizing some of the other characters in this series. Either way, I definitely recommend this book and series.
Profile Image for P.A. Lupton.
Author 2 books401 followers
March 12, 2016
I honestly had to struggle to make it all the way to the end of this novel. At some points, I literally asked myself why I was forcing myself to complete it. It was SO boring. Maybe it seemed so much worse to me because I had just finished an amazingly funny novel that I loved. When compared to that it may have just seemed worse than it was. Either way, I hated it and will not be continuing with this series.

Some of the things I disliked:

1. It is really boring

2. The POV changes are useless. There is no need to jump into the heads of the characters she was telling a story from. There were at least 5 POV changes to different characters in the book. It makes the story harder to follow and pulls the reader out the main story. Also, it seemed like the author was doing it to build a base for the next story. If I could give her advice, I would say the same thing to her as I say to my son when he's playing baseball and misses an easy out. I've asked him before why he missed such an easy play at second base when he makes catches that are 10x harder routinely. Every time he misses is when he's thinking about making a double play. I always tell him to just worry about making the out. Once that is done, then make the play. Otherwise, you end up with no outs. This is the same thing. The author shouldn't be thinking about her next story until she perfects this one, and this one was definitely not perfected. I think she should've focused those future story building pages on taking care of this story, but that's just my opinion.
Profile Image for Melissa.
Author 2 books336 followers
July 20, 2012
I haven't read the Big Bad series, but I rather enjoyed this book for my first introduction to Heather Killough-Walden. The book had so much going on and so many story lines going on that it kept me interested the whole time. I liked how even though there were sub plots to the book, it did not take away from the MC's

I thought Evie was a great character. Charming, witty, and beautiful. And Roman, wow! He was so intimidating and sexy I found myself smiling whenever he was around. By far, one of my favorite quotes by him:

"But you mesmerized me in an instant," he told her. Very slowly, very gracefully, Roman lowered himself to one knee if front of her so that they were eye to eye. "I took to the skies with you and nearly forgot the rest of the world. You rocked me to my core, Evie. Your heart sounded like music to me. The smell of you, the feel of you in my arms...It was magic."

I mean come on, who doesn't want to be fawned over by a tall, dark and handsome somebody? Thoroughly enjoyed the book! Looking forward to reading the second :)
Profile Image for Belkis.
782 reviews16 followers
April 7, 2012
Another really good read from this talented author. Fast paced, action filled, well rounded characters, interesting plots, imaginative concepts, sizzling romance, everything necessary to keep a reader's interest and more. Heather never disappoints!
Profile Image for Alexis *Reality Bites*.
757 reviews3,659 followers
September 28, 2012
Spoiler Free Review-Quick Review
3.5 STARS out of 5
Genre: Paranormal Romance

Paranormal romance author Evelynn Farrow finds herself ensnared in a world she thought only existed in her novels. And now she belongs to
The Vampire King

I very much enjoyed this PNR it was not the most original in terms of concept. However it kept my attention with the suspense and slow sensual building lovestory.
Roman D'Angelo has been King for over three thousand years when he finally sees her. The woman who he must protect, the woman that haunts his dreams. His Queen, Evelynn Farrow. Of course he is not aware of this at the time. What he does know is that he is immediately attracted to her. It slowly becomes clear that they are brought together for a reason. Two days... He spends two days not just following her but getting to know her by using his mind reading ability.
Just as he is about to make his move shots ring out.

Thoughts
Hmmmm. This PNR reminded me of a few of my faves. J.R.Ward and Gena Showalter for starters.
First, you have hunters... That sound familiar??? Second, The hunters have a mysterious unidentified leader. Again, sound familiar?? Third, the hunters are people against the vamps and wolves who seek to eradicate their lives. Fourth, you have the woman but not just any woman. This woman holds powers aka talents that cause her to stand out from all other women.
With all that said
The Vampire King has witches/warlocks, wolves, magic and twelve kings all paranormal in some way. Each will be paired with a queen by the end of the series. Of course the ending had a nice cliffhanger. Leaving me in need for more. Overall I really did enjoy the book and I will continue with the series. I will also be reading The Big Bad Wolf series which I probably should have read before this. It became apparent that the two series coincide with one another and that the characters cross over. Needless to say the wolves have piqued my interest.

My Ratings
Characters- likable
Writing Style- Good
Plot/Storyline- Good
Steam Factor- Medium/Moderately Steamy
Overall- I liked it!!! Check it out!!!

Now go forth and read. Then tell us all about it on Goodreads!
Profile Image for Michelle Leah Olson.
914 reviews104 followers
September 5, 2012
Our Review, by LITERAL ADDICTION's Pack Alpha - Michelle L. Olson:

The author graciously gifted me a copy of The Vampire King to read. While I was concerned I wouldn't get to it in a timely manner to read and review, I somehow found an opening in my schedule and settled in for the read. Boy am I glad I did!

The Vampire King is a great 1st book in The Kings series, a spin-off of The Big Bad Wolf, but more than able to stand on its own.

I love the underlying chess concept. Original, smart, and a great foundation for a new series. 13 Kings, each of a different preternatural race, each with a Queen out there somewhere... and of course, each with their own thirst for something - power, love, knowledge, etc.

Roman is the Vampire King and has been for millenia. He's sexy, powerful, & structured. He's a fair king, but he's not foolish to think that there isn't anyone out there who may want his head. When he discovers Evie and feels the attraction, he struggles with using his powers on her and I found that refreshing. I also loved how Heather detailed Roman's shock when all of sudden said powers no longer work and the meaning behind 'why'....

Evie is an everyday woman. She's a Kindle published author taking care of her aging parents and volunteering at an animal shelter. She immerses herself in her work though because she's always felt like there's more out there and has felt more 'at home' when living in her fantasy worlds with the supernatural. She's never really left herself time for a love life, so when Roman enters who world and kicks her hormones into hyperdrive she's not entirely sure what to do with herself.

Then there's our villain. Charles. Also a vampire, but one of the OTHER 12 Kings as well. He's got it out for Roman and will do just about anything to exact the revenge he feels is deserved, including taking away the one woman meant exclusively for Roman in all of the world.

The Vampire King is an action packed story with a diverse plot and engaging story. The characters are relatable, and the world is fabulous. I can't wait to meet the other 11 Kings and journey through their quest to find their Queens.

LITERAL ADDICTION gives The Vampire King 4 Stars and would recommend it to anyone looking for a sexy, thrilling Vampire Romance.

I can't wait to see what's in store for the phantom king in book #2. :)
Profile Image for Emily.
4,981 reviews525 followers
March 12, 2015
Evelynne Farrow has led a quiet safe life, as an author to paranormal stories her main relationships are the stories she creates in her head. When Vampire King Roman D'Angelo comes across Evie, he knows she is going to mean something important to him but he is not sure what her role is yet.

When Evie is put in danger, Roman saves her and quickly becomes her protector. Evie though is having a tough time wrapping her head around the fact that there is a whole paranormal world out there that does exist. As quickly as Ramon is trying to get Evie used to the idea that she will be his Queen, a rogue vampire kidnaps her and puts everyone at risk.

I vacillated between a 3 or 4 star on this one. There is a lot going on in this story with introducing new characters and the history behind the Vampires. It got a little confusing at times for me but overall the story was entertaining. I would pick up the others in the series for sure.
Profile Image for Alyssa.
4 reviews
February 7, 2012
This book is amazing!! I was always dying to know what happened to all of my favorite big bad wolf characters after Malachi Wraythe's spell was finally broken releasing female werewolves from oppression. The Vampire King starts a few weeks after the spell is broken showing how things have progressed, how all my favorite characters are coping, and introducing a whole new cast that has ties with the old characters. Oh and introduces a whole new dilemma, and hot new relationships, that our hunky heroes and kick-ass heroines must battle through. I already can't wait for the second book and think that this is a MUST read!!!!! Love it
Profile Image for Nicki.
24 reviews1 follower
January 14, 2016
It was a pretty typical PNR, supernatural character somehow meets girl, falls maddeningly in love with her, she is super special and doesn't know it, and supernatural character awakens some sort of hidden power, they make love, they get married. Happily ever after. It wasn't bad, and I'll vaguely remember it if someone mentions it but it's not very substantial in terms of context.
Profile Image for CAROLYN Wyman.
318 reviews18 followers
June 8, 2018
This is book one - The vampire king. The first chapter or two of the book is extremely boring and seems more like it gives information on vampires and other creatures but instead of a fun manner it reads more like an encyclopedia. At that point I was tempted to not finish it but I don’t like not finishing a book so I kept reading. Story does pick up any gets a lot better and a lot more enjoyable EV is a young woman who takes care of her parents she’s a romance novelist -paranormal romance novelist- and she focuses on vampires and werewolves and other creatures. she’s always wished that there was supernatural beings out there. Roman the king of the vampires find himself drawn to her and after using several vampire tricks finds none work on Eeve. Story has a lot of paranormal/supernatural elements and other than the long explanations is pretty good. I will be checking out the next book in the series and hopefully she doesn’t go on the same way in the beginning.
Profile Image for Lit Witch.
34 reviews
April 6, 2017
I tried so hard to get into this because it was recommended by a trusted friend. I could not be more interested in the characters- too generic and stereotypical. I felt like there was no originality, unfortunately that's hard to achieve nowadays with Vampire subject matter.
Profile Image for Crazy4more.
2,179 reviews
April 25, 2018
3 stars

Setting a foundation for a new series can go either way, boring or greatness. In this case, there was so much details, characters and technicality that it became stagnant and boring. Sorry. That said, I will continue because it has the potential for greatness.
Profile Image for Rebecca.
241 reviews26 followers
February 25, 2012
Before a week and a half ago I had somehow not heard of Heather Killough-Walden even though she has a large following. I was looking for something new to read in paranormal romance and Heather Killough-Walden name came up. I was excited to see she had a new book out that is a spinoff of her very popular The Big Bad Wolf series, but The Vampire King is also the start of its own series. When I was checking it on Amazon and saw that The Vampire King had over 40 five stare reviews…well you know me I had to read what everyone else says is so great.

I was a little worried that The Vampire King, being a spinoff, would be hard to follow at times, because there would be characters thrown in that would not be explained because I was supposed to know who they were. This was not a problem at all. There is a large cast of characters in The Vampire King, but each is introduced very well. Heather Killough-Walden does a beautiful job of making you feel the scene she has written so that I cared about each character and what was going on around them.

My absolute favorite character is Evie. Evie is a self published author with a strong coffee addiction. Evie has just about given up on sleep to keep up with her schedule of writing and doing everything she can to help with her parents, who are not in good health. Evie is just incredibly likable and believable. She writes paranormal romance but doesn’t actually believe in the paranormal, she has just always been disappointed with how normal real men are. When Evie found out that another character had read her mind she was angry that now they new all her little secrets about herself. This was her thought:

She recycled, but resented how difficult it always was.
She helped animals, but secretly couldn’t stand the way a stray dog smelled. She always glared at empty handicapped parking spaces when she couldn’t find a place to park. She swore like a sailor when she was alone, she forgot to shave for days at a time, and she rarely disinfected her shower.


How could I not like a character who got upset about others finding out she is just a real person.

I also really liked Roman. He has been vampire king for a long time, a title that is not just passed down. Even though Roman is this powerful bigger than life force I didn’t find him too alpha. I thought all his actions were fair and had good reason. I was really happy about this because way to often in PNR the male lead is all “ Because I say so, and I am great so it must be right.” Roman actually asked for advice and took it. Oh, and yes, Roman is a vampire king so of course he was hot beyond reason…um I was totally OK with that;)

So often times in any romance novel, well the lines can get a little cheesy. I so loved the fact that Heather Killough-Walden obviously knows that, still wrote what needed to be said and laughed right along with me.

Evie stared up at him, lost for words and mystified. Why? she thought. “Because you fill me with a passion I’ve never known,” he told her, once more answering her unspoken question as if he’d taken the thought from her mind. “You and I were made for one another, Evie. You are so much more than you think you are. So much more than you know.” He shook his head, his expression suddenly taking on a bewildered cast. “I wouldn’t feel this way about you if you weren’t special. Evie, I showed you my cave!”

Evie froze. She blinked. The indomitable vampire king looked different in that moment – vulnerable, innocent. His chest rose and fell with emotion, all too human. He was right, he had shown her his cave. The notion was undeniably deep, romantically sweet, and passionately perfect. It was also hilarious.


I fell for this cast and world! There was one hiccup with Evie’s character that came to fast for me, but it would be a spoiler for me to mention what it was. I loved that I was given a villain that I could hate to the point of wanting him dead. I will definitely be continuing with this series! Now I must go read Heather Killough-Walden past books.

Happy Reading,
Rebecca
www.bendingthespine.blogspot.com
Profile Image for Lover of Romance.
2,850 reviews823 followers
June 22, 2014
Originally Posted At My Blog: Addicted To Romance

Evie Farrow, writes vampires romances, and has always been intrigued with the idea of vampires, even though she knows they aren't real. Evie supports herself and her parents, with the income of the books that she writes. Then while drinking her coffee at her favorite shop, the most compelling man comes into her life and her world changes. Roman D'Angelo is the vampire king, and has lived for three thousand years, and is the most powerful vampire on earth. Roman then has visions of a young woman, a woman who will be his future queen. He knows that he must find her and soon. Then he sees her at a cafe, and can't resist making his claim on her and introducing her to his world. Then a homicidal warlock and vampire takes a interest in Evie, and her life is in danger and only Roman will be strong enough to save her...but what will be the cost...

The Vampire King is the first of the King series by this author. The basis of the series, is that there is thirteen kings of different realms, and this series is about them all finding their queens. I was introduced into this story when I noticed a sale of this story through Whisper sync for voice on Amazon, and I just couldn't resist getting this one. Now I didn't have any idea what to really expect from this book, there wasn't many ratings or reviews, so I had to take a leap of faith for this story and I really loved it. Lately I have been searching for solid vampire romances and this one won me over. I really love the narration and so I am glad that I listened to this audio book. There is quite a bit in this story that I would highly recommend this to anyone that loves a thrilling paranormal romance.

The story begins quite intense and really pulls the reader in, and from the first few minutes of listening I was hooked...I just had to find out what happens. The villain of the story is obvious from the beginning, and the author puts in a couple other sub plots into the story. In the beginning of the story, we see the two lives of Evie and Romance. Then they meet, and bring on the intensity with these two. Then the plot really gets in gear when Evie's life is put in danger, and Evie starts to learn the truth about Roman.

Roman is very yummy....I LOVED HIM!!! He is commanding, strong, and not someone you ever want to cross. I felt like his character for the most part was well developed. Evie well I liked her more in the beginning, than I felt like she was a bit spineless in the middle of the story, but by the end of the story I grew to really be endeared to her. She is fiercely independent and a fighter and I really admired her for some of her qualities that add a certain flair to the story. Overall the plot is quite intense and satisfying, and I love the way this author really engages the reader. There is a 'magical' tone to the story and I enjoyed the conflict that lifts this story from average well done to fantastic. Exciting, Thrilling and packed with adventure, romance, compelling characters, and enough paranormal drama to enthrall you from beginning to end. I can hardly wait to read the next book in the series. BLEW ME AWAY!!

Profile Image for Nicky Cartwright Pashley.
69 reviews1 follower
February 17, 2012
Evie is a thirty year old, Kindle-published author, care giver to her disabled parents, volunteer at an animal shelter and disappointed with most people that she meets. They are all so ordinary!

Roman is gorgeous. Sex on legs! He is also three thousand years old. He is the Vampire King.

He has never taken a queen. He meets Evie and knows that he will never want another. However, Evie doesn’t really believe in the vampires that her books are about.

Evie finds herself catapulted from an ordinary life, with ordinary problems – to a supernatural world with supernatural problems. Roman is convinced that she isn’t quite human – an idea that seems preposterous to her.

Charles is a vampire with special skills. He has studied dark magic with his friend – a friend that Roman had killed. Charles is out for revenge - he wants to cause Roman as much pain as possible.

This is a story whose action builds. There are a lot of characters in the book but they are introduced gradually so as to not overwhelm the reader.

Evie feels believable – with her coffee addiction (which I can totally relate to!), familial responsibilities and panic attacks. The fact that her brother lives nearer her parents than she does but does less for them may strike a chord with some readers. Little details make her more realistic ~ going to the coffee shop to write (so that she can ignore the housework that needs doing), forgetting to brush her hair, the way that she wanders away from the distraction of Charles and stands outside talking her Dad through iphone apps. Her dissatisfaction with everyday life and it’s responsibilities but her need to persevere anyway. The way that she is vulnerable with an inner core of strength.

Heather Killough Walden creates images that are compelling and easily imagined. Roman isn’t just tall, dark and handsome. His authority as King is easily comprehended as we visualise this man mountain crackling with suppressed power, so great that it can be seen and felt by those around him. The reader can feel his passion and his anger in equal measures. However, he has a carefully hidden vulnerable side too - never more so than when he takes Evie to his secret home ~ where he has never taken another being before.

This author has taken the traditional vampire story and added her own interpretations. How magic and power interweave. How vampires can travel in sunlight. A truly supernatural world is created with vampires (Offspring), warlocks, Akyri, werewolves – healers, seers, magic casters - and once more, there is that theme that I have noted in other books by this author …. that very few people are wholly good or bad …. but hover somewhere in between.

Warning! There is an incredibly sensual sex scene near the end of the book that will make the reader want to grab their partner or head for a cold shower!

This was another great read by Heather killough Walden. I enjoyed this book and look forward to reading the sequel when it is published.
Profile Image for Taria Reed.
Author 6 books74 followers
May 1, 2013
I was very annoyed with all the head hopping in this book. I was doubly annoyed with all the info the author felt needed to be in this book. I can get behind the need to introduce characters that will be in future books but damn, you don't have to introduce the entire cast for the next 13 or so books. I was also annoyed with the constant repetition. A character would be introduced, and then in the next paragraph of she would again state who the new guy is. WTF! ALSO!! seriously, guys don't look at another guy and think, "There's Jim. He's a very big and tall man. Very handsome, with piercing grey eyes, and a strong jaw." Dudes just don't do that, and each character described was done so that way and mostly through the eyes of another guy. Not that I have a problem with that, but c'mon!!

the "love story" was totally unbelievable. Roman loves Evie after two days, but yet in the beginning of the book we get a "this is where we are in the story, and now let's bring you to three weeks earlier to tell you how we got there". THAT MATH DOESN'T ADD UP!! There was no real passion between Evie and Roman until the one and only sex scene, and even that I'm not sure about since he practically fucked her to death.

I hate when an author doesn't have a clear vision of the vampire rules in their world. I didn't like the weaving in of so many glimpses of a story.

Story 2
narrator 2

I LOVE Antony Ferguson's historical narrations, but this story just didn't work for him. I guess it's because the characters are american and he is a Brit. ALL of his characters had an accent, he didn't even try to produce an american accent. The vampires could have gotten away with the accents but Evie was from Portland for goodness sake.

Not sure if I'll get the next books in the series, I was NOT impressed with this effort.
Profile Image for Alyssa.
1,069 reviews839 followers
September 26, 2012
The Vampire King is a spin-off series from The Big Bad Wolf Series. When that series closed, I was a little disappointed, only because I enjoyed them so much. When Ms. Walden spent me The Vampire King, I have to say, after reading so many of her books, I had very high expectations of this one. The Vampire King left me speechless.

Summary: Evie Farrow loves writing books about vampires. Something about the supernatural pulls her in their dark world. Roman D'Angelo has lived for thousands of years, as the Vampire King. He never thought he'd lose control of the carefully constructed lifestyle, over one woman. Evie is flesh and blood, but not quite human. And Roman's not the only one who's noticed.
What I Liked: I loved the protagonist, Evie Farrow. I've read several series by Ms. Walden, and all of the heroines were at the least likable, but Evie was instantly my favorite. If she were a real person, I would want to meet her. She was incrediblly loyal and caring throughout the entire book, yet she was also defiant and headstrong. I couldn't not like her. And Roman D'Angelo, he seemed perfect for her. They completed each other in a symmetric, uniform way. And that's just two of the characters. I loved the story itself. This book seemed to take a different pace than The Big Bad Wolf Series. It seemed more controlled, yet more dynamic than that series. This made me love this book even more.

What I Didn't Like: While I loved the story of Evie and Roman, it was a tad predictable. I knew what was going to happen. I knew generally what was up with Evie. There are many other twists to the book, but the general plot of this one was easy to follow. I can't say that I didn't enjoy the ride though. :)

Would I Recommend It: YES! This was definitely my favorite of Ms. Walden's books. Although I do recommend to everyone that you read The Big Bad Wolf series first, because there are elements of those stories that you need to know. This is for an audience of mature teenagers and up.
Rating: 5 stars... I will be eagerly awaiting the next book :D
Profile Image for Steph.
1,301 reviews3 followers
February 17, 2012
The Kings series is a spinoff from the Big Bad Wolf series, which I loved.

We meet Roman D'Angelo briefly in The Hunt, I was really intrigued by him, I couldn't wait to see what the King of all vampires would be like. He was so commanding, strong, respected and confident, all of the things I knew that he would be, Oh and let's not forget that he is frickin gorgeous. But there was so much more to him than we first see. He has a beautiful vulnerability about him, he really puts himself out there for Evie, giving her 100% control so she can make her own decision. What made it so amazing was the fact that Roman gives control to no-one he is the King, his word is final. But he already loves Evie and will do whatever it takes to get her to choose him, to be his queen! I think with that alone, Roman will have won over every single female that will ever read this book.

Evie was a sweet heroine, I will say that I didn't enjoy her character as much as I liked the previous heroines. But I liked how well she coped with the fact that most of the things she has been writting about in her books is actually true and he didn't freak out too much.

We meet Thanatos (one of the kings, The Phantom King). He totally kicks ass and I loved that Roman gave him so much hope. If Roman can find love after 300 years so can he, it was sweet. I hope his book is next!

This book had a brilliant storyline that followed on from The Hunt, featuring Mr Ramses Amon. Who is Amunet (the healer)? What is her connection to Dannai? And just what the hell is Ophelia's problem? She apparently crawled out of the wrong side of her grave.
I can't wait to see where that story goes in the next book.
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