Reviewed by Susan65
Title: The Vampire’s Protoge
Author: Damian Serbu
Heroes: Charon
Genre: MM Paranormal
Length: 367 Pages
Publisher: NineStar Press
Release Date: August 21, 2017
Available at: Amazon and Barnes & Noble
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads
Blurb: A sinister vampire offers Charon a choice he can’t refuse: play a deadly game of winner takes all, losers die.
Charon relishes the competition and molds himself into a sexy vampire who defies vampire law, savoring his power and embracing the role of villain. He also loves surrounding himself with hot young men. But when an alluring vampire stalks him and threatens to turn him into the Vampire Council unless he helps with a seemingly impossible task, will Charon risk his perfectly narcissistic life on the challenge? Does he have any other choice?
Review: I was instantly intrigued when I saw this book, and considering I was in the mood for a vampire book, the timing was just perfect. I didn’t even care that it was not a traditional romance novel. It was definitely well written, and I was literally enthralled throughout the entire book. I was fascinated.
This story is written in multiple layers, beginning with Charon, our enigmatic protégé of ancient vampire, Styx, as a human. Styx is a vampire on a mission…a mission about revenge. But, for his diabolical scheme to work, he needs to find the perfect man to put it all in motion. The book belongs to Charon, but to get to his story, we must find out how and why he came to be a vampire with magical powers, thus, the need for the vampire hunger games. Styx kidnapped three men and forced them into tests to determine who would win eternal life, and who would die. Considering this book is about Charon, you assumed right that he was the winner.
This book is vicious. Death, mayhem, murder, and pure evilness…just because you can. Charon was the perfect protégé for Styx, right up until the final moment of Styx’s life when he was also betrayed by Charon. Of course, once evil promotes and trains one to be even more evil, then betrayal should be expected, right? Poor Styx, I doubt even he realized the depth of depravity that was Charon.
But don’t think Charon doesn’t have a heart. Far from it. What he did for his college buddy, how he treated Jordon and the boys who served him, and the fact that he may be in denial about being lonely, on the inside, he realizes it’s the truth. Our heartless vampire has a heart, after all.
One of my favorite parts was the enigmatic vampire who was stalking Charon. Their interaction was hilarious and brought some much-needed levity to the story. Jaret, his flirty vampire stalker, the one who should not be able to detect him due to his magic, begs Charon to stop killing innocents, but does nothing to stop him or turn him into the vampire council. Jaret wants something from Charon and in return, he protects him…and his sadistic ways.
If you love vampires, sexy times, humorous and diabolic dialogue, if murder and mayhem are not a deal breaker, and you want a well-rounded story without the strong romantic happy ending…yet, then I highly recommend this book. Personally, I can’t wait to see where Damian Serbu takes Charon from here, but whatever route he takes I will be right there for the ride.
Overall Impression: I loved it!
*I received a copy of this book from the author in return for a fair and honest review.*
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