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Danny Kingman is used to fending for himself. Working nonstop as an ER nurse to pay for his mother’s care, he’s been putting his own life on hold since he can remember. But when an unbelievably hot, strangely intense man saves him from a mugging, Danny has a feeling everything is about to change. Especially when that man suddenly pops out a pair of fangs.

Roman Mourier has been wandering aimlessly for decades, waiting for the inevitable day when the last of his humanity leaves him, and the demon inside him takes permanent control. He doesn’t believe in fated mates, or the myth that there’s a soul out there that could tether his humanity to him. Until he feels a strange pull to the lovely young man at the hospital, and hope stirs in him for the first time.

But Roman has demons other than just the one inside him. Is he strong enough to keep Danny safe from the past that haunts him? He knows one thing for sure: now that he’s found his mate, he will do anything to keep him.

273 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 13, 2022

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About the author

Grae Bryan

13 books789 followers
Grae Bryan has been reading romance since she was far too young to know any better. Her love for love stories spans all genres, and while her current series is of the paranormal variety, she knows she’ll be exploring other worlds further down the line.

She lives in Arizona with her husband, who graciously shares space with all the imaginary men in her head. When not writing, she can generally be found reading more than is healthy, walking her monster-dog, or cuddling her demon-cat. She loves anything and everything gothic, strange, lovely, or cozy.

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5 stars
2,046 (29%)
4 stars
2,607 (37%)
3 stars
1,709 (24%)
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1 star
117 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 902 reviews
Profile Image for Meags.
2,327 reviews591 followers
March 22, 2023
4.5 Stars

This was the MM vampire romance I didn’t know I desperately needed.

Roman is a centuries old, broody vampire, running from his complicated past and certain that he’ll turn feral eventually, unless the miracle of finding his fated mate comes to pass… which he highly doubts it will.

Danny, a human nurse, is full of spirit and compassion for others, but he’s weighed down by his loneliness and shouldering the pain of having his dear mother regressing day-by-day in her care home.

When Roman finds Danny, while passing through an uninspiring small-Colorado-town, he knows immediately Danny is his special someone—his destined mate—even though he was doubtful such a person actually existed.

Telling Danny that he’s a vampire seems comparatively easy to Roman, especially when faced with also telling him he’s meant to spend eternity by Roman’s side, eventually having to turn into a vampire himself, potentially losing the humanity that makes up the very core of Danny’s being.

Adding to that mounting emotional pressure, a threat from Roman’s past is looming closer, with Danny becoming at increasing risk of harm, being the fragile, very breakable human that he still currently is.

All Roman has to do is put a permanent stop to the threats lingering over them, while also giving Danny the world, proving he’ll always show up, and hopefully convincing him that being vampires together is the right way to eternal happiness. No biggie...

I loved Danny and Roman, finding them immediately likable and enjoying their contrasting dynamic. Although their insta-lust and relationship progression was super-fast, it was written so smoothly, so compellingly, that I ate up every moment of their heated romance with nary an issue at the speed of which it all came to pass. I was simply here for it and enjoyed every second.

Those who know me well, know I’m mad for a good fated mates trope in my fantasy romances. The more growly, possessive, protective, passionate, eternal, mine-mine-mine vibes to be had, the more I go gaga for the couple at hand. It’s one of my favourite tropes for a reason, and it was utilised to full, delicious affect here oh-so-well.

The romance was balanced out nicely with the excitement surrounding the fear of Roman’s past coming back to bite him in the arse and ruin the good thing he’s building with Danny. I liked the tension and the conflict. I especially liked the “bad guy” in question, Lucien, who was proper menacing and more than a little unhinged—but in a way that I actually felt for the guy and his past traumas, making me super excited to know that he gets his own book later in the series.

I enjoyed this story a great deal and look forward to continuing with the next instalment, featuring Danny’s moody older brother, Gabe, and Roman’s vampy-bestie, Soren, who showed great promise as leading men in their own rights, just in their few scenes they shared here.
July 2, 2022
~ Fated mates,
~ growly vamp,
~ possessive sex,
~ feral vampire hellbent on revenge,
~ comfort/healing,
~ forever and ever kind of HEA.

I wanted more relationship development, but I've come to expect insta love with fated mates.

I believe this is Grae Bryan's first published book (at least in this genre), and I'm here for the rest of the series.

Luc was the villain here, but he deserves his own story. There's more to Luc than darkness.
Profile Image for Rain.
2,119 reviews28 followers
May 27, 2023
A slightly sweeter but unique take on a vampire story. I didn’t realize this was the authors debut novel, it was impressive for a first go!

✔️Faded mates
✔️Gay vampires
✔️Obvious age gap
✔️Emotional connection
✔️Insta-lust
✔️Growly and possessive
✔️HFN

He wanted to tackle the boy, lick him everywhere, rub his own scent all over Danny’s body. Roman wanted to claim him.

Danny, an ER nurse, was just the perfect side of sassy and sensitive. Caring for his mother (who has dementia) while struggling to make ends meet, he hasn’t dated much.

Roman is running from his past until one evening he stops by a hospital, and spots something delicious.

There were some plot holes and moments where I had a few questions, but overall it was an entertaining read.
Profile Image for Jayden H 🍉.
229 reviews74 followers
April 4, 2024
Well damn what a fucking shitshow.

I tried to like this book I really did but it was just so bad. Roman calling Danny 'boy' 80 times in 60 pages just made me super uncomfortable. I don't even know why these two are together the only thing Danny knew about Roman was that he was a super hot vampire that's it. The only thing that kept me from DNFing it was Roman and Lucien's friendship.
Profile Image for Jamie.
648 reviews107 followers
August 10, 2023
It's been so long since I've read a vampire book, I almost forgot how much I enjoy them. This one was really good, I really enjoyed it. It was fun to read, even had me laughing out loud at times. Excited to read more of the series.
Profile Image for Ben Howard.
1,304 reviews166 followers
March 19, 2024
I've been getting back into vampire books and Roman was a great addition. It's a start of a series so we get introduced to how vampires work in this world and to some side characters who are going to star in their own book (that I'm very much looking forward to).

Danny and Roman have the markers of a classic paranormal romance. But it's fresh and executed very well. There's insta-lust/obsession, vampiric intensity that would be creepy if not for the mutual connection and attraction. There's the conflict as they fall in love of vampire Roman living forever and Danny's limited human lifespan, and the question of turning. And also a big bad that threatens Roman's love and triggers his possessive protectiveness. And I loved every second of it.

The romance between Danny and Roman is the main focus, but we do get some complicated family dynamics; both blood family and found family. Danny and his older brother Gabe have a complex relationship. While Roman, Soren, and Lucien takes the cake when it comes to complex with their vampire found family.

Vampire's Mate Series

Book 1: Roman - 4 Stars
Book 2: Soren - 4 Stars
Book 3: Lucien - 5 Stars
Book 4: Johann 4 Stars
Book 5: Wolfgang 4 Stars
Book 5.5: Cassian 4.5 Stars
Book 6: Colin 4 Stars
Profile Image for Layla .
1,328 reviews19 followers
Read
August 15, 2022
This started out cute and charming and fun

And then it fizzled out.

Officially, I've DNFed at 70%. I can't seem to have the motivation to continue tbh.

I did skim to the epilogue and I am intrigued with the next book. I just wish the sugary sweetness is a bit toned down in book 2. Vampires and sweetness don't really mix imo.

I've decided not to rate for now. Not sure if I will later.
Profile Image for Elena Rodríguez.
917 reviews478 followers
January 21, 2023
¿PODRÍAN CAMBIAR LAS PORTADAS? PORQUE ESTE TIPO DE PORTADAS ME DAN RISA Y VERGÜENCITA AL MISMO TIEMPO, ADEMÁS, NO HACEN JUSTICIA A LA HISTORIA.

(a ver un poco sí pero tampoco nos pasemos, las cosas como son).

GRACIAS.


“I expect it makes it hard to empathize with life being cut short, when human life seems so short to you already”.

Quienes estén leyendo esta reseña y se pregunten ¿Por qué? Yo ya les respondo que no hay porqué. Ahora quiero decir un par de cosas.

1) la puntuación de esta novela es bajísima porque yo tiendo a ser objetiva desde el punto de vista literario, ahora, desde un punto de vista subjetivo es otra cosa. Le pondría hasta 3-4 estrellas porque me lo he pasado en grande.

2) La historia engancha y entretiene. Se lee en menos de dos días o un par de horas depende de tu ritmo de lectura.

3) Contienen un inglés simple así que si quieres empezar a leer en este idioma te lo recomendaría.

4) Se tratan de historias que son un soplo de aire fresco cuando necesitas tener la mente despejada y reírte un poco.

5) No te esperes una gran novela, ya leyendo el inicio y como se van desarrollando las cosas verás por dónde van los tiros.

6) De verdad, no se dejen llevar por las portadas, siento que hacen más daño que otra cosa y un poco de prejuicios, a decir verdad.

7) Vas a querer leer los siguientes porque esto es como una golosina, quieres saber que pasa y punto.

Espero que si los leen estén de acuerdo conmigo o no, eso sí lo tolero. Pero, lo que no soportaría es que se critique este tipo de libros solo por la portada o su contenido sin ni siquiera haberlos leído.

“Blegh, Roman. There’s sweet. And there’s saccharine. Spare us, please ”.
Profile Image for Simona.
679 reviews59 followers
June 13, 2022
Sexy as hell.
New author for me, so good in terms of writing and good plot.
I love a good vampire romance!
Profile Image for Lilly [Hiatus due to School] .
938 reviews361 followers
October 29, 2022
Roman has been on my tbr list for a bit, but I finally got around to reading it and now wondering why it took me so long.

I adored Roman and Danny. This story gave me a more mature Twilight vibe and brought out those same feelings I had when I was a teenager reading the series. There were a lot of parallels to the Twilight series!

It was easy to fall in love with Danny. He’s so sweet and tenderhearted and deserves the world. He has faced hardship after hardship yet still has such kindness and compassion towards others, even though some do not deserve it.
I love how Roman is so devoted to him. He loves and cares for him deeply.

I also came to adore Soren and was curious to see what his relationship with Gabe is or will be! I want to get more insight into both of them, especially Gabe, as many of his actions towards his brother were shitty. So hopefully, I can understand his actions and feelings and where they came from.

Lucian! I liked how there wasn’t a mindless, evil, one-dimensional villain in the story. We got a complex antagonist in Lucian; he is lonely, deeply hurt, and feels betrayed by Roman yet still clings on to his sanity and what is left of his humanity. His actions towards Danny are not justified in any sense, but I can still empathize with him. I am so happy he will have his own book, and I look forward to it!
Profile Image for Dani.
982 reviews118 followers
December 18, 2022
3.5

Really enjoyed this! Nice, easy read.

For some reason I kept hearing Roman's 'demon' voice as Gollum which kept making me laugh.
Profile Image for martina (chaos version).
617 reviews289 followers
April 23, 2023
reread: 20/8/22
i’m still waiting for my turn to have a super hot vampire obsessed with me. i can’t wait to read soren’s book, but most importantly i NEED a book about my favorite villain, luc. i honestly don’t think he’s a villain, just misunderstood.


original review:
a vampire completely obsessed with his human mate? yes, please.
yes, it was super sweet but i love fated mates so much that it didn’t bother me at all.
Profile Image for Vicky.
277 reviews27 followers
June 16, 2022
2.5 stars⭐

If I read the word "mate" one more time, I'll claw my eyes out.

Look, for a debut novel, it was actually pretty good. I liked the writing and the characters , but it was just not my cup of tea. It was awfully sweet. I just wanted a little bit more angst (whether from internal factors or external) and a little bit more banter between the MCs. And, as mentioned before, the excessive use of the word "mate" got annoying too quickly. Like, we get it, they're mates. There's no need to mention it 297 times (I'm exaggerating, but you get my point).

I'm still going to read the next one though, because I'm intrigued by Soren.
Profile Image for vrstal (Ezra S.).
581 reviews174 followers
August 27, 2024
Absolutely love it when GoodReads deletes my review.

As rewriting them happens to be a pain, I’ll give a TLDR version:

I loved, loved LOVED these. Roman and Danny were so sweet. This game me the same feelings I had when I was kid picking up Twilight for the first time - and not in a bad a way. Not only are these far better written and enjoyable, but what they did share is giving me that excitement for the genre.

Can’t wait to read more by Grae Bryan! Highly recommend this book for vampire enjoyers.
Profile Image for Rachel Emily.
4,271 reviews351 followers
June 7, 2023
ETA June 2023: The audio is fantastic yall! Michael is a great narrator for all these accents, and I adore the humor he brings to this. I cannot wait to hear how Jay is when he gets to his book. I even jumped the first time we hear Roman's demon speak. Definitely grab the audio, I can't wait for the next book!


OMG I LOVED THIS! Get this book on your radar folks, it's a MUST READ.

This is just the perfect vampire/human insta-mate, grumpy/cinnamon roll, size difference, "touch him and you die," sweetness and hotness book that I have read in a long time. Seriously, where did this author come from?!

Danny is just the sweetest, most caring cinnamon roll ever. I just adored him. And Roman is a stern, grumpy vampire on the verge of losing his humanity, when the two meet. The chemistry between the two is just explosive and excellent. The drama is well played out and honestly, I care for every character that we meet in this book.

Things are also set up very nicely for the next book (books?) and I can't wait to read about Danny's brother and Soren. I cannot wait for more from this author!
Profile Image for L Ann.
630 reviews136 followers
October 3, 2022
What a wonderful surprise! Everything about this story worked for me.

One of my favorite scenes was when Danny found out that Roman was a vampire and his only reaction was to ask him if he was staying the night because he was overworked, tired, and wanted to get some sleep. LOL! The fated mate thing in full affect, no fear whatsoever. He was such a refreshing character and I’m grateful that I was spared the whole shock, denial, 101 questions, and then even more denial thing most human MCs go through in these stories.

Even though I knew Danny and Roman was going to get their HEA I couldn’t wait to see how everything played out with Lucien. Paranormal romances are the most hit or miss of all genres for me and I’m glad to say that this was a resounding hit. 4.5 stars
Profile Image for Madigan Likes to Read.
1,186 reviews96 followers
Shelved as 'dnf'
August 30, 2023
Let’s call it. Time of death: 08/29/23 11:11pm

I need that TikTok sound. You know the one: OH MY GOD, I don’t care!!!

This one had a promising start. I was into it. And things just kind of…fizzled. I genuinely do not care what happens to these characters. It’s enough to know that the book meets the genre requirement and these two get an HEA.

I am slightly curious about Lucien’s book, but I don’t know that I’m curious enough to try it.

Pass.
Profile Image for Cadiva.
3,765 reviews379 followers
December 9, 2022
Loved this vampy paranormal romance

Ooh I do love me a possessive fated mates romance and this one met all my needs.

One cinnamon bun nurse, one uber possessive and sinfully hot vampire, danger lurking in the darkness and a best mate who's cynical but about to get their own love comeuppance!
Profile Image for oshiiy.
343 reviews52 followers
July 18, 2022
3.5 stars ⭐️ Aww, I love reading vampire romances, even though a good story can be hard to find. But "Roman" is very cute and not necessarily an angsty one.

If you think you would love a tall, dark, handsome vampire who falls for his mate instantly and has possessive, mind-blowing, blood-drinking sex, this book is for you. 😉

The fact that Roman was a vampire and Danny was a cute human being was the best thing in the book. We are told that vampires are meant to be gorgeous creatures, and it wasn't wrong in the story.
 
The love between Roman and Danny was instantaneous since they were mated. But in the relationship department, I expected it to be more developed.
 
I can't wait to read Soren's story. I think it will be much more adventurous than this one.
December 27, 2023
I’ve been loving my exploration into non-contemporary MM romances lately and this book was a fantastic paranormal read! I thoroughly enjoyed this vampire romance and honestly can’t wait to continue with the series. I can’t believe this was the author’s debut novel, I never would have guessed. I even read the bonus chapter which I don’t usually do unless I really don’t want to be done with the characters and their story!

The story gripped me right from the beginning with the story of Roman’s turning and didn’t let go. Roman was a freaking amazing vampire. I loved how sweet and possessive he was of his human Danny and how he wanted Danny to have everything he wanted.

Danny was such a fun character! I loved him right from the start. His care and attention for everyone was wonderful and I loved that he finally had someone to take care of him!! I absolutely loved the ending and how we got a bit of action and their epilogue was wonderful! If you are looking for a fun, sexy, paranormal read I highly recommend this book!
Profile Image for Mx. T *Chaotic Reader*.
374 reviews37 followers
July 7, 2024
Cute little vampire story. Nothing remarkable, except the vampire possessiveness and the caring nature of the supposedly evil monster. The antagonist wasn't scary or bad, just meddlesome. There wasn't much going on, but it was a fun easy read.
Profile Image for Rosabel.
723 reviews237 followers
Read
July 4, 2022
WE NEED MORE VAMPIRES IN MM!! Or so me thinks... 👀👀

So imagine my happiness when I saw this! Through the roof!!! How much it lasted? 21% of the book in wich moment I DNF.

WHY? Well, it was so insta you blinked and missed it, there wasn't any flirting or self preservation, the dude just saw the vampire and went: ohh he looks scary, I want to fuck him 👁👄👁

And I get it!! It's that type of story, but I don't like insta tropes and that's why I stopped and didn't give this any ratings.

My mistake, I'm sure it will happen again but 🤷🏻‍♀️🤣
Profile Image for Sarah.
327 reviews109 followers
January 6, 2024
Gay Twilight, indeed.

Yes, there's tons of similarities, but I think this book still has enough uniqueness to stand on its own. Overall, I enjoyed it but I didn't love it.

I did love Danny's character as a sassy ER nurse that is kind but takes no shit. And I eventually grew to really like Roman even after his very awkward/creepy initial meeting with Danny. I ADORE Soren; literally can't wait to read his story. Ngl, I'm kind of more excited to read about Soren than I was reading this one. However, I think I saw somewhere that this is the author's debut published novel so I'm keeping that in mind with any critique.

That said, let's get into what I didn't like so much. For one, the insta-love. I'm a big fan of insta-love when it's done right, but there was something about this that didn't quite do it for me. I get that they're fated mates, so that kind of allows the author to just jump right in, but I also kind of wish Danny fought it a little harder. He was shockingly accommodating to literally everything that was thrown at him. I get that he was affected by the mating bond thing too, but I think I would have believed it more if he wasn't immediately like "Cool!" to every new surprise.

I also think Danny and Roman should have been given a little more depth as individual characters. There was juuust enough backstory for the author to get away with, but I wish there were more defining qualities that we could pinpoint as to why they would fall for each other beyond paranormal intervention. Fated mates is fun but that can't be the only reason you're with each other. I wouldn't even be mad if the sexual attraction was one of the main things that brought them together but alas, the sex scenes were just okay.

As far as the writing goes, I think it was written really well (if a little repetitive). There were jokes that had me actually laughing out loud. I genuinely had a good time reading this and I'm looking forward to reading more of the series.

Thank fuck Soren's story is next cause I am seriously looking forward to it.
Profile Image for Jennifer☠Pher☠.
2,916 reviews260 followers
July 5, 2022
I think finding a new, great Vampire book is like finding a Unicorn.

This was ok. Not 2 stars ok, more like 3-3.5 ok stars, but it just was missing whatever that something is that makes a Vamp story amazing. If you love Vampires you know exactly what that something is I'm talking about.

I think I needed a little more vampy-ness from Roman. He wasn't a very interesting or exciting Vampire honestly. I might even say he was a little clueless. The amount of times his mate was in danger was kind embarrassing.

I'm all about the insta-love between fated mates, and I liked that aspect of the story here but, I don't know, I was kind of bored and more interested in other parts of the story toward the end.

I'm really not sure how I feel about these Vampires feeling like that side of themselves is separate. It was odd, the whole my Demon thing. I've read some Shifter stories like this too, where they talk to their animal as if it is separate and I always find that a little odd too.

I'll probably read the rest and so far, I am guessing that Luc's story will probably be the best, he at least had a lot of vampy-ness going on.
Profile Image for any.
306 reviews50 followers
August 24, 2022
not vibing with writing a reviews but i liked this book
Profile Image for Ken W.
294 reviews1 follower
May 27, 2024
Excellent!

I liked this way better than I thought I would! The differences from other vampire stories made it fun and interesting! I can't wait for the next book to find out how Soren and Gabe get together! That should be fun! Five stars!
Profile Image for Alex (HEABookNerd).
2,106 reviews
March 14, 2024
With a cinnamon roll ER nurse and a possessive vampire, ROMAN was a great paranormal romance with lots of spice, care taking, growly vampires, and a fated mates ending. The first chapters pulled me in right away and the writing just flowed and kept me engaged.

Danny was overworked, lonely, and desperate for someone to help him shoulder his burdens. He puts everyone first before himself and he's such a selfless and compassionate person. Roman was the perfect hero for him because he became a safe place for Danny to relax and let go and I adored the way Roman took care of Danny and cherished him. These two were amazing together, from their sweeter moments to their fiery chemistry. Yes their relationship is fast and full of insta-lust and love but I don't mind those things.

In addition to falling in love with Danny and Roman, I really enjoyed Soren's character and how sassy and charming he was, even with his slightly unhinged joy for life. He'll be an interesting match for Gabe (Danny's brother) because they are very different in personality. ROMAN was everything I look for in a paranormal romance and I can't wait to read more by this author.

Content Warning: on page character with dementia

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Favorite Quotes:

"Listen to me, Danny. I am not leaving. Not ever. Not unless you want me to, and even then, I can make no promises. You are mine. I am yours."
Profile Image for Megan.
882 reviews248 followers
June 21, 2022
MM Vampire Romance
Fated Mates

DNF @ 68% Ughhh I liked this at first because it’s vampires, fated mates and I’ve been in this weird mood lately where I’ve wanted to read monster everything. This book became so boring after the first 20% that I fell asleep reading it 3 times! This is also this author’s debut novel and I want to be kind but besides the boring story there are a ton of typos and conflicting plot points. It’s amazing to me how some author debuts are absolute masterpieces like the Will & Way duet and then there’s books like this that I can’t stand to read another second of.

The big baddie in this isn’t all that bad and all the vampires are not scary at all. I don’t need them to be terrifying but it’s vampires FFS 🤦🏻‍♀️ The only reason I’d continue to read this is to see if Danny let’s Roman turn him but I just don’t give a flying fuck what happens to anyone in this book. If they live, if they die? Eh shit happens. The only part I actually enjoyed was Roman’s inner demon voice because it was similar to shifter romances when the inner beast acts out when it wants something and I like that possessiveness in books like this.

”And then his demon said what they had both been edging around, voicing it whether Roman was ready for it or not. Mate, it purred. Our mate.

But not even the possessiveness and the need to claim Danny as his is enough to make me want to continue this book. Yawn 🥱

Profile Image for Susan.
2,288 reviews439 followers
July 16, 2022
So…. I read this weeks ago.

I think I liked the sweetness of it?

I’m not really sure so I’ll go with 3.5 stars and I should re-read it again soon.

I do remember not liking Luc. I think he’s getting his own book, but I’m just not sure about him.
Profile Image for Gustaf.
1,442 reviews166 followers
August 9, 2022
I loved this book.

It's well written, funny and so darn sweet. I know sweet might not be the first thing you think of when you think of a vampire book but this one is.

I loved Roman and Danny. And the secondary characters. I need book 2 ASAP.

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