Pretty Jane O'Doherty always chooses the wrong kind of guys. Her specialty seems to be guys who have serious flaws and who break her heart.
Her last breakup was a year ago and still she can hear his final words, "I'm sorry, Jane. I've found someone else."
A 30-day cruise through the exotic Indonesian Islands with her best friend seems like the perfect distraction to mend her broken heart.
On board, she meets devastatingly gorgeous Nick, who attracts women in droves, including our lovely Jane.
And she meets Peter, who is the cute geek with puppy dog eyes.
Will either one just lead to another broken heart?
Should she run the other way from them both and just enjoy the cruise?
But before Jane can decide, the ship is attacked by modern day pirates.
Unlike the pirates of old, these guys are vampires and are more interested in human treasure than gold and jewels.
They take over the ship and take twelve women hostage.
And the handsome pirate leader—with eerie chalk-white skin, and red eyes, is looking for a special prize. He wants a woman for his mate and queen . . .
Jane catches his eye, but she, along with Nick and Peter, manage to escape in a lifeboat and onto the open sea.
They drift for fourteen days before finally finding an island.
But the fates are cruel, and their island turns out to be the home of the pirates and the lair of the Vampire.
The Pirates of Vampire Island is non-stop action . . . filled with adventure, suspense . . . and steamy romance.
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The Pirates of Vampire Island puts a unique spin on the vampire myth and portrays them not only as creatures who feast on blood to gain powers but also as creatures to fear at sea for their attacks of thievery. They're brutal and kill without remorse and are in no way reminiscent of Captain Jack Sparrow in their plans to get rich. Even though they have special powers after feeding they can still be killed like any other man which sets them apart from most vampires in the genre.
Jane's recovering from being dumped yet again and took this cruise to relax and have fun with her friend. Unfortunately, once Leon and his gang board the ship she's in a race to save herself with the help of two very different men and we see once again her poor choice in men. As this group of survivors races to stay one step ahead of the vampire pirates their individual personalities come out as they hatch a plan to rescue the females slated to be the vamps next meal along with keeping Jane from becoming Leon's queen. Jane at first appears intelligent but quickly succumbs to the so-called charms of useless and smarmy playboy Nick who really only cares for himself which I found irritating considering how tired she was of being used by men. She waffled between being weak and overly girly once they made land to ultimately becoming a Xena-like heroine. Her declaration of love towards the end of the story showed her finally wisening up and choosing substance over form but was overly flowery with no real steam or sexual tension. They're a compatible match but a very bland one as well.
The two men who escape with Jane couldn't be more opposite. Nick's the flamboyant and useless playboy with no common sense and a selfish nature. I detested his character and hated how easily he could manipulate Jane and the other women. Pete is seen as a nerd but exactly the man you want to keep you safe as he can fight and forage for food and shelter. He's never pushy with his feelings and is the epitome of what defines a hero. He's sexy in a quiet way. Not only are these two men fighting over Jane but so too is vampire Leon who is truly scary and delusional and drawn to Jane for a reason that I don't understand. Jane's friend Remy seems like a better match as she's a much stronger willed female.
The action sequences are heartpounding and move at a brisk pace. The bloodletting is intense and reflects the vamps brutality. The last stand against the vamps relies on an out of nowhere ally which felt a bit silly but is well planned out. Even though there's somewhat of a HEA the door is definitely open for a sequel with an unexpected villain still on the loose. Fans of the paranormal will enjoy this unique take on the vampire myth and fast-paced suspense and I welcome this new-to-me writing duo.
My rating for this is a B.
*I received this book from the author in exchange for my honest opinion.
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