The Wicked Vampire

Baxter’s solid sixth Last True Vampire paranormal (after The Lost Vampire) employs a supernatural star-crossed lovers scenario. Berserker Ewan Brún spent hundreds of years killing vampires, compelled by his clan’s leader and the Sortiari, a fanatic bent on the destruction of the vampire and dhampir races. Now the berserkers have broken free of the Sortiari’s bond. Ewan wants to further separate from the clan, tired of living hand-to-mouth and without control over his future. He’s taken by surprise when he meets Sasha Ivanov, a recently turned vampire, and manages to resist his ingrained urge to kill her. Sasha is in distress because the vampire she admired and loved for years turned out not to be her soul mate. Seeking excitement and mental escape, she hooks up with Ewan. As they meet on the sly, their connection becomes evident, leading them to find a way to live together. Plenty of hot sex scenes will encourage readers to overlook a middling plot. Agent: Natanya Wheeler, Nancy Yost Literary. (Dec.)