The tension is beautifully created, but the connection feels much slower, and their chemistry ultimately felt less emotively tethered and more carnal- still delicious, but not fully complex as of yet. Their chemistry did take a while to sink in for me if I’m being honest- in part because the narrative structure includes a lot of diverting secondary characters and background action, which means our hero and heroine don’t spend ample time together until we’re well into the story. She made this book for me, and I’m quickly learning that Kayleigh King has a keen ability in creating endearing and empathetic sassy heroines. Nothing seems to phase her- not the danger, not her steamy slow burn chemistry with Silas, and certainly not the interesting motley crew of mysterious secondary characters. She’s resilient and tough as nails but also kind and authentic. Unwillingly thrust into the dark and dangerous world of the vampires, she somehow emerges as the strongest and most self-possessed character. His once dead heart now beats for his new human employee- the sassy woman he coerced into his service, our spunky heroine Quincey, the real star of this story. We have a broody, cold, and dominant vampire king, who, of course, has that classic inner struggle, the battle between his long buried humanity and his dark and dangerous urges. The wolf queen, Kayleigh King, expands her PNR repertoire with this stylish and mysterious take on the King Vampires. It’s been a hot minute since I’ve sunk my teeth into a good vampire tale (#vampirepun), and where better to dive back into the bloody kingdom of the vampiric undead than the Big Easy with all it’s spicy and sinful mystery.

The crimson crown