THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE VAMPIRE is Book 4 in the Dead in the City series by Sara Humphreys. Trixie LaRoux and Dakota Shelton are vampires in the same coven but are complete opposites. Dakota's sexy cowboy swagger and his approach of "killing her with kindness" get under Trixie's skin. Along with the rescue mission Dakota and Trixie eventually undertake and some adventures with witches and gargoyles, the theme of fate or destiny is interwoven throughout THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE VAMPIRE.

Trixie and Dakota are both multifaceted characters and THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE VAMPIRE is very much a character-driven story. The choices Trixie and Dakota both made, as well as the things that were done to them in their pasts, are integral to the story and how it develops. Although Trixie takes on the tough punk girl persona, she is revealed to be a very sensitive and vulnerable soul who still struggles with self-acceptance. Dakota's personal narrative is about justice and redemption. The road they take to being totally fine with who they are, as well as finding happiness together is both frustrating at times and rewarding. I found myself rooting for them the entire book.

There is a lot that goes on in THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE VAMPIRE to drive the characters crazy and forces them to play detective, but Sara Humphreys manages to incorporate it all with the paranormal sexiness seamlessly. Since Trixie is a little prickly to Dakota at the beginning of the story, I like how working together to thwart evil and save the day got them to understand each other a little more. There are lots of surprises as the story progresses to keep things exciting and a little bit dangerous.

THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE VAMPIRE is a compelling story about fate and overcoming your past—with vampire good guys, sinister villains, and a gargoyle queen thrown in. Sara Humphreys brings things to a satisfying conclusion that makes sense for the characters. New characters make for tantalizing possibilities for future books. I am anxious to see what awaits some of my favorite supporting characters.