With each new author, I start their book with feelings of anticipation and trepidation. Will this be the beginning of a beautiful love affair with the author on my part? Or will it crash and burn so spectacularly that it makes me cringe? Vampire Mine did not evoke either reaction from me. The best word I can use to describe the book is “meh.”

Connor Buchanan is the typical tortured vampire hero. He and his brethren, the “good” vamps, need to find an evil vampire who is killing humans indiscriminately. They enlist the help of Marielle, an angel cast from Heaven for disobedience, and who can sense death. She is a Deliverer, an angel of death who delivers souls who are about to cross into the hereafter.

Connor hates what he is and what he has done in the past. There is much wallowing in guilt and self-pity. Don’t get me wrong, I love a good tortured hero. When done well, he can add depth and tension to the story. But there can be too much of a good thing. At first I did not find Connor obnoxious in his self-pity; indeed, he has a tortured past that warrants a certain amount of wallowing and remorse. My issue is that after a while it seemed manufactured and less than genuine.

Marielle is perfect. She is kindness, innocence, and patience personified. Even her disobedience was related to her good nature as she allowed children to live whom she was scheduled to deliver. A bad girl in the guise of an angel is a concept I could have supported and would have made for a far more interesting book. As it was, Marielle was just too sugary-sweet for me and I was unable to connect with her. Yet the romance between Marielle and Connor worked for me. Connor recognizes Marielle’s goodness and wants to protect her. Marielle sees through Connor’s gruff exterior and exhibits patience with him while he reconciles his history with his feelings for her.

However, I had more problems with the setting. While the romance is self-contained and it is not necessary to read the other novels in the series first, the secondary characters are a bit hard to keep straight without putting them into the context of previous books. Additionally, the world building is fairly simplistic. There are “good” vamps and “bad” vamps. The good ones drink synthetic blood from bottles while the bad ones kill humans by drinking them to death. Throw in some humans and a few more supernatural creatures (weres, angels, demons) and you have the idea. Although I realize this is subjective, I prefer a more detailed approach to my urban fantasy/paranormal romance, rather than just reading about a super-hot rich guy living next door who just happens to drink blood.

Furthermore, I had trouble forgiving some of the more ludicrous elements of the story. We are told that it is of utmost importance that the vampires remain secret from humans. Yet they engage in bloody battles atop Mount Rushmore. Subtle. And our hero is a Scot from the 16th century who strides about in a kilt wielding a claymore. Way to blend in with the population, Connor.

Vampire Mine did not work as either a lighthearted, campy take on vampires with darker elements, or as a more serious story. But despite my issues with the protagonists, the romance was sweet and salvaged this one from being a wallbanger for me.