The Last Vampire

Dark Season #1

by Amy Cross

Rescued from certain death, Sophie Hart finds herself drawn into the underground world of Patrick, a silent vampire who also happens to be the last of his kind.

In volume 1 of the Dark Season series, Sophie encounters Patrick for the first time. But while she finds herself drawn to him, she also meets a man who has been chronicling the vampires for many years, and who has a stark warning about getting too involved.

Dark Season is a series of novellas, each approximately 25,000 words. Each book is a complete standalone story, knowledge of the other books is not essential. This book contains some sexual situations.

Genres: Paranormal, Vampires, Fantasy, Romance, Paranormal Romance, Fiction, Urban Fantasy

69 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 1, 2011

About the author

Amy Cross writes novels and short stories in a number of genres, mainly horror, paranormal and fantasy. Books include The Farm, Annie's Room, The Island, Eli's Town and Asylum.

Reviews

[Leslie · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Last Vampire is a novella about a centuries old, vampire named, "Patrick." His character was interesting from the get-go mostly because he could not, or maybe even would not speak. (Still not sure about that yet.) Late one night, Patrick ends up saving the life of a young woman named, "Sophie," who is being severely beaten by two men at an ATM. She is near death, and after Patrick rips the two men literally in half, he carefully carries Sophie to an old underground mine where he and his "father," Vincent, live. Vincent isn't a vampire, but he is old and within his hands, has the ability to heal, subsequently saving Sophie's life. Sophie is drawn to Patrick and wishes she could communicate with him, only to be stared at with a vacant look in his eyes. Obviously it becomes infuriating, and Patrick eventually displays a spark of emotion towards her in the end; but that's where the book literally stops! Really?? This book was like when you DVR a good movie and start to really get into it, only to realize it stopped recording midway through! Huh?

I still don't really know much about these characters. I feel like this was a teaser for Ms. Cross's upcoming series of books which she lists: "Dark Season II: Sentinel," and "Dark Season II: Army of the Wolves."

Hey, it was a free download...so "okay."

[Judy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a free e-book at Smashwords, Amazon & B&N.
Dark Season: The Last Vampire by Amy Cross Book 1
I read that these books are stand alone books but if you like series then you will want to know what happens. It definitely ends with you not knowing what happens next.

Sophie Hart is attacked one night while walking home. She is brutally beaten when suddenly her attackers are the ones being hurt and she is then carried away. She finds herself underground and learns that vampires exist, although later on she begins to question her sanity until she meets Patrick once again, the last living vampire.

Dexter Logan, a newspaper man, warns Sophie by telling her of two girls who disappeared in 1959. She finds in the article that one girl had been drained of all her blood. Sophie is torn between what Dexter told her and what she believes in her heart about Patrick. When Vincent, Patrick's father, tells Sophie of her destiny and why Patrick rescued her, she can only try and change her future.

**Language and sexual situations

[Alicia Huxtable · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good for a short story

Got to love a silent brooding vampire. This was a good short story that didn't take long to read but was long enough to want to know more about Patrick

[Deborah · Rating 1 out of 5]

Okay, i wrote this review prior to finishing the last 20 pages. Now that i am done, i can safely say this was one of the most poorly written and ridiculous series I have ever read. Don't waste your time!

I plowed through the series, hoping it would get better; but alas, it just got worse! The story concept had potential, but unfortunately it never found its way into a plot that made any sense. The Main character, Patrick, the last vampire, is mute for some weird reason - a vow or something inconsequential. Perhaps it just saved the author from having to come up with dialog. He is flat and uninteresting. He does things for some unfathomable reasons, but mostly to fulfill a prophecy that has not point at all. It serves to remove self will from all the characters. They can't fight the prophecy so they just continue through a series of meaningless actions that lead to their meaningless death. Patrick is the archetype of a domestic abuser. He treats those the "loves" in painful ways, including killing them, "for their own good", hoping they will see that he really loved them and that his reasons are noble. It makes you want to gag. I can't imagine anyone feeling sympathy for him or really caring about him at all.

Sophie, the woman he has waited for, has no spark, and is as dull and uninteresting as Patrick. The reader has no idea why she is attracted to Patrick, except that she has no friends, no hope and no life. And why does she have no friends, etc? Something about her mother watching too much TV. Actually she has one friend, a sleazy bar fly who exists to pick up equally sleazy men and have meaningless sex. Poor Sophie, if you could actually care about her. The author does attempt to make Sophie out to be noble is some way, but fails completely. It is almost a relief when she dies so you don't have to read anymore about how stupid and pathetic she is. There is no point to her death, except that pesky prophecy says she has to die.

The author also added in sub-stories of characters whose only purpose is to be evil, or boring, and then die. These sub stories, along with constant flashbacks to a past that is repeatedly rehashed, drag the series into 3 books. In book 2 we discover that Patrick wants a child so he can die. He killed all the other vampires and evidently his sad and miserable life cannot end until he inflicts more sadness and misery on an offspring.

I don't recommend this series, obviously. It is as dull and meaningless as its characters. Sadly since Anne Rice, there have been few Authors who can write about vampires, keeping their evilness interesting and spooky, while also bringing a spark of humanity. They either make them completely human - al la Twilight - or try to make them a love interest that retains some amount of evil, usually using the domestic abuser model. And yet, some hapless girl will still fall for the vamp as she tries to change him - he's just misunderstood after all. (read Lothaire for more of the DV model). This series tries to have a human-vamp love story, but if abuse and violence equal love, only then has the author succeeded.

[Roxanne Davies · Rating 1 out of 5]

Honestly I didn't enjoy this book at all and the only reason I read the full book was because I paid for it.

For me the book had no storyline and I didn;t like the fact that Patrick didnt talk throughout the whole story. There was no intrigue and nothing to keep the readers in suspense and the ending was no better in my opinion.

I would also like to say that I am not being nasty on this review just in case people take it the wrong way, I am simply giving my opinion.

[[ J o ] · Rating 1 out of 5]

A shifting POV first-person narrative of a pointless girl attracted to a ridiculously attractive vampire (who can't talk much to his credit). Thankfully only a short novella that requires no time and should not be given any.

[André Mwansa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Need. More. 🙃

[Robert Rector · Rating 2 out of 5]

This series started fairly well but by the half way point the story line went no where fast. There isn't much of a story line and what was there really didn't make much sense. Werewolves were introduced for a chapter but they really had nothing to do with the story line and there wasn't anything special or unique about Sophie and why she was the one that was so important to the prophecy. I wouldn't recommend this book.

[Mandy37 · Rating 1 out of 5]

Horrible! I don't remember if I paid for this or not, but I'm hoping it was a free book. It took me about an hour to read-what the crap is that about, that's not a book, but an article. I did not feel anything for the fully under-developed charachters, and the author likes to use the word realize and spell it 'realise'. That word is on every single page at least once. Bad, bad, bad, bad, bad writing.

[*Book Euphoria * · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked The Last Vampire. I'm still getting to know the characters, so I'll how it goes. I like Vincent and Patrick, there's something about them. Sophie in the other hand was looking for trouble if you ask me. She was attacked, nearly killed but the next day she goes out walking by herself out into the woods. Girl, that is dangerous. Especially if you know there's vampires out there too. Other than that craziness, it was a good start to a series.

[Karina Kantas · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an easy, quick read, but predictable. The only difference with this and the other vamp novels out there, is this vampire didn't talk.

I liked the way it went from her P.O.V to his.

I'm glad I read it. But there was nothing to keep my interest.

This doesn't mean I won't read something else by this author.

[Destiny Faith · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s okay

I disliked how Sophie lacked character development and some of the things she does seems very out of character for how she’s portrayed. It’s okay for a short story but the text is a little confusing but I’ll keep reading the series.

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quick fun read

This is a quick and fun read. It ends to soon though. Looking forward too the next book...the mystery continues. The only thing is there are a few misspelled words.

[Salisa Berry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Whole story

I choose this rating because it was a very good story that continued to pull you in. What I didn't like was feeling like I was only given parts of the story. Not the full version of the story, but parts of the story pieced together.

[Jo · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good story but it got very confusing changing between time periods and different parts

[Natasa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it, the story is different...

[Donna R Kite · Rating 1 out of 5]

I didn't finish reading.

I didn't finish reading this book. So many grammar issues. It may be a really good book. Needs to be edited better.

[Allison · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cliff hangers are the bane of my existence

[Noodle The Naughty Night Owl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Novella versus Novel? That is the big question. I will admit, I have been a staunch novel supporter, I simply don't like becoming attached to a character/world/mystery and then having it cut off before it truly gets going. I am still going to say my preferred would be a full length novel. I just love the night after night read.

BUT, Amy Cross's The Last Vampire is sure testing that theory for me.

This was a wonderful, albeit short, read. I fell into Amy's writing style with ease, despite the fact that practically each chapter was from an alternative point of view - first the main female protagonist: Sophie. Then an insight into the vampire: Patrick. Despite the change of scene in alternate chapters, I did not find that it detracted from the overall story itself, instead it helped to heighten my connection to Patrick, who does not speak a word.

The mystery created was worthwhile. I did feel, however, that it wasn't quite resolved at the end, but left a little too cliff-hanger-ish. Each one of these Novellas is supposed to provide a complete stand alone story, I failed to see the stand-alone in this instalment.

But, it was so enjoyable and intriguing and nicely written, that I went straight on to the next and forgave Cross for the lack of length and lack of completion on the first book. Besides, she offered the first one free and the rest appear to only be 0.99c - so can't really complain.

So, Novella or Novel? Well, I gotta say, this Novella has me hooked. I'm giving it a well deserved 7/10: "Good solid read, something to get your teeth into" on the NBRS and forcing myself to rate it on the grounds of content quality, not content quantity.

[BookNerdette · Rating 4 out of 5]

I grabbed this book off Barnes & Nobles free nook book list. I warn you right now the other books are NOT easily available for us nook owners. I don't know how the two websites work.. do authors submit their books or do the sites inquire for the books. Whatever or however... the fact is Amy Cross has this first of a series book on B&N and all of them are available on Amazon. [rollseyes] This is most aggravating and I come close to not reading anymore... I went into work and found myself thinking about the book and where the story would go.. so when I got home I bought the series from Amazon and now am for the first time ever... reading on my droid phone. It is okay... I wish it was on my nook.

I found Amy's website and seen many others on the same boat I am so I added my comment and plea along with the others. Now to Amy Cross...

I love the way you write! You write from different view points, different characters view and it reads like a soap opera. I love it! The storyline is creative and pulled me in from the first.

The Last Vampire is the beginning of the cutiest story I have run across in a while. I love Patrick and know there is such brilliance there along with guilt of the world.

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is one of those short stories that you immediately want to know more about, but unfortunately it ends before you get any real answers. The main character is interesting enough, though she was fairly stupid at times. Here's an important reminder: If a guy "randomly" starts insisting vampires are real and asking you to help out, you should probably stay away from him. Patrick, the vampire, is by far the most interesting but he is also fairly frustrating since he doesn't talk (can't or won't, don't know). So in the end you know next to nothing about him, and even some of his little private monologue sections seem off. He seems childish because he doesn't talk, and there is a lot that would be easier if he just opened his mouth and said something.
Overall the story was pretty interesting though, I think with around 50 more pages it could have really had some much needed details or fleshed out a bit of the story. Pretty decent for a free short story though.

[Mossie Sweet · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh? This review is for the series as a whole. Had a distracting number of typos and no character development to speak of - just a disjointed series of events happening to an unworthy character. Kept referring to a prophecy but never actually disclosed it or built towards it. Never set out what was special about Sophie. Never explained the wild improbability of the last installment - a perpetually uninterested mother somehow cares enough to commit Sophie for no good reason to the same facility as some unethical doctors who for some unspecified reason insist on trying to give Sophie electroshock therapy? Writing style was easy to read, but I won't get more by this author - very unsatisfying to put that much time into stories that go nowhere in particular.

[Alisha · Rating 4 out of 5]

The currious thing about this book is that one of the main characters doesn't speak. Whether he can't or wont, it makes for admittedly one sided but nonetheless unique dialog. The Last Vampire is the first in a series that revolves around the title character and his possible Lady love. There was a lot of action and the Lady Love is rescued on numerous occasions by the last vampire. The plot was interesting and the story shifts between the point of view of the Lady love and the internal monologue of the Last Vampire.
Despite being short, I thought that this book was very well written. I intend to check out the rest of the series to see what becomes of these interesting characters and how their world evolves and the plot develops.

[Rachel Lynn Sterling · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book...but, the description I read said that it could be read as a stand alone without reading the whole series. That may be true - if you like watching only half of a movie! After reading this first book, I went ahead a purchased all 8 books in the series as a set. It wasn't one of those books that I just couldn't put down, but it was very entertaining. I felt I got my money's worth and will probably be purchasing the next books in the series. (No, even after 8, it's still not finished!) From what I've read, this author seems to look at her books as a television series (with each book being one episode).

[Paige Duff · Rating 4 out of 5]

Even though the book is short, and it is supposed to be able to be a stand alone even though there are two more books, it leaves a lot of unfinished things to be thought of. If this is supposed to be able to stand on it's own without having to read the others to get the complete thing then they should have made it a bit longer and/or put in more detail. Other than that it was not a bad read to be able to just pick up and read a bit here or there, it's not one of those you won't want to put down, but you may forget about it before you finish if you are not careful, therefore make it a quick read or your book for the waiting room at the doctors.

[MsBDiamondDiva1 · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this story a lot, only problem is I wanted and really thought I need more information about Patrick. Sophie was a likable character and finally someone wrote a teenage character that acts like a teenager. I guess that is what has me wanting to know more about this series. I love the fact that Patrick doesn't talk and that he sees the ghost of all the vampires he has killed. I wonder what Sophie will do, when she discovers the truth about the murders of Rose Tisser and Jessica Harper. I just have so much I want to know before I give a solid rating :-)

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

i liked the book. it is an interesting lay out, that if you are not paying attention you may get lost. interesting characters interesting story especially if you read through the whole series.

each book kind of ends with a bit of a clif hanger and the last book ends leaving a lot more questions unanswered than answered. I did enjoy the series. I have read a lot of vampire books and have not come across anything like this before. I wish each book was a bit longer and had more but over all very good.

[Julie E. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Series starts out strong and really drew me in. By book 3, I couldn't put it down. Book 8 VERY disappointing. Series does not conclude, rather leaves you with a cliffhanger to await "Series 2" which should be called "Season 2" as it is obviously written for a TV series. I don't intend to read "Series 2". I hate TV soap operas and this is just the written form of the samething. Wish I hadn't wasted my time.

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting start to a series. I was expecting a little more romance but that's more my fault than the book's since I didn't read the synopsis before starting. Dark and a little bleak, but intriguing.

This book was a free Kindle download I picked up 10/21/12 for the Why Buy the Cow? reading challenge.

-Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal

[Aymee · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really cute story despite some editing issues. Although the heroine, Sophie, had a couple of TSTL moments, she's overall an enjoyable and likable character. Patrick, I'm still up in the air about. I want to like him, but since he doesn't talk, it's kind of hard to know where he's coming from, even with the short glances from his POV. All in all, I'm looking forward to reading the next in the series.