I'm not really sure which way to go with this, so I'm rating smack in the middle with 3 stars. I first read this when I was 16, and believe me, only a teenager would think this first book of the saga is a romance! Why? Because the heroine is very timid, entirely too innocent, and because of that, very susceptible to the charms of a vampire. I totally cringed at how easily he took her over because she was so desperate to love and be loved. She is too young to have found her niche in the world, and that makes her feel different and out of place. Feeling that way makes her believe that she belongs in the vampire world. David, however, is probably the closest thing to a vampire that I've ever read about. In more current vampire novels, they tend to have all these crazy paranormal abilities, which is interesting, but if vampires ever did exist, I'm betting they would be like David. He's just a guy who can live forever and drinks blood. He has some mind-controlling abilities, and is a little stronger and faster than humans. I was almost extremely disappointed with this novel, but then I remembered that there are 3 more books in the saga. This is only the first quarter of the story and that opens up a lot of potential. When Veronica reappears in the last novel, she will have had 10 years to grow up, and if she falls in love with David again, it won't be out of desperation and a longing to belong... hopefully. In a lot of ways David has some growing up to do as well, and if the saga can show the growth of two individuals and the difference between real love and "obsession" then my ratings will go up. This saga is definitely not your typical fluffy, romance with a perfect hero and heroine. They are both very flawed, which shows realism in the midst of fantasy. Bottom line- If straight up typical vampire romance is what you're after, this isn't it.