Jump to ratings and reviews
Rate this book

Red Thorne #1

Die for You

Rate this book
A human girl searching for her sister, a grumpy vampire bodyguard in charge of keeping her alive, and a malicious creature hunting them down. What could go wrong?

THE SURVIVOR

The death certificate says my sister died two years ago in the accident but her body was never found. I was the sole survivor. Then I saw her. Someone lied. Now, I must travel across the country to find answers from a blood-thirsty vampire with one thing on his mind. I will find out the truth. Even if it kills me.

THE PROTECTOR

I didn't mean for this to happen. I didn't mean for any of it to happen. Now Raya is here. She is mine, and I must protect her at all costs. If she dies, I die. It doesn't add up, and it's all a mess. It's my job to fix it and find my brother. She knows I'm hiding something, but I'm terrified to tell her the truth.

THE PREDATOR

It's been years since I had a lead. Now, I have one. I will watch. I will wait. I will strike. He will be mine.

368 pages, Paperback

Published October 3, 2023

Loading...
Loading...

About the author

Lauren Jackson

5 books586 followers

Ratings & Reviews

What do you think?
Rate this book

Friends & Following

Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!

Community Reviews

5 stars
363 (14%)
4 stars
744 (30%)
3 stars
840 (34%)
2 stars
381 (15%)
1 star
121 (4%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 477 reviews
Profile Image for SK .
616 reviews12.5k followers
July 29, 2025
Twilight x The Vampire Diaries with a grumpy vampire bodyguard? 👀

Oh my gosh, that was kinda badass. I read it for the vibes and the vibes delivered 🤌✨ It's the sort of book you can read without using much brain power. Need a book to read on a tiring day? This one is it. Need a book that just gives you those paranormal vibes but without you deep diving into lore? This one is it.

Honestly, it was interesting how it's set in Australia and the way the vampires dealt in the modern world. I pretty much ate it up. It's fast paced that one can read easily in two three days. It's not the best written book or plot, but it does an amazing job of keeping you invested. It's got action, spice and romance, and let's not forget the paranormal mystery. I swear the mystery aspect kept me hooked, so it's not all just romance y'all.

Raya? I loved her. She's smart, feisty and much more bolder than Bella (from Twilight) could have been. But then again this is a spicy version. She was more outspoken and knew to put her foot down. She was so into Hunter, I don't even blame her for the instant click.

Hunter, oh my gosh. The perfect vampire bodyguard. I'm a sucker for those Edward Cullen vibes but darker, grumpier and with tattoos. And the man can spice things up. Like I was swooning the moment he came in and how he was with Raya. The chase scene? I was weak on my knees 😭😭

The chemistry between the two is so amazing. They just clicked perfectly. Also, the spice and the *cough* blood drinking *cough* scenes 👀🤭🫠 All I'll say is, well written. It made me wish the book didn't end. But I will also acknowledge that things do progress fast between the two emotionally and yet the physical aspect was worth waiting for.

The only weak part that makes me rate it four instead of five stars is that the ending was slightly weak. The execution in the last sixty pages was a bit messy, with too much happening and I felt that the death of a certain character wasn't dealt well.

But anyway, I can't wait to read the next one in the series. I hear it gives more Klaus vibes 👀🤭
Profile Image for Greta Mewing.
88 reviews
October 26, 2025
Didn’t love this like I hoped I would. The writing was easy to follow and drew you in; but plot was very weak - it had many parallels with Vampire Diaries storylines which for me, made it predictable.

It was riddled with contradictions and unanswered questions including the strange dynamic between Raya and Cora who were supposedly so tight, yet Cora betrayed them and sacrificed their lives to become a vampire. Then abandoned her sister (which I initially assumed was for safety) only to discover she’d compelled her to find her therefore putting her in danger again.

One thing that really spun me out was discovering partway through that the book was set in Australia? Probably one of the naturally warmest sunniest climates in the world - probs not ideal for the living dead who can’t do direct sunlight. And apart from the mention of Adelaide once; there was absolutely nothing that mentioned or described anything remotely Australian or that felt Australian. It felt like it was set in a small American town (although maybe that’s other books rubbing off) - I just found it really far fetched.

The character development was also really strange. I couldn’t work out whether Alex was in love with Raya or gay - lots of mixed signals. The vampire characters were all way too emotional compared to the “cold, hard, empty” descriptions they were given and i found it implausible that straight after her best friend had been murdered, Raya was out gallivanting in a forest with her new vampire skills or in the middle of spicy sex scenes with Hunter - it was like the author remembered a few times she was supposed to be grieving and would add in the odd “her heart ached for Alex” between spicy moments. If you can get past dead vampire jizz being deposited on Raya’s face for thrills, the sex scenes did have some fire to them 🔥.

Side note: who TF is Dante? Still unsure who he is or what his role in the book was.

The whole storyline of this felt like a really strange dream, with the characters bumbling from one town to another on assorted rescue missions, only to end up back at square one.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Diana.
279 reviews35 followers
May 21, 2023
this was so good!! i am so happy i signed up for the arc because it was totally worth it. i literally couldn’t put this book down. if you want something that feels like vampire diaries then this is the book for you!! hunter was 😮‍💨😮‍💨. definitely worth the read!! i can’t wait for the next book!!
Profile Image for Jennifer.
1,754 reviews67 followers
March 29, 2024
God, I wish I could say I enjoyed this book. Honestly, I'm just happy it's over. It was so cliche and cringy. The writing was very good, the story was just overdone. I'd definitely try the author again in the future if she ever writes non-vampire/cliche stuff.
Profile Image for ruby.
208 reviews75 followers
June 11, 2023
Raya embarks on a quest to find her missing sister Cora, accompanied by her best friend Alex, to the town of Red Thorne where rumors suggest supernatural beings reside. While on the brink of death, Raya is saved by a vampire, resulting in an accidental bond that forever links them and makes Raya the only source of sustenance for the Hunter. Despite their differences, they are forced to work together in close proximity to search for Raya's sister.

The story is shrouded in suspense and mystery. Hunter, a grumpy and unique vampire, possesses a strong moral compass due to being turned against his will. He respects the choices of others, even when they are not given to him. Raya, on the other hand, is a strong-willed and stubborn character who is determined to find her sister at any cost.

The bond between Hunter and Raya is intense, heightening their senses and bringing them closer together. The slow-burn romance between them is amazing, with spicy moments that are scorching hot! The plot is filled with unexpected twists and turns, with allies turning into enemies and some incredible action scenes.

I am eagerly looking forward to reading about the couple in the next book, as it is my most anticipated read!
Profile Image for Ace✨.
162 reviews10 followers
November 1, 2024
.5/5

dnf @64%

I listened to this audiobook and it's basically Twilight/Vampire Diaries but make it Australian and more cringy. Speaking of, why are vampires in Australia? You'd think it's not ideal since it's so warm/sunny there. Anywhooo, this book was terrible, i really tried to power though but tbh it's not worth my time or yours, unless you feel like torturing yourself 🤷🏻‍♀️
Profile Image for Kathryn.
83 reviews9 followers
May 31, 2025
The writing was so bad 😭
Profile Image for Ashton Choate.
255 reviews18 followers
May 24, 2023
ARC - Die for You by @laurenjacksonauthorr
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶🌶🌶
- vampires
- multiple pov
- lost sister
- bodyguardish
- bonded
This book was so gooooood!!

This is my first Lauren Jackson and I loved it!!

Raya is a stubborn girl on a mission.
Alex is her best friend who will do anything to help.
Hunter is the boring vampire turned bodyguard.
Cora is the missing sister.

I was not ready for the twist and betrayal!

I cant wait to see more of these guys!!
Profile Image for Shannon Farley.
262 reviews123 followers
May 6, 2026
I made it about 50% in and decided I needed more plot and depth to be able to feel invested.

⭐⭐⭐
🌶️🌶️?

The first part of the book started out pretty strong but the more I got into it things started to get a little cheesy and lack plot and depth. The romance was in need of some serious tension and build. The spice was also way to fast paced. I get vampires are quick but man that was fast. 😂 I was not connecting with the FMC either. It seemed like her emotions and priority's were all over the place.

All in all, the Twilight and Vampire Diaries vibe was fun and I can connect with Vampire romance super easy but the bones of the book was unfortunately lacking.

Profile Image for Pandora.
462 reviews134 followers
November 15, 2024
This was a fun mix between vampire diaries and twilight with extra spice thrown in.
At times I found Raya to be a bit naive for someone who'd supposedly been researching vampires and overall the book gave off a US vibe rather than being set in Australia but it was still an enjoyable read.
I'm keen to see what will happen in book two and I hope that Kian finally gets what's coming to him.
Profile Image for bella fazzati 🪿.
602 reviews513 followers
August 15, 2024
i loved them SO fucking much 🤧❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥 can’t wait to read cora’s book ❤️‍🩹
Profile Image for sarah ❀.
6 reviews1 follower
June 17, 2025
my first book by this author!!
loved the idea of a vampire romance, lots of aspects similar to the vampire diaries might of made it a bit predictable. although the plot was a bit weak with a lot of spice, hunter and raya were so cute and i loved their story🫶🏻 enjoyable read but nothing mind blowing.
Profile Image for Lauren.
18 reviews
June 10, 2025
I feel like dymocks lied to me, they sold this as a mystery book with “hot vampire bodyguard” “grumpy x sunshine” “vampire romance”.

NO. Honestly just do yourself a favour and read on A03, this book was a mess and I don’t believe any of these 5 star reviews.

Firstly, is Alex gay? Is he obsessed with her? Not sure because he changed his entire character halfway through the book.

Secondly, Raya is your typical “I’m not like other girls I wake up looking amazing and put my hair in a messy bun”

Last but not least, why the HELL would a vampire town be set in Australia?????? Arguably one of the most tropical, SUNNY climates?

I could go on however, this book already took way too much of my time. Sorry Lauren Jackson I wish you the best of luck 🫶🏼
Profile Image for asra⭑.ᐟ (hiatus).
243 reviews58 followers
August 21, 2025
3.5 stars
it was definitely...something.

---------

pre-read

the slump is so bad that atp I just hope I can read something 🙏

(thank you everyone who voted on the poll 💗)
Profile Image for Tamara Jelbart.
3 reviews1 follower
May 23, 2023
I was so excited when Lauren announced she was writing a vampire book because I’ve always love Twilight, Vampire Academy & Vampire Diaries and I loved her first romance so much! So I was even more excited when I got the arc for this!

And let me tell you
I’m obsessed.

It was so good, so fast paced, full of angst and all consuming romance with a little sprinkle of mystery.

I finished it in a weekend but if I didn’t have little mini me’s I would’ve finished it in a day.

I love the Vampire falls for the human trope, it’s tail as old as time but I feel like this story had a unique spin on it that just made it such a great read.

I love Raya and how brave and strong she was even after everything she went through. She is so kind and loyal and such a pure person. She was a great FMC and I really enjoyed her character.

Hunter is just 🤌🏻🤌🏻🤌🏻 in the human form.
He is the Vampire with a moral compass. I’ve always loved the ‘good vampire but will kill you if you even look at his girl’ vibe.

Their love is all consuming, passionate, dangerous and spicy as hell.

If you love Vampire Diaries you will love this book!
Profile Image for jordan.
391 reviews109 followers
May 23, 2023
BOOK/ARC REVIEW

Raya & Hunter. Raya trying to solve what happened to her missing sister. Hunter trying to live the life he never wanted.

i love Lauren’s writing style, how she is able to mix the mundane with action and throw a sprinkle of mystery in there too. after reading Meant To Be, i knew that i would read anything that Lauren writes and this one being about vamps how could i not. i have been in my vampire era (or maybe i never left) and this is the perfect smutty vamp read. highly recommend!

READ THIS IF YOU LIKE:
grumpy/sunshine
human heroine
a mystery
vampire hero
dual pov
reluctant love
October 6, 2023
First book I’ve never read from this author!
Half way through the book and realised the author has this book set in Australia! I knew the author was Australian but didn’t know the book would be based in Australia! This was so refreshing to read.

This is one of the most amazing paranormal books I’ve read in a while. Sometimes I can find this genre to be abit cringy but it was so well written I was literally picturing so clearly.

This book follows Raya who is searching for her dead sister. Ending up in a town where her sister was last located so finds this town is not what it seems.

Meeting Hunter she immediately figures out that he is not all what he seems.

Profile Image for Bella Georga.
375 reviews3 followers
August 4, 2024
IVE FINALLY FINISHED THIS BOOK YAYYYYYY
The book overall was fine but I found it too similar to vampire diaries and twilight in addition to the writing progressively getting more cringe and boring.
Will not be continuing this series🥴
Profile Image for Sara Sidwell.
217 reviews5 followers
January 29, 2025
3.5 ⭐️'s

Ratties, this one's for us.

Was this book a little cringey? Yea. But was it addicting and hard to put down? Absolutely!
Profile Image for Charlotte.
210 reviews
March 6, 2025
3.5⭐️! This was a fun vampire romance that gave me minor vampire diaries vibes. The plot was interesting and the romance was cute, but it didn’t blow me away!
Profile Image for Samantha Groat.
426 reviews19 followers
May 25, 2023
3.5 ⭐️

If you want a fun, urban fantasy, spicy vampire read that gives you the vibes of CW’s The Vampire Diaries - then this is a story for you!

We follow Raya, our FMC who is searching for answers on the mysterious disappearance of her sister one year prior. She moves towns and enrols in University hoping to find answers. We also follow Hunter, the Stefan-esque MMC - a reluctant vampire who just wants to be better than the stories suggest. His world is changed when the new girl in town sits next to him in class and offers to be his notes buddy.

I won’t spoil anything, but suffice to say there is a situation that results in some forced proximity and a whole bunch of angstiness.

The top praise I have for this book was that it draws you in immediately with the mystery presented for both characters. The characters are all extremely likeable too which makes reading them a pleasure.

I found the pacing of the story to be a little inconsistent at times, with some things happening way faster than I expected or was probably required. I also found some of the dialogue between the two MC’s to feel a little YA at times.

All in all it was an enjoyable read, especially considering it was the authors first dabble into the fantasy realm of writing! Get me a man who looks after me the way Hunter looks after Raya please 🙏🏽

Thank you to Lauren Jackson for sending me this E-ARC!
Profile Image for Alissa.
735 reviews44 followers
August 7, 2025
This book wasn’t for me. That doesn’t mean it was a bad book - a 2 star rating for me just means I didn’t enjoy it but i think other readers will.

For me it was adult twilight - it had the same kind of dynamic between the lovers just make it adult instead of teen. I’m personally not a fan of vampire bonding where she’s the only one he can safely drink from and this did that. This also did the dreaded ‘love solved all my mental health issues’ angle 🙄 It was also a bit insta-lusty and I didn’t really see any relationship development before they were declaring their love for each other.

It did have a hilarious typo where he fingered her at ‘inhumane speeds’ and that made me laugh a lot, but otherwise it’s a pretty ordinary vampire romance with some thriller/action elements that im sure others will enjoy but ultimately bored me.
Profile Image for Jennifer Rose.
604 reviews35 followers
October 14, 2024
I feel like this is definitely a spicier version of Twilight, which in MY case IS not a bad thing! I absolutely still think about Twilight to this day so I ate this book up.

However, I feel the longer the book went on, the more I kind of lost interest. I didn't really feel like there was any stakes at all until the very end. I feel like it was just sitting around and talking with friends and then having tons of spicy time mixed in.

I wanted so much to love this book more than I did.

https://www.youtube.com/@EnchantedRos...
Profile Image for rhi !!.
438 reviews8 followers
March 11, 2026
୨ৎ : “life sucks for me here, it will probably suck for me there. doesn’t really matter where I go.”

— ☆ 5/5

really no words. if you’re into vampires and love. you neeedddd to read this right now. it’s literally like the vampire diaries but rewritten and better
Profile Image for Jamie-Lee Webb.
192 reviews2 followers
January 10, 2025
Fuck .

The writing is this is so terrible, how the fuck did Penguin Books publish this ?
Literally written by a 12 year old
I read 3 chapters of this and I knew it was going to be shit . Wow . If there’s anything worst than an YA it’s this .



DONT DO IT .

1/5
Profile Image for natalie 𓏲 ๋࣭ ࣪ ˖.
111 reviews31 followers
October 23, 2023
5 ⭐️ 2 🌶️

This book delivered EVERYTHING my Twilight & TVD heart could want! I absolutely loved it! It was fast paced and so easy to read! I couldn’t put it down! And the ending 🥹 I need more!
Profile Image for Marie.
318 reviews5 followers
October 2, 2023
This book was amazing! It’s completely not a genre I would read, in fact, I think this is my first vampire book and I LOVED IT!!

Told from two POV;
Raya (The Survivor) and Hunter (The Protector), this is a forced proximity romance with a fair bit of spice and so steamy!

The story line is so brilliant, engaging and mysterious! The characters are great (my favourite is definitely Hunter 🔥)! I loved their bond and reading all things vampire, it had me totally captivated!

I can’t wait for book two in the Red Thorne series.

Thank you so much @penguinbooksaus for this copy in exchange for an honest review.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 477 reviews