The Vampire King's Surprise

Ever Dark #6

by X. Aratare

After Vampire King Daemon uses Armageddon to transform the disloyal Vampires at the Spire back into mortals, the Ever Dark still has many surprises in store for our heroes. Christian is literally haunted by David, the man he had an affair with long ago. Balthazar finds too many similarities between himself and Caemorn for his comfort. And Vampires from the past are starting to appear, hearing their king’s call…

This is a long serial that is divided into book-length segments. Every single one ends in a cliffhanger. We anticipate there being 9 volumes. This series will not be in KU, because it is on the Raythe Reign serial website. There is also a free podcast on Youtube with a full voice cast!

Genres: Romance, Vampires, Fantasy, LGBT, Audiobook, M M Romance, Paranormal

202 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 6, 2023

About the author

X. Aratare is the pseudonym for Raythe Reign's Gay(M/M) books.

Reviews

[ML]

Caemorn is imprisoned and when Balthazar scans his mind he realizes they share many parallels. It makes him very uncomfortable. He doesn’t want to sympathize Caemorn.

This book takes place in the Ever Dark mainly with a bit at Ravencroft Manor sprinkled in. Daemon communes with the Earth and Julian gets a side benefit from that. Tentacles anyone?!?! 🌿🌿🌿🌚

Christian has an epiphany about David. It’s a good thing.

Kaly is trying to lure Julian to his 2nd death. Daemon will never allow this..

New/old fledglings are discovered.

Kittens 🐱 arrive 😻😻😻😻

This book had lots of storylines!

Off to read the next volume…

[Lilith · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think this is the most 'nothing is really happening' book I've ever read yet loved at the same time and beg for more of the nothing. Perhaps someone else would disagree and be bored. There is more sexiness here and the plot is moving forward, not in so much of an action type way, but in a learning more lore and getting more character's type way.

Although there is a lot of planning because of this vampire war happening, it's become a vampire slice of life type book in my eyes. Julien and Christian are learning the vamp life and their love lives. The 'nothing' is great because we are REALLY getting to know the characters. Most books have these big moments constantly happening in order to push the love story together or to help the couples learn about each other. There are few in this book, but I love how Julien/Damien and Christian/Balthazar just express themselves to each other. They talk, do stuff, annoy each other playfully and make sure that their partner is happy. The couples are super romantic and I appreciate that it's through getting to know each other.

And back to the sexiness, which is what I started the series for... It's very intimate. Like I'm reading sex scenes that aren't so 'let's fuck' or 'let's release' but more so super tender moments. They are super love-makey. I came for smut and stayed for the lore and intimacy.

[Lucy Larsen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finally having time to jump back into this series and honestly this book just made me really excited to see what the last third of the series holds.

There was some introduction of new characters in this book and that made me really excited. Elgar, the new character, is honestly so sweet and so cute and I can’t wait to see how he contributes to the group dynamic going forward. I feel like he and Christian will get along well, but I honestly think he’ll get along more with Julian for some reason. I’m excited to see how that goes.

I also appreciated that we got to see some more Daemon and Julian time in this book. I feel like a lot more of the story is spent on Christian and Balthazar time (which I really love) but I appreciated that we got to spend a little more time with the other two. I feel like their relationship still feels a little less explored to me comparing to Christian and Balthazar. But I also appreciated that this time with them not only took time to develop their relationship but also to foreshadow some of the coming events in the next three books. The spicy level was also a level 5.

Overall, I really liked this book and would give it a 5 out of 5 star rating. I’m excited to see what the next book holds and I’m looking forward to continuing.

[BeckieLouLou · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars. Audiobook. Vampires and humans and love romances and bromances and friendships. Series of nine books with wonderful world building and a large cast of characters. Exceptionally well done character introductions, spaced out and different enough to keep them all straight, narration is with multiple actors, so that helped too. Low angst, low drama, a lot goes right for these characters and they actively try to fix hurts and heal emotional wounds for themselves and each other. Not OTT super sweet, but lots of support and caring. Felt like a mini series or soap opera since there were multiple romances and many different storylines with multiple POV. Really enjoyed the story, kept moving, stayed interesting. Totally binge-able, no tedious recapping. Recommend reading them all together or very close together due to the large cast and many plots, you need to remember who everyone is for the full impact at the end. Must read all installments for the HEA as many end on cliffhangers.

Sounded like there was a spinoff, Vampire Academy, that I would be interested in just to see what the characters are up to.

HEA, series, vampires, humans, m/m, urban fantasy vibes.

[Sugarpop · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first installment I read without the audiobook playing along. The audio version definitely adds to the experience. Nonetheless 5 Stars for this one too.

[Precociousp · Rating 4 out of 5]

After taking a six-month break from the Ever Dark series, I returned to find the universe had expanded with Ever Dark Academy and Ever Dark Equinox. While it’s exciting to see these new additions, I don’t think I’ll be following them. My emotional investment is firmly with Christian and Julian, whose journey from reluctant allies to something much deeper has been the most compelling part of the series for me. I’m eager to see how their happily ever after (HEA) unfolds.

Volume 6, The Vampire King’s Surprise, is clearly setting the stage for an epic climax. With so many pieces now falling into place, it feels like the end is near. We see Damien, Christian, Julian, and Balthazar all adjusting to their new realities while confronting the “ghosts” of their pasts. One of the most intriguing elements of this entry is the new revelations about The Order, which introduce a theme paralleling religious ideology—highlighting the need for one supreme figure of worship rather than many.

Raythe does an excellent job balancing drama, eroticism, and pacing in this volume. Julian’s confrontation with the possibility of reanimating his parents’ souls as vampires stands out as a particularly intense moment. He must move carefully with Damien to avoid compromising this monumental opportunity. At the same time, Christian faces the truth about his past with David, realizing that their relationship was predatory and seeking closure by wanting David’s spirit to move on. These were pivotal moments that showcased their growth as characters.

The exploration of power dynamics, especially within the vampire hierarchy, adds a fascinating layer to the story, giving depth to what could otherwise be a typical supernatural romance. Compared to earlier volumes, The Vampire King’s Surprise feels like the most ambitious entry yet, with Raythe skillfully raising the stakes in both romance and world-building. The tension is palpable as we inch closer to what promises to be a grand finale.

Highly recommended for fans of supernatural romance who appreciate strong character development, steamy scenes, and intricate world-building. I can’t wait to see how Christian and Julian’s story concludes.

[D. J. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Spicy

This book is extremely spicy and the smut scenes are absolutely just amazing in this book if you like vampires I recommend reading this entire series You can listen to the podcast But sometimes you just wanna be able to reread some of your favorite lines or look at The actual scenes that were cut from the Podcast so this is perfect

[He11zbelles · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.4⭐️ This is the best audio series ever! What would make it 5⭐️ is if it was spicier. The little spice is executed so sensually and beautifully, which allows me to overlook its absence.

Also Balthazar’s humor and the ongoing plot is so riveting and exciting. I’m loving the Ever Dark world

[Jessica · Rating 2 out of 5]

This series took an unfortunate turn. We went from great plot, interesting storyline and fun characters to over-familiarity, the use of "Heaven" and "Hell", a lot of exclamation points, and over-written inner monolgues. We also didn't need to hear about ever single marsh creature.

[Anna Beck · Rating 4 out of 5]

🎧 I love how Balthazar and Daemon are ‘letting’ their fledglings figure things out. Caemorn is a jerk, but I think he has a bigger role to play that will make things interesting. I have so many questions, and not enough answers!

[Denise White · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m just so enjoying this story I’m enjoying this part of the story excellent

[DarkSide · Rating 3 out of 5]

I docked a star for the persistent kidnapping teasing which never comes about. I'll give an extra star to the next one if kidnapping finally takes place. lol

[Reader · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.4/5

[Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one is a tad darker, but I'm still rooting for a happy ending for Caemorn.

[Jona Nightingale · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tis was cute, gotta stop with these cliffhangers.