The Vampire King's Mate is my introduction to author T.S. Ryder. I borrowed the book from KU because I liked the cover, and I'm happy to say I liked the contents just as much. Adam the Vampire King has bigtime anger management issues. His formidable capacity for violence was an asset in the war that saved vampires and brought him to the throne, but his reputation has his vampire subjects terrorized. Spitfire Wanda is a human, and along with other women is an enslaved drug mule for vampire drug-dealer Jonas. When he jails Jonas, Wanda becomes Adam's responsibility, and he falls in love with her. This tale of two inwardly frightened, outwardly angry, basically good-hearted souls who find their way to peace at last is a wonderful and sometimes sexy love story. It is full of interesting supporting characters. I enjoyed all the suspense, double-dealing and betrayal, and there was enough action to make it exciting. Author Ryder has a slightly dry and very refreshing directness to her writing - no gratuitous details, no beating around the bush. It works in this instance, keeping a very emotion-driven story from becoming overwrought. Most of all, I like the way Ms. Ryder traces the tentacles of cause and effect: the emotional issues that plague Adam's and Wanda's inner lives have far-reaching and dramatic impact on the lives of those around them and on the vampire kingdom as a whole. Cover and contents, kit and caboodle, I totally like this book.