Rating: 4
So, I'll start by saying that this rating is complessive of the whole story arc for this threesome, which means that it's not just about Vampire Trinity but it also includes "Vampire Mistress".
Funnily enough, this book was the first I read of this author, and with this I mean that I read it even before Vampire Mistress. At this point, why don't I read a series in order? I have no idea, but sometimes I still do it. Nevertheless, I think it was a good thing. Because, despite the fact that this book is utterly out of my comfort zone, so far that I'm honestly surprised I even picked it up, it is also one of the best of this series. If I had started in order, I'm not sure I would have given it a chance at all. Because despite the amazing writing style, all the previous books (aside for Vampire Mistress itself)fall very short for me.
So, why did I enjoy the story of Gideon, Daegan and Anwyn ? Well, for one, I loved how they all really loved each other. It wasn't just Anwyn that kept them together. In "Vampire Mistress" the transformation of Anwyn in a Vampire may be what brought them together, but in the course of these two books it wasn't just Anwyn relationship with Daegan and her relationship with Gideon that was developed, but also the one between Gideon and Daegan. Because, I'll be honest, if I'm going to read of a threesome/menagerie as the main characters then I also want to see real love and affection between all the people involved, not a mini harem. And to see that happen was very satisfactory. I also loved how the sex scenes were relevant for the characters and the development of their relationship and they weren't there just for the sake of it. It really had a deep emotional impact.
Another aspect I truly enjoyed is how their relationship with one another helped the characters really develop. It was fantastic to see Anwyl personal journey. From a victim of a crazy vampire who, due to her transformation, suffers from dangerous seizures, to someone who had to learn to accept being a vampire and who had to relearn to trust herself and her Instincts and differentiate them with those driven by her vampire nature (which would incite her to take without restrain and it's saidstic to boot).
Gideon, actually, is my favourite character of the whole series so far. Witty, brave but also ridden by vengeance and a sense of worthlessness. And I loved how, through his relationship with Anwyn and Daegan he start to learn to give himself a chance, to trust them and believe in their love for him. Even if, in his self depreciation he may not feel worth of it. Even if in doing that he needs to accept and look at Anwyn as a vampire, stopping to justificate his action and lying to himself saying that he does it because she is a victim. Even, especially so, when he has to accept that he really cares and love Daegan even if he is a male vampire. Something that was everything against he stood for.
And in the majority of the situations I really hate how the "human" has to be a servant. But in their cases, I feel like Gideon, despite being the "submissive one" when they had sex, was an equal in their relationship. And not just because he helps with Anwyn's seizure. I'm still not a fan of the servant status but at the same time I can't see Gideon with anyone else but Anwin AND Daegan.
As for Daegan. Well the guy is a great character. I really appreciated how he was always ready to be the bad guy and the harsh decisions, if that meant protecting those he cared for. I loved how he renounced to make Anwyn his servant when she was still human because he realized it would destroy her/wouldn't suit her. And I loved how he bantered with Gideon, asking his opinion and trusting it, even if he doesn't necessarily agree with him. To be honest, he is also the one that see less development. But he is also the most steady out of the 3 of them. He wasn't just transformed by a crazy vampire into a vampire whose mental state is just as precarious (poor Anwyin) and he isn't a self destruction wrecking ball like Gideon. He is the one that has to protect, guide and help them when they are too blind to do that. So he does that. Being a 700 years old vampire with iron control and who has loved only two people in his whole life (Gideon and Anwin) and who never let anyone else as close helped doing that.
Another aspect that I wish I got to read more about, were his feelings for Gideon. His feelings for Anwyin were clear from Vampire Mistress, and in that same book, it's clear that he start to see Gideon differently and understand how he fits with himself and Anwyin. But there isn't much from his POV in Vampire Trinity.
That, coupled with the more bartering nature of relationship, meant that his relationship with Gideon felt less romantic than the one with Anwyn and there were moment were it felt like the one connecting Gideon and Daegan was Anwyn herself.
Which is one of the reason why I gave the book the rating of 4 instead of an higher one
That said, through Anwyn's POV we also see how he can be possessive of Gideon and want him. And, as I said, it's quite clear that Daegan was the first to realize how they all belonged together and was sure/trusted that it would happen, whereas Anwyn wished for it because she loved both Daegan and Gideon, (but at the same time wasn't sure they would care for each other in the same way), and Gideon just fought with it all.
There are also two short stories/noveas written by the author and found in her website further develop the relationship between Gideon and Daegan and I think that they are necessary for their relationship and for the three of them in general. However, I didn't take them into consideration in the ranking because I wanted to rate it based only on Vampire Mistress and Vampire Trinity.
Important WARNING, It's also A SPOILER but I think it should be taken into consideration when reading the book because it's bloody and cruel.
As I always made clear, Vampires in this universe are sadistic bast*rds, and they also mix this sadistic urges with sex. So there is a scene where Anwyin, Daegan and Gideon are forced in a very sadistic and terrible situation by the Vampire Council. In this situation, they force Anwyn to whip Gideon while he gives oral sex to Daegan. It's not the playful whipping (if there is one) but punishing and hurtful. It's cruel and bloody. And they can't refuse because the council wants Daegan to prove he can control Anwyn and Gideon and at the same time prove he is loyal to them. They also wants Anwyn to prove that Gideon is a true servant under her command and want to punish Gideon. They are in a situation where they can't refuse because the Vampire Council is literally waiting for a chance to kill Gideon (who was the best vampire hunter and killed too many of them) , Anwyn (because she is deemed unstable) and Daegan (because he is dangerous and they fear him). The aren't left a choice. Neither Daegan or Anwyn initiate the situation, they actually hate it and are against it. But if they don't do that, all 3 of them die. Gideon AGREES to the punishment so that they can all live. And while I don't like (at all) how the situation was also romanticized, I do appreciate how they stood together (and, at least Anwyl was profondously disgusted by the situation and came to despise the response of her own vampiri nature). Of course, it also reinforces how terrible the status of a servant is, if not for the treatment by the "Master" vampire, by other vampires and their politics. However it's also going to be only time Gideon is forced in that type of situation and it was, as I said, forced (neither Daegan or Anwyn wanted it) and they left Gideon the choice (something they were able to do because of the mental link between them). Unfortunately, the scene was still romanticized a bit too much for me, so this is another element that made me lower the rating of the book. I think the author should have conveyed how they were able to stand together in such a situation a bit differently.
There is also a scene of dubious consent. It was very important, both because it was a very emotionally impactful moment (for all those involved) but also because it was just before they went to the council and Gideon himself needed to confront the possible situations he would have to face. That said, the consent is dubious so, if it's a trigger people shouldn't read this book.
Then again, considering how Anwyn became a vampire, if that's a trigger then I wouldn't recommend neither Vampire Mistress or Vampire Trinity.
Regardless, even if I really enjoyed Vampire Mistress and Vampire Trinity, I don't necessarily recommend them. They aren't "easy" books, they aren't light or funny, there is violence and a very heavy BDSM theme....They aren't the type of books that I absolute adore and can't fathom how people don't love them as well because, while I adore them, I also see why other people may not like them. So, yeah, I loved Vampire Mistress and Vampire Trinity, but they aren't books I would recommend to everyone.
In general, I'm not sure I would recommend this series as it's one I'm very conflicted about. The BDSM element isn't necessarily a bad element, as it's mainly one out of my comfort zone. I'm not really comfortable with it, but I'm not against it either. But there are things that are not okay for me. One is the sharing element (servants are expected to have sex with each other during vampire gatherings), which is something that' s a big nope for me. Luckily, in these two book there is only a very small one (enforced again by the Vampire Council) but not any others (if you don't count the ones with the 3 of them, which I don't). But in other books of the series, these scenes are more present and, while they are supposed to show how much the "servant" wants to "please" their servant Vampire they are a big no for me. The excuse given just make it worse, as far as I'm concerned. And the second aspect is obviously the fact that, at the end of the day, the concept of "human servant" remain. No matter how much the author tries to make it sound poetic and romantic, or how important servants are for the Vampire, at the end of the day it's still deeply toxic. At the same time tough, the author writes incredibly well, the majority of the time she really weave emotions on the page and truly develop the characters. But there are also many elements in the books of this series that I truly dislike. So yeah, I loved Vampire Trinity and Vampire Mistress, but this series is one I'm very conflicted about. It has many yes but just as many no, and some of those no are even more resounding.