Filthy Rich Vampire
By Geneva Lee.
By Geneva Lee.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
“Sometimes I hunt. I swallowed as I processed the word. Hunt what? Deer? You’ve been reading too many books, pet. I hunt humans”.
A centuries-old vampire who needs a suitable wife. A human cellist who should never have entered his world. And a fake relationship that immediately becomes far more complicated than either of them planned.
Filthy Rich Vampire is the first book in Geneva Lee's Filthy Rich Vampires series, introducing a deliciously extravagant world where ancient vampire families have money, power and traditions that make high society matchmaking look positively relaxed.
Julian Rousseaux has recently awakened after spending decades asleep, only to discover his family expects him to participate in the upcoming social season and find a suitable vampire wife. As a 900-year-old purebred, marriage isn't simply about companionship either. His family has expectations surrounding bloodlines, heirs and maintaining their position within vampire society.
Then he hears Thea playing the cello.
Human, kind and completely unaware of the supernatural world surrounding her, Thea shouldn't interest Julian at all. More importantly, he shouldn't have any difficulty using compulsion on her. When he discovers that he can't, their chance encounter becomes considerably more intriguing.
With other vampires beginning to notice Thea and Julian desperate to avoid his family's matchmaking attempts, a mutually beneficial arrangement presents itself. He'll protect her and help with the financial burden of her mother's medical care, while she'll pretend to be his girlfriend.
Obviously, keeping things fake doesn't exactly go to plan.
This was exactly the kind of vampire romance I wanted it to be. Dramatic, sexy, ridiculous in places and incredibly fun, it embraces the fantasy of obscenely wealthy immortals rather than trying to make any of it particularly serious or realistic. Sometimes I simply want an easy read that gives me vampires, romance, family drama and spice, and this absolutely delivered.
I really enjoyed the vampire society Geneva Lee establishes. There are rules governing everything from relationships to bloodlines, alongside centuries of history and traditions that the characters can obey, manipulate or completely disregard. We only get glimpses of the wider mythology and magic in this first instalment, but there are enough unanswered questions to make me very curious about where the series is heading.
The dual POV was a great choice too. Being inside both Julian and Thea's heads makes their growing attraction much more entertaining, particularly because Julian's determination to keep their arrangement practical becomes increasingly hopeless.
And Julian? Honestly, where do I sign up for the vampire marriage market?
He's powerful and protective with all the dangerous vampire qualities you'd expect, but there are boundaries to what can happen between him and Thea that make their attraction even more frustrating for both of them. That restriction creates some brilliant tension and gives the romance time to develop rather than immediately giving them everything they want.
Thea is incredibly sweet and easy to root for, although there were definitely moments when I wanted her to be more assertive within this intimidating new world.
Jacqueline, however, was my favourite. I adored her whenever she appeared and desperately wanted more of her. The wider Rousseaux family dynamics were another highlight because there's plenty of drama without it becoming unnecessarily complicated.
There's also plenty of playful banter alongside the attraction, which kept me flying through the chapters. The chemistry builds throughout, the spice delivers when it arrives, and the mysteries surrounding Thea ensure there's something beyond the romance pulling the story forwards.
Just be warned that it ends on a cliffhanger.
Is Filthy Rich Vampire going to fundamentally change your life? Probably not. Is it an enormously entertaining combination of obscenely wealthy vampires, fake dating, forbidden attraction, supernatural secrets and spice that I happily devoured as a beach read? Absolutely.
Sometimes that's exactly what I want from a book.
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