The Cowboy and the Vampire: Rough Trails and Shallow Graves by Hays & McFall is a 2014 Pumpjack publication. I was provided a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
So, this is the latest installment in the series and although it leaves us on a bit of down note it is maybe the strongest one so far.
It looks like Lizzie and Tucker just might catch a break. So, they take the opportunity to make the relationship legal by getting married. But, before the I do's can be said, Lizzie is kidnapped. Tucker thinks she is dead but he is assured that she is still alive and so he heads out with the most unlikely of allies- “The Russian”, to find Lizzie.
The one thing, at least for me, that would make being a vampire appealing is the obvious gift of immortality. When word gets to the wrong people that vampires are real, the plot evolves into a scientific experiment to stop human aging and Lizzie is the guinea pig.
Once more Elita kind of steals the show with her dead pan comments that will have you laughing out loud. In this case, you will need the comic relief. There are some pretty heavy things to deal with here and I was really upset by some the occurrences. While still maintaining the now trademark “camp” the series is known for, this maybe the darkest of the three books. Most likely it feels that way because if you have read the first two books you will by now have established your “book relationship” with these characters and having them live through harrowing situations for the sake of greed is painful. Also, there are some really huge emotional wallops to contend with.
I didn't think I would say this after I finished the first book in the series and found myself wondering if this was really something I wanted to invest my time in, but I need Hay and McFall to get to work and publish the next book... like yesterday!!
It's rare that I have this type of experience with a series. Usually, for me it's the other way around. A series will start off strong and I will be really stoked about it and then it just fizzles out. In this case I gave the second book a try even though I was skeptical and I am so glad I didn't throw in the towel. I promise you there are no vampire novels on the market today that this book comes close to resembling. In fact, reading the blurb the book is placed in the new category of Western Gothic, apparently named for this series and it is a fitting label. So, if you think you've read all the vampire tropes, think again.
Thanks so much for the great review. We're very pleased the series seems to be growing on you, and that you find the new Western Gothic genre captivating. We promise, we'll crank out book four as fast as we possibly can (while still making it awesome).
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