REVIEW: Filthy Rich Vampire by Geneva Lee

Filthy Rich Vampire by Geneva Lee was previously published in 2022. I haven’t read the prior version, so I cannot tell you how this version varies from the previously released one. This is also the first book in the Filthy Rich Vampires series.

Social season is beginning for the vampires, and as the next oldest vampire in his wealthy family, Julian Rousseaux is expected to participate in the Rites and pick a witch to mate with to strengthen the vampire bloodlines. Instead, he meets Thea, a human playing a cello at a vampire party. There’s something about her that instantly captures his attention, and he comes up with a plan to get out of participating in the Rites.

Thea had no idea vampires existed, until she saw one feeding off of someone during a break in playing at the party. Rescued by Julian, she soon realizes that he’s one of them, but somehow knows that he wouldn’t hurt her. When he suggests they fake date so he can get out of finding a mate, Thea agrees. Only she doesn’t count on Julian’s mother doing everything possible to separate them, or that she would have to participate in the Rites herself. Add in the fact that there’s a faction of vampires who have gone rogue and want to rid the world of the oldest vampire families, Thea quickly finds herself in a world full of danger.

I wanted to like this book, but instead I found myself struggling to get through it. Parts of the story that seemed to be attempts at being humorous often times felt immature. Other things seemed ridiculous and unbelievable, like Julian’s mother hosting a blood orgy for her own son, or Thea giving up on college to be with Julian after only a few days.

The book ends in a cliffhanger. I don’t like cliffhangers, and this book was no exception. Just when things were finally starting to pick up and get interesting, the book abruptly ends. There’s no HEA, not even a happy-for-right-now. To struggle through the book only for it to end the way it did certainly didn’t help its cause.

While I’m slightly curious to see how the story is going to play out, it’s not enough for me to want to continue with the series. I wasn’t a fan of the writing style and none of the characters are particularly likeable or memorable. I’m sure there are readers out there who will enjoy it, but unfortunately, I wasn’t one of them.

Book Info:

Publication: October 24, 2023 | Entangled: Amara | Filthy Rich Vampires #1

Julian Rousseaux has a problem. He’s single, and for the world’s wealthiest vampires, the social season is about to begin. Julian would rather stake himself than participate in the marriage market. But as the eldest eligible Rousseaux, he’s expected to find a wife before the season ends―whether he likes it or not.

When cellist Thea literally stumbles into his life at a gala, he knows she’s the last person he could ever fall in love with. She’s too innocent, too kind, and way too human. But now that she knows about his world, she’s also a walking target. She needs protection. He needs a fake girlfriend to discourage overzealous vampire matchmaking.

So, Julian makes Thea an irresistible offer: pretend to be his lover and he’ll change her life. For one year, they’ll attend the season’s social events together in exchange for his protection and a way out of her mother’s crippling medical debt.

She can’t say no. But the vampire world is impossibly decadent and darker than Thea ever imagined, and Julian’s filthy rich vampire family wants her out of the way. But with each moment they share, new dangers emerge: a desire as forbidden as their stolen touches, an awakening of a long-dead heart, and secrets that could tear them both apart.