{Review} "The Cowboy and The Vampire" By Clark Hays & Kathleen McFall

Title:  The Cowboy and The Vampire
Author:  Clark Hays and Kathleen McFall
Publisher:  Midnight Ink
Publication Date:  October 8, 2010
Genre:  Paranormal Romance / Western Horror
Format:  Kindle 2306 KB  |  Paperback 392 pages

Buy this book on Amazon:  Kindle Edition  |  Paperback
Author's Website:  http://cowboyandvampire.com/ 
Author's Goodreads Profiles:  Clark Hays  |   Kathleen McFall 

Synopsis from Amazon:

A boot-scooting, bloodcurdling love story on a fast horse to hell. 

The Cowboy and The Vampire: A Darkly Romantic Mystery is about a love that's stronger than death. Tucker is a down-on-his-luck Wyoming cowboy with modest dreams -- winning a little extra cash at the upcoming Labor Day rodeo -- until he meets, Lizzie, a hotshot reporter from New York. She has her eye on a Pulitzer until she falls, literally, for Tucker and they both are blindsided by love.

Now that they've found each other, nothing can keep them apart, except maybe a horde of bloodthirsty Vampires. Lizzie has a tragic legacy running through her veins and evil forces, including her scheming father and his lovely consort Elita, will stop at nothing to possess it. 

With nothing but their love and some very large handguns to protect them, Tucker and Lizzie's opposites attract relationship faces the worst of the undead in the heart of the new west. The Cowboy and The Vampire is a fast-paced adventure that's equal parts gritty western realism and bloodcurdling Gothic horror with plenty of black humor, a smart new twist on the Vampire legend and a few doomed alpacas.

Diving in...

I quite enjoyed this book.  I read this one to prepare myself to participate in the upcoming blog tour for the 2nd book.  First of all I need to talk about the cover, it's pretty eye catching isn't it?  Talk about a cover pulling you in to read a book, this one did that for me.  The cover for the next book is just as good.  I must confess that I never thought that I would enjoy a book with cowboy in the same title as vampire.  It's just two things that I don't put together.  Tucker, the cowboy, is the one of the best parts of this story.  

This is a very unique twist on Vampire lore, drawing deep parallels to The Bible.  The world built here is very complex and dark complete with it's own prophecy.  I have to admit by being a little skeeved at how Lizzie fits into this particular prophecy, but I have to give major points for originality!  Some of the general vampire "rules" apply, but there are some that go beyond explanation, and those lost me just a little, but I am hoping that they will be fleshed out a little as the story progresses.

I didn't mind that the story opens with Lizzie and Tucker already involved with each other.  How they met  is touched on in memories and that was enough for me.  I think that the story here isn't about that, it's about how they cope with what happens afterward that matters most.  I don't like that I didn't really get a clear picture in my head of what they look like though.  There isn't any real description of them, so I didn't really "see" them clearly.  I think that a lot of their personalities show through in the way that they are voiced though.

I am one of those readers who prefers that the story be told all in one POV, but I actually liked that this one switches.  It not only switches from 1st person between Lizzie and Tucker, but it switches into 3rd person when covering other characters.  This didn't bother me and it didn't mess with the flow of the story.  I enjoyed reading Tuckers POV, he is ALL cowboy and you can feel it when you read from his POV.  Then it switches to Lizzie and she is all city girl and all that "cowboy" just drops away.  It lends a real authenticity to each character and makes you feel like you are really getting to know them.  

There are some great supporting characters in this story, not the least of which is Rex, Tucker's dog who goes everywhere with him.  I am looking forward to reading the next book to see what happens to some of  my favorites.

Tucker and Lizzie are pulled into the middle of a war that they weren't the least bit prepared for.  Lizzie has a big role to play in this story which is really just beginning.  They are in for a tough road, I think, while she learns just what her future holds.  I can't wait to see how it ends.

If you like a good paranormal story then I would recommend this.  If you like cowboys then even more so!  I am quite looking forward to reading the next book.

Content Warning:

*some profanity, but not a lot

*some intimate scenes, but they are done very tastefully and not too much detail

*blood, gore, the usual vampire stuff

*Disclaimer:  I was provided with a copy of this book courtesy of the author in exchange for an honest review.*