I keep forgetting that horror stories are, more often than not, bleak and hopeless. There is no use rooting hard for your favorite characters because they will find their unfortunate end no matter what, no matter how much you sing your prayer as you read every page. And boy, if this is not a bleak and hopeless tale. This is a horror story through and through. This book is unbelievably gory, blood is everywhere you see like a slaughterhouse.

The gist of the story:

Spoiler

Travis Stillwell is a woman killer (literally) due to his childhood trauma. One day, he's bitten by a vampire named Ruby, who was once also bitten by an older vampire a long decades ago, and Ruby sticks with him because somehow his blood makes her see her pretty, healthy, youthful face from the past life. Here enters Annabelle Gaskin, a widow of a war vet who loved another man and bore his son, trying to make ends meet by managing a cafe and modest motel with almost no guests. Soon their simple, domestic life becomes the obsession of Travis Stillwell.

I gave out a loooooooooooooong sigh when I reach the final page of this book. I can sympathize with all the characters, and I'm mourning their fate. Every single one of them (but especially Calhoun the bartender and Reader the ranger). This is a good novel to remind you that many people deserve a happy ending in their life and yet it's out of their reach.

So, yeah. 5 stars from me.