Apex: Bloodbound Series by Charlotte Vane

Leslie Snow is fairly stunned when a vampire she doesn’t recognize saunters up to her booth at the town art fair, claiming they should date. As one of only three vampires living in Harmony Ridge, Tennessee, Leslie is happily single. She’s never given much thought to the matchmaking test she took in college—or to Ryker, the young man it deemed her perfect. match... moreLeslie Snow is fairly stunned when a vampire she doesn’t recognize saunters up to her booth at the town art fair, claiming they should date. As one of only three vampires living in Harmony Ridge, Tennessee, Leslie is happily single. She’s never given much thought to the matchmaking test she took in college—or to Ryker, the young man it deemed her perfect. match. Now he’s here, asking her out? With the betrayal of a toxic ex in his past, Ryker Maddox is determined to make better choices this time around. He reminds Leslie of the matchmaking test’s if the members of a matched pair are not romantically attached by the time they’re thirty, they should trust the test results and give a relationship with each other a chance. Intrigued by his boldness, Leslie lets him take her to dinner. Ryker makes her feel seen, not only as a woman and an artist, but also as a vampire—something she’s never experienced before. Soon she wonders if there might have been something to that test after all. From their first date, Ryker is drawn to Leslie. Her contentment both challenges and quiets his striving heart. Soon she has him believing he might truly be worth more than the sum of his achievements. Her life is in Tennessee. His is in Virginia. Yet distance isn’t the only obstacle threatening to keep them apart. The more time Ryker and Leslie spend together, the more they realize just how different two vampires can be. He’s never spent more than a few hours in a small town; she’s never lived anywhere else. He has lived his whole life immersed in vampire culture; her knowledge about their kind has always been limited to what her mysteriously reluctant parents—the only other vampires in Harmony Ridge—were willing to share. If love can bridge all differences, Ryker and Leslie need an extra strong bridge…especially when his ex shows up wielding threats. less

Three years ago, Claire Vanderlaan lost her friend and business partner shortly before the opening of her dream business: a blood bar where vampires like her can slake their thirst, socialize, and be themselves. Tai backed out without explanation, as if he'd never cared. Now they're standing up in the wedding of mutual friends, and seeing him at the combined bachelor party leaves her in an upheaval of lingering hurt and unrelenting attraction... moreThree years ago, Claire Vanderlaan lost her friend and business partner shortly before the opening of her dream business: a blood bar where vampires like her can slake their thirst, socialize, and be themselves. Tai backed out without explanation, as if he'd never cared. Now they're standing up in the wedding of mutual friends, and seeing him at the combined bachelor party leaves her in an upheaval of lingering hurt and unrelenting attraction. Maybe it's wishful thinking, but when he asks for a truce, Claire agrees. She hopes he's changed, that friendship is possible again. .. even if (unlike her) he's never been interested in more. As a bloodfiend, Tai Kristiansen craves in a way other vampires will never understand. When Claire decided her new business would be a blood bar, he had no choice but to withdraw from their plans. Claire has called him her "nemesis" ever since, but he'll take that over revealing the thing he most hates about himself. After three years he ought to be over her, but spending time with her leading up to the wedding proves the opposite. Claire's agreement to his truce is more than he dared to hope for. Of course he'll continue to keep his secret, but maybe they can be friends again, even if (unlike him) Claire has never been interested in more. When their first night out together (not a date, of course) turns into a rescue situation for endangered humans, Tai's struggle is dragged into the light. He's stunned when Claire accepts him instead of pulling away. As they give their mutual attraction a first real chance, Tai finds the safety to begin healing from old wounds. But all the secrets aren't out: Claire is keeping an explosive one of her own. Now that Tai is finally opening up to her, can she offer her trust again--with her deepest insecurity and her final, riskiest secret? less