Rescued by the Vampire Outlaw by Jenna Barwin delivered a fun, fast-paced, but unfortunately short romance set in a dystopian world. It features a second-chance romance between a vampire and a human medical doctor who refuses to believe vampires exist. Now, that made for an entertaining read.
Title: Rescued by the Vampire Outlaw
Author(s): Jenna Barwin
Series: Dark Wine Vampires #0.5
Published by Hidden Depths Publishing on August 4, 2026
Pages: 112
Genre(s): Dystopian Romance, Paranormal
Format: eArc 
Purchase: Amazon
Rating: 
Series Rating:
Heat Level: 
COLINSeeing her again tears me apart. Four years have passed, and I still love her as fiercely as the day she walked away. But my vampire community has given me one job: rescue her.
A catastrophic typhoon is racing toward the California coast. To save her life, I have no choice but to abduct her—because she’ll never believe the truth in time.
Then I bite her to restore the memories she lost.
The fear in her eyes guts me.
I’m doing my duty…but all I want is a second chance.
Can I convince her I’m not the monster she thinks I am?
NAMII wake screaming. There’s a man in my room. Then I realize who it is. My ex-boyfriend who believes he’s a vampire.
Part of me still loves him. But I can’t build a life with someone who’s delusional.
So I run.
But when I try to escape, he shows a side of himself I’ve never seen before—an outlaw who refuses to let me go.
Our desire still burns, but captivity changes everything. Every mile between us and freedom deepens my confusion. I still want him. I still care.
Yet if I don’t find a way to escape, I may lose more than my freedom—because my very heart is at risk…Read less
I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Colin is a former pirate turned vampire who now works as a police officer. Nami is a medical doctor, and the two have a history. Before the events of Rescued by the Vampire Outlaw, they dated until Colin revealed that he was a vampire. Nami thought he was delusional, and their relationship came to an end.
Now danger lurks at Nami’s door, and Colin got the task to rescue her. Of course, he is more than happy to take on the job, especially since his feelings for her never went away. The problem is that Nami still doesn’t believe he is a vampire. So, when Colin decides that kidnapping her is the best way to keep her alive, you can imagine how well that went over.
Oh man! This was quite an entertaining read. Colin and Nami faced danger at almost every turn, and those moments had me on the edge of my seat. But it was the tension between these two that really kept me turning the pages. Their sarcastic banter added plenty of humor, and I enjoyed watching Colin try to convince Nami that he wasn’t crazy while also trying to win her heart back.
Nami’s reaction to Colin’s revelation that he was a vampire was hilarious. She was not buying what he was selling, no matter how much evidence he put in front of her. Meanwhile, Colin was determined to win her over because his feelings for Nami were as strong as ever. I enjoyed watching him navigate her disbelief while doing everything he could to keep her safe.
My biggest issue was that the story was simply too short. There was so much happening, and I would have loved more time to explore Colin and Nami’s history, their relationship, and this dystopian world. Some parts felt rushed because of the novella’s length.
Still, Rescued by the Vampire Outlaw delivered a fun read with danger, romance, vampires, second chances, and plenty of banter. I enjoyed Colin and Nami’s story and only wish there had been more of it.
| Story Evaluation | |
|---|---|
| Plot |
4 |
| Characters |
3 |
| World Building |
3 |
| Writing Style |
4 |
| Pacing |
4 |
| Cover |
4 |
| Enjoyment |
4 |
| Ending |
3.5 |
| Overall: | |
About Jenna Barwin
Jenna Barwin started writing fiction in the fourth grade and, after a year unpublished, gave it up. During this long hiatus she’s tried her hand at an eclectic range of careers, although not all at the same time. She is now writing full-time, bringing her diverse experience to paranormal romance, science fiction, and urban fantasy storytelling.She enjoys both land- and underwater-nature photography and is known to occasionally attend a Victorian dance in full regalia, right down to pantaloons and a hoop skirt.
My love of reading started at an early age when a family friend gave me a copy of Wuthering Heights. That was all it took. I was hooked, and I’ve rarely been without a book since. I’m not particularly picky when it comes to genres. Give me a good story, characters I can connect with, and a plot that keeps me turning the pages, and I’m happy. Books have taken me on countless adventures and allowed me to experience so many different lives, places, and stories. I created this blog to share my love of books, connect with other book lovers, and hopefully help you find your next addictive read. If a book keeps me up way past my bedtime, you’ll probably hear about it here!
When I’m not reading, I enjoy cooking, listening to music, and watching television.
