Sara Dobie Bauer has proven that she’s quite capable of creating short, steamy historical works filled with passion and an all-around enjoyable atmosphere. I love her newest story, A Lord to Love, and recommend it constantly to historical romance readers. But you can tell she was still finding her footing with this story. It’s adventurous, easy to digest, and filled with heavy sexual tension, but it’s also a little uneven, and I think the historical details needed another set of eyes.

Edmund, a curious Naturalist, is the only survivor of an 1800s shipwreck on a cannibal-infested island, but he’s definitely not alone for long. Andrew is a vampire exiled to the island years ago as punishment for his bloodlust, and seeing the gorgeous Edmund injured on the beach does little to tame his thirst. He nurses the man back to health, and when Edmund discovers what he is, his reaction surprises both men.

There’s a lot to like here, especially since it’s pretty crisp and short. I read it in about an hour. The tension between the two men sizzles, and Andrew’s protectiveness (and possessiveness) over his new discovery just simmers over the course of the story. I also like how Edmund’s Naturalist background makes him more interested in Andrew than scared, turning the tables on a typical monster/human romance in fiction.

Since this is a historical work, archaic worldviews are the norm. But I think Bauer could’ve written them with a little more grace. The “savage cannibal natives” conflict was a little eye-rolling—they’re on an island, just have them get chased by a jungle cat or something!—and Edmund’s previous affair with a black crewman is steeped in exotification and “black brute” stereotypes. I appreciate Bauer putting characters of color in historical works, but this doesn’t hit the mark. K.J. Charles and Jordan L. Hawk may have a few pointers.

This whole story seems a little rushed, too, even for a novella. It’s the first in a trilogy, but a trilogy of stories of this length with this amount of plot could’ve easily been put together to make one novel-length work. I don’t think these characters have earned our excitement for several coming releases just yet. However, since I really liked Bauer’s newest work, and I admit I am curious to see how these characters develop in the next two stories.

Escaping Exile is the opening novella for a trilogy, and the blurb basically tells you everything you need to know about the story outside of the details for Andrew’s exile. Andrew is…a vampire. His joy in killing, innocent souls in particular, against his coven’s “drinking only” mandate and the machinations of a fellow vampire, lead to his exile on the island by the coven leader. After rescuing Edmund from a shipwreck so Andrew could have him as a meal instead of the cannibals, Edmund’s attractiveness and Andrew’s loneliness override the “dark creature” within, and he spares Edmund’s life. Andrew, who considers himself a soulless monster, has spent centuries wallowing in the pleasures of sex and the kill, and is captivated enough by his unexpected devil-may-care human companion to take care of him instead of giving in to his baser desires.

Edmund is a naturalist but more in the mold of Indiana Jones rather than Charles Darwin. He’s fearless, likes living on the knife’s edge of danger, and possesses a curiosity about the living world and an almost irresistible need to touch the flames of danger that make him a perfect match for Andrew. Instead of the horror and fear Andrew expects, he receives excitement, heightened desire and a request to be studied as a specimen of his species. As they spend time together, Andrew becomes more enthralled and enchanted by Edmund’s humor, charm and intellect, and their island would be a paradise instead of a prison, if it wasn’t for the cannibals who are stalking Edmund.

For me, this novella was a quick, enjoyable enough read, and I found Edmund to be as unexpectedly fun and charming as Andrew does; on the other hand, I found Andrew to be as boring as he finds his exile. Besides being a vampire, there’s really not much to him. However, the novella does tell a complete, entertaining story, and is a good series starter. So, if you enjoy all things vampy and don’t mind a vampire born in 1036CE but is too much “a man of the city” to know anything about surviving on an island, a naturalist/adventurer who embraces death with pleasure (literally), and human cannibals with a supernaturally uncanny ability to smell that sweet, sweet non-islander long pig, then bon voyage.

I originally DNFed this one at 13%, but I decided to give it another shot because I love vampires and I saw so many great reviews that made me think maybe the book would get better. I did end up enjoying it more than I thought I would in the end, but it turns out I was partly right and partly wrong in my initial assessment, so here are some lists!

Things I Liked:

- How non-human the vampires were sometimes. (We got to meet another one in a flashback.) For example, Andrew referred to Edmund as "it" in the beginning, thinking about how he'd keep the human in order to show the vampire who exiled him that he could be around a human without killing it. Not to mention how vampire-y he was in the whole flashback about how he killed a human and earned his exile in the first place.

- The banter between Andrew and Edmund was fun. If anyone could handle Andrew, it would be Edmund. They made a great match.

- Andrew's feelings for Edmund were super cute.

- I didn't like the writing style at first... and then I did. It was kind of... quick? Andrew didn't dwell on descriptions, and he stated things in kind of a simple but eloquent way. It worked really well. It gave his POV a slightly disconnected, otherworldly, non-human feel.

Things I Disliked:

- Instalove-ish. I'm not entirely sure how long they were together on the island, but I don't think it was that long, and the book was so short that I didn't get to see that much build-up. 

- The book was mostly focused on sex.

- They didn't use lube! That's such a specific thing to dislike, but considering that sex was so prominent in the book, I feel like it's a fair complaint. I know they were on a remote island, but if they managed to find rum and salted pork in the debris that washed up, they could've also found some oil.

- There was one sex scene that started out dub-con. But Andrew was a fairly non-human vampire at times, and Edmund did want it in the end, so it's up to other people if that bothers them.

Overall:

This was a very quick read (a novella rather than a full novel), but I really liked the portrayal of vampires. I think I could've loved this had there been a little less focus on sex and had I gotten to see more of the relationship. But that doesn't make this a bad book at all, just one that wasn't quite right for my tastes. I can see other readers enjoying this.

This is a bizarre story with a spell binding narration from beginning to the end. The story picks up right in the middle of drama, with all the thrill already beaded into its plot. The writing style is unconstrained and smooth enough to not be able to take breaks. 
It is a kind of story that you would want to finish in one go, the constant upheaval of scenarios and the battle of life and death keeps you on toes, even after the book is over with the promise of a sequel and another adventure.

Short but sweet. Andrew has been exiled after killing one too many. Left to his loneliness and keeping away from cannibals, he lives each day as it comes. Then a sailor washes up awakening hunger and emotions. I liked how it was from Andrew’s point of view and not Edmund fearing and guessing. The duo were a perfect match for one another and I hope they get their wish. Favourite character was Edmund, because anyone else would’ve been terrified. Sweet, bloody and adventurous.

This fast-paced story where a shipwrecked adventurer, Edmund, meets an exiled vampire, Andrew, on a tropical island loaded with cannibals was fun 3.75 star fare. Appropriately gory (that last fight!), sweet, and occasionally hot, it's a great way to start a series. I look forward to where their story goes from here!

You know the story's gonna be a good one when the lesser of two evils is a blood thirsty vampire. Escaping Exile wasn't a very long story at less than 100 pages, but it wasn't lacking.

If anyone was meant to be stranded on a deserted island with a vampire and a village of cannibals, it would be thrill seeker Edmund. He was totally intrigued by Andrew, who was finding it harder and harder to resist Edmund - but not in the way he expected.

Escaping Exile had plenty of danger, action and suspense as well as heat between Edmund and Andrew. Things took an interesting turn by the end of this story, and since this is the beginning of a trilogy, I'm hoping that their adventures continue with the next two books.

It’s the beginning of the nineteenth century. Vampire Andrew is living on a tropical island, where he was sent after he went too far while feeding. His exile is boring and lonely. The only other people on the island are cannibals, a group he doesn’t want to have anything to do with. The highlight of his stay is a shipwreck. The cannibals capture everyone on the ship besides Edmund, an English aristocrat with a passion for dangerous animals. Will Edmund survive being stranded on an island ruled by cannibals with a vampire as his savior?

Andrew likes Edmund a lot and nurses him back to health. He knows he has to fight for his human to keep him out of the hands of the cannibals. Will Edmund when he’s finally recovered feel the same about Andrew? Do they stand a chance together and will they be able to survive the dangerous circumstances they find themselves in?

Escaping Exile is a great fast-paced and sexy story. Andrew is an ancient vampire. He doesn’t have much self control which is how he ends up on a tropical island. With Edmund he has to show some restraint, he can’t kill his only chance to have interesting company. When sparks fly Andrew’s biggest dreams come true, but the situation they’re in makes their reality quite daunting. I couldn’t wait to see where that would lead. I loved their chemistry and Edmund’s fabulous fearless attitude. He’s challenging Andrew and that’s exactly what the dangerous vampire needs.

Sara Dobie Bauer has a fantastic captivating writing style. She doesn’t need many words to tell a complete story. I loved her gorgeous setting and intriguing main characters. Her story is hot, entertaining and original. Escaping Exile is a promising start of the Escape Trilogy and I’m already looking forward to the other two stories.

This was a new to me author.  The book was a short sweet book.  You have Andrew, who is a vampire exiled to this island for killing one to many humans.  You also have Edmund who gets shipwrecked on this same island.  Also living on this island are cannibals, who do pop up from time to time.  During his time in exile, Andrew has learned control of his urges, well he really doesn’t have much of a choice as he wants nothing to do with the cannibals and they him.  When he sees Edmund for the first time, he knows he doesn’t want to live that life anymore.  This book ended on as a “to be continued” and I can’t wait to see where their adventures take them.

I love, love, loved this book.

The vampire Andrew has killed one too many people and is exiled from New Orleans to an island in South America. After 4 years of living off the land and animals, another ship is wrecked on shore and there is a survivor. Given the chance at drinking human blood, Andrew must decide his fate. Does he want company more than his thirst? Is he strong enough to keep this human alive? In the end, how much can he take?

This was a short one, but I truly loved every word. The relationship was sweet and endearing and I felt like I was reading a fable towards the end. I cannot wait to read the rest of this Escape Trilogy. Book one was FANTASTIC!

Vampires and cannibals. 
Vampire Andrew has been in exile in this island, when a few years later a ship wrecks and along comes Edmund. 
They both get along. Eventually they become more than friends.
They have some troubles. Cannibals and a meddling female.
But they stay together thru it all.
The ending leaves it open for so much more.
I would really like to see more of this coup!e. What adventures they will have. How the real world will effect them and their relationship.
A well written and thought out book. I would love to see more paranormal activity/aspects. A good read.
(Given a copy for an honest review) (Thanks). (NetGalley)

This was a short read, but rather enjoyable. The author was able to give us a full picture of two dynamic characters in a unique story line that I found myself drawn to. The MC's had great chemistry and the sexy times were great. This doesn't end with a cliffhanger, but it does say 'to be continued', so I'm looking forward to more!

*Provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

An interesting take on a vampire story. 
There's nothing sparkly about Andrew. He's not a soft-focus vampire, he's charmed and killed. Killed one too many times, which is how he ends up in exile, his only companions a tribe of cannibals, who he can't kill because they smell of death and decay. And who don't try to eat him for the same reason.
Then one day a ship crashes during a storm and a live sweet smelling man is swept ashore. Food, is Andrew's initial thought, until he catches sight of his 'dinner' and wonders if company would be a better use of the gorgeous man.
Edmund is, well, there's not a lot I can reveal about Edmund that wouldn't be more fun to out as the story unfolds (it's written solely in Andrew's POV, so we get the reveals at the same time as Andrew). I did love him though. 
This book is well written and creates a perfect setting and story in such a short read (1 hr - 1.5 hrs). It's written in present tense, which I always find jarring at first but I settled into it quickly enough.
The book finishes on a 'to be continued'. This is not a cliffhanger. There is no danger present and the relationship is solid. Personally I'm happy with where the story leaves off and would regard that as a completed story. However, if I get the chance I'll certainly pick up the next book in the series.

A very different kind of vampire story. Rather romantic though. Vampire falling in love with a human and see how the love grows. Great story from Sara.

My main criticism is that this book was too short, everything happened too fast!!! but still an amazing adorable love story, the prose itself is gorgeous.

Escaping Exile was a fun, short read that I finished in a single sitting. Although only spanning 77 pages, there was sufficient development of the characters and enough plot action to keep me interested. I liked the premise of a vampire exiled to a tropical island, and I particularly enjoyed Andrew's interaction with Edmund, and his changing views towards him. This book is the first in a planned trilogy. I do wonder why the story needed to be a three-novella work, rather than simply telling the whole story as a medium-length novel, but I guess I will see how that works out once the other two books release. I also hope we may get a little more sense of the era when they return to civilization in the next part of the tale, as in the island setting, it wasn't always obvious outside of mentioning items of clothing. Overall, I would give this 3.5 stars (which I would probably round up to 4, rather than down to 3). It was excellent fun for a short read.