Saved by the Vampire Goddess is the first book in Jenna Barwin’s Dark Wine Vampire series. The prequel, Rescued by a Vampire Outlaw, gave me a brief introduction to this world and left me clamoring for more. Well, this book further intrigued me and left me wanting to return to this fascinating dystopian world. And I’m definitely looking forward to seeing what comes next!
Title: Saved by the Vampire Goddess
Author(s): Jenna Barwin
Series: Dark Wine Vampires #1
Also in this series: Rescued by the Vampire Outlaw
Published by Hidden Depths Publishing on May 6, 2025
Pages: 301
Genre(s): Dystopian Romance, Paranormal Romance
Source: Purchase
Format: eBook 
Purchase: Amazon
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Valroy
I refuse to let the emperor marry off my 16-year-old sister to a 40-year-old creep. I figure my money will protect me. Boy, am I wrong. In retribution for my defiance, the emperor tosses me outside the protective dome to die in the harsh frozen world of the Collapse. But I never expected a gorgeous vampire goddess to rescue me.
Evelina
I’m not looking for passion or anything like it when I discover the shirtless New Rome lord chained to a reclamation bin, outcast from his society. He stands defiantly before me, refusing to let me free him. But if I leave him alone in this frozen wasteland Minnesota’s become—or if I let the other vampires have him—he’ll be dead by morning. And his rock-hard abs are too delicious to resist. But no way am I falling for him. Because I’m done with love.
The story introduces us to Vallroy and Evelina. Vallroy is a lord in New Rome in the year 2125, living what he considers his best life while raising his sixteen-year-old sister. However, his comfortable life among the elite comes to an abrupt end when he defies the emperor’s order for his sister to marry an old pervert. His defiance lands him outside the protective dome, where death from the cold or vampires seems inevitable. Fortunately, vampire goddess Evelina comes to his rescue. But saving his life is only the beginning of their story.
Saved by the Vampire Goddess intrigued me from the first page. The dystopian setting, creative world-building, and Jenna Barwin’s descriptive writing made it easy to picture everything unfolding. Barwin drew me into this world she created, and I found myself wanting to know more.
Vallroy and Evelina shared an intense chemistry. Vallroy and Evelina couldn’t deny their feelings for each other. However, Vallroy’s determination to rescue his sister and Evelina’s fear of another heartbreak complicated their romance. The sexual tension kept me hooked, and I was eager to see how their relationship would unfold.
I enjoyed Vallroy’s character development. He’s curious, eager to learn, and surprisingly adaptable. Moving from a life where servants did almost everything for him to one where he had to become self-sufficient couldn’t have been easy, but he rose to the challenge. He impressed me with how well he adjusted to his new environment.
I enjoyed getting to know Evelina. She’s funny, smart, caring, and protective, with an inner strength that makes her stand out. However, beneath that strength is a woman afraid of having her heart broken again. Her vulnerabilities made her relatable, and I found myself rooting for her to take a chance on love.
Overall, Saved by the Vampire Goddess was an entertaining read with creative world-building, relatable characters, and a solid slow-burn romance. It further piqued my interest in the Dark Wine Vampire series, and I’m looking forward to exploring more of this world.
If you love paranormal romance set in a dystopian world, with vampires, sexual tension, and characters you can root for, add Saved by the Vampire Goddess to your reading list!
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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.
