Dhampir by Barb and J.C. Hendee

I have been really into vampire and werewolf novels for about 6 months now-must be a phase-it seems to be winding down-BUT-I gotta admit this a good book.
The first in a collaboration-now looks like new series as the third installment comes out today-between husband and wife writing team of Barb abd J.C. Hendee. A Dhampir is a child born of a mortal but fathered by a vampire. In this book a vampire looses the ability to father children shortly after being turned. However, he does have a bried time-not sure how long-before the sperm in his body dies and he can successfully father a Dhampir. Such a child is rarely fathered-as it is the perfect vampire hunter with all of the vampire strengths-night vision, inhuman strength, inhuman quickness, but none of their weaknesses to say crosses, garlic, holy water, haloowed earth, daylight.
Magiere is a disallusioned con-artist. She was born in a very small very superstitious town where she was ostrascized because her mother was a poor serving girl used and impregnated by the imperial tax collector and abandoned after her birth and subsequent mothers death to be raised by her loving aunt. Her aunt adored her despite her origins, but the town mistreated her brutally-when she was 16 her aunt gave her the things her father sent with her to her aunts-a dress, a talisman-bone on one side and a crystal on the other and a magical sword. Perfect setting for a true heroine-right....well not exactlty. Magiere is angry over her treatment at the small minded superstitious towns people and so she decides to take advantage of small town fears-by conning them out of their few pennies. She goes into towns who have suffered a few unexplained deaths-usually as the result of disease-and declares a vampire in among them-then she promises to rid the town of the monster and save the towns people-for a steep price of course. Eventually she almost has her pocket picked by Leesil-the half-elf drunk running from his own horrifying past with his "wolf" Chap. Together they case towns and she goes in as the "Hunter" and he puts on white make-up and plays the vampire. They are fairly successful at it to. Until Magiere decides enough is enough and she is going to settle down and purchase a bar in a small but prosperous coastal town.
The town happens to be Miiska-where Magiere, Leesil and Chap do truly find friends-they also find mysterious deaths and.......vampires. Turns out small minded towns people were not as "superstitious" as Magiere always thought. Magiere discovers her true nature and origins from a mysterious patron who saves her life and helps both she and Leesil to discover who they really are.
Excellent and different vampire novel. The vampires are clearly the bad guys-but even they have major depth and I found myself feeling sorry for them even as I rooted for Magiere, Leesil and Chap to kill them.
~~~~Where ever you are, There you are!