Last Resort Summary, Characters and Themes | Sally Painter

Last Resort by Sally Painter is a captivating supernatural romance that explores themes of love, fear, and immortality.  The story follows Emma Trent, a talented masseuse who lands a job at a remote island resort, offering her triple her normal pay.

The seemingly perfect opportunity turns into a nightmare when Emma learns that the island caters to vampires, and she is drawn into a forbidden romance with Alex, the resort owner.  The tension between their love and the terrifying world of vampires builds as Emma faces difficult choices that could change her life forever. Last Resort is a passionate tale of self-discovery, desire, and sacrifice.

Summary

Emma Trent, a skilled masseuse, is thrilled when she receives a job offer to work at a luxurious resort on a remote island.  The resort promises high pay and a fresh start, offering Emma the perfect escape from her ordinary life.

She eagerly accepts the position and arrives on the island, ready to indulge in the serene surroundings and lucrative opportunity.  The island, however, holds dark secrets that Emma is not yet aware of.

As she meets the resort’s manager, Felix, and begins her work, she feels uneasy with the odd behavior of the staff and the rapid pace of her schedule.  Despite the unsettling vibe, she draws comfort from the island’s beauty and the promise of a better life.

Emma’s life takes an unexpected turn when she meets Alex Masters, the enigmatic owner of the resort.  There is an undeniable connection between them, one that feels strangely familiar.

Emma has been having vivid dreams about a passionate lover for months, and Alex’s appearance matches the man in her dreams.  This magnetic attraction only deepens when Emma realizes that Alex is no ordinary man.

His behavior and cryptic remarks lead Emma to question the reality of her dreams and their deeper meaning.

As Emma tries to navigate her new role, she becomes increasingly suspicious of the resort’s true nature.  The strange atmosphere, coupled with Alex’s hints about a hidden world, leads her to the disturbing realization that the resort caters to vampires.

This revelation shocks Emma, as she discovers that the resort’s staff, including Alex, belong to this supernatural realm.  She is thrust into a terrifying new reality, where she is surrounded by creatures she had once believed to be myths.

Emma learns that the island’s luxurious amenities, such as the unique beach dome and the peculiar screening in all the rooms, are designed to accommodate the vampires’ needs.  These features protect them from the sunlight, allowing them to live and thrive on the island in a way that would otherwise be impossible.

Even the perfume Emma is required to wear is a crucial tool, not just a luxury product, but a means of masking her human scent and keeping her safe from the vampires’ dangerous thirst for blood.

Despite the fear she feels, Emma finds herself irresistibly drawn to Alex.  He insists that he and the other vampires on the island follow a code of non-violence and do not harm humans.

Although he assures her that she is safe, Emma cannot shake her growing unease.  As she spends more time with Alex, her attraction to him only deepens, and she begins to question her own feelings about the supernatural world she has been thrust into.

Alex’s insistence on their connection and the intense pull between them creates an emotional turmoil within Emma.  She feels torn between her desire for Alex and the fear of becoming involved in a world she cannot fully understand.

The tension escalates as Emma witnesses disturbing behavior from some of the other vampires.  In one particularly unsettling incident, she sees them indulging in their bloodlust in Alex’s office, a sight that leaves her shaken and unsure of the safety she once felt.

Alex tries to reassure her, claiming that not all vampires are the same, and that his world is not as dangerous as she believes.  Still, Emma’s uncertainty grows as she is forced to confront the reality of Alex’s existence and the darker side of the island.

Amidst their growing connection, Alex proposes marriage to Emma, offering her the choice of becoming a vampire and joining him in eternity.  He acknowledges the gravity of the decision, knowing that it would require her to abandon her human life and all she has ever known.

Emma, however, is filled with fear at the thought of giving up her mortality.  She cannot bear the idea of losing her humanity and living forever, watching her loved ones grow old and die while she remains unchanged.

Despite her love for Alex, the fear of immortality and what it would mean for her future creates a profound inner conflict.

After a year apart, during which Emma attempts to move on and convince herself that she cannot accept Alex’s world, he returns to her life.  His reappearance reignites the intense emotions they once shared, but Emma is still torn between her love for him and her fear of becoming a vampire.

Alex, however, is unwavering in his desire to be with her.  He offers her an ultimatum: to accept his world and join him as a vampire, or to lose him forever.

Emma’s struggle is intense, as she loves Alex but cannot reconcile her fear of eternal life.  As she grapples with this choice, Alex introduces her to a new invention—a pill that allows vampires to walk in sunlight.

This development offers a glimmer of hope that their relationship could evolve into something more conventional, where they could live without the limitations of night and day.  Despite this new possibility, Emma remains hesitant, unable to overcome her fear of what it means to become a vampire and the loss of her humanity.

In a final moment of clarity, Emma realizes that her love for Alex is stronger than her fear.  She apologizes for her doubts and confesses that she has been a fool for not recognizing the depth of his love.

However, their reunion is short-lived, as Emma learns from Felix that Alex has been taken by the vampire Council for breaking their laws.  The Council plans to destroy him for daring to marry a human.

In a desperate bid to save him, Emma agrees to become a vampire, realizing that her fears have kept her from fully embracing the love Alex has always offered her.

Emma rushes to the island where the Council meets, determined to stop them from executing Alex.  She challenges the Council, offering herself as Alex’s mate and declaring her love for him.

Her bold move forces the Council to reconsider their decision, and the revelation of Alex’s invention—the pill that allows vampires to walk in sunlight—changes everything.  The Council exempts Alex from their laws, allowing him and Emma to be together.

The novel concludes with Emma and Alex finally able to be together, free from the constraints of fear and death.  Their love triumphs over the obstacles that once threatened to keep them apart, and they begin a new life together, where the boundaries between the human and supernatural worlds no longer divide them.

Through Emma’s journey, the narrative explores the transformative power of love, showing how it can overcome even the most insurmountable challenges.

Characters

Emma Trent

Emma Trent is a strong-willed, intelligent, and determined woman who embarks on a life-changing journey when she takes up a job at a remote island resort.  A talented masseuse, she initially views this opportunity as a chance to escape her everyday life and embrace a luxurious experience.

However, her excitement quickly turns to unease as she becomes entangled in a world filled with danger, mystery, and intrigue.  Emma is drawn to Alex, the resort’s owner, and their undeniable attraction, but she is simultaneously terrified by his supernatural nature as a vampire.

Her character is defined by a deep internal struggle between her desires and fears, particularly her fear of losing her humanity and becoming part of Alex’s world.  Throughout the novel, Emma evolves from a woman hesitant to embrace the unknown to one who faces her greatest fears head-on in order to pursue the love she has with Alex.

Her vulnerability, courage, and emotional complexity create a character that is both relatable and heroic in her determination to make a difficult choice between love and self-preservation.

Alex Masters

Alex Masters is the enigmatic and charismatic owner of the island resort, whose vampire nature becomes the central mystery of the story.  He is portrayed as confident, powerful, and deeply in love with Emma, which drives much of his actions throughout the narrative.

Alex represents the conflict between immortality and mortality, offering Emma a life that promises eternal love but requires her to give up everything she knows about being human.  He is a vampire who adheres to a code of non-violence and wants nothing more than to protect and be with Emma, despite the dangerous and supernatural elements that surround him.

His relationship with Emma is charged with passion, mystery, and the tragic inevitability of their situation.  Alex’s willingness to go to extreme lengths—both in terms of offering Emma the chance to be with him forever as a vampire and in defying the laws of the vampire world—highlights his deep love and commitment to her.

His struggle between his vampire identity and his desire for a future with Emma encapsulates the novel’s central themes of sacrifice, love, and transformation.

Felix

Felix, the resort’s manager, plays a crucial supporting role in the narrative, serving as Alex’s ally and confidant.  He is deeply involved in the operations of the resort, which caters to the vampire clientele, and he is aware of the complicated dynamics surrounding Emma’s arrival.

Felix is a character who provides both guidance and warnings to Emma, hinting at the darker realities of the resort and the vampire world that she is unwittingly drawn into.  His role grows more important as the story progresses, especially when he reveals critical information about Alex’s fate and the vampire Council.

Felix’s actions are driven by loyalty to Alex, and he becomes an instrumental figure in helping Emma confront the overwhelming dangers and make a life-altering decision.  Though he may initially appear as a secondary character, Felix’s connections to the vampire world and his loyalty to Alex add depth to the story, serving as a counterbalance to the growing tension between Emma and Alex.

Themes

Fear and Transformation

The central conflict in Last Resort revolves around Emma’s internal struggle between fear and desire, specifically her fear of transformation.  Emma’s journey explores how fear can shape decisions and the impact it has on one’s sense of identity.

From the moment she steps onto the island, she faces the overwhelming fear of the unknown, especially the concept of becoming part of a world she had previously dismissed—vampires.  The choice presented to her by Alex—whether to accept immortality or remain human—forces Emma to confront her deepest fear: the loss of her humanity.

The very idea of becoming a vampire, with its associated bloodlust and eternal existence, terrifies her.  Beyond the physical transformation, Emma also grapples with the emotional consequences, fearing the idea of living forever while everyone around her grows old and dies.

This profound fear is further complicated by the love she feels for Alex, making her transformation an emotional battleground where fear, desire, and love clash.  Ultimately, Emma’s journey reveals how the fear of change can paralyze an individual, but love, when deeply felt, can serve as a powerful motivator to overcome those fears and embrace the unknown.

The Power of Love

Love is a driving force in Last Resort, depicted as both a transformative and sacrificial element in the narrative.  Emma’s love for Alex pushes her to navigate the complexities of their relationship, which spans the realms of human and supernatural existence.

While Emma initially resists the idea of a relationship with a vampire due to the dangers and moral implications involved, her love for Alex grows stronger with time.  The emotional intensity between them highlights how love can transcend fear and uncertainty.

This theme also explores the sacrifices inherent in love, as Emma faces a heartbreaking choice: to accept Alex’s world and become a vampire or to lose him forever.  Through Alex’s unwavering love for Emma, which includes offering her protection and attempting to convince her of the beauty of immortality, the narrative shows that love is not just about connection but also about selflessness and the willingness to put another’s needs before one’s own.

As Emma ultimately decides to embrace the idea of becoming a vampire, her decision is rooted in the realization that love requires sacrifice, and it is the purest form of love that allows her to overcome the fears of the unknown.

The Clash of Human and Supernatural Worlds

Last Resort delves into the tension between the human and supernatural worlds, showcasing the difficulties of reconciling the two.  Emma, a human, is thrust into the world of vampires, a society that operates under its own set of rules and customs.

The resort, initially presented as a luxurious escape, soon reveals itself to be a carefully constructed environment designed to protect vampires from the dangers of sunlight.  Emma’s struggle to navigate this world reflects the broader theme of the clash between the mundane human existence and the mysterious, often dangerous, world of the supernatural.

The differences between these two realms become apparent not only through the physical environment of the resort, with its special precautions for vampires, but also through the complex dynamics of the characters, particularly Emma’s internal conflict.  She is drawn to Alex, but she cannot fully embrace his world without confronting the deep-seated fear and mistrust she holds toward the supernatural.

The novel explores how these conflicting worlds collide, highlighting the difficulty of reconciling a human life with the demands of an immortal one, and how the desire for love and connection can challenge the boundaries between the two.

Immortality and the Fear of Death

Immortality, or more specifically the fear of death, is a profound theme in Last Resort.  The allure of eternal life is tempered by the deep existential questions it raises.

For Alex, immortality is a gift, a chance to experience life in ways that humans cannot, free from the limitations of time.  Yet, for Emma, the prospect of living forever is fraught with emotional and philosophical dilemmas.

She fears not just the physical transformation required to become a vampire, but the loss of her human experience—the ability to age, to witness the passage of time, and to experience the natural course of life and death.  This fear of immortality is heightened by the idea that, as a vampire, she would be condemned to watch her loved ones age and die while she remains the same, an eternal observer of the world around her.

Last Resort examines how the concept of immortality is intertwined with the fear of death and the inevitable loneliness that comes with outliving others.  For Emma, the idea of living forever means sacrificing the very essence of her humanity, and it is this tension between the fear of death and the desire for eternal life that forms one of the emotional cores of the novel.

Sacrifice and Choice

Throughout Last Resort, sacrifice plays a key role in the development of the characters and the progression of the plot.  Emma’s ultimate decision to accept Alex’s offer of immortality is a direct reflection of the theme of sacrifice—both for love and for self.

Alex’s own sacrifice, the willingness to defy the vampire Council and risk his own life for his love for Emma, serves as a powerful counterpoint to Emma’s hesitation.  As the story unfolds, it becomes clear that love, in its purest form, requires sacrifice.

Alex’s transformation from a powerful and self-assured vampire to a figure willing to risk everything for Emma underscores the theme that love is not just about taking; it is about giving.  On the other hand, Emma’s final decision to embrace the world of vampires and join Alex represents her own sacrifice.

She must abandon her human life, including her family, friends, and the world she knows, in exchange for an uncertain future in a world she once feared.  The theme of sacrifice is intricately woven into the emotional and moral dilemmas faced by the characters, highlighting the difficult choices that must be made when love and immortality collide.

The Supernatural as a Metaphor for Desire

In Last Resort, the supernatural elements—especially the vampires—are used as a metaphor for deep, often unspoken desires.  The attraction between Emma and Alex is undeniable, and their relationship is marked by an intense, magnetic pull.

Alex, as a vampire, represents not just the allure of the forbidden but also the darker, more dangerous aspects of desire that Emma must confront.  The vampires in the novel, while initially frightening to Emma, come to symbolize the raw, unrestrained nature of human longing.

The intoxicating attraction Emma feels for Alex is not merely physical; it is a longing for connection, an exploration of what it means to love without limits.  As she becomes more entangled in Alex’s world, Emma’s understanding of desire shifts from something superficial and fearful to something deeply emotional and transformative.

The metaphorical use of vampires—creatures of desire and predation—helps illustrate the complexities of love, passion, and fear that define the emotional landscape of the novel.